Traditions in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson Essay

Shirley Jacksons story, The Lottery is about a group of towns people who meet every year on the 27th of June. On this day a stoning takes place, as it washes away the sins of everyone that lived in the village. However, should the tradition of the stoning be changed when it becomes your time? On this day every year the people of the village began to gather in the square, around ten oclock (Jackson) to prepare for the stoning. This event would take about two hours as there were only about three hundred people (Jackson). Men, women and children participated in this tradition of stoning. It was a very simple plan as to who would be stoned to death. It consisted on the exact number of people in the village as to how many†¦show more content†¦Mr. Summers called out everyones name separately when it was their turn to drawl a piece of paper from the box. The papers had to remain closed until everyone had taken their turn. Mr. Summers announced that it was now time for everyone to open their pieces of paper that they had drawn from the box to see who had received the black dot. The village people became anxious, as they wanted to known who received the paper with the black dot on it. The people of the village began to say, Its Hutchinson. Its Bill, Bill Hutchinsons got it (Jackson). Mrs. Hutchinson began shouting that it was not fair, and that Mr. Hutchinson was not permitted enough time to draw from the box. The people of the village began telling Mrs. Hutchinson that everything was done correctly and to be a good sport (Jackson). Mr. Summers asked Mr. Hutchinson how many people were in his family. Mr. Hutchinson answered with the number five. Mr. Summers then took four pieces of blank paper and the one paper with the black dot on it, and placed the five pieces of paper back into the black box (Jackson). The Hutchinson family would have to do the drawing all over again, except whoever received the paper with the black dot on it would be the one stoned. As the family opened their papers, they had taken from the box Mrs. Hutchinson stood holding the bla ck dot. Mr. Summers then announced, Lets finish quickly (Jackson). Mrs. Hutchinson was standing in the center ofShow MoreRelatedTradition in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson1774 Words   |  8 PagesAmerica’s most beloved short stories, â€Å"The Lottery,† by Shirley Jackson, leaves readers with excitement and perhaps a small sense of doubt. Doubt could be an aspect of the reader’s mind due to the gory fact of the cultural tradition in the small farming town of the story. Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† displays the theme of unwavering ritualistic tradition and the use of symbolism throughout the story. This means the village is unable to move past their tradition while symbolism is shown through character’sRead MoreTradition in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay1229 Words   |  5 Pages   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tradition; it is the back bone of every culture and civilization. It is what keeps the beliefs, philosophies, and activities of societies alive, to be passed down from generation to generation. However not all traditions are practiced with pure intentions.   Some activities become so routine, people don’t know a life outside of them. Societies become so accustomed to â€Å"tradition† that they will participate in pastimes without   questioning the ethics or morals of the situation. UltimatelyRead MoreIgnornance of Tradition in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson1014 Words   |  5 Pages Tradition, defined as the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction. (Tradition) Tradition is a core trait of humanity, from the time before recorded history to present, humanity has followed traditions or customs that have been passed down from generation to generation. More often than not communities all over the world blindly follow these practices with little regard to who startedRead MoreThe Meaning of a Tradition in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson574 Words   |  2 PagesShirley Jackson wrote many books in her life, but she was well known by people for her story â€Å"The Lottery† (Hicks). â€Å"The Lottery† was published on June 28, 1948, in the New Yorker magazine (Schilb). The story sets in the morning of June 27th in a small town. The townspeople gather in the square to conduct their annual tradition, the Lottery. The winner of the lottery will stoned to death by the society. Although there is no main character in the story, the story develops within other important elementsRead MoreTraditions in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson Essay576 Words   |  3 PagesThesis: After a long period of time passes people forget the true meaning of their traditions by slowly disregarding as the years pass. I. The first part of the traditional ritual that is changed is the chips of wood. A. Chips of wood, Mr. Summers had argued, had been all very well when the village was tiny... B. Its perceived as though there is no regard to how the ancestors of this village put on the lottery. II. The second part of the traditional ritual that is changed is the recitalRead MoreTradition in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson Essay1769 Words   |  8 PagesTradition in â€Å"The Lottery† There are many things that people do every day without questioning why they do them. These are our habits and traditions, and though for the most part they are unimportant they can be a crucial part of our culture and our interactions with each other. Sometimes there are traditions that can cause harm or are morally unacceptable. What should be done in this case? Edmund Burke, a nineteenth century politician and author, argues that it is best to stick with traditionRead MoreEssay on â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson: A Brutal Tradition608 Words   |  3 Pagesthe oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people,† capturing the main message of the short story â€Å"The Lottery,† by Shirley Jackson, perfectly, because of the themes of peer pressure and tradition present throughout the story. In this story, the people of a small village gather for their annual tradition, a lottery, in which one person is picked at random out of a box containing each of the villagers’ names. The village, which is not specifically named, seemsRead MoreTradition Stays Put in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson1053 Words   |  4 PagesTradition Stays Put Easily regarded as one of America’s most beloved short stories, â€Å"The Lottery,† by Shirley Jackson, leaves readers with excitement and perhaps a small sense of doubt. Doubt could be an aspect of the reader’s mind due to the gory fact of the cultural tradition in the small farming town of the story. Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† displays the theme of unwavering ritualistic tradition and symbolism. This means the village is unable to move past their tradition while symbolismRead More Theme of Tradition in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay1322 Words   |  6 PagesThe Lottery by Shirley Jackson Americans day after day live much of their lives following time-honored traditions that are passed down from one generation to another. From simple everyday cooking and raising children, to holidays and other family rituals, tradition plays a significant role on how they go by there everyday lives. In Shirley Jacksons short story, The Lottery, the citizens of a small farming town follow one such tradition. A point is made regarding human nature in relationRead MoreTraditions in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner1176 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout the world there have been bazaar rituals or traditions that don’t usually happen in the United States. To us it may seem wrong and cruel but to those countries seems to be the right thing to do because that is what they believe in. Some countries do their rituals or traditions like every single year. Most of them are somewhat similar or different but still have the same aspect. There are many people who still follow these traditions or try to escape to another place so they can be free Traditions in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson Essay Thesis: After a long period of time passes people forget the true meaning of their traditions by slowly disregarding as the years pass. I. The first part of the traditional ritual that is changed is the chips of wood. A. Chips of wood, Mr. Summers had argued, had been all very well when the village was tiny... B. Its perceived as though there is no regard to how the ancestors of this village put on the lottery. II. The second part of the traditional ritual that is changed is the recital. A. It is said that it was ...performed by the official of the lottery, a perfunctory, tuneless chant that had been rattled off duly each year... B. . Its almost as if they heard of the tradition, took the stoning someone to death†¦show more content†¦The first part of the traditional ritual that is changed is the chips of wood. Chips of wood, Mr. Summers had argued, had been all very well when the village was tiny... The result of this argument was replacing the chips of wood with little pieces of paper since the population of the village had increased. This reveals how the growth of the community can change peoples perspective on how they are used to doing this tradition. Its perceived as though there is no regard to how the ancestors of this village put on the lottery. No one shows deep family values to keep the tradition rich and pure of its originating roots. The chips of wood are taken from a tradition to basically do away with extra time and work. The second part of the traditional ritual that is changed is the recital. It is said that it was ...performed by the official of the lottery, a perfunctory, tuneless chant that had been rattled off duly each year... This recital was allowed to lapse years and years ago. The recital was part of the tradition for many years and its very disturbing to know that it would just be tossed aside like last weeks garbage. Its almost as if they heard of the tradition, took the stoning someone to death part, and then created the rest of the ritual themselves. Coming from a family of deep roots and many traditions, the destroying of a tradition would be greatlyShow MoreRelatedTradition in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson1774 Words   |  8 PagesAmerica’s most beloved short stories, â€Å"The Lottery,† by Shirley Jackson, leaves readers with excitement and perhaps a small sense of doubt. Doubt could be an aspect of the reader’s mind due to the gory fact of the cultural tr adition in the small farming town of the story. Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† displays the theme of unwavering ritualistic tradition and the use of symbolism throughout the story. This means the village is unable to move past their tradition while symbolism is shown through character’sRead MoreTradition in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay1229 Words   |  5 Pages   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tradition; it is the back bone of every culture and civilization. It is what keeps the beliefs, philosophies, and activities of societies alive, to be passed down from generation to generation. However not all traditions are practiced with pure intentions.   Some activities become so routine, people don’t know a life outside of them. Societies become so accustomed to â€Å"tradition† that they will participate in pastimes without   questioning the ethics or morals of the situation. UltimatelyRead MoreIgnornance of Tradition in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson1014 Words   |  5 Pages Tradition, defined as the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction. (Tradition) Tradition is a core trait of humanity, from the time before recorded history to present, humanity has followed traditions or customs that have been passed down from generation to generation. More often than not communities all over the world blindly follow these practices with little regard to who startedRead MoreThe Meaning of a Tradition in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson574 Words   |  2 PagesShirley Jackson wrote many books in her life, but she was well known by people for her story â€Å"The Lottery† (Hicks). â€Å"The Lottery† was published on June 28, 1948, in the New Yorker magazine (Schilb). The story sets in the morning of June 27th in a small town. The townspeople gather in the square to conduct their annual tradition, the Lottery. The winner of the lottery will stoned to death by the society. Although there is no main character in the story, the story develops within other important elementsRead MoreTradition in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson Essay1769 Words   |  8 PagesTradition in â€Å"The Lottery† There are many things that people do every day without questioning why they do them. These are our habits and traditions, and though for the most part they are unimportant they can be a crucial part of our culture and our interactions with each other. Sometimes there are traditions that can cause harm or are morally unacceptable. What should be done in this case? Edmund Burke, a nineteenth century politician and author, argues that it is best to stick with traditionRead MoreTraditions in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson Essay464 Words   |  2 Pages Shirley Jacksons story, The Lottery is about a group of towns people who meet every year on the 27th of June. On this day a stoning takes place, as it washes away the sins of everyone that lived in the village. However, should the tradition of the stoning be changed when it becomes your time? On this day every year the people of the village began to gather in the square, around ten oclock (Jackson) to prepare for the stoning. This event would take about two hours as there wereRead MoreEssay on â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson: A Brutal Tradition608 Words   |  3 Pagesthe oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people,† capturing the main message of the short story â€Å"The Lottery,† by Shirley Jackson, perfectly, because of the themes of peer pressure and tradition present throughout the story. In this story, the people of a small village gather for their annual tradition, a lottery, in which one person is picked at random out of a box containing each of the villagers’ names. The village, which is not specifically named, seemsRead MoreTradition Stays Put in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson1053 Words   |  4 PagesTradition Stays Put Easily regarded as one of America’s most beloved short stories, â€Å"The Lottery,† by Shirley Jackson, leaves readers with excitement and perhaps a small sense of doubt. Doubt could be an aspect of the reader’s mind due to the gory fact of the cultural tradition in the small farming town of the story. Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† displays the theme of unwavering ritualistic tradition and symbolism. This means the village is unable to move past their tradition while symbolismRead More Theme of Tradition in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay1322 Words   |  6 PagesThe Lottery by Shirley Jackson Americans day after day live much of their lives following time-honored traditions that are passed down from one generation to another. From simple everyday cooking and raising children, to holidays and other family rituals, tradition plays a significant role on how they go by there everyday lives. In Shirley Jacksons short story, The Lottery, the citizens of a small farming town follow one such tradition. A point is made regarding human nature in relationRead MoreTraditions in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner1176 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout the world there have been bazaar rituals or traditions that don’t usually happen in the United States. To us it may seem wrong and cruel but to those countries seems to be the right thing to do because that is what they believe in. Some countries do their rituals or traditions like every single year. Most of them are somewhat similar or different but still have the same aspect. There are many people who still follow these traditions or try to escape to another place so they can be free

