Essay about Language and Literacy in Social Practice

Language and Literacy in Social Practice Language and Literacy in Social Practice is one of a set of four readers which looks at literacy and language practices as they are moulded and shaped by the cultures of the societies they serve. Edited by Janet Maybin, the book is a collection of key articles by seminal writers in the field who investigate the role of language and literacy as part of social practice. Broken down into four sections, the book begins with articles by Malinowski, Dell Hymes, Halliday and Volosinov and sets the scene for an anthropoligical/historical exploration of the sophisticated interaction and interrelationships between language, culture and social structure. Section two then provides ethnographic†¦show more content†¦What it does work as is as a body of readings for reflective practitioners who would like to explore the significance of the crucial place language and literacy teaching holds in most Western societies and to look at the ways in which even the most mundane literacy practices are heavily influenced by discrete parameters of culture, society and history. Its merit lies in the way that it, through historical perspective, social theory and current research, strongly encourages the reader to value what McGinitie has referred to as the power of uncertainty. Language and Literacy in Social Practice forces the reader to consider the complex and interrelated nature of language learning and the nature of literacy acquisition as value laden activity - value laden because of the variety of social factors which vie for dominance in the formation and maintenance of a majority Discourse. The structure of the book is logical and easy to follow. For myself, I found the first section to be the least valuable in terms of what it had to offer me, but, given its intention to provide a theory base for the sociological perspective of language as a social semiotic, it achieved its aim adequately. What was much more thought provoking were the articles in section two which detailed the ways in which literate practices were inextricably related to social and cultural practices and values. Of particular value to me as well were the articles by Rockhill on Gender,Show MoreRelatedThe Frameworks Of New Literacy Studies ( Nls ), Multimodality, And Sociocultural Identities Theory826 Words   |  4 Pagesstudy in the frameworks of New Literacy Studies (NLS), multimodality, and sociocultural identities theory. 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It is vital for teachers to recognise indigenous literacies and aboriginal English in all classrooms as it builds a sense of equality and a non-discriminating environment. As a future teacher I believe that it is my role to create a classroom that mirrors these key factors, as it will build the foundations for a nourishing learning environment. This type of learning environment will aidRead MoreAcademic Socialization : Differences And Challenges1227 Words   |  5 PagesAdult ELLs’ Academic Socialization: Differences and Challenges Students who come from different academic, social, and cultural backgrounds have received different orientations towards literacy skills or the educational experience in general, which eventually influence their academic performance either as analytical readers, writers, class discussion participants, presenters, or note-takers. The multilingual and multicultural population of learners such as the ELLs comes to the English academic institutionsRead MoreThe Between Culture And Language Arts821 Words   |  4 Pagesaround literacy practices from different prospective and stances. Alverman, a critical literacy specialist emphasized the importance of the popular culture usage as a natural societal connection with their peers in social groups. Other researches such as Paul gee focused also on the importance of reading embedding in social practices. his study seeks to expand the notions of space and composition, and to inform new pedagogies that utilize and respect the beliefs, experience s and practices of urban

