Graduate Attributes Essay

Subject Specialists Investigative Independent and Critical Thinkers Resourceful and Responsible Effective Communicators Confident Adaptable Experienced Collaborators Ethically and Socially Aware Reflective Learners T Academic Dimension Understand and respect the values, principles, methods and limitations of their discipline(s). Are intellectually curious and engage in the pursuit of new knowledge and understanding. Identify, define and assess complex issues and ideas in a researchable form. Are experienced in self-directed learning and authentic research-led enquiry. Articulate complex ideas with respect to the needs and abilities of diverse audiences. Defend their ideas in dialogue with peers and challenge disciplinary assumptions. Experience multi-disciplinary and/or inter-disciplinary learning in an internationally renowned institution. Engage with the scholarly community and respect others’ views and perspectives. Consider and act upon the ethical, social and global responsibilities of their actions. Use feedback productively to reflect on their work, achievements and self-identity. Personal Dimension Possess a breadth and depth of knowledge within their disciplinary area(s). Are able to locate, analyse and synthesise information from a variety of sources and media. Exercise critical judgement in evaluating sources of information and constructing meaning. Are motivated, conscientious and self-sufficient individuals capable of substantial independent work. Present their ideas clearly and concisely in high quality written and spoken English. Possess excellent interpersonal and social skills fostered within an internationalised community. Respond flexibly and adapt their skills and knowledge to excel in unfamiliar situations. Are experienced in working in groups and teams of varying sizes and in a variety of roles. Welcome exposure to the richness of multi-cultural and international experiences, opportunities and ways of thinking. Set aspirational goals for continuing personal, professional and career development. Transferable Dimension Possess discipline-relevant professional skills, knowledge and competencies. Are able to investigate problems and provide effective solutions. Apply creative, imaginative and innovative thinking and ideas to problem solving. Manage their personal performance to meet expectations and demonstrate drive, determination, and accountability. Communicate clearly and confidently, and listen and negotiate effectively with others. Demonstrate enthusiasm, leadership and the ability to positively influence others. Demonstrate resilience, perseverance and positivity in multi-tasking, dealing with change and meeting new challenges. Conduct themselves professionally and contribute positively when working in a team. Have a practical and contemporary knowledge of relevant professional, ethical and legal frameworks. Identify and articulate their skills, knowledge and understanding confidently and in a variety of contexts.

Dramatic point Essay

This is the pivotal moment in the play, as it is when John realises he would rather die than have his name blackened. John does not want his sons to have a name associated with witchcraft, â€Å"I have three children – how may I teach them to walk like men in the world†¦?†Ã‚  He also does not want his friends and family to think that he had dealt with the devil. He says that he has confessed to God, and that is enough, â€Å"God knows how black my sins are! It is enough!† John then rips up the parchment. This is a very dramatic point in the play as the ripping of the parchment can be seen as a metaphor for his own life; being destroyed at his own will, as he has chosen to die at this point. Therefore John takes back his confession and is condemned to death. This shows how John has great courage, as he feels he only has to answer to God.  The relationship between John and Elizabeth it at its peak, during the end of the scene. Their relationship is at the highest point in the play, as they are saying goodbye for the very last time. John and Elizabeth are very emotional at this point, as a result this causes dramatic tension on stage, which is felt by audience causing them to become further engaged in the couple’s relationship. During this scene, when the couple realises that it is their last moment together, Elizabeth expresses the guilt she had suppressed for so long. She blames herself for the affair, because she thinks she did not show love to John, â€Å"myself so plain, so poorly made, no honest love could come to me†¦ it were a cold house I kept†. John asks Elizabeth for her forgiveness however she insists that she is in no place to forgive him, only God can do so. This can be quite a shock to the audience as they would expect her to forgive John. However it shows how they have both united in the belief of Gods Judgement, not of any man or woman’s. Elizabeth expresses tells John how in heaven God will forgive him â€Å"He have his goodness now.†Ã‚  Throughout the play there are many points at which tension is created which leads to a very dramatic overall effect. Stage directions, language and punctuation and effects are all key elements in creating tension in this novel. This engages the audience and can help them to empathise with characters and understand the plot. For example dramatic tension if effectively created during the scene in which Elizabeth is called to the court room and asked why she sacked Abigail. John and Abigail have their backs turned, so Elizabeth cannot communicate with either of them, Elizabeth’s actions show how she is uncertain whether she should tell the truth or not and therefore blacken her husband’s name, or commit a sin by lying to save her husbands integrity.  There are many different ways in which tension is effectively created in the Crucible, all of which have a dramatic impact on the audience. for In the Crucible Miller uses allegory which helps the themes run throughout the play and to comment indirectly to the events happening during America in the 1950’s.

Buddhism and Monkey Clan

A Number of magic arts 5. Why does Tripitaka need to control Monkey? Monkey needs to learn patients and control his temper 6. Why does the Bodhisattva stop Monkey from destroying the wizard? To teach him how to control his temper. 7. What does Monkey find out about the city Cart Slow? For twenty years had been ruled by three Taoists who could procure rain during times of drought. Their names were Tiger, Deer, and Sheep. 8. In what way are Monkey and Pigsys characters different before they meet Buddha while on the journey? Monkey Is increasingly bound to both his master and the journey without ever losing his energy and humor. Pigsy on the other hand, thought the journey, is always distracted by his desire of sex and food. 9. How is Sandy different to Monkey and Pigsy? Sandy is the water monster and expelled from Heaven after his interference caused Heavens Jade Emperors precious jade cup to be broken so by going on the journey he can be forgiven for his sin. 10. In what way is Tripitaka not necessarily the leader of the group? On the journey Tripitaka is easily frightened, and never knows what to do. He is the empty center of the group kept alive and carried forward by his more powerful and active disciples. 11. How do the characters change when they reach Buddha? They get new names. 12. How does the turtle cause the characters problems at the end of the story? The turtle gets angry, however, as Tripitaka hasn’t kept a promise he had made and drops them in the water 13. What are the characters new names? Tripitaka and Monkey are made into Buddhas, Pigsy is named the Keeper of the Holy Temple, Sandy becomes the Golden-Bodied Soldier 14. Why does Buddha not give Pigsy the title of Buddha? He is not trustworthy 15. What role does religion play in the text, especially Buddhism? What is the author trying to accomplish in terms of religion? : Buddhism was the religion of China during this period and the story has a strong religious message. If we listen to what the gods tell us, we will not be harmed and we will find salvation. The idea of a journey towards enlightenment was central to Chinese beliefs, and pilgrimages were common. 16. What do you think is the purpose of the journey the characters take? To help tripitaka retrieve the scriptures and take them back to china. Also while each character learn many lessons about their behavior. 17. Summarize the book in your own words. This is a story of a priest’s journey to India to collect the Scriptures and take them back to China. He is accompanied by three pilgrims and they face great adversity on the way. It is overflowing with magic, demons, gods, immortals, action and adventure.

International Marketing models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Marketing models - Essay Example The three models can however not be applied independently. There is an overlap in their application with the business organizations currently leaning towards the polycentric model. International Business Part One Legal Issues Relating To Global Commerce International business involves trading within and without national boundaries. The fact that business spreads across different jurisdictions gives rise to legal issues especially because many times the laws across countries are not the same. There is therefore, the need to harmonize the laws. Some of the legal considerations in international trade include the following: Tariffs (Customs) and Quotas A tariff is a tax imposed on imports and exports within a jurisdiction. The amounts of tariffs charged by the government in-charge determine whether the investors would be able to invest in a particular jurisdiction or not. Many jurisdictions use the tariff rates as the bait to either attract or chase away investors. Charging high rates wo uld effectively discourage investment (Schaffer, Agusti, & Earle, 2010). Quotas refer to the restriction of quantities to be imported or exported in a particular jurisdiction. Governments impose maximum limits of imports to protect their domestic industry mainly from inflation caused by unfavorable balance of trade. The governments may impose exports to caution the country from scarcity of commodities which would shoot demand high and consequently occasion inflation within the economies. The use of tariffs and quotas affect businesses as they have to toil within the agenda of a particular jurisdiction (Schaffer, Agusti, & Earle, 2010). Antidumping and Transfer Pricing Laws Antidumping refers to rules against dumping. Dumping essentially refers to a situation where multinationals import goods of lesser quality and value into foreign jurisdictions. Governments have come out strongly against dumping as it defeats the ideals of trade and erodes the standards by perpetuating mediocrity ( Schaffer, Agusti, & Earle, 2010). Transfer pricing is a concept of taxation that concerns multinationals. Owing to the different taxation rates by different jurisdictions, multinationals exploit transfer pricing so as to tax their products within the lower taxation rates jurisdictions. Governments have come up with laws to prevent cases of tax avoidance and evasion under the guise of transfer pricing. Intellectual Property Rights International business recognizes intellectual property rights although the rights are granted within individual jurisdictions. These include copyrights, patents and trade secrets. Governments have been considerate enough to provide laws to enable innovators enjoy the fruits of their work through the intellectual property rights (Schaffer, Agusti, & Earle, 2010). Sources and Forms of Political Risks Political risks refer to the effects the politics of the day in a particular jurisdiction has on the businesses within that jurisdiction. Political risks could be caused by the government, the people or the activities of competitors and non-governmental organizations. Governments mainly expropriate or nationalize companies in effect taking over the share ownership of the companies. The people may be at war creating un-conducive environments detrimental for business. Activists in the guise of protection of the environment or societal interests may render the business working environment

Political and economic conditions in Russia Essay

Political and economic conditions in Russia - Essay Example The paper is going to discuss the political and economic conditions in the Russian federation and factors that managers would consider when seeking to invest in Russia. I am also going to assess the political and economic risks in Russia at the present moment and how a companyThe present political conditions in Russia are critical to ensure successful running of businesses because of the tensions and attacks that happened on 29th of December 2013, where two suicide bombings occurred inThese bombings resulted to injuries and deaths of many people in the area and no group has claimed responsibility for the bombings. It was also speculated by the media that the attacks were meant to disrupt Russia’s planned Sochi Olympic Games this month. Volgograd being a transportation hub between Moscow and Southern Russia makes it insecure for businesses to carry out their operations since it is not known when the terrorists may strike again. It is impossible for Russia’s government to support other business ventures when they should be focusing on ensuring security around the places where the Sochi Olympic Games will be taking place to avoid more attacks. The political leaders have many responsibilities to ensure that their people are living in safe environments and their needs are met.The economy of Russia is growing because of its large production of oil and gas. Deresky and Christopher (2011) stated that Putin the president of Russia struggled to ensure that the country’s economy remained of high level.

