Experimental economics summary paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Experimental economics summary paper - Essay Example These aspects tend to be the deciding factors as to when and why humans cooperate or they don’t. The author has used the single trial public goods and the multiple trail experiments to analyse human behaviour and how that affects the economy to a certain extent. In case of the former, it was found that the players could be segregated in two categories- 1: strong free riders, who did not want to contribute anything to the economy 2: weak free riders, who may or may not contribute towards public good and just want to enjoy the benefits (Dawes & Thaler, 1988) In case of the latter, it was found that more the subjects were put through repetitive experiments, the lesser cooperative they grew and even lesser they contributed towards public good. However, both cannot be considered as precise predictions or concrete results to any research. The other theory that has been highlighted by the author is that of reciprocal altruism being a major factor in deciding the contribution level. I t has been observed through experiments that humans tend to cooperate more when there is expectation that the same will be reciprocated. However, this theory has its own drawbacks.

Security Intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Security Intelligence - Essay Example The powerful intelligence agency of United States, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was "created in order to encourage competitive analysis within the intelligence community and to ensure that policy makers did not tailor intelligence to suit their interests."2 An intelligence agency's function is to offer an international clandestine capability to endorse and protect economic well-being of a nation and to protect from internal turmoil. Historians have only recently begun to investigate the role of intelligence and intelligence services in the formation and implementation of political, military, and economic policies which enrich, in many cases change, our understanding of personalities, events and decision making process.3 An analysis of the history of intelligence agencies reveals that there were many instances of involvement in democratic infringement activities. In the words of John McDermott "the CIA, which insisted that the US engage itself in a major way in Vietnam in spite o f the coolness of the State Department and considerable opposition in the Pentagon"4 is a fine example of repressive activities of intelligence agencies that misguided government to engage in a futile exercise in Vietnam. It is necessary to put check and balance on intelligence agencies for successful existence of democratic nations and also to archive records of regression to have a clear picture to future generation. Instruments of repression: The specifically created instruments of repressive institutions include 1) intelligence services; 2) paramilitary bodies; 3) special tribunals; 4) concentration camps; 5) special prisons; and 6) psychiatric centres for re-education. After Second World War the repressive institutions, over the period of 1974-1994, includes Brazil, Chile, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe. "Among the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, which had been within the orbit of the Soviet Union since the Second World War, in a world divided by the Cold War, there began a process, starting in Poland, which would culminate in the 1990s with the total collapse of the existing political structures, the most symbolic element of this process was the fall of the Berlin Wall and the German re-unification. In parallel with these European developments, another unstoppable process of demolition of repressive political regimes began in Latin Amer ica to discard conservative military dictatorships. African continent also saw the end after a period of prolonged struggle."5The documents of repression are part of the patrimony of the people. They must be preserved in their integrity, serving as a memento of intolerance, racism, and political totalitarianism. Analysing the documents of primary repressive institutions reveals the political violence perpetrated on the people and the process of transition to democracy and necessity to exercise individual rights: amnesty, indemnity, pensions, and general civil rights in the new political situation. Records available with police or intelligence agencies will help evaluate an individual's personal, family or

Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 147

Global Warming - Essay Example As the paper outlines global warming is related to the greenhouse effect, which is the course by which absorption and discharge of emissions of gases in the atmosphere warms the lower atmosphere and the surface of the globe. Global warming is as a result of reasons, which may be either natural or manmade. Natural causes are those that are created by nature, and are often related to the emission of methane gas. This is the case in the arctic tundra and wetlands. Methane, being a greenhouse gas, holds heat in the mesosphere. Another natural cause is the cycle of climate change that usually takes about 40,000 years. Human activities have been credited for the changes in climate as early as during the industrial revolution. Their activities lead to increased levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Pollution is the biggest problem and results from a number of activities, the main being burning of fossil fuels. These are fuels, resulting from organic matter such as oil and coal. The burning of fossil fuels emits carbon dioxide. The mining of oil and coal also allows methane gas to escape into the atmosphere. This is because methane gas exists naturally in the ground. An increase in the population has also been credited for global warming. As people settle in new areas they clear the vegetation that previously existed and cause deforestation. Plants are known to take in carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. Their clearance increases the amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. There are a number of effects resulting from global warming. Weather patterns are most affected by the climatic change.

Improve Efficiency Essay Example for Free

Improve Efficiency Essay A very high percentage of the items selected (picked) in the distribution centers and re-stocked in the stores were in quantities of 1 case. This company’s roots were as a high volume, limited assortment retailer and distributor. Over time the business had shifted allowing the stores to reorder a higher mix of items at lower volumes. Given the companies market position as a low-price leader, this reduced profit margins. The two root causes of this shift were identified as: 1. Stock-keeping-unit (SKU) count growth outpacing sales growth, and 2. Allowing minimum order quantities from the stores to the distribution centers to drop to a quantity of one This white paper will study how this company quantified the impact of allowing its stores to order in one case quantity and then recalculated minimum order quantities for higher volume items. (For details of how SKUs were reduced see White Paper â€Å"SKU Reduction – Biggest SKLUsers†) A Supply Velocity Consultant led a team of employees through this 5 week project. The Supply Velocity consultant facilitated, but the employees did most of the analysis and therefore owned the improvements. [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 2 Project Outline ? Evaluated all SKUs and the case quantity they are most frequently ordered at, to establish baseline data for how stores are ordering ? Time studied retail store shelf restocking and distribution center order selection labor to determine the negative labor productivity impact of the current ordering policy o Graphed the results in a trend chart o Determined that the greatest labor productivity improvement happens when the order quantity increases from just 1 to 2 cases ? Recalculated minimum order quantity for all items using Multi-Variable Pareto analysis based on: o Item unit movement o Pack-out (number of units that fit on the shelf space allocated in stores) o Shelf life ? About 20% of all SKUs had a re-calculated minimum order quantity greater than 1 case o The most conservative methods were used to ensure this project didn’t just push inventory out to stores, resulting in shrink (throwing away items that go beyond their shelf-life limit or are damaged) ? Communicated all items on the minimum order quantity to all stores through a comprehensive communication plan o Communication plan included data to show stores how increasing minimum order quantity on select items would improve their labor productivity ? Created a control plan to ensure new items, SKU reduction and sales history will be used to update the minimum order quantity on a twice yearly basis [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 3 Time Study Analysis To quantify the problem, we time studied order selection in the distribution centers and shelf restocking in retail stores. We conducted a few snapshot analyses of different distribution centers to understand the current state of â€Å"order quantities†. The graph below shows that out of the approximately 2800 items, a majority are ordered in quantities of 1 case. The time study data also showed that the second case selected or stocked is essentially â€Å"free† and the same movement is used for two cases as for one case. At the outset of this project the team was worried that any increase in minimum order quantity would be viewed by store managers as an attempt to push inventory out from the distribution centers to the stores. This data showed that increasing minimum order quantity from one case to just two, gave us the greatest percentage of labor productivity improvement. However, we didn’t just want to increase all items to a 2 case minimum order quantity. Instead, a statistical tool, Multi-Variable Pareto was used to calculate the proper minimum order quantity based on a mix of inputs. [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 4 Distribution Center Order Selection Quantity (# of items picked per quantity) 57% of the items in distribution centers were selected at a 1 case quantity [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 5 â€Å"Time to Select per Case Quantity† in the Distribution Centers – Based on case count per selection When selecting 2 cases of a n item, the time per case drops by 45% from 1 case. [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 6 Time to Re-Stock SKUs on Shelves in Stores – Based on case count When restocking 2 cases of an item, the time per case drops by 61% from 1 case. This shows that the greatest productivity improvement occurs when going from 1 to 2 cases, which is easier to â€Å"sell† to the stores than making large increases in minimum order quantity. They can reduce labor by 37 seconds per case by ordering and stocking 2 cases of an item versus 1. [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 7 Multi Variable Pareto Analysis ? Recalculated minimum order quantity for all items using Multi-Variable Pareto analysis based on: o Item unit movement o Pack-out (number of units that fit on the shelf space allocated in stores) o Shelf life ? About 20% of all SKUs had a re-calculated minimum order quantity greater than 1 case o The most conservative methods were used to ensure this project didn’t just push inventory out to stores, resulting in shrink Multi-Variable Pareto is a method that uses more than one â€Å"measure† to sort SKUs from highest to lowest performing. Normal Pareto Analysis has been used to develop guidelines such as the 80/20 rule (20% of customers generate 80% of sales). When using multiple variables, there has to be a way to normalize the data so all variables are part of the analysis. We used three variables to determine the correct minimum order quantity for an item. ? Cases sold per week on average for each item ? The number of cases that fit in the given shelf space ? Product shelf-life Each of these variables are positively correlated to Minimum Order Quantity. ? The higher the cases sold equals higher Order Quantity ? The greater the shelf space (pack-out) equals higher Order Quantity ? The longer the item’s shelf-life equals higher Order Quantity The team of subject matter experts used retail experience to determine each of these factors and their impact on minimum order quantity. Results of this analysis are shown below. The calculation was very conservative, as the results have shown. Only 466 of 2800 items have a minimum order quantity greater than 1 case. This was largely driven by two factors. Item shelf-life limited our ability to make any shelf-life sensitive item greater than 1 case. Our calculation took this limiting factor into account, to ensure we weren’t causing shrink (throwing away items that go beyond their shelf-life limit or are damaged) at the stores. In addition, lower case movement drove many items to a 1 case minimum, even if they didn’t have shelf life limitations. The lower case movement is due to SKU proliferation and was addressed by the SKU Reduction (Biggest SKLUsers) project. [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 8 Results of Minimum Order Quantity Calculation [emailprotected] om Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 9 Communication Control Plan ? Communicated with all retail stores about how the minimum order quantity analysis was conducted and the resulting new plan o Communication plan included data to show stores that increasing minimum order quantity on select items would improve their labor productivity ? Created a control plan so new items, SKU reduction and sales history will update the minimum order quantity on a twice yearly basis It was critical that this project was presented as a positive for our retail store-customers. We created a communication plan that showed two key aspects of this change: ? The conservative nature of the change o only 466 of 2800 items are receiving a minimum order quantity increase ? This change is good for the stores and will improve their labor productivity To ensure that this process endures and does not get reversed over time we included a control plan. This is shown in the graphic below. As Category Marketing Managers evaluate items, adding and reducing SKUs, changes will be reflected in new pack-out quantities. This quantity will get fed to Distribution Technology who will recalculate this items’ minimum order quantity using the same Multi-Variable Pareto calculation. A control group, made up of Merchandising, Distribution and Retail Directors will review the list, make changes in the ordering system and communicate changes to store customers. [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 10 Results By taking the higher sales volume SKUs and increasing the store minimum order quantity, we decreased the time per case to stock shelves in the stores and select items in the distribution centers. Using only the 1 to 2 case increase in minimum order quantity for the 466 SKUs reduced the labor time per case resulting in a labor savings of $1. 2 million. The expectation for this process is to slowly grow the number items with a minimum order quantity greater than 1 case beyond 20%. By rationalizing and reducing SKUs we should increase the shelf pack-out of remaining items, thereby increasing the minimum order quantity.