The Problem Of Juvenile Delinquency Essay - 1877 Words

Abstract 250 words Introduction The problem of juvenile delinquency is not new to the society. It occurs in all societies simple as well as complex. Juvenile Delinquency is committing of criminal acts or offences by minors, i.e. juveniles (individuals younger than the statutory age of majority). These acts does not follow under the category of ‘crimes’ as they would be for adults. Rather, crimes committed by minors or juveniles are called ‘delinquent acts’. It is not only a legal problem but also a psychological problem and the one who has to tackle it has to consider both psychological and familial angles of the problem. It includes two types of behaviors, i.e. status and delinquent offences. Status offences are the ones which are inappropriate or unhealthy for children and the adolescents and thus the behavior is prohibited because of the age of the offender. Smoking, drinking, truancy and running away from home are some examples of status offences. Delinquent offences mean violation of legal statutes. For example, murder, rape, assault, harassment, stalking, robbery, etc. Special courts are established with specially trained Magistrates for the trial of the delinquents. Instead of a ‘trial’, the juvenile has ‘adjudication’, after which he/she receives a ‘disposition’ and a sentence. It also provides for the formation of reformatory schools for the delinquents. In a developing country like India the problem of juvenile neglect and delinquency is considerably increasingShow MoreRelatedJuvenile Delinquency Is A Problem1508 Words   |  7 PagesJuvenile Delinquency When looking into the history of United States and elsewhere juvenile delinquency is a problem and has been one for over a century. Like other systems in place, the system involving juvenile delinquents has gone through many stages. In the case of the juvenile delinquency, it has gone through four stages, with us presently in the fourth. The causes behind juvenile delinquency are still unknown even today. Some blame it on the current culture, the over-exposure to violenceRead MoreThe Problem Of Juvenile Delinquency Essay1201 Words   |  5 PagesJuvenile delinquents are defined as being minors between the ages of 10 and 18. To be considered an delinquent the minor has committed some act that violates the law. These acts aren’t called crimes as they would be for adults. Rather than being called crimes, when committed by minors these acts are called delinquent acts. Delinquent acts generally fall into two categories. The first type of delinquent act is one that would be co nsidered a crime had an adult committed it. The second type of delinquentRead MoreThe Problem Of Juvenile Delinquency894 Words   |  4 Pagesmost are just beginning puberty, these young boys and girls are becoming juvenile delinquents because they chose the wrong path or the wrong path was laid out for them. THEORIES AND CAUSE OF JUVENILE DELIQUENCY There are many theories and causes to why some juveniles end up being juvenile delinquents. The first is that peer groups can play a major role in one’s life between the ages of twelve and eighteen, pressuring juveniles to abandon their home life and join street gangs. Society can play aRead MoreThe Problem Of Juvenile Delinquency1792 Words   |  8 PagesJUVENILE DELINQUENCY Various experts can give us many theories on the causes of juvenile delinquency, including one s economic background, substance abuse, delinquent peer groups, repeated exposure to violence, increased availability of firearms and media violence, however, I feel that the number one cause of juvenile delinquency is the breakdown of families, including lack of parental control over children. It is ironic in America, today, one must have a driver s license to operate a vehicleRead MoreProblem of Juvenile Delinquency1935 Words   |  8 PagesUnit 2 Project Philippe Francois the problem of juvenile Delinquency This paper explains that juvenile delinquency, it will make the argument on how to reduce it and bring light to this problem which is fast becoming one of the largest problems facing urban America. It can lead to law-breaking juvenile, which often can lead to adult lives as career criminals. Over the years experts have given us many theories on the causes of juvenile delinquency, including ones economic background, parentsRead MoreThe Problem Of Juvenile Delinquency3617 Words   |  15 PagesAbtract Setting the problem Juvenile delinquency can be closely related to many sociology problems across the United States, America’s youth in the 21st century are more at risk that this present time frame compared to 10-15 year. Delinquency has a close relationship with poverty and low-income houses, however low income does not only influence house but employment and education. Therefore, Research shows juvenile delinquency is an increasing social problem that has many contributing influencesRead MoreJuvenile Delinquency Is Not A Problem3877 Words   |  16 Pagesdecades juvenile violence crime has grown twice as quickly as that of the adults. Childhood experiences plays a very significant role in the development of criminality in a juvenile, generally this trait of criminality is not noticeable in the early life, but if they are acted upon future delinquency can be avoided. Juvenile delinquency is not a problem in just one corner of the earth but it is a problem faced worldwide in every country. In order to tackle with problems like juvenile delinquency effortsRead MoreThe Problem Of Juvenile Delinquency1498 Words   |  6 PagesJuvenile delinquents vary from ages ten to eighteen who have committed an act that violates the law. With every crime that is committed, there is a victim who has been impacted negatively. In Hampden County and all throughout the country, juvenile delinquents have victimized other juveniles, but also parents, business owners and even complete strangers. My job as a Victim/Witness Intern was to be the voice for those who don’t have one in a court of law. All of the victims and witnesses are tryingRead MoreJuvenile Delinquency : A Serious Problem999 Words   |  4 PagesJuvenile delinquency is a serious problem in the United States as a whole, and especially in the state of Illinois. Illinois is known for having crime problems especially in the urban Chicagoland areas. Implementing juvenile delinquency intervention programs ma y be the first step to combating this crime problem. There is potential to reduce future crime if the youths of today can be reached and helped with these programs. I have picked four programs which I believe will help combat these delinquencyRead MoreThe Problem Of Juvenile Delinquency892 Words   |  4 PagesStudy Group. In the year 2004 girls made up thirty percent of all juvenile arrest. However, the question still remains whether it is an increase in juvenile delinquency or society’s response to girl’s behavior. In order to find out the answers to these questions the office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency prevention created the Girls Study Group. To fight the statistics and improve the lives of girls in danger of juvenile delinquency. Resiliency is the power to be able to deal with a tremendous

