Comparison Between War Poetry & Macbeth

Owen’s opinion of conflict is similar to the opinions shown in Macbeth because they both exhibit the brutality of war. Owen does this when he says ‘the blood, Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud. ’ Shakespeare also mentions this when he says of Macbeth,’ with his brandish'd steel, Which smoked with bloody execution,’ The bloodshed causes regret in all three pieces of work. Shakespeare shows this of Macbeth where he says, ‘I gin to be aweary of the sun, And wish the estate o' the world were now undone. The regret within this statement is clearly shown because nobody would want to move back into time unless they wanted to change something for the better. Owen demonstrates this where he says, ‘incurable sores on innocent tongues, My friend, you would not tell with such high zest, To children ardent for some desperate glory,’ the words ‘innocent’ and ‘children’ in terlink to show how that he regrets his leading of men into war. Furthermore, Hardy’s soldier hesitates when he says, ‘shot him dead because—Because’ because he is trying to reason his committing of murder.Similarly to Hardy and Owen, Shakespeare makes war seem a corrupting force both physically and mentally. War turned the Macbeth who was praised by the King, into a Macbeth who was killing people regardless of who they were and also a Macbeth who was disgraced and humiliated in the latter end of his life and after he died. Owen also faced this corrupting force through war, because he says, ‘In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. ’ This shows how terrible nightmares and flashbacks are caused by participation in war.A much more unsophisticated version of this corruption can be seen in The Man He Killed because the ‘soldier’ killed a person who had never wronged him in any way and had he had met him outside of war, he would have ‘treat, if met where any bar is, Or help to half a crown. ’ As well as the many similarities, contrasts are also present. Shakespeare depicts Macbeth opinion of war as honourable. Unlike Shakespeare, the war poets describe war as, unnatural and horrific. There also changes of opinions of war. Macbeth’s opinion of war stays the same throughout. However, Owen and Hardy show how war corrupts mind, body and soul.

Reality TV is a huge success to the television industry in the 1990s Essay

Reality TV is a huge success to the television industry in the 1990s. As a genre description, reality TV is widening its usage from ‘news magazine programmes based round emergency service activities’ to ‘talk shows, docusoaps’ and a variety of ‘first-person’ programmes (Creeber, 2001: 135). ‘Reality TV’ with extensive meaning becomes popular to describe ‘any factual programme based on an aesthetic style of apparent â€Å"zero-degree realism† – in other words a direct, unmediated account of events, often associated with the use of video and surveillance-imaging technologies’ (Creeber, 2001: 135). While Barnfield has criticized ‘the loose usage of the term, suggesting that over the last decade such a wide range of productions have been categorized as â€Å"Reality TV† that one wonders if the term is too general to be helpful'(Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 3). It is true that ‘reality TV’ is not explicit enough in meaning. However, it is the best word applicable to all situations and never unilateral. It gives producers more space to innovate new programmes as to prosper this genre. Reality TV evolves with the development of new technologies. New sub-genres emerged as the hybrids of established genres. It challenges traditional documentary and changes the serious content to more entertainment elements. Every format is close to everyday life to convince the audience as ‘real’ programming. In the short history of only two decades, reality TV has evolved into various formats. I will focus on five main forms which have either had a remarkable effect on television history or unprecedented audience ratings with reference to relevant representative programmes of British television. Contested Generic Identification: Definition of Reality TV It seems difficult to issue a particular definition of ‘reality TV’ to attest to debates over it. As Su Holmes and Deborah Jermyn point out: Producing a particular definition of Reality TV is nevertheless complex. This is partly because of the fundamentally hybrid nature of the forms in question. Yet it is also because of the range of programming to which the term ‘Reality TV’ has been applied, as well as the extent to which this has shifted over time with the emergence of further permutations in ‘reality-based’ texts. (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 2) Jon Dovey characterised this genre by ‘reference to the dominant and original forms of Reality TV that feature police and emergency service work’ (Dovey, 2000: 80). In his opinion, as form and