The Minimum Wage Must Be Raised Essay - 1700 Words

The life of many Americans is one day on repeat. We wake up, prepare for our day, and then head off to our jobs that never seem to pay enough for our living needs. No matter how hard the average worker works, he/she can’t seem to make ends meet. Why is this? It would be logical that these hard working Americans that spend day after day at their job would be thriving; however, in most cases, it is the opposite. Despite the amount of time and effort that goes into a daily job, these workers are making minimum wage and are fighting to survive in the current economic state. It is close to impossible for most families to survive without spending paycheck-to-paycheck, as most do. There is a seemingly simple fix for this problem: Raise the†¦show more content†¦Not only does this affect the parents, it more greatly affects the children in the situation. How is it fair that there are CEO’s of companies who earn millions of dollars a year, yet there are children that hav e parents who can hardly afford to allow the children to survive? The simple answer: It isn’t. While there are many factors that affect why a parent cannot afford to provide for their children, a main factor is the low minimum wage. While it may be easier to say that the reason workers cannot support their families is that they do not work enough hours, full time workers working for minimum wage can also not afford to survive efficiently in this economy. The Times Editorial Board from the La Times states, â€Å"A full-time minimum-wage worker with one dependent barely makes enough today to stay above the federal poverty line of $15,510 a year. But most minimum-wage workers dont have the luxury of full-time positions.† If the government does not ensure that enough full time work is available for workers who need those hours to support their family, they should at least ensure that the minimum wage be enough to compensate for that lack of work. However, this is not currently the case. Between the low minimum wage and an already low amount of hours available to workers, the results are fewer positions that will allow people to comfortably support theirShow MoreRelated The Minimum Wage Must Be Raised Essay299 3 Words   |  12 Pagesto boost the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020, the largest city to try to help its lowest-paid workers survive amid the nations growing income inequality. -- Michael Winter, USA TODAY May 19, 2015 Understanding the potential of an increase in today’s minimum wage is the key to understanding the above statement. 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There have been never ending debates over this issue until the government, company, and others party stand together, and raise the minimum wage throughout the nations. There are communities that believe raise the minimum wage has negative impact of every sector of the country. Other communities have different beliefs over the issue, raising the minimum wage helps the poorRead MoreShould Minimum Wage Be Raised?1062 Words   |  5 Pagesever pressing question regarding Minimum wage. Not many subjects can ignite a controversy as quickly as that of whether or not minimum wage should be raised, or by how much should it be raised or if it should remain the same. What is minimum wage? By definition, minimum wage is the minimum hourly wage an employer can pay an employee for work. (â€Å"MinimumWage.com†) America’s minimum wage was first introduced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938. That minimum wage was introduced as part of the FairRead MoreMinimum Wage Persuasive Essay1106 Words   |  5 Pagesmore than the federal minimum wage? If you said yes then perhaps you are unaware of the many negative effects surrounding a higher minimum wage and after reading this you will be educated on why the minimum wage should not be raised. In the beginning, the minimum wage was created with good intentions. It was originally established in 1938 and was $.25 an hour (Sessions). It was created to make sure that businesses would not take advantage over workers. While the minimum wage was and still is a goodRead MoreMinimum Wage Should Be Raised1274 Words   |  6 PagesDean Nguyen Mrs. Schmessier Ap English 11 1/31/2015 Minimum Wage Should be Raised to $10.10 Every day at 5:00 AM, June wakes up to prepare breakfast for her two kids. Squeezing the last bit of mayo, she completes two ham and cheese sandwiches. Then June leaves to go to work at Mcdonalds. At about 7, June finishes up wiping the table and gets ready to leave.June goes to the grocery to pick up some grilled chicken and a new bottle of mayo for her family. â€Å"That’ll be $12.68 miss,† says the cash registerRead MoreShould Minimum Wage Be Raised?870 Words   |  4 PagesShould Minimum Wage Be Raised? Minimum wage has always been a controversial issue. Many politicians use the argument of minimum wage for their own political propaganda. Some may argue minimum wage should be raised, while others believe it will have detrimental effects on our economy if it is raised. Surprising to most people, minimum wage earners make up only a small percent of American workers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, minimum wage workers make up about 2.8% of all workersRead MoreHistory of Minimum Wage1137 Words   |  5 Pagesdefinition of Minimum Wage is â€Å"an amount of money that is the least amount of money per hour that workers must be paid according to the law† (Minimum wage). 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Organizational Change Management for Hofstede - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theOrganizational Change Management for Hofstede Model. Answer: Impact of culture and on organizational change program Organizational change management is a framework with the help of which the manager identifies the changes present in the business process. Power is regarded as an important factor for organization to initiate change management. The purpose of this essay is to provide a brief description about the Hofstedes cultural dimension in Singapore and Australia. It also talks about the types of power and its impact in negative and positive way. Also, it should be noted that culture has a nature of collective occurrence which can used in different learning models. These models are used in the early childhood period when a person is more adaptive towards learning. The below mentioned paper will also review the national dimensions which use of five bases of power. The Hofstedes model will support the by provide clear and concise information about cultural activities of the countries. Lastly, the paper will also argue the use of power in change programs of different countries. Power refers to the way in which one person makes other person do some activity; also this power is not present among all people. Some, people have the capability to perform such actions. Many powers can be used to change the management; the power is not a negative aspect. Instead it depends upon its use which differs from person to person. Further, it should be noted that the Hofstedes model adequately provides information about the cultural dimension of a country. It discusses about six aspects of the culture that are power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, long term orientation and lastly indulgence. On evaluating the culture of Singapore, it was analyzed that there is presence of multi-ethnicity in the society as there are 77% of Chinese, 15% of Malay, 6% of Indians and 2% of expatriate in the society (Yeo, Pang 2017, 112-122). Comparing it to the country Australia, it should be noted that in Australia only 67% of British resides with some European eth nicities and a minimal number of aboriginal natives that is 2%, are left in the country (Yeo, Pang 2017, 112-122). The initial aspect of Hofstedes dimension that is power distance refers to the attribute that talks about the degree to which less powerful member of the society are accept and expect that power is distributed in the society unequally. This aspect tells about the amount to which people handles inequalities among them. Relating it to the country Singapore, it should be noted that people in this country are more dependent on their managers to take decision. They do not hold any type of decision making right in the working of the organization (De Souza 2018, 19-49). This activity is initiated because the majority population of the country is Chinese who believes in Confucian teachings. Whereas talking about Australia, it should be noted that power distance index in the country relatively high which states that people in this country do not strive for the organizational rights. Further, as there is prevalence of flat organizational structure in the country which makes it easier for peopl e to directly their manager to solve the issue (Comber 2015, 362-367). The next dimension is the individualism versus collectivism (IDV) dimension which talks about the degree to which people in a country prefer taking care of only themselves and their immediate families in the society. The features of collectivism talks about the preference of people in the society to care for their relatives and other members in a group and provide them unquestioning loyalty as well (Ferraro, Briody 2017). The loosely knit group talks in the language of I and the tightly knit groups talks in the language of We. Further, in the country Singapore, people do care for their large extended family; they rely on them as well. They score very low in this frame as they believe in initiating activities together. Contradicting to the case in Australia, people in this country share the feeling of individualism and only care for their immediate family and themselves. These people are self-reliable do not prefer depending on someone for their cost of living or emotional support. P eople of Singapore are regarded as collectivist whereas Australians are called individualists (Caleon, et. al. 2015, 925-942). Masculinity refers to the dimension that represents a preference in the society for heroism, monetary rewards and achievement in the society. And on the other hand, femininity stands for the preference for co-operation, modesty and caring in the society. The two aspects contradict to their works, as masculinity talks about the quantitative growth whereas femininity talks about quality of life. Many times this aspect is also related to tough versus tender. Further, Singapore scores 48 in this case which means that the society is little more inclined towards femininity whereas in the case of Australia, the score is 61. It states that the country is dominated by male section of the society (Oc, et. al. 2015, 68-80). Uncertainty avoidance refers to the way in which society coupes with the upcoming contingent situations. It talks about the ways in which people tackle with unknown situations coming on their way. The country Singapore scores 8 in this case where as Australia score 51 (Prado , et. al. 2014, 420-428). The score 8 states that the country fully abides the rules and regulations formed for their betterment. Further long term orientation refers to the degree of thinking of people to act for the future growth while keeping in mind the past experiences. 72 is scored by Singapore which says that the country believes in approach long term goals whereas Australia score a little in long term orientation which suggest that people of this country aims on a short term normative orientation approach (Inglehart, 2018). Lastly, indulgence dimension talks about the extent to which people in a country try to control their emotions and impulses. Australia scores 71 which states that people of this country are more indulgent where Singapore score 41 which shows that people of Singapore are restrainted. Indulgent people tend to be livelier and they enjoy their life doing what they want to do. The feature of restraint tells about the suppression of gratification of needs and s trict social norms (Beugelsdijk, Kostova, Roth 2017, 30-47). Further as discussed above, power is the potential influence that makes one person do some activities which other person wants them to do. The French and Raven adequately described the five bases of power; the categories under this case are legitimacy, reward, expert, reference, coercive. Legitimate refers to the power that makes a person to impose responsibility on the person. Position of a person is mainly concerned under this case as one person has the authority to designate work to other person more than just leadership. Once, a person loses their designation then they can no longer have the power to impose responsibility to other person. Such powers are held with the leaders in the society such as CEO of a company or any political leader. Further the second aspect of power (coercive) talks about the power to threaten someone (van den Bos, van Veldhuizen, Au 2015, 52-75). The leaders use this power to punish or reward someone for their work done. Under this concept, the decision of the leader is always combined with the rewards or punishment which the subordinate needs to bear. Expert power refers to the power under which the leader provides advice or information to their subordinates in an organization. Under this power the leader uses their knowledge and skills to help other people. The power of referent deals with one persons likes and respect towards another person. For instance, this power is used by celebrities as they can easily influence their fans on what to buy and what not to. This power is a major responsibility (Blanger, et. al. 2016, 287-300). Talking about the impact of culture on power, it should be noted that all the dimensions of Hofstedes model affect a countrys power. Talking about power distance in the country Singapore, it should be noted that the country is more expected to have legitimate power. The country uses such type of power because there is high degree of power distance in the country. Whereas, on the other hand, as Australia has a low score in this case so this country uses the power of expert or referent. Australia uses this type of power because there is presence of people who aim for equality in the society. Experts of the society are he king pin that molds the activities of an organization present in the market (Blanger, et. al. 2015, 25-43). Also, the country Australia is an individualistic country, so the employees of country have to act economically so as to maintain the cost of living themselves; further, a mutual interest is maintain between the employees and the mangers present in the society. T hus, it should be noted that the expert feature adequately supports the cultural activities of the country, as an individualistic country which makes the manager to initiate their power in such a way that it provide assistance to the employee to maintain their daily activities (Aiello, Tesi, Pratto, Pierro 2018). The power of expert helps the management to easily solve the critical problems in the organization and help the employees as well. Apart from that, talking about the country Singapore, it should be noted that the country is a strong belief of collectivist society where all relatives live together and support each other with their daily routine activities. Resulting which the power of legitimate would adequately work in the society. The legitimate power works according to the social hierarchical ways and according to the cultural norms. Under this case, the organizational structure provides the power to the leaders to enact different activities in an organization. The leade rs under this case have full right to impose responsibilities or oblige the employees according to work issued to them. Relating the case of legitimate power with the collectivist culture of the society it should be noted that as the people of this country are dependent on their superiors which initiates them to agree on the restrictions imposed on them (Liu, Almor 2016, 4-14). In order to implement a change in an organization, the most important feature which is required is power as without adequate power no leader can make their decision effective in an organization. Organizational change management refers to the framework that deals with the process of change initiated in an organization for the good. Power is the only thing that influence people in an organization and motivate them to follow the change as well. The change manager process is initiated by the CEO of the company, manager, leader, board members etc. Further, as discussed above there are many bases in which the power used in an organization is differentiated. It wholly and solely depends upon the culture of an organization according to which power should be implied. Like, if legitimate power is implied in an individualistic country then the power would not show its effect on the change (Demirtas, Akdogan 2015, 59-67). Thus it should be noted, the power and culture, both the factors that inf luence change program are directly related to each. An organization needs to power the right type of power according to the culture in order to initiate changes. Lastly, it should be noted that use of power would be more efficient in Singapore if the employee have ruling authority above them. According to the power distant feature of cultural dimension, people of this country are more influenced by the powerful and they need a ruling authority above them. And change would be effective in the organizations of Australia if all the employees receive equal right to suggest their point of view and live life sustainably (Chua, Roth, Lemoine 2015, 189-227). Activities like open discussion and diagonal communication would initiate change management activities in Australia. Thus, in the limelight of above mentioned events, it should be noted the power is highly dependent upon the culture of country. If the powers used by the leaders in an organization contradict to the culture then the change management program would be ineffective. The above mentioned task adequately explains the cultural dimension of both Australia and Singapore and uses of different basis of power in the different countries. The essay justifies the requirements of the task. References Aiello, Antonio, Alessio Tesi, Felicia Pratto, and Antonio Pierro. "Social dominance and interpersonal power: Asymmetrical relationships within hierarchy?enhancing and hierarchy?attenuating work environments."Journal of Applied Social Psychology(2018). Blanger, Jocelyn J., Antonio Pierro, Barbara Barbieri, Nicola A. De Carlo, Alessandra Falco, and Arie W. Kruglanski. "One size doesnt fit all: the influence of supervisors power tactics and subordinates need for cognitive closure on burnout and stress."European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology25, no. 2 (2016): 287-300. Blanger, Jocelyn J., Antonio Pierro, Barbara Barbieri, Nicola A. De Carlo, Alessandra Falco, and Arie W. Kruglanski. "Handling conflict at work: The role of fit between subordinates need for closure and supervisors power tactics."International Journal of Conflict Management26, no. 1 (2015): 25-43. Beugelsdijk, Sjoerd, Tatiana Kostova, and Kendall Roth. "An overview of Hofstede-inspired country-level culture research in international business since 2006."Journal of International Business Studies48, no. 1 (2017): 30-47. Caleon, Imelda S., Ma Glenda L. Wui, Jennifer Pei-Ling Tan, Ching Leen Chiam, Tan Chee Soon, and Ronnel B. King. "Cross-cultural validation of the Academic Motivation Scale: A Singapore investigation."Child Indicators Research8, no. 4 (2015): 925-942. Chua, Roy YJ, Yannig Roth, and Jean-Franois Lemoine. "The impact of culture on creativity: How cultural tightness and cultural distance affect global innovation crowdsourcing work."Administrative Science Quarterly60, no. 2 (2015): 189-227. Comber, Barbara. "Critical literacy and social justice."Journal of Adolescent Adult Literacy58, no. 5 (2015): 362-367. De Souza, Denise E. "Educational change in Singapore and its tinkeringaround the edges: A critical realist perspective."Journal of Educational Change19, no. 1 (2018): 19-49. Demirtas, Ozgur, and A. Asuman Akdogan. "The effect of ethical leadership behavior on ethical climate, turnover intention, and affective commitment."Journal of Business Ethics130, no. 1 (2015): 59-67. Ferraro, Gary P., and Elizabeth K. Briody.The cultural dimension of global business. Taylor Francis, 2017. Inglehart, Ronald F.Cultural Evolution: People's Motivations are Changing, and Reshaping the World. Cambridge University Press, 2018. Liu, Yipeng, and Tamar Almor. "How culture influences the way entrepreneurs deal with uncertainty in inter-organizational relationships: The case of returnee versus local entrepreneurs in China."International Business Review25, no. 1 (2016): 4-14. Oc, Burak, Michael R. Bashshur, Michael A. Daniels, Gary J. Greguras, and James M. Diefendorff. "Leader humility in Singapore."The Leadership Quarterly26, no. 1 (2015): 68-80. Prado, Catherine, David Mellor, Linda K. Byrne, Christopher Wilson, Xiaoyan Xu, and Hong Liu. "Facial emotion recognition: a cross-cultural comparison of Chinese, Chinese living in Australia, and Anglo-Australians."Motivation and Emotion38, no. 3 (2014): 420-428. van den Bos, Kees, Tanja S. van Veldhuizen, and Al KC Au. "Counter cross-cultural priming and relative deprivation: The role of individualismcollectivism."Social Justice Research28, no. 1 (2015): 52-75. Yeo, Su Lin, and Augustine Pang. "Asian multiculturalism in communication: Impact of culture in the practice of public relations in Singapore."Public Relations Review43, no. 1 (2017): 112-122.

