Inovation 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Inovation 2 - Essay Example In addition to that, the model looks very stylish and conforms to the modernistic standards and trends of furniture. This product was introduced to the market through an entrepreneurship approach, though the product itself was intrapreneurial. The workstation was developed by a student in his research that made part of his Masters program. When he developed the model in the research, it was introduced to the market through his university because the research had become the property of his university when his degree was conferred. This approach had many advantages for both the intrapreneur and the entrepreneur. The approach saved intrapreneur all the cost of launch and advertisement. On the other hand, the gained credit for the model developed by the intrapreneur. However, such organizations as universities do not as such launch a product. Instead, the research makes part of their library and is only consulted when required by the future researchers. When entrepreneurship is used to l aunch an intrapreneurial product: Launching an intrapreneurial product using an entrepreneurship approach is quite advantageous for both the intrapreneur and the entrepreneur in many ways. ... Poor planning becomes the root cause of most product launches that fail to bring the desired results to the entrepreneurs. In order to make a launch successful, the business entrepreneurs need to have certain skills. They have to gain education on methods that have historically proven to be successful. The best source of knowledge is people with past experience. Entrepreneurs need to consult them for launching strategies. Experienced entrepreneurs can offer good advice to reduce the cost of launching. In order to make the launch effective, it is imperative that it is given sufficient time. Rushing the process can make it meaningless. Since the product is intrapreneurial, the intrapreneurs must have conducted sufficient research to develop innovative product because they have to secure their job. If they develop faulty product, their own career is endangered. Therefore, in this approach, there is little to no risk of faulty design, though entrepreneurs are themselves responsible for t he marketing and advertisement of the product which is just as critical and important as the product’s design. The entrepreneurs assume risk of marketing, and also have to invest in it, thus assuming financial risk as well. Organizational assets like logistics are involved and the payment is made by the entrepreneur. When intrapreneurship is used to launch an entrepreneurial product: In many ways, it goes in the favor of entrepreneurs to adopt an intrapreneurial approach to launch their products. Company’s staff is the most concerned about the successful launch of the product because it is not only the matter of the company’s success, but it also plays a decisive role in

Banyan Tree Essay Example for Free

Banyan Tree Essay Minimal advertising, still high level of brand awareness through company’s public relations and global marketing programs. Faced the challenge of translating and maintaining the success of a niche Asian hospitality brand into various market segments on a global scale ‘Innovative niche product that could also bridge the price gap in this market’ Building a resort comprising individual villas with locally inspired architectural design and positioned as a romantic and intimate escapade for guests; ‘Sanctuary for the senses’. Banyan Tree Gallery: ‘local culture and heritage and promoting cottage Crafts, retail outlet showcasing indigenous crafts, works closely with village cooperatives and not-for-profit craft marketing agents.   Marketing: high-end travel magazines in key markets – public relations – global marketing programs (increase editorial coverage) – few key wholesalers in each targeted market – agents specializing in exlusive luxury holidays targeted at wealthy customers – membership in the Small Luxury Hotels and Leading Hotels of the World – GDS cose ‘BY’ (own global distribution system used by travel providers to process airline, hotel, car rental and other distribution partners around the world. Actively caring for the natural and human environment, revitalizing local communities, worked actively to preserve, protect, and promote the natural and human environments in which BYT resorts where located. Minimizing the impact on the environment Green Communities = planted trees, engage local communities, associates, guests to share the causes of climate change and actions that can reduce our collected carbon footprint. Green Imperative Fund to further support community-based and environmental initiatives in the regions where it has a presence. The company believed in building profitable resorts that would benefit the surrounding environment and contribute to local economies through the creation of employment and community development projects. Businesses with local farmers and traders by making it a point to purchase fresh produce from them. Community Relations Department was set up to develop and manage community outreach programs. Seedling: BTHR’s formalized program which aimed to help oung adults from local communities and motivate them and provide the means for completing their education to successfully enter the labor force as adults. Future: openening city hotels and angsana hotels in Dubai and London (angsana brand in response to the demand for hotel operators in Asia that were keen to introduce spa services in their hotel, it is more contemporary and affordable brand. Musem Shop by banyan tree: joint partnetship with Singapor’s national heritage board to showcase Asi’a rich and diverse cultural heritage through unique museum-inspired merchandise. Banyan Tree Holdings (Banyan Tree) is an investment holding company involved in managing and developing premium resorts, hotels and spas in the Asia Pacific. To date, the Banyan Tree Group manages and/or has ownership interests in close to 36 hotels and resorts, around 73 spas, 91 galleries  and 3 golf courses in 28 countries The company operates in Asia, Mexico and Morocco, New Zealand, Africa, Dubai, and the UK. Banyan Tree operates through three business segments: hotel investment, property sales, and fee-based. The hotel investments segment relates to hotel and restaurant operations. : The property sales segment comprises hotel residences, Laguna property sales and development project/site sales. Hotel residences business relates to the sale of hotel villas or suites which are part of hotel operations, to investors under a compulsory leaseback scheme. Laguna property sales business relates to the development and sale of properties which are standalone vacation homes in Laguna Phuket. Development project/site sales relates to pure development land sales or development land sales which are fully or partially developed with infrastructure. The fee-based segment comprises the management of hotels and resorts, the management of an asset-backed destination club, the management of private-equity funds, the management and operation of spas, the sales of merchandise, the provision of architectural and design services, the management and ownership of golf courses, and rental of retail outlets and offices. The company’s subsidiaries (dochterbedrijf) include Banyan Tree Spa Bangkok, Banyan Tree Spa Bintan, Banyan Tree Spa Ringha, Banyan Tree Spa Phuket, Banyan Tree Sanya, and Banyan Tree Macau, among others. Banyan Tree Holdings (Banyan Tree) is engaged in the management and development of premium resorts, hotels and spas. The companys key services include the following. Hotel and restaurant operations Sale of hotel villas or suites Development and sale of properties Pure development land sales Management of hotels and resorts Management of an asset-backed destination club Management of private-equity funds -Management and operation of spas Architectural and design services Management and ownership of golf courses Rental of retail outlets and offices. The following companies are the major competitors of Banyan Tree Holdings Limited: Central Plaza Hotel Public Company Limited Four Seasons Hotels Inc Associated International Hotels Ltd In the past few years, such events risks as the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, bird flu, floods and riots in Thailand have been hard on our industry, causing tourism as a whole to dry up in their wake. By comparison, economic recessions are part and parcel of the business cycle, which we are able to take in our stride and counter with a variety of measures. During the year, the world remained mired in the European sovereign debt crisis and American economic weakness. Although these conditions affected our arrivals primarily from Europe, we were able to capitalise on the flourishing Chinese market. At our four resorts in the Maldives, for example, the number of Chinese guests surpassed those from Europe. In our continuing efforts to rebalance the Group’s assets, we made the bargain purchase of Banyan Tree Seychelles which gave rise to a net gain. We also sold and leased back Angsana Velavaru in January 2013. The hybrid structure of this deal is a first for Banyan Tree, and we are pleased with how it allows us to rebalance our portfolio while still participating in the profits from the operations of Angsana Velavaru. 2012: with overall revenue growing 3% to S$338. 4 million. Due to improved results from our hotel investments and fee-based businesses, as well as a higher contribution from completed sales of property units. Group EBITDA was S$74. 5 million, up 51% on the back of higher revenue and a gain on the bargain purchase of Banyan Tree Seychelles. This in turn resulted in PATMI increasing by 856% (S$14. million), tempered by higher finance costs and income tax expenses. HOTEL INVESTMENTS Our hotel investments delivered a stronger performance in 2012, with Group-owned hotels posting total revenue of S$187. 7 million, up 15% from the previous year. This was due to the higher contribution from our Thai properties and the consolidation of revenue from Banyan Tree Seychelles from 2Q12 onwards. These gains were partially offset by lower revenue from our Maldives properties as Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru and Angsana Ihuru were temporarily closed for refurbishment. As a result of the increase in revenue, EBITDA for this segment grew by a healthy 69% to S$36. 6 million. PROPERTY SALES Revenue from property sales was S$42. 7 million. The 36% decrease was due to the sale of development sites in Lijiang, Yangshuo and Huangshan to our China Fund in 2011. Excluding those transactions, revenue and EBITDA from property sales saw growth of 43% and 74% respectively, thanks to a higher contribution from completed sales of property units. FEE-BASED Total revenue from our fee-based businesses registered growth of 9% to reach S$108. million. This was attributable to an increase in fees from hotel management and architectural and interior design and other services. Accordingly, EBITDA for our fee-based businesses grew by 23%. 2013 appears to be another challenging year for the global economy. We anticipate continued weakness in our European target markets. In Asia, which has been the world’s economic engine these past four years, growth is likely to moderate. Despite the cooling of China’s economy, the tourism market both inbound and outbound is expected to continue to grow. The Chinese government is aggressively promoting domestic tourism as part of its strategy to increase domestic consumption, thereby cushioning the slowdown in export manufacturing. Banyan Tree’s strong branding and rapidly expanding footprint in China will position us to take advantage of this trend. Our seven regional marketing offices in China will be invaluable in enabling us to tap the vast potential of this market and to enhance awareness of our hotels with key accounts in China. Our strategy going forward will include continuing with our asset rebalancing to unlock value and deploy capital to more promising markets. At the same time, we are exploring the possibility of extending the successful Fund model into other areas. In terms of growing particular segments, we will be focusing on increasing income from our fee-based and property sales businesses. We have built the fee-based segment to a point where it now has an impetus of its own. On the property sales front, we plan to move into selling more primary and serviced residences. Primary residences under the Banyan Tree brand, â€Å"We will also be going forward with the establishment of a third brand of residences to be wholly sold and managed by us. † Rather than compete with local property developers, we will leverage our branding and design skills to market to a niche audience in China. We will also be going forward with the establishment of a third brand of residences to be wholly sold and managed by us. Catering to an entirely new market of price-conscious buyers, these properties will be smaller in size yet deliver the quality and innovation that are hallmarks of Banyan Tree. Strongly associated with our brand is the concept of a triple bottom line. In our pursuit of economic, social and environmental success, we made major investments in resource conservation, training and benchmarking, greening and community efforts in 2012. Under the EarthCheck system of sustainability certification, we also planted in six-year a total to over 220,000 trees. Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts offer an intimate retreat experience featuring its signature blend of romance, rejuvenation and exotic sensuality. Our philosophy is based on providing a place for rejuvenation of the body, mind and soul a Sanctuary for the Senses. Placing special emphasis on providing guests with a sense of place, each Banyan Tree property is designed to fit into its natural surroundings, using indigenous materials as far as possible and reflecting the landscape and architecture of the destination. Pioneering he tropical garden spa concept with Asian health and beauty remedies passed down from generations, Banyan Tree Spa was created as the signature experience in all Banyan Tree resorts, to complement the â€Å"Sanctuary for the Senses† wellness concept. With the emphasis on high service standards and consistency, therapists are professionally trained at Banyan Tree Spa Academies in Phuket, Thailand, and Lijiang, China. The Banyan Tree Gallery supports local communities by exhibiting and retailing indigenous handicrafts, which are also found in the resorts. A quintessential highlight of the Banyan Tree experience, Banyan Tree Gallery aspires to recreate the unique Banyan Tree experience with  its extensive selection of  Asian-style furnishings, Banyan Tree Spa collection, eco-friendly products, indigenous village handicrafts, ethnic apparel and accessories, and objects d’art. Banyan Tree Holdings Limited is a leading, international hospitality brand that manages and develops premium resorts, hotels and spas. Its innovative business model is based on seven business segments generating multiple income streams that is unique in itself within the hospitality industry. This formula of developing and managing complementary product offerings with in-house talent makes it difficult for competitors to duplicate with the same level of success. Banyan Tree’s vertically integrated business model comprises: Hotel investment– Banyan Tree owns and manages luxury hotels under its brands, as well as hotels that are managed by other world-class operators. Hotel management– Banyan Tree additionally manages properties under the Banyan Tree and Angsana brands for other owners. Canopy Marketing Group Pte Ltd A company wholly owned by Banyan Tree Services, Canopy Marketing Group Pte Ltd provides high-level strategic insights on various global niche markets to drive top line performance of our diverse range of lifestyle products including hotels, resorts, spas, gallery, destination club and residential ownership. It has a full-suite of marketing capabilities specializing in the branding, marketing and promotion. Spa operations– Banyan Tree Spa pioneered the tropical garden spa concept, and has since grown to over 60 outlets worldwide. Gallery operations– The retail arm is consolidated under Banyan Tree Gallery, which comprises five brand segments located in over 70 stores worldwide. Hotel residences – Hotel inventory are primarily sold under the brand name Banyan Tree Residences. Property sales – Properties that are not part of hotel operations are sold by our subsidiary company, Laguna Resorts and Hotels, and its subsidiaries, in Laguna Phuket. Design and other services – Revenue from design services is earned by Architrave, Banyan Tree’s in-house architectural arm. Other service fees include income from operating golf clubs. Real Estate Hospitality Funds – Banyan Tree Capital was set upto tap private equity and other sources of investments in order to provide a cost efficient structure to fund the Group’s future developments. With about 8,000 associates of over 50 nationalities, the diversity of its workforce is a key feature of the Group and helps to inspire its international outlook. To address its talent development needs, Banyan Tree launched Banyan Tree Management Academy (BTMA) in 2008. This centralised training facility located in Phuket, Thailand will train future Banyan Tree leaders needed to sustain organisational effectiveness and to meet the demands of its rapid global growth. Part of Banyan Tree’s vision has always been to grow into a global business, with a portfolio of properties strategically placed around the world. The Group’s mission is inextricably intertwined with its commitment to corporate social responsibility and sustainable growth, as it continues to expand globally. The launch of Banyan Tree Residences, which allows investors to buy their own signature villa, townhouse or apartment in Banyan Tree resorts. Banyan Tree Private Collection was launched to cater to the growing niche for destination club membership 2005: Marking the group’s long awaited foray into China is Banyan Tree Ringha, in Yunnan. 2001: Banyan Tree established the Green Imperative Fund to formalise its corporate social responsibility efforts. The Banyan Tree Spa Academy was set up to provide training for new therapists as well as research new treatment recipes and techniques. Banyan Tree Capital is a real estate fund management company established by the Banyan Tree group, a renowned luxury hospitality company listed in Singapore, to focus on hospitality-based real estate investment. Banyan Tree Capital raises, develops and manages branded hospitality funds in key development markets of the Banyan Tree group. With a combination of fund management and asset development capabilities, Banyan Tree Capital leverages on the group’s expertise in premium hospitality real estate development and anagement to generate attractive investment returns for its investors. Banyan Tree Capital is headquartered in Singapore with offices in China and Vietnam. We have successfully achieved higher room rates than the existing market in locations such as Lijiang, the Maldives and Seychelles. We have also found that our iconic brands also help raise the value of the surrounding land. Our innovative city products combine all the iconic elements of our brand and differentiat e developers within established, high cost city markets. We have the flexibility and capabilities to adapt our model to various locations so as to maximize returns for the developer As part of our strategy of enlarging our footprint in China, we will also be launching two more hotels in Shanghai and one in Tianjin, adding to our ever growing presence in various gateway cities. We are also employing our capabilities all across China, where large tracts of land are being developed into gated residences and luxury hotels offered to the Chinese elite. One of Banyan Trees prime concerns is its associates. We pride ourselves in providing high levels of service excellence and providing tailor made training and career development programmes for our employees. No stone is left unturned in regards to training and proper introduction before a Banyan Tree is put into operation. Trained to the basic standards of 5 star hotels. Employees were empowered to exercise creativity and sensitivity although the strict administrative rules of the management. Employees were taken to and from work in air-conditioned buses, access to various amenities (good-quality canteens, medical services, childcare facilities). Banyan Tree is one of the world’s biggest and well known spa operators. Our levels of quality and service are unparalleled and uncompromised. We are the only vertically integrated hospitality company with strong capabilities to tackle and anticipate the challenges of master planning and developing an integrated resort. We are able to take a property from inception to delivery with efficiencies that is entirely brand specific. Our n-house design team, Architrave, and project services team are extremely involved in all phases of the development – master planning, designing, developing and coordinating, to ensure developers a timely delivery of their asset. Being experienced developers, we are able to ensure that efficiencies and economies of scale are maximized along with guest experiences. Bintan, the Maldives and Phuket where the Angsana resort is positioned next to a Banyan Tree resort with shared back of house facilities. This model has allowed us to lower costs without cannibalizing rates, thereby boosting returns for our developers.