construction, reality TV should be: à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ camcorder, surveillance or observational ‘actuality footage’; à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ first-person participant or eye-witness testimony; à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ reconstructions that rely upon narrative fiction styles; à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ studio or to-camera links and commentary from ‘authoritative’ presenters; à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ expert statements from emergency services personnel or psychologists. (Dovey, 2000: 80) These elements are helpful in interpreting the origins of reality programmes and in understanding its sub-genres and new development. Only by bearing these elements in mind can we make reference to relevant programmes when we trace back history to discuss the evolution of reality TV. Is it American Innovation? : Historical Precedent of Reality TV There is no consensus about the first reality programme. Jon Dovey thought that ‘Reality TV is generally historically located as beginning in the US with NBC’s Unsolved Mysteries in 1987’ (Dovey, 2000: 81). While Bradley D. Clissold considered that ‘during the years that it aired, Candid Camera (US, 1948- ), arguably the first ‘Reality TV’ programme, proved itself to be one of US TV’s most memorable, enduring and popular shows’ (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 33). There is a consensus that the earliest reality programme came out in America. In addition to these mentioned above, other commentators like Richard Kilborn, Chad Raphael and Gareth Palmer all agreed with this conclusion (Kilborn, 2003: 55; Palmer, 2003: 21). In the commercial environment in America, technologies like cable, satellite and digital prospered reality programmes in television market. However, reality TV as a television genre has evolved into ‘a very strong Eurpoean form with regional variations in each country’ (Dovey). In mid-1980s, when surveillance technology such as CCTV (closed-circuit television) became accessible, Britain produced its own reality programmes, which revealed real accidents, crimes and emergencies. By using CCTV footage, these reality programmes departed from traditional documentary and were quickly accepted by the curious audience because of their witness techniques. They were real shows without actors and noted for low-cost which was attractive to most programme-makers. Among these early reality programmes, Crimewatch (BBC, 1984- ) was most influential. Jon Dovey said it ‘has been seen as central to the development of the form, particularly in respect of debates around criminology and the media’ (Creeber, 2001: 135). Deborah Jermyn, who is experienced in studying television crime appeal, commented on Crimewatch: Promoting the growth of crime-appeal programming in Britain – with a format where serious unsolved crimes are reconstructed, police and victims’ families interviewed, images of suspects publicized and the public encouraged to phone in and volunteer information – by this time the series had comfortably established itself as Britain’s foremost crime-appeal programme. (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 71) The effectiveness of Crimewatch as a detergent to crimes has been under much debate. It entertained the audience, but it was weak as a warning to the criminals. As Jermyn commented: ‘indeed some criminals have claimed that the poor-quality CCTV footage they witnessed on Crimewatch actually gave them an incentive to commit crime’ (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 82). ‘The use of CCTV conspicuously enhances the programme’s claims to authenticity and underlines its sense of a privileged relationship with real crime and actuality, qualities which programme-makers evidently believe to be ratings winners’ (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 83). In this case it is exciting for the audience to see the ‘raw’ footage without caring much about its effect of crime appeal. These early reality programmes about crime appeal, accidents and emergencies formed a new documentary format, which was the precedent of a new genre-reality TV. Later popular factual entertainment programmes are based on these elements to innovate. Their effect is remarkable in a long term. ‘Fly-Off-the-Wall’: Video Diaries Known as Access TV The 1990s was a golden era for the prevalence of reality TV. Jon Dovey points out: ‘it seems that â€Å"ordinary people†, non-professional broadcasters, have never been more present on our screens’ (Dowmunt, 1993: 163). Camera is no longer simply ‘fly-on-the-wall’ to observe and record, but closes to the object to become active ‘fly-off-the-wall’. For a long time, access TV, as new reality television, has been in a great demand. According to Jon Dovey, ‘there are some fundamental principles that identify access