footprints new :: essays research papers

We all know the story of Footprints In The Sand, it's been around for > > > > >a long time. The following is a new version of Footprints that I had > > > >not read before. I hope you enjoy it. > > > > > > > >FOOTPRINTS...A New Version > > > >Imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking down the road together. > > > >For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, > > > >consistently, rarely varying the pace. But your footprints are a > > > >disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, > > > >departures, and returns. > > > > > > > >For much of the way, it seems to go like this, but gradually your > > > >footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling His > > > >consistently. You and Jesus are walking as true friends! > > > > > > > >This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: Your > > > >footprints that once etched the sand next to Jesus' are now walking > > > >precisely in His steps. Inside His larger footprints are your smaller > > > > >ones, you and Jesus are becoming one. > > > > > > > >This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another change. > > > > >The footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow larger. > > > >Eventually they disappear altogether. There is only one set of > > > >footprints they have become one. > > > > > > > >This goes on for a long time, but suddenly the second set of > > > >footprints is back. This time it seems even worse! Zigzags all over > > > >the place. Stops. Starts. Gashes in the sand. A variable mess of > > > >prints. > > > > > > > >You are amazed and shocked. Your dream ends. > > > > > > > >Now you pray: "Lord, I understand the first scene with zigzags end > > > >fits. I was a new Christian; I was just learning. But You walked on > > > >through the storm and helped me learn to walk with You." > > > > > > > >"That is correct." > > > > > > > >"And when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually > > > > >learning to walk in Your steps; followed You very closely." > > > > > > > >"Very good.

An student

There is a thin line separating those who deserve an â€Å"A† and those who consistently receive â€Å"Ass†. As one progresses through the schooling system, different ideas are acquired about what the different letter grades mean and how to achieve them. The universal idea of an â€Å"A† is constantly changing, as does the difficulty of achieving one. Depending on the school/instructor, how difficult it is to achieve a certain grade can vary.So much so that common phrases such as â€Å"An easy ‘A'† and â€Å"An ‘A' for effort† have emerged, while others insist that an â€Å"A† is closer to perfection Han it is to â€Å"a good effort†. Grades are supposed to be a numerical/letter representation of ones academic progress in a course or lesson. But more often than not, good grades become a goal and not a reward; thus students are striving for grades and not the knowledge which they represent. In his article â€Å"Making the G rade†, Kurt Westfield points out that students are often undeserving granted good grades.This allows the same students to graduate with a degree and find a Job, without the actual knowledge needed to strive in their field. Similarly, he then goes on to note that these under-qualified students that are now in the workplace aren't ready for the tasks at hand. Universities are sending students into their careers with the same mindset they had throughout grapeshot, find the quick and easy way to get the Job done. Consequently, Jobs and projects could be done incorrectly or left incomplete. The difference is, though, that when these real world Jobs are incomplete or incorrect, they can create real world problems and difficulties.The grading system was made with the intention that it would accurately reflect a dents performance in a class. It's commonly believed that if a student understands a subject well, they deserve an â€Å"A†. But for a student to actually deserve that grade, they must also complete the entire workload, whether they know they information or not. The grade in the class is determined by the amount of work the student completes correctly, and this is where the controversy starts. Some argue that if a student demonstrates that he/she understands the given subject, he/she should be given a passing grade (whether their work was completed or not).Others argue that if a student truly works their hardest and gives a strong effort in the class, they deserve a passing grade (whether their work was correct or not). At the end of the day though, if searching for a simple â€Å"A† grade in a class, one must be willing to work and study for that class, and complete each assignment with accuracy (easier said than done, of course! ). The source of the problem resides in the earliest years of the school system. Starting from a young age, students are being taught and prepared for the next school year instead of for life.Elementary school stu dents are being prepared for adolescent, meddlesomeness are being prepared for householders, householders for college, etc. Each year of schooling teaches you Just enough to get through the next year. The problem is, though, that by the time the student reaches college he/ she is not ready for life as an adult, only for more school. Meaning that students are going into college with the idea that they need to pass, and not the idea that they need to be preparing for their future. Students aren't realizing that what they are learning is essential for their Job until it's too late and they are unable to perform.