Technology and Art Essay -- Computers Artists Essays

Technology and Art Many centuries ago, art was rendered inaccessible by the masses and was reserved for the few high society members who had the means of access to appreciate history in the making. Through the use of technology, art has been made hugely accessible by the ability to trade media forms, mainly through the Internet and other technological means. Much like the printing press was for literature with Gutenberg in 1445, technology has heightened art and moreover, the expression of it. Technology has enhanced art through the main use of graphics, both computer and animation, the communication of it, and musically it has enhanced the quality and distribution. It has launched us into the twenty-first century full steam and will continue to come up with new innovations and ideas to keep the momentum going for many years to come. Art has always been an expression guarded for the seemingly elite in classical history and this idea continued to survive throughout most of art history until the late 1800’s when finally, slowly, the barriers broke down and the masses were opened up to the various forms of expression. Although they were exposed to simple art forms, such as local works that were produced by seemingly grass-root artists or possibly the artworks displayed in the Catholic Cathedrals meant to add a meaning of sophistication and reverence to display Christ, this was mostly evident in the Medieval and possibly Gothic periods, while the Renaissance proved to be a cleansing period of the old and a new wind rushing through the stodgy halls of antiquity. But the catch about the Renaissance was that it was mainly present in a seemingly isolated and controlled environment, unlike the false pretense that ... ...seum technologies. Huws, Ursula "Nature, technology and art: the emergence of a new relationship?." Leonardo v. 33.no1 (2000): p. 33-40. Art Abstract. 4 Apr. 2002. Keyword: Art Technology. In this article, the author discusses about the technology and art’s new relationship. The article talks about artist who developed their style along with the development of technology and the opposite. However, little information was used for the write-up of the paper. Kerman, Staci "Building bridges between art and technology: rapid prototyping and manufacturing." Metalsmith v. 20.no3 (2000): p. 36-43. Art Abstract. 4 Apr. 2002. Keyword: Art Technology. In the article, author talks about her own experiment with new technologies for art. She talks about the benefits she gained from the new technology and development of her own ways of using the technology.

Food Hygiene Essay

The term â€Å"street foods† describes a wide range of ready-to-eat foods and beverages sold and some times prepared in public places, notably at streets. Like fast foods, the final preparation of street foods occurs when the customer orders the meal which can be consumed where it is purchased or taken away. Street foods and fast foods are low in cost when compared with restaurant meals and offer an attractive alternative to home-cooked food. In spite of these similarities, street food and fast food enterprises differ in variety, environment, marketing techniques and ownership. Foods that are served to the customers should be â€Å"clean† and â€Å"safe†, absence of poisonous substances or contaminants and free from spoilage. If foods are not clean and safe health hazards like headache, stomach pain, vomiting, giddiness and anemia may also occur. Due to the modernization many school children and adults skip their breakfast and they prefer to eat street foods or fast foods or convenient foods. There is mistaken assumption that food contamination is inevitable in street foods. Yet millions of people depend on this source of nutrition. Vendors knew that consumers watch the way food is prepared and notice whether the work area and vendor’s hands and cloths are clean or tidy. The vendors have to satisfy the customers with improved practices in the preparation of foods learned through training in nutrition and hygiene. Since, all categories of people from different socio-economic sectors purchased the street foods; the street foods should not only be cheap but also hygienic and rich in nutrition. The investigators with their nutrition knowledge had an urge to study the nutrition knowledge of the vendors, whether the foods prepared are nutritional sound or not? Are they preparing and serving food hygienically? Etc. Disease could be easily spread through food, water and the place of sales, how it is packed etc. and these questions made the investigators to take up this study. Hence, the investigators were interested to know the answers for the above said questions. Hence, studying microbial quality, nutritional knowledge and food hygienic practices among street food vendors importance at this hour and this paper aims to analyze this. To study the nutritional knowledge and food hygienic practices prevailing among the street food vendors. 200 vendors in Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu, India were selected by using purposive random sampling techniques. The investigators met the vendors and collected the details. Microbial analysis, food adulteration test were done for food samples. Microbial load for the major street foods like bhajji, vada, samosa varieties, roasted corn etc., were tested. Raw materials used for the street foods were collected such as dhal, salt, sugar, oil, pepper, turmeric and chilly powder and there were analyzed for food adulteration. The street food vendors were poor in hygienic practices in food preparation, serving, handling and storing. They were also poor in their nutritional knowledge. It can be concluded that as there is an urgent need for disseminating the knowledge about food safety and disease prevention, nutrition education is the need of the hour. Measures are suggested to improve the dwindling standards of the street food units. This study implies the need of the following measures to be adopted for hygienic food preparation by the street vendors, they are, license must be obtained by the street food vendors and the foods should be frequently inspected by the agencies, nutritionists should take the in-charge of disseminating awareness on hygienic practices, nutrition and health so that it will help in the preparation of nutritious foods. Colleges and other educational institutions also should take part in creating awareness about the street foods, government can encourage the vendors on improving their business by availing loan facilities and the sources of information must be increased to improve the nutrition and hygienic knowledge of the street food vendors. If this will be able to happen I believe that there will be less people having different kinds of sicknesses in the world and less hardships especially to the less fortunate that can’t afford to buy expensive food and medicines for those sicknesses. People need to be educated with the proper food safety hygiene and sanitation to not suffer these illnesses. I have learned that people need to gain more knowledge about Food safety hygiene and sanitation. If all have this knowledge there would be a better environment for everyone. Health is the most important thing in a person’s life, that’s why we should pay more attention in food hygiene. We should teach those around us the proper food hygiene especially vendors and or those people who sell street foods around the corner. In doing this, every person would have a cleaner environment to live in and also will have a healthier life, not only for this generation but also for the health of the future generation. We should make cleanliness a part and habit in our daily lives. Street foods should not just be only clean, but should also have nutrition. There would be no sense in eating clean food that doesn’t contain any nutrients in it. Having clean and nutritious food around us would help our bodies work in a better manner and would give us the right and enough energy for the whole day in our daily activities. We should always think before eat anything from the corner. Eating clean and nutritious food means having a clean and healthier lifestyle, and I believe that is the key to having a good body inside and out and for us to have a longer life.