programming; they centre around control and power over the programme-making process’, especially ‘the authors should have control over the whole process of representation’ (Dowmunt, 1993: 165). Camcorder and video technology opened up expansive space for access TV. ‘Non-professional broadcasters’ became a leading role in making these programmes. As Patricia Holland commented on this innovative style: The video diary style, in which programmes are made with domestic video equipment by members of the public rather than by television professionals, has introduced a new way of making programmes. Low-tech, with a less polished appearance, they seem to bring the audience even closer to the realities they show. (Holland, 1997: 158) Video Diaries, produced by the BBC Community Programme Unit from 1990-1999, was a representative of access TV. From these series of programmes, Jon Dovey noted: the Unit solicits and researches ideas from potential diarists with a compelling story to tell. Once chosen, the diarist is trained in the use of an S-VHS camera and packed off to shoot their story, with support from the Unit should it be needed. In this way the diarists are given not only editorial control but also control over the means of production. They return with anything up to 200 hours of material and attend all the edit sessions, from an initial assembly which is viewed and discussed at length to the offline and online edit processes. (Dowmunt, 1993: 167) The format of Video Diaries is a development of documentary. Gareth Palmer has explained that it ‘imported the authorizing and legitimizing discourse of documentary into the personal, and in doing so it imported also documentary’s ordering principle into individual lives’ (Palmer, 2003:168). It was popular to the audience and also gained acclaim from the critics because of its flexibility in recording reality. Nevertheless there were debates that the producers had already controlled the programme by selecting the diarists, and there were also problems of quality and legality. New Observational Documentary: Emergence of Docusoap Docusoap is one form of the new observational documentary and one sub-genre of reality TV. It is a hybrid of documentary and soap-opera. It improves from serious documentary to emphasize on entertainment, especially everyday lives. ‘Developed in the UK in the mid-1990s, the docusoap enjoyed unprecedented success for roughly a four-year period (1996-2000)’ (Kilborn, 2003: 87). Docusoap combines documentary and drama. There are elements of narration, interviews and background music, and similar sequences as soap-opera. Each episode has a certain title and focuses on character, personalities, plot or situation. Technological advances promote the development of new observational documentary. New technologies like lightweight cameras, ‘portable sound equipment’ and ‘non-linear editing system’ accelerate editing process with better quality and effect. Besides, financial benefits also attract producers to choose new technologies. ‘As Paul Hamann has commented, docusoaps already cost on average only a third of the price of the equivalent in light entertainment or sitcoms’ (Bruzzi, 2000: 77). The entertainment factor of docusoap makes it popular with audience. Driving School ‘peaked at 12.45 million’ viewers (Bruzzi, 2000: 86). It ‘focused on the trials and tribulations of people preparing for their driving test’ (Kilborn, 2003: 96). Compared to the core character of reality TV, docusoap is blamed to be less factual with aesthetic reconstruction. According to Bruzzi: The sequence most frequently cited is that in which Maureen Rees, on the eve of another attempt at her theory exam, wakes in the middle of the night and asks her husband Dave to test her on the Highway Code. The sequence is a reconstruction, and Jeremy Gibson (head of BBC Television Features, Bristol) and others have gone on record exonerating themselves from blame, commenting that, having gleaned that Maureen did get up at night ghrough panic, it was perfectly legitimate to recreate such a sequence without the film crew having to camp out in her bedroom for an entire night. (Bruzzi, 2000: 87) The producers’ intervention revealed obvious dramatic skills, which aimed at telling a complete story. In any case, under these circumstances one can never expect a totally natural performance from the character with the presence of camera. These factors make docusoap not so ‘real’, but the audience appreciate it for the entertainment value and these factors do not affect their enjoyment. However, by the end of 1990s, this new documentary format had gradually lost its popularity. Critics and executives of TV channels began to complain the similar content with in the same format between series. It was also blamed as a challenge of ‘serious’ documentary. Then new factual programmes emerged and replaced docusoap in TV schedules. Docusoap is remembered