Sports Psychology

Sport Psychology Athletes in today’s society are bigger, stronger, and faster than ever before but they still share the same goals as their predecessors, climb to the top of their sport and be crowned champion. Unlike in previous generations, the â€Å"game† is no longer just a game, it’s a booming business. Major League Baseball alone boasts a three point seven billion dollar a year industry.In this new generation of big business, how do athletes cope with the pressure of grossing fifteen million dollars a year and performing in front of twenty thousand screaming fans packed into Madison Square Garden or seventy-two thousand fanatical â€Å"Cheese Heads† at Lambeau Field? One of those answers is with sport psychology. But one answer leads us down a convoluted path with many other unanswered questions. This paper will define sport psychology and identify where it come from. It will also discuss the objectives of sport psychology and how are they applied.Th e final topic will describe sport psychologists do. According to the sport psychology program at San Diego State University, sport psychology can be defined as â€Å"the study of people and their behavior in sport and exercise contexts†, or â€Å"the effect of sport itself on human behavior†, or â€Å"a field of study in which the principles of psychology are applied in a sports setting. †(SDSU, web para. 1) How did we arrive at this definition? The history of sport psychology can be divided into five periods dating as early as 1895 to the present.The first period is from 1895-1920. Norman Triplett, a psychology professor at Indiana University, was the first researcher to confirm that bicyclists sometimes rode faster when they raced in groups or pairs than when they rode alone. Following Triplett’s work in 1899 is E. W. Scripture of Yale. Scripture believed that a certain set of personality traits could be fostered through participation in sports. In 1903 , G. T. W Patrick wrote an article for the â€Å"American Journal of Psychology† that stated attending sporting events allowed fans to release pent-up emotions.We wrap up the early era with Coleman Griffith. Griffith began informal research of basketball and football players in 1918. His research led to the second period of sport psychology named in his honor, the Griffith era. The Griffith era of sport psychology begins in 1921 and runs into 1938. Coleman Griffith is considered the grandfather of North American Sport Psychology due to his contributions during this period. Between 1921 and 1931, Griffith published over twenty five research articles relating to sport psychology.Griffith was also appointed as the director of research in athletics at the University of Illinois in 1925. The focus of the department was psychomotor skills, learning, and personality. The largest accomplishments of Griffith come in 1926 and 1928 when he wrote Psychology of Coaching and Psychology of Athletics respectively. We close the Griffith era when Phillip Wrigley hires him as sport psychologist for the Chicago Cubs in 1938. The third and fourth periods of sport psychology are by far the slowest developing time for the new science.This portion begins in 1938 when Franklin Henry of the University of California, Berkeley established the psychology of physical activity graduate program. The forties and fifties were rather stagnant but we arrive in Rome, Italy for the first World Congress of Sport Psychology in 1965. Following the World Congress gathering is the first annual North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA) conference in 1967. NASPSPA closed the door on the fourth period in 1974 when they published the proceedings of their conference for the first time.Our current period in sport psychology is considered the contemporary period. The first event of the contemporary period was the establishment of the â€Å"Journal of Sport Psyc hology†, which is now known as â€Å"Sport and Exercise Psychology†. One of the most monumental steps was during the 1984 Olympic Games when American television emphasized the role that sport psychology played in premier athletic training. The US Olympic Team hired its first full-time sport psychologist in 1985. The trend continued in 1986 as The Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP) is established.The AAASP began to publish their official journal in 1989. Finally, the AAASP began to award the â€Å"certified consultant† designation in 1991. Now that we know what sport psychology is and where it began, we can attempt to determine the objectives of sport psychology. The first basic objective in sport psychology is to learn how psychological factors shape a person’s physical performance. The second objective is to comprehend how participation in athletics affects a person’s psychological health, development, and well-bein g. With those two objectives in mind, how do we actually apply them?First off, there are a number of reasons for sport psychology, and for every reason, there is a distinct group of people who are using sport psychology to their advantage. With that said, let’s move on to those reasons. The first reason for sport psychology is probably the most obvious, the pursuit of excellence by athletes. Simply put, sport psychology plays a vital role in how athletes train. Next is the enormous salaries paid in professional sports today. A 24 year old college graduate being drafted by a professional sports team is suddenly a very wealthy person overnight.Most people need assistance in transitioning to that kind of lifestyle. Our third reason is the undisputable fact that the recognition gained by athletic competition is huge. Most children cannot tell you that the current Vice President of the United Sates is Dick Cheney but could tell you who Alex Rodriguez or Ron James are, who they pla y for, and what position they play. The final reason for sports psychology is what is known as the fitness movement. The phenomena can be dated back to the fifties where fitness was beginning to be sold as a way of life.It is safe to say that fitness is a way of life. The television can confirm this as it is filled with ads that include sports drinks and home exercise equipment. What groups is sport psychology for? We can start with our children when we let them play tee ball and pee wee football and work all the way through senior citizens taking aerobics classes at the nearest community center. We can also include our novice intramural softball leagues on the weekends all the way to our elite professionals and Olympians competing on the world stage.Applying sport psychology techniques to most of the different groups in sports is very basic. The most popular group for sport psychologists are coaches, teachers, fitness trainers, and elite athletes. Coaches, teachers, and fitness tra iners receive basic reinforcement and motivation training to help them get their teams to perform. Our elite athletes however have a full scope of services offered to them. Most professionally owned sports teams have a team of three to four sport psychologists assisting the organization. It can be considered a type of insurance policy on their investment.Let’s discuss how this â€Å"insurance policy† work for the pros. Sports psychologists handle many issues depending on the sub area of sport psychology in which they certified. The two basic areas are clinical sport psychology and educational sport psychology. The less traveled path of these is the clinical approach. These specialists are licensed psychologists and primarily deal with severe emotional disorders. Examples of these are athletes with eating disorders and substance abuse. The most common area of sport psychology is the educational side.Educational sport psychologists have been trained with a sport science background. This type of psychology is considered the mental coach approach. The goal of these psychologists is to assist coaches and athletes with shortcomings in their confidence level, dealing with performance anxiety, and improving concentration skills. Educational sport psychologists are typically employed by professional sports teams. These psychologists are not certified in clinical psychology and usually refer athletes with more sever disorders to a clinical psychologist.With sports and exercise such a big part of today’s society, there comes a need for a field dedicated to the psychological aspects of sports and exercise. Sport psychology has grown from an accidental study of cyclists to a science that can identify what athlete performs better and why. This paper has defined what sport psychology is and where it started. I have also covered the objectives of sport psychology and how they are applied. Finally, I covered what sport psychologists do. The next time you s it down to watch a professional sports contest you can ask yourself if this athlete is mentally prepared to perform today.WORKS SITED American Board of Sport Psychology. http://www. americanboardofsportpsychology. org/ Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology. http://www. aaasponline. org/ Martin, Scott. http://www. coe. unt. edu/martin/KINE5121/5121intr. htm University of North Texas. 2004 SDSU sport psychology http://www-rohan. sdsu. edu/~psyched/index. html Street and Smith. â€Å"For a handful of sport psychologists serving teams, a mind is a terrible thing to overlook†. Street and Smith’s Sports Business Journal. http://www. mwiop. com/perf_consult/articles/sport_a. html December 1999.