Launch Of LINX Smart Cycling Helmet By COROS †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Launch Of LINX Smart Cycling Helmet. Answer: Introduction Entrepreneurship is defined as the steps undertaken by the business organizations for designing, launching and running a business. Therefore, entrepreneurship allows the business organizations to create something new, unique and innovative by adding value and devoting significant effort and time. Entrepreneurship needs to consider the necessary social, psychological and financial risks that will help in receiving suitable monetary rewards. This report highlights the launch of LINX smart cycling helmet by COROS for the Australian market. The report sheds lights on the idea of the product, the mission of launching such a product by analyzing the industry and competitors market. The report also includes the marketing plan for launching the product by selecting the target customers as well as evaluating the critical risks in terms of the company and the product. Background to the idea Considering the Australian market, COROS is aiming to launch a health related product for the cyclists. The company is launching LINX smart cycling helmet for the Australian population. COROS is located in Perth, Australia. The Australian population prefers cycling largely due to health benefit and consciousness. This is because the youth are Australia is highly concerned about their health and the surrounding environment. Additionally, mountain cycling is a sport that has gained high popularity among the Australian population in the recent years. Apart from the local population in Australia, it has been seen that the tourists also prefers cycling for exploring the scenic beauty of Australia. Therefore, the company is excited and largely relying on the launch of the LINX smart cycling helmet (Caserta 2012). The main aim and idea of launching the LINX smart cycling helmet is to present smart facilities to the cyclists and influence their decision of adopting cycling for both daily use and exploring Australia. Additionally, the company aim towards providing utmost safety for the cyclists. The use of the smart helmet will provide opportunity for the riders to explore the scenic beauty of Australia and capture the moments. Therefore, the cyclists will be able to capture and record the Australian environment while cycling rather than explore the beautiful country in cars. As a part of exercising, many youths prefer cycling rather than hitting the gym or having personal trainer. Therefore, the helmet also provides facilities such as measuring heartbeat and recoding the number of calories burnt by the individuals thereby, influencing the purchasing decision of the target customers. The features included in the LINX smart helmet are demanded by the Australian market. Therefore, the company has launched the smart helmet with the features that is highly demanded by the Australian population (Teng, Liang and Nguyen 2014 ). Mission The company wants increase the profit margin, business and customers by launching the smart helmet in the Australian population. The helmet is one of its kinds due to the features such as making calls, capturing and making videos, voice enabled GPS navigation and measuring heartbeat and calories burnt. The company aims towards expanding the business by creating a unique image in the eye of the customers. Therefore, the aforementioned unique features will help the company in standing out in the Australian market from the competitors. Along with providing such features, the company also aims towards ensuring safety for the customers. However, the company also aims towards educating and enlightening the cyclists the proper use of the helmet in order to avoid accidents due to the new features in the helmet. Such features have not been incorporated in the helmet before therefore, the the innovation brought in by the company will help in engaging the customers in future. The sustainable bu siness idea will help the company in future for global and international expansion (Blanco, Cernicchi and Galvanetto 2014). Product offering The company has incorporated wide range of innovative and unique features in the LINX smart cycling helmet. Ensuring safety is the primary motive of the company for the cyclists. The company while manufacturing the helmet by considering the safety of the cyclists has used polycarbonate shell with EPS impact foam. The company has used aerodynamics-optimized ventilation up to 15 vents in order to decrease the level of sound for the cyclists. This will allow the cyclists concentrate more on cycling rather than the external sounds (Sheard and Corsini 2012). This will help in mitigating the chances of accidents for the cyclists. The helmet is launched in both medium and large size so that the product is available for the target customers in the Australian market. The various innovative facilities incorporated within the helmet include voice enabled voice navigation, mobile facilities and music facilities. Bone conduction transducers with sensitivity up to 100 decibel have been used for combating with voice calling and music listening facilities (Abolfathi 2013). The customers for both daily and exercising purpose can use the cycling helmet. Keeping in mind the requirement, the company has made the microphone wind resistant. Therefore, the voice enabled GPS navigation will not be hampered due to the feature of wind resistant microphone. The manufacturing material of the battery is lithium due to which the lasting power of the battery is up to 10 hours per day. Therefore, less battery is exhausted due to the facilities such as listening to music, recording and making calls. The compatibility of the helmet includes 4.0, iOS and android devices. The weight of the helmet has been considered by the company as using heavy helmet for extensive hours causing sprain and pain in the neck of the cyclists (Van Den Oord eta l. 2012). Chances of shoulder and neck pain among the target customers are mitigated by the company by manufacturing a light weight helmet Therefore, the weight of the LINX smart cycling helmet is approximately 400 grams. Additionally, the consumer product safety commission certifies the helmet. One year warranty has been provided by the company for the target customers keeping in mind special requirements such as disfunctioning and breakage (Ang and Kristoffersson 2013). Market analysis Prior to the launch of the product in the Australian market, it is essential for the company to conduct a thorough analysis in respect of the market and the competitors. This will enable the company to decide and implement appropriate marketing strategies in terms of promotion, distribution, innovativeness and pricing strategies. Market analysis will allow COROS to be aware of their position compared to the competitors in the market. Industry analysis Political: Under the parliamentary democracy, Australia is governed by the federal constitution monarchy (Bourke et al. 2012). Economical: The economy of Australia is one of the strongest among the leading countries due the presence of variety of natural resources. The main five principles based on which the Australian trade is conducted are unilaterism, non-discrimination, indivisibility, separation and transparency (Hatfield-Dodds et al. 2015). Social: Aborigines are the natives of the Australian population. However, English is the most commonly used language in the country after the European colonization (Stoeckl et al. 2013). Technological: The internet access by the Australian population has increased largely over the years due to the technological exposure. The government of the country has been facilitating the research and development largely due to the technological exposure (Jewell, Cherp and Riahi 2014). Legal: Independence of judiciary, justice and rule of law forms the basis of the Australian legal system. The country has one federal system as well as eight territory and state (Cheung, Chan and Kajewski 2012) Environmental: The country is rich in the natural resources and has large number of unique flora and fauna. However, the major environmental challenges include ocean dumping, global warming and conservation of marine life (Chan et al. 2012). Based on the PESTLE analysis of the country, it can be suggested that the country is facing environmental challenges largely. Extensive uses of technological advancements are hampering the entire ecosystem of the country. Moreover, the country has a strong economy and stable economy. Therefore, the launch of LINXsmart cycling helmet is a great choice of product for the Australian market. Competitor analysis The use of Porters five forces allowed the company to analyze the competitors in the Australian market. Threat of new entrants The potential threats for the new products that are entering the market are the entry barriers (E Dobbs 2014). The operational scope and the economy combine to form product differentiation, customer loyalty, structure of the cost and the switching cost. The helmet manufacturing industry is a large industry at the global scale thereby, including high capital cost resulting in fixed high costs. The helmet manufacturing industry encounters high economy leading to effectivemanagement of the cost capital. This helps the companies to manage their financial resources effectively and use it resources wisely (Yunna and Yisheng 2014). COROS aim towards presenting smart facilities to the target customers as well as ensuring safety. The innovative and unique features incorporated by the company in the helmets will help the product. The latter factor is dependent on the company and its management techniques, as the expansion rate of the helmet manufacturing industry is much slow. This is due to t he ignorance about the positive health and environmental impact of cycling that influences the purchasing decision of helmets among the Australian population. Threat to substitute products According to Baum (2013), only global recession hampers the purchasing power of the products by the customers. The role of the substitute product is to reduce the cost or charging higher price for the product. Based on the innovative features of the helmets, the companies in the helmet manufacturing industry can compete with each other. Therefore, the competition between the helmet manufacturing companies is based on the unique facilities provided to the customers along with ensuring safety for cyclists. Bargaining power of the suppliers The suppliers of the helmet manufacturing industry needs to emphasize more on the customer demand rather than considering the command that is shared by the business. This will help in gaining power for the manufacturing industry. The customers are vulnerable to the cost of the product and the product differentiation. Therefore, the customers might not prefer to spend extra amount because of the customer demand. Additionally, the features need to enhance the quality and image of the LINX smart cycling helmet (Lee, Kim and Park 2012) Bargaining power of the buyers The purchasing decision of the product by the customers might affect the bargaining power of the buyers of the helmet manufacturing industry. The target group of buyer of the LINX smart cycling helmet includes the individuals concerned with fitness, customers using cycle on a daily basis and the tourists. Targeting other customers will incur huge loss thereby; the strategy is restricted to the specific target groups (Marshall 2013). Threat of competitors The size and number of the competitors in the market determines the level of competition. When it comes to switching cost and product differentiation, the market tends to become fierce. The competition focuses more on costs that are not fixed (Perdana, Roshetko and Kurniawan 2012) Primary target market Targeting the group of customers is essential and considered as a wise decision when a company launches a new product in the market (Hollensen 2015). Targeting the customers allows the company to focus more the demands and needs of the customers before manufacturing and launching the product. The customers are attracted towards the products that fulfill their present needs and demands. Based on the demands of the customers, the company develops and implements promotional, operational and pricing strategies. The main customers targeted by the company are the children, young adults and the tourists. Reports suggest that majority of the Australian population suffers severe health complications. This is because the population is highly dependent on unhealthy diet and lifestyle. Majority of the population relies on fast food and foods with high calorie content. Therefore, majority of the Australian population suffers health complications such as obesity. However, recently, the young adult s and the children are becoming more health conscious to keep up with the latest trends. Therefore, targeting the young adults and the children are justified for the company. The number of additional features incorporated by the company in the helmets will influence the purchasing decision of the target customer. The target customers will be able to avail the various facilities that is demanded highly within the population (Muhamad, Melewar and Faridah Syed Alwi 2012). Additionally, targeting the tourists is a competitive business strategy implemented by the company in order to target the secondary customers. Large portion of the Australian economy is contributed by the tourism sector. The tourists come from different parts of the world that might have helmets that lack such innovative facilities (Tapp and Spotswood 2013). Therefore, targeting the tourists will allow the company to create and unique image in the eye of the customers thereby, invading the global market. Marketing As commented by Khan (2014), effective marketing allows the company to communicate their product to the target customers. Therefore, implementing 4 Ps of marketing mix will allow COROS to communicate the innovative and unique facilities of the product to the target customers. This will allow the company to create a unique image in the eye of the customers and stand out from the competitors in the market. Sales maximization will allow COROS in profit maximization and business expansion. Product COROS is launching LINX smart cycling helmet for the Australian customers. The product launched by the company differs from other products in the market based on the features provided by them. The helmet is manufactured by polycarbonate shell with EPS impact foam due to which it weighs only 400 gms. The wide range of facilities incorporated within the helmet includes making and receiving calls, video recording, and voice enabled GPS navigation along with listening to music and measuring heartbeat and number of calories burnt. The wide range of features can influence the target customers in using cycle at a daily basis, as this is beneficial both for the individuals and for the environment. Price According to the financial status of the target customers, COROS has implemented penetration-pricing strategy for the customers. Therefore, the company has decided the starting price of the LINX smart cycling helmet is $200. The company has kept the price to the minimal for the target customers initially, as this will help in convincing the target customers for using the helmet. Therefore, minimal price will not force the target customers to think much before investing and purchasing the product. However, the company has kept minimal profit for them (Sije and Oloko 2013). Distribution COROS has decided to sell the product from the stores physically. Therefore, the helmet will be sold from the various outlets that are selling sports and gym equipments. Distributing the helmets from the outlets will be beneficial for the company as this will them in engaging the customers. The target customers will be able to evaluate the innovative features personally before purchasing the product. Moreover, selling the products from the stores will allow the customers to know how to use the various functions of the helmet. Additionally, the companies will also sale the product online; this will allow the company to reach out target customers where the product is not present physically (Spann, Fischer and Tellis 2014). Promotion As the part of the promotional strategy, COROS can organize campaigns that will aware the target customers about the benefits of cycling both in terms of individual basis and environmental basis. Then the company can associate the features of the helmet as a promotional strategy. Additionally, the company can organize a grand opening for launching the product along with broadcasting the launch live in social media. This will help the company in engaging more customers hereby, influencing the purchase decision (Aliata et al. 2012). Financial plan Startup expenses Legal $1,300 Brochures $3,580 Consultants $3,000 Insurance $2,400 Rent $4,400 Store setup $10,000 Other $2,500 Startup assets Cash required $67,123 Startup Inventory $16,027 Other current assets $0 Long term assets $59,170 Startup Funding Startup expenses to fund $27,680 Startup assets to fund $142,320 Total funding required Non-cash assets $75,197 Cash requirement $67,123 Additional cash raised $0 Cash balance on starting date $67,123 Total assets Current borrowing $10,000 Long term liabilities $20,000 Accounts payable $0 Other current liabilities $0 Total liabilities Planned investment $140,000 Critical risks There are significant risks associated with the launching of LINX smart cycling product. The company has predicted that the product might fail to attract the customers to a certain extent. This is because that the innovative facilities might at against the aim of the product. The parents of the children and the young adults might be highly concerned with the safety of the children. The parents might think that the number of facilities such as listening to music and video capturing will distract the children and the young adults. As they will be more mesmerized with recoding the scenic beauty or making calls while cycling, their concentration will be hampered. As the target customers are not financially independent, unable to convince, the parents might be a critical risk. Another potential risk includes that the company might fail to convince the target customers to opt for cycling by demonstrating the health and environmental benefits. The children and the young adults might prefer availing comfortable transport facilities such as cars and buses. Conclusion In this report, it can be concluded that COROS is launching LINX smart cycling helmet that consists of various unique and innovative features. The helmet stands out from other helmets in the market as it provides unique facilities along with ensuring safety for the cyclists. The wide range of services incorporated by the company within the helmet includes listening to music, making and receiving calls, voice enabled GPS navigation along with measuring heartbeat and amount of calories burnt. The company has targeted the young adults and the children by considering their health and daily needs. In order to estimate the overall budget of the launch of the product, a financial plan has been developed. The report also highlights the market and competitors analysis in order to understand their position in the market and evaluate the strategy of the competitors. In addition to, 4 Ps of marketing plan has been developed for launching the product by COROS. References Abolfathi, A., Sonitus Medical, Inc., 2013. Intraoral appliance for sound transmission via bone conduction. U.S. Patent 8,433,082. Aliata, V.L., Odondo, A.J., Aila, F.O., Ojera, P.B., Abongo, B.E. and Odera, O., 2012. Influence of promotional strategies on banks performance. International Journal of Business, Humanities and Technology, 2(5), pp.169-178. ng, B.O. and Kristoffersson, M., 2013. Neck muscle activity in fighter pilots wearing night-vision equipment during simulated flight. Aviation, space, and environmental medicine, 84(2), pp.125-133. Baum, M.B., 2013. Introduction. In Service Business Costing (pp. 1-18). Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. Blanco, D.H., Cernicchi, A. and Galvanetto, U., 2014. Design of an innovative optimized motorcycle helmet. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology, 228(2), pp.95-110. Bourke, L., Humphreys, J.S., Wakerman, J. and Taylor, J., 2012. Understanding rural and remote health: a framework for analysis in Australia. Health Place, 18(3), pp.496-503. Caserta, G., 2012. The Use of Honeycomb in the Design of Innovative Helmets. Chan, T.U., Hart, B.T., Kennard, M.J., Pusey, B.J., Shenton, W., Douglas, M.M., Valentine, E. and Patel, S., 2012. Bayesian network models for environmental flow decision making in the Daly River, Northern Territory, Australia. River Research and Applications, 28(3), pp.283-301. Cheung, E., Chan, A.P. and Kajewski, S., 2012. Factors contributing to successful public private partnership projects: Comparing Hong Kong with Australia and the United Kingdom. Journal of Facilities Management, 10(1), pp.45-58. Dobbs, M., 2014. Guidelines for applying Porter's five forces framework: a set of industry analysis templates. Competitiveness Review, 24(1), pp.32-45. Hatfield-Dodds, S., Schandl, H., Adams, P.D., Baynes, T.M., Brinsmead, T.S., Bryan, B.A., Chiew, F.H., Graham, P.W., Grundy, M., Harwood, T. and McCallum, R., 2015. Australia is' free to choose'economic growth and falling environmental pressures. Nature, 527(7576), p.49. Hollensen, S., 2015. Marketing management: A relationship approach. Pearson Education. Jewell, J., Cherp, A. and Riahi, K., 2014. Energy security under de-carbonization scenarios: An assessment framework and evaluation under different technology and policy choices. Energy Policy, 65, pp.743-760. Khan, M.T., 2014. The concept of'marketing mix'and its elements (a conceptual review paper). International journal of information, business and management, 6(2), p.95. Lee, H., Kim, M.S. and Park, Y., 2012. An analytic network process approach to operationalization of five forces model. Applied Mathematical Modelling, 36(4), pp.1783-1795. Marshall, S., 2013. Evaluating the strategic and leadership challenges of MOOCs. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 9(2), p.216. Muhamad, R., Melewar, T.C. and Faridah Syed Alwi, S., 2012. Segmentation and brand positioning for Islamic financial services. European Journal of Marketing, 46(7/8), pp.900-921. Perdana, A., Roshetko, J.M. and Kurniawan, I., 2012. Forces of competition: smallholding teak producers in Indonesia. International Forestry Review, 14(2), pp.238-248. Sheard, A.G. and Corsini, A., 2012. The mechanical impact of aerodynamic stall on tunnel ventilation fans. International Journal of Rotating Machinery, 2012. Sije, A. and Oloko, M., 2013. Penetration pricing strategy and performance of small and medium enterprises in Kenya. European Journal of Business and Social Sciences, 2(9), pp.114-123. Spann, M., Fischer, M. and Tellis, G.J., 2014. Skimming or penetration? Strategic dynamic pricing for new products. Marketing Science, 34(2), pp.235-249. Stoeckl, N., Jackson, S., Pantus, F., Finn, M., Kennard, M.J. and Pusey, B.J., 2013. An integrated assessment of financial, hydrological, ecological and social impacts of developmenton Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in northern Australia. Biological Conservation, 159, pp.214-221. Tapp, A. and Spotswood, F., 2013. From the 4Ps to COM-SM: reconfiguring the social marketing mix. Journal of Social Marketing, 3(3), pp.206-222. Teng, T.L., Liang, C.C. and Nguyen, V.H., 2014. Innovative design of bicycle helmet liners. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part L: Journal of materials: Design and applications, 228(4), pp.341-351. Van den Oord, M.H., Steinman, Y., Sluiter, J.K. and Frings-Dresen, M.H., 2012. The effect of an optimised helmet fit on neck load and neck pain during military helicopter flights. Applied ergonomics, 43(5), pp.958-964. Yunna, W. and Yisheng, Y., 2014. The competition situation analysis of shale gas industry in China: Applying Porters five forces and scenario model. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 40, pp.798-805.