Personal Life and Happiness free essay sample

To me, being happy is all about being surounded by things and people that you love. Sure, we all have different definitions as to what happiness is, and my goal is not to persuade you to view it my way. My goal is to help you to understand why I am happy, and possibly why some others are happy as well. We choose to be happy, people and things do not create our happiness, but they can contribute. Day after day we all have choices, some that can help to make us happy and some that can be a downer on our happiness. Things can get very complicated and make it very hard for me to be truely happy. Ive learned that sometimes what makes you happy can cause other people pain. At that point you have to decide if it is worth it to go for what you want, or if the effects hurting another person would be to much to handle. We will write a custom essay sample on Personal Life and Happiness or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page At this point in my life, Ive had to make decisions that went both ways. Even if it was something little I still had to weigh the consequences. Right now, Im having to choose wether or not I want to move back to Oklahoma. I know that either way I will be causing my friends and family pain. I love everyone in my life, and I want all of them to be happy, but this is a time when I have to put my happiness first. My happiness, which is rare, is something that I feel I have control over. There are several things that make me happy, things like being with my family and friends, shopping, cheerleading, and the list goes on and on. I am a person that deals with depression, and I find it hard to come across times where I am actually happy. But when I have those times, I am one of the happiest people you will ever meet. I have very set goals for my future, I know where and what I will be doing for the next twelve years of my life. Starting in Janurary, I will be attending a class to recieve my dental assistant license. That is one thing that will make me extremely happy, this will also lead to me getting a real job and moving out. Which is something that I have been wanting to do for about six months now. Being able to take care of my self is something that I feel will make me very happy. Although, being on my own will be scary its something that has to happen for me to be able to be ready for the rest of my life, and that is something that I am very excited for. Also in this time I hope that I can find a person that I care for and love as much as I love my family and friends. Someone that will be supportive and caring of me. Which would give me a type of happiness that isnt even explainable. I am hoping that as I age I will find more things that make me happy. Though none of us can be certain of our future, I have hope that mine will be fufilling and full of happiness. Along with my goals, that are in the immediate future, they have parts to them that will extend to the long term. I want to be an orthodontist, and something that would give me a great amount of happiness would be to have my own practice. I feel as though helping others is something that would give me extreme joy and happiness. I want to have what I consider the perfect life, I have it all planned out. Even though we choose to be happy surrounding yourself with things you enjoy contributes to your happiness. Even if I dont get my life the way I would like it to be, I still will be able to have a happy life. For all I know I could be poor and in need of help, and even if that happens I would just be happy to be alive. Although I hope I have a very successful life, I know that I create my own happiness, and that through lifes obsticles I can still be a happy individual. Take some time to think about your life and what makes you happy. My family and friends are the number one thing that make me happy. Ive been dealt a few crappy hands in life, but Ive learned that pushing through and focusing on the future is one thing that can make me happy during a hard time. We all choose how happy we are, so that is why every morning I wake up and tell myself that it is going to be a great day. Telling yourself that your going to be happy is a huge part in actually being happy. Just know that even if people are working against your happiness, you can turn it all around just by reminding yourself that your healthy and alive. That is the one thing we all have to be happy about. Personal Life and Happiness free essay sample What things make you consider someone to be happy? A smile, kind words, maybe what they have? To me, being happy is all about being surrounded by things and people that you love. Sure, we all have different definitions as to what happiness Is, and my goal is not to persuade you to view It my way. My goal Is to help you to understand why I am happy, and possibly why some others are happy as well. We choose to be happy, people and things do not create our happiness, but they can contribute.Day after day we all have choices, some that can help to make us happy and some hat can be a downer on our happiness. Things can get very complicated and make It very hard for me to be truly happy. Ive learned that sometimes what makes you happy can cause other people pain. At that point you have to decide If It Is worth It to go for what you want, or If the effects hurting another person would be to much to handle. We will write a custom essay sample on Personal Life and Happiness or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page At this point in my life, Ive had to make decisions that went both ways.Even if it was something little I still had to weigh the consequences. Right now, Im having to choose whether or not I want to move back to Oklahoma. I know that either way I will be causing my friends and family pain. I love everyone in my life, and I want all of them to be happy, but this is a time when I have to put my happiness first. My happiness, which is rare, is something that I feel I have control over. There are several things that make me happy, things like being with my family and friends, shopping, cheerleaders, and the list goes on and on. I am a person that deals with depression, and I find it hard to come across times where I am actually happy. But when I have those times, I am one of the happiest people you will ever meet. I have very set goals for my future, I know where and what I will be doing for the ext twelve years of my life. Starting in January, I will be attending a class to receive my dental assistant license. That is one thing that will make me extremely happy, this will also lead to me getting a real Job and moving out. Which is something that I have been wanting to do for about six months now.Being able to take care of my self Is something that I feel will make me very happy. Although, being on my own will be scary its something that has to happen for me to be able to be ready for the rest of my life, and that is something that I am very excited for. Also in this time I hope that I an find a person that I care for and love as much as I love my family and friends. Someone that will be supportive and caring of me. Which would give me a type of happiness that isnt even explainable. I am hoping that as I age I will find more things that make me happy.Though none of us can be certain of our future, I have hope that mine will be fulfilling and full of happiness. Along with my goals, that are In the Immediate future, they have parts to them that will extend to the long term. I want to be an orthodontist, and something that would give me a great amount of happiness would be to have my own practice. I eel as though helping others Is something that would give me extreme Joy and happiness. I want to have what I consider the perfect life, I have it all planned out. Intrigues to your happiness. Even if I dont get my life the way I would like it to be, I still will be able to have a happy life. For all I know I could be poor and in need of help, and even if that happens I would Just be happy to be alive. Although I hope I have a very successful life, I know that I create my own happiness, and that through lifes obstacles I can still be a happy individual. Take some time to think about your life and what makes you happy. My family and friends are the number one thing that make me happy.Ive been dealt a few crappy hands in life, but Ive learned that pushing through and focusing on the future is one thing that can make me happy during a hard time. We all choose how happy we are, so that is why every morning I wake up and tell myself that it is going to be a great day. Telling yourself that your going to be happy is a huge part in actually being happy. Just know that even if people are working against your happiness, you can turn it all around Just by reminding yourself that your healthy and alive. That is the one thing we all have to be happy about.

Essay on Group Culture

Essay on Group Culture Essay on Group Culture Ashley Newton CS 204: Professional Presence Unit 7 Assignment October 13, 2014 Group Culture The Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA), is the second oldest and fifth-largest CPA organization in the United States. Affiliation with the PICPA represents commitment to the CPA profession. Being a member of the PICPA insures professional and personal support. The organization helps to refine your skills, expand knowledge, connect with like-minded individuals, and achieve bigger and better things at every stage of your professional life. PICPA members gain access to the most up-to-date courses and technical resources, discounts on resources, opportunities to connect with thousands of other professionals, and more to advance their careers and enhance the quality of service to their companies and clients. With over 22,000 members, the PICPA is one of Pennsylvania’s premier professional organizations for CPAs. The PICPA experience has been described as empowering, invigorating, fun, and valuable. Members of the PICPA include individuals in public accounting, industry, government, and education. They are partners, presidents, CEOs, executives, managers, and business professionals. The organizational structure of the PICPA is composed of a council, foundation of education and research, committees, chapters, and PICPA staff. Membership of the PICPA is composed of eleven geographical chapters across the state, each led by a chapter president and slate of officers. Ethics is at the core of the CPA profession and is one of the reasons CPAs are regarded among the most trusted business professionals. As a required component of the CPA continuing professional education regime in Pennsylvania, but also because CPAs have a strict code of professional ethics and conduct. Issues regarding ethics are often routinely in the news. CPAs are often a part of these discussions. Affiliation with the PICPA represents adherence to the Code of Professional Conduct. The PICPA follows the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Code of Professional Conduct. These consist of the principles and rules as well as interpretations and other guidance. A PICPA Professional Ethics Committee is responsible for investigating complaints against members and maintain the PICPA Code of Professional Conduct. As part of the PICPA membership, they offer help and resources for future CPAs. Upon graduation, candidates must meet two requirements to sit for the CPA Exam: receive a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university and completed at least 24 semester credits in accounting subjects sanctioned by the State Board of Accountancy. A pre-evaluation will identify academic deficiencies in your education prior to submitting a first time application for the CPA Examination. For information on the exam content, the AICPA has a downloadable document available. Candidates who have graduated with 150 credits are required to complete one year of work experience through employment in government, industry, academia, or public practice within five years of the date you apply for your license. All experience must be of a caliber satisfactory to the State Board of Accountancy and verified by an individual who is currently licensed to practice as a CPA in Pennsylvania. As part of the PICPA website, a PICPA Career Center page was established. This link contains employment listings, business opportunities, and an internship directory. Members have exclusive access to certain sections and can post open positions at a special rate. Non-members may post ads without a discount. A career bank link is also available to search for accounting jobs outside of Pennsylvania. The PICPA Foundation for Education and Research provides a broad spectrum of high-quality programs chosen to enhance professional competence and address timely topics. Onsite training opportunities are available to any member. They offer convenience and