Causes and Effects of the Computer Essay

The twenty- first century is already turning out to be the century of the computer. The computer revolution that started after the Second World War is now developing exponentially and computers are beginning to influence and take over nearly every aspect of our lives. Computers are clearly changing and affecting society in many ways. The two main areas which computers have brought about a profound change in our lives are in the economic field an in the field of communication. The computer has led to immense changes in economic and business life. First, business now have to be computerized or they risk failure. Every big corporation bases it’s operations on computing, regardless of which sector they are in. For example, coco-cola and Levi’s market and sell different products and services, yet they all share on basic property without computers their operations would collapse. Second, computing is an economic dynamo. Many other countries have large IT sectors which drive their economies upwards. Furthermore the developed world is moving from an industrial- based economy to a computer and IT-based one. It is not just in business that computers have affected us so profoundly; communication has been revolutionized totally. Firstly, whereas before, people speak on the phone, which was expensive, now they e-mail. For instance, instead of waiting weeks for a letter now we can read it instantly, seconds after its been written. Secondly, many people use computers to communicate with people all around the world using chat rooms and chat programs, this was impossible before the computer became widespread. As a result, now people who live thousands of miles away from each other can communicate and share information and ideas easily and quickly. In conclusion computers have a profound effect on our lives in many ways and it is in business and communication that they have had the greatest influence. In the future if the computer continues evolving at such speed, our business practice and methods of communication will undergo even more radical changes.

Outline and evaluate two or more therapies used in the treatment of Schizophrenia Essays

Outline and evaluate two or more therapies used in the treatment of Schizophrenia Essays Outline and evaluate two or more therapies used in the treatment of Schizophrenia Essay Outline and evaluate two or more therapies used in the treatment of Schizophrenia Essay Outline and evaluate two or more therapies used in the treatment of Schizophrenia (24 marks) There is no established permanent cure for Schizophrenia, but there are a variety of therapies which help prevent schizophrenic episodes and also help sufferers deal with their mental illness. One of the main types of therapy used is drug therapy. Drug therapy involves issuing a patient psychotherapeutic drug(s) which are used to alter the chemical functioning of the brain by affecting the action of neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters transmit signals between nerve cells called synapses. Neurotransmitters lead to changes in moods, feelings, perception and behaviour. The main category of drugs used for treating Schizophrenia is anti- psychotic drugs or neuroleptics. These lessen psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations, examples of these drugs could be chlorpromazine or clozapine. Typical antipsychotic drugs (neuroleptics) work by reducing dopamine within schizophrenia sufferers. Common forms of neuroleptics include drugs such as Thorazine, Prolixin and Haldol. These drugs actually block the activity of the dopamine neurotransmitter, the drugs take effect within 48 hours but it can be everal weeks before a noticeable difference is seen with symptom reduction. Barondess (1993) research looked into balancing the dosage of the drug, lowering the drug dosage reduced the side effects but also reduced the effectiveness of the drug meaning it wouldnt necessarily be a successful or quick recovery compared to high dosages of the neuroleptics. Although this showed clear evidence for the effectiveness of neuroleptics in combating schizophrenia, emphasized when changing the dosage changes the effectiveness of the neuroleptics. Comers (2001) esearch study looked into the effectiveness of the drugs, and found that for the majority of schizophrenia sufferers the drugs were effective and are the most successful treatment as they are more effective as a single treatment opposed to other therapies available. Researches conducted about neuroleptics shows neuroleptics are effective in reducing the symptoms of schizophrenia especially positive symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions. Although relapse rates appear to be high and fast from coming off the drugs, meaning that essentially the patients will need to permanently ake these drugs. Neuroleptics are well known for their large set of side effects that are damaging to patients health and wellbeing, reports of sedation, grogginess, blurred vision and impaired concentration. Approximately 2% of all patients who are using neuroleptics develop neuroleptic malignant syndrome which involves the patient gaining muscle rigidity, altered consciousness and fevers which can be fatal. Another serious side effect that is a negative to neuroleptics is that around 20% or more patients who have been regularly taking the drugs for over 1 year end up imb movements and writhing of the mouth or face and even if the patient comes off the drugs these effects can be lifelong. Although Birchwood and Jacksons (2001) provided contradictory evidence as their study concluded that there was no evidence that the use of neuroleptics were effective within treating the negative symptoms. Newer drug therapy for Schizophrenia is using atypical antipsychotics such as Clozaril and Zyprexa. These drugs work in the same way as typical antipsychotics by blocking/lessening the effects of the dopamine neurotransmitter but they also alter serotonin activity. Meltzer (1999) found in his study that roughly 33% of patients whoVe had no success when using neuroleptics responded much better with the atypical drug clozapine. Awad and Vruganti (1999) also backed the atypical drugs success rates when their study showed that 85% of patients suffering with schizophrenia benefitted from being on atypical drugs compared to the 65% rate given to those using neuroleptics. As Birchwood and Jackson found that neuroleptics had no effect within treat the negative symptoms of schizophrenia Remmington and Kapur found in 2000 that atypical drugs treat the negative symptoms of chizophrenia making atypical a preferred choice in medication. Atypical drugs are favourably the better choice for when using drug therapy to treat schizophrenia as it is more effective for symptoms and also has a higher rate of success within patients. The side effects of atypical drugs are also fewer compared to those of neuroleptics. There is one serious side effect of atypical drugs which is agranulocytosis, the risk of developing this is 1-2% and involves reduction in white blood cells within the patient which can be life threatening although olanzapine a type of atypical doesnt cause his side effect. Drug therapy in total is the most effective than any other therapy that is used within the treatment of schizophrenia and the speed of therapy with drugs is much more rapid than that of psychological therapies. Although drug therapy only treats the symptoms of schizophrenia, and doesnt manage to address the underlying reasons that are responsible for causing the illness within sufferers which means that patients will have to stay on the drugs to keep the symptoms suppressed and by coming off them most of the symptoms that the drugs are removing return relatively fast. Another issue with drug therapy for treating schizophrenia is that its not 100% effective and therefore is not working for every patient. Atypical drugs as mentioned earlier by Awad and Vruganti are 85% effective and neuroleptics even less which means that theres a minimum of of schizophrenia sufferers who drug therapy has no benefit towards creating individual differences. Also neuroleptics have no effect towards treating negative symptoms within patients so there are nowhere near as effective as using atypical drug therapy. herapy when treating schizophrenia, and helps the dopamine system because there s an imbalance in schizophrenic sufferers although this isnt necessarily the root cause. One issue with drug therapy within schizophrenics is compliance because it can be difficult to confuse someone who is deluded and not in a correct state of mind to take the drugs which reduces its appropriateness and effectiveness. Drug therapy is also a reductionist form of treatment towards schizophrenia sufferers as it focuses on biological factors contributing towards the illness and ignores the psychological approach. Another form of therapy within schizophrenia is ECT (electroconvulsive therapy), this orm of therapy was found when observing that epileptics dont develop schizophrenia, resulting in the conclusion that the two disorders could not both be had by an individual at the same time. This led to the theory that inducing seizures like those that epileptics endure could help treat schizophrenia patients. Initially this therapy was done using drugs but then it changed to electric shocks as it was found they could produce seizures and that ECT has better outcomes than using drugs such as cardiazol. An electric current is passed through the patients head which in turn causes brain eizures. Originally it could result in broken bones as the entire body of the patient would be in seizure. Modern ECT uses muscle relaxants to minimise the convulsions the patient has and a use of anaesthetics allows the patient to sleep during the treatment and so therefore has no anxiety. Chanpattana (2007) found that the effects of ECT caused a reduction in positive schizophrenia symptoms and also improves social life and functioning. However ECT actually had no effect or worsened negative symptoms of the illness. Tharyan and Adams (2005) found that the effects of ECT was eneficial short term similar to those of drug therapy however the beneficial effects were smaller than drug therapy, and it was unclear whether or not any long term improvements came from the use of ECT. ECT has moderate effectiveness; it can improve symptoms rapidly for schizophrenia sufferers but those improvements only seem to be short term and long term improvement doesnt occur generally. ECTs actual effectiveness towards the symptoms is also limited because on its own it doesnt offer the same amount of success as drugs. ECT is also less effective for negative symptoms and only effective n treating positive symptoms within sufferers, for example it doesnt help towards reducing lack of motivation, emotion and social withdrawal. Also this therapy similarly to drugs only really treats the symptoms and not what actually causes schizophrenia making it a palliative treatment. The treatment itself is quite consistent with how the biological outlook on schizophrenia works, as it appears the majority of symptoms caused by schizophrenia come from dysfunctions of the brain and therefore treatment that directly affects the brain that alters how it functions is rather appropriate in terms of ECT has side effects such as memory loss, neurological damage and cognitive impairments. This can be an issue that some patients do not want to deal with making it hard to treat a patient if drug therapy is ineffective. However most of the side effects are only short term whereas drug therapy especially with typical (neuroleptics) has some serious long lasting side effects that are damaging to the human body. Its also a reductionist form of therapy as it only focuses on one factor similar to drug therapy with is the biological factors clearly ignoring the psychological approach to treatment. Some people would say that because schizophrenia isnt exact science and as we dont know the true root cause of the illness then this treatment may not be appropriate for sufferers as the side effects as previously mentioned can be a lot to deal with when we arent even certain the treatment is actually treating the symptoms properly. ECT also has ethical issues as ECT is quite an extreme form of therapy when people undergo the treatment there are issues with whether or not the patient truly wants to undergo the therapy and that they might have been pressured into ECT.