Sure Things

Gangyi Wu Mark Scamahorn Eng 110, March 15, 2012 Desperate to survival How can a big brother who loses his parents in a short period of time survive? How is it possible for him to take care of his little brother at the same time? In A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, the author Dave Eggers describes a long dialogue between him and his brother Toph. In fact, the dialogue is not happening in the real world; instead, it is a â€Å"me and I† dialogue. Dave talks about his long day in the beginning of this dialogue, while â€Å"Toph† extends the conversation to the discussion of Dave’s inner being.Actually Dave is analyzing his behavior with respect to Toph. From the dialogue, we can tell Dave is desperate and is eager to have a normal life with Toph. Dave’s dialogue with â€Å"Toph’ shows Dave is aggressive. Dave is trying to escape the past and use moral authority to condemn other for the purpose of building himself up. Dave is trying to run a way from the past guilt. The guilty feelings make Dave stay away from the past. â€Å"Toph† says, â€Å"You’re completely paralyzed with guilt about relating all this in the first place, especially the stuff earlier on. †(115).The past was horrible for Dave. He suffered a lot, he lost his parents, and more importantly, his family. He is afraid to remember his family, because he is afraid that those painful memories will haunt after him. The guilt, as â€Å"Toph† describes, constrains him. Dave feels guilty for his parents’ death. The â€Å"family† area in his brain is a forbidden zone. He preserves this area carefully in order to avoid the potential harm coming from the heartrending stories. Otherwise, these areas may drive him ballistic. As a result, Dave tries many ways to escape the guilt.At the very beginning of the conversation, Dave and â€Å"Toph† are talking about their long day. Dave argues that â€Å"this is a much pedestri an day than most†, because â€Å"this is just a caricature†¦ the skeleton†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (115) Toph says: â€Å"you’re†¦. doing little tricks, out of frustration. †(115). From this conversation, we can see that Dave is trying to make things look fake; he does not want things to get a hold of him, especially the guilty feelings. Instead of manipulating the old memories into â€Å"skeleton† and â€Å"caricature† he would rather treat them as his own real experience.He is numbing himself out. By discarding all the old things to jump out of the old memories, Dave also wants to have a brand new life with Toph. â€Å"Toph† says, â€Å"you can toss away all the old rules†¦ and for all your bluster you end up maintaining most of their customs. †(116). He is attempting to leave away from the rules in his old family; he wants to dominate his own rule and create a new home rule. He blusters and struggles. He is desperate! No matter how hard Dave tries, he fails, and all the failures gradually lead him to the edge of collapse.Dave becomes an aggressive man, because he is over sensitive about the potential harm may happen to Toph. â€Å"Toph† recounts a scene between Dave and a friend, Marny. Dave is irritated about Toph’s ignorance’s to call, after waiting for Toph to return home. Marny exhorts Dave not to be harsh but Dave wraths immediately, â€Å"you think you have a say in something like that, just because I am young. †(116) Apparently he is harsh to Toph and now he is mean to his best friend. Marny is showing him kindness whereas Dave attacks her simply because she doubts what he is doing.In this moment, Dave already becomes extremely sensitive. He regards himself as Toph’s mother, â€Å"you would never contradict some forty-year-old mother, would you? † (116) He is a forty-year-old â€Å"mother† who is old enough to have authority over Toph; Dave believes h e has the competence to take care of Toph, and at the mean time he is doing a good parenting job. Therefore, no one can challenge his authority. Consequently Dave overly defends the leadership that he has over the new family. No one can judge an old â€Å"mother†. He is as bossy as an old â€Å"mother† holding the decision making power in his mind.Dave describes his attitude to those potential enemies from â€Å"Toph’s† words, â€Å"You’ll picture all manners of murders in my defense. Your visions will be vivid and horrifically violent†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (117) Dave would like to punish his â€Å"enemies† in his own mind with weapons like a baseball bat. Dave values Toph the most in his heart, and anyone who dares to harm Toph should pay a high price. Dave will punish them as fierce as he can. Paragraph indicates that Dave lacks the sense of safety. Inside his imagination, outsiders always want to dig out his family’s scars and judge him a nd Toph.He desires to beat every enemy down before they appear, so that no one could harm them. He tries to condemn others by using his moral authority in order to gain confidence about life. Toph says, â€Å"You finally have the moral authority you’ve carved†¦And now your moral authority is doubled, tripled. And you use it any way you need to. † (118) The moral authority is the weapon Dave uses to intimidate others. For him it is a shield that protects him from being humiliated, since he is morally superior to others. This is exactly what Toph infers about his authority, â€Å"because it increases your leverage with other people. (119) As a result, Dave can judge others without getting criticism back. In the incomplete family, Dave and Toph are weak. However with the moral authority, he can rule over others; no one will have a judgment about his family, or Toph. He even judges his twenty-nine years old girl friend, â€Å"you’ll make this poor woman feel like a leper†¦ you want her to fell like a pariah, like a lower form of life†¦ what your feel anyone tethered to any addiction is. † (118) â€Å"Leper† and â€Å"pariah† are insulting words that a normal person would not use to criticize a smoking woman.By looking down on others and saying those insulting words, Dave is attempting to gain self-esteem. His behaviors make himself look like a superior. Although the people are living better than Dave, he refuses to accept reality. What Dave wants is to create a favorable family environment for Toph, to give him new home. In this family he is a father, a mother, a big brother and an orphan without parents. Dave is attempting pull himself out of the old and painful memories. On the other hand, he is shouldering the responsibilities of Toph.He talks to the imaginary Toph to cure himself with an â€Å"open heart surgery†. Toph is an illusion of real Toph in his heart. There two brothers are having a coun seling session together indirectly. Dave loves Toph. He is playing his role as a protector. He wants to protect Toph from the people outside their house, to keep Toph from other people’s judgments. The only reason Dave becomes a desperate and pretended guardian is to become strong enough to stand up for Toph’s protection. Work Cited Eggers, Dave. A heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, New York. Vintage Books. 2000. 114-120. Print.

Why self-publishing kickstarted my childrens lit career

Why self-publishing kickstarted my childrens lit career Why Self-Publishing Kickstarted My Children's Lit Career Native Finn,  Tuire Siiriainen  is an illustrator and the founder of Blueberry Pie, a self-publishing company. With the help of a Kickstarter campaign, she published her first book through her company in August 2016 - a personalized children’s adventure called "Message in a Bottle." Read on to hear how the campaign was fully funded in just two weeks.I was born in Finland, and have always seen stories around me. A lot of my inspiration came from my surroundings - forests, lakes, countryside cottages, and animals - but especially from children’s books. Rather than Roald Dahl and Dr. Seuss, my favorite authors growing up were Astrid Lindgren (author of the Pippi Longstocking series), or Mauri Kunnas. Books about strong, Nordic children doing stubborn and seemingly foolish things have inspired me up to present day.During university in Belgium, I studied marketing - which is a form of storytelling itself. While in school, I rediscovered the magic of drawing and returned to the picture books of my childhood. When I reached the end of my studies at the age of 23, I knew that I wanted to create my own picture book.From a book idea to self-publishingI was never fascinated by the idea of traditional publishing. To me, it seemed slow and stiff, and even though I’m the first one to acknowledge the value of a printed book, the ways of publishing them felt out-of-date.Then I discovered the world of personalized children’s book and heard about print-on-demand (POD). It hit me instantly - this is how I want to create my book! I saw the unexplored possibilities of POD technology that would allow highly creative and inventive story concepts to come to life. "I saw the potential of POD  for  bringing creative and inventive story concepts to life." @MIABBook The StoryIn the summer of 2015, my partner Wojtek and I came up with the idea for our first children’s book, Message In A Bottle, during one of our forest walks: A lone bottle with a message inside is found on a beach by an animal. On the bottle label, there is a name and an address. The animal decides to deliver the bottle to its rightful owner, and with the help of many other animals around the world, the message in the bottle finally reaches its intended destination - and the mysterious message is revealed.The message in the bottle is created by the giver of the book, whether it’s a family member or friend. And the name and address on the bottle belong to the real child - the reader of the book. This is where the personalization aspect of the book come into play.Gathering a teamWe hesitated regarding whether or not I should illustrate the book because I had no professional experience - but, we knew I could draw. In the end, my drawing passion, paired with the need for constant marketing artwork, led us to picking our illustrator: me.Our digital agency had been working on the â€Å"Message In A Bottle† website since May 2016. They had the big challenge of creating an online platform where it would be easy to personalize and order the book. This meant submitting the child’s name, address, country and a personal message for the bottle, personalizing the world map page to show the route Kiki took to deliver the bottle, previewing the personalized book and creating a print-ready file to be sent to the print house.In July, all of the illustrations for â€Å"Message In A Bottle† were completed. And after countless website tests and print proofs, our website went live end of August.Since the launch, we have delivered over 100 personalized books to children all over Europe: the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Germany to name few. It’s the reaction of children that has completely touched our hearts. Hearing how much they lo ve their own personal book and how Kiki has become a beloved character in the whole family has been the most amazing reward.One year ago I had no idea where to start in terms of publishing a children’s book. Now I can’t wait to begin my second one!Fore more resources on writing and publishing a children's book, don't forget to check out these posts:How to Publish a Children's BookHow to Write a Children's BookHow to Find the REAL Target Market for Your Children’s BookVisit the Message In A Bottle website to personalize and purchase your own copy!If you've run your own campaign, what have been your positive or negative experiences? Did you have any learnings or takeaways from the experience?  Leave your thoughts, experiences, or any questions for Tuire in the comments below.

Forbidden Planet theme analisis essay essays

Forbidden Planet theme analisis essay essays Forbidden planet is a science fiction movie briefly based on Shakespeares The Tempest set in the early 23rd century, on the Fourth planet into the Altair star system on Altair 4. The movie was created in 1956 where the threat of cold war and alien invaders surfaced. Electronic music was beginning to become popular culture nearing to the 60s after Forbidden planet introduced it to the public. All of the themes in the movie play a big part, such as the theme of threat, how everyone thinks that the monster attacking them is an external threat; however it turns out to be an internal threat with Morbiuss desires of his id controlling the monster with the machine bringing it to life. Human weakness is displayed in the film how Morbius couldnt control his id when it killed all his crew and himself later in the film, it shows how unfit and unstable his mind is for that kind of technology. Technology is a big aspect of the film as that is how the monster of the id comes to life, from the big machine that serves who is in control and can create matter with a thought. Greed is displayed when the cook asks Robby to make him 60 gallons of Rocket bourbon, and doesnt let anyone know in case they will all want a share. The major theme that I have chosen is Internal threat and the minor themes are Greed, Morbiuss sub-conscious (id) and Super technology. The theme of Internal Threat is displayed throughout the movie mainly by Robby and Morbius, and how the posters made Robby look like the external threat and how the monster killing everyone is seen as another external threat, which is not the case with Dr Morbiuss mind tapping in to the big machine and creating a monster of his id unconsciously. Internal threat was an important theme to me because the movie is basically based around the theme, if this theme was not in the mo ...