Biography of Ronald E. McNair (Ph.D.) - NASA Astronaut

Biography of Ronald E. McNair (Ph.D.) - NASA Astronaut Each year, NASA and members of the space community remember the astronauts lost when the space shuttle  Challenger  exploded after launch  from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida on January 28, 1986.   Dr. Ronald E. McNair was a member of that crew. He was a decorated NASA astronaut, scientist, and talented musician. He perished along with the spacecraft commander, F.R. Dick Scobee, the pilot, Commander M.J. Smith (USN), mission specialists, Lieutenant Colonel E.S. Onizuka (USAF), and  Dr. Judith.A. Resnik, and two civilian payload specialists, Mr. G.B. Jarvis and Mrs. S. Christa McAuliffe, the teacher-in-space astronaut. The Life and Times of Dr. McNair Ronald E. McNair was born October 21, 1950, in Lake City, South Carolina. He loved sports, and as an adult, he became a 5th-degree black belt karate instructor. His musical tastes tended toward jazz, and he was an accomplished saxophonist. He also enjoyed running, boxing, football, playing cards, and cooking. As a child, McNair was known to be a voracious reader. This led to an often-told story that he went to the local library (which served only white citizens at the time) to check out books. The tale, as recalled by his brother Carl, ended with a young Ronald McNair being told he couldnt check any books out and the librarian called his mother to come get him. Ron told them hed wait. The police arrived, and the officer simply asked the librarian, Why dont you just give him the books?   She did.   Years later, the same library was named in Ronald McNairs memory in Lake City.   McNair graduated from Carver High School in 1967; received his BS in Physics from North Carolina AT State University in 1971 and earned a Ph.D. in physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1976. He received an honorary doctorate of Laws from North Caroline AT State University in 1978, an honorary doctorate of Science from Morris College in 1980, and an honorary doctorate of science from the University of South Carolina in 1984. McNair: the Astronaut-Scientist While at MIT, Dr. McNair made some major contributions in physics. For example, he performed some of earliest development of chemical hydrogen-fluoride and high-pressure carbon monoxide lasers. His later experiments and theoretical analysis on the interaction of intense CO2 (carbon dioxide) laser radiation with molecular gases provided new understandings and applications for highly excited polyatomic molecules. In 1975, McNair spent time researching laser physics at   E’cole D’ete Theorique de Physique, Les Houches, France. He published several papers in areas of lasers and molecular spectroscopy and gave many presentations in U.S. and abroad. Following his graduation from MIT, Dr. McNair became a staff physicist with Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California. His assignments included the development of lasers for isotope separation and photochemistry utilizing non-linear interactions in low-temperature liquids and optical pumping techniques. He also conducted research on electro-optic laser modulation for satellite-to-satellite space communications, the construction of ultra-fast infrared detectors, ultraviolet atmospheric remote sensing. Ronald McNair: Astronaut McNair was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in January 1978. He completed the one-year training and evaluation period and qualified for assignment as a mission specialist astronaut on space shuttle flight crews. His first experience as a mission specialist was on STS 41-B, aboard Challenger. It was launched from Kennedy Space Center on February 3, 1984. He was part of a crew that included spacecraft commander, Mr. Vance Brand, the pilot, Cdr. Robert L. Gibson, and fellow mission specialists, Capt. Bruce McCandless II, and Lt. Col. Robert L. Stewart. The flight accomplished proper shuttle deployment of two Hughes 376 communications satellites, and the flight testing of rendezvous sensors and computer programs. It also marked the first flight of the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) and the first use of the Canadian arm (operated by McNair) to position EVA crewman around Challenger’s payload bay. Other projects for the flight were the deployment of the German SPAS-01 Satellite, a set of acoustic levitation and chemical separation experiments, Cinema 360 motion picture filming, five Getaway Specials (small experimental packages), and numerous mid-deck experiments. Dr. McNair had primary resp onsibility for all of the payload projects. His flight on that  Challenger mission  culminated in first landing on the runway at Kennedy Space Center on February 11, 1984. His last flight was also aboard Challenger, and he never made it to space.  In  addition to his duties as a mission specialist for the ill-fated mission, McNair had worked up a musical piece with French composer Jean-Michel Jarre. McNair intended to perform a saxophone solo with Jarre while on orbit. The recording would have appeared on the album Rendez-Vous with McNairs performance. Instead, it was recorded in his memory by saxophonist Pierre Gossez,  and is dedicated to McNairs memory. Honors and Recognition Dr. McNair was honored throughout his career, beginning in college. He graduated magna cum laude from North Carolina AT (‘71) and was named Presidential Scholar (‘67-’71). He was a Ford Foundation Fellow (‘71-’74) and a National Fellowship Fund Fellow (‘74-’75), NATO Fellow (‘75). He won the Omega Psi Phi Scholar of Year Award (‘75), Los Angeles Public School System’s Service Commendation (‘79), Distinguished Alumni Award (‘79), National Society of Black Professional Engineers Distinguished National Scientist Award (‘79), Friend of Freedom Award (‘81), Who’s Who Among Black Americans (‘80), an AAU Karate Gold Medal (‘76), and also worked up Regional Blackbelt Karate Championships. Ronald McNair has a number of schools and other buildings named for him, plus memorials, and other facilities. The music he was supposed to play onboard Challenger does appear on Jarres eight album, and is called Rons Piece.   Edited by Carolyn Collins Petersen.

Ogallala Aquifer Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Ogallala Aquifer - Assignment Example This has resulted to unfavorable economic realities which include reduced agricultural production, reduced revenue, lower tax revenues and also a reduction in the availability of community services (Kabbes 84). Reduced agricultural production can be attributed to increased irrigation cost as a result of the decline in the water levels of the Aquifer. Pumping the reduced water level is capital-intensive bearing in mind that the farmers in the region depend on natural gas to pump water. This, therefore, has increased the cost of irrigation. The increased cost of irrigation as a result of the declining water level has resulted to small profit margins for the Texas Panhandle producers (Kabbes 84). As a result of the decreased profits in agricultural production in the Texas Panhandle region, farmers have opted to practice non-irrigated farming, conservation tillage, precision irrigation systems, as well as different crop selection. They have adopted an alternative of cotton farming since it requires less water. This has had a positive impact since cotton farming has turned out to be profitable, from the fact that it requires far less irrigation water as compared to corn and alfalfa. The reduced production costs have produced an increased economic return, leading to an increase in the acreage for cotton (Kabbes 85). Reduced groundwater has also resulted in a decrease in the economic activities members of the public engage in. With increased cost of production, a number of farmers have been pushed out of the farming business, rendering them jobless. This has created a double effect of them having to rely on the working group, meaning limited contribution in the economy. The reduction in the water levels of the Aquifer has also produced environmental impacts, with the most prominent one being land subsidence. The intensity of increased water pumping has resulted in land subsidence of vast areas. The land subsidence can permanently reduce the aquifer’s storage

Eng lit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Eng lit - Essay Example Victorian era, Rudyard Kipling’s â€Å"Man Who Would be King† from the later Victorian era and George Orwell’s 1984 written in the period known simply as the 20th century. Beginning with William Blake’s short poem â€Å"London†, written in 1794 and included in his collection entitled Songs of Experience, traces of political unrest can be found as the scenes and sounds of a walk down the London streets are reported. The first hints that something is not right within the city can be found in the first lines of the poem, â€Å"A mark in every face I meet, / Marks of weakness, marks of woe† (3-4). These comments wouldn’t necessarily suggest a poor political situation, except that the signs of decay and desperation are seen in every face encountered as the speaker walks down what is presumed to be an average London street. This is reinforced in the second stanza as the speaker says, â€Å"In every cry of every man, / In every infant’s cry of fear, / In every voice, in every ban, / The mind-forged manacles I hear† (4-8). In this, it is apparent that someone is controlling these people, although it remains unclear if the ‘mind-forged manacles’ are of their own creation or someone else’s. However, because of the inclusion of infants, who cannot possibly be imposing harsh times on themselves as well as the mention of bans, which are posted laws, it is indicated that the hardships being experienced are imposed from a higher source, such as the government. This is again reinforced in the third stanza when the speaker indicates that the decay of the city has reached even as far as the churches: â€Å"How the chimney-sweepers cry / Every blackening church appals† (9-10) and the city’s defenses as â€Å"the hapless soldier[‘s]† sigh is made visible as it â€Å"runs in blood down palace-walls† (12). Throughout the poem, then, although no specific mention is made of issues affecting the people, the affects are nevertheless made clear. Something is not working

Roles, Responsibilities, and Relationships in Lifelong Learning Essay Example for Free