The Liberal Party of Canada essays

The Liberal Party of Canada essays What does the Liberal Party have to offer to Canadians? In the fall of 2002 Jean Chrtien, Prime Mister and leader of the Liberal Party announced that he was planning to step down. The catch was he was going to step down after he had tidied up Canada. In the Speech of the Throne he set numerous goals, to accomplish before his resignation. His three main goals were to modernize health care, boost funding to the military and ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Chrtien and the Liberals offer an active and positive change and an increase in spending on important issues. Chrtiens first initiative is to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol calls for a dramatic reduction of smog emissions. All Chrtien is asking for is for Canadians to insulate their homes, change their driving habits and turn off the lights when they leave the room. His suggestion for improvements on cars was to use gasohol which burns more slowly, coolly, and completely. This results in reduced emissions of carbon dioxide and other emissions. Vehicles with a hybrid engine are another alternative; they run half on gas and half on electricity and are self charging. Solar powered houses can even make money for you if you can generate more power than you use. Home owners can switch to halogen or fluorescent light bulbs, turn off their VCRs, use front load washing machines and insulate their windows. As encouragement some provincial governments have issued rewards for home owners who can cut their emissions. Also the federal government is offering compensation to busine sses that are hurt the most. These small things will help Canada reduce its emissions. Chrtien has so far been known to cut funding in the military. He has cut a lot of funding and transferred it to other departments. Meanwhile the number of missions has almost tripled. Between 1990 and 2002 Canadas military has had 79 missions, yet in the 41 y...

7 Outstanding Language-Learning Apps and Websites

7 Outstanding Language-Learning Apps and Websites The most excellent websites and applications for language mastering Quite often even English-speaking person faces the need to learn some other language, being under specific circumstances. As the modern world provides you with the ability to enjoy the charms of electronic world, you can perform studying online via web sites from your PC, laptop or some pocket device that is quite useful. Below, you may find the greatest tools and websites that can help you master the knowledge on a language. LIVING LANGUAGE For persons who treat learning as a significant task, this site is the very place to begin. Here you can find about 20 languages which you are able to master. A lot of options are present here: specific notes, recordings in audio format, vocabulary and grammar. Among the most popular are e-touring with the speakers of a native tongue and using of games as a part of the study. Do it online, with the use of the applications or order the corresponding edition. If you do not want to pay – use Living Language’s Free Resources section, in which there are numerous PDFs for reading at any time you want. BBC Languages The web site gives you a great choice of about 40 languages to perceive. Concerning seven languages, like German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek and Chinese you get more features with assessments tests to define the level of the knowledge, depending on which you receive the corresponding materials and resources. And it should be noticed that here you can find a lot of videos for free that is really great opportunity. DUOLINGO This chargeless site with a wonderful interface design proposes learning of languages combining the processes of writing, reading, speaking and listening. Another interesting feature is that for positive results you gain extra points and in addition are able to share your results with friends. There is the set of many languages of Europe for you. You are able to study several languages during the same period without a need to pay additionally charges. LIVEMOCHA The key feature of Livemocha site is the ability to associate with native speakers. Though special membership is not for free, you can acquire lesson credits by helping other users in learning, for example, by editing of content or providing your comments concerning their pronunciations through audio recordings. Additionally, clients can attend virtual online classes or book online sessions, depending on their peculiar circumstances and conditions in studying. BUSUU BUSUU is the place where more than 60 million speakers of native tongue share their knowledge and assist each other to study languages. Here there are full language courses with short lessons that ideally suit for day-by-day life, working and travelling. The exercises are checked and edited by the native language speakers from all over the world. Such interaction between users is very efficient and productive, resulting in fast gained and positive results. The site provides instructions in most of European languages and also Russian, Japanese, and Chinese. FOREIGN SERVICES INSTITUTE To some extent specific site that has kind of simple interface, but complex set of knowledge. The FSI site stores a lot of materials for more than 45 tongues. They are of very high quality and were developed by highly-skilled linguists. Here such languages as Serbo-Croatian, Sinhala or Maranao Igbo are represented for you. Though the site stores government-sponsored content in public domain, in real it is maintained by private individuals. MEMRISE Those who prefer to use visual comprehension to perceive information Memrise site offers â€Å"mems†, mnemonic flash card generated by users with the concern to fancy and art drawing that help to enlarge your vocabulary. Here there are tens of hundreds of chargeless courses in various languages at your disposal. And you can even be the one to create such mems especially for other members that will open your new abilities not only to study material, but also to generate it for others. Use these apps and make the language-learning activities easy and fun!

Couple of Questions to answer. two paragraphs for each Essay

Couple of Questions to answer. two paragraphs for each - Essay Example The shifting of power over finance from king to parliament was one of the central factors that helped in the steady extension of political liberties. Power shifted from the king to those who possessed money, but economic and political benefits were not spread uniformly to sections of the society†. (Democracy) The preliminary duty of a criminal justice system in any parliamentary democracy is to protect life and property of its citizens. It should maintain the law and order of the country. Any intrusion from inside or outside should be tackled by the criminal justice system. The culprits must be produced to the court and the court will take necessary actions against the culprits if they found guilty of doing the crime. Harvard Law Review in 1949. The fictitious case revolves around explorers who cannibalize a member of their team and the five Supreme Court judges who provide opinions on what should be done with them† (The Case of the Speluncean Explorers: Nine New Opinions) Even though the members of the explorer team did this crime in order to survive, it cannot be justified since nobody have the right to take life since they cannot give it back. This crime can be justified up to certain extent as per law since no other options were left for them and moreover they have taken the opinions of others before committing the crime. But morally their crime is not justifiable. Law and morality have a definite relationship. It is difficult for the street patrol police to do the civil order policing. The psychology of the mob will be different and hence specially trained police is required to control them. Force may not be a good weapon in controlling the agitations from the mob. Only a psychological approach can be a useful one dealing with the public protests. Street patrol police are usually trained to deal with criminal groups of smaller number. So they

Regional Intergration For and Against Articles Essay

Regional Intergration For and Against Articles - Essay Example Seeking to understand the important role that regional integration has played with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, the following will discuss the evolution of the Gulf Cooperation Council, this literature review will begin with an overview of the history of the GCC and describe the advantages of membership for Saudi Arabia. A regional trade bloc which includes some of the fastest growing economies in the world, the Gulf Cooperation Council was devised and implemented in 1981 under the auspices of a unified economic agreement which established a unique social and economic bond between the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf region. During these years, the region has witnessed incredible growth, rising gross national product throughout the region and an undeniable boom in natural resources including oil and natural gas. The Gulf Cooperation Council was established as a multilateral organization almost thirty years ago with the intent of fostering economic and social integration among the Arab countries of the Gulf region. Accordingly, economic regional coherence within the bloc includes the formulation of similar regulations across the region with respect to financial transactions, trade, customs and tourism. A coherent economic strategy across the region is an important attributes of the GCC and this has been implemented with an eye to further economic and social integration in the region. Large states such as Saudi Arabia have benefited tremendously, as have smaller states within the region, such as Qatar and Oman. Social integration for the countries of the GCC encourages regional cooperation with the aim of strengthening the ties between the Arab peoples of the Persian Gulf region through a variety of endeavors including joint ventures, multilateral scientific research centers and other social avenues for further growth. Seeking to address the

Cost Accounting for Service Businesses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cost Accounting for Service Businesses - Essay Example The return journey through American Airlines will cost $1,460, which would be a one-stop journey. For the two-stop journey, the fare would be $1,242 by American Airlines. On the other side, the fare for one-stop journey by US Airways would be $1,492 and for the two-stop journey, the fare would be $1,524 (Expedia, 2012). It has been found by the researcher that in the case of American Airlines, the cost is lower for a two-stop return journey than a one-stop return one. However, in the case of US Airways, the fare for a two-stop return journey is higher than a one-stop return one. Moreover, the fare in US Airways is more than the fare of American Airlines. The fare is $32 more in case of US Airways when the one-stop return journey is considered. In case of the two-stop return journey, the fare is $282 more than American Airlines. The fixed costs are the cost which is not dependent on the amount of goods. The company has to incur the cost no matter how much units have sold by the company. The variable costs are the type of costs which are dependent on the goods or services sold (Weygandt, Kimmel, & Kieso, 2009, p.211). The fixed cost in case of Airlines would be the cost of the planes, the cost of the fuel, staff salaries, etc. Airlines are mostly fixed cost based companies. The variable costs are very small like the costs incurred for facilitating the passengers. The unit contribution margin is the amount the company gets against the sale of one unit. Airline companies are generating positive contribution margin from the fares. For an individual passenger, the cost incurred by the company is variable. They have to incur the fixed cost whether the plane is travelling with one passenger or whether the seats are full. However, they have to incur variable costs for the value added services provided to the customers. It has been found from the analysis of the fares of the airlines that American Airlines and US Airways are the two big players in