Lightweight Strong Materials In A Composite Surfboard

Lightweight Strong Materials In A Composite Surfboard The composite surfboard is a common place in the sport today. Ever since the introduction of fiberglass composites after World War II, the surfboard industry was truly one of the first to embrace composites. Prior to fiber reinforced composites, surfboards were manufactured out of wood and could weigh over 100 lbs. Today, a composite surfboard the same size (10 feet) might weigh less then 10 lbs. To shed this enormous amount of weight, surfboards took advantage of 3 key materials: Foam Core Polyurethane foam became the core material of choice for surfboards. It is lightweight, provides thickness, and provides buoyancy. The foam core of a composite surfboard is sandwiched between FRP skins and creates the stiffness and structure of the surfboard. Often, a stringer of wood is bonded in the center of the board to provide increased rigidity, much like an I-beam. The surfboard foam industry was dominated by the company Clark Foam up until 2005, at which time the owner decided to shut down with no prior warning. Today, the foam core for composite surfboards is primarily polyurethane foam. However, expanded polystyrene (EPS) is being used more often as the use of epoxy resins increases. Regardless of the foam used it almost always closed-cell, so that it does not absorb moisture. Resin Thermosetting resins have been key to the success of the composite surfboard. Even when boards were made of wood, resins and coatings were used to help prevent the boards soaking in water. As resin technology continues to improve, boards are able to become stronger and lighter weight. The most common resins used in composite surfboards are polyester resins. This is primarily because polyester resin is inexpensive. Additionally, resin manufacturers have perfected their polyester surfboard resins so that they are easy to work with and are crystal clear. It is important that the resins used are water-clear, because a surfboard is as much a work of art as it is a functional piece of equipment. As surfboards age, they turn yellow from the UV rays. Hence, UV resistance is an important factor to the resins used today. With the advancements in resin technology, it is no surprise composite surfboards are being manufactured with epoxy. Epoxy has no VOC emissions during the manufacturing process, and it has much higher strength, fatigue, and impact resistance properties. However, the only current downside to using epoxy is, these boards tend to turn yellow faster then polyester boards. Although, this may soon change with improved formulations. Fiberglass Fiberglass is the structural backbone to surfboards. The fiberglass reinforcement provides the structure and strength to the board. Most commonly, lightweight woven fiberglass cloth is used as the reinforcement. Usually, it is between 4 and 8 ounce fabric. (Ounces per square yard). Often more then one layer is used. Currently, the weaves used are evenly balanced with equal amounts of fiberglass running from nose to tail, and rail to rail. However, engineers are designing boards with different amounts of fiber running in different directions. This provides the strength and the rigidity where required, without adding much additional weight. Future Of The Composite Surfboard Surfers are known for being progressive, and with this comes experimentation with different shapes and materials. Boards today are embracing composite technology and new materials. The composite surfboards of the future are incorporating fibers such as Kevlar, carbon fiber, and Innegra. The various properties of the many composite reinforcements available can allow the surfer or engineer, to tweak the properties to help create the dream board. It also makes a surfboard extremely cool looking to have unique materials and construction. The various properties of the many composite reinforcements available can allow the surfer or engineer, to tweak the properties to help create the ultimate surfboard. It also makes a surfboard extremely cool looking to have unique materials and construction. Not only are the materials being used changing, but the method of manufacturing is evolving as well. CNC machines are commonly being used to precisely machine out the foam core. This creates boards that are almost perfectly symmetrical and exact. At first, the fear of mass production brought concerns of removing the soul from the sport. Meaning, the traditional method of hand shaping boards is being reduced to the job of a computer. However, the opposite seems to be true. Custom boards, which are truly works of art, seem to be as popular as ever. And with composites, creativity in methods and materials to laminate boards seems to give an endless opportunity to customize and personalize boards. The future of the composite surfboard is bright. In the 1950s the use of fiberglass was revolutionary. The new pioneers will continue to push the envelope and will embrace the next generation of composite materials and processing techniques.

Japan's Involvement In World War II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Japan's Involvement In World War II - Essay Example Japan restored the emperor during the Meiji Restoration in 1868. There was a widespread belief that the emperor was divine and strong sense in Japan of national identity built on the belief of Shintoism, of ancestor worship. During the Meiji Restoration the focus had been on transforming the nation that could compete with west. Lingering memories of Commodore Perry's entry into Japanese waters in 1853 forcing the surrender of the Shogun left a scar on Japan's national consciousness. The emphasis in the years that came were on transforming Japan into a modern nation state with a diversified economy that would not be further humiliated. During the 1920's under the guidance of Liberal Political policies Japan focused on economic growth and experienced an until then unprecedented growth. This growth was curtailed by the world wide Depression late in the decade. In a reaction to the economic hardship and in part keeping with Japan's wish to rise as real world power during the 1930's the government came to be dominated by right wing and nationalist forces, dominated by a military expansionist agenda.

The Transplant in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Transplant in UK - Essay Example However, when the supply increases, those who supply organs receive less compensation. There is also the risk of contamination of organs that could possibly be Hepatitis B or HIV positive. There are a host transport issues as well. Donor organs must be kept on an ice and used within a short time frame, to be considered optimal transplant material. â€Å"Organs such as kidneys and livers have to be taken and transplanted within 48 hours of death; typically they are transplanted within five hours†. There are several European nations within a 2-3 hour flight to the UK, depending on the location. This type of limitation may be necessary to ensure quality and viability. The time constraint would eliminate possible trade between nations who frequently trade in other industries. For instance, with an 8-9 hour flight from the east coast of the U.S. to London, this would not be viable. In terms of suppliers and transporters, increases in donor organs could translate into increased need for transport services, creating more jobs. It would also require more nurses and support staff to accommodate increases in transplant procedures. This is certain to stimulate growth in the health care industry. However, insurance companies are still hesitant to pay for such procedures. This limits the number of patients who can actually afford to pay the current costs for transplantation. If supply increases, cost to the patient should be reduced, given that there are fewer possible recipients vying for the same kidney.

American History - 11 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

American History - 11 - Essay Example In December 1965 King was chosen by NAACP to spearhead the Montgomery Bus Boycott. His inspirational oratory energized the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama. The campaign succeeded after 382 days: Montgomery repealed the law mandating segregated public transportation. In January 1957, in the aftermath of this victory, Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph Abernathy, and 60 ministers and civil rights activists founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which adopted a campaign of non-violent protests to promote civil rights reform. The SCLC conducted meetings on enfranchisement and King gave nation-wide talks on racism. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, King made non-violent activism the keystone of his policy. In 1960, King encouraged the student â€Å"sit-in† movement in several Southern cities, and coordinated the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. King was now a national celebrity and the symbol of the Civil Rights Movement.   On August 28, 1963, King led the mammoth ‘March on Washington’ which drew more than 200,000 people to the Lincoln Memorial. It was here that King made his famous â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech, asserting his belief in the brotherhood of all men. He played a pivotal role in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 mandating desegregation of public accommodations and in publicly owned facilities and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.He received the Nobel Peace Prize for 1964. He was assassinated by  James Earl Ray, a former convict, in Memphis on April 4, 1968. Martin Luther King Jr. may be considered one of the greatest personalities who shaped the American Civil Rights Movement. 1. 27-3 Brown vs Board of Education of Topeka served as the turning point in the constitutional battle against segregation. Plessy v. Ferguson  (1896) legalized separate but equal school systems for blacks and whites. By rejecting the contention of the School Board that the

Strategic Marketing at Waitrose Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Strategic Marketing at Waitrose - Case Study Example Company's main focus area is the UK. Having the backing of a strong group helps not only in the form of giving it an identity but also in the form of experience, reaching out to potential customers, clubbing the marketing decisions, planning out marketing communication strategies etc. And, the company has been able to establish itself quite well, despite squeezing of the profit margins(No author, 1998). The category leadership strategy, in particular, has provided it with more than 5% of the market share The weaknesses of the company are: still, the company is primarily is concentrated within the south of England. Despite having been in the business for so many years. The company requires to strengthen its presence in other markets as well, to take on the competitors. And, Waitrose doesn't take stock of its business on a quarterly basis(No author, 1999). The opportunities of the company are: the UK is just about 20% self-sufficient in fruits, and the demand for fruits is on the rise gradually. Though the traditionally UK is not known to be a fruit lover nation, with a growing number of consumers, better opportunities will certainly emerge. The threats of the company are: UK consumers have a lesser appetite for fruits as compared to European counterparts. If sufficient efforts are not made to widen the consumer base, this may result in a lesser intake of fruits, which will ultimately lead to less than expected sales of fruits. And, with the number of suppliers becoming less, the leveraging power of the supermarket stores may be affected as well. Also, the UK supermarket industry is fiercely competitive, with the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda, and Safeway holding the lion's share of the market's SWOT analysis is a necessary tool for decision making(No author, 2000). Still, the company is primarily is concentrated within the south of England. Despite having been in the business for so many years. The company requires to strengthen its presence in other markets as well, to take on the competitors(Hunger, 1996). If the company will set up shop in the north, east and west of England and the larger United Kingdom, then there is a strong probability that the revenues will increase by three times the current revenues generated from the South of England alone. Although the expenses will also increase by three times the current expenses, the net income will surely increase by three times under its current location in the South of England if the company will set up shop in the North, East and West part of England and the wider United Kingdom(Thompson, 1999). Waitrose is implementing a well known competitive marketing strategy. Price water house coopers stated that "Marketing strategy is the most significant planning challenge regardless of industry or size of the company. Our goal will be to re-evaluate and examine constantly our marketing position. Our emphasis will be on market strategy, technique and product innovation." When they did research on two