Roles, Responsibilities, and Relationships in Lifelong Learning Essay Roles, Responsibilities and Relationships in Lifelong Learning In this assignment I will be addressing the role of a teacher, their responsibilities to their learners and the relationships a teacher has with other professionals. I will also look at my own role and responsibilities in the lifelong learning sector and how I can meet the needs of my learners while working within the boundaries of the role of a teacher. This assignment will explain how to meet the needs of learners through referral to specialist professionals and how to promote appropriate behaviour in a safe and supportive learning environment which values equality and diversity. Government legislation dictates certain behaviour and actions to be taken by a teacher in given situations. The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Act 2001 (SENDA) provides legal rights for disabled students whom are at a ‘substantial disadvantage’ that the responsible bodies require reasonable steps to be taken to prevent that disadvantage. These steps could include physical changes to the educational establishment, delivering course material relative to the needs of the learner and providing learning material in different formats. The Equality Act 2006 was passed to establish the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR). The CEHR has a statutory remit to promote and monitor human rights; and to protect, enforce and promote equality across the nine protected grounds age, disability, gender, race, religion and belief, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership, sexual orientation and gender reassignment (EHRC 2013). This makes sure that discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief within public functions, education and several other areas. They also place a duty on public authorities to promote equal opportunities between men and women. These legislations, along with many more, place responsibility on me as a teacher to be able to deliver the same criteria to learners regardless of gender, social background and ability. Working in a young offender’s institute I only deliver lessons to males aged 15 to 18. These young people however are at different levels of education, have varied social backgrounds and ethnicity. It is my responsibility to ensure these learners can all complete the necessary tasks to achieve a qualification. If I do not feel I have the resources personally to meet the special needs of an individual learner then I can refer them to any of the more specialized staff within the establishment such as SenCo for special educational needs or YOT for help getting the learner into further education when their sentence is fully served or during their sentence if possible. The learners can display negative attitudes towards other young people or staff of differing social backgrounds or ethnicities. It is my responsibility to challenge these negative attitudes in an attempt at changing the perception the learner has about these people by discussing the effects that their opinions have on individuals. If I feel I am not reaching the learner and their views are not changing I can refer them to the chaplaincy or their keyworker who can provide relevant courses that are aimed at these specific areas. It is important that I promote the relevance of equality to the learners so that they feel comfortable sharing a work space with others of differing race or gender. Through this the learners will then learn to value and respect diversity in people and what a person from differing backgrounds can offer, rather than use it as a barrier to their own learning. In my role as a teacher it is my responsibility to identify and meet the needs of my learners. I can identify some of their needs before I have any contact with them by asking for any information ESS or SenCo have about any learning needs I should be aware of such as dyslexia so I can adapt learning material for them. Once I am aware of the learner’s specific needs then I can talk to them about achievable targets to set which they agree to and set these targets out in their ILP (Individual Learning Plan). I find that learner’s are more receptive to targets that they have agreed to rather than targets they have forced upon them. This can help if a learner has problems with authority as they see they are working with the teacher towards their own goals. Everyone wants structure in their lives, and no more so than your most poorly behaved students (Cowley 2005). Keeping problems from inappropriate behaviour to a minimum is important for all in the class as it is disruptive for all learners. It is important that I set out what is appropriate behaviour once a learner has started on my course. We discuss what they think is expected of them and what I expect of them and sign an agreement which outlines these expectations. Now the learner is aware of how they should behave during their time with me I positively reinforce their good behaviour with praise during the lesson for good work, at the end of the lesson I point out a few things they did well and at the end of the week I have well done slips I give to learners who have produced good work and behaved well all week. These slips allow the learner points to spend on items from the shop on their wing and when issued are recorded as positive behaviour on C-Nomis to make other professionals aware that the learner has performed well. And if your students do choose to push the barriers you have given them, you must be prepared to sanction them accordingly (Cowley 2005). However if a learner is misbehaving during lesson time I will remind them of the agreed behaviour expected of them, if their behaviour fails to improve I will ask them if they have any issues outside of class that could be causing them to ‘act out’ and if I cannot help with these issues I will refer them to another professional who can help such as their personal officer. If their poor behaviour continues I can record this on C-Nomis to make other professionals aware that this behaviour needs addressing. In teaching in a prison keeping on top of learner behaviour helps maintain a safe learning environment as if I allow certain poor behaviour to go unchallenged it could lead to dangerous situations. Also each learner is made aware of various health and safety issues they may face during class time as when they start the course they need to complete a health and safety unit. This covers areas such as spotting hazards, using fire extinguishers and working on portable access equipment safely. Involving the learner in identifying risks and hazards within the class environment helps them realise these dangers. Within a safe learning environment each learner can focus on their individual tasks and I can focus on their individual needs. When each learners needs are being met and the learners feel they can ask for help from their teacher a supportive environment has been achieved. As a teacher in the lifelong learning sector I must be responsible for having the relevant skills and qualifications to fulfil their role. Having appropriate levels of skill in literacy and numeracy means I can produce materials for the learners to use and keep record of the progress the learners are making. Most worksheets and lesson plans are produced using a personal computer; this would not be possible if I was without the necessary ICT skills. Various interpersonal and life skills are required to be a good teacher such as; being adaptive, committed, confident, creative, decisive, diplomatic, enthusiastic, focused, honest, intelligent, patient, organised, positive, professional, reliable, responsible and supportive. These skills and many more enable me to create a positive learning environment where learners can achieve their potential and as I evaluate myself I can ever improve the learning experience. When teaching a subject it is important that I have the relevant skills, qualifications and experience within this subject to be able to deliver quality lessons. It is imperative that I identify the needs of each individual learner so the learners feel valued and can receive appropriate tutorials and assessment for their level of ability as they achieve. I must also meet the needs of the organization I work for by following the code of conduct the organization has produced. I will continue to attend CPD (Continual Personal Development) events to further develop and expand my skills to the benefit of my learners. In my role as a teacher I have a responsibility to other professionals to keep my lesson punctual so it does not over run into another teacher’s lesson and that I inform other teachers or colleagues of any behavioural problems with specific learners so appropriate measures can be applied to remedy this. While I like to keep my learning environment relaxed and friendly it is important to be aware of the boundaries in my role as a teacher. These boundaries mean I should not become over familiar with my learners which could be detrimental to the learning environment and deal with learner’s emotional problems in a professional manner referring them to other professionals who are there to accommodate these needs. These boundaries differ from other professionals as they are specific to a teaching role and are vital for keeping a teacher safe in their practice. In summary a teacher has many important roles and responsibilities to learners choosing to continue their personal development in lifelong learning and must always strive to improve the learning environment within current legislation.

New Meaning to Broumas Little Red Riding Hood :: Little Red Riding Hood

New Meaning to Broumas' Little Red Riding Hood  Ã‚   There is more to Broumas' Little Red Riding Hood than meets the eye, or perhaps that is exactly where the analysis comes into play because the formalistic approach of analyzing literature consists of looking at a piece of literature and stating what is obviously there. The formalistic approach does give the work a deeper meaning than it first had, but the details are usually plain and easily noticeable. Generally they are very obvious, thus easily overlooked. The formalistic approach may be limited to pointing out the continual use of one word, but after noticing this fact a new meaning must be found as well. The reader is able to develop a broader understanding to Broumas' Little Red Riding Hood after using the formalistic approach to delve deeper into the poem. The formalistic approach reveals Broumas' use of repetition and choice of words give extra significance to her poem Little Red Riding Hood. The easiest way to set about using the formalistic approach is to first read the poem paying careful attention to repetition, breaks, and description that may not have been noticed during the first reading. Using this technique on Little Red Riding Hood reveals an emphasis placed on the word old. Broumas writes, I grow old, old Without you, Mother, landscape Of my heart. The use of old can be read in two different ways. One approach could place more emphasis on the repetition of old, whereas the other could draw it toward "old without you." Either way it is read one realizes that the author is growing old without her mother. However reading it the first way adds about ten more years to her life because she is very old. The second way can be taken to literally mean that the author is a lot older without her mother. The description of her mother foreshadows a strict parent. It takes a lot of work to landscape a yard, and if the mother landscaped her daughter's heart it took a lot of work and a lot of rules. Broumas continues the poem with a description of her mother giving birth. She uses phrases like "stretching it like a wishbone", "skin strung on a bow", and "tightened against the pain" to reveal to the reader that labor is not easy, in fact just the opposite because it is strenuous and very difficult. New Meaning to Broumas' Little Red Riding Hood :: Little Red Riding Hood New Meaning to Broumas' Little Red Riding Hood  Ã‚   There is more to Broumas' Little Red Riding Hood than meets the eye, or perhaps that is exactly where the analysis comes into play because the formalistic approach of analyzing literature consists of looking at a piece of literature and stating what is obviously there. The formalistic approach does give the work a deeper meaning than it first had, but the details are usually plain and easily noticeable. Generally they are very obvious, thus easily overlooked. The formalistic approach may be limited to pointing out the continual use of one word, but after noticing this fact a new meaning must be found as well. The reader is able to develop a broader understanding to Broumas' Little Red Riding Hood after using the formalistic approach to delve deeper into the poem. The formalistic approach reveals Broumas' use of repetition and choice of words give extra significance to her poem Little Red Riding Hood. The easiest way to set about using the formalistic approach is to first read the poem paying careful attention to repetition, breaks, and description that may not have been noticed during the first reading. Using this technique on Little Red Riding Hood reveals an emphasis placed on the word old. Broumas writes, I grow old, old Without you, Mother, landscape Of my heart. The use of old can be read in two different ways. One approach could place more emphasis on the repetition of old, whereas the other could draw it toward "old without you." Either way it is read one realizes that the author is growing old without her mother. However reading it the first way adds about ten more years to her life because she is very old. The second way can be taken to literally mean that the author is a lot older without her mother. The description of her mother foreshadows a strict parent. It takes a lot of work to landscape a yard, and if the mother landscaped her daughter's heart it took a lot of work and a lot of rules. Broumas continues the poem with a description of her mother giving birth. She uses phrases like "stretching it like a wishbone", "skin strung on a bow", and "tightened against the pain" to reveal to the reader that labor is not easy, in fact just the opposite because it is strenuous and very difficult.