Final essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Final - Essay Example Having a permit to carry loaded guns to these places is beside the point. Amusement and leisure parks are intended for family bonding time where young children are present. â€Å"National parks are rare treasures. They offer havens of solitude and sanctuary. They are not meant to be places for the next shootout at the OK Corral,† Ms. Ditmer had emphasized in her article. It exposes young children to unnecessary danger. I am sure every one of us has a little kid we know, a son, a daughter, a niece or a nephew or even a grandkid who is exposed to this mindless danger. What if an untoward accident will happen and hit one of these innocent children who had come to expect enjoyment there? It would be a real heartbreaker no matter whose kid it is, right? Ms. Ditmer is also accurate and perfectly correct in her assumption that carrying guns will inevitably lead to their use, eventually. It simply defies logic how our Congress can make dangerous situations even worse by being blind and deaf to the opinion of the majority of citizens who oppose guns. This situation can be compared to smoking in public places where there are people who are adversely affected. While people have the right to bear arms (for whatever they want to do with all those guns), our politicians must consider the greater majority who hate guns. There must be designated places where guns are allowed but certainly not in amusement parks where there are children around. People have the right to feel safe too and guns in public places are not a very reassuring sight to anyone. Ms. Ditmer reiterated her strong opposition by stating, â€Å"That’s not reassuring to those of us law-abiding citizens who view guns as possible disasters.† Guns can go off accidentally, for example, and hit someone unintentionally. Ms. Ditmer also knows whereof she speaks by citing FBI statistics showing only 1.65 cases per 100,000 as against 462 cases in other places. What more will it take for people to heed this appeal

Web 2 Tools to Enhance Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Web 2 Tools to Enhance Education - Essay Example Indeed, while the use of technology in classroom has addressed the individual needs and requirements of students, its application in myriad formats has opened huge possibilities for students and teachers alike to exploit their potential for higher learning. The advancing technology and Web 2 tools have increasingly emerged as key elements to impact students’ learning outcome and made acquisition of knowledge highly interesting. They have therefore, widened their horizon of educational scope and outcome. Statement of problem In the current times, not using Web 2 tools could pose serious problems for students. Technology is intrinsically linked to development processes and its huge impact on education system has necessitated its inclusion within the curricula to enhance learning outcome. Valdez has emphasized that educators must be ready for technology rich future and promote dynamic strategies and tools within the curricula so that the students are prepared to meet the challeng es of the 21st century (1). The current generation of tech savvy students is no more satisfied with classroom teaching and is constantly seeking real time learning through new tools which can challenge their abilities to explore new avenues of knowledge acquisition (Akyeampong 3860). Web 2 provides the students with interactive media to share their knowledge and at the same time, facilitate their learning processes by sharing experience, opinions and views on different areas and issues (Greenhow et al., 247). Thus, Web 2 has wide ramifications on individual learning and its inclusion within curricula becomes key element of motivation. They help individuals with varying needs to optimize their learning outcome and ensure higher achievement. Thus, not using Web 2 tools could seriously hinder students’ personal and academic achievements. Purpose of the study The major purpose of the study is to explore how the use of Web 2 tools influence learning process and enhance education o utcome. Today, technology has become part and parcel of education system and the use of internet and online learning tools have increasingly become popular within and outside classroom. But the efficacy of the Web 2 tools like social networking, blogging and use of video sharing websites etc. needs to be explored within the academia to study their impact on students’ learning outcome. Most importantly, how it can be exploited for enhancing students’ learning is vital issue that must be explored and evaluated to ensure students’ continued interest in the core academic areas. The huge possibilities of internet based learning offers tremendous scope of growth that needs to be used by educators for enhancing students’ education outcome. Research questions 1. What are the main elements of Web 2 that make it attractive for students? 2. Do the Web 2 tools offer different challenges for students with varying skills? 3. How does Web 2 help to influence the learnin g processes of students with varying needs? 4. How does the interactive platform of Web 2 help to widen the understanding of different issues? 5. Do the web 2 platforms promote global values and improve and improvise learning outcome across the geographical boundaries of class, color, race and culture? 6. How do Web 2 tools encourage greater interaction amongst students and teachers? 7. How does it impact reading, writing and comprehension skills of students? 8. How does it keep the students motivated in the academic learning? 9. How can teachers exploit the vast potential of Web 2 tools for enhancing students’ education outcome? What is Web 2.0? According to O’Reilly the Web 2 tools are internet based technologies and platforms of

Final essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Final - Essay Example Having a permit to carry loaded guns to these places is beside the point. Amusement and leisure parks are intended for family bonding time where young children are present. â€Å"National parks are rare treasures. They offer havens of solitude and sanctuary. They are not meant to be places for the next shootout at the OK Corral,† Ms. Ditmer had emphasized in her article. It exposes young children to unnecessary danger. I am sure every one of us has a little kid we know, a son, a daughter, a niece or a nephew or even a grandkid who is exposed to this mindless danger. What if an untoward accident will happen and hit one of these innocent children who had come to expect enjoyment there? It would be a real heartbreaker no matter whose kid it is, right? Ms. Ditmer is also accurate and perfectly correct in her assumption that carrying guns will inevitably lead to their use, eventually. It simply defies logic how our Congress can make dangerous situations even worse by being blind and deaf to the opinion of the majority of citizens who oppose guns. This situation can be compared to smoking in public places where there are people who are adversely affected. While people have the right to bear arms (for whatever they want to do with all those guns), our politicians must consider the greater majority who hate guns. There must be designated places where guns are allowed but certainly not in amusement parks where there are children around. People have the right to feel safe too and guns in public places are not a very reassuring sight to anyone. Ms. Ditmer reiterated her strong opposition by stating, â€Å"That’s not reassuring to those of us law-abiding citizens who view guns as possible disasters.† Guns can go off accidentally, for example, and hit someone unintentionally. Ms. Ditmer also knows whereof she speaks by citing FBI statistics showing only 1.65 cases per 100,000 as against 462 cases in other places. What more will it take for people to heed this appeal

Advances in accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Advances in accounting - Essay Example The assumption in cost transparency in the supply chain is that firms have visibility of the products that are supposed to be offered to them for business. In the modern dispensation, information concerning products is not easily retrievable. Firms in most instances follow the supply chains even to the fourth tiers just seeking information about the products. Some organizations use agents in order to find the most appropriate information before committing to the costs (Koster & Delfmann 2007, p. 31). In most instances the firms fail to get the relevant products that are required to the extent that the costs are not easily verifiable. The fundamental flaws that are experienced due to information deficiency cannot ensure transparency as appropriate. Companies may not have the appropriate information based on the complexity of the product or the technology used. To this extent, transparency in cost supply chain may not be realized. Sharing information is a fundamental issue in supply chains. Information does not stop with demand and supply, but involves sharing sensitive and crucial details concerning the costs. Sharing of information does not guarantee that the details given are forever in safe custody. Leaking of information is an inherent phenomenon that cannot be wished away. The information that is sensitive within the framework of open-book accounting settlement is not a guarantee that the sensitive data shared among the partners are based on cooperation or trust. The mutual behavior and trust of supply-chain partners is not a factor that can be relied on for safe custody of information on products and to this extent, cost transparency in the supply chain is a fallacy. The business environment is characterized by competitiveness to the extent that trust and cooperation may not be a factor to consider when it comes relationships between buyers and suppliers (Koster & Delfmann 2007, p. 32). Cost

Nick in the opening chapter of The Great Gatsby Essay Example for Free

Nick in the opening chapter of The Great Gatsby Essay Nick Carraway is the narrator of The Great Gatsby. He begins the novel by talking about himself: he says that he is very tolerant, and has a tendency to reserve judgment. The opening paragraphs teach us a lot about Nick and his attitude toward Gatsby and others. Nick introduces himself to us as a young man from the Midwest who has come East to learn. He tells us that hes tolerant, inclined to reserve judgment about people, and a good listener. People tell him their secrets because they admire and trust him. If you read closely, youll see that Nick has an uncertain feeling toward Gatsby, almost as if he himself (who knows the story and its ending) doesnt know what to expect. From the novels opening paragraph onward, this will continue create tension in Nicks narrative. He both loves Gatsby and is critical of him. He hates Gatsbys crass and vulgar attitude, but he also admires the man for his aspirations. Specifically, Gatsbys romantic readiness, and his extraordinary gift for hope.The reader realises that Gatsby presented, and still presents, a challenge or opposition to the way in which Nick is accustomed to thinking about the world. It is clear from the storys opening moments that Gatsby is not quite how he appears on the outside. Despite being vulgar, Nick describes Gatsbys personality as gorgeous.The novels characters are obsessed by class and privilege. Its the high-class lives that intrigue the common man, an idea which continues today with the footballers wives culture. Our first view of Tom Buchanan shows a powerful man standing in riding clothes with his legs apart on his front porch. The riding clothes are a classic symbol or high-status. Tom exploits his status. He is horrible, completely lacking positive aspects. His wife describes him as a big, hulking physical specimen, and he seems to use his size to dominate others. The fact that Daisy chooses to comment on his size rather than personality insinuates that there is nothing good about his personality to comment on. We are ushered into the living room with its frosted wedding cake ceiling, its wine coloured rug, and its enormous sofa on which are seated two women in white. They are Jordan Baker and Toms wife, Daisy Buchanan. Fitzgerald controls the whole scene through his use of colours. White and gold suggest a combination of beauty, cleanliness, innocence and wealth. Underneath this picturesque surface there is something wrong. Jordan is bored and unamused.  She yawns a few times. There is something slightly unpleasant about the atmosphere. The telephone rings, and Tom is called from the room to answer it. When Daisy follows him out, Jordan Baker confides to Nick that the call is from Toms woman in New York. Daisy Buchanan stands in contrast to her husband. She is frail and shy, and actually doesnt seem completely shallow. She laughs at every opportunity. This makes me wonder if its an awkward laugh, perhaps she doesnt feel she belongs there? Though she remarks that everything is in decline, she does so only in order to seem to agree with her husband. The visual purity of Daisy and Jordan stands in contrast to their actual decadence and corruption. Nick arrives home, and gets his first glimpse of Gatsby. Gatsby is standing on the lawn, stretching out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way. Nick believes that he can see Gatsby trembling. As Nick looks out at the water, he can see nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock. Bibliography -F Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby Ch. 1