Primary Document Analysis Paper #1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Primary Document Analysis Paper #1 - Essay Example osing strategies have gained support as well as criticism with the conservatives supporting Washington’s view while the reformist tended to agree with DuBois. The difference in philosophy between these two leaders led to the emergence of the Bookerites and Niagarites. Booker Taliaferro Washington was among the great black educators in the late 19th century. Washington was very influential on the southern race relations. Washington advocated for an education method that was supported by his followers, but rejected by reformers. His philosophy had three important aspects. The first aspect was accommodation. In his view, he believed that the Black Americans should accept that they were inferior to the white Americas, and could not attain or get the same level or type of education that the white Americans were getting (Reagan & Ferris, 1989). The white Americans were given more opportunities to attain the traditional academic education. He encouraged the black Americans to accept the fact that they were inferior to the white Americans. Washington therefore encouraged the black Americans to tolerate discrimination and instead focus on gaining technical knowledge that would allow them to gain material wealth (Reagan & Ferris, 1989). He argued that this was the only ways that the black Americans can gain recognition and acceptance by the white Americans. The second aspect of the Washington’s perspective of black American advancement was the belief that money and trade were more important to the black Americans than political power (Booker, 1896). The third and probably the most important or noticeable aspect of the Washington’s perspective of the black Americans education was industrial education. Washington believed that education in craft, farming and trade was what the black Americans needed (Booker, 1895). He believed that industrial education would give the Black Americans the needed skills to help them gain material prosperity.In addition to that, he argued

Heroism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Heroism - Essay Example The theme of heroism find its way in this film due to several factors that range from the courage of the documentary team and the wildlife manager who is Hans in this case. Critical observation of the film indicates that the troll is very harsh and beastly animals that are cannibals and can feed on people. After Hans has escaped the dragnet of three university college students, Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud), Johanna (Johanna MÃ ¸rck) and their cameraman Kalle (Tomas Alf Larsen).Despite the danger of being mauled by the dreaded trollers, they quietly follow Hans into the bush silently and when he realizes their unrelenting desire to do a documentary in this topic, he begins to avoid them (Found Footage Horror Films 56-7). It takes a hero to accept a mistake or admit a fact. After Hans has denied participation in bear attacks, the group pursues him into the bush where he later confesses that he is a troy. The concept of heroism can be seen from the relentless efforts of the students to the extent of submitting to Hans. In normal circumstance, it would be easy to note the reluctance or general withdrawal after considering the danger of these cannibals. Even after Hans has warned them that proclaiming Christianity would make the troll to sense danger they went on. Heroism is been to the last breath of the Christian when Thomas is attacked and bitten by a large animal and eventually dies. Although Hans admit being not a bear hunter and giving clear risks of the troll, the spirit of the students does not die (Kaklamanidou and Margaret 67-9). Although biting from the animals which mean other species of troll, they decided to proceed with the investigation. A twist of irony comes in when the camera holder get sick. The sickness he got must have been as a result of the bite he received previously. The troll had indicated infection of rabies and this is what killed one of the students before the next Muslim student. Even the

The world rate of diabetes keeps increasing mainly because of physical Research Paper - 1

The world rate of diabetes keeps increasing mainly because of physical activities, high rate of stress, and high rate of obesity - Research Paper Example The deficit indicates an increase of 250 million people in a span of 24 years (McClaughlyn 1). The data shows a consistent increase in diabetes because of physical activities, high rate of stress and an elevated rate of obesity. Lack of insulin resulting from destruction of insulting secreting beta cells in the pancreas causes diabetes. An individual’s white blood cells attacks and destroys the beta cells rendering it unproductive in the protection against bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. The condition frequently attacks children and young adults. Heredity plays a fundamental role in determining the manifestation of the disease. The parents pass the instructional genes making proteins essential body cell functions to their children. The genes determine the body’s susceptibility to and defense against type 1 diabetes. The corrective mechanism for this condition involves daily injections of insulin to make the victim survive. Lack of physical activities poses an influence in the rate of diabetes manifestation. Without sufficient involvement in physical activities, one develops conditions of overweight and obesity, which ultimately leads to the acquisition of Type 2 Diabetes. Overweight and obesity result from an imbalance occurring between caloric intake and burn out physical activities. The conditions cause insulin resistance that yields Type 2 Obesity (Alberti,et al.56). When a person has excess abdominal fats, he or she is at a major risk for insulin resistance and remains vulnerable to attack by other illnesses including heart diseases and blood pressure. High rate of stress enhances the prevalence of diabetes. Stress induces mental stress leading to the general unhappiness of the victims. The unhappiness and unstable mental condition lowers the productivity of individuals influencing the state’s economy negatively. Elevated levels of stress and mental upset indirectly affect an individual’s blood sugar levels making the affected to forget

Conclusion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

Conclusion - Essay Example Based on the expected value, manufacturing of pipes is more favorable despite not taking into account positive side influences producing additional tubes, which is reaped from the present manufactured pipes. The decision to manufacture pipes is mainly based on the NPV of the projects under specific conditions. In the scenarios, NPV of undertaking the project reduces equating it to the corresponding NPV of purchasing the pipes. Moreover, this results in the decrease of incremental cash flow for the project to zero thus making the strategy unfeasible (Dayananda, pp.124-178). Lowering the price by the supplier changes the NPV to change by $ 100,000. Therefore, it is profitable for Great Lakes Pipe and Tube to purchase the pipe from the underlying supplier at the expense of manufacturing 10 inches and corresponding 12-inch pipes. Nevertheless, the percentage development of the GLPT in production of the 3, 6 and 8-inch pipes will result in lowering the cost of purchasing the 10 and 12-inch

DQ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

DQ - Essay Example The manager must then supervise them closely and let them know that they are under constant observation in order for them to be productive. The research undertaken shows this to be false. Managers spend much of their time not only directing their subordinates but interacting likewise with â€Å"peers, superiors, and people outside the organization.† It highlights the role of planner, which is often relegated by common notion to the background. Secondly, it is generally taken for granted that a manager’s work is easy and light considering they do not do the â€Å"hands-on† job their subordinates do. They stay in the office at their desks and just wait for results. However, as the study shows, a manager’s job is rarely an idle one. Managers are constantly bombarded with problems, requests, and contingencies to address, often and requiring quick decision-making. Sometimes the elevated position the manager has over a single unit tasked with a single function lends one to believe that he is an expert in his field and thus his tasks is specialized. The study proves the contrary, however, that the typical manage is a generalist, called to address issues and demands of varied and fragmented nature, requiring multifaceted skills – technical, financial, and human relations included. The manager is often seen as a â€Å"navigator† of sorts whose principal task is to plan the details of his unit. It is often thought that the more carefully the plans are prepared and forward-looking activities such as training are undertaken, the less time and effort he spends doing â€Å"repair† management. That just is not so, according to the research. Much of the manager’s activities are described by the study as â€Å"reactive rather than proactive in nature†, pertaining more to adjustments, adaptations, and damage control. This causes

Identify, discuss and analyse the key features and characteristics of at least 3 different examples of script writing Essay Example for Free