Perceptions of health risk and smoking habit in young people

Young people are also more likely to start mocking If their friends or family are smokers. The present study Is a quantitative research with young adult smokers (at the xx Learning Centre) based on focus group discussions where a range of smoking-related topics were covered. 2. Sample The sample in this study included 6 males and 4 females, aged between 13 and 17 years, 7 smokers and 2 non-smokers. Of this group of adolescents only 2 parents are non-smokers.My aim was to maximize variation in our sample to include young men and women, smokers and non-smokers, and different age categories. My discourse analytic perspective here concentrates on talk between speakers and allows me to highlight how meanings around smoking and health are worked up. Debated and disputed in the group. Informed consent was obtained from each participant prior to the Focus group interview (Appendix A and B). The focus group took place in the â€Å"Unanimous† Learning Centre.For anonymity reasons the na me of the participants have been changed. 3. Procedure In this study we used two focus groups of five participants each. Focus groups mimic ‘natural' peer groups, so that the data will likely be authentic, rich and Informative. Focus groups have long been used In social science research, Including psychology (Crossly, 2000; Wilkinson, 2003), and can be particularly useful in identifying both diverse individual accounts and prevailing social factors which influence and constrain actions.In the context of young people and smoking, focus group research allows us to gain access to the multiplicity of perspectives presented and will also illuminate how accounts are constructed and negotiated within peer groups. Participants were given a number of prompts about their views on smoking, such as Please tell me why you believe you started smoking' and ‘Please tell me what role you believe smoking/not smoking plays in your life'. Participants were encouraged to discuss these views among themselves, with minimal input from the facilitator.The discussion, which lasted around forty minute for each group, was recorded and then transcribed verbatim. 4. Analysis Health was generally not cited as a major concern for our young people, and was not participants seemed much more concerned with the financial burden engendered by smoking. When the topic of health risks was brought up, there was a general tendency o downplay or discount these. Moreover, it was claimed that smoking could function effectively as a form of stress relief, even when the stress is engendered by exposure to smoking-related health scares, either in the media or within families.The two discursive patterns are formulated as follows: ‘ Everything is bad for you now: Contesting smoking-related health risks ‘It does make you feel better': Smoking as stress-relief 4. 1 . ‘Everything is bad for you now: Contesting smoking-related health risks Contesting smoking-related health risks ario so strategies were deployed which endured the health risks linked to smoking as exaggerated, a ploy which clearly works to rationalist and uphold current smoking – a way of misusing the self from the specter of illness and mortality.For example, other mundane practices are cited which involve risk, and life itself is presented as saturated with risk: Nicola – Mimi like to think yourself that you're not going to get cancer, I mean, they're saying that cancer is caused by all these different things 0 1 mean who's to say that smoking is definitely the worst one? † In this excerpt there is some recognition of risk but then other organogenesis are alluded to and the dedicated link between smoking and cancer is undermined (Whoso to say? ).Thus, smoking is construed as nothing special, Just one of any number of possible causes of cancer (so many things'), and therefore not worthy of disproportionate attention. E. Generalizes the notion of risk – ‘everything is bad for you now – so that living per SE becomes inured with risk, something that affects ‘everyone'. Note the extreme case formulations which litter this extract: ‘ all these different things'; ‘So, smoking is part of life and is practiced with care. Facilitator: So, are health concerns an issue? Simon: Well, yeah.Not really, I suppose, because sometimes you feel like crap because your lungs are hurting, because you've been caning it all weekend, but you think, well you might give up smoking, give up drinking, give up anything – and then get knocked down by a bus, but 0 if you're going to stop everything that you enjoy, well what's the point of living forever? You know what I mean? Aaron: But don't you, sometimes you Just think Well, what's the point of it? You're Just breathing in horrible smoke into your body Simon: It's like what's the point of drinking? It's fun!The health risks of smoking are conceded, with reference to current, minor symptom s. However, smoking is likened to other pleasurable activities (e. G. ‘drinking') and anything/'everything you enjoy so that living is defined in terms of enjoyment over risk, the emphasis is on fun' and not denying oneself gratification – even if it means a shorter life-span or inhaling ‘horrible smoke'. Bob: A guy, a guy I went to school with was cross country champion for our county, and he used to smoke like twenty a day [laughs] He used to smoke loads of weed and that, and he used to run for ages [laughs] (.You see someone like that, it's Just like, whoa! So, citing cases, where smoking has not impeded sporting performance, undermines claims about the deleterious health consequences of smoking and helps Justify continued smoking. The case of the cross-country champion cited by Bob is also interesting because impressive, and further contesting the connection between smoking and not being healthy. Lucas I knew somebody who used to smoke ten a day when they were about eighty-odd and have a glass of brandy every day 0 and when they got put in a nursing home they took it all off her and within weeks she were dead.Tara: It's like alcoholics, isn't it? If alcoholics stopped drinking they do seem to die. In this extract, the dangers of stopping smoking are emphasizes, thereby inverting the ‘normalizing about taking up or continuing smoking. Facilitator: What are the health worries you might have about smoking? Bob: Cancer David: None, ‘coos I know a guy that lived until he was 23 and Just dropped dead. He didn't smoke and didn't drink. You know, the way I see it, you only live once – you might as well do it, haven't you.Here Bobby's immediate response concerning health fears is not taken up as the others proceed to reject this pre-occupation. David immediately invokes the case of a non-smoker who died suddenly as a means of challenging the link between smoking and ill-health. The randomness of life then becomes a key theme, w hich again works to rationalist current smoking. As one participant put it: ‘it Just shows that you're having a good time, you know, drinking and having a cigarette, and it Just kind of ties in together' (Kate).Here, smoking (and drinking) is inextricably tied to enjoyment, an automatic indicator of ‘good times'. 4. 2. ‘It does make you feel better': Smoking as stress-relief A very predominant theme cross all discussions was the benefits of smoking in terms of stress relief, arising from various sources: Tara: It does make you feel better when you've been sat there and you've Just been in class, and you Just think ‘Oh, I'm going to go for a bag, and you go down and you have it, it does give you some kind of buzz, because it does definitely chill you out a bit, doesn't it.Rachel: It gives me a couple of minutes and just chills me out, like if something that had upset me, like my family, Vie been thrown out of my house and that's the reason why I started smokin g a lot more because of more stress and stuff. I do think that having a cigarette makes me relax a bit. Tara: At the moment I don't want to [stop smoking] because I do see smoking as helping me chill out a bit – I mean, if I didn't I'd be a tiger! Rachel: Vie actually been told by my doctor not to stop smoking – he says its got anger management, it calms me down.Both participants point to the grim consequences of not smoking I. E. Uncontaminated irritability. Earache's claim is warranted with reference to an authoritative source (a medic), which is culturally garnished with expertise. Rachel: Yes, that's the reason I first started smoking again, because I'd stopped smoking for so Eng and my dad gave up smoking, and my dad's been smoking since he was twelve, and he stopped for six month and then he had a heart attack.You would expect that to make me think ‘Right, need to stop smoking, or whatever, but straight away I went ‘Mum, give us a bag, because I hones tly didn't know what to do and I needed something to concentrate on – it gives you something to think about other than what's going on around you. In summary, smoking is popularly constructed as a positive resource in times of stress, whether provoked by , arguments with friends and family, school, and paradoxically , exposure to smoking-related disease within families. 5.Conclusions smokers since, from the focus groups shows that smoking is understood as a rational choice (rather than, say, addiction) conferring benefits (stress relief, enjoyment). This finding is in line with other research on ‘alternative rationalities' (Crossly, 2000) with adult smokers. However we should take in consideration that the qualitative research literature on smoking deploys a range of methods while in this study we analyze the young people smoking practices within a social (focus group) context.Smoking is explicitly linked to pleasure and relaxation (often tied to drinking contexts †“ see also Johnson et al. , 2000). Our participants also link other lifestyle practices to risk and they see life itself as a risk where preoccupation with smoking-related or any other problems is deemed excessive and paralyzing. To some extent, it is fair to say that our sample construed risky smoking as necessary to cope with their family/friends/ environment pressure. Overall our analysis points to the various ways in which the young smokers skillfully deflect the concerns of a health-conscious culture.It gaslights how, in a period of increasing pressure on smokers to quit, the young people in our focus group have created a series of complex and creative accounts to defend and preserve what is clearly perceived as an important social practice. Surely our young smokers are expressing ‘unrealistic optimism' (Weinstein, 1984), that is ‘inaccurate' perceptions of risk and susceptibility in relation to smoking and illness. For example some participants claimed that major health problems have not yet appeared (e. G. Current health is emphasizes) and that illness can be avoided by individual action (I. E. Tinting smoking in the near future). By contrast, psychosocial research, which conceptualizes smokers' talk, helps us to appreciate how smoking is rationalized within relevant social groups (in this case young adults in educational settings), as well as highlighting the creativity and sophistication of lay accounts. In turn, attention to the grounded discourse of smokers may well help inform more effective health promotion interventions (Crossly, 2000). To build on the current analysis, future work could include ‘street' interviews with young smokers in the public places where smoking is popularly practiced (e. Designated smoking areas at university, in pubs). This ‘live' context might prove especially illuminating in terms of the discourses reproduced with respect to how smoking is defended while people are engaged in the act of smoking . As well, it would be informative to examine patterns of naturally occurring conversation between young adult smokers where they gather. Such research would complement our focus group study by determining when and how health is introduced as a concern by younger people themselves and examining how such concerns are negotiated.