Reflective Essay on Leadership | Critical reflection

Reflective Essay on Leadership | Critical reflection This report will discuss the importance of leadership in an organization. To achieve an objective, an organization will rely on individuals it employed. These individuals will then have to collaborate with each other in order to perform a task. However, there is a need for those involved to be directed and motivated to perform this task. The directing and motivating of the personnel is being done by an individual or a leader. The leader is important as they will ensure that the objective or goals of the organization can be achieved within the scope and time limit. The leader must be able to influence and motivate the people around him. This report will briefly explain some model or theories that leader can use to achieve the task. The first section of this report will discuss on the literature review about the leadership and team work. I will discuss various research articles in relation to leadership, management strategies and team work theory. Although there are numerous organizational behaviour based articles available, my literature review will focus on the following five areas which are Lewins Leadership Styles, Blanchards Situational Leadership Model, Transformational Leadership, Thamhains Nine Ways to Influence on Projects and Tuckmans Model to Team Development. I will also include some additional related published materials which will help me to fully understand the whole concept of leadership and team work strategies. Based upon the theories implied within the literature review, I will discuss the type of leadership my peer possesses. In this section I will discuss the leadership and management style that my peer used in order for us to complete the task. The discussion will also take into consideration on how my peer influences, and the method used to motivates the other team member. I will also discuss the positive and negative side of his leadership style and some recommendation based upon the leadership theories presented in the literature review. In the next section, I will reflect upon my whole team performance based upon the literature review. The process will take into consideration on how the Tuckmans Group Development Model is used to explain the development of my work group. I will also discuss the importance of having an effective team and how our project team can be identified as an effective team. In the last section, I will conclude my report based on my personal observation and findings on the whole leadership and team work process. The opportunity to work together as a team for 12 weeks has also broadened my perspective on leadership and on the importance of having an effective team. Literature Review Good leadership is essential for businesses, groups and organizations to succeed in achieving their goals. Nelson and Quick (2006) defines leadership as the process of guiding and directing the behaviour of people in the work environment. Leaders can influence others through their ability to motivate, inform, inspire and communicate effectively. There are a number of different leadership styles and strategies that can be used to accomplish their organizations goals and objectives. Each style or strategy of leadership can be used depending on the situation or organization. This section will discuss on literature review based upon Leadership Theories. The literature review is based upon the articles provided by the unit instructor, printed materials, electronic databases and search engines such as Google Scholar. Leadership Styles Theory The earliest researches on leadership style were conducted by Kurt Lewin who identified three basic styles of leaders that are autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire (Nelson Quick, 2006). These three basic styles of leadership can be use on a team and it may be changed accordingly based upon the situation. The autocratic leader usually rules based upon strong discipline and controlling in nature. This type of leader will usually dominate the group and is suitable if the group is newly formed and still lack of direction. The democratic leader on the other hand is more responsive, and takes into consideration the ideas from their subordinate. A democratic leader will encourage members within the group to actively participate in giving out ideas and helps in setting the direction of the group. This type of leadership is helpful in creating strong relationship between all members. The laissez-faire style leader usually did not implement authority and responsibility and let the subordi nate do all the things. This type of leadership is useful especially when all the team members are highly skilled and fully understands their objective. Leadership Strategies Theory Leadership Strategies is about how the leader can influence the performance of the group. One of the approaches suggested in this unit is to use the Situational Leadership Model developed by Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard. This model can be adjusted or changed as the project progress. This model is done by matching the leadership style to match the readiness of the group members based upon two characteristic of the leader, which are task behaviour and relationship behaviour (DuBrin, Dalglish, Miller, 2006). In the task behaviour, the leader will spell out the duties of each individual or group. However, in the relationship behaviour the leader will engage in personal communication which includes listening, encouraging and coaching. This results in four styles which are identified as Telling, Selling, Participating and Delegating. A leader should use the telling style where the follower is unable and not willing to do the task. This includes providing direct instruction while closely monitoring the individual or group. When a follower is unable but willing to do a task, the leader can use the selling style where he/she will explain decisions and provides opportunity for the follower to seek clarification. In the participating leadership style, the leader involves the group in the decision making process. The delegating style is where the leader delegates responsibility to the group and is informed of the progress. However, based upon numerous researches done on Situational Leadership Model, it does not really work in reality (Graeff, 1997;Thompson Vecchio, 2009). The model which was first introduced in 1969 underwent a few changes in order to adapt to its critics. However, as Graeff (1997) discovered in his research, there are a few inconsistencies between the two version of the Situational Leadership Model which creates more confusion. Another group of researcher, Thompson and Vecchio (2009) conducted research by comparing the versions of Situational Leadership Theory plus an additional version. It was found that based upon the feedback, this model is applicable only to certain type of employees. In comparing the multiple version of the model, they also discovered that the revised version was a poorer predictor of subordinate performance and attitude than the original version. In summary, they recommend that Situational Leadership Model be taught as a starting point in discussing the interac tion between the leader and the follower. Liz Lee-Kelley (2002) discuss in her published article about the situational approach which is not in direct relation to the Situational Leadership Model. In the article she discusses about the possibility for a leader to change style to manage based upon the situation. Lee-Kelly suggested that from the evidence, there is no single style that is right for every manager under all circumstances. The study also confirms that a managers ability to control and influence the team or situation have impacts on his management style. Research in leadership field is ongoing as it is an important aspect of the organizational behaviour. Two types of leadership style which was recently introduced are the transactional and transformational leadership style. Transactional leadership is characterized by leaders and followers being in exchange relationship (DuBrin, Dalglish, Miller, 2006). This type of leadership relies on rewards and punishment to deal with followers. Meanwhile, the transformational leaders rely more on their personal attributes to inspire and excite followers to high level of performance (Nelson Quick, 2006). Bass (2010) encouraged organizations to train their leaders to be a transformational leader as it will greatly impact the motivation and work ethic of the employees around them. By having the transformational leaders within their organization, it will boost up their corporate image not only internally but publicly as well. This leader will attract more intelligent prospects to join the organization which in turns increase the value of the organization. Management Strategies Theory Employees have choice in their work life, if they dont like the job, they can leave or switch department. In order to be successful, organization must be able to retain the people to do the job, as training new people will consume more time and other related resources. As pointed by Schwalbe (2007), H.J. Thamhain and D.L. Wilemon conducted a research on the approaches a Project Manager use to deal with workers and identified nine influence bases available for them: Authority the legitimate hierarchical right to issue order Assignment the project managers perceived ability to influence a workers later work assignments Budget the project managers perceived ability to authorise others use of discretionary funds Promotion the ability to improve workers position Money the ability to increase a workers pay and benefits Penalty the project managers perceived ability to dispense or cause punishment Work challenge the ability to assign work that capitalizes on a workers enjoyment of doing particular task, which taps an intrinsic motivational factor Expertise the project managers perceived special knowledge that others deem important Friendship the ability to establish friendly personal relationship between the project manager and others. It is also found out that project are likely to fail if the project managers relied too heavily on using authority, money or penalty to influence people (Schwalbe, 2007). However, if the managers use work challenge and their expertise to influence the people, the project were more likely to succeed. Art Pretty (2009) in his e-book writes about why a Project Manager needs to develop their leadership skills in order to succeed. Leadership according to him is learned through practise and a leader must not be afraid to try it in their work environment. Pretty also touches on the term of culture sensing where the project manager must be able to quickly understand the how things happen or work within an organization. His e-book also highlights the importance of communicating effectively up and down the organizational ladder. This will help a Project Manager to successfully and effectively manage the whole project. A project manager whom possesses leadership qualities will drive the project towards success is also emphasized in the article written by Ruffin Veal III (2004). Veal addresses four project management processes that can be used to promote success. The processes are creating an agenda, developing a team, execution of the agenda and evaluation of the outcome. He also clearly outlined the differences in terms of responsibility, function and activity between the management and leadership for each processes. This guidelines will definitely helps an individual appointed as the project manager to evaluate his/her own capability. Team Work Theory To achieve success within an organization, each individual must work as a team. By establishing an effective team, work can be done faster and with higher quality. A work team is identified by Hayward (1998) as a group of people who have responsibility for completing a task or project, or reaching a particular goal. Bruce Tuckman in 1965 introduced a four stage model of team development which is forming, storming, norming, and performing. In the forming stage, members get to know each other and start to learn to work together. In the storming stage, there will be differences and conflicts reappear. The team will focus on managing the conflict in the norming period. The group will work together to accomplish the goals during the performing stage (DuBrin, Dalglish, Miller, 2006). Based upon this four-stage model, various researches were undertaken and most of it confirms the model. Later, in 1977, the model was modified to include an additional stage which is called adjourning (Tuckman Jensen, 1977). In this adjourning stage, the group which was created through the initial four stage model is dissolved. Tudor Rickards and Susan Moger (2000) suggest that in terms of creating an innovative product or solution, the Tuckman model had no way of explaining what is regarded as outstanding creative performance. What is lack is the Creative Leadership which will enhance the team capabilities. Parker (2008) suggests that there are four team player styles that are critical to the success of any team which are the contributors, collaborators, communicators and challengers. He also described in detail the 12 characteristics of an effective team and how each characteristic has been impacted by the changing team landscape. Characteristics of an Effective Team as described by Parker are: 1. Clear Purpose The vision, mission, goal or task of the team has been defined and is now accepted by everyone. There is an action plan. 2. Informality The climate tends to be informal, comfortable, and relaxed. There are no obvious tensions or signs of boredom. 3. Participation There is much discussion and everyone is encouraged to participate. 4. Listening The members use effective listening techniques such as questioning, paraphrasing, and summarizing to get out ideas. 5. Civilized Disagreement There is disagreement, but the team is comfortable with this and shows no signs of avoiding, smoothing over, or suppressing conflict. 6. Consensus Decisions For important decisions, the goal is substantial but not necessarily unanimous agreement through open discussion of everyones ideas, avoidance of formal voting, or easy compromises. 7. Open Communication Team members feel free to express their feelings on the tasks as well as on the groups operation. There are few hidden agendas. Communication takes place outside of meetings. 8. Clear Roles and Work Assignments There are clear expectations about the roles played by each team member. When action is taken, clear assignments are made, accepted, and carried out. Work is fairly distributed among team members. 9. Shared Leadership While the team has a formal leader, leadership functions shift from time to time depending upon the circumstances, the needs of the group, and the skills of the members. The formal leader models the appropriate behaviour and helps establish positive norms. 10. External Relations The team spends time developing key outside relationships, mobilizing resources, and building credibility with important players in other parts of the organization. 11. Style Diversity The team has a broad spectrum of team-player types including members who emphasize attention to task, goal setting, focus on process, and questions about how the team is functioning. 