Identify, discuss and analyse the key features and characteristics of at least 3 different examples of script writing Essay In this essay I will be taking different plays and analysing their features and characteristics within them. I will be analysing ‘Beautiful Burnout’ performed by Frantic Assembly, ‘Lysistrata, or Loose Strife’ by David Stuttard, and ‘Twelfth Night, Or What You Will’ by William Shakespeare. Within these plays I will be looking at the style of writing it is, (eg – formal, informal, old English), the genre (eg – comedy, tragedy) and the themes. In the play ‘Beautiful Burnout’ is written in verses, like a poem. It doesn’t follow a pattern and doesn’t rhyme like a poem, but reads like a poem would. The way the setting at the beginning of each scene is described is also in the same way as the actual lines. The language is fairly informal as it includes Scottish words written phonetically such as â€Å"nae mare nae less† meaning â€Å"no more no less†, which helps the actors/actresses pronounce the words in a Scottish accent effectively. It also uses colloquial language to Glasgow (Scotland in general) the place where the play is set such as â€Å"lassies† and â€Å"aye† to make the setting and the characters both realistic when compared to each other. In comparison to this, ‘Lysistrata, Or Loose Strife’ is not written in verses. This play includes monologues that are made into lines depending on when the actor/actress would pause. In ‘Lysistrata, Or Loose Strife’, the language is mainly informal, similarly to ‘Beautiful Burnout’, but for the purpose to make the play humorous. The way sex throughout the play is portrayed is informal such as in the beginning scene where everything Lucy is saying is being turned into innuendos by Nikki to make the audience laugh, such as â€Å"They’re Greeks, everything they do, they do late. And everything takes so long – starting, finishing, coming, g†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Sometimes I wish my husband was a bit more like that! † and â€Å"is it something big? † â€Å"Yes, very big† â€Å"And hard? † â€Å"Yes, very hard† â€Å"And juicy? † â€Å"Very very juicy, yes†. Neither of the other plays use informal language for humour, if they do use it, it is to create realistic and believable characters and settings. In ‘Twelfth Night, Or What You Will’, uses the old English language as that was when the play was written. This can make it harder to understand as a modern audience but can still get the plot and message across to the audience on stage. The lines are set up in verses, like ‘Beautiful Burnout’ and is written formally for the time it was written. Within the play sometimes the monologues can have a rhyming cuplet, as Shakespeare also wrote poetry as well as plays. Unlike ‘Beautiful Burnout’, none of the words are written phonetically and again, unlike ‘Beautiful Burnout’ and ‘Lysistrata, Or Loose Strife’, it written formally for its time. All of these plays have genres which all differ dramatically. ‘Beautiful Burnout’ is a physical theatre play, which contrasts to both of the other plays. ‘Lysistrata, Or Loose Strife’ is a comedy and contemporary play, which again contrasts the other two plays. ‘Twelfth Night, Or What You Will’ is a tragedy and a Shakespearian play, which like the other plays, contrasts with both of the plays as well. The only similarity is through comedy and tragedy, which both are based on emotions, comedy being laughter/happiness, and tragedy being sadness/upset. This leaves physical theatre completely standing out on its own, being completely different with no reachable comparisons to the other genres. ‘Twelfth Night, Or What You Will’ can be seen as a comedy is some cases, as the subplot is more comical than tragic, but the main plot line is labelled as a tragedy. The jokes made in ‘Lysistrata, Or Loose Strife’ completely differ to the ones made in ‘Twelfth Night, Or What You Will’, as they are from different time periods when comedy changed within them. The themes within the plays largely differ as well. With ‘Beautiful Burnout’, the major running theme is boxing, as that is what the story is based on. Power is also a running theme throughout the play with the power Bobby thinks he has over the other characters and uses it to improve their efforts. This is shown when the characters refer to Bobby as â€Å"Mr Burgess† and not â€Å"Bobby† and in Scene 13 when Bobby is talking to Cameron and it’s very clear by what Cameron says that he is doing what Bobby is telling him to even though he is not pleases about it. â€Å"Things I give up for this. Shoplifting. Borrowing cars. Smoking. Tobacco and weed. Girlfriends. I still dae shagging†¦ But only on Friday and Saturday. I jest cannae dae the commitment thing wi lassies. What else†¦ Crisps. Spare time. Spare time†¦Whit’s that? †. In ‘Lysistrata, Or Loose Strife’, the theme of sex becomes obvious at the very beginning of the play with the character of Nikki making it completely unmissable. The way she links everything back to sex makes this a running theme that is clearly important to the plot of the play. Power is also a big theme in ‘Lysistrata, Or Loose Strife’ as it is what the women gain when they refuse to have sex with their husbands and in contrast, what the husbands lose when not making peace and stopping the war. In ‘Twelfth Night, Or What You Will’ there are several themes, such as love is a cause of suffering. Many of the characters seem to view love as a kind of curse, a feeling that attacks its victims suddenly and disruptively. Various characters claim to suffer painfully from being in love, or, rather, from the emotions linked with one-sided love. At one point, Orsino represents love unhappily as an â€Å"appetite† that he wants to satisfy and can’t. At another point, he calls his desires â€Å"fell and cruel hounds†. Olivia more bluntly describes love as a â€Å"plague† from which she suffers terribly. Another theme is the uncertainty of gender. ‘Twelfth Night, Or What You Will’ is one of Shakespeare’s ‘transvestite comedies’, in which a female character disguises herself as a man. This situation creates a ‘sexual mess’ as Viola falls in love with Orsino but can’t tell him because he thinks she is a man, while Olivia, who Orsino loves, falls for Viola in her disguise as Cesario. There is a clear homoerotic subtext, Olivia is in love with a woman, even if she thinks he is a man, and Orsino often remarks on Cesario’s beauty, suggesting that he is attracted to Viola even before her male disguise is removed. With ‘Beautiful Burnout’ and ‘Lysistrata, Or Loose Strife’ the theme of power is common in both plays but is shown in different ways. ‘Twelfth Night, Or What You Will’ has completely different themes to do with issues that were not as forthright as they are now in modern day society, such as homosexuality and gender uncertainty. Throughout this essay, it is clear that there are many similarities and differences, some obvious, some hidden, within the plays. However, not all the plays included something that every play had, such as ‘Beautiful Burnout’ and ‘Lysistrata, Or Loose Strife’ being informal, and ‘Twelfth Night, Or What You Will’ being formal, and the style of language used. It’s also obvious that with themes and genres, there can be similarities but they are generalised and don’t have specific details that are the exact same. It seems that ‘Beautiful Burnout’ and ‘Lysistrata, Or Loose Strife’ are quite similar compared to ‘Twelfth Night, Or What You Will’ which seems ti be completely different to the other plays and contrasts with the style of writing, themes and genres of both of the other plays.

Influence of Childhood Aerobic Fitness: Learning and Memory

Influence of Childhood Aerobic Fitness: Learning and Memory STUDENT NAME: Saghar Ahmadi DIRECTIONS: Please follow the Assessment 2 instructions carefully. Type your answers straight into this document. USE APA STYLE REFERENCING TO PROVIDE DETAILS OF YOUR ARTICLE HERE (2 MARKS): Raine, L. B., Lee, H. K., Saliba, B. J., Chaddock-Heyman, L., Hillman, C. H., Framer, A. F. (2013). The Influence of Childhood Aerobic Fitness on Learning and Memory. PLoS ONE, 8(9). Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0072666 DESCRIBE THE MAIN PURPOSE OR PROBLEM PRESENTED IN THIS ARTICLE (5 MARKS): The main purpose of the article was to determine whether aerobic fitness enhances learning abilities, specifically memory, on a task where participants were asked to remember and recall fictitious names and locations on a map (Raine et al., 2013). Multiple strategies and procedures were implemented to better see and understand how fitness affects learning (Raine et al., 2013). This purpose was brought about through research which indicated a link between physically inactive children and certain health issues, such as being overweight, as well as decreased cognitive abilities, in terms of tasks pertaining to perception, memory and cognition (Raine et al., 2013). LIST THE HYPOTHESES OR RESEARCH QUESTIONS (5 MARKS): It was hypothesized that, in difficult situations, children who took part in physical exercise would have enhanced memory and learning (Raine et al., 2013). Also, the researchers proposed that the results would show when the enhancement of memory and learning occurs; it could either be during initial learning, retention or both (Raine et al., 2013). DESCRIBE WHETHER THIS RESEARCH COULD BE CLASSIFIED AS â€Å"LABORATORY† OR â€Å"FIELD† RESEARCH (3 MARKS): Field research entails research taking place in a more uncontrolled ‘real world’ environment such as a zoo. For this reason, this research cannot be reasonably classified as field research and is therefore, laboratory research because it was conducted in controlled conditions in a facility (Raine et al., 2013). This can be seen through tests which participants underwent, such as the VO2max test which required a motorised treadmill (Raine et al., 2013). It can be assumed that the treadmill was used safely inside a facility. DESCRIBE THE SAMPLE THAT WAS USED IN THIS RESEARCH (5 MARKS): The sample originally consisted of forty-nine children, aged 9-10 (27 participants were females), however, one participant was excluded from the analysis so the number of participants in the end was forty-eight (Raine et al., 2013). DESCRIBE THE TYPES OF METHODS THAT WERE USED (5 MARKS): On day 1, after giving consent, the legal guardians and participants completed a series of questionnaires, including the: Pre Participation Health Screening, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Rating Scale IV, health history questionnaire, a demographics questionnaire and the Modified Tanner Staging System (Raine et al., 2013). The last test the participants completed is the maximal oxygen consumption test which tested their fitness levels and determined if they qualified for the study (Raine et al., 2013). The data was then compiled and evaluated relative to the age and gender of participants (Raine et al., 2013). If participants scored above the 70th percentile for their respective age and gender then they were classified as HF – High Fit, and those below the 30th percentile were considered LF – Low fit (Raine et al., 2013). Participants scoring in between those two scores were excluded from the study (Raine et al., 2013). On day 2 learning occurred (Raine et al., 2013). The participants were to remember the four letter names of 10 regions on two different fictitious maps (20 regions across both maps), using two different learning strategies – study only (SO) and test study (TS) (Raine et al., 2013). The participants were randomly placed in the four groups and explanations were provided regarding each learning strategy (Raine et al., 2013). The participants were allowed to practice on a separate sample map (using an iPad) and ask any questions (Raine et al., 2013). The SO group began by looking at the names of the regions on the map for 3 seconds each, then trying to remember whatever they could (Raine et al., 2013). After this, the SO learning strategy occurred wherein participants had 6 seconds to tap on the region name located correctly on the map (Raine et al., 2013). This was done for all the regions 6 times (Raine et al., 2013). Each time, the participants were asked to remember the region names for the upcoming blocks and for the next day (Raine et al., 2013). The TS group, were also exposed to the region names for 3 seconds and asked to remember what they could of the map (Raine et al., 2013). They then went through the 10 regions 6 times, as the SO group did (Raine et al., 2013). Each time, the region names were displayed for 6 seconds, including a 4 second test phase and a 2 second study phase (Raine et al., 2013). In the test phase the participants were asked to tap on the map regions which corresponded to the region names, as the names were located outside of the regions (Raine et al., 2013). After this, the correct region name was displayed in the right location for 2 seconds—the study phase. Participants were asked to remember what they could regarding the region names for the next day (Raine et al., 2013). On day 3 the participants attempted to recall the region names through either undergoing a free recall test or a cued recall test (Raine et al., 2013). A free recall test included the participants being shown a blank map, on an iPad, with textboxes on each region which they were to name (Raine et al., 2013). Cued recall consisted of participants being shown the same blank map, however, they had the region names listed, like a word bank (Raine et al., 2013). The participants then wrote the region name in the textboxes on the map (Raine et al., 2013). DISCUSS THE RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS OF THIS RESEARCH (5 MARKS): The results showed that firstly, in the test study (TS) condition, with every block, high fit (HF) participants had an increased accuracy percentage, in terms of correct answers as opposed to the low fit (LF) participants (Raine et al., 2013). Also, the TS condition yielded the most correct answers when recalling regions on the map, as opposed to the SO condition (Raine et al., 2013). In the TS condition, the HF group scored higher than the LF group (Raine et al., 2013). Also, HF and LF participants in the TS condition with cued recall proved to be the most efficient method which got the most percentage of answers correct on recall day (Raine et al., 2013). Therefore, based on these results it can be concluded that physical exercise does improve learning abilities as the HF participants scored on average higher, in both SO and TS conditions, than LF participants (Raine et al., 2013). However, the learning strategy as well as the type of recall also heavily impacts whether the participants will score better (Raine et al., 2013). In this particular case the test study strategy with cued recall produced a higher percentage of accurate answers (Raine et al., 2013). DESCRIBE YOUR OPINION OR REACTION TO THIS RESEARCH- BE CRITICAL IN AN OBJECTIVE AND SCIENTIFIC WAY (5 MARKS): Overall, I think it is a sound research paper. Firstly, in terms of ethics, the researchers obtained consent from the legal guardians of the children as they were underage and seeing as they may not have understood many of the questionnaires, the researchers made sure that their guardians completed them. Also, the researchers implemented particular methods so that that harm is minimised to the participants and so participants are able to better understand the research. For example, the OMNI scale was implemented whilst the children completed the VO2max test which allowed them to indicate to the researchers how tired they were based on pictures and participants were allowed to ask questions about anything they did not understand (Raine et al., 2013). Although the research stands to simply prove yet again that aerobic exercise is beneficial for learning and memory, it The only negatives are that in the sample size there is an uneven ratio of females to males and the age is restricted only to 9-10 year olds. This indicates that the results cannot be strictly generalised to the public because of the limited size and representation, however the basis of the results can be applied to those who are physically active.