Compare and contrast of two images Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Compare and contrast of two images - Essay Example On the other hand, the Greeks are one of the first to gain civilization in society. They have been known to excel in a lot of fields especially art. Greek goddesses, epics, sculptures and even establishment in Greece also tell a lot about their culture. These are general examples of how Greeks and Egyptians exceled and contributed in terms of historical preferences. For more specific examples, the following paragraphs will talk about the Painted low relief of Princess Nefret-iabet in Old Kingdom, Giza, c.2570 BC. and the Relief of seated goddess in Parthenon, East Frieze, Classical Greece, c. 447-438 BC. Naturalism which is defined as â€Å"an even more accurate picture of realism† (Abrams, 1) is evident in the low relief of Princess Nefret-iabet. This relief made in painted in limestone slab stela, depicts a relative degree of naturalism. Involvement of depiction of actual life form’s art form is necessary. The low relief of Princess Nefret-iabet is a detailed modellin g of the Egyptian princess seating on a chair is like an actual representation of a life as a princess in Egypt. The relief showcases the detailed hair of the princess, wide eyes while wearing an also detailed leopard print dress. This depicts existence of elegance and glamour, and to add to this are her combs, perfumes, and other properties made of brass and gold. Even the chair she sits on is made of gold with apparent an animal- like structure. The Princess’ body is very slim in representation. The details of her hair are exquisite and so is that of her fingers. The linings used in this relief are very delicate to look at, and the images are very lightly embossed in the limestone. Although, abstraction may also be seen in terms of showing only half of the princess’s face and figure, cut parts of unidentified object above the princess and other parts not shown in the relief. Abstraction is the purposeful act of hiding other parts of a subject in art, to highlight oth er features (Abstraction). But through further research, a more complete version of the relief of the princess was seen in full. More of her properties are seen in the full slab in her tomb, including images of her eyelids, birds, balance scales and other materials. This aspect could also be related to the placing of objects in relation to its distance from the princess. The princess being placed on the left faces a set of property she has, arranged in accordance to its purpose. For example, the first compartment appears to be all of her needs for beautification, second shelf looks like vases or forms of pottery, and the objects under the shelf are like gold statuettes. This relief somehow tells us a story of what life there is in Giza, during c.2570 BC. The women of Ancient Egypt are supposed to have a significant role in society unlike most early civilizations. Women played a big role in unification of Hierakonpolis, Abydos and proofs of which are statuettes and art forms in museu ms. This contribution is said to have built various alliances and bridged the gap between peoples. With this contribution, women are considered important in society as supported by the Egyptian thinking of â€Å"philosophical dualism† wherein relationship of god and priestess is compared and somehow patterned in the same way in the relationship of king and royal women. This on the other hand, does not necessarily mean that the Ancient Egypt had a bilineal society, and

Strategic Marketing at Waitrose Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Strategic Marketing at Waitrose - Case Study Example Company's main focus area is the UK. Having the backing of a strong group helps not only in the form of giving it an identity but also in the form of experience, reaching out to potential customers, clubbing the marketing decisions, planning out marketing communication strategies etc. And, the company has been able to establish itself quite well, despite squeezing of the profit margins(No author, 1998). The category leadership strategy, in particular, has provided it with more than 5% of the market share The weaknesses of the company are: still, the company is primarily is concentrated within the south of England. Despite having been in the business for so many years. The company requires to strengthen its presence in other markets as well, to take on the competitors. And, Waitrose doesn't take stock of its business on a quarterly basis(No author, 1999). The opportunities of the company are: the UK is just about 20% self-sufficient in fruits, and the demand for fruits is on the rise gradually. Though the traditionally UK is not known to be a fruit lover nation, with a growing number of consumers, better opportunities will certainly emerge. The threats of the company are: UK consumers have a lesser appetite for fruits as compared to European counterparts. If sufficient efforts are not made to widen the consumer base, this may result in a lesser intake of fruits, which will ultimately lead to less than expected sales of fruits. And, with the number of suppliers becoming less, the leveraging power of the supermarket stores may be affected as well. Also, the UK supermarket industry is fiercely competitive, with the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda, and Safeway holding the lion's share of the market's SWOT analysis is a necessary tool for decision making(No author, 2000). Still, the company is primarily is concentrated within the south of England. Despite having been in the business for so many years. The company requires to strengthen its presence in other markets as well, to take on the competitors(Hunger, 1996). If the company will set up shop in the north, east and west of England and the larger United Kingdom, then there is a strong probability that the revenues will increase by three times the current revenues generated from the South of England alone. Although the expenses will also increase by three times the current expenses, the net income will surely increase by three times under its current location in the South of England if the company will set up shop in the North, East and West part of England and the wider United Kingdom(Thompson, 1999). Waitrose is implementing a well known competitive marketing strategy. Price water house coopers stated that "Marketing strategy is the most significant planning challenge regardless of industry or size of the company. Our goal will be to re-evaluate and examine constantly our marketing position. Our emphasis will be on market strategy, technique and product innovation." When they did research on two

Forced Segregation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Forced Segregation - Essay Example By confronting the injustice and potential violence, African-Americans organized in a courageous effort to claim their constitutional rights as guaranteed and backed by the US government. The same year that the Supreme Court ruled on Brown v. Board of Education over 100 lawmakers across the South signed the Southern Manifesto, which opposed integrated schools. State legislatures further cut off funding to any public school that allowed integration. African-Americans used this affront to their dignity to organize a concerted effort against the South's segregationist policies. On New Years Day in 1959, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) organized a march to condemn racial inequality. After a prayer meeting in Richmond VA. 800 members marched on the Capitol where they passed a resolution calling for an end to Virginia's public school crisis (The Civil Rights Movement in Virginia). Two weeks later the law that removed financial support for integrated schools was overturned and led to a massive integration movement. The US Government had supported the integration of public education since the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868. However, at that time there was little political will to enforce the amendment. Racist extremist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) ruled the rural south through intimidation and terror.