International Standards and Information Systems Quality Management Essay

International Standards and Information Systems Quality Management - Essay Example Quality Management System is defined as a â€Å"set of coordinated activities to direct and control an organization in order to continually improve effectiveness and efficiency of its performance.† These activities are well integrated and synchronized that the understanding of one would not lead to understanding of the entire system as a whole (Gitlow, 2001). The basic purpose is not to detect the defective products after production rather than focusing in producing quality products free of any defects. Implementation of an effective quality management system would benefit an organization whether in manufacturing, service industry or public sector. These companies generally employ some information system to communicate within the organization and to supplier and customers external to the organization. The underlying concept is customer, supplier and the organization working together for their mutual interest. To implement said concept, efforts are required to integrate and str engthen interfaces not only between immediate customers and suppliers but also beyond that are linked to any organization. An efficient and effective quality management system would help in building customer’s confidence on organization’s ability to produce quality products and services, and deliver desired objectives while meeting their wants, needs and expectations. In similar way, quality management system enables an organization to achieve its objectives defined in its policy and strategy with minimum and effective utilization of resources at an optimum cost. Quality management system interfaces all activities of the organization in a coordinated manner starting from identification of customer requirements to meeting customer’s satisfaction at every step of the process. It can be compared to a wedge that ensures consistency of gains along the quality journey by preventing good practices from sliding back as shown below (Business Balls, 2008). An effective qu ality management system would improve process control, reduce waste, decrease costs, increase market share and help to meet customer’s expectations. Quality and Evaluation of Information Systems Evaluation of information systems is a crucial subject for the researchers and practitioners aiming for improvements in the processes of designing and developing the information systems (Checkland & Holwell, 1998). The evaluation of an information system

The fame of michael jackson in middle east Essay

The fame of michael jackson in middle east - Essay Example Michael Jackson achieved his popularity in the Middle East from several of his strengths and preferences despite him being a very troubled man. It is paramount that the success story was not achieved easily but was one that was realized through resilience and hard work. The pop star overcame the racial discrimination age and was able to secure white audience along with his black supporters. Michael Jackson’s iconicity evolved around a combination of multiculturalism, religious orientation, and commitment to philanthropy, American individualism, and consumer capitalism as well as his regular world tours. Philanthropic ambitions by Michael Jackson at the height of his widespread music career saw him undertake a new interest in other cultures and religions, particularly the Muslim culture and the Arabian culture. At one time, Michael admitted to a preference for the Islam religion as he felt that the Islam religion resonated more with his values and believed. He even donated money to build a mosque in the Bahraini capital where he used to own a house. He also had several friends in Bahrain including the son of the former dictator Muammar Gaddafi. It was evident that most of the Bahraini people loved Michael because when he passed away, most people commented that they had lost a fellow Bahraini. The â€Å"Bad† world tour lasted over 16 months and involved con certs performed by Michael in 15 countries. In the concerts, Michael campaigned against racialism, social injustices, poverty, and environmental degradation. He achieved the sensitization against all these vices through his lyrics and imagery in his music such as ‘we are the world’ and ‘they don’t’ care about us’. Michael Jackson’s fans in the Middle East began to see Michael as a global symbol and not merely as an American. His music became the first popular music to be allowed in most Middle and Far East countries such as China in the 1980s when these countries were opening up. Most

Was Jesus an apocalyptic teacher Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Was Jesus an apocalyptic teacher - Essay Example Many believed Jesus was a teacher, a hero, a king, a God, who was the fulfillment of Gods promise of showing goodness first to his people-the Jews, then to the rest of the "gentile" world. As a teacher of good virtues, to the Christians, Jesus was the best. However, scholars and critics marked the contents of his messages as apocalyptic in nature and even classified him among the Jewish fundamentalists of his time who desperately portrayed the promised messiah to redeem his nation from hopelessness. Despite this we believe that his teaching, although contained some apocalyptic messages, is more deep-seated and applies to the very nature of man that when really accepted and lived into, would provide greater understanding and harmony among all the people. Most of his messages are not time-bound and can even be applied universally, for the self and for the others. Some hinted that if Jesus was not really the promised son of God, then his story is the greatest hoax ever that corrupted the earth. Amidst all criticisms we have known that the teachings he brought are priceless and have stood through the test of times. We have heard a lot about Jesus and the controversies surrounding his existence. We have no point discussing further on the controversy and we accept the fact that Jesus truly existed and brought good news in his time that created a stir globally. The question that lies ahead is putting up the teachings of Jesus on the real context and purpose. Evidences have shown that the only living sources of his teachings are the gospels, which was originally passed verbally, written, and rewritten, until finally it came out to a form so varied from the original context. The New Testament Books that we have are just few of the literatures produced almost a century after the real Jesus died. As the teachings are passed across different personalities, cultures, and communities, some thoughts are added and some are omitted. The revisions on the composition had only stopped when the final compilation came out. But the value of the message lies not on the way it is formulated. As Norman Perrin, Associate Professor of New Testament at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago stated in his Reconstruction and Interpretation of the Teachings of Jesus, it is not the accuracy of historical account that is being emphasized in the writings but the applicability of the teachings to the lives of Jesus' followers. Although many have changed in the messages and teachings, the essence is preserved and the usefulness of the teaching is still acceptable. A scholarly evaluation on the writing and rewriting of the original teachings can be discussed in technical or theological terms but what is important to an ordinary Christian believer is the impact the messages has caused their lives whatever are the motives, perspectives, orientation, and purpose of the writers. The changes may have caused vagueness or over-simplicity but the application is clear that they lived and caused to change lives until the present time. The Teachings The Apocalyptic teaching of Jesus Apocalyptic themes are very prevalent among the teachings of the early Jewish teachers and prophets and even the times of Jesus. This may have influenced him since "many of his convictions and

Managing in Multinational Companies Research Paper

Managing in Multinational Companies - Research Paper Example Culture refers to a set of gained knowledge that some individuals may employ to make meaning of experiences towards generating a unique set of behavior. Different business establishments engage diverse cultures in their setups. These cultures are necessary for guiding the entire organization towards a common objective, by promoting a uniform way of thinking and acting. In other words, an organization prevents the subjectivity of decisions and behaviors in an organization, which promotes uniformity and team working spirit. On the other hand, countries will have different cultures that organizations have to respect, which are inherent in the views and values of such a country. A multinational company setting its operations in the US will need to observe a relatively diverse organizational culture compared to one setting operations in Mexico. An organization has to respect and observe a country’s culture while designing its organizational culture. This report investigates the dif fering views and beliefs surrounding overtimes and how the issue differs across the two countries. In this investigation, the report will illustrate that national cultures have a role to play in shaping organizational cultures.  A common aspect in both countries is that a company will consider other types of employment other than permanent employment to save on labor costs, to achieve flexibility and to benefit from workers for a short period (JILPT, 2009). Such an approach is common in short-term specialized jobs. In addition, there is a major variation in hourly pay rates between permanent and part-time workers in Japan compared to Germany (Smith 2000). Part-time employees have fewer benefits in bonuses offered compared to their full-time colleagues in Japan than in Germany where bonuses are not of much importance. Germany has more part-time employees than in Japan due to the working time variation. There are two reasons to explain the prevalence of part-time working in Germany than in Japan. One, such part-time workers are found in the tertiary sector, which bore the brunt of economic crises than the manufacturing sector, which has motivated employers to source more part-time workers (Smith, 2000). Part-time working in both countries has mainly improved because of structural changes in the economy towards a service economy. In Japan, non-regular employees get much fewer salaries with the difference increasing when the bonuses and one-off payments are considered in permanent employment (Ishiguro 2008). In Germany, on the other hand, part-time employees and regular employees have fewer differences in their wages; a part-time worker earns almost like a regular worker (Smith, 2000), with part-time workers taking advantage of overtime payments to bridge this salary gap. These are some of the factors differentiating working patterns between the two countries.