A Study On Change Management Commerce Essay

A Study On Change Management Commerce Essay Accepting change is considered the biggest paranoia in todays world. Organizations both business and non-business confront a challenging world. Some of the challenges that are faced by managers today include competition from other firms, globalization, and technological changes besides others. Let us consider a small example that can set the stage for discussing the effects of change. Daily life in a modern society is like a routine, where we wake up in the mornings, have breakfast, go for work, have lunch, come back from work, eat dinner and then sleep again. It has become a scheduled life, or so to say, we conform to structure in our lives. This structure provides us the necessary security. But, if we were to live in a world full of anxiety and unexpected mechanisms, it may leave us feeling uneasy and apprehensive. If this is the condition of individuals, a large-scale change in an organization can surely transform its people into anxiety, exasperation, frustration, depression or even fatal incidents. To curb this, organizations practice what is to be referred to as Change Management. Change Management is a process whereby, the individual, team or the organization develops a planned approach towards any sort of an alteration. The objective is to capitalize the benefits for the people and lessen the risk of failure of implementation. Change management entails thoughtful planning and sensitive implementation, and most importantly, consultation with the people who are going to be involved in the process. This task studies how organizations have evolved to accept change. But let us first look at the drivers that affect organizational change: Ø Inadequate Financial Performance the 2008 economic slowdown can be well quoted as an example for this. Companies failing to reach their financial benchmarks, have to undergo change. Competitive organizations can cannibalize their market share, provided they enter with cheaper labor or superior technology. Failure to maintain the market share can force companies to rethink their opportunity cost and also the deployment of resources. Ø Changes in Strategic objectives many companies shift their focus from being product-driven to being customer-driven or even process-driven. To enable this, restructuring and re-orientation of processes, people are required of in the organization. Ø New Technology companies that neglect the new trends in the market are set to suffer a setback, and, therefore, should adapt to the changes in technology. Ø Mergers and Acquisitions when companies merge and consolidate their operations, people and the culture, re-engineering takes place. The streamlining of the operations, infrastructure and the structure of the two organizations into one centralized theme is a huge part of the change management process. These, could be defined as the drivers of change that evolve businesses and markets. Organizations, today, have learnt to adapt to change. In this era of globalization, fast-moving lives and business-centered organizations, people and the processes have accepted the transformation. For instance, a lot of investment banks had to undergo transformation during the economic slowdown. Citigroup Inc. restructured its banks and other affiliates during the recessionary period, to acclimatize with the new environment. And it did happen. The management has to ensure that a smooth shift occurs, and for this it adopts a number of organizational theories as a basis for effective change management. Some of them are listed in the next few paragraphs. The central challenge of changing peoples behavior and making them susceptible to change remains to be a huge challenge. John Kotter and Dan Cohen, discuss in their book The Heart of Change: real life stories of how people change their organizations discuss highly-successful organizations embark large-scale change. They say it moves through eight stages: What people do and what is to be done for them, requires systematic thinking and planning on the part of the management. It is necessary to build upon a sense of urgency in the people by inspiring them with the need that has arisen to undergo change. This could be done with relevant people in the organization first and then go onto include others. These could be referred to as the Change Agents. These agents can then create a team with the credibility, reputation and formal authority that can inspire change leadership. The visions, strategies and goals of the employees and the organization could be uplifted in this process but communication of these is of utmost important. The right communication can get the change process on an easy path. Every path has some definite barriers to action, and it is imperative to remove these as they would prove harmful. Empowering the people to act on their vision could lead to easy transition. Change cannot be brought about in a jiffy. It requires a lot of patience and observation on part of the organization, and therefore, small waves of change can lead to a bigger, better ocean of possibilities. When the change management process is nearly done, the new culture should remain stagnant until, the next change process comes around. This eight-step process of change would help to slide organizational change smoothly into organizational processes and functions and would bring about a new culture. The next theory of change is Kurt Lewins Three-Step Change theory. This theory is considered to be systematic and planned in its approach. It talks about three steps namely: The first step says to unfreeze or to change the existing behavior. This is necessary to overcome the strains of individual resistance. Some activities that can assist in this step are motivating the employees, building trust and recognition and letting the employees participate in brainstorming sessions and other group activities. The second step talks about taking the level of the employees to a new target level. In this stage, the employees are encouraged to work together, look at the changes from a new perspective, and support the change agents and the leaders in the process of change. The purpose of refreezing is to stabilize the new equilibrium and ensuring that the changes implemented are followed by the employees. There are many other theories that can catapult an organization into accepting change, namely, 7-S Framework by Mckinsey, Cultural Dimensions by Hofstede, Managerial Grid by Blake-Mouton, Causal Model of Organizational Performance and Change by Burke-Litwin, besides others. Organizations, today, understand the relevance of inclusion of its employees in the process of change management, and, therefore by implication of various models and theories, involve their people with full intention of their benefit. The Cognitive theory states the importance of understanding the thought processes of human beings, and this theory aids in the development of the theories and the models used by organizations for engaging their employees in the change management process. The next task studies the strengths and weaknesses of a Bureaucratic Organization. Task (b) Max Weber gave the concept of bureaucracy at the turn of the 20th century. For him, the ideal bureaucracy was defined by the terms efficiency, impersonality and rationality. The employees are subject to published codes of rules i.e. the ones that are available in writing. The structure of the organization is a continuous hierarchy where every level has authority on the level below it. Job holders have no rights to a particular position. Responsibilities are delineated within each level, which has its own sphere of competence. Technical competence is the basis for appointment to an office. The strengths and the weaknesses of the bureaucratic organization are described as below: Strengths : Increased control and monitoring of the upper level management More control over the employees with set rules and regulations Reporting relationships are clear and well-defined Centralized system, where all the decisions are monitored Weaknesses: Lack of innovation due to the set procedures and processes Employees are not motivated because of lesser employee participation and involvement Communication has to go through many levels, which gets distorted Encourages politics in the organization These are the strengths and the weaknesses of the bureaucratic organization. The organization chosen is BMW or Bayerische Motoren Werke which is headquartered in Munich, Germany and came into being in 1917. It has become one of the ten largest car manufacturers in the world. Long-term thinking and cornerstone thinking has been the reasons for their success. The prime objectives of their corporate strategy include striving for ecological and social sustainability, taking full responsibility for their products, and giving commitment towards their resources. It is for these objectives, that BMW has been the sector leader since the last five years, according to the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices. BMW holds the privilege of having some of the best brands in the world, to be their creations. These are the BMW Series, MINI and the Rolls Royce. These automobiles represent the finest and the most luxurious segment of the cars in the world. Along with the automotive concerns BMW is also employed with other services such as: Motorcycles BMW is also engaged with the development, production and the marketing of motorcycles. These motorcycles are set in standard with technology, environmental protection and outstanding customer pre-sales and after-sales services. Financial Services an extensive product portfolio is offered by BMW that supplies expert information and advice for situations and questions in relation with the finance sector. As stated in their Annual Report 2009, BMW is clear with their mission for 2020 where they are the worlds leading provider of premium products and services for individual mobility. More driving pleasure and less of emissions the BMW group is implementing on this principle, unlike the other automobile manufacturers by working on Efficient Dynamics technology. In 2007, BMW adopted the Number ONE strategy that focused on long-term value growth and profitability. The four pillars of this strategy are Future, Growth, Customers and Profitability. This strategy revolutionized the BMW group and put them on the path to success.BMW has about 24 production and assembly plants in 13 countries. The sales distribution network of BMW stands strong at 41 company-owned subsidiaries and more than 3,000 dealerships. The next task discusses and compares the ways of organizational development and aligns it with BMW. Task (c) Organization development consists of the activities that intervene in the interactions of the people and the systems, i.e. in the work culture and in the organizational design in order to increase the efficiency using a variety of applied behavioral sciences. Richard Beckhard in what is Organizational Development?, mentions that it is â€Å"an effort (1) planned, (2) organization-wide, and (3) managed from the top, to (4) increase organization effectiveness and health through (5) planned interventions in the organizations ‘processes, using behavioral-science knowledge.