Cross Cultural Studies in Gender Essay Example for Free

Cross Cultural Studies in Gender Essay Most research into gender roles has occurred in Western societies, and generally shows a clear divide in gender roles, most encouraging masculine behaviour in boys, and feminine behaviour in girls. However, in order to further explore the idea of nature vs. nurture (biological vs. social approach); it is important to research gender roles in a variety of countries. If clear themes, it may indicate that gender role development is nature, as would show that men are similar to men across the whole world, and likewise for females, showing there must be something determining the way men work, whereas if there are clear culture differences, it would imply social factors determine gender. Cross cultural research has been explored for many years by anthropologists. Some of the earliest work came from Margret Mead in the 1930’s. Comparing three Papua New Guinean tribes, the Arapesh, the Mundugumor and the Tchambuli, she discovered different behaviours displayed by both men and women in each individual tribe. In the Arapesh, men and women were seen to be gentle, responsive- fitting the Western stereotype as feminine. In the Mundugumor tribe, she found males and females to violent and aggressive- the Western stereotype of masculinity and finally in the Tchambuli tribe, she found role reversal to Western stereotypes, as males were more emotionally dependant and flirtatious, whereas the females were dominant, impersonal and definite. Although at first, Mead concluded that her research showed that gender roles came through cultural determinism as big differences were found between males and females in different cultures, implying that gender roles were driven by social factors. However, after later analysis and extending her research to look at other tribes in Samoa, she changed her view (1949) to that her research actually showed cultural determinism, as despite differences in the roles males and females played in each society, in all the societies she looked at men were more aggressive than the women, contributing to the idea that gender role is determined by nature, as there are some behaviours which are innate and universal, e. g. ggression in men, but that degree to which they are expressed is relative to the particular culture. This fits under the biosocial approach, as her research suggests there are some behaviours which are universal, but the degrees to which these behaviours are expressed depends on social factors, such as culture. Mead’s study was a natural experiment, meaning the tribes were observed in their usual environment, suggesting she was noting their true behaviour. However, her method has been heavily criticised by other psychol ogists such as Freeman (1984). Her research was conducted through interviews and observations of the tribes, but Freeman who also worked with Samoan tribes was told that Mead provided the tribesmen with what she wanted them to say. Although this questions the validity of her research, in later years there has been lots of cross cultural research to show differences and similarities and divisions of labour and behaviour by gender in every society (Munroe and Munroe 1975). Further research to support the nature side of the argument is from Whiting and Edwards 1975. Through looking at 11 non-western societies, they found that gender roles were organised in similar ways across a range of traditional cultures. They found girls were encouraged to spend more time with their mothers and were more likely to be given domestic and childcare jobs, whereas the boys were likely to be assigned jobs outside the house such as herding animals. This lead to girls spending more time with younger infants and adults, whereas boys spent more time with their peers, and so It seemed younger girls were found to be more responsible and nurturing than boys who in early adolescence began to get more responsibility. Whiting and Edwards concluded that the behavioural differences observed came about because of the tasks they are given. Girls are taught how to be responsible at a young age as they are exposed to female role models, and develop skills of caring for younger siblings. In another, Whiting and Whiting (1988) observed children in their natural environment with parents, siblings and peers. There were universal differences that girls were more nurturing and boys showed more dominance. However, the fact there were key differences between boys and girls such as what they were socialised into, and what they were encouraged to achieve, implies that both upbringing and biology play a role in development; socialisation just magnifies the biological difference, hence differences across cultures such as between US and India. Bee (1995) supported the idea of socialisation being the most important factor in determining gender, as he stated children became the company they keep. However, researches such as Omar et al found similarities in varied countries such as Switzerland, Ethiopia and the US. Their research indicated that all boys show higher levels of competitiveness and aggression than females, indicating there are underling biological factors. Further support for the nurture argument comes from Berry et al (2002). They studied male superiority on spatial perceptual tasks in 17 societies. He found that this superiority is only found in relatively tight knit, sedentary societies but absent in nomadic societies. This shows that the magnitude of sex differences is linked to culture and ecology. In tight knit societies, the division of labour is greatest because women stay at home whilst men travel, whereas in nomadic societies, both men and women travel and hunt so there is less division of labour (Van Leeuwen 1978). Therefore, this implies that social factors dictate gender role, due to the cultural differences in division of labour found. Berry’s large study of a variety of societies indicates his results can be representative of the general population and we can generalise results. However, Kimura (1999) offered an alternative biological interpretation, that in hunting societies, those with poor spatial perception are likely to die, thus eliminating such genes from the gene pool. This explains why in nomadic societies, there would be less gender difference in spatial abilities. Further biological support comes from Buss et al (1989). Involving 10,000 participants from 37 cultures, he found universal themes in what males and females looked for in marriage partners. Women desired males who had good financial prospects, whereas men placed more important in physical attraction and youthfulness. Both sexes agreed intelligence, kindness and reliability are important. Due to the fact these finding were universal, and the scale of the study implies we can generalise, it suggests gender roles are biologically determined. However, an alternative argument may be that women look for providers, not because of biology, but because of the fact women tend to earn less in society, and in some countries, have fewer rights, which is a social issue determining differences in gender roles. But despite the fact that labour division are the same in most cultures- irls are brought up to be nurturing, responsible and obedient, likely to raise the children, whereas boys are raised to be more independent, self-reliant and high-achieving, and provide for their family, suggest that it is biology that determines sex roles. However, it is difficult to decipher whether division is the direct outcome of biological differences or whether it is a more indirect outcome of biological differences. Eagly and Wood argued that all cultures shape their socialisation processes along with the lines of inborn biological tendencies. However, there has been research to counter this. Sugihara and Katsurada (2002) found that Japanese men do no not seek to be macho like Americans, but instead value being well-rounded in the arts (usually associated as femininity), showing that labour divisions are not the same in all cultures. As well as looking at the divisions of labour between difference cultures, there has also been research into the differences between gender roles in collectivist and individualistic cultures. In 2002, Chang, Guo and Hau, compared 145 American and 173 Chinese students by giving the students a 10 item Egalitarian Gender Role Attitudes Scale, which measured their attitudes to gender equality at home and in the work place. Chang et al found that American students emphasised the important of equal gender roles at work, whereas the Chinese students emphasised the importance of equality at home and in the family. Although this does indicate differences, this may be due to the nature of their home country. In communist China, equality at work is taken for granted. Further exploring this, Leung and Moore (2003) compared Australians of English and Chinese decent using Bem’s SRI and fond differences in line with the Hofstede’s dimensions. Both male and female English Australians showed masculine traits which are valued in individualistic cultures, whereas Chinese Australian’s; male and female, showed feminine traits valued in a collectivist culture. Both research studies imply that cultural values and expectations have a strong on the development of gender roles and expectations (nurture). A big problem with much research is how you measure sex stereotypes. Williams and Best (1990) study highlighted some of the problems linked to this. 2,800 university students from 30 different nations were given a 300 item adjective checklist (ACL) and asked to decide for each adjective whether it was associated more with men or women. They found a broad consensus across countries- men were seen as more dominant, aggressive and autonomous, whereas women were more nurturing, deferent and interested in affiliation. This suggests there are universal gender stereotypes about gender roles, indicating, they are derived though our genes. However, this study proposed many problems in how they measured sex stereotypes. Firstly, the participants had to pick either male or female, there was no equal category (although there was a ‘cannot say’ category) which may have resulted in the division in gender roles being exaggerated. Furthermore, the task was related to stereotypes, not actual behaviours. Some argue that such stereotypes have a significant effect on socialisation within the culture, and this are related to behaviour, but the data does not demonstrate this. Finally, because all of the participants are students, it indicates there behaviours are similar e. g. intelligences, and exposed to similar influences which may explain the broad consensus. Another problem is a lot of the cross-cultural research has been collected by western researchers, therefore, even though they were collecting data in western and non-western societies, the method of research will be developed by western psychology. This may indicated imposed etic, and the data collected is meaningless and demonstrates cultural bias. To overcome this, Berry et al (2002) concluded that there should be a greater use of more genuine indigenous research, opposed to indigenous researchers carrying out the method of western psychologists. To conclude, despite methodological problems, due to the universal similarity in gender roles found in various investigations, it indicated that biology drives gender roles. However, difference found between cultures indicates social factors are also important, so there is a complex interaction between both factors, so the biosocial approach may be a more suitable approach, as it is less deterministic and acknowledges both aspects. As well, it is important to account for historical changes. Much research was done in the 1970/1980’s when the gender gap in many western countries was much larger than is it today, as it is now accepted that both males and females work, and parental equality. However, males still occupy more powerful positions than women, and women perform more domestic duties. But it is an important factor to consider when looking at data.