IT and the Next Generation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

IT and the Next Generation - Research Paper Example The Japanese samurai used to regard the katana as a fundamental symbol of their heritage, but you just know damn well that they would have envied all these mechanised weapons like machine guns, tanks and bombers (not to mention nuclear warheads – no offence, by the way, to any Japanese people who may be reading this!) that are so well recognised today. Information technology is no exception. And no-one would disagree that technology has its place in â€Å"lighter† interests as well as â€Å"get things done† ones, such as personal entertainment. We were in awe of the television long before iPod products became released on the market. We actually live in an age where some people would feel embarrassed about being seen with a CD player in public – I state this point to back up the claim that IT has unequivocally altered education programmes to a certain extent, in a bid to keep our children â€Å"up-to-date.† However, the advent of the whole IT thing i t’s by no means nothing but sweetness and light when you think more deeply about it†¦ read on and you’ll see why. ... Besides that several thoughts came from all which made the decision making process much easier as well as effective. New ideas and observations which came from various individuals were quite helpful while we did this study. Some of the possible derivations and observations from our study that we concluded have been summarized below. Main report IT and the next generation Although I’m not a bona fide expert in IT or computer-aided education or anything like that, I do have my convictions in this area that I regard as important to share. Indeed, I would hope that I’ve convinced in the last sentence of the previous section that IT doesn’t just have its significance as a classroom subject. It has considerable societal relevance. I look at children today and I definitely don’t need reminding that youth tend to regard the IT-related products that they possess as status symbols. It is especially obvious with mobile phones and, to a lesser extent, computer games ( Pokemon, at least, certainly took the world by storm). Even the well-known American cartoon series South Park has entire episodes that are parodies devoted to satire aimed at Facebook and computer games consoles, among other things. Of course, children are curious, so you shouldn’t be too surprised if your child relishes the prospect of learning about modern technology (even more so if they are made to believe that it is â€Å"important† i.e. how else would they keep up-to-date in society?). So maybe a good place to start would be to look back at the IT-related education I received as a child. Interestingly enough, my younger brother was writing programmes on a Commodore 64 before we reached puberty†¦ but I can vaguely

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 15

English - Essay Example Thus he learns that money cannot buy happiness even if it might give all outward appearances of doing so. Having finally discovered the location of his old friends, Candide emancipates them all from their Turkish slave owners only to find that even luxurious togetherness is not sufficient to keep everyone happy. Although they have a beautiful country home, they find themselves only fighting amongst themselves and making each other very unhappy. In the end, the story indicates that despite any optimism felt by the characters, or the attainment of their hopes and dreams, happiness or contentment does not follow. Voltaire’s book illustrates the evils he felt were most prevalent in his society. Produced during the Enlightenment era, the novella illustrates many of the prevailing themes of the times, which often revolved around questions of human values and â€Å"inherited intellectual authority.† â€Å"By the time the Enlightenment reached its maturity †¦ there was a rough consensus among its leading thinkers in regard to certain key themes: rejection of orthodox, scriptural Christianity †¦; conviction of the superiority of modern over ancient thought †¦; extension of this natural-scientific model to a host of new social sciences †¦; and a proto-liberal political program, aimed at protecting what were now seen as the equal natural rights of individuals† (Wright 15). While Candide presents itself as a satire against optimism, it has been argued that this satire is instead a more in-depth look at how that optimism, so often associated with the Enlightenm ent, could be realized – by concentration on freeing oneself from an unhappy past, as the characters do when they wholeheartedly devote themselves to the cultivation of their garden rather than allowing themselves to wallow in their misery or luxury. Thus, when Candide says at the end

Argumentative Essay Essay Example for Free

Argumentative Essay Essay In America there are so many people who live without healthcare. President Obama has tried hard to change that known fact by introducing and passing his new Obama Care Act. It is very important for people to have proper healthcare coverage, medical care, affordable medications, and for all healthcare services to be available to everyone, whether they are poor, middle class or rich. For most Americans, high quality care generally is readily accessible without long waits but at high cost. However, the uninsured and, increasingly, the underinsured, the poor, and members of underserved minorities often have poor access to health care and poor health outcomes. The health workforce is well trained, yet the United States faces a severe shortage of primary care physicians. Approximately 45% of the U.S. population has a chronic medical condition, and about 60 million people, half of these, have multiple chronic conditions; the CDC estimated these numbers during a recent survey. 2 Most Americans 250 million (84.2%) have some form of health insurance coverage. But an estimated 47 million Americans (15.8%) were uninsured for a year, as reported for 2006 by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. A survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 43.6 million people (14.8%) of all ages were uninsured at the time of the National Health Expenditure Survey interview in 2006. However, as many as 89.5 million people under the age of 65 years lacked health insurance for a least 1 month or more during 2006-2007, according to a study by Lewin and associates published by Families USA. In addition, another 16 million people can be  considered underinsured. People without health insurance are much less likely than those with insurance to receive recommended preventive services and medications, are less likely to have access to regular care by a personal physician, and are less able to obtain needed health care services. Consequently, the uninsured are more likely to succumb to preventable illnesses, more likely to suffer complications from those illnesses, and more likely to die prematurely. The U.S. health care system has much potential for improvement. Disparities related to race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status has pervaded the U.S. health care system. In addition to the large numbers of Americans who lack adequate health insurance, the cost, quality, and utilization of health care services vary widely. Meanwhile, the need for long term care services and care coordination is increasing. Preventive care, cross discipline coordination, and proactive management of long term care might reduce the cost of care, but these services often are uncovered or poorly reimbursed. 3 Spending on health care in the United States has been rising at a faster pace than spending in the rest of the economy since the 1960’s. According to the Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services- National Health Statistics Group states that in 2005, national health care spending amounted to approximately $2.0 trillion, or $6697 per person and 16% of the gross domestic product. By 2015, health care spending is expected to reach $4.0 trillion. People with large medical care cost are often chronically ill, disabled, or poor. Our society’s inability to provide continuous, coherent patient centered care for this group of individuals is one cause of the high aggregate cost of health care and contributes to the cost of public insurance programs. Patients who enter Medicare without previous insurance but with chronic illness will be sicker and more disabled and therefore more costly to that government program. Health insurance premiums increased drastically since the year 2005. Many have been unable to even afford health coverage. Employer based health insurance has been the basis for paying for health services since 1940, but  it is fast eroding under the pressure of relentlessly rising costs of care. Despite the growing need for coordination of health care services, government and private insures pay for health care services primarily on a episodic, visit related basis with few, if any, incentives for providing comprehensive, coordinated, and continuous care for the prevention and management of chronic illness. Primary care physicians now spend about 20% of their time in unreimbursed coordination of care tasks using the telephone or e-mail. Despite repeated attempts to rein in federal expenditures for Medicare and Medicaid, federal have continued to increase much faster than inflation in the entire economy. 4 The Medicaid program provides medical benefits to over 52 million people who meet categorical eligibility standards. The federal government and the state share responsibility for funding Medicaid. The success of the VA system in dramatically restructuring itself indicates that major gains can be achieved in the United States in improving health care access and quality while reducing costs. One response to rising health care costs has been the adoption of consumer directed health plans in which the individual takes greater responsibility for paying for care out of pocket rather than the employer or government. Unfortunately, for those with modest incomes, cost sharing has reduced medically necessary care, such as taking medicines for hypertension. The United States is in such a crisis when it comes to the health care system, yet is very important to see that every one of its citizens is afforded health coverage. People are sickly in this nation, like it is in other countries. The United States is in the midst of a primary health care workforce crisis that is expected to worsen in the next decade. The population is aging, and baby boomers are at a high, and a large amount of people will soon be over 65 years and at greater risk for needing care for chronic conditions. The United States should continue to work on having national policies introduced to the health care system to help guide training, supply, and the distribution of health care providers to better assist those in need of health coverage. It is very important to make this a reality, because we the  people of the United States need to be able to receive medical care, and health coverage, no matter if we are rich or poor in this society.