as a creative hybrid of documentary and fiction with high ratings in the history of reality TV. Serve the Public: Prevalence of Lifestyle Lifestyle is another sub-genre of reality TV, of which BBC has been one of the biggest providers (Gareth Palmer; Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 173). It originated in the 1990s and is still popular today. It occupies a large part of TV schedule, shown usually in the daytime and prime time. There is ‘a series of choices in dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½cor (House Invaders [Bazal for BBC1, 1999-2002], Changing Rooms [Bazal for BBC1, 1996- ]), clothes (What Not To Wear [BBC2, 1999- ]) and manner (Would Love To Meet [WLTM, BBC2, 2001-3])’ (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 174). People now have strong sense that they are citizens and consumers. They are eager to improve their lives. Many are glad to show their private life in front of camera. For habitus, Gareth Palmer commented: ‘Britain is a nation of homeowners clutching close the belief that the home represents a sort of castle. Hence, it makes sense to produce programmes aimed at the house-proud’ (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 179). For fashion, according to Palmer, ‘in looking at fashion programming we come closer to seeing how the individual should ideally be styled according to the new class of experts’ (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 181). There is a debate as to whether fashion shows need be bitchy. Palmer has an interesting opinion: ‘fashion without bitchery, like academia without snobbery, is inconceivable’ (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 184). Bitchery makes fashion programming as amusement. It does happen frequently in our life, which is a factual element of lifestyle. Lifestyle programming is an innovation that television is not only observing people’s life, but also changing people’s way of life. It ‘serves the audience’ by giving instructions, which is the nature of European television, compared to ‘marketing the audience’ of American commercial television (Ang, 1991). Lifestyle is a good illustration how culture affects social life. New Interactive Reality Show: World Success of Big Brother Endemol’s ‘jewel in the crown’, Big Brother was thirty months in development and was the brainchild of co-principal, John de Mol. First broadcast on Veronica in 1999 and an immense ratings success, the programme has been adapted in over eighteen territories in Western Europe, the UK, the US and elsewhere. (Albert Moran, the Global Television Format Trade; Hilmes, 2003: 120) Big Brother, a new reality programme is based on established genres such as game show, quiz show, documentary and soap opera. It is a social experiment, in which we witness the reaction of the participants to their new environment and changing circumstances are often beyond their control. With the feature of game show, Big Brother sets its game rules as: The programme involved ten housemates interned together over a ten-week period in a specially designed hermetically sealed environment. The housemates were supplied with food and drink and had access to all amenities, but were isolated from all contact with the media and the outside world; there were no television sets, radios, newspapers. Every week each housemate had to nominate for eviction two fellow-contestants; the two with the highest number of nominations would then be subject to public voting. It was the role of the public to select, by telephone vote, which of the two was to survive. By the final week there would be only two housemates remaining the winner was decided by the public, and took away a cheque for à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½70,000. (Palmer, 2003: 182) From the above description, it is obvious that this programme innovatively uses interactive voting. The audiences have opportunities to join the programme and play a crucial role in deciding the result. In early 1990s, Mike Wayne criticized programmes at that time: ‘broadcasters and programme makers have paid relatively little attention to the way in which people watch television. They have been concerned with how many people see a programme, rather than the way audiences interact with the images on the screen: what they absorb, what they challenge and what they discard’ (Hood, 1994: 43). It seems that Big Brother answers all these criticisms. Compared to the audience, the participants are powerless to control the programme. They are observed at all times and their lives are exposed to the public. ‘We’ve been looking at the housemates through the eyes of thirty-one unforgiving cameras – we have seen them at their best and also at their worst’ (Ritchie, 2001: 279). What they need is just to relax and enjoy their time. ‘For all of them, without exception, it has been an amazing experience. They have learned a great deal