Speech Advantages of listening to English songs free essay sample

Good morning everyone. Im the chairperson of the English Club. Today, Im going to share a topic to all of you. But first, let me ask you two questions. Are you bored with reading, grammar and writing? Would you like to find a more fun and entertaining method to Improve your English? I believe you all will have the same answer, right? In fact, listening to English songs is a useful and interesting way to learn English. It might be one of the best ways to retain or remember vocabulary and grammar that you hear In the lyrics. Also, your pronunciation may get better. But do you know why?In the past, students learned English mainly from textbooks often this was a boring, frustrating experience that needed patience, inner motivation and perseverance to ensure language learning continued. Recently, more and more learners tend to listen to English songs as a means to Improve their English. We will write a custom essay sample on Speech: Advantages of listening to English songs or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They feel learning English In this manner is more enjoyable and relaxing. They can learn English happily with the background music. In addition, Songs expose students to a wide vocabulary related to a theme. Lyrics are not easily forgotten. You listen to them over and over again throughout your life.Once you learn them, they are going to stay with you, and you are going to review them over and over Just because you ENJOY the music, which are pleasant to listen. If you learn one song per week for a year, which would take up very little time, you will never forget those 52 songs full of new vocabulary and phrases. The variety of accents by the various singers also means that you improve your listening skills when you start paying attention to the lyrics. Once you learn a few songs, youll start gathering an immense repertoire of songs and vocal.Just the fact hat you start caring about the lyrics will activate your listening skills and listening to music in English will become an enjoyable learning exercise. Yet, songs give you perfect pronunciation models. As you learn to sing them, you are practicing your pronunciation, you are imitating native speakers, and you are learning how to speak better. The rhythm naturally leads to better pronunciation, better Intonation, and more fluency. Last but not least, listening to English songs would surely bring you a correct collocation. Collocation is the cultural context and placement of words.It is what mounds natural to native speakers. It usually doesnt have much logic to It, and Its almost Impossible to teach. It Is something thats acquired with time and contact with the language in authentic cultural contexts. Songs tell stories, and these stories teach correct collocation which you hear over again and incorporate them into your own It is no wonder that English music is becoming more and more popular nowadays. It helps us learn and improve our English. If there are so many benefits to listening to English songs, why not try start listening now? Thats all of my sharing. Thank you.

Leave me alone essays

Leave me alone essays Many celebrities are always being followed at by paparazzi. They mostly follow the celebrities that are at their peak of the job. One of the huge paparazzi victims was the singer and king of pop Michael Jackson. He has been through so many problems through the scrutiny of the media. Everything he does has been sent to the public in a wrong and weird way that everybody from the media to the people has tagged him as wacko Jacko. Michael himself has told the public many times that many of the allegations that have been told about me are totally false. A persons privacy should be kept private and not be known to the public. In the year 1989, Michael Jackson released a song titled Leave me alone. This was from his album Bad. From the music that he makes, a person can clearly state that the genre he will fall into is pop. Later on in his carrier he was recognized as the king of pop. He had fans in all types of race and religion, whether it was African American, Caucasian, Asian, and so forth. Everyone was affected by his music. Pop music, which is, basically known as popular music was the most listened to genre of music during the period of his career. Michael Jackson was a huge during this time that many of his songs were super hits. Just like all Leave me alone won a Grammy award for Michael. There was so much scrutiny about Michael life due to his physical change by a cosmetic nose job. The surgery changed his face color. The media portrayed him as a white man wannabe. There were many reports that many of his African American fans hated him for that reason. He was criticized by many for his acting of an innocent person. He said that the changes were natural. The tone of the song itself was very madly done. The lyrics were also used in a mad way. This was to reflect upon the hatred toward the media. The main lyric of the song ...