Benefits of Sports Essay Example for Free

Benefits of Sports Essay Sports serve as an excellent physical exercise. Those who play sports have a more positive body image than those who do not. Sports often involve physical activities like running, jumping, stretching and moving about which turn out to be a good body workout. Playing sports is energy put to good use. Engaging in sports since an early age strengthens your bones and muscles and tones your body. It helps you increase your stamina and endurance. Sports that involve jumping and stretching help increase height; for example basketball. Games that involve running, kicking or throwing a ball help strengthen the arms and legs; for example soccer and cricket. Swimming provides a full body workout. Thus sports provide the body with complete exercise and engaging in sports directly translates into overall fitness. Research shows that sports improve Math skills in children. Sports that involve aiming and hitting skills, for example, tennis, badminton, baseball and cricket help them increase focus. They help develop leadership qualities and foster team spirit in kids. They involve competition; they involve winning and losing. This exposes children to both aspects of life, successes and failures. Sports build a competitive spirit in children and teach them to be participative irrespective of whether the result is victory or defeat. Playing sports teaches them to accept both successes and failures with a positive spirit. Sports teach you to think with a cool head. The most important benefit of sports is the sportsman spirit they inculcate. Sports help you become more sporting, more positive and stronger. Playing sports is very beneficial for the development of social skills. Sports teach you to interact with people, communicate with them and collaborate as a team. Sports foster collective thinking and harness your planning and delegation skills too. Sports build confidence. Winning a game gives you a sense of accomplishment, which boosts your confidence further. Playing sports involves directed thinking. It requires you to strategize. You need to devise ways to score goals, runs or earn points, as the case may be. You need to devise strategies to win, you need to decide whether to take an offensive stand or a defensive one. You need to judge your opponents strategy and modify yours accordingly. This definitely involves clever thinking, which sports encourage. Studies show that kids who play sports regularly fare well in academics and do well in school. Sports make you happy. I know anyone would agree with this. Jumping about, running around, racing to get ahead, hitting, throwing, bouncing, kicking (the ball, I mean! ), shouting, clapping, cheering, falling and standing up again all a part of playing sports. And there is no match to the happiness this brings. They give you the high by increasing the production of endorphins in the brain. In other words, sports are a form of exercise which generates happiness molecules in your body, thus restoring your mental health. Playing sports, you cant be sad. In fact, they bust the sorrow and the stress. Sports generate a positive energy in you, around you. When sports are played at the state or national level, they increase the players sense of belonging to their community or country. International sports events foster patriotism and a feeling of oneness among the team members of a country. Playing sports at these levels opens many employment avenues for not only sportsmen and women but also people who join tournaments as volunteers, cheerleaders or in the capacity of sports doctors and physical therapists. As developments are undertaken in cities hosting sports events, sports can lead to urbanization of rural areas. Many cities have started becoming hubs for sports tourism. Sports parks are being developed in many tourist destinations. It is the increasing inclination for playing sports which is responsible for such developments. Playing sports reduces several health risks. As sports serve as an excellent form of exercise, it wont come as a surprise that they offer health benefits like lowering blood pressure, maintaining blood sugar and cholesterol levels and reducing other health risks. Yes, if you are playing a sport regularly, you are at a lesser risk of developing diabetes or heart diseases. Playing sports reduces the risk of hypertension and several other stress-related disorders. Research shows that people who play sports regularly can deal with stresses and strains in a better way. Those who engage in sports activities are less prone to depression, anxiety and other psychological disorders. Physical Health Benefits The fact is quite evident that playing any sport makes a person energetic. Team sports, at times, benefit more than solo ones because a person is always happy to play them with ten other people having a similar way of thinking. A team sport keeps health problems at bay. They provide you with the necessary exercise and endurance to maintain a healthy body. It keeps your body in shape and saves you from problems such as obesity, high blood pressure, heart diseases and weak bones. Women should specially take active part in team sports as it keeps their monthly cycles regulated and prevents them from all the gynecological problems. Research reveals that 60% of the women who play team sports are prevented from breast cancer. On the other hand, kids in a growing age get used to torn knees and injuries and thus do not become susceptible to it. It helps them develop strong muscles and a good physique. People who are above the age of 55 years should also actively participate in team sports. It keeps them fit when it is most needed. Social Benefits As Aristotle says, Man is a social animal, it is clear that a person needs a company of other people one day or the other. He cannot survive alone. Team sports help the man to become socially interactive. The more he communicates, the more he comprehends. The basic quality of understanding each other develops when a person begins to talk and listen. Team sports help to construct better friendships. Often, it is observed that a team which plays together, stays together! The team spends a lot of time discussing new ideas, opinions and methods with each other. This makes them bond well and add to the team spirit. Moral and Emotional Benefits Every individual has an ego that is hidden inside him and which pops up as a devil most of the time! One of the best things about playing a team sport is that it kills the ego and converts it into self respect. It is said that, while talking is very important, listening is even more important when you belong to a group. Team sports help develop the quality of listening to each other. We must agree to the fact that speech is silver but silence is golden! On the other hand, team sports build a good self-esteem in individuals. It helps you overcome your fears and mental blockages. It gives you the freedom to experiment and express. It is proven that children who play team sports are healthier and happier. They overcome their complexes with the help of the sport they play. Apart from this, leadership, support and acceptance are three such disciplines everyone needs to imbibe. Team sports make you a good leader. They teach you that a leader is not the boss but a considerate person who takes into account each persons say. They also teach you to accept failures and victory in the same spirit. Children, in the growing age, tend to believe that participation is far more important than victory. The knowledge that you gain, the values that you learn from your mistakes make you a better citizen and a humble individual. They keep you grounded. Read more at Buzzle: http://www. buzzle. com/articles/benefits-of-team-sports. html Sports boost self-esteem. Watching your hard work pay off and achieving your dreams brings about tons of self-confidence. If you can achieve something in a sport or with a fitness goal, then you know you can achieve any other goal you set. This is a very rewarding and exiting process. Playing a sport cuts down on pressure and stress. Exercising is a natural way to loosen up and let go of stress. Also, you will most likely make many new friends on the team who can be there for you as a support system. When you find you are having a lot of stress, you can call up team mates and head to the gym to talk it out and play it out.