† The intervention techniques focus on four categories- the Interpersonal, team or group, intergroup and then the overall organizational intervention. Each intervention revolves around these four categories. Some of the important organization development interventions include: Survey Feedback is a part of intervening in the total organizational system. This methodology believes in taking feedback from the managers in the form of a survey conducted. The data is collected, the results are analyzed and then the means are developed to correct the situation. Process Consultation a behavioral effort, this intervention aims at the teams or the intergroup activities, where through interaction, the problem is resolved. Coaching and counseling are the means of influencing change. Goal setting the goals of every division in the organization is set. This aligns with the overall organizational objectives. This is an inter-group activity. Managerial Grid it consists of group and individual activities with a view to developing the managerial style, interpersonal competence and group effectiveness. Management by Objectives this tool developed by Peter Drucker, where the managers at different levels and their subordinates work together to establish and then achieve their goals. Re-engineering a radical redesigning of the people, processes and customer satisfaction that would obtain drastic changes in the performance. These are some of the ways in which organizational development is encouraged in the organization. The automotive industry undergoes structural changes in an uncertain economic climate. Manufacturers face a new set of challenges to their business models, designs and ultimately, their cost structures. Automotive companies have to ensure that their designs are fuel-efficient, light-weight, are cheap to produce and are desirable. In this era of globalization, where the consumer has become a think-tank and is conscious of its status and upbringing in the society, BMW as an organization has always believed in identifying demands, reflecting on the challenges and investing in the future. The group understands that success and sustainability belong together. The Sustainability Board at BMW continuously evaluates progress and determines the suitable strategic directions. Every employee at BMW is called upon to help implement the goal of sustainability and responsibility. Of the ways of organizational development that have been discussed above, the intervention of Re-engineering would suit the framework of BMW. This organizational development intervention would seek to radically transform all the processes and gain quantum leaps in the processes. This model would look at the overall improvement at BMW and would even make amendments in the separate divisions. The level of changes that can be implemented in BMW would include: Structural changes change at the level of the structure of the organization. Inclusion of new members in the committee. BMW continuously evaluates its board members and members of the supervisory board. Also, mergers and acquisitions could bring about a hefty change in the organization. Technical changes hybrid and fuel-efficient cars are the demands of the environment and the industry today. BMW faces the challenge of promoting social and ecological aspects as resource-friendly and effective alternatives on the supplier markets. This is the ecological change that BMW needs to apply in its operations. One of the objectives of BMW is reduce the resource consumption and emissions by another 30% as compared to the 2006 level. BMW is already exercising these options by way of applying the Efficient Dynamics Technology. Changes in the Human Resources people are the most important element in any organization. BMW ensures that its employees are satisfied and that they meet the targets of their Strategy Number ONE, as discussed before. In fact, for any organization, organizational development for its employees is of utmost importance. And that is why, BMW holds its members as the strongest pillar in its Strategy Number ONE. With the help of the Balanced Scorecard method, BMW ensures that its members achieve their targets which are also in view with achieving the company-wide objectives. The human resources department attracts mainly the high performers with the highest competencies. Also, cross-functional training, ideal job description are some of the ways in which the employees are encouraged to challenge the changing environments. One of the powerful programmes of BMW is called â€Å"Drive† for the young professionals with only up to three years of experience. The next part deals with the development of systems for understanding and involving others in the process of change. PART II Task (a) In todays fast paced business environment, companies need to have flexible and planned business operations to facilitate radical change. Change to company processes requires dedicated planning, and its become imperative to align resources and employees to the companys objectives and goals. Adopting long term-change, strategic planning in the business units, building performance metrics, management-encouraged ideas, employee training and development are some of the critical success factors that would help infuse change in the organization. Of these, the most important is the Stakeholder Analysis. This analysis helps in creating and documenting those policies that would be in the interest of the stakeholders. This analysis would help in aggrandizing the process of change management of the organization. Stakeholder Analysis is a process of gathering and analyzing qualitative data in relation to those to whom the interests of the organization are worthwhile. This data is taken into account while deciding upon a particular policy or a program to be implemented. Stakeholders are the persons or organization with vested interest in the policy being promoted. These stakeholders can be the international donors, national/political figures, public agencies, labor, civil society and the users/consumers. There are eight major steps that are involved in this process: Kammi Schmeer provides these eight steps in Stakeholder Analysis Guidelines, and regards this information to be useful for other analyses as well. This system would help in developing and in introducing change in the organization. When this analysis would be conducted before the policy is implemented then, the policy makers and the managers can act to prevent any potential misunderstanding or opposition. This would enable the program to succeed most likely. BMW already exercises good stakeholder engagement policies in their organization. It believes in the principle of ‘Listen, understand and act. In 2009, BMW hosted its first Stakeholder Roundtable where experts from various environmental, societal and organizational concerns were present. They discussed the issues relating to product strategies and lessen the resource consumption across the value chain. BMW regularly holds stakeholder surveys, employee surveys and commits to sustainability initiatives. Task (b) After developing the system for engaging the stakeholders in the implementation of change, the organization is still most likely to receive resistance. In the light of transitions, it is almost natural for stakeholders to resist change. The most affected in the changing circumstances are the employees. Humans have a desire for perpetual stability, especially in their jobs and roles. And hence, the urge to resist is dominant. Many processes recognize and tend to overcome resistance in an organization. Some of them are: Individual Interviews these would help in determining the exact thought processes that are prevailing in the minds of the stakeholders Commitment Plan- all the stakeholders and the members of the organization should be committed to the change plan. And this would majorly succeed, if the top-level management inspire leadership and help create a conducive environment to change Communication of decisions as soon as the decisions are taken, they should be intimated to the stakeholders. The same should be done with care and honor for the stakeholders, respecting the past traditions and describing the advantages of a changed future. Input every stakeholder that is going to be affected by the change plan should be given a chance to express the views, but in a defined and composed manner. A systematic plan should be developed. Rewards successful implementation and cooperation should be credited with compensatory rewards. Evaluation after the necessary changes have been implemented, the organization should evaluate the strategic changes on continual basis. This evaluation is of utmost importance to the stakeholders, as then the effects of the new policy or programme would be known to the policy makers. This would help in making amendments and improvising further. PART III This part deals with the plan that would be required to implement ongoing change in the organization. Task (a) Every organization needs to gain competitive advantage in todays world. Taking a holistic approach towards the process can assure the company to adopt the right mindset from the first go. There are various models for implementation of change management in an organization. Some of the models that would aid in proper change management especially in BMW are described as below. 1. ADKAR Change Model by Prosci This a goal oriented change model that allows the management teams to focus their activities on the business results. This acronym is characterized by the words Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement. There should be Awareness for the need for change; a Desire to participate and support the change; Knowledge of how to change; Ability to change on a day-to-day basis and Reinforcement to keep the change in place. This model can be used to: Ø Diagnose the resistance of employees to change Ø Help the employees in accepting the transition Ø Create a successful action plan for personal and professional management Ø Develop a change management plan This model helps in identifying why the changes are not working and what could be done to implement the changes. 2. The 4-D process of Appreciative Enquiry This model by David Cooperrider talks about the change interventions that can take process via the 4-D way: Ø Discovery mobilizing a whole system enquiry Ø Dream envisioning the impact Ø Design co-constructing the future with the stakeholders Ø Delivery Sustaining the Change Organizations, says this theory, are centers of human relations and thrive only when there is an appreciative eye. Kurt Lewins Three-Stage model has been discussed before is a powerful tool in bring about the necessary changes in an organization. BMW, as an organization has learnt to adapt flexibly to any new situation. There are some recommendations that need to be applied by BMW in its organization to foster easy change acceptance by the employees. These are: Temporal Flexibility in this module, the employees should be able to take advantage of flexible work time models. They can work part-time or even full time. In motion- geographically and professionally not only geographical expansion, BMW should ensure that it does not exceed the head count of its employees. It is necessary to have skilled labor in order to survive new technologies and new markets Staff-oriented leadership the staff should be meant to lead the way into the organization. Active Participation BMW should encourage innovation and improvement culture by giving its staff numerous opportunities to have a share in the companys future. They should have the right to give in suggestions and ideas. Co-evaluate staff surveys should be held regularly at BMW to evaluate the effects of change in the organization Total Quality Management the quality at BMW should be enhanced and maintained at all levels. Care should be taken to avoid any mistakes. BMW is a technology-driven organization, and therefore, should apply the above given recommendations. If these are implemented practically, then it would be easier for the stakeholders to accept the new policies which would be based on successful past data. Task (b) In order to ensure that a correct change management plan has been implemented, a plan needs to be developed. This plan is divided into three phases that has been developed by ages of research by Prosci: Phase 1 Preparation for change Phase 2- Managing the change Phase 3 Reinforcing the Change Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 There are various possible outcomes that an organization would experience after successful implementation of the plan. These are: Greater organizational effectiveness Improved work quality and morale Enhanced cooperation and collaboration in work Better customer service Increased ROI Reduced time to implement change This plan can be implemented in BMW by operating not only horizontally but even in the vertical structure. Every division of BMW should exercise this plan and work upon it in making the recommended changes. This effective plan would be able to result in fruitful changes in BMW, and help them in achieving their Strategy Number ONE with ease. Reference List Books 1. Handy, Charles, (1990), â€Å"The Age of Unreason†, Harvard Business School Press, United States of America 2. Kotter, John; Cohen, Dan, (2002), â€Å"The Heart of Change†, Harvard Business School Press, United States of America 3. Weber, Max , (1947), â€Å"The Theory of Social and Economic Organization†, Collier Macmillan Publishers, London PDF files 1. Schmeer, Kammi, â€Å"Stakeholder Analysis Guidelines†. http://new.paho.org/hss/documents/policytoolkitforstrengtheninghealthsectorreformpartii-EN.pdf 2. Beckhard, Richard, â€Å"What is Organizational Development?†. http://media.wiley.com/product_data/excerpt/64/07879842/0787984264.pdf 3. â€Å"Prosci Change Management Series† http://www.prosci.com/prosci_change_series.pdf 4. BMW Annual Report 2009 http://www.bmwgroup.com/annualreport2009/_downloads/BMW_Group_2009.pdf 5. BMW Sustainability Value Report 2009 http://www.bmwgroup.com/e/0_0_www_bmwgroup_com/verantwortung/publikationen/sustainable_value_report_2008/_pdf/SVR_2008_engl_Gesamtversion.pdf