Free Essays on Egypt In Stone

"The message of the work of art had to be clear: everyone from scribes to peasants had to understand at first glance that the great image of the pharaoh was a sign of his limitless power." The Egyptians did not understand art as it is defined today. They had no word for art. Egyptians paintings and sculpture served as a means to a religious end, specifically to house a spirit of a person or deity. For over three thousand years the Egyptians kept and used a recommended set of rules as to how a work of art in three dimensions should be presented. Egyptian art was very symbolic. Of the materials used by the Egyptian sculptor clay, wood, metal, ivory, and stone stone was the best. It was available in many colors and hardness. Sculpture was often painted in stunning colors as well. Egyptian sculpture has two qualities that are different; it can be characterized as cubic and frontal. The sculpture nearly always copies the shape of the stone cube or block from which it was made, mostly, because it was an image made from four viewpoints. The front of almost every statue is the most important part and the figure sits or stands facing strictly to the front. The Egyptian artists were unable to create a naturalistic looking sculpture, but it is clear that this was not the intention. Most artwork was done for the pharaoh or his wealthy government officials. The large works of sculpture were often displayed at temples, which the pharaoh would build to his taste. Sculptures were stiff, formal, and serious looking. The Egyptians did not aim for realistic replica, but instead wanted to present a powerful image. Egyptians used the size of their sculptures to show the social order. The pharaoh was larger then life size, scribes and court officials were life size, and workers and peasants always shown working. Many of the smaller statues were constructed out of slate, which allowed them to survive over time. In the royal graveyard at Giza, a... Free Essays on Egypt In Stone Free Essays on Egypt In Stone "The message of the work of art had to be clear: everyone from scribes to peasants had to understand at first glance that the great image of the pharaoh was a sign of his limitless power." The Egyptians did not understand art as it is defined today. They had no word for art. Egyptians paintings and sculpture served as a means to a religious end, specifically to house a spirit of a person or deity. For over three thousand years the Egyptians kept and used a recommended set of rules as to how a work of art in three dimensions should be presented. Egyptian art was very symbolic. Of the materials used by the Egyptian sculptor clay, wood, metal, ivory, and stone stone was the best. It was available in many colors and hardness. Sculpture was often painted in stunning colors as well. Egyptian sculpture has two qualities that are different; it can be characterized as cubic and frontal. The sculpture nearly always copies the shape of the stone cube or block from which it was made, mostly, because it was an image made from four viewpoints. The front of almost every statue is the most important part and the figure sits or stands facing strictly to the front. The Egyptian artists were unable to create a naturalistic looking sculpture, but it is clear that this was not the intention. Most artwork was done for the pharaoh or his wealthy government officials. The large works of sculpture were often displayed at temples, which the pharaoh would build to his taste. Sculptures were stiff, formal, and serious looking. The Egyptians did not aim for realistic replica, but instead wanted to present a powerful image. Egyptians used the size of their sculptures to show the social order. The pharaoh was larger then life size, scribes and court officials were life size, and workers and peasants always shown working. Many of the smaller statues were constructed out of slate, which allowed them to survive over time. In the royal graveyard at Giza, a...

Marketing case study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Marketing case study - Assignment Example The bottom line is that while companies in the Western nations are under increasing pressure from this meltdown, companies that have invested in the emerging markets are doing relatively well. It can also be observed that companies invest in emerging markets to diversify their investments. This report gives a case study of Li-Ning Company Limited that wants to introduce its brand of sportswear in the Indian market. The sports industry is highly lucrative and competitive and Li- Ning is one of the key brands that rose from a local based company to an international player with a considerable market share in various parts of the globe. Li- Ning is a major company that is based in China and produces sporting goods as well as athletic shoes. Its products targets sportsmen that take part in various activities fitness, football, tennis, badminton, basketball and running. Li Ning who was an Olympic gymnast who is the chairperson of the entity’s board of directors (Li Ning Company Limited, 2014) started the entity in 1990. Later in 2005 Li Ning entered into a partnership with Aigle that is a sports apparel company in France (Li Ning Company Limited, 2014). The company has been making increased profits over the years and has over four thousand retail stores. Some of these stores are franchised while others are directly owned. The most recent developments within the entity were in 2010 when its fl agship store and headquarters were established in Portland Oregon. In 2011, the company got into a partnership with Acquity Group that is based in Chicago to facilitate brand awareness and distribution of its products across the US. In 2012, Li- Ning entered into a contract with Dwayne Wade, an NBA player in a move to improve the products popularity in the US (Li Ning Company Limited, 2014). It can be observed the company makes sportswear and shoes that are mainly sold in the Chinese market. The entity has been experiencing increased growth in the recent past in its main lines

Film Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Film Music - Essay Example The difficulty of studying the nature of the music for motion pictures derives from the complexity of the medium. Films usually operate through "a conjunction of visual and auditory signals, research into film music requires an understanding of not one but two non-verbal systems of communication, as well as the problematical jargons with which we attempt to describe each of them in speech (Marks, 1997, p. 3)". Currently, few scholars have mastered the field of such specialized studies as music in silent movies. Thus, I have to address that this paper has limitation based on the narrow specialization of the topic. The subject of film music is neglected by researchers, because it spans between two disciplines and its material presents many problems (Marks, 1997). Unlike concert music, film music exists only as an accompaniment to the film and is not included into a repertoire. Especially in music for silent movies, the primary material that has to be researched is not the music, but th e film itself. Consequently, the film music in silent movies has to be studies together with a profound observation of the movie. Music in this sense is in the core of the research and the movie plot stays in the periphery (Marks, 1997). "As we view a film, our minds must contend with the ever-changing content of the moving image and the soundtrack. The individual elements (not just music, but also lighting, camera work, editing, and so forth) are submerged into the flow of images on the screen. Hence the engrossed audience rarely perceives these elements consciously; it is simply carried along by the stream of sights and sounds (Marks, 1997, p.4)." Marks (1997) points out that most of our "information about music and silent cinema dates from after 1910; earlier than that, documents are lacking and extant scores are few (p. 26)." Altman (1998) observes that in the early periods of silent film musical accompaniment was not standard practice. He explains that the US film industry began to introduce normative musical score as accompaniment between 1908 and 1912. Altman (1998) also notes that developing the musical accompaniment was a significant part of the cinematic transformation that was taking part at that time. Efforts were made to stimulate the use of film music and to supervise its quality. Much more attention should be paid on the impact of geography into music. The urbanized east coast versus the less populated western states, the neighborhood trends versus the downtown surroundings have influenced the sound in the silent movies (Altman, 1998). Ethnicity and race and the emergence of African folklore traditions, ragtime an d jazz on the musical accompaniment also placed a cornerstone in silent movies music. After the World War I and the disastrous flu epidemic in the 1918, the 1920s can be characterized as one of the most prosperous years in America. The 1920s are also called "The Roaring Twenties" or "The Jazz Age" (Blundell, n.d). After the World War I, a lot of African Americans who were living in the South, started to move North. Northern America was more industrialized and provided more employment opportunities. Thus, African Americans hoped they could make a better living. 1920s was the time when

The location of businesses Essay Example for Free

The location of businesses Essay Businesses can choose where to locate. Sometimes choice of location is critical. In other cases it is less important. What is the difference? And what happens when a right choice suddenly becomes a wrong choice? Factors influencing location Every business locates where it thinks it will be successful. If you remember that businesses need:   staff to work there   raw materials to produce finished products * customers   to keep their costs as low as possible then their reasons for choosing a particular location begin to make sense. Local labour supply All organizations need to be able to employ staff. So it makes sense to locate where people live. A factory in a remote part of the Scottish Highlands would have trouble finding anyone to work there. Motorway service stations have to pay to transport their staff from local towns and villages to the station itself, a cost which other businesses can avoid. The factors which influence a particular area are often local skills and cost of labour. Local skills In some parts of the country particular skills are a tradition. If you wanted to set up a business making pottery you would be sensible to locate in the Midlands, around Stoke-On-Trent. If you wanted to make cutlery, then Sheffield is the place. If you were making boots or shoes then Northamptonshire is the area for you. Probably the most famous examples today are in the United States. Silicon Valley and Seattle are renowned for their computer industries, so this is where whiz-kid programmers head for. California is the home of the film industry, so if you were keen to work on special effects and digital technology, this is where you would go. Britains Silicon Valley is located along the M4. The area is also famous for Formula One motor racing firms. Scotland has its own Silicon Glen and Cambridge is building a reputation for and is now known as Silicon Fen. Firms wanting to specialize in these particular industries know that if they locate in these areas they will be able to recruit staff with skills they need. The City Of London is renowned for its financial skills and expertise, so this is where you would find large international banks, stockbrokers and insurance firms. Other firms dont need particular skills or maybe willing to train unskilled staff. Firms doing light assembly work often locate where there is a ready supply of cheap (often female) labour. Many of these have set up where traditional industries, such as mining, have closed. Areas with high unemployment have lower wage rates the competition for jobs keeps wage rates down. At the north of Celynen Colliery in Wales, Aiwa employs 1,000 people making videos and in the Rhondda Valley the heart of the old Welsh mining industry Taxdata employs 250 people making CD packaging. In the Dearne Valley in South Yorkshire, at a former colliery, over 2,000 people work for Ventura part of the Next group companies. Ventura is a call centre and mail-handling company which handles over seven million customer accounts for various clients such as Cellnet and the Cooperative bank. Call centres employ operators equipped with a computer and telephone whose task is to answer telephone enquiries or telephone existing or potential customers to generate more sales for companies. Today approximately 150,000 people in the UK work in call centres. Most of these are located in parts of the country where wage rates are lower. However, in some places, such as Tyneside, Leeds and Glasgow, where many call centres have been set up, competition for experienced is now increasing and pay rates are rising. So the pool of skilled labour in the area is affecting the cost for firms. The cost of labour will always be more important to businesses that are more labour intensive than those which are capital intensive. A labour intensive is one which needs a higher number of staff such as call centres or schools and colleges. A capital intensive business is one where machines or technology do most of the work as in a modern electricity generating plant. Here the cost of labour is less important in the choice of location. The Cost of Premises The cost of premises is determined by the forces of demand and supply. The greater the demand for premises and the fewer there are available the higher the cost. For that purpose, premises in city centres especially in London are much more expensive than the cost of premises in the suburbs or in the regions. For example, the lease of a large store (60,000 square feet) in Oxford Street, London, was on sale for i 12,000,000 in 1997! This is because Oxford Street is a prime site in a town a large high street store would be less but not cheap. In 1997, Mark Spencer bought 19 high street stores from Littlewoods for i 192,500,000, paying over the odds for the stores it wanted. They were actually valued at around i 80,000,000. Premises on major town centre shopping routes are always more expensive than on secondary side streets simply because shoppers stay on the high street. Areas of high employment with a surplus of skilled labour Newbury, in Berkshire, is a typical example are more expensive places to locate than areas where unemployment is high and the area depressed, as in some parts of the north east. The result is that companies that have no reason to locate in London or the south east will move to other towns and cities. Those businesses which arent dependant on passing trade will locate outside town and city centres in cheaper areas or on industrial estates. Within Britain, many local authorities offer packages to encourage businesses to locate in their area. They may offer financial assistance for large firms and reduced rents for small enterprises. Specialist rental and leasing companies will offer attractive packages enabling businesses to locate easily in special workspace sites, office complexes, business or retail centres. Some centres are managed with a central reception area, business services and shared meeting rooms. Retail units may be available on short-term license agreements, payable weekly. All these attract organizations to locate where costs will be lowest and where, hopefully, they will be able to expand their business without substantially increasing their costs. Financial Help from the Government If you live in London, south-east, or the east of England (e. g. Norwich), then you live in an officially prosperous area. If you live anywhere else, the situation is different, although in Scotland, Northern-Ireland, the West-Midlands and the south-west, prosperity rose above the UK average between 1986 and 1996. However the north-east, north-west, Yorkshire and Humberside, the East-Midlands and Wales all declined below the national average. The European Union and the government are concerned about such inequalities. They would like all regions to be equally prosperous. For some time in the UK there have been assisted areas. These are areas of Britain where regional aid may be given under European Community law. Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) is the main form of such an aid in Britain. This is a discretionary grant awarded to support a project which will stimulate employment opportunities, increase regional competitiveness and improve prosperity. Between 1985 and 1988, the scheme created 100,000 jobs, reducing employment by 0. 5 per cent in the Assisted Areas, at a cost of i 130,000,000 a year. In 1998 the European guidelines on regional aid changed and all member states were asked to propose new Assisted Areas to operate from 1st January 2000. In July 1999 the Department of Trade and Industry put forward the new proposals which included the following.   Tier One (maximum) assistance for Cornwall, Merseyside, South-Yorkshire and West-Wales and the Valleys. Here grants of up to 40 per cent of the project cost will be available. The government has also proposed that Northern Ireland be treated as an exceptional case for assistance. Tier Two assistance for areas most in need of employment creation, investment and regeneration. For these areas a 20 per cent assistance grant will be available. This includes the Highlands and Islands and various areas in England, Wales and Scotland. Rather than designate towns or cities the government has used ward boundaries (which denote voting areas).   Tier Three assistance for Enterprise Grant Areas where assistance will be available to businesses employing up to 250 people. The aim is to encourage the development of small businesses as these are seen as vital for improving employment and prosperity long term. Once the new Assisted Areas have been agreed by the European Commission, they will remain in force from 1st January 2000 to 31st December 2006. Transport Links for Suppliers and Distribution.