Highlighting mitchells and butlers strategic

Highlighting mitchells and butlers strategic Executive Summary This report is aimed at highlighting Mitchells and Butlers strategic choices through the analysis of its internal and external environment. A number of measurement tools were used in order to express this. The report firstly looks into the external environment in which the organisation is involved with. The external analysis was split into two different sections: The macro environment and the microenvironment. A PESTLE analysis was used for the macro environment as this captures all the factors that affect Mitchells and Butlers, of which none of them they can control. To analyse the microenvironment Porters five forces model was used as this highlights all the factors that can have a direct effect on an organisation. Following the Internal Analysis the report then looks at the internal logistics of the business. Looking internally into Mitchells and Butler identified many aspects of the business such as its resources and capabilities, competitive advantage, core competencies and the stage the company is at with regards to the life cycle. All these differing aspects will then help to identify the strategic choices available to Mitchells and Butler. The report then looks at the financial side of the organisation using three financial statements: Cash Flow, Balance Sheet and 5 year income statement. These are analysed to review sales trends and profit trends. A SWOT Analysis has been drawn out which helped in the completion of the TOWS matrix. The TOWS matrix combined with the SFA model identify areas where Mitchells and Butler can grow. To conclude the report, all the data was collected and analysed to suggest short, medium and long term plans for Mitchells and Butler. Introduction. This report is the second part of a two part report which will analyse both the internal and external factors that influence the Mitchells and Butlers organisation. A strategic analysis of the company has already been carried, which can be seen in Appendix 1. It involved carrying out analysis on the vision, mission, values and objectives of M+B. This report will focus on the strategies that Mitchells and Butler implement in order to grow. The report will firstly look at the Micro and Macro external environment using tools such as PESTLE, SWOT, Porters five forces model and competitor gap analysis which will combine to give a competitor analysis. Once the external analysis is complete the report will then focus its attention on the internal analysis. This will involve analysing Mitchells and Butlers core competencies by conducting a portfolio analysis. Based upon these analysis the report will then finish with recommendations of the future strategic choice and direction of the company followed by a short, medium and long term plan for Mitchells and Butlers. The business report will use David F (1988) comprehensive strategic management model as a guideline in order to cover all aspects of the strategic report. As mentioned above Vision and mission statements have already been analysed, th erefore this report will start on performing both internal and external audits. 1. External Analysis â€Å"A companys marketing environment consists of the actors and forces outside marketing that affect marketing managements ability to develop and maintain successful relationships with its target customers. Successful companies know the vital importance of constantly watching and adapting to the companies environment†. (Kotler, P et al. 2008) 1.1 Macro Environment Carrying out external analysis allows firms to adapt quickly to the changing environment. The macro environment is the â€Å"complete social context in which the organisation resides†. Carrol, A + Buchholtz, A (2008) Kotler, P et al. (2008) also includes that it is the larger societal forces that affect the whole microenvironment. He states that there are six major forces in a companys macro environment: Political Economic Social Technological Legal Environmental 1.2 PESTLE Analysis PESTEL analysis categorises the factors that effect an organisation externally. Johnson, Scholes and Whittington (2005) note that many of these factors are linked. When one factor changes it can have a knock on effect on other factors. As these factors change they affect the competitive environment in which the organisation operates in, as a result it is crucial that organisations are aware of the changes in the external environment. Political Licensing Laws- Mitchells and Butlers have a minimum requirement to follow all licensing laws lay down by the government. If at any time they come in breach of these licenses they place themselves in serious jeopardy with the federal agencies. Smoking Ban- The smoking ban, introduced in July 2007, had a serious effect on all of Mitchells and Butlers managed pubs and restaurants. The ban meant that no establishment was to allow smoking in any of its premises. Economic Unemployment- With the UK, along with the rest of the world, going further and further into a recession, companies look to try and cut costs by lowering the number of staff, therefore unemployment rises. A report written in the TimesOnline website by Grà ¡inne Gilmore in February 2009 highlights some facts and figures which can affect consumers disposable income. In it he states that unemployment rose close to two million and predictions have been made that the figure could rise to three million by next year, the highest level since 1986. Tax Increase- With taxes expected to rise in January 2010, consumer spending will slow down. Inflation The rise of inflation makes it harder for people to borrow as the banks Social Social Responsibility As the leading operator of managed pubs and pub restaurants in the UK, Mitchells and Butlers has a commitment to give the responsible retailing of alcohol. Mitchells and Butlers established a policy for retailing alcohol in a responsible manner. This ensures that all of their licensed premises are operated responsibly. Under age Drinking Mitchells and Butlers launched the â€Å"Challenge 21† campaign, which was aimed at stopping/ reducing the number of under aged drinkers in their managed premises a. Healthy Eating Due to the increased awareness of healthy eating through government ad campaigns, celebrity chefs etc Mitchells and Butlers has to be aware of the varying attitudes towards healthy eating. As a result they offer a wide variety of dishes on there menus across all their differing brands. They look to offer a good choice of healthy options at the same time as offering more indulgent dishes. Mitchells and Butlers are continually creating fresh dishes with an emphasis on nutritional value. Legal Minimum Wage The National Minimum wage was introduced 10 years ago and has increased 5.5% year. Mitchells and Butler must comply with the minimum pay levels for each age group to comply with the law. Health and Safety at Work act 1974 The Act is the primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in the United Kingdom. (hse.gov.uk, 2009) Mitchells and Butlers must ensure that they enforce the health and safety of both there workforce and their customers. Environmental Weather Due to the varying weather conditions throughout the whole year, Mitchells and Butlers should be constantly aware of the effects good and bad weather can have on there outlets. Recycling Due to raised awareness of pollution in the environment and the effects of waste Mitchells and Butlers have to show there commitment in creating as little waste as possible, and where possible recycle as much of their waste as possible. They also have a commitment to reducing there carbon footprint which can be done by the recycling of used cooking oil which is then converted into bio-diesel. 1.3 Microenvironment â€Å"The microenvironment consists of the actors close to the company that affect its ability to serve its customers: the company, suppliers, marketing intermediaries,rs and publics†. Kotler, P et al. (2008) It is the environment with components that have specific and immediate implications for managing the organisation. Decisions made involving the microenvironment have a direct effect on the organisation. It can be controlled by the company and analysis at this level is firm specific. Xu, J.(2005) There are many models that can help firms to measure the position they are in within their environment. 1.4 Porters Five Forces The Objective of performing industry analysis is to develop an organisations competitive advantage in order to be more successful than its competitors. The way in which this can be done is by using Porters Five Forces Model. ( Lynch, 2003) In it he identifies the five basic forces that can have an effect on an organisation. Bargaining power Threat of Of suppliers new entrants The report will now go into further detail of each threat, identifying the different aspects of each factor and the affect they could have on Mitchells and Butler. Threat of Entry With Mitchells and Butlers being the leading operator of managed pubs and pub restaurants, they must be aware of any potential threats that may arise from new entries in the market. The industry in which Mitchells and Butlers operates is one where barriers to entry are very low and therefore easy for new organisations to enter the market. However due to the sheer size of the organisation they have an automatic advantage over any new entries. Economies of Scale Mitchells and Butlers are in the position to gain economies of scale due to the number of managed outlets they have. With around 2,000 businesses they have the ability to lower the costs of products because of the amount they will be ordering at one time. Experience Mitchells and Butlers has been operating as an independent division since 2003 but it history dates back to 1898. This unparalleled experience of the pub industry accounts for invaluable knowledge and experience which can help in the development and growth of the organisation. Customer Loyalty With over 2000 outlets built mainly in residential areas Mitchells and Butlers will have built up a high level of customer loyalty. This makes it increasingly difficult for new competitors to establish a loyal customer base for themselves. It is evident however that not everyone is within close proximity to a Mitchells and Butlers unit and therefore consumers will be loyal to a different business. Product Differentiation Mitchells and Butlers understand the importance of product differentiation and aim to deliver products of the highest quality at the lowest possible prices. It also prides itself on customer service, displaying just how important they feel it is. Mitchells and Butlers also drive to promote its own brands in order to create product differentiation. Bargaining Power of Buyers Concentration of buyers With Mitchells and Butlers being in a market with a huge amount of potential buyers then it is in complete power with what price to set. If the buyers are not happy with the price then they simply have to go elsewhere as the market is big enough to attract more customers. However Mitchells and Butlers can not set the price at whatever they choose as the fierce competition in the market drives prices down and they have to compete with there rivals for customers. Product Differentiation With so many other options available for the buyer Mitchells and Butlers has to be able to differentiate itself from the rest of the market. They do this buy offering the highest quality at the lowest possible prices. It also prides itself on customer service, displaying just how important they feel it is. Mitchells and Butlers also drive to promote its own brands in order to create product differentiation. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Mitchells and Butlers is in a very strong position when it comes to its bargaining power with its suppliers. They are the leading operator in managed pubs and pubs restaurants with the largest market share. Suppliers will have to listen to what they are demanding or else they face loosing a huge amount of revenue. Threat of Substitutes Products or services There is a large threat of substitutes that are available from supermarkets. The off trade market that is now available to potential consumers is a huge threat to Mitchells and Butlers. With the constant promotion of alcoholic beverages from the large supermarket chains such as Tescos, Sainsburys and Morrisons means that Mitchells and Butlers have to differentiate themselves from this market and establish themselves as offering an experience and a service rather than just solely a product. The supermarkets also advertise deals such as â€Å" TWO CAN DINE IN FOR  £10†. This such advertisement was ran by MS. Being a differentiated product will entice potential consumers towards it. Threat of Rivalry In a market where growth is slow and competition very high, Mitchells and Butlers have created rivalry by becoming the leading operator in its markets and taking a lot of customers from its competitors. However it does not face rivalry from small independent outlets as they focus their attention away from the big rivals. The way in which Mitchells and Butlers create rivalry is by the pricing policy on drinks. Being the leading operator in managed pubs means that they are able to buy in bulk reducing the costs of products. With relation to food Mitchells and Butlers has a variety of brands that are in varying markets that can capture different customers with the varying levels of quality and price. For example the harvester brand is aimed at the lower end of the market, whereas the Browns brand is at the other end of the spectrum, catering for the higher end customers. 2.0 Internal Analysis The process of performing an internal analysis is similar to that of an external analysis. Representative managers and employees from throughout the firm need to be involved in determining a firms strengths and weaknesses. The internal analysis involves collecting information about the firms management, marketing, finance and operations. The gathering of this information is a great benefit to managers and employees as they get to know how their work affects other areas and activities of the organisation. Performing an internal analysis is an excellent way of improving the process of communication within an organisation. (David, 1999) 2.1Portfolio Analysis Campbell et al (2002 p. 107) defines a portfolio analysis as an â€Å"Underpinning concept that is a need for a business to spread its opportunity and risk. A broad portfolio signifies that a business has a presence in a wide range of product and market sectors. Conversely, a narrow portfolio implies that the organisation operates in only a few or even in one product or market sector. A broad portfolio offers the advantage of robustness in that a downturn in one market will not threaten the whole company† It is essential that Mitchells and Butlers carry out a portfolio analysis as they operate in many different markets resulting in a number of different cashflows from there brands. 