Essay example --

Thailand Introduction A. Thailand is located in Southeast Asia in the Indochina peninsula. The country makes up around 198,117 square miles and is bordered by Burma, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia. Some well-known rivers that flow through Thailand are the Chao Phraya River and the Mekong River. The estimated population is approximately 67,448,120 with 75% being Thai, 14% being Chinese, and 11% categorized under â€Å"other†. Thailand is governed under a constitutional monarchy headed by King Rama IX. It joined the United Nations in 1946 after World War II. Thailand’s population has risen 6.2 % since 2010 and is undergoing mild population growth. Demographic Data (a.) Thailand’s birth rate has been steadily decreasing through the years. In 2000 the birth rate stood at 16.86 (births per 1000 population). Today however the birth rate sits at 12.66. (b.) The death rate in Thailand is at 7.47 (deaths per 1000 population). This means since the death rate is lower than the birth rate there are on average twice as more births than deaths in Thailand. (c.) The fertility rate has also been declini...

The Life and Work of C.G. Jung Reconsidered Essay -- C.G. Jung Biograp

The Life and Work of C.G. Jung Reconsidered   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In my original paper on Carl Gustav Jung, I took a rather skeptical view of the doctor and his work, for several reasons that I will reiterate. However, after studying further into his work, I realized that these objections only related to his early psychiatric cases, and I found myself to be far more intrigued and impressed by his later work and theories. While I had stated in my first consideration of Jung that, â€Å"there is a frustratingly limited, almost biased quality to much of†¦ his work†, I was pleasantly surprised later on to find that many of his later theories and assumptions were anything but limited. I still believe that in his early case work he took tremendous risks, both clinically and professionally, yet it is that risk-taking aspect of his personality that ultimately allowed, or rather, propelled him to boldly go forward with some of his most groundbreaking and controversial contributions to the fields of psychology, and philosophy as well. It can even be said, and has been, that Dr. Jung is the father of modern â€Å"new-age† thinking. He also laid the groundwork for those who were inspired by his thoughts, perhaps much in the way that he himself was originally inspired by Freud. Once again, while my original opinion of Dr. Jung caused me to â€Å"wonder how much of Jung’s work was truly visionary, and how much of it benefits from a positive hindsight bias because of the successes he was able to achieve† in his early casework, I must say that my current opinion, early casework aside, is that Jung was in fact truly visionary, and was the originator of some of the most revolutionary conceptual thinking that the human experience has to offer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I will begin by giving a short background on Dr. Jung’s life, revisiting some of my objections to his early case work, and then move on to the ideas and concepts that caused me to reconsider his work as a whole.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Carl Gustav Jung was born on July 26th, 1875 in Kesswil, Switzerland, the only son of Johannes Paul Achilles Jung, a Swiss Reformed Church Evangelical minister. He was a strange, melancholic child with no brothers or sisters until he was nine years old. The family was steeped in religion, as he had eight uncles in the clergy as well as his maternal grandfather, Samuel Preiswerk, a respected pastor in Basel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In school Jung gravitated... ...’s experience from the practical to the mystical These theoretical concepts developed by Dr. Jung are what caused the hypothesis and negativity of my original consideration of him to be replaced by a deep respect and, in fact, an almost gleeful fascination with his work. I am discovering that quite a few people find that Jung has a great deal to say to them. This tends to include writers, artists, musicians, film makers, theologians, clergy of all denominations, students of mythology, and of course, and many psychologists In conclusion, my opinion on Carl Gustav Jung has come full circle. In a sense, the very qualities about him that I found troubling initially are the same qualities that allowed him to be brave enough to defy and question, at first, Freud, and later perhaps the entire psychiatric establishment base, and come up with theories and concepts that are still being built upon. There are elements of his work in the Humanistic approach, Existentialism, and obviously the various Jungians, and neo-Jungians that continue to explore the meaning he was able to give to what previously held little meaning. Dr. Jung’s work was visionary, to say the least, visionary indeed.

The Mathematics of Map Coloring :: Colors Science Essays

The Mathematics of Map Coloring The four-color conjecture has been one of several unsolved mathematical problems. From 1852 to this day, practically every mathematician has studied the problem long and hard, but to no avail. The conjecture looks as though it has been solved by Wolfgang Haken and Kenneth Appel, both of the University of Illinois. They have used computer technology to prove the conjecture. The calculation itself goes on for about 1200 hours. The staggering length of the computation of the proof is what creates some controversy in the mathematical world. The Appel-Haken Theorem is based on numerous assumptions, â€Å"that there is an overwhelmingly great probability that their method of proof must succeed.† [3] It assumes that the theory itself is correct, but the theory itself is also an assumption. You can see why this issue has been wreaking havoc for many years. It all started back in 1852 when Francis Guthrie was coloring a map of England. He wanted to know the least amount of colors, or chromatic number, it would take to color the map so no two adjacent regions are of the same color. He found the chromatic number to be four. He then studied arbitrary maps and wondered if all maps could be colored with four colors. Francis’ curiosity would be in the minds of all mathematicians to come. He then passed this question on to his brother, Frederick. He then submitted this to his professor Augustus deMorgan as a mathematical conjecture. deMorgan was fascinated by the Four-Color problem and wrote in a letter to his colleague Sir William Rowan Hamilton the next day after seeing the conjecture. Hamilton was less enlightened by it, and never worked on it. It was through deMorgan that the Four-Color problem was made known, thus deMorgan has incorrectly been dubbed the originator of the problem. Eventually the hype surrounding the conjecture died down in the early 1860’s. This down time, during which interest in the problem was minimal, only lasted about twenty years. A lawyer by the name of Alfred Bray Kempe proposed a solution in The American Journal of

Reflection on Taking Blood Pressure

A REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT OF A LEARNT SIMULATED SKILL BLOOD PRESSURE. The aim of this essay is to reflect and discuss my knowledge acquired in a simulated learning skill experience which forms part of my training as a student nurse in accordance with the Nurses and Midwifery Council (NMC 2010). (Marieb and Hoehn, 2010, p 703) defined Blood Pressure (BP) as ‘the force per unit area exerted on a vessel wall by the contained blood, and is expressed in millimetres of mercury (mm Hg)’. BP is still one of the essential and widely used assessment tools in healthcare settings.Nurses generally record the arterial BP which is the forced exerted blood that flows through the arteries, to establish a baseline and to determine any risk factors. BP composes of two measurements, the systolic and diastolic pressure. The systolic pressure is when the ventricle contracts and the blood is at the peak normally an average adult is around 120mmHg (Marieb & Hoehn 2010). The diastolic pressure is low er within the arteries and always present when the ventricles are at rest and the aortic valve is close.This essay will discuss the measuring and recording of BP of a colleague in a skills laboratory. During the skills practice, a colleagues BP was measured in the skills laboratory. There are two methods for recording BP direct and indirect with this session it was the indirect technique. The manual auscultatory method measured in the arm on the brachial artery (Richards, and Edwards, 2008). I introduced myself as a student nurse and then explained the procedure involved systematically to relieve any anxieties. The patient needs to understand the process in order to consent (NMC 2010).Ensuring a relaxed and calm environment is essential, emotional and temperature variation and can affect the readings. Hand washing is essential to reduce and prevent the spread of infections especially cross-infection ((Dougherty and Lister 2011). I washed and dried my hands appropriately, after which the equipments were assessed. The equipments used were aneroid sphygmomanometer which had been calibrated and working, a range of cuffs to ensure the right size for the hand, a stethoscope, detergent wipes, a pillow for the hand, a pen and my ote book for documentation. A sphygmomanometer composes of a compression bag, an inflating bulb that is pumped to increase pressure, a manometer to read the pressure applied and is deflated by a control valve. This colleague was sitting, BP may be taken when patients are sitting or lying down not when moving or talking to ensure accurate readings (Jamieson, Whyte and McCall 2007). Primarily BP may be measured in both arms. There may be variations in results for some people especially the elderly it is recommended that the arm with the highest readings is utilized.Patient’s arms should be free of clothing, positioned at heart level and maintained to ensure accurate reading (British Heart Society 2006). Seated in a comfortable position, p alpated the radial and brachial pulse, and then applied the correct size of the sphygmomanometer on the arm. According to the (British Heart Society 2006) 40% of the width and 80% of the arm circumference may be the length of the cuff bladder. Large or small cuffs may result in inaccurate readings. Next palpated the radial pulse then wrapped the cuff round the arm, inflated till the pulse was obliterated.Placed the bladder on the artery and higher to the elbow, allowing the cuffs inferior edge 2 to 3cm over the brachial artery. This will enhance accurate reading allowing easy palpitation of the artery. The patient should be still and quiet through the procedure. Again the brachial artery was palpated, the stethoscope placed firmly on the bare skin on the palpable pulse of the brachial artery as the bulb was used to inflate the cuff immediately for an additional 20 to 30mmHg above the earlier reading (Bickley and Szilagyi 2009). This avoids too much distress as the cuff is inflated n ot more than20 to 30mmhg over the assumed systolic level.The cuff is deflated at a rate of 2 to 3 mmHg per second, on hearing the first pulse, the Korotkoff sound that is the systolic BP which should be recorded from the gauge. The Korotkoff sound is constantly monitored as the cuff continues to be deflated slowly until the pulse sounds have disappeared. Then the fifth Korotkoff sound was recorded as the diastolic BP after another 10 to 20 mmHg the cuff may be completely deflated to avoid limb compression. After the procedure is complete the patient should be informed and left comfortable; the results must be explained and documented.The colleagues BP recorded were 125/80mmHg which was normal. NHS Choices (2012) classifies an ideal BP ranges from 90/60mm/Hg and 140/90mmHg. Around 30% of people who live in England have high blood pressure. A BP reading higher than 140/90mmHg is called Hypertension and one lower than 90/60mmHg is called Hypotension. BP reading may vary depending on ag e, obesity, medications and exercise like running, jogging and jumping. White Coat Syndrome can also affect BP results (Williams, Poulter and Brown 2004). BP was performed on the brachial artery, with some patients it may be inappropriate, alternative sites may have to be considered.BP may be measured in the thigh, underneath the cuff with the stethoscope positioned above the posterior popliteal artery for patients prone with middle bladder (Dougherty and Lister 2011). Due to the environment there was one aspect not done properly, which was ensuring privacy, in future practice procedures must be explained and performed in a quiet environment in a hospital the curtains must closed (NMC 2010). This will provide more accurate results and also alleviate any anxiety the patients may have before or after the procedure.Some results may need further treatments and advice, which should be discussed privately. The second aspect of the simulated learning skill which needs further development i s accuracy in measuring and reading of BP results. During the simulated skills due to the noise within the room it was difficult to hear the first Korotkoff sound. Accurate reading determine prognosis for commencing, assessing and terminating patient’s treatments. According to (NMC 2010) as a student nurse I need to perform this skill efficiently, consistently, with an accurate recording.BP measurement is vital, considering consistency of all nurses and equipments to minimise errors that may contribute to discrepancies in results which can affect clinical treatment decisions. It is recommended that all equipments should be maintained and calibrated regularly in accordance with (NICE 2011) guidelines. The environment should be suitable for BP measurement; if the room temperature is cold it may result in vasoconstriction leading to a high BP and an inaccurate reading. Maintaining adequate space, the patient should be comfortable throughout the procedure to avoid any stress whic h can affect he results. The room should be quiet, so that the Korotkoff sounds can be heard at the appropriate time; all equipment and measurement area reflecting correct body posture and the aneroid sphygmomanometer not obstructed for accessible accurate readings. Ensuring accurate BP results will assist nurses when taking the next reading to recognize how the baseline was determined and assist with the patient’s treatment. Compassion is the key of nursing is empathizing, treating people how you would like to be treated and is expressed from within the act of caring (Chambers R. and Ryder E. 009). Approaching a patient with the right posture is essential; body language should reflect empathy and warmth. By greeting the person with a smile and sitting with the right posture and at the right level will make the patient feel welcome. Throughout the procedure I maintained the right distance ensuring my colleague was comfortable and not distracted by my posture. It is important to use the right tone of voice to explain the procedure to the patient, which may help to calm anxieties. Applying this approach may make the patient feel relaxed and willing to open up.Some patients may be worried about the results explaining it to them with the right posture and voice may make reduce their fears . maintained a reasonable eye contact Anxiety can increase BP; in order to ensure accurate results patients may be reassured and calmed . A breathing technique may help alleviate fears and worries of patients. Ensuring a relaxed and quiet environment is a vital tool for assessments. According to (McCabe and Timmins 2006) Nurses need to interact and relate to patients feelings positively so as not to cause them more pain. Establishing a relationship, to identify and share in their pain and stress.Understanding the patient, will enable them connect and relate more and freely with nurses to efficiently deal with their illness. In conclusion this essay has taught me the import ance of BP in assessing a patient. It has also enabled me to gain knowledge of how accuracy of the BP results is vital for clinical intervention. Also how privacy will help to assist the patient when delivering care. Applying Compassion and understanding may help me to explain the benefits of BP and the complications of not adhering to treatment to the patient. I need to develop my two aspects accurate reading and maintaining privacy for future practice.I have learnt to perform BP more confidently and also in future if any abnormalities are discovered it is important to inform my mentor. This reflective essay has helped me to explore and identify my short falls. Developing the According to the (NMC Code 2010) accurate reading and recording of skills must be adhered to at all times. This essay has taught me the important of Blood Pressure in caring for a patient. References: Bickley, L. S. , and Szilagyi, P. G. (2009) Bates’ Guide to Physical Examination and History taking, 10 th edn. London: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Blood Pressure Asso Available at: http://www. bpassoc. rg. uk/Supportingyou/NICE2011/Patients80 (Accessed :28 April 2012) Chambers, C. and Ryder E, (2009) Compassion and caring in nursing. U. K. Radcliffe Publishing Ltd. Dougherty, L. and Lister, S. The Royal Marsden Hospital Manual of Clinical Nursing Procedures 8th edn. U. K. Blackwell Publishing. Jameison,E. M. Whyte, L. A. and McCall, J. M. (2007) Clinical Nursing Practices 5th edn. Philadelphia :Elsevier Ltd. Marieb, E. M. and Hoehn, K. (2010) Human Anatomy and Physiology. 8th edn. San Francisco U. S: Pearson Benjamin Cummings. NHS Choices Helping you prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease Available at: ttp://www. nhs. uk/Planners/NHSHealthCheck/Pages/Healthybloodpressure. aspx (Accessed: 28 April 2012) Nursing and Midwifery Council (2010) the Code. Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives. London: NMC. Richards, A. and Edwards, S. (2008) A Nurses Survival Guide to the ward 2nd edn. Philadelphia :Elsevier Ltd. Smith, J. and Roberts R, (2011) Vital Signs for Nurses, U. K. Blackwell Publishing Ltd Williams, B. , Poulter, N. R. and Brown, J. R. (2004) â€Å"Guidelines for management of Hypertension† report of fourth working party of the British hypertension Society, 2004-BHSIV. Journal of Human Hypertension.