Roman Fever: A Brilliant Display :: Roman Fever Essays

Exposing Gender Stereotypes in Roman Fever    Definitive criteria for judging the success or failure of a work of fiction are not easily agreed upon; individuals almost necessarily introduce bias into any such attempt.   Only those who affect an exorbitantly refined artistic taste, however, would deny the importance of poignancy in literary pieces.   To be sure, writings of dubious and fleeting merit frequently enchant the public, but there is too the occasional author who garners widespread acclaim and whose works remain deeply affecting despite the passage of time.   The continued eminence of the fiction of Edith Wharton attests to her placement into such a category of authors: it is a recognition of her propensity to create poignant and, indeed, successful literature.   The brevity of her "Roman Fever" allows for a brilliant display of this talent in it we find many of her highly celebrated qualities in the space of just a few pages.   "Roman Fever" is truly outstanding: a work that exposes the gender stereotypes of its day (1936) but that moves beyond documentary to reveal something of the perennial antagonisms of human nature.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From the story's first sentence, upon the introduction of two women of "ripe but well-cared-for middle age," it becomes clear that stereotypes are at issue (Wharton 1116).   This mild description evokes immediate images of demure and supportive wives, their husbands' wards.   Neither woman is without her "handsomely mounted black handbag," and it is not until several paragraphs into the piece that Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley even acquire first names (1117).   Thus, without even disclosing any of the ladies' thoughts to the reader, Wharton has already revealed a great deal of their personal worlds.   They live in a society which expects women to act largely as background figures, thoroughly engaged with furthering their husbands' careers and the constant struggle to remain pretty.   Indeed, little else is desired or even tolerated3/4and Grace Ansley and Alida Slade appear, at first glance, to conform to this image perfectly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As the workings of the characters' minds are revealed, the extent to which they have internalized these values becomes apparent.   Each, in their brief description of the other, mentions that her acquaintance was quite beautiful in her youth.   Alida recalls how much she enjoyed having been married to a famous lawyer; she misses being   "the Slade's wife" (1119).   Startlingly, now that their husbands are dead, we find that the women consider themselves to be in a state of   "unemployment" (1118)!