Part Six Chapter I

Weaknesses of Voluntary Bodies 22.23 †¦ The main weaknesses of such bodies are that they are hard to launch, liable to disintegrate †¦ Charles Arnold-Baker Local Council Administration, Seventh Edition I Many, many times had Colin Wall imagined the police coming to his door. They arrived, at last, at dusk on Sunday evening: a woman and a man, not to arrest Colin, but to look for his son. A fatal accident and ‘Stuart, is it?' was a witness. ‘Is he at home?' ‘No,' said Tessa, ‘oh, dear God †¦ Robbie Weedon †¦ but he lives in the Fields †¦ why was he here?' The policewoman explained, kindly, what they believed to have happened. ‘The teenagers took their eye off him' was the phrase she used. Tessa thought she might faint. ‘You don't know where Stuart is?' asked the policeman. ‘No,' said Colin, gaunt and shadow-eyed. ‘Where was he last seen?' ‘When our colleague pulled up, Stuart seems to have, ah, run away.' ‘Oh, dear God,' said Tessa again. ‘He's not answering,' said Colin calmly; he had already dialled Fats on his mobile. ‘We'll need to go and look for him.' Colin had rehearsed for calamity all his life. He was ready. He took down his coat. ‘I'll try Arf,' said Tessa, running to the telephone. Isolated above the little town, no news of the calamities had yet reached Hilltop House. Andrew's mobile rang in the kitchen. †Lo,' he said, his mouth full of toast. ‘Andy, it's Tessa Wall. Is Stu with you?' ‘No,' he said. ‘Sorry.' But he was not at all sorry that Fats was not with him. ‘Something's happened, Andy. Stu was down at the river with Krystal Weedon, and she had her little brother with her, and the boy's drowned. Stu's run – run off somewhere. Can you think where he might be?' ‘No,' said Andrew automatically, because that was his and Fats' code. Never tell the parents. But the horror of what she had just told him crept through the phone like a clammy fog. Everything was suddenly less clear, less certain. She was about to hang up. ‘Wait, Mrs Wall,' he said. ‘I might know †¦ there's a place down by the river †¦' ‘I don't think he'd go near the river now,' said Tessa. Seconds flicked by, and Andrew was more and more convinced that Fats was in the Cubby Hole. ‘It's the only place I can think of,' he said. ‘Tell me where – ‘ ‘I'd have to show you.' ‘I'll be there in ten minutes,' she shouted. Colin was already patrolling the streets of Pagford on foot. Tessa drove the Nissan up the winding hill road, and found Andrew waiting for her on the corner, where he usually caught the bus. He directed her down through the town. The street lights were feeble by twilight. They parked by the trees where Andrew usually threw down Simon's racing bike. Tessa got out of the car and followed Andrew to the edge of the water, puzzled and frightened. ‘He's not here,' she said. ‘It's along there,' said Andrew, pointing at the sheer dark face of Pargetter Hill, running straight down to the river with barely a lip of bank before the rushing water. ‘What do you mean?' asked Tessa, horrified. Andrew had known from the first that she would not be able to come with him, short and dumpy as she was. ‘I'll go and see,' he said. ‘If you wait here.' ‘But it's too dangerous!' she cried over the roar of the powerful river. Ignoring her, he reached for the familiar hand and footholds. As he inched away along the tiny ledge, the same thought came to both of them; that Fats might have fallen, or jumped, into the river thundering so close to Andrew's feet. Tessa remained at the water's edge until she could not make Andrew out any longer, then turned away, trying not to cry in case Stuart was there, and she needed to talk to him calmly. For the first time, she wondered where Krystal was. The police had not said, and her terror for Fats had obliterated every other concern †¦ Please God, let me find Stuart, she prayed. Let me find Stuart, please, God. Then she pulled her mobile from her cardigan pocket and called Kay Bawden. ‘I don't know whether you've heard,' she shouted, over the rushing water, and she told Kay the story. ‘But I'm not her social worker any more,' said Kay. Twenty feet away, Andrew had reached the Cubby Hole. It was pitch black; he had never been here this late. He swung himself inside. ‘Fats?' He heard something move at the back of the hole. ‘Fats? You there?' ‘Got a light, Arf?' said an unrecognizable voice. ‘I dropped my bloody matches.' Andrew thought of shouting out to Tessa, but she did not know how long it took to reach the Cubby Hole. She could wait a few more moments. He passed over his lighter. By its flickering flame, Andrew saw that his friend's appearance was almost as changed as his voice. Fats' eyes were swollen; his whole face looked puffy. The flame went out. Fats' cigarette tip glowed bright in the darkness. ‘Is he dead? Her brother?' Andrew had not realized that Fats did not know. ‘Yeah,' he said, and then he added, ‘I think so. That's what I – what I heard.' There was a silence, and then a soft, piglet-like squeal reached him through the darkness. ‘Mrs Wall,' yelled Andrew, sticking his head out of the hole as far as it would go, so that he could not hear Fats' sobs over the sound of the river. ‘Mrs Wall, he's here!'

Barilla Spa (A) Case Study Essay

Executive Summary Sales representatives at the Barilla SpA, world’s largest pasta producer, are seeing customers changing due to long re-order lead-time and frequent stock-outs. Even with a high inventory levels, Barilla is still not able to cope with the fluctuating demand. The fluctuation in demand is seen as the bullwhip effect that is caused by sales strategies that have been put into place that is very product focused. This causes excessive demand from week to week depending on the product that the promotion or incentive is been aimed towards. There is also a lack of data sharing and poor communication throughout the whole supply chain which does not bring visibility for production forecast. With the Just-in-Time Distribution (JITD) that was brought in from the logistics manager, neither internally nor externally is supporting the new system. With the lack of understanding of the new system and the positive results it will bring, it will be hard to convince buy-ins from different angles. The initiative should be tested first from Barilla’s own facilities and prove out the methods and be able to visualize the improvements to the rest of its supply chain. During the implementation and test phase, there should be dedicated teams which monitor the data and metrics coming from the new system. Daily meetings should be held to discuss issues and resolve them as quickly as possible. As inventory levels drop, issues with the distribution system will arise which provides a priority of issues to resolve. Once the system has been proven, the results will be the biggest selling points to have the implementation through the whole supply chain and for everyone to understand its benefits. Issues Identification Barilla is experiencing issues to meet their fluctuating demand from the distribution centers even when carrying additional inventory throughout the supply chain. Brando Vitali has came with a proposal of a Just-in-time Distribution (JITD) but neither the sales team in Barilla or the buyers at the distribution centers are agreeing with the approach. At the same time, these teams are already noticing that our customers are leaving due to the lack of servicing we are able to provide. Distribution centers were asked to carry more inventories to prevent occurrences of stock outs but the suggestion was not accepted. In return, they issued a complaint regarding the number of SKUs Barilla has which makes it impossible to manage and the long manufacturing lead-time due to the tight heat and humidity specifications. Environmental and Root Cause Analysis Fluctuating Demand: The fluctuation in demand is caused by a combination of reasons. The trade promotions and volume discounts that Barilla uses as sales strategies are one of the biggest influences. There were also no limits to the quantities that the distributors are allowed to order per each â€Å"canvass† period. The incentive program for Barilla’s sales representatives is also causing inconsistency to the demand; they would be pushing for the SKU’s that would bring them a higher incentive. Barilla is also experience a growth in their export market; it was expected to reach 20-25% per year. With this increasing growth, Barilla does not have any sophisticated forecasting technique that would prepare them to meet the demand. There is a minimal visibility for Barilla to see where the volatility is in the demand is coming from. This is creating the Bullwhip Effect throughout their whole supply chain. The poor communication and cooperation between retailers, distribution centers and manufacturer is the reason that they all are maintaining higher inventory than required. Resistance to Changes: There were many resistances to this new initiative when it was being brought up internally and externally. When there is a lack of understanding of the results that a new initiative will bring, there will always be resistance to change. Sales team fears that that they would see a reduction of responsibilities and distribution centers were defensive when they misinterpret the approach as saying they don’t know what they are doing. Alternative and/or Options Alternative #1 – Continue to promote the Just-in-time Distribution (JITD) initiative To be able to eliminate the Bullwhip Effect, there must be an increase in visibility through the whole supply chain. With better communication and an understanding and trust between vendors, it will eliminate the volatility in demand. This will improve the service levels from distributors to retailers and at the same time reduce the inventory carrying cost. With the visibility, it will better Barilla to forecast their demand and improve their production planning process. While achieving this, it will reduce their manufacturing cost and their inventory cycle. Alternative #2 – Eliminate product focus sales strategies Instead of promoting particular products in each canvass period that will cause excessive demand, Barilla should maintain a constant competitive pricing through the year. Barilla should also eliminate their product-focus incentive policy for their sales representative and create incentive programs that will not allow them to focus on a particular SKU. Recommendations and Implementation Barilla should continue to promote the Just-in-Time Distribution initiative. As this is a new concept for the distributors and retailers, Barilla should prove out this initiative at their own facility. With the results, they can then have bigger bargaining power to promote this idea to its whole supply chain. As for anything else to be successful in a company, it is important for top management to be actively involved. Employees need to be aware of the importance of this project in order for it to be successful and for them to understand positive results it will bring to the company. During the implementation, there would be decrease in inventory levels. Before, the inventory levels were used as a buffer to hide the problems that prevents us from working with a lower inventory level. As we decrease the inventory levels, the problems will arise and it will identify for us what issues we need to resolve as a priority. If the problem requires a longer time to resolve, then the inventory levels can be raise to prevent affecting customers from stock-outs. Then the focus would be to resolve the issue and the inventory levels can be lowered again. With this approach, it will help prioritize the issues that need to be address and which ones will help lower our inventory levels. Monitor and Control To monitor the affects of this initiative, there are a few key performance indicators that need to be set-up. Stock Out Rate – This will immediately show the trend with the current system and be able to visualize that JITD will increase service levels. Inventory Levels – Visualize inventory levels at all firms to demonstrate the win-win scenario that this initiative will bring. Re-order Lead-time – To show with the increase communication, it helps for manufacturers to respond faster There should be daily meetings held with the key departments to ensure that the information is communicated in an effective manner. The meeting should be held at the same time in the same form to create a drum-beat system that will create a habit for the stakeholders to inform of any issues that they have encounter and to gather as a group to resolve.

Minority Interest essays

Minority Interest essays The term minority interest in the balance sheet of Eastman Kodak appears in the balance sheet as reported by all the major sources. The term is used with a meaning not common in most other applications. In the financial world, the term minority is normally used to mean a group of shareholders who are not associated with the group who are running the company. Often enough this group is just interested in the dividends and other benefits that they can get from the company. Some companies also give large and regular dividends, and this stops the price of the share from increasing very much. These shares are termed in the stock market as "widow's shares" as a person can depend on them for regular income. However, any share will normally declare a dividend, as that is seen as one of the obligations of the managers of the company. The dividend normally does not yield as much as fixed deposits in financial institutions as the shareholder can earn much more through the appreciation of the share price and selling it when the prices are high after having bought the share when the prices were low. This is the expected action of the "investors". In the case of Eastman Kodak, the term minority interest is shown against the declaration under the heading of liabilities, but not under current liabilities, and along with mortgages, deferred taxes/income, convertible debt, long term debt, non-current capital leases, and other non-current liabilities. In short this is viewed as a long term liability to the minority shareholders. The important point to note is that the figure for this has been shown as N/A for the year ended 31st December 2003, whereas for all earlier years from 1999, this has been shown as 0. The total number of shares outstanding is also not shown. Is it be...