Eastern Religions Essay

As far as the studies of Eastern religions show, the founders and saints of the religions exemplify the central virtues of the community. There is no wonder that this feature characterizes the religions because there is always a thirst for perfection in every community and in every nation. In Indian culture, the main figures are Buddha, Yudhishtira and Arjuna. Buddha represents the virtue of giving up comfort for the highest good and following the Eightfold path (right speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, concentration, view and intentions). Yudhishtira represents the virtues of wisdom and justice. Yudhishtira lived for justice, and patiently suffered humiliation and exile. An important representative of Indian culture is Arjuna whose greatest virtues were morality, duty, the idea of karma yoga, acting with holy indifference. We can conclude that all the mentioned central figures reflect the main virtues in Indian culture because the virtues which are the most valued in Indian lecture have always been wisdom, justice, holy indifference. In Chinese culture central figures are Confucius and Lao Tzu. Confucius represents the virtue of goodness which includes an effective concern for well-being of others, rightness, loyalty, knowledge and trust. On the contrary, Lao Tzu completely disagrees with Confucius’ ethics and represents the ideals of primitive utopia without the corrupting accoutrements of civilization. Thus, Confucius’ ethics rather shows the ideals which are reflected in Chinese culture because high morals and values play an important role in their culture. In our opinion, it’s very important for religions to have a central figure of a perfect person because it gives people an idea that they have to be like him and they become kinder. The readings about the mentioned central figures in religions support my opinion that Eastern religions devote lots of attention to questions of high morals and this makes the nations virtuous.