12. Self-Assessment Periodically, the team stops to examine how well it is functioning and what may be interfering with its effectiveness. Reflection on my peers Leadership First of all it is hard to choose who in our group should be elected as the project manager. It is hard to make the appointment as all of us did not know each other well. However, in order to complete our task, we have to work as a team and therefore we must have someone to lead us. From my view point, a leader should be the one who must have trust and respect from the other group members. Based upon the Belbins Personality assessment conducted within the tutorial, we have agreed to elect the person who is categorized as a Coordinator to be the leader. We strongly believe that the leader should be a well organized person and is trustful. As per described in by Belbins personality test, our group leader performs well in managing all the group activities and keeping track of all our documentation. He introduces www.zoho.com which is a website where we were able to collaborate and upload all our resources. He organizes the folder so that all the related materials are kept organized. All the documents edited or modified have to be versioned correctly so as to ensure that no one reads or retrieved the out dated ones. He encourages us to have our discussion via a web forum and thus reducing the need to make a phone call to each team members. This is being done to ensure that we are able to trace back whatever points that have been discussed prior to submitting the final product. From my view, he is also very much influential in terms of motivating us to furnish the best ideas. We are able to come out with good ideas and suggestions with his direction. As our project manager has experience in broadcasting, he is able to share his knowledge on how things are done. His ability to communicate effectively in terms of the overall project requirement makes each and every team member understands what is expected out of them. From my observation, our Project Manager employed a democratic leadership style where hes the one who set the overall direction of our team. He also encourages us to participate actively in all the decision where we all have to vote for the best available option. Although the decision is group-based, he still has the full authority to have the final say. I really think this is good in our team as we are all able to raise our ideas and concerns. However, as everyone tend to speak out their ideas, not all ideas are work related and thus we waste much of our time arguing irrelevant ideas. This is I think the areas he lacks, controlling the individuals within the group. I would say that he sometimes have to assert his authority especially when things are out of control. In terms of the completing the task, the project manager have outlined or broken up the tasks into several sections. This is done prior to the team meetings. Initially, he would ask each individual to which task they are comfortable to work with. This is to ensure that each team members knows their responsibility and thus can concentrate to the task at hand. Apart from dividing the task, each individual member is also assigned additional task which to check on another team members outcome. The evaluation or corrective task was delegated based upon the ability of the individual to read and write well in English. The project manager will then be the last person who will consolidate and check the overall output. Each task was also provided with separate timelines. The project manager put a very high priority on meeting the deadline set. If an individual is unable to meet the deadline, he will personally look into the individuals assigned task and provides some solution on how to tackle the issue. This would in turn makes the individual somewhat felt embarrassed of his inability to meet the deadline and thus ensure that he/she wont be making the same mistake again. During our group meeting, I also noticed that our Project Managers leadership style or strategy changed from time to time. In the first few weeks, our Project Manager adopts a style where he is the one who have total control of all documentation, set the direction of the team and closely monitors our progress. This is somewhat in relation to the telling style as mentioned in the Situational Leadership Model by Hersy and Blanchard. At a later stage, the team leader use the selling style when each of us is individually assigned a task with the knowledge that we can have him clarified on how to do the task. At one stage, the project manager acts as the facilitator when every team members presented their ideas which are similar to the participating style suggested by the model. During the last stage, as each team members already knows what they are supposed to do, our Project Managers leadership style changes to the delegating style. By employing this style, each team member is able to p ropose their own ideas and at the end all present it to the team. By doing this, each member feels that they are fully responsible of their own work and in turn makes them feel important to the team. Reflection on my Project Teams Performance In this section, I will discuss on the reflection of the teams performance. In our initial meeting, we simply try to get to know each other and try to bond. Based upon the Tuckmans Group Development Model, this phase is called forming. During this stage, everybody seems to carefully choose their words and try not to offend each other. Questions are asked based upon individuals experience especially in relation to their studies. There are also questions based upon the requirement of the project and what each members can contribute. Once we got to know each other, we progress to the second phase in what is called the storming. Based upon the Tuckmans model, this stage is when conflict emerges especially in the issue of who is to become the leader or project manager. However, as we are all able to think collectively and openly plus with the help from the tutor, we were able to stick as a team. During this stage, we are still unable to agree upon the meeting schedule as every team member is busy at work during the day. As the day progress, we arrived to the next stage which is the norming stage where we were able to set the direction of the project team. We were able to understand each individual strength and weakness and try to work around it in order to achieve our goal. During this stage, we are more open to each other and argument is made for the sake of the project. Once the overall team structure was set and agreed upon, we are able to think collectively and the group is ready and motivated to works towards the objective. This stage is described by Tuckman as the performing stage. Based upon our initial group meeting, we have agreed that we will spend most of our time discussing issues on the forum, email or website. The meeting which was set up to be about two hours every Monday and the agenda will focus more on issues that cannot be resolved online. After about 12 weeks working with the team, I can conclude that my team is an effective team based upon the 12 characteristic of an effective team specified by Parker (2008). We all have the clear purpose of the vision, goals and each individual understands and was able to finish their assigned task. Our meeting are conducted in an informal way where the environment is comfortable and relaxing. We were all able to listen, understand and argue each others ideas and if there was disagreement, we try to resolve it by compromising. Most importantly, every decision made was by a consensus decision. The way our group work was that each individual was assigned a task and required to upload the write up on the collaborative website. Once it is uploaded, each team member is required to check the other team members submission and write a comment on the forum. By providing the feedback online, it will help the team member to reply to the feedback at any time convenient for him/her. Another major advantage on posting the feedback on the forum was that each individual will have the time to really read and understand the posting. This will also help in gathering everyone opinion towards one particular issue where everyone had the opportunity to post a reply. By providing positive feedback toward each others work, it will reduce the conflict and create a more openness for the group. In our group, we also have a diverse team player type which helps in getting the work done in time and of high quality. The diversity is required as it will produce a check and balance to each and every task performed by members. Questions will be asked if the submission is unclear or does not relate to the main task. The fact that each individual team members work really hard to finish their task on time made the management of this group fairly easy. Each individual are prepared to help each other in trying to finish the project early before time. Some team members were also helpful in finding out resources although it was not within his/her job scope. Based upon the action described above, we were able to finish the project on time. Although the draft version of the whole document was prepared a few weeks earlier, we were still not able to finalize it a few days before date of submission. This was due to the fact that we have to ensure that each individual write up is free from spelling and grammatical error. The reason was that our entire team member comes from Asian countries where English is our second language. We also have problem where the team member could not communicate well in English and it takes us a while to understand what they are trying to say. However, this does not hamper them from providing the best solution and with the other members help, they were able to communicate is clearly. Another negative side of this team work is that we had to wait for reply as most of team member were busy with work during the day. It also frustrates the individual who posted his/her work earlier and have to wait for feedback. However, as the time progress, some team members especially the project manager was able to influence the whole team member to finish the job within the time frame with his excellent work ethic. Conclusion Today, in most organizations, team are set up to work together to identify and discuss solution to completing a task or project. Everyone in the team need support and direction from time to time. It is up to the project manager to lead the team. Ones leadership style and personality will affect the outcome of the team. Leadership style can be changed according to the status or situation of the team. In the beginning, the leader has to be somewhat autocratic as he has to set the teams direction and ensure that each individual within the team knows the objective. Once the team have bond together, the leader should be more diplomatic and let all team members participate in the decision making. This is to ensure that each team member contributes and feel that they are a valuable asset to the team. The leader must be able to influence and encourage the team member to think out of the box. The leader in our group applied some of the leadership style based upon the style mentioned in the literature review section. There are changes in his leadership style based upon the situation. At times he uses the autocratic style especially when the group is somewhat disorganized in the beginning. Later, when all team member starts to build trust with each other, he adopted the democratic style where all of us get to discuss on how to complete our task. It is also important to note that personality of the leader also plays an important factor to the success of the team. Our leaders ability to organize the work really helps in supporting the team. His work ethic encourages each member to emulate this and in turn promotes them to work effectively. The leader also encourages us to make full use of the technology available on the Internet. He introduces us to the collaborative website where each member is able find and share resources easily. For an effective team, every team member must have clear direction about the objective of the team. The teams structure and communication setup will effect on the way members interact with each other. The most important aspect in having the team to work together is open communication and trust. Each team members must be able to participate freely in the decision making process. Although individually, each member has their own set of strength and weakness, the team must be able to use that to their advantage. In working together, each individual member should have the chance to choose which task suits them as this will contribute to the projects success. Although there are conflicts during the decision making process, it can easily overcome as the team member discuss it openly. The leader also has the role in resolving this conflict by taking authority over the issue. In our working team, I found that we are able to work as a team as there is trust and open communication between the five of us. We are able to discuss openly and informally on any issues in relating to the task. Each individual is assigned an appropriate work load and managed to deliver their task on time. Initially the task is not at the highest quality with lots of spelling and grammatical error, however the team work together to solve it. By using Skype, the team was able to communicate even late at night to get the work done. It is great to see that each individual was willing to work together via the Internet. As a conclusion, leader plays an important factor that can influence and motivate a group in achieving its goals. A great leader should be able to change his leadership style based upon the situation or organization. However, having a good leader does not necessarily translate to an effective team. For a team to be able to work effectively, it must have a clear vision of its goals or objectives. Team members must be able to communicate effectively and openly with each other. Based upon my 12 week experience working together as a team, I can say that I have good leader within my team. With this team, we are able to effectively achieve our task. Barclays Bank: PEST, SWOT and Five Forces Analysis Barclays Bank: PEST, SWOT and Five Forces Analysis Jump to: Barclays Bank PEST Analysis | Barclays Bank SWOT Analysis | Barclays Bank Porters Five Forces Barclays bank is providing its services in India in some their selected business divisions. Barclays bank now wants to expand its services in India with other corporate units. This report is a helping tool for their expansion as it provides basic information needed for this expansion. External Environment Analysis by the help of PEST, SWOT and Porters five forces provides essential information for the management of Barclays bank while making and implementing business strategies with more knowledge, authority and control. Task 1: Business Structure of Barclays Bank: Barclays is one of the leading British based multinational banks having branches in 5 different continents across the world. Barclays bank has strong position due to its asset estimation of more than 2.3 US dollars. Banking structure of Barclays is divided into Personal and corporate banking, Investment banking, Investment management and the unit of credit cards. The main headquarter of Barclays is located at London and the customers base of Barclays bank is more than 48 million in different continents including Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America. The basic structure of Barclays is divided into two clusters: 1. Corporate and investment banking plus Wealth and investment management. 