Creativity And Innovation Management Commerce Essay

Creativity And Innovation Management Commerce Essay Innovation is at the heart of every business enterprise. With the advancement in technology, businesses have adopted new production processes which have enabled them to increase their productivity as well as remain competitive in the market. In order for a business to be innovative, it needs to be creative in the practices that it conducts thus helping it to emerge successful. It is therefore important for an organization to invest funds in latest technology products to enable it be at par with other competing organizations (Afuah, 2009). In the case of Procter and Gamble (PG), the company invests $2 billion every year to enable it hire competent staff that would enable it to conduct thorough research in the field that it specializes. In order for the organization to emerge successful, it must be willing to invest a lot of funds in innovation and research thus enabling it to come up with the best strategies for managing its production processes and employees. This way, PG has been able to set clear goals which have enabled its employees to remain focused to the objectives that the organization strives to achieve. Companies should study global organizations and what enables them to conduct their operations in an effective manner. As a result, it would be possible for an organization to know the kind of practices that it should adopt thereby enabling it to compete effectively with other leading organizations internationally. In the case of PG, the company obtains its employees from different parts of the world who in turn conduct research of the various forms of innovation that other organizations adopt thereby enabling it to embrace the latest technology and practices which then enable it to increase the overall productivity of the organization. In order for a company to be successful in the technology market, it needs to analyze the core areas of technology and decide the best form of technology to adopt depending on the production processes that it adopts. This way, a company is able to realize the areas that need more emphasis thereby enabling it to become more efficient in its areas of specialization. To ensure that it is efficient in its production processes, PG hires more than 1.5 million researchers so that it can manage to invest in the different areas of technology that can enable it to increase its productivity significantly. This number of researchers enables the organization to focus on the more than 150 core areas of technology thereby enabling the organization to cope with the challenges that are present in the modern world in an efficient manner. Explain how you will lead others to positively embrace innovation and change Innovation is essential for every organization to survive since the global market has become competitive. Moreover, most companies are finding it appealing to adopt innovation since it acts as a form of investment. Companies are competing severely so that they can be able to meet the overall needs of their customers. Since most markets are becoming global, it is important CEOs to ensure that they devise ways in which other members of the organization can embrace change and innovation (Afuah, 2009). To be successful in enabling other employees to embrace innovation and change, there are various practices that the CEO should emphasize on in order to ensure that the employees adapt to change in an efficient manner. The CEO at PG should therefore make it his responsibility to ensure that the innovation champions in the organization have up-to-date information regarding the types of change and innovation that other organizations around the world adopt thereby enabling the organization to be on the frontline with regard to innovation change. Most organizations have managers who are risk averse and this makes it difficult for them to adopt change in an effective way. Most of the middle managers are always busy doing their jobs thereby limiting their ability to implement change. Since the jobs of middle managers are easier to fill, they often end up being risk averse. In the case of PG, the CEO can make it his duty to reduce the risk that is associated with change in order to enable the managers to be more innovative. Therefore, it is the duty of the CEO to ensure that he sets up incentives to the managers so that they adopt innovative attitudes. This would make the organization to stand ready for any opportunity that is associated innovation. Adopting innovation in every department is a very important factor to consider while implementing change. The innovation in the 21st century targets an entire organization and not specific department s in an organization. An organization should also hire professional personnel who can help an organization to identify the best areas that it should invest in (Brown, 2005). PG should therefore focus on hiring people whose fulltime responsibility is to drive innovation within the company. Basic training with regard to technology adoption is essential in that the CEO would be in a position to select the employees who are given professional training in innovation change. The trained people would act as self-sustaining innovation processes thereby enabling the company to stay ahead in terms of embracing innovation and change. Assess the influence of vision and mission on generation of creative and innovative management processes in an organization Vision and mission statements play an essential role in terms of enabling an organization to be effective in terms of adopting innovation, creativity and change. It is not possible for CEOs to establish an organization without setting clear objectives within it. An organization needs to define its vision and mission statements in an effective manner thereby enabling it to achieve its reasons for existence. Vision and mission statements therefore act as a catalyst for enabling an organization to adopt change and innovation (Anthony, 2012). It is therefore important for the CEO of PG to ensure that the organization sets clear vision and mission statements to enable it achieve its objectives. The various forms of innovation that an organization engages in usually take time to generate sufficient revenue. Companies therefore need to focus on enhancing their reputation in the community so as to acquire a large customer base. Therefore, the strategies that organizations adopt need to be balanced in order to enable an organization to be effective in terms of adopting the best strategies for the organization. The CEO of PG needs to devise a way in which the strategies, mission and vision statements can be communicated to other members of the organization with regard to the long-term goals that a company hopes to achieve. Mission and vision statements should help managers to build positive relationships with employees so that they can serve as powerful motivation tools to employees. The managers at PG need to communicate the vision and mission of the organization in order to arouse a sense of organizational purpose among the employees. The employees should be made to understand why the business environment is changing and why the new direction is needed so as to win their commitment and perseverance. This would make it possible to move an organization towards the chosen path (Anthony, 2012). In this perspective therefore, it is important for the CEO at PG to ensure that he monitors vision and mission statements within the organization and determine whether they are in line with the overall innovation strategies that the organization desires to adopt. Elaborate on how you would use analytical tools to identify potential creative and innovative management ideas In order to determine whether an organization is on the right path towards adopting change and innovation, there are certain tools that the CEOs need to use. These tools are essential in that they can enable an organization to determine whether there are any weaknesses in the strategies that it adopts and therefore enable it to take corrective measures to enable it remain innovative and competitive. An organization needs to map its financial schemes and determine whether its funds are sufficient in terms of enabling it to implement the strategies that it desires to implement (Stevenson, 2002). A quick competency test needs to be adopted within an organization in order to determine whether it is ready for the change. In this case, the employees within the organization should be evaluated on whether they are capable of coping with the change that the organization wishes to adopt. Moreover, the systems within the organization need to be tested in order to determine whether there would be any need to conduct replacements or whether the existing systems can cope with the change that the organization desires to implement. Assess risks and benefits of creative and innovative management ideas When an organization desires to invest in innovation, there are various benefits and risks that it can face. In terms of risks, an organization is likely to constrain its resources in such a manner that it would be unable to conduct its operations in an efficient manner. Lack of time is also an issue that an organization is likely to face. The time when an organization desires to implement change may be too late to have any impact on the consumers. Even though an organization may desire to implement change, the employees working in it may fear failure thereby making them to refrain from adopting the innovation that the organization wishes to implement. Moreover, the leadership in an organization may be unclear thereby making it difficult to implement change in an efficient manner (Stevenson, 2002). In this perspective, the employees might not be aware of the roles that they are supposed to play within the organization thereby limiting their ability to implement the change. Insufficient incentives towards the employees also limit the employees from adopting the change. In this perspective, the employees may be unwilling to adopt the various forms of innovation that the managers stipulate unless they are awarded incentives and other forms of financial remuneration. In addition, lack of sufficient training and talent may also hinder the employeesà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ ability to implement creativity and innovation in the organization. However, though creativity is associated with certain risks, there are also benefits that the organization may come across as a result of engaging in change practices. In his perspective, the modeling behaviors of the employees is likely to change and the support of the management grows significantly. Moreover, the management is able to set up the right team to perform certain duties within the organization. This way, an organization is able to increase its productivity and competitiveness in the market. This is because, as an organization invests in innovation and creativity, it improves on its production processes thereby enabling it to become efficient and more productive. Use change models to support the implementation of creative and innovative management ideas All businesses must exercise change in order for them to remain competitive in todayà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s business environment. There are various models of change that businesses need to adopt to enable them implement creative and innovative practices. The Kurl Lewin model of change can therefore be used to support the implementation of creative and innovative management within PG Company. The first stage in the model is the unfreeze stage. In this stage, it is the duty of the organizationà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s management to ensure that they prepare the organization for the change that is essential for it. In this case, the managers need to ensure that the existing modes of operation are broken down to before they decide on whether they will adopt the new ways of operating inside the organization. In this case, the managers should demonstrate to the employees the reason as to why the new ways of operating cannot be continued. In this perspective, the CEO at PG can be able to understand why an organization is experiencing a reduction in sales as well as why the organization experiences poor financial results (Gerybadze, Hommel, Reiners, 2010). The unfreeze state usually creates uncertainty within the organization. However, in the change stage, people start looking for uncertainty and looking for new ways in which they can resolve any forms of uncertainty. The employees in the organization start looking for new ways in which they can support the new direction that the organization hopes to achieve. The managers of the organization need to understand that the transition from unfreeze to change does not happen overnight. Employees usually take time to adjust to the new change. Therefore, in order to ensure that the employees embrace the change, the CEO and the managers should make the employees understand how the change will benefit to them since not everyone falls for the changes that the company hopes to achieve. The refreeze stage is also important to consider. The organization is usually ready to refreeze once the changes are observed to be taking effect. In this case, the organization becomes stable whereby the job descriptions appear to be consistent. This stage normally helps the employees and the institution to internalize the changes proposed. In this perspective, the changes need to be used all the time and be incorporated in the daily operations that the organization engages in. Once the organization starts realizing stability, the employees become comfortable with the new ways of working. Therefore, by incorporating the model in its operations, the organization would be able to implement innovation successfully (Gerybadze, Hommel, Reiners, 2010). Task 2 Produce an appropriate rationale to persuade stakeholders of PG of the benefits of a creative and innovative management idea Before the CEO and the managers of an organization decide to implement change and innovation, they need to assure the shareholders that the change will benefit the organization and the employees in diverse ways. It is therefore the duty of the CEO and the managers to ensure that they develop a rationale that will demonstrate to the shareholders that the change will be fruitful. As a CEO at PG, one needs to demonstrate to the shareholders that the change will tackle the various strategic challenges within the organization and enable it to be resourceful and adopt more creative solutions. The organization would be able to draw on ideas that are generated from other organizations thereby improving its outcomes. This can be done by ensuring that the senior managers within the organization are able to disseminate knowledge to the employees thereby providing an avenue for development of new production mechanisms. This enables an organization to adopt innovation in an effective manner. When an organization implements innovation, the managers are able to take responsibility for any form of innovation and change. This way, they are able to identify the critical areas that should be changed. Moreover, investing in change demonstrates the commitment by the members of an organization to change (Kaplan Norton, 2004). Moreover, the CEO and the managers are able to assess the benefits of innovation before it is implemented. In addition, the decision to change encourages the employees to question the methods adopted therefore creating room for them to propose other change mechanisms that would be more effective. By deciding to invest in new technology and innovation, an organization is able to come up with new ways which enable it to invest in technology in its area of specialization. This way, an organization is able to come up with new ways that can enable it to overcome any forms of resistance as a result of allowing the employees to be involved