Ikea History and Swot Essay

History Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA’s founder, has a very intriguing and impressive life story. Kamprad was a very intelligent young Swedish boy who quickly turned into the 5th wealthiest man in the world. His net worth is now $4.2 billion. At a very early age Kamprad started his selling knowledge. When he was just 5 years old he would buy matches in bulk at a cheap store in Stockholm and re-sell them around his neighborhood at low prices, but enough to make a hefty profit. Kamprad’s selling continued and expanded from flowers to greeting cards to pencils and pens throughout the 1920’s. As Kamprads business skills increased he began studying the retail prices of different items in Sweden. He recognized that furniture prices had increase by 41% in 1935 and realized how profitable this area of retailing could be. In 1943, at age 17 Kamprad received money from his father for his successful studies and used the money to create a business. IKEA was then formed, standing for Ingvar Kamprads initials (I.K.) and the first letter of the farm he lived on, Elmtaryd (E) and the first letter of the village he lived in, Agunnard (A.) Kamprad created his furniture line in 1948 aiming for furniture that would be affordably priced. He began only selling his furniture through magazine advertisements. In 1953 the first showroom opened in Almhult Sweden. This was the first time consumers could physically see and feel the IKEA furniture before ordering them. 3 years later the need for flat packs and self-assembly furniture gave rise; one of IKEA’s co-workers had to remove the legs of a table to fit into their car without damaging the surroundings. (â€Å"IKEA Official Page†) In 1958 the first IKEA store was opened in Almhult Sweden. It was the largest furniture store in Scandinavia at the time with 6,700 square meters. Two years after the opening the store Kamprad introduced the first IKEA restaurant which was located inside the furniture store building. Kamprad expanded his store outside of Sweden in 1963 by opening an IKEA store in Norway. Within ten years IKEA stores were being opened outside of Scandinavian countries and expanding into 3 more continents (â€Å"IKEA Official Webpage†.) One of the most recent expansions was into the Dominican Republic in 2010. IKEA is in the process of opening new stores and developing the most innovative furniture products of today. Store Locations After IKEA opened in Sweden in 1958, it quickly moved into other Scandinavian countries opening stores in Norway in 1963 and in Denmark in 1969. Throughout the 1970’s IKEA rapidly spread through Europe. The first store outside of Scandinavia opened in Switzerland and quickly after IKEA made its presence in Germany. In 1975 IKEA arrived in Australia and opened its first store in Sydney. Throughout the 1970’s IKEA also opened stores in Japan, Hong Kong, The Netherlands and Singapore. Germany has IKEA’s biggest market with 46 stores in the country. Following Germany is the United States with 38 stores across the country. As of right now, IKEA has not appeared in developing countries, but is still planning for more global expansion (Countries.) IKEA group has continued growing every year and is now a large retail experience with over 123,000 co-workers. IKEA’s employees help generate annual sales of more than 21.5 billion dollars. The stores locations are placed strategically. The location is near major roads, freeways and public transportation. Although the stores are not normally placed in densely populated areas, IKEA is still successful and reaps high traffic due to the Huff Gravity model. Since IKEA stores are so large and carry a wide range of products, people are willing to travel a further distance to their stores. The largest IKEA store is in Stockholm, Sweden with a size of 55,200 square meters and following behind it is the Shanghai, China store with a size of 49,400 square meters (â€Å"IKEA†) In 2011 IKEA announced a plan to build a wind farm in Sweden to help IKEA achieve its ecological goal of running on 100 percent renewable energy. The next year IKEA made another announcement about the company creating a chain of 100 economy hotels in Europe. However, these IKEA hotels will not follow the same IKEA brand name and will not be furnished with IKEA’s furniture. The list below contains the country and number of IKEA stores present in the country, ranked in order of their opening dates: Sweden (17), Norway (6), Denmark (5), Switzerland (7), Germany (46), Japan (5), Australia (7), Canada (12), Hong Kong (3), Austria (6), Singapore (2), The Netherlands (12), Spain (15), Iceland (1), France (28), Saudi Arabia (3), Belgium (6), Kuwait (1), United States (38), United Kingdom (18), Italy (20), Hungary (2), Poland (8), Czech Republic (5), United Arab Emirates (2), Slovakia (1), Taiwan (4), Finland (4), Malaysia (1), Russia (14), Israel (2), Greece (4), Portugal (3), Greece (5), Portugal (3), Brazil (3), Turkey (5), Romania (1), Cyprus (1), Ireland (1), Dominican Republic (1), Brazil (1), Bulgaria (1) and Thailand (1) . Target Market IKEA strives to have a wide target market, wanting people around the world of all different demographics and psychographics to purchase IKEA products. IKEA defines its global target market as â€Å"young people of all ages† including individuals, families, design exteriors, and hospitality businesses like hotels. IKEAs target audience includes but is not limited to age groups of 18 to 34 and 35 to 49 years old. IKEA focuses on college and post graduate aged individuals. IKEA’s target market contains both sexes. IKEA’s target market typically lives in urban college and metropolitan areas. The salaries of the target market can range from $15,000 to $50,000 and are usually spending their money on technology products (such as iPhones and iPads.). IKEAs target audience engages in a quick paced lifestyle that may include travelling and moving often, for example moving from apartment to apartment or to an upgraded home. Due to this â€Å"mover† lifestyle they are normally looking for a cheap, easy to build product that can be packed tightly. Because of their median income, the consumer is not very status conscientious and is not searching for expensive designer furniture. The shoppers’ personalities are relaxed and/or creative and artistic. They are considerably fashionable and search for trends, but love to get deals simultaneously. They want to do things themselves (which follows closely with IKEA’s do it yourself product attitude) and care about the environment (Rowe.) IKEA also focuses on budget conscious families. This target market is beginning to start a more domestic lifestyle. The families usually have young children. To satisfy this target market most IKEA stores include a daycare or child-watch section for the children inside the stores. Although this target audience is in a different stage in their life, they still hold similar habits and lifestyle as the previously described target audience (Rowe.) Product Assortment IKEA is a retailer of home furnishings. You can find anything you need for every room in your house at IKEA. From the IKEA official website, their departments include: Bathroom| Living room| Bedroom| Office furniture| Cooking| Outdoor| Decoration| Secondary storage| Dining| Small storage| Eating| Textiles & rugs| Hallway| Youth room| Kitchen| Children’s IKEA| Laundry| IKEA FAMILY products| Lighting| | (â€Å"IKEA Official Webpage†) IKEA sells items ranging in these categories and they even provide customers with the service to help them create their own kitchen, closets and office with IKEA products. Their kitchen services include Total Project Management, Delivery, Installation and more. Their individual kitchen planning start at $199 and their measuring service start at $49. In IKEA retail locations, they also have IKEA Food. They have a restaurant where they sell their own assortment of Swedish food, located inside the IKEA retail store. Customers can sit down in a cafeteria style dining and enjoy IKEA’s famous Swedish meatballs and Lingonberry drink at amazingly low prices. In IKEA, there is also a Bistro/Exit Cafà © right at the checkout where they sell typical American food, ranging from 75 cents to $4, such as hot dogs, chips, soda, frozen yogurt and more. IKEA also has their own â€Å"grocery† section where they sell Swedish food. The IKEA official website states that the IKEA Swedish Food is â€Å"based on Swedish recipes and traditions, the wide choice of food and drink runs from frozen meatballs to sweets and coffee. You’ll save time and money whether you’re making a meal for your whole family or putting together the menu for a party† (IKEA). Their food categories include: Beverages, Easy to prepare, Meat, fish & seafood, Pastries, desserts & cookies, Sweets, chocolates & snacks and Swedish celebrations. The last category has food items such as Swedish Christmas drink, cheese pie, Rhubarb crumble tart, and frozen Saffron rolls. SWOT Analysis Strengths * Low prices: IKEA has a strong concept based on offering a wide range of well, designed, functional products at low prices. They have created a design that is a balance between function, quality, design and price which appeals to customers in tough financial times. Their pricing strategy appeals to consumers both with limited financial resources and those with higher budgets searching for trendy, modern furniture. Due to Porter’s generic strategies, IKEA follows an integrated cost leadership and differentiation strategy. * Product’s ease of assembly: IKEA products come with clear instructions making it easy for anyone to assemble the product without the help of a professional. * Location and design of store (the IKEA store experience): IKEA locations are successful because of the Huff Gravity Model – due to the large size of IKEA, people are willing to go the distant locations where IKEAs are located. IKEA’s store design is very unique. The layout is designed in such a way that makes customers go through the entire store to get to their final purchase. A lot of customers go to IKEA for its unusual experience. * Global positioning: IKEA is available throughout the world and they cater their products to each country they go into. For example, they redesign the size of the beds for the different countries. American consumers need larger sized bedding differentiating from the European consumers who had smaller, longer beds. * Reputation for products and company: IKEA customers enjoy the modern look of IKEA products because the target market consists of creative individuals searching for trendy products. IKEA’s brand is ranked globally at number 28 and ranked number 1 for sustainable image by Ranking the Brands Overview (Brand Ranking.) * Large catalogue reach: IKEA’s yearly catalogue reaches several countries and easily advertises IKEA products to those customers. Their catalogue is distributed in 36 countries, in 27 languages and in 52 different versions. Weaknesses * Product quality: IKEA has been known for having poor quality products. But the need for low cost products means there has to be a compromise between quality and price. * Poor customer service: Because of IKEA’s do it yourself model and very straight forward instructions eliminates the need for a help desk and intensive customer service. Customer service is important to ensure complete shopping experience and ensure repeat business. * Massive store growth- IKEA is experiencing problems in a couple of their home markets. One example is the UK is expanding the number of IKEA store locations but the number of shoppers is not increasing. This means that there is a constant number of visitors divided by a larger number of retail outlets producing fewer shoppers per store. In the past consumers would travel large distances to visit stores and each store a had a large number of visitors, now the amount of consumers purchasing IKEA products has not increased in numbers but they are able to visit a more local store. These new store locations reduce the footfall per store and sales density (SWOT Analysis IKEA.) Opportunities * Financial condition: Because of the current financial condition, consumers are trading down from expensive stores to the low priced products offered at IKEA. * IKEA website: IKEA has an opportunity to grow through expanding their online shopping. IKEA website only has a few items you can purchase and IKEA will ship it to your house or you can pick it up at an IKEA location near you. IKEA could expand their online product offerings and services to increase product sales. * Smaller stores: IKEA store locations are distant and large and they can take advantage of opening smaller stores in more dense locations where people can buy small home products or buy their Swedish food. IKEA must only open these new store locations in places where the number of customers is increasing, to avoid a reduction in footfall per store like the UK market. * More stores in the U.S.: IKEA currently has only 38 stores across the country and they could possibly expand this market due to the high percentage of sales the United States gives IKEA. * Capitalize their Green efforts: IKEA can capitalize on their GREEN efforts. Customers’ desire to have less of an impact on the environment and due to the increased demand for cheaper and greener products, IKEA can take advantage of this and develop these products that the market wants. * Bonus/rewards services: IKEA can add bonus/rewards services to increase customer satisfaction as well as increase customer loyalty. Threats * Product quality: IKEA products are poorly made and people are willing to spend the extra buck to buy a product of better quality that will last for years. * Competitors: More competitors are entering the low price household and furnishing markets increasing the competition IKEA will have to face. * When the economy strengthens- The recession slows down consumer spending and disposable income reduces. However when the economy strengthens, consumers will be willing to purchase furniture products at a higher price in order to get better quality. IKEA needs to find a way to stay profitable when the economy takes this turn. Promotion Strategy IKEA promotes their retail through traditional advertising such as TV commercials, a yearly print catalogue as well as utilizing new ways of advertising such as social media and guerrilla marketing. In the past IKEA’s television commercials were characterized as funny and crazy often stating the slogan â€Å"they are crazy these Swedes†. This statement referred to the â€Å"crazy† low prices IKEA products were offered for. They would also often have a Swedish guy driving a yellow buggy loaded with IKEA boxes. Presently, IKEA commercials are more simple and modern. The new commercials focus on families in a household setting using IKEA products. These commercials continue with the humorous appeal, but only focus on a few IKEA items, to ensure the customers are more focused on the substance of the commercial. IKEA utilizes social media by holding contests on websites such as Facebook. When they were opening their new IKEA Malmo store in 2009, they created a Facebook campaign where a showroom picture was uploaded to their Facebook profile and the first people to tag an item won that item (How To? From IKEA). Through the speed of social media, IKEA was able to get their customers to personally promote IKEA. IKEA also has held several contests throughout the years. They have contests such as â€Å"What’s your story?†, â€Å"The Life Improvement Project†, â€Å"Dream Kitchen Giveaway† and several more. They really enjoy promoting their products by getting their customers involved. IKEA uses customer interaction in many of their promotion strategies. IKEA also has a yearly catalogue that can be sent to your homes or picked up at a local IKEA location. IKEA’s yearly catalogue takes up a large part of their marketing budget because the catalogue is used as a main channel for communication around the world. IKEA’s catalogue is distributed in 36 countries, in 27 languages and in 52 different versions. The catalogues distributed in different countries have the same Scandinavian names but differ in their product offerings which are highlighted on separate pages (Gustafson). IKEA caters to the different countries where they distribute their catalogues by trying to incorporate the different cultures into their catalogue. On top of sending paper catalogues around town, IKEA likes to go out of their way to show IKEA products in their normal settings but in extraordinary locations utilizing the concept of â€Å"guerrilla marketing†. This usually occurs when IKEA is opening new stores. Examples of IKEA’s guerilla marketing include redecorating bus stations with IKEA furniture, redoing a subway bus with IKEA furniture and mounting IKEA furniture off the side of buildings. They make it as extreme as possible because they want to draw in people’s attention and make them stop and have a look. To promote their store in Tampa, IKEA produced their take on a ‘message in a bottle’ by placing an IKEA playroom inside a giant plastic bottle. In Japan, IKEA transformed a gingko tree-lined boulevard in Tokyo’s shopping district of Aoyama into an open-air museum. They had fifteen box-like structures the size of typical Japanese rooms which were fitted out IKEA furnishings (Capell). IKEA alters their advertising to the match the different cultures and environment for each country, but continues to enforce their unusual extreme promotions to reach a large amount of people and hold their attention. . Works Cited Capell, Kerry. â€Å"Ikea’s New Plan for Japan.† BusinessWeek. N.p., 25 Apr. 2006. Web. . â€Å"Facts & Figures.† IKEA. N.p.. Web. 21 Feb 2013. . Gustafson, Martin, and Eric Jonsson. â€Å"Influence of Culture and National Image on Marketing: A Study of IKEA’s Promotion in Sweden and France.† (2008): n. pag. Web. . â€Å"History .† IKEA offical webpage. N.p.. Web. 21 Feb 2013. . â€Å"How To? From IKEA.† IGK Marketing RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. . IKEA. Advertisement. IKEA. N.p., n.d. Web. . â€Å"IKEA.† Countries with IKEA Stores. N.p.. Web. 21 Feb 2013. . â€Å"Marketing Teacher.† SWOT Analysis IKEA . Marketing Teacher Ltd 2000. Web. 25 Feb 2013. . Rowe, C.. â€Å"Scribd.† IKEA Marketing Plan. N.p.. Web. 21 Feb 2013. . ADD BRAND RANKING WORKS CITED