2. Retail and Business Banking The further business units division is already explained. Barclays bank also plays part in providing consultancy services for people in operating their small scale business. The unit of personal banking provides its services to manage the investment of small scale businesses. The security and easy access ability level for borrowing purposes makes Barclays one of the standard financial service sectors. The business unit provides consultancy for personal banking borrowing. They provide innovation to start different small level businesses and provide attractive financial services and opportunities for personal loans. Corporate banking is one of the profitable units of business unit of Barclays as it has more than 50,000 customers in five different continents. Risk management unit is also important to provide advisory for businesses which have potential to invest and get profit and also provide opportunities for investment. Wealth and Investment management unit works in more than 20 countries to provide its services. The basic functions of this unit are international and private banking services, investment management services, fiduciary services and brokerage services. Business structure of Barclays bank allows world class banking solutions for corporate customers as well as personal banking clients. Using up to date technology in term of online banking solutions and mobility services provide an edge on competitors due to the latest procedures used in these services. Barclays rely on its global relationship approach. Different relationships teams work across the world to add value to the business of corporate and personal clients. Impact of Market Structure The basic purpose of Barclays is to increase its business in term of customers and profit, looking for potential customers all around the world, looking for growing economies and to expand in such economies to fulfill its vision of growth. Barclays bank is working in India for more than three decades. Investment banking division was the initial business of Barclays banking in India. Now Barclays bank is providing its corporate and personal banking services in India. This technique of using selected divisions is because of the market structure of India which is different as compared to Europe, Africa or America. People hesitate to deposit in banks and also there was less focus on borrowing from banks. The trend is changing due to awareness and availability of latest technology. The businesses of selected divisions in India shows that market structure have impacts while working in international economy. Changes in business structure while working internationally are basic requirements due to different values, structures and perceptions of the customers living in international market. Task 2: Causes of Globalization The change in the trends of international economy damaged the working of different organizations. The negative trend of economy of different European and American business environment allows organizations to look for new markets, customers and better economic regions. This is one of the biggest causes of globalization. The other cause is the advancement in technology and the availability of easy ways of doing business. People came to know about latest processes, new innovations in products and services, the differences in the quality of products and services and new ways of communicating. These cause international companies to expand their business across the borders to target the needs and wants of such customers. The concept of international free trade also caused globalization to take place due to the incentives associated with free trade. Availability of better suppliers in the international market causes organizations not to rely on domestic suppliers. Availability on quality su ppliers on competitive basis is a reason of globalization. Lower wages rates in other regions as compared to domestic labors in Europe and America encouraged organizations to expand their business in Asian countries which are less costly for infrastructure and low rate employees. All of the above mentioned reasons are primary causes for globalization. Advancement in technology, use of internet, emails, mobiles, and better traveling provided the basis for globalization to take place. The advancement in online technology provides basis for improved Management Information System to collect and analyze data all around the world to make investment decisions. Implications of Globalization Better business control through internet, mobiles and MIS provides comfort for organizations to handle business from anywhere in the world. This has made strategic decision making easy and fast as response from customers and management is speedy as compared to previous systems. The improvement in the living style and standard are implications of the availability of international standard products and services in those regions. People came to know about the variety and quality of products due to increased and reliable products and services as a result of international expansions. One can now see and buy products through online websites, emails and mobiles phones as these are easy and less costly way of communication now days. Now people have more choices in term of products, services and prices. One can compare product quality and prices by the help of internet and websites to buy more reliable products according to their budget. The other implications of globalizations are E-Commerce , better procedures, improved manufacturing techniques, computer simulations and low cost products and services due to availability of reliable suppliers and processes in region. World Trade Organization There are different causes and implications of globalizations but still there was a need of laws and procedures for globalization and international business. WTO is an international organization to provide standard rules and regulations for global businesses. Providing guidelines for business expansions in other countries by taking inputs from host and guest countries. Providing a list of social, legal and moral responsibilities to both parties for better business is one of the tasks of World Trade Organization. Different members across the world have provided their inputs and suggestions to generate standard laws for global businesses. Every organization and country has to wok according to these laws. Providing soft barriers for investment organizations and implementing the concept of free trade for global business are the major tasks of World Trade Organization. (THE ASSOCIATION OF BUSINESS EXECUTIVES, 2011) Task 3: PEST Analysis of Barclays External Environment Analysis of Barclays Bank Analysis of business environment through PEST analysis, SWOT analysis, Force Field Analysis and Porters Five Forces provides authentic and important information to decision making unit before formulating or implementation of business strategies. The macro and micro forces can impact the strategies of management due to their dynamic nature. External environment analysis is not a onetime process; it is a continuous process to make changes in strategies according to external environment. (T R JAIN, MUKESH TREHAN, RANJU TREHAN, 2009) PEST Analysis Analysis of Political, Economic, Social and Technological elements which can affect the strategies and decision made by management is done under PEST analysis. (P)olitical Analysis India is a country where people choose their members of parliament through elections in a fix time period. The member of parliament makes policies for foreign investors and multinational companies. There is no clue of intervention of any third power in the political system. Opposition provides suggestions for policies. So, there are fewer chances of changes in the policies for foreign investors which are a good thing for Barclays bank. (E)conomic Analysis One of the growing economies of the world with have emphasis on research is an attractive place for foreign investors to invest. The continuous growth in the GDP for the last 10 years provides opportunities for Barclays and other foreign companies to expand in India. (S)ocial Analysis One of the countries having high population and high growth rate of population in future provides opportunities for Barclays bank to have more targeted customers. Increase in literacy rate and awareness about latest and up to date services in region provides opportunities for Barclays bank to invest in India. (T)echnological Analysis Use of internet banking, mobile banking, ATM, credit cards, e-commerce and social media provides a lot of opportunities for Barclays bank to introduce their up to date and latest services in growing economy of India. Barclays can provide their services to improve banking operations in India which is the reason why India allowed Barclays operations three decades back. SWOT Analysis of Barclays Bank (BARCLAYS BANK PLC.)Using strengths of Barclays bank in term of latest technology and operations to get benefits of opportunities available in India in term of large term of customers and markets can be possible by having knowledge about these internal resources and external business environment. SWOT analysis provides this information. (S)trengths Global Leader in providing financial and investment services in five major continents. Strong brand name in corporate banking system having more than 50,000 corporate clients all over the world. High credibility in the growing market of Pakistan which is also based in Asia. Personal banking with no limit on minimum deposit provides an edge on majority of competitors. Focus on risk management. (W)eaknesses Need of bailout in UK due to economy crises in recent past. Bad impact on image due to government funding issue in Zimbabwe. Less innovation in marketing campaigns related to Indian culture. Barclays is working in India for a long time but they fail to adopt market orientation related to Indian culture (O)pportunities Past business experience of India provides an extra advantage to make an expansion decision. Growing banking sector of India, focus on corporate banking and increased personal funding due to reliability and credibility of Barclays bank. Investment opportunities in IPL and other Indian leagues due to corporate image of these leagues can provide global promotional opportunities for Barclays bank. India is a country with wide geographical area and second highest population. India can provide a lot of potential corporate and personal customers by making an expansion decision in other parts of India. (T)hreats Increase in interest rates has decreased the funding from personal banking sector. Government banks and investment policies provides more attraction for personal investors due to bigger output of these services. Domestic banks with cultural related strategies is a threat for Barclays More international banks are moving towards Indian market due to the availability of business and customers. It can increase the scale of competition in India. Porters Five Forces Entry Barriers The entrance of new multinational banks like HSBC and other are expanding their businesses in India due to soft barriers of entering and availability of customers. This situation can increase the competition scale and number of saturated markets in India. Rivalry with Industry Services provided by different local and international banks are of the same type. So, it is important to change interest rates and services charges to attract more customers as compared to other banks. The switching of financial services for customers to other banks is easy and not much costly so banks need to develop latest and up to date processes to facilitate customers. Threat of Substitutes Innovations in the products and services provided by banks, including car financing, house financing and education financing provides opportunities for bank to focus not only on traditional banking system. The local financing institutes with less interest rate for personal borrowing are also a threat for banks in India. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Reserve bank of India takes actions regarding monetary suppliers which impact the supply of money in the economy. Customers provide supplies in deposits for personal banking and majority of banks are offering same interest rates. So, there is a need of innovation in services to attract financial suppliers. Bargaining Power of Buyers Providing alternative services in term of finance for car, houses, education, businesses and consultancy can bring the bargaining power of customer low as all the banks are providing same type of services with same interest rates. (Barclays, 2008) Task 4: Business Objectives of Expansion Capturing the potential customers in other attractive regions in other cities Boosting the current market orientation of Barclays bank in India Increasing the number of divisions working in India to capture more opportunities Investment in Global promotional opportunities in tem of Indian Premium League and other Leagues which have global impacts Focusing on international revenue to carryout domestic and international operations. India can provide opportunities for larger scale of revenue due to its population and geographical area as compared to domestic branches in UK Providing E-Commerce services in India due to increased level of interest showed by Indian customers for online operations Capturing corporate customers of India as Barclays bank has strong base and experience of dealing with corporate customers. These customers can provide vast opportunities for revenue as compared to personal or investment banking. Having more than 50,000 corporate customers is good enough experience for Barclays to target corporate banking in India India is growing economy as compared to major European countries so it can provide more opportunities for business in India. There are number of corporate sectors in India and number of Billionaires businessmen who can provide a lot of opportunities for Barclays bank through their operations Resistance from Employees Making any change in the business structure or operations can help to bring employees out of the comfort zone. This is the reason why some of employees resist against any type of change in structure of operations. Making an expansion decision in Indian market means there will be a lot of changes to be made to formulate and implement strategies for new geographical areas and segments. Altering the operations of employees to take their assistance in expanding operations can bring resistance from employees. Providing them incentives associated with successful expansion of Barclays bank can help to bring down any resistance from employees. Expansion can bring a lot of opportunities for managerial positions in new branches. Good human resource management can communicate these opportunities with existing employees by giving them attractive growth and career paths for potential employees to bring down the level of resistance from employees. (T R JAIN, MUKESH TREHAN, RANJU TREHAN, 2009) Recommendations Focusing on promotional activities associated with global marketing can help Barclays in Indian and international market. Recent Olympics, Indian Premier League, Formula race and other global events in India can provide a lot of help for Barclays in their promotional activities if they use these events for marketing purposes. Proving online services in domestic languages can provide a differentiation edge and USP for Barclays to target more customers. Barclays should invest in social activities of education and green environment to build a better corporate social image in India Focusing on innovation in term of substitute products can help to bring more revenue and customers to Barclays bank.