2.2 BCG Matrix The Boston consultancy matrix identifies the relationship between market share and growth of a business. It offers a way of examining a companys portfolio of product and market interests. (Campbell et al 2002) Market Share Stars Question Marks Cash Cows Dogs Mitchells and Butler would be classed as a cash cow. Being the leading operator in managed pubs they have the largest share of the market. However the market in which they are positioned is one that is maturing. Growth for Mitchells and Butlers is slow and the condition of the market is stable. Below is a diagram which converts the BCG matrix into the product life cycle. Internet Accessed via: There are many brands associated with Mitchells and Butler which are in varying stages of their life cycle. The next stage of the report is to show an example of brands in there different stages of the life cycle. The use of this is that it allows Mitchells and Butlers to identify which of their brands are in the decline stage and come up with either new strategies/ products in order for it to grow again. 2.3 The Life Cycle Model 2.4GE-McKinsey Matrix An alternative way in which to evaluate the portfolio of an organisation is by a directional policy matrix/ GE-McKinsey matrix. This matrix categorises an organisations business units into those with good prospects and those with less good prospects. The matrix positions units according to how attractive the market is in which they operate and secondly through the competitive strength of the SBU in that market. (Johnson, Scholes and Whittington, R. 2009) 2.5 Resource Based view of Mitchells and Butler The resource based view of a firm is a model of an organisations performance that focuses solely on the resources and capabilities controlled by a firm as sources of competitive advantage. (Wernerfelt, B. 1984, cited in Barney, J Hesterley, W. 2006) Resources are defined as the tangible and intangible assets that an organisation controls whereas capabilities are a â€Å"subset of a firms resources and are defined as tangible and intangible assets that enable a firm to take full advantage of other resources it controls†.( Barney, J Hesterley, W. 2006. p.76) Barney Hesterley (2006) also state that there are four main categories in which resources and capabilities can be classified into four main sub categories: Financial resources, Physical resources, Human resources and organisational resources. M B Financial resources and Capabilities Two loans: One of  £2.3 billion which is secured against the assets and cash flow of he business. The second is an unsecured loan of  £550 million from a number of major banks. Cash generated through sales of products and services. M B Physical resources and Capabilities Property, plant and equipment. Computer Software. Leases: Both operating leases and financial leases. Reputation M B Human resources and Capabilities Operated by an experienced senior management team. Committed to training and investing in their employees to enable them to develop their skills and experience. M B Organisational resources and Capabilities Relationships between the different levels of management. Clear communication Importance of team building in each business unit. Experience of senior management. Training programmes at operational level. Mitchells and Butler use their capabilities to turn their resources into products or services. For instance it uses its reputation to increase its financial resources. 2.6 Core Competencies â€Å"Core competencies are the skills and abilities by which resources are deployed through an organisations activities and processes such as to achieve competitive advantage in ways that others cannot imitate or obtain†. (Johnson, Scholes, and Whittington, 2008. p. 97) This is no more important than in a recession, Mitchells and Butlers needs to focus on its core competencies in order to cerate competitor advantage and steal, what is, a diminishing number of, customers. 2.7 The VRIO Framework VRIO is an acronym for 4 questions that can be used in order to assess the competitive advantage that can be gained from resources and capabilities. The VRIO framework allows an organisation to assess its resources and capabilities potential to create a competitive advantage. †( Barney, J Hesterley, W. 2006. p.76) The Question of Value Mitchells and Butlers uses its resources and capabilities in order to create competitive advantage and stay the leading operator in managed pubs and restaurants. Its organisational resources and capabilities has equated to the acquiring of 239 pub restaurants from Whitbread plc in 2006. The financial capabilities plus experience of management team means that they can cope in a period of financial downturn. The Question of Rarity With Mitchells and Butler being in such a saturated market where growth is very slow and product differentiation hard to achieve then its physical resources and capabilities create very little competitive advantage. It is its organisational, human and financial resources that create it. The size, experience, knowledge, training, quality, price create competitive advantage over a long period of time. The Question of Inimitability This question aims at identifying an organisations strength against any competitors trying to imitate their products or services. For Mitchells and Butler although it may be easy to copy its tangible resources, it is certainly not easy to imitate their intangible capabilities. With over 100 years of experience in the pub trade gives them invaluable experience and knowledge of the industry. The senior management team has over 15 years of experience and the board of executive directors have worked on the strategy and development of Mitchells Butlers since 1995. (mbplc.com â€Å"our management†) [Cited 14/12/2009] The Question of Organisation Although Mitchells and Butler may have competitive advantage with its resources and capabilities, in the above three questions, it can not continually create a competitive advantage unless they are an organised company. The senior management team must work together in order to create systems, policies and procedures in which each individual unit runs at its optimum level. This is done by vertical communication between the varying different levels of operation. 2.8Value-Chain Analysis A Value chain â€Å"is the set of business activities in which a firm engages in to develop, produce, and market its product or services†. † (Barney, J Hesterley, W. 2006. p.83) 3.0 Financial Information 3.1 Cash Flow Statement The cash flow statement can be seen in appendix 3. 3.2 Balance Sheet The balance sheet is available in appendix 4. 3.3 5 year Income Statement Available in Appendix 5. From analysing the above financial information, one can draw the major trends from the financial year 2008. Sales Trend Analysing the 5 year review one can see a major difference in the sales trend. Turnover has increased to  £1,908 million over the year which is a 0.7% increase over the financial year. However Profit Trend Although there was an increase in revenue there was a significant decrease in operating profit. From the previous year there is a huge drop from  £309 million to  £131 million a gap of  £178 million. A reason for this could be due to the amount of money they had to repay on a loan they took out to cover the costs of an abandoned joint venture. Mitchells and Butler decided to reduce its level of â€Å"unsecured medium term debt†. (mbplc.com. 2009) Looking at the 5 year report one can see that the dividend pay out was  £18 million, compared to the previous 4 years ,it is on average around  £33 million less. To do this they paid an interim dividend of 4.55p per share which is represented on the income statement. This was paid on the 27th June 2009. The short-term loan of  £550m has to be paid down to  £400m by the end of 2009 and then down to  £300m by the end of 2010. Mitchells and Butler have managed to get the loan amount down to  £475 million. The organisation is aiming to bring capital expenditure down to  £120 million whilst selling some of its pubs along the way. This is a way in which they will pay back the  £550 million loan, however it will have a huge effect on the size of the business and its net profit in the next financial year. (Hall, 2009) Below is a list of further trends that were available from the corporate profile September 2009. Major Trends 2008 Turnover-  £1,908m up 0.7% EBITDA-  £477m up 1.1% Operating profit-  £343m Profit before tax-  £179m down 13.5% Earnings per share- 31.5p down 11.3% Before exceptional terms and IAS 39 movements. Source mbplc.com- corporate profile September 2009 (Appendix 6) 3.4 Balanced Scorecard Financial L4L growth turnover and profit, ROI on investment and acquisition, total capital expended, rent/lease review uplifts, assignment premiums Internal Business Processes Mitchells and Butler have both long and short hold leases. IT systems Mitchells Butlers is reliant on its IT systems to trade efficiently and to ensure that appropriate controls are in place Learning and Growth Graduate Programs are in place for two different areas: The Corporate Graduate Scheme and the Retail Graduate Scheme Training given at all operational levels. Employees must be able to work to the standards set by the Mitchells and Butler legacy. Customer Service Standards Service standards have a huge impact on Mitchells and Butlers success. Service standards are a key element in the choice of consumers pub. Employee satisfaction survey, retailer satisfaction survey, Now to Wow, mystery customer, retailer complaint levels, customer complaint levels Strengths Financial ability Market share Management Team Knowledge and Experience within the industry. Diversity of customers through differentiated markets. Training schemes. Brand name Good understanding of customers needs Weaknesses Massive amounts of cost implications. Hard to differentiate products and services. High level of debt Dire trade outlook Opportunities Smoking ban Increase in the eating out market. Cheap pubs available for acquisition. Increase customer base by going â€Å"green†. Comply with all environmental issues. Threats Smoking ban Regulations Staying in is the new going out Recession Decrease in leisure pound Increase in the off trade market New Legislations Bad press from binge drinking Competition Low barriers of entry. Current disagreements between board members. 3.5SWOT Analysis 4.0 Strategic Choice In order for MB to develop further, they must look at the different strategic options. They need to ask themselves 5 questions: What do we want in life? On WHAT basis are we to compete? WHEN do we implement these? WHICH direction? HOW? Patton, F(2009) 4.1 Porters Generic Strategies Porters two parameters: â€Å"a company can seek to compete† and the market in which a company seeks to compete can be broad or narrow, led him to construct the three generic strategies seen below. (Thomson, 2001) Patton, F (2009) Porters model of generic strategies. Adapted from Porter, M(1985) Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. Mitchells and Butlers uses the Differentiation strategy. It offers a range of differentiated products across a number of markets. The different brands in the organisation ensure that they appeal to the whole market. A way of expressing how MB use the differentiated strategy is to look at the different brands and the markets they operate in. Cost/ Price Focus: Crown Carveries- â€Å"Top quality carvery meals at great prices†¦..† Differentiation Focus Harvester â€Å"Family-friendly restaurants serving freshly-prepared grills, spit-roasts and fish dishes and the famous salad cart, included with every meal†. Cost Leadership Ember Inns â€Å"Quality local pubs providing customers with a relaxed home from home and a great range of cask ales, wines and tempting, traditional pub food favourites with a modern twist†. (Internet accessed via [Cited 14/12/2009] 4.2 Strategy Clock The strategy clock was developed by Cliff Bowman. The clock is based around price and the perceived value the customer will gain from the product or service. Mitchells and Butlers can use the strategic clock to choose where they wish to position a brand or business unit. It represents different positions in a market where potential customers have different requirements in terms of value for money. (Johnson, Scholes and Whittington, 2008. p224) Mitchells and Butler are positioned between the hybrid and differentiation stage. They aim to provide products and services that are different to that of their competitors in a range of different markets however in certain brands e.g. harvester their strategy is to offer lower cost meals. For a more in depth explanation of Bowmans strategy clock please see Appendix 6. 4.3 The Ansoff matrix Johnson, Scholes and Whittington, R (2009) state that the Ansoff matrix provides a simple way of showing the four different directions of strategic development. They state that an organisation starts in the top left hand box. It then has a choice between penetrating further within its existing sphere, move to the right and develop new products for its existing markets; moving downwards bringing its existing products into new markets: or move diagonally down, which involves full diversification where the organisation enters new markets with new products. Adapted from Ansoff, H (1988) The diagram above was taken from an internet site: http://strategyiseverywhere. However the model is exactly the same across all literature. Mitchells and Butlers strategic development direction is one which uses market penetration, market development and Product Development. Market Penetration Market penetration involves the organisation taking an increased share of its existing markets with the same product range. It does not involve an organisation having to venture into unfamiliar territory. The advantage of market penetration is that it increases power over both suppliers and buyers. (Johnson, Scholes and Whittington, R 2009) Mitchells and Butlers used market penetration as a growth strategy by building, buying and acquiring more and more pubs. It is now the leader in managed pubs and pub restaurants within the industry with around 2,000 businesses. Market Development Market development involves an organisation offering existing products to new m