in the change process. This has the effect of encouraging the employees to identify the various forms of improvements to the services that an organization delivers thereby enabling the organization to succeed through original thinking. Moreover, the organization is able to draw on new methods and techniques of conducting its operations. This way, the employees are able to understand the fear of change thereby encouraging them to welcome the change that the organization desires to implement. As a CEO how will you communicate a creative and innovative management idea to stakeholders of the organization? The CEO is the one who decides whether change in an organization should be implemented. In this perspective, the CEO is the one who is supposed to demonstrate to the shareholders the manner in which change and innovation will impact an organization. The CEO therefore needs to devise effective means which can enable him convey the message regarding change and innovation to the shareholders. For communication to be effective, it is important for the CEO to conduct thorough research pertaining to the change process thereby enabling him to have a basis on how to explain to the shareholders why the change in necessary (Galavan, Murray, Markides, 2008). An effective way of conducting effective communication is through facts. It is therefore important for the CEO to ensure that he gathers sufficient facts relating to the change and innovation that he desires to invest in the organization. While communicating to the shareholders therefore, the CEO should gather facts on how the change process has worked in other organizations and the benefits that the change process brought to the organizations that have ever adopted that kind of change. Demonstrations are an effective way of enabling people to understand how a certain concept works. In this perspective therefore, it is the duty of the CEO to demonstrate to the shareholders the manner in which he hopes that the change and innovation initiative will work in the organization. The demonstration that the CEO adopts should be realistic such that the shareholders would believe that the investment will work when applied to a real world scenario. The CEO needs to have gathered sufficient information regarding the initiative. In this perspective, the CEO should be prepared to answer the questions raised by the shareholders in an effective way. This means that the CEO should be confident enough to enable him answer the questions raised in an effective manner. Once the CEO demonstrates effective way of communicating with the shareholders regarding the change process that the organization wishes to invest in, the shareholders can embrace the idea. However, if the CEO is unable to communicate effectively to the shareholders regarding the impact that the innovation will have towards the organization, the shareholders are likely to reject the idea thus limiting the organization from adapting to the current changes that are happening in the business environment (Brown, 2005). Establish key goals and priorities for implementation of a creative and innovative management idea using feedback from stakeholders Before deciding to invest in innovation, there are certain things that should be prioritized. The essential things are the ones that should be given more emphasis. In this perspective, the CEO of the organization should gather sufficient information on the operations of an organization and determine the ones that have more impact towards the productivity of the organization. He should then decide on the way in which innovation will be implemented in the company. Innovation should be carried out in phases starting with the sections within the organization that are regarded as more essential. The financial resources that a company has should also be considered. An organization might deem it necessary to invest in a particular form of change but fail due to insufficient funds. Innovation should therefore be carried out in those areas that the company can afford adequately. In this perspective, the manner in which the funds are used should be carefully monitored so as to ensure that the sections that change has been implemented are operational in an effective. There are instances whereby an organization might decide to invest in a particular change but funds may be insufficient thereby putting the company at the risk of failing to function as expected (Afuah, 2009). In this perspective therefore, the stakeholders need to be notified of the change that the organization desires to invest in and then determine whether the funds available are sufficient. This is in order to ensure that the shareholders do not complain of funds misuse whenever they realize that a particular stra tegy did not work. Before deciding to invest in any form of innovation, it is important for an organization to ensure that the employees are ready for the change being implemented. There are certain times when an organization may invest in a form of innovation where the employees are not adequately prepared. In this perspective, the organization would deteriorate in performance instead of improving. As a result, the employees need to be given sufficient training regarding the change being implemented. Moreover, the employees must be willing to accept the change especially if the change would improve the manner in which they operate within the organization. The shareholders therefore need to be notified on the training being conducted on the employees (Galavan, Murray, Markides, 2008). This is because training employees requires funds. Therefore the shareholders must be notified so that they do not assume that it is a form of funds misappropriation. Innovation needs to be consistent with the operations that an organization conducts. The innovation should be an improvement and not a change of the organizational practices. In case innovation is a form of change in organizational practices, most employees would not manage to handle the new operations and this would therefore require the organization to look for a team of new employees. However, given all the experience that employees have regarding the operations of the organization, a change in the organizational practices would make the organization to deteriorate in its production processes thereby making the customers to disregard the reputation of the organization. The priorities that the CEO sets regarding the form of innovation to be adopted therefore need to be communicated to the shareholders for analysis and to determine whether innovation change is viable towards the organization. Assess the barriers to the implementation of a creative and innovative management idea at PG Every organization is susceptible to barriers when deciding to invest in any form of innovation. The CEO of PG therefore needs to be aware of the various barriers that he can encounter while deciding to implement any form of change within the organization. This is because the barriers can lead to the failure of the entire project if they are not monitored in an adequate manner. Employee unpreparedness is one of the major barriers that the organization is likely to face while deciding to invest in any form of change. This is because most employees are used to the normal operations that an organization engages in. In this perspective therefore, in case an organization engages in any form of innovation, the employees would not be in a position to cope with the prevailing state of affairs. This would have the effect of lowering the productivity of the organization thereby making it to be outdone by the competitors (Galavan, Murray, Markides, 2008). The financial soundness of an organization matters a great deal when an organization desires to invest in any form of change. For example, the environmental conditions might require an organization to invest in change but, due to financial constraints it may fail to implement the change in an effective manner. By investing in change processes halfway, an organization may end up failing totally because of inefficient innovation practices. This would lower the reputation of the company as well as reduce its productivity significantly. It would therefore be difficult for the organization to rise from this form of failure. The managers, CEO, and the shareholders might desire to invest in change management but the organization might not be ready for the change being implemented. For example, there are certain change practices that might require an organization to change its infrastructure completely. However, changing the infrastructure of an organization is an expensive undertaking. As a result, an organization would be required to invest a lot of funds in changing its infrastructure thereby making the company to suffer financial loss. Since most managers, shareholders, and the CEO would not be willing to carry out such an exercise if the organization does not have sufficient capital base, this would therefore be a major barrier towards implementing the change. Shareholders play a very essential role in terms of facilitating the decision making process within the organization. In this perspective therefore, the CEO may propose to the shareholders that a particular form of innovation is important in order to increase the organizationà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s productivity as well as sustain its competitiveness. However, if the CEO is unable to convince the shareholders effectively on the reason as to why a particular form of innovation is essential, the shareholders are likely to reject the whole idea thus acting as a barrier towards the adoption of innovation inside the organization. In order for any form of innovation to be successfully implemented in an organization, it is important for the CEO to look for a team of experts who would facilitate the implementation of the change in the organization. However, with the competitiveness that is present in the modern business environment, there exists a group of professionals who are not adequately trained to guide an organization on the best form of innovation to adopt. In this perspective therefore, there are CEOs who look for non-qualified professionals to facilitate in change implementation in organizations. Such people often make the wrong predictions regarding the form of innovation that the organization should adopt. They therefore end up misleading the organization which then leads to its collapse (Stevenson, 2002). Plan a strategy to overcome identified barriers to the implementation of a creative and innovative management idea at PG Despite the existence of a broad range of barriers towards implementing innovation in an organization, there are various strategies that PG can adopt to enable it implement change in an effective manner. In this perspective, it is important for the CEO to consider certain barriers that prevail within the business environment so that he can be able to devise effective strategies and plans on how to cope with them. Most organizations face challenges while implementing change because they fail to conduct a thorough study of the market. Without a proper understanding of the way in which the market operates, the managers, CEO, and the shareholders of PG are likely to adopt innovation strategies that are not consistent with the requirements of the organization. In this case therefore, it is important for the CEO to ensure that he conducts a thorough study of the business environment whereby PG operates so that he can manage to get a clear picture of the way in which strategies are essential in the organization. This way, the CEO can be able to collect sufficient information on the form of innovation that PG should adopt thereby enabling it to succeed in its operations. Creativity and innovation fail in an organization because most employees are not adequately prepared for the change. Most employees therefore find it difficult to adapt to the new production processes that an organization adopts because of lack of experience in new technology. Therefore, in order to ensure that the employees welcome a change initiative within their organization of work, it is important for the CEO to ensure that he liaises with the shareholders and the other managers at PG in order to ensure that the employees receive adequate training regarding type of change that the organization desires to adopt. The employees should be trained in advance before the change has been implemented so as to ensure that they are ready to proceed once the change has been implemented (Gerybadze, Hommel, Reiners, 2010). Unqualified professionals are the leading cause of failure in many organizations with regard to creativity and innovation management. In order to avoid being misled by unqualified professionals, the CEO of PG should ensure that he conducts thorough research on the most qualified personnel in the market and who have a proven track record with regard to creativity and change management. Such a person would be able to direct PG on the most effective forms of innovation to invest in by analyzing the trends in the market. Inadequate funds often act as a barrier towards implementing change in an organization. Therefore, in order for an organization to be able to implement creativity and innovation in its practices, it is important for it to devise means through which it can gather sufficient funds to enable it cope with the changes in the business environment where it operates. Therefore, the organization can mobilize funds in form of profits, loans or through capital investments to enable it raise funds to facilitate creativity and innovation. Explain how a strategy plan for overcoming barriers will ensure innovative change is achieved Every organization hopes to overcome barriers found in its operating environment so that it can emerge successful while implementing innovative changes in its systems. By adopting strategies to overcome the various barriers that are present in the operating environment therefore, a business has the potential to ensure that it achieves change. Therefore, in the case of PG, change can be achieved if the managers, CEO, and the shareholders show commitment to addressing the various barriers that hinder the implementation of innovation change in an effective manner. For example, once the employees are trained adequately on how to cope with the change before it is implemented, they can be able to embrace the change in a more efficient manner as opposed to when the change is implemented when employees are not well prepared for the change. Most organizations that prepare their employees well in advance before innovation change management is implemented are known to be good performers (Anthon y, 2012). This is an indication that proper planning has the effect of improving the overall performance of an organization With advancements in technology and the popularity of globalization catching on in many organizations, it is important for businesses to set aside sufficient funds to cater for such issues. In this perspective, most CEOs and managers of businesses usually ensure that all funds within the organization are accounted for since the business environment is not predictable. This state of affairs enables businesses to be prepared for any changes that occur in the business. The businesses that do not set in place sufficient funds for innovation change are known to fail due to lack of sufficient finances when the time to be innovative comes. It has also been noted that most business enterprises today are designed in such a manner that they can be able to cope with innovation change regardless of whether the change requires a business to change its infrastructure. Moreover, businesses that consult their shareholders before investing in any form of innovation change and hire professionals to guide their investment activities perform better than those organizations that do not follow such procedures. It is therefore true that the strategies that are adopted for overcoming barriers ar