Capitec Strategy to success Essay

Introduction History shows that the South African banking sector has predominately focused on middle to upper class income groups in the market, whilst neglecting the needs and demands of low income groups (Manson, 2012). Capitec Bank on the other hand, focused on the needs of these low income groups, creating a business model that was specifically tailored to their needs. Capitec was introduced in the banking industry during a time of crisis, Saambou Bank, which focused in micro lending had collapsed (McNulty, 2009). However Capitec has managed to endure this predicament and since its inception, has emerged as a force to be reckoned with, in a relatively short period of time. The bank has managed to penetrate the South African banking sector with progression in a matter of a few years due to its implementation of the inventive Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) strategy aimed at targeting the lower end consumers (van Themaat et al, 2013). It is therefore essential to evaluate the BoP strategy, along wi th all of its aspects. For this reason, this essay will examine the history of Capitec Bank and in particular outline the successful adaption of the BoP strategy as well as its growth and current position in the banking sector. However, the main objective that will be discussed in detail will be on the aspects of Capitec’s strategy crucial for leverage in its position in the South African banking sector. History Capitec Bank was founded on the 1st of March 2001 and built back on its micro credit business, keeping in mind its intention to establish a proper bank in the microfinancing platform (Manson, 2012). Microfinance is a term used to describe the provision of financial services in addition to microcredit to small businesses and the bottom of the pyramid (BoP) population (van Themaat et al, 2013). Initially, Capitec started as a 300-branch micro-loan business with the sole product being 30 day loans with a 30% monthly interest. Imperatively, this business of micro-loans supported the strategic aim and complementary cost of building out an underlying foundation  necessary for a transactional bank (Ashton, 2012). Based on statistics it is found that BoP is more than two thirds of the population that survive on bare minimum income (van Themaat et al, 2013). Furthermore Finscope 2003 estimated that 35 percent of the total population in SA have never banked or used any financial service to m anage their finances. With relation to the above, it is recognized that other financial institutions overlook serving the BoP as they are perceived as non-profitable (Coetzee, 2003). However on the other hand, Capitec recognised this market as a window of opportunity as the majority of this population remained unbanked due to the many constraints that prevented them from obtaining financial services (van Themaat et al, 2013, Robin et al, 2005). The bank implemented its profit-driven strategy by customising its services and products to the needs of the BoP to achieve the following: Acceptability, Availability, Affordability and Awareness, thereby overcoming the constraints that existed. (Coetzee, 2003, van Themaat et al, 2013, Robin et al, 2005) This approach deemed successful which has resulted in an increase of market share with 51.23 percent compound interest over the last five years which is in line with its goal of being a profit-driven microfinancing institution (van Themaat et al, 2013). These aspects used by Capitec Bank to penetrate the banking sector will be discussed in this paper. Acceptability As mentioned previously in the history, Capitec overcame many constraints that had previously left the BoP sector unbanked. The founders of Capitec critically evaluated the BoP and found that many are embarrassed by their lack of education, skills, literacy, are unable to afford basic financial services and that their perceptions of banking is that it is complicated, expensive, difficult and time consuming (van Themaat et al, 2013). Capitec offers a simplistic and acceptable approach to banking which has changed these perceptions taking into consideration that the Bop are first time users. Capitec Bank (2014) displays Capitec’s product offering which is a Global One account that incorporates a savings, deposits and a credit facility which makes for simpler banking offering exceptional utility and value. Capitec’s interaction with clients are face-to-face, paper-less, cash-less and card-based (Haladjian, 2006). Overcoming the lack of confidence and literacy skills in first time BoP clients was achieved by the paperless IT and management information system (van Themaat et al, 2013). This also incorporated biometric identification using fingerprint technology and cameras to identify their clients which creates ease of use and quicker response time (van Themaat et al, 2013). Overcoming the language barrier was achieved by employing staff from the local communities. (Robin et al, 2005). Capitec’s investment into human resource training has made for efficient interaction with clients strengthening customer-to-bank relations and by eliminating a bulletproof glass barricade, clients receive a personal service and are treated importantly, which makes transacting a more approachable service. (Coetzee, 2003) By treating their customers with respect, this increases the emotional a ppeal to the BoP population. As compared to service in a big four branch, the Bop customer is treated as inferior and unvalued, therefore Capitec defines it focus by customer and not by income (van Themaat et al, 2013). The customer interface systems at ATM’s have been adjusted to the needs and preferences of the BoP catering for illiterate clients. (Coetzee, 2003) The management IT system is centrally controlled, increases simplicity and customer value by reducing administration costs, paper work, prevents fraud and keeps track of transactions using fingerprint biometrics. (Coetzee, 2003, van Themaat et al, 2013) It also creates a safer environment as cash is not kept at branches and withdrawals are available at ATM’s and selected retail stores considering that many unbanked sectors exist in areas experiencing high crime and this positively contributes to driving down financial service costs (Coetzee, 2003, Haladjian, 2006). Opening an account takes ten minutes. After credit evaluation and approval, the loan application process is as follows: scan ID document and verify using barcode, scan payslip, take a photo of the client, capture other data, open account, print loan agreement, all ow client to sign, then scan and return the original, create an ATM card and give card to the client (Coetzee, 2003). Coetzee 2003 highlights that this previously unbanked population deemed as  undesirable and unprofitable are being served by Capitec Bank in large volumes since its inception. This further proves that the strategy of simplifying its service implemented by Capitec appeals to the Bop population allowing Capitec to penetrate the banking sector. Availability Capitec makes their services more available to customers by having longer business hours, increasing the number of branches, allowing withdrawals at retail outlets, using ATM’s, internet banking and applying for credit online. According to Planting (2006) Capitec Bank has extended their business banking hours. On weekdays branches are open from 8am to 5pm (Manson, 2012). Most of the branches of the big four banks: Absa, Nedbank, FNB and Standard bank close at about 3:30pm or 4pm. Capitec considers that most customers are working and can only access branches after working hours which is around 4pm. In some cases branches are open till later where it suits customers and branches are also capable of going to the workplace of customers to offer their services (Coetzee, 2003). On Saturdays branches are open between 8am to 1pm and on Sundays branches in large shopping centres are open between 10am to 2pm (Manson, 2012). Most of the big four banks branches close on Saturday at about 11am and on Sunday most branches are not open. These times considers that customers may not be able to do their banking during the week because of long and tiring working hours. They understand the needs of customers by offering longer business banking hours. Capitec knows that their customers need to reach their branches easily. This is done by reducing the size of branches and increasing the quantity of branches (Manson, 2012). They would rather have more branches in one area than have one big branch. Many people do not save because they do not have access to banking services (Finscope, 2003). Increasing the number of branches increases accessibility and savings will be encouraged. Using this approach makes their services accessible and convenient for customers. Initially Capitec’s main target focus was the BoP. Branches are located at taxi ranks, train stations and townships where their services are easily available to the low income group. They have expanded over the years, making their services available to the other income groups by locating branches near rural areas and in shopping malls. Capitec uses existing  infrastructure to improve banking service accessibility. They have partnered with retail outlets such as Checkers, Pick ‘n Pay, Shoprite and Pep. Customers can withdraw cash at these retail outlets. Most of the retailers allow cash to be withdrawn when purchasing items at the stor es except at Pick ‘n Pay no purchase is required to make a withdrawal. They have increased their network location by allowing withdrawals at retailers without having to invest in any large infrastructure (Kim & Mauborgne, 2005). This allows easy access to money and convenience for customers. Capitec ATM’s are located across SA making them easily accessible. If customers cannot access an ATM to withdraw cash, they can always go to retail outlets making their services more accessible and unique compared to the major banks. The ATM’s can be used to check balances, withdraw cash and multi-loan, transfer money to savings plans and change a pin. The availability of services offered by Capitec is improved by partnering with MasterCard. Cards are developed to allow customers usage even in remote places (Lee, 2010). Mobile banking is also used by Capitec; customers can use their cell phone to access multi-loan, savings plans and savings account. It can be used to purchase airtime and electricity, check account balances and previous electricity tokens purchased, withdraw multi-loan and make payments to clients who bank with Capitec, transfer money between your accounts and register for SMS update for security purposes. Capitec offers internet banking that is simple, safe and saves the customer money. Money can be managed whenever it suits the customer. Internet banking allows customers to transfer money between their accounts, create stop orders, check their statements, tax interest certificate, payment history and register for SMS update system. Customers first need to access their nearest branch to register for mobile or internet banking and to find out how it works. After registration customers can easily access their services when it suits them. They also allow customers to apply for credit online which increases availability of their services. A credit application must be completed online and they will contact the customer to discuss it with them, making credit application easily accessible. The use of EMP technology and cards linked to maestro allows customers use of their cards offline, offering services in areas of limited access such as rural communities (Haladjian, 2006). Using these strategies  Capitec has made their services more available and convenient for custome rs, thus improving the banking sector. These strategies used have increased their client base and resulted in the growth of bank. Businesstech (2014) reveals that Capitec has overtaken Nedbank and is now the fourth largest bank with approximately 10.8 per cent market share. Affordability A substantial component behind Capitec Bank’s successful business model was its development of a strategy aimed at understanding the needs of its customers which were the â€Å"bottom of the pyramid† population (van Themaat et al, 2013). This prompted the bank to offer affordable banking products and services that were specifically designed in accordance to its customers’ needs. Capitec centred on having simple banking products and services and sought out to have the lowest fees, hence arguably making it the most affordable bank to bank with amongst many of its competitors in the banking sector (Manson, 2012). In order to understand this strategy, it is imperative to highlight the banking products and services Capitec offered which allowed it to penetrate the banking sector in South Africa as well as making a comparative analysis with the products and services of some of the major banks in South Africa. The fundamental factor of Capitec’s success is its Capitec’s Global One account which comprises of three distinct features: it allows an individual to have the ability to transact, save and access credit, all with one account (Capitec Bank, 2014). The efficiency of this account ensures that customers do not have to open three separate accounts which cuts down on administrative costs. The monthly administration cost for the Global One account inclusive of all its aspects as of 01 March 2014 amounts to R5.00 (Capitec Bank, 2014). Furthermore there is free access to card, mobile as well as internet banking and in so doing makes it more appealing to Capitec’s target market (Manson, 2012). Comparing Capitec’s Global One account with that of its counterparts from the big four banks in the table below, it can be seen that this account is more superior in terms of its features and much more cost efficient than the rival accounts of other banks. Bank Transactional Account Savings Account Access Credit Capitec- â€Å"Global One Account† YES YES YES FNB- â€Å"Easy Account† YES YES NO Absa- â€Å"Flexi Account† YES YES NO Nedbank- â€Å"Ke Yona Account† YES NO NO Standard Bank- â€Å"PlusPlan Account† YES YES NO The Global One transaction feature allows you to transfer, deposit or withdraw money as well as to make purchases and payments (Capitec Bank, 2014). The fees that Capitec charges relating to the transaction aspect on this account is by far the cheapest in comparison to the transaction accounts of the big four banks. Fees relating to all card purchases are free whether you purchase at card machines, shop online, order by telephone or through mail. Money transfers to own accounts are also free and to other accounts is charged at a fee of R1.05. Balance enquiries through all channels are also free. (Capitec Bank, 2014) The savings component on the Global One account allows an individual to have four different savings plan which has the ability to earn interest ranging from 4.40 to 9% depending on  their plans. These plans can also be flexible or fixed according to one’s preference. With flexible savings, people can earn from 4.40% interest on their daily balances as well as cho ose the amount they want to deposit and the frequency of their deposits (Capitec, 2014). Another advantage to these plans is that there is no monthly admin fee that has to be paid to each account as well as no minimum balance required in order to start saving. Fixed-term savings gives one the ability to choose from two deposit options. The first is a â€Å"single deposit† which can run from a period of 6 to 60 months with a minimum balance of R10 000 and a maximum investment of R5 million (Capitec Bank, 2014). The second option is â€Å"multiple deposits† which can run from a period of 6 to 24 months with a maximum investment amount of R1 million. The interest rate is fixed for the full term and interest gained from this option can either be reinvested or transferred to back to one’s transaction or savings account (Capitec Bank, 2014). Having a look at the competing accounts of the other major banks which can be seen in the table below, most offer interest rates that are less than 1%. Capitec on the other hand offers highly competitive interest rates which make it more lucrative for people to bank with them as they are able to earn more on their savings. Bank Capitec- â€Å"Global One Account FNB- â€Å"Easy Account Absa- â€Å"Flexi Account Nedbank- â€Å"Ke Yona Account Standard Bank- â€Å"PlusPlan Account† Interest Rates 4.40 to 9% 0%