Cost Benefit Analysis of Third-Party Intervention in Intrastate Conflic

Cost Benefit Analysis of Third-Party Intervention in Intrastate Conflict GIVEN THE RECENT PROLIFERATION OF INTRASTATE CONFLICT, THE ROLE OF THIRD-PARTY INTERVENTION HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT TO THE PEACE AND SECURITY OF THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM. HOWEVER, THE ESCALATION OF VIOLENCE OFTEN ATTRIBUTED TO MILITARY FORMS OF INTERVENTION MAY HAVE SEVERE COSTS FOR BOTH THE TARGET OF INTERVENTION AND THE STATE CHOOSING TO INTERVENE. PAST LITERATURE HAS FOCUSED ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SUCH INTERVENTION WITHOUT PROPERLY EVALUATING THE REASONS WHY A THIRD-PARTY CHOOSES TO COMMIT MILITARY RESOURCES TO SUCH ENDEAVORS. THIS STUDY WILL EXAMINE BOTH THE RELATIVE CAPABILITIES OF THE ACTORS INVOLVED, AND THE STATED REASONS FOR INTERVENTION, IN AN ATTEMPT TO DISCOVER WHAT SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES CAUSE AGGRESSIVE FORMS OF INTERVENTION. COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS IS EMPLOYED BY THIRD PARTIES AND IS ASSUMED TO DICTATE THE WAY IN WHICH INTERVENTION TAKES PLACE. ULTIMATELY, THE MATERIAL INTERESTS OF THE INTERVENER SEEM TO PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE DECISION TO TAKE AGGRES SIVE ACTION IN A TARGET STATE. Introduction Since the conclusion of World War II, the nature of military conflict has been dominated by clashes between internal state actors. Indeed, as much as 80 percent of the wars and casualties since World War II have been caused by internal conflicts (David 1997). Each day the world is presented with a tragic loss of life connected with the instability of sovereign states. In the six-day period between October 8th and October 13th of 2003, the Wall Street Journal reported a disturbing set of events. Tribal fighters in the Congo shot and hacked to death 65 civilians; a car bomb in Bogotà ¡, Colombia, killed at least six people... ...t should provide a basis for drawing conclusions with regard to the decision-making criteria for an intervening state. [4] While I fully recognize that the distinction between 1000 and 1001 troops is problematic, I believe this threshold better captures the distinction between aggressive and passive intervention than the 5000 or 10,000 troop thresholds. This is the best option given the distinctions offered by the available data. [5] The number of naval vessels involved in these activities is ignored because the distinction between 4 and 5 vessels that is offered by the data is unhelpful for the distinction between passive and aggressive intervention. [6] In order to avoid using a zero as part of the scale, I have automatically given each case one point. [7] See â€Å"Operationalization of the Independent Variables† for a description of the scale created.

Franklin :: Essays Papers

Franklin â€Å"The life that Franklin depicts is more than a success story. It is a story of nothing but success. What makes Franklin’s success great is that he does nothing compulsively, irrationally, or out of weakness, but appears to be governed by reason, moderation, and virtue. With his strong sense of identity he seems singularly immune to the workings of the conflict-torn inner self that Yeats called the â€Å"Foul rag-and-bone shop of the heart,† his existence untroubled by stretches of ennui and waste. The absence of a sense of the harshness and inexplicability of life, together with his emphasis on material success is what seemed to allow Franklin to succeed.† (These quotes were taken out of the introduction to Franklin’s autobiography). With all this in mind, I chose to read â€Å"The Autobiography and Other Writings of Benjamin Franklin.† This book as you could tell was written by Benjamin Franklin and it’s publisher is Penguin Classics. The main topic of this biography was the life of Benjamin Franklin and about all of his accomplishments and the hardships that he faced growing up. This autobiography was written in the first person point of view, as a letter that Franklin wrote to his son William. Because of the fact that this book was written by Benjamin Franklin and about Benjamin Franklin, I believed everything that was said but what I disliked was how Franklin wasn’t able to complete this book and how he didn’t spend more time on discussing his major philosophies. The main thesis of this book was the hardship that Franklin was faced with and how he grew up to become the man that he did. I believe that the one sentence that deals with the theme of this autobiography is a quote which Franklin once said; â€Å"I cannot boast of much Success in acquiring the Reality of this Virtue; but I had a good deal with regard to the Appearance of it.† So with the belief that working hard will help achieve goals, Franklin also states, â€Å"If you work hard you will lead a fulfilling life.† A third quote from Franklin's autobiograp hy that states the importance he placed on hard work to achieve success is; â€Å"Industry, Lose no time.-Be always employ'd in something useful.-Cut off all unnecessary Actions.† This shows about how Franklin wasn’t the type of person who waits for something to happened but works hard to achieve his goals.