Alphadon - Facts and Figures

Alphadon - Facts and Figures Name: Alphadon (Greek for first tooth); pronounced AL-fah-don Habitat: Woodlands of North America Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (70 million years ago) Size and Weight: About one foot long and 12 ounces Diet: Insects, fruit and small animals Distinguishing Characteristics: Long, prehensile tail; long hind legs About Alphadon As is the case with many of the early mammals of the Mesozoic Era, Alphadon is known primarily by its teeth, which peg it as one of the earliest marsupials (the non-placental mammals represented today by Australian kangaroos and koala bears). Appearance-wise, Alphadon probably resembled a small opossum, and despite its tiny size (only about three-quarters of a pound soaking wet) it was still one of the largest mammals of late Cretaceous North America. Befitting its small stature, paleontologists believe that Alphadon spent most of its time high up in trees, well out of the way of the stomping tyrannosaurs and titanosaurs of its ecosystem. At this point, you may be wondering how a prehistoric marsupial ended up in North America, of all places. Well, the fact is that even   modern marsupials arent restricted to Australia; opossums, to which Alphadon was related, are indigenous to both North and South America, although they had to reinvade the north about three million years ago, when the Central American Isthmus rose up and connected the two continents. (During the Cenozoic Era, after the demise of the dinosaurs, huge marsupials were thick on the ground in South America; before their extinction, a few stragglers managed to find their way via Antarctica to Australia, the only place today where you can find plus-sized pouched mammals.)

Homeland Security Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Homeland Security - Assignment Example I chose to study the New Town High School because this is the school that my daughter attends. She is involved in a number of the school activities, both curricular and co-curricular ones. Besides, this school is in my community and my neighbors’ children attend the same school. For these reasons, any security threat to the school is also a threat to our community; hence it is our responsibility to oversee the security of the school Interviews I interviewed the school principal, a teacher, a parent from the parent teachers’ committee, my daughter, and a junior student. The school principal has a good knowledge of security issues that the school faces, and takes part in formulation of policies that are instituted to address the issues. The teacher has been a member of staff for four years now and his interaction with both the students and administration enables him to access information from the two sides. The parent from the parent teachers’ committee has been a member of the committee for three years now. She interacts with students through her daughter who is a student in the school, and with teachers and faculty in the board. Being a parent in the school, she is concerned about the security issue of the school and lives in the same community the school is in and will give valuable information. My daughter is currently a senior in the school having attended it for the past four years. She actively participates in the school functions such as drills enabling her to interact with other students in an informal capacity, thus being able to pick up any useful information. Lastly, I will interview one junior student who, just like my daughter, participates in a number of activities in the school. The names of the two interviewees are withheld for obvious security reasons. Interviewer: Mr. Principal, could you please tell us the greatest challenges to security and safety of students and staff in the school. Principal: The greatest security chall enges are the manmade threats such as terrorist threats, arson, computer malware, and unprofessional conduct. This is because while we are able to predict and control or prevent natural disasters, we are not able to easily detect and prevent manmade threats because of their malicious intents. The school’s intelligence services are not so sophisticated to get hold of malicious plans beforehand, thus prevention is difficult. Interviewer: What measures has the administration put in place to keep the school safe from natural disasters. Principal: When constructing the premises, we ensured that they were away from fault lines that could lead to earthquakes. We are in constant touch with the meteorological department for any updates on looming disasters. With the break of avian and swine flu, we increased the stock in our clinic with sufficient equipment to detect and treat such pandemics. Besides, our hygiene standards are good with qualified personnel to keep such sanitation outb reaks away. Interviewer: Your school comprises a majority of black students. How are you able to ascertain that they are not a security threat, especially with respect to drug and gang activities. Principal: We are in the process of instituting a full time intelligence service with the help of the Department of Homeland Security. So far, we just look out for any strange activity among the students and investigate. Interviewer: What

Is prehospital paramedic pain assessment effective Essay

Is prehospital paramedic pain assessment effective - Essay Example This paper was able to establish that pain assessment is favoured by some practitioners because it can reduce the patient’s trauma and anxiety, making him more relaxed and easier to assess for other symptoms. Pain assessment is not favoured by some practitioners because it is often inaccurate. It is also subjective, depending on the paramedic’s assessment of the patient. Some patients may not verbalize their pain, and others may exaggerate their pain experience. Nevertheless, pain assessment in the prehospital setting can be made on a case- to-case basis, depending on the physical environment, on the condition of the patient, and on the other symptoms being manifested by the patient. The paramedic responding to an emergency may find the patient in varying states of pain, consciousness, and anxiety. The paramedic is obligated to render emergency care to such patient; such care primarily includes interventions to assess and ease the airway, breathing, and circulation of the patient. Pain assessment during this time is still a controversial matter. While some practitioners believe that pain assessment during the prehospital setting is appropriate and ultimately beneficial to the patient, others do not agree. Opponents to pain assessment in the prehospital setting believe that such assessment will only cause delay in the care of the patient, and the process will ultimately yield inaccurate results. This paper shall address and review this controversy by assessing studies and reports written on the subject matter. Such studies shall be searched through index searches in library materials (books, magazines, and journals). Key words such as paramedic, pain assessment, and prehospital shall be used in the index search. The same key words shall also be entered through internet browsing using the Google search engine. The NCBI, Medscape, BMJ, NHS, DOH, NICE, and such other relevant databases shall also be searched in the hope of uncovering relevant

Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Annotated Bibliography Example This post is about core training. In exercising, core means the part of one’s body which includes the pelvis, hips, spine and rib cage. The 29 muscles found in the core region are divided into two categories: stabilization and movement. The article shares that the core region is important because the efficient performance of our daily activities depends on the muscles found in this area. Compared to the other sources, this article is more concise and easier to understand. It provides important information. I think this article is useful and the writer is credible because the site is affiliated with the National Academy of Sports Medicine and Sharecare and the writers are certified trainers. The book contains a lot of information about nutritious foods around the world. The items are grouped into categories such as vegetables and salads, fruits, grains, beans and legumes, etc. There is also a frequently asked questions page, recipes and nutritional information about the 100 food items. I think this book is very helpful. It same with the other sources I found because it talks about healthy foods for the body. The information is easy to understand. I think the author is credible because he is the founder of Health Valley Foods. Raisanen, Ulla. â€Å"What health professionals should know about eating disorders.† The Guardian- Healthcare Professionals Network. Guardian News and Media Limited. 12 February 2013. Web. 11 February 2013. The article is about people with eating disorders and how medical professionals should relate to these patients. The author says medical professionals should know that anyone can have an eating disorder and first contact is important. Also, early intervention is the key and emotions and behaviors influence the condition. The health professional should also focus on the person and respect the individual, taking time to find out about the condition from the person