Developing Reflective Practice Essay

This essay will focus on developing reflective practice through exploring a critical incident in the workplace. It will explore different methods of reflection and use one particular method to reflect on the critical incident (appendix 1) and explain why this individual method was chosen. It will evaluate individual career development by reviewing past practice and the skills that have been gained throughout time, for example teamwork, group roles and experience gained, which will be ways to measure how development has progressed. It will illustrate a critical understanding of assessing personal capability within the workplace. It will identify a range of personal and interpersonal skills that contribute to effective professional practice and different types of work methods and will also reflect on practice and develop action plans to meet personal goals for the future. It is important to reflect on practice to help us grow as people, find faults and work on issues to better ourselve s. Wigens (2003:1) states ‘reflective practice has been identified as one of the key ways in which we can learn from our experiences’, however Atherton (2003) cited in Johnston and Nahmad-Williams (2009:367) ‘questions whether reflection can really bring together the practical and theoretical’. Paige- Smith and Craft (2008) puts forward that it is important to reflect on how we interact with children and observe their peer interactions; this helps us to reflect on how important interactions are. After looking at Different methods of reflection, I investigated and considered a few, for example Gibbs and Kolbs. Gibbs is quite similar to De Bono’s as you are able to explore the different stages in depth, but found that Kolbs does not have a clear cut off between each phase of the cycle, therefore I found it difficult to pull the case study apart using this method. Johnston and Nahmad-Williams (2009:365) writes ‘Although Kolbs model is useful to see wh ere reflection fits into the learning cycle, it does not provide detail about what reflection is and the processes in which it is achieved’ The model of reflection that has been chosen is De Bono’s six thinking hats. This method struck to be the most interesting to myself as it can be quite a visual tool. The hats are referred to by their colour at all times as opposed to their function (De Bono 2000), the reason for this is as De Bono (2000:14) states ‘If you ask someone to give his or her emotional reaction to something, you are unlikely to get an honest answer because people think it is wrong to be emotional’.  Lindon (2012) puts forward that De Bono’s method is a parallel way of thinking, meaning that you are looking and thinking in the same direction yet the direction changes. It helps to give a more rounded viewpoint and helps see things from a different perspective. Dreyer (2012) illustrates this by imagining a house with four people around it, one facing the front, one facing the back and one at either side; All may argue that their viewpoint is the best, but until you walk around and view the house from all four angles you will not be able to have an understanding of different perspectives. Johnston and Nahmad-Williams (2009:365) state that ‘Dewey (1859-1952) was an influential figure in education and viewed reflection as a way of purposeful thinking that is systematic and raises questions and answers’. De Bono (2000) suggests that thinking is imperative in everyday life and no matter how good we think we are we should always strive to be better. De Bono’s six hat model has six aspects the first being the white hat which suggests that you first examine the data you have available, the facts and the figures, in this case Child L’s mum wants to be able to bring her child into nursery earlier than 8:00am as she has to be in work, but thinks it is too expensive to pay for the early sessions, after being told to not come in early, mum still persisted in arriving prior to 8:00am. The second aspect is the red hat which is your intuition, emotions and reaction, in this case feelings were frustration that mum did not want to pay like others, annoyed that she was ignoring me, aggravated she kept bringing child L early, infuriated at the fact that she was not communicating with staff, uncooperative as did not want to help mum and nervous to keep having to tell her repetitively. The third aspect is the black hat which is the negative points of the situation, De Bono (2000) states that this is the most valuable of all of the hats and should not be seen as a bad hat, it is only to highlight possible risks and potential problems, in this case it is unfair to parents that are paying for the early start and not fair on staff members setting the room up. The fourth aspect is the yellow hat which is the positive aspects of the situation, in this case it is good for parents to test staff members patience as it helps deal with things in future calmly and confidently, having gained knowledge and experience, also that the manager and parent were able to meet half way and come to a conclusion of a joint decision. The fifth aspect is the green hat which summarises and  concludes of events, helping to decide what has been learned and what you will take forward into future practice. In this case it has shown that parents are going to get upset at times and practitioners have to deal with it as effective as possible. In future I would try and resolve the situation myself by coming to a resolution without involving the manager if possible, this way it may have not escalated as quickly as it did. The final aspect is the blue hat which is the evaluation to put the green hat into action. In this case make sure there are parent comment boxes wher e if a parent is unhappy they are able to voice their opinion and feel listened to instead of getting worked up. If it is possible to find an alternative and affordable way to engage struggling parents for example to be able to drop their child off early maybe just five minutes. You may then imagine you were the complete opposite and ask yourself how you would now feel. By going through these different thought processes you are allowing your brain to take a journey to come to a fair conclusion. Having worked through the above reflective model it has highlighted some personal strengths and weaknesses which have been useful to reflect on professional development. Writing a timeline of career progression (appendix 2) has enabled me to look at past practice and focus on the skills gained throughout years of training. This has been a useful method of looking at personal progression. The most enjoyable experience had to be when I worked in Majorca as a children’s representative. Whilst here learnt to tone down my expressive personality, after a hurricane struck I panicked and scared the holiday makers, my manager pulled me into the office and explained that it was very unprofessional and that I needed to control my emotions. Another experience was after returning home, a family that used to attend my previous nursery had informed me of some very upsetting news. They told me that the mother of a 1 month old baby had died. The father asked if I would be interested in becoming their private nanny, after working on the other side of child care in a home environment I was able to see things from a different perspective and can relate to parents in current practice. Many times in life the opportunity have arisen for me to develop and grow as a practitioner. Since being a child my career path has been quite clear and after leaving school I began to study child care, alongside working with children. Looking back it was quite a vulnerable decision as the importance o f childcare was not as  great as now, and after working in several nurseries, learnt that it is hard work. The chance finally came for a promotion to be third in charge of a nursery, after being successful in the position I realised that it was going to be a difficult journey. The job was very rewarding, although the time spent with the children had been halved due to paperwork and other duties, and other practitioners that used to work alongside me were now taking instructions from me. Through this time I began to deal with confrontation, at first the thought was quite daunting but after lots of practice feel very comfortable to approach this. The next step in my career development was a job that I happen to stumble across. I quickly arranged an interview as the money was greater yet the responsibilities cut. The setting was not like one I have worked in, or heard of before as there were lots of deprived children and chance to delve into the social work side of things. In the past my experience has been in upper class nurseries with highly qualified parents such as Lawyers and Doctors. I quickly learned that this was going to bring me lots of experience and after working there for a year and a half I got promoted to a room leader, this is my current situation and have now been working there for four years. Every day I feel I learn something new in my job role and am one of the few people who love my job. Within my duties I attend core group meetings and case conferences, liaise with social workers and other professionals, as well as support the staff in my room with their daily duties and most importantly care for the children within my setting. The team we have is a highly qualified group of people who have all worked there for a long time and enjoy working together. Each staff member has a different personality which helps the nursery see things from different perspectives. Miller (2005) proposes that teams get together by different personalities balancing out so everybody has an input. I have a very bubbly and confident personality yet a colleague of mine is qui te the opposite. It is this balance that helps the staff and parents to feel comfortable and be able to approach individual members of the team with ease to support their personal preference. Manktelow (1995) illustrates you are able to solve different problems using numerous approaches such as ambition, sensitivity, creativity etc. As staff we are able to approach difficulties within our working hours and overcome them giving each other great support. Like Lindon (2012) we work effectively as a team even though there is a hierarchy  everyone is allowed to have their own opinion and are listened to which helps everybody feel positive. All members of the team enjoy attending regular training courses to make sure we are up to date with current practice and procedures. Miller (2005) puts forward that it is important for practitioners to take a critical look at theory and practice when working with children. Regular staff meetings are held and staff appraisals. It is important to be able to give and receive constructive criticism. I recently have started to give the 4 practitioners underneath me appraisals. I find it to be quite difficult to explain that they need to work o n different parts of their practice. This is an area that I need to work on. The praise sandwich is a tactic that my manager explained to me, when you have something negative that you need to discuss with a member of the team, you should start and end by saying something positive. This helps the person to realise that they are acknowledged for the good practice as well as the bad. She also told me to be more of a ‘Swan’ which was explained to me like this. A swan is a beautiful creature who is relaxed above water, however below the water her feet are going very fast. My manager explained for me to stay calm on the outside in situations even if underneath I am struggling. After researching more about this found a good self reflection tool called SWAN. Jagusiak (2013) writes that it stands for Strength, Weakness, Ambition and Need. She explains that it involves witnessing and examining one’s own practice, although you are watching someone else, this will help to analyse and critique any weaknesses. I am proud to be part of the team and feel that we are at the performing stage in our career. Tuckman (1965) cited by Smith (2005) argues that when groups of people come together they go through four separate stages as they meet and establish. These phases are called forming, storming, norming and performing. Forming is when the people in the group are meeting and accepting each other, they tend to test boundaries and figure interpersonal behaviours out. Storming is when they are a bit more comfortable and are able to speak out, question and criti cize one another, they feel more comfortable to form conflict. Norming is when the group is established, they have overcome resistance and able to express personal opinions. Performing is the fourth stage where a team work well together, almost complement each other and help one another, roles are well established and performance is high. This is where my team are at the moment. Tuckman later in 1977 proposed an update and added a fifth phase adjourning. This is the stage where tasks are complete, people go their separate ways and group members can disengage. This can be due to retirement or the setting closes. After conducting some individual experiments to see how I work and how I fit into my team, I found that an auditory learning style suits best as the spoken word seems to digest better personally. The Belbin Team Inventory test showed that the implementer stuck out from the rest. I find this to be true as am a very positive person and am motivated and self disciplined. My favourite questionnaire had to be the Honey and Mumford’s learning style. After completing this it was found to be quite evenly distributed between all of the aspects, which are the activist, the theorist, the pragmatist and the reflector. My scores were slightly higher in reflector and pragmatist. I am in agreement with this as am very enthusiastic about trying new things out in practice, yet able to stand back and view the whole picture before jumping in head first. Lindon (2012) writes once we have highlighted our preferred learning style using many questionnaires there are a number of ways to put these into practice. Completing these self-reflection tests has enabled me to understand more about the person that I am, how I work and what I need to strive to achieve in the near future. Taking this into consideration I have planned for some future development. I thought it would be useful to look at the early year’s standards and aim to develop some aspects of these. With this in mind I have chosen 2.5 Develop and sustain respectful relationships with children and their families. I have chosen this one linking back to my critical incident. It is important to sustain respectful relationships with parents as you have to work in partnership with them on a daily basis. Through these professional relationships comes trust allowing us to fulfil our parents as partner’s ethos. The second aspect I would like to develop is 7.2 take a lead in establishing and sustaining a culture of cooperative working between colleagues and wider professionals. I have chosen this one due to the fact I actively engage with outside agencies and other professionals on a daily basis and would like to make sure that I am continuing this cooperative behaviour. In conclusion I feel that I am a very reflective person. I enjoy receiving constructive criticism, as I like to have goals to work towards and always strive to better myself. I have enjoyed completing this essay as it has highlighted many things about myself I had forgotten along the way, such as how I used to behave and react to problems. By illustrating this it has stated the fact that without knowing I have been learning and developing from the start. I have discovered ways for me and my team to find out more about how we work as practitioners and ways to overcome certain situations like my critical incident. I am proud of my personal achievement and would encourage anyone to work with children as it is a very rewarding path in life. Dreyer, L Arts Forward, Munch Club #1: Edward deBono’s Six Thinking Hats Sep 10th 2012; http://artsfwd.org/munch-club-1-edward-debonos-six-thinking-hats/ On-Line-UK [Accessed 20.11.13] De Bono, E (2000) Six Thinking Hats, Penguin Books; Great Britain Jagusiak, C (2013)SWAN technique; http://www.satyaliveyoga.com.au/2013/04/16/swan-technique/ On-Line-UK[Accessed 10.12.13] Johnston, J and Nahmad- Williams (2009) Early Childhood Studies, Pearson Education Ltd; England Lindon, J (2012) Reflective Practice and Early Years Professionalism, 2nd edition, Bookpoint LTD; Oxon Manktelow, J (1995) Mind Tools Essential Skills for an excellent career, Mind Tools, UK; Blackwell Miller, L (2005) Developing Early Years Practice, Oxon; David Fulton Publishers Paige-Smith, A and Craft, A (2008) Developing Reflective Practice in the Early Years, Berkshire; Open University Press Reed, M and Natalie, C (2010) Reflective Practice in the Early Years, SAGE Publications LTD; London Smith, M. K. (2005). ‘Bruce W. Tuckman – forming, storming, norming and performing in groups, the encyclopedia of informal education. [http://infed.org/mobi/bruce-w-tuckman-forming-storming-norming-and-performing-in-groups/. Accessed: [02.12.13]. Wigens, L (2003) Beginning Reflective Practice, Cheltenham; Nelson thornes Ltd