Media Rights for Barclays Premier League in Singapore

Media Rights for Barclays Premier League in Singapore 1. Background Information In 1998, StarHub first introduced the English Premier League to Singapore and has constantly secured broadcasting rights for the past 12 years. During that period, local telecommunications rival, SingTel, has launched their own pay-TV service named mio TV on July 2007, signaling its intention to rival StarHub to be the nations main pay-TV provider. In 2008, SingTel made its first step by securing the media rights to the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League from 2009 to 2012. With the rights for these prestigious European football competitions, many StarHub pay-TV customers were forced to sign up with SingTels mio TV to satisfy their needs. One year on, in October, SingTel rocked the nation by announcing their victory in the bidding war for the media rights for the English Premier League, which is known now as the Barclays Premier League, from 2011 to 2013. The victory was greeted with dismay from many football fans, as they now have to make the jump from StarHubs pay-TV over to mio TV to get their dosage of English football. This effectively ended StarHubs 12-year broadcasting rights of the league, which would certainly result in a fall of subscribers in time to come. 2. Purpose of the Report This report aims to identify the various economic concepts shown in the textbook, and show how they are applicable in the actual business world using the decisions of StarHub and SingTel as examples. 3. The Art and Science of Economic Analysis 3.1 The Economic Problem In the article, it is clearly identified that the resources which led to Starhub bringing in the Barclays Premier League (BPL) to Singapore are human capital and the entrepreneurial ability of the firm. Human capital was shown in the form of knowledge they had on the wants of the locals, and the entrepreneurial ability of StarHub made them realize that they could profit from this project. It was exactly the same two factors that led SingTel to wrestle for the BPL media rights from StarHub. Having observed the huge economic benefits StarHub enjoyed with the monopoly of the BPL media rights in Singapore, SingTel realized they too, would profit hugely from the ownership of the BPL media rights. Thus, SingTel launched a bid to rival StarHub for the rights, which sparked off a bidding war between the two telecommunications firm. Eventually, SingTel earned the rights to broadcast the leagues game for the next 3 years, starting from 2010. 3.2 The Science of Economic Analysis SingTels decision to foray into the Pay-TV market and especially, the market for televised sports like soccer is not due to a normative economic statement, or opinion, made by their staff. Instead, it has been based on a positive economic statement, which is backed by concrete facts. The decision to outbid StarHub for the BPL media rights was greeted by the stock market with changes to the share prices of both firms. StarHubs price dived 16 cents to a low of $2.01 before closing at $2.03 yesterday. SingTels share price rose from $3.25 to $3.31 before closing at $3.28. (A whole new ball game in pay-tv market, 2009, October) This supports the statement that the local market for the BPL is lucrative, as the stock market has made changes to reflect the expected future gains of SingTel, and the foreseen loss of StarHub. Having said so, the change in the share prices are definitely in response to SingTels successful bid, thus eliminating the possibility that the fallacy that association is causation was committed. 4. Economic Tools and Economic Systems 4.1 Three Economic Questions Of course, before the bid was launched, SingTel had to know what to do should they win the bid. Hence, the three economic questions learned in Microeconomics come into play. Firstly, SingTel has identified the broadcasting of Barclays Premier League matches as a service they wish to provide to the nation. Secondly, the launch of mio TV in 2007 paved the way for the bid, with SingTel in the clear that they would use the mio TV as a portal to broadcast programmes, especially the BPL games in the future. With the above two questions answered, SingTels ultimate aim was to overtake StarHub as the nations leading pay-TV provider. Hence, their target market would be the existing subscribers to StarHubs pay-TV, and more notably, the huge number of subscribers to the BPL games and other sports programmes. 4.2 Negative Spillover Costs Negative spillover costs have been incurred with SingTels foray into the local pay-TV market. This is supported by the article which mentioned that SingTels foray into pay TV which split the football content which previously all resided with StarHub actually fuelled soccer fans ire. Thanks to competition between the duo, they said, football fans have to sign up for both StarHub and SingTels pay-TV services to enjoy all of the matches they had previously received when StarHub was the sole pay-TV player. (A whole new ball game in pay-tv market, 2009, October) With that, it is clear that the move by SingTel has not gone down well with sports subscribers of StarHubs pay-TV and has created unnecessary inconvenience. 5. Economic Decision Makers 5.1 The Firm The answers from the three economic questions, namely what service to produce, how and who to produce the service for, reiterates the fact that SingTel is a firm, just like StarHub. Firms are economic units created by entrepreneurs looking to earn money through the combination of the various resources to produce a good or provide a form of service. A more specific term to describe SingTel and StarHub are that they are separate corporations. Corporations are one of the most highly-valued forms of business, often equipped with significant financial power. Funds can be raised quickly through the sale of the corporations stocks, which also leads to the company having an array of stockholders. Behind the strong financial wealth are several drawbacks. Firstly, stockholders are unable to have a significant say in the operations of the corporations with their votes making up only a minority. Instead, a board of directors is often entrusted with the job of making corporate decisions with their bigger shares. Corporate income is also taxed twice, resulting in more profits being used to pay taxes. Despite that, corporate incomes are often huge sums of money, and the taxes would not be able to affect it much. 6. Demand, Supply and Markets 6.1 Demand, Supply and Market Equilibrium for SingTels mio TV For SingTels mio TV, the demand and supply increases by the same value. The increase in demand is attributed to the successful bid of SingTel for the Barclays Premier Leagues media rights. With the media rights, SingTel is able to broadcast the BPL games on their pay-TV service. This would cause a significant increase in the subscribers for mio TV as the subscribers want their dosage of BPL football. This is in line with the taste and preferences of the subscribers, which is a determinant of demand. Hence, there will be a rightward shift for demand. The change in supply for SingTels mio TV is due to SingTels expectations on the future prices of their sports package, which is a determinant of supply. With the hype for the BPL matches present now, it would bring along sales for the sports package. However, in a years time, people might be more interested in other sporting events, and the BPL matches would not appeal as much to the public. As a result, SingTel would then have to reduce their prices to increase sales as the sport package would turn into a luxury product, instead of a necessity. This would see a leftward shift for supply. With an identical shift in the demand and supply curve, the equilibrium price will remain the same. 6.2 Demand, Supply and Market Equilibrium for StarHubs pay-TV For StarHubs pay-TV, a fall in demand has been observed. This is a result of their failure to continue providing Singapore with the BPL matches on their pay-TV service. As such, consumers desperate for their fix of football decided to make the jump to SingTels mio TV due to their taste and preference for the BPL matches. This is the determinant of demand that causes the fall in demand. There is no change reflected in the supply curve as the channels in the sports package are still present. However, the only difference is the removal of the BPL content. Hence, there is no change in supply. As such, the equilibrium price has reduced to account for the fall in demand. 7. Elasticity of Demand and Supply 7.1 Price Elasticity For many Singaporeans, the Barclays Premier League matches are not considered as a necessity to them. Hence, the demand of SingTels sports package is more price elastic to the general public. This means that they are very responsive to changes in the price plans for the matches, and would be unlikely to sign up for the package should it be too pricey. However, to the football fans in the nation, it is a content they are not able to live without. Therefore, the demand of the package is less price elastic to them, suggesting they are not responsive to price changes. This indicates that they would be willing to sign up for the package, regardless of the change in price. 7.2 Income elasticity With the nation recovering quickly from the economic recession, as seen from the recent reports stating that Singapores economy expanded at a stunning pace of 19.3 per cent in the second quarter of 2010. (Singapore economy zooms 19.3% in Q2, 2010, July), the money income of consumers has risen. To them, SingTels sports package is a normal good, as compared to StarHubs sports package, which has been deemed as an inferior good. This is highly due to SingTels success in securing the media rights for the BPL games, which allows them to broadcast the BPL games and other related programmes on mio TV. Thus, with the increase in money income of consumers, they would be more willing to purchase the sports package launched by SingTel. 8. Production and Cost 8.1 Costs in the Long Run and Economies of Scale Firstly, the successful bid for the BPL media rights and ESPN Star Sports brought an increase to the amount of channels available for mio TV. This would indicate an increase in the output by SingTel. Next, average cost for SingTel decreases as they would see an increase in subscribers, especially with football fans rushing to sign up for their sports package. This would cover up the cost incurred between q and qa. Lastly, with the increase in customers for SingTels mio TV service, they would have to increase their plant size to cater to the increase in demand. The plant size could increase in the form of having more service centers around the island, with more technicians and customer service officers hired to meet demands. This would open up the opportunity to create a more extensive division of labour, reflected from qa to q. In the long run, SingTels decision to take over as the exclusive broadcaster of BPL content would enable them to earn a tidy sum of profit. SingTel was not afraid of suffering losses even though StarHub reported that they lose money from providing sports content to pay-TV customers. (A whole new ball game in pay-tv market, 2009, October) They knew that as they were the only pay-TV operator showing BPL content, they would be able to benefit from the media rights with business opportunities coming in from all over the market, including advertising and partnership deals. 8.2 Explicit and Implicit Costs In the case of SingTel, they have incurred both explicit and implicit costs in their decision to outbid StarHub for the BPL media rights. The explicit costs incurred are the money spent on bidding for the exclusive media rights for the Barclays Premier League and the cost of operating mio TV. The implicit costs, also known as the opportunity cost incurred, would be the reduction of their budgets to spend on other genres of programmes. This reduces their ability to bid for other genres of programmes such as primetime blockbusters. 9. Oligopoly Duopoly 9.1 Barriers to Entry With only two pay-TV operators in Singapore, the oligopoly could be identified as a duopoly. A duopoly is a form of oligopoly where only two dominant players are present in a market. As with all kinds of market structure, barriers to entry are in place to deter additional competition. Firstly, there is a high-start up cost involved to enter the pay-TV industry. With bids starting from six-figure sums, a lack of start-up funds would certainly spell the end of the new company as they would not be able to compete with the financial power of StarHub and SingTel. Secondly, StarHub and SingTel have been around for some time, establishing a reputation along the way. The general public is more accustomed to these brands, and any new entrants to the pay-TV market would find it hard to persuade customers to switch to their service. This is true till they are able to force competition through providing exclusive content that the customers demand or other attractive deals. In the case of SingTels mio TV, their original entry to the industry back in 2007 was tough as StarHub was the only established player in the market. SingTels mio TV was finally able to garner the support of customers when they secured the rights to the elite European football competitions. Lastly, the new entrants would probably suffer losses early on, as a large output is required before low production costs can be achieved. This is also known as the economies of scale. The economies of scale would not benefit the new entrants as it takes time to establish high economies of scale. This would put them at a disadvantage as they are unable to effectively compete with the other pay-TV providers. 9.2 Price Leadership Price leadership refers to a player in the market that establishes a price for the rest of the industry to abide to. The player that sets the market price is usually one of the forerunners in the industry, and others in the market would follow suit. This is practiced to avoid price competition as everyones prices will be kept the same. In the case of SingTel, after they have taken over the media rights for the BPL games from StarHub, pressure was inflicted by the public for prices to remain the same. Fans feared that a change in ownership of the rights would cause a hike in the price for BPL matches, due to the exorbitant bid made by SingTel for the rights. Hence, SingTel agreed to maintain the same price that StarHub used to charge for their sports package, appeasing the public. Thus, price competition was not present in this scenario. $25 million StarHub pay-TV SingTel mio TV Raise Raise Maintain Maintain $25 million $20 million $20 million $20 million $25 million $20 million $25 million9.3 Game Theory SingTels huge bid for the Barclays Premier League media rights was not made without any form of theory. Instead, SingTel and StarHubs bids for the BPL media rights could be represented by the game theory. In the game theory presented above, the figures used are generic as the actual bid was not disclosed to the public. The objective of the game theory is to avoid the worst possible outcome, which in this scenario, is losing the bid for the rights. Hence, neither SingTel nor StarHub would think of maintaining their current bid. This is because if the other party decides to raise their bid, it would effectively rule them out of the competition. Thus, neither side would maintain their bid, ruling out the option of both parties maintaining their bids. As such, the only likely choice would be for both telecommunications firm to raise their bid. The difference was that SingTel decided to raise their bid significantly, which outweighed StarHubs raised bid with ease. Hence, SingTel obtained the media rights for the Barclays Premier League. 10. Conclusion In conclusion, SingTel has come a long way to achieve its goal of overtake StarHub as Singapores dominant pay-TV operator in sports. When SingTel first started, they experienced difficulties attracting customers as they were unable to rival what StarHub was able to offer to its subscribers. It was only when they obtained the broadcasting rights for the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League that football-mad customers decided to make the switch to SingTels mio TV. A year ago, SingTel stepped up its attempt to overtake StarHub by outbidding the latter for the BPL media rights for the next three years. Their successful bid enabled them to be the new price leader in the industry, and many football fans from StarHub made the jump from StarHubs pay-TV to SingTels mio TV to get their fix of football. This led to an increase in demand of SingTels mio TV, and a fall in demand for StarHubs pay-TV. Looking at the long term benefits, SingTels costs have been reduced due to an increase in the economies of scale, through establishing more service centers and hiring more workers to meet the increased demand. With a huge number of customers making the switch from StarHub pay-tv to SingTel mio TV due to their need for football, it has allowed SingTel to overtake StarHub as the nations dominant pay-TV operator in sports.