about themselves, and the rest of us have learned not just lots about them, but also about human nature in general’ (Ritchie, 2001: 279). However, all the participants are under much pressure exposing their lives to millions of audience. There is probably some negative effect on the psychology of most participants. Gareth Palmer calls the programme ‘a psychological experiment’. Programme experience is not always as wonderful as Ritchie’s comment in the above paragraph. In Sweden there was a suicide of a participant on a similar programme (Palmer, 2003: 185). So in Big Brother ‘a team of mental health professionals will oversee both the selection process and the psychological well being of the participants while they are in the house’ (Palmer, 2003: 185). Big Brother creates a small society for the housemates away from the outside world. There are conflicts and also friendship. The participants are competitors and also partners. As the audience watch the trivia of their daily routine, the voiceover commentary helps them understand the situations. Big Brother, a hybrid of different forms with popular interactive elements, is a new format of reality TV. It is leading a new trend of reality programming. Many independent television production companies are professional and experienced in making these new reality shows. Channel 4 and ITV, such non-mainstream commercial channels have shown many this kind of reality programmes. The audience are looking forward to more innovation of reality TV. BIBLIOGRAPHY Allen, R. C. and Hill, A. (2004) the Television Studies Reader, London: Routledge Ang, I. (1991) Desperately Seeking the Audience, London: Roughtledge Bruzzi, S. (2000) New Documentary: A Critical Introduction, London: Routledge Creeber, G., Miller, T. and Tulloch, J. (2001) the Television Genre Book, London: British Film Institute Dovey, J. (2000) Freakshow: First Person Media and Factual Television, London: Pluto Press Dowmunt, T. (1993) Channels of Resistance: Global Television and Local Empowerment, London: British Film Institute Gunter, B. and Svennevig, M. (1987) Behind and in Front of the Screen: Television’s Involvement with Family Life, London: John Libbey Hilmes, M. (2003) the Television History Book, London: British Film Institute Holland, P. (1997) the Television Handbook, London: Routledge Holmes, S. and Jermyn, D. (2004) Understanding Reality Television, London: Routledge Hood, S. (1994) Behind the Screens: the Structure of British Television in the Nineties, London: Lawrence & Wishart Limited Kilborn, R. (2003) Staging the Real: Factual TV Programming in the Age of Big Brother, Manchester: Manchester University Press Ishikawa, S. (1996) Quality Assessment of Television, Luton: John Libbey Media Livingstone, S. and Lunt, P. (1994) Talk on Television: Audience Participation and Public Debate, London: Routledge Macdonald, K. and Cousins, M (1996) Imagining Reality: the Faber Book of Documentary, London: Faber and Faber Limited Palmer, G. (2003) Discipline and Liberty: Television and Governance, Manchester: Manchester University Press Ritchie, J. (2001) Big Brother 2: the Official Unseen Story, London: Channel 4 Books Swallow, N. (1966) Factual Television, London: Focal Press Limited Winston, B. (1995) Claiming the Real: the Documentary Film Revisited, London: British Film Institute

HIV Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

HIV - Research Paper Example Theories has been used to try to explain how the virus crossed from animals to human but all of them does not show evidence that indeed HIV originated from animals. For instance, it is believed that the virus crossed as a result of eating monkey meat. The virus is believed to have originated from Africa as monkeys from Asia and South America has not been found with the virus (Worobey et al., 2008). HIV is an epidemic. It has spread so fast in the world and causes a lot of harm in countries. For instance, a lot of money has been put aside to fight the spread of HIV. This affects the country’s economy. On the other hand, HIV is taking dominance to the young and middle aged people in a country. The group that is most productive. With this it is clear that HIV is indeed a problem that needs to be taken care of seriously. The productive age groups of young and middle aged are endangered thus burdening a country with children and elderly who are not in a position to provide for thei r living. This paper will look at HIV as the problem worldwide that needs to be understood well and necessary precaution taken to reduce its spread. The first case of HIV was discovered in early 1980’s in the USA. Gay men displayed symptoms of opportunistic infections like cancer. HIV/AIDS did not come in to the picture but those men seemed to suffer from a common syndrome; their infections resisted treatment. HIV was later discovered. HIV has been spreading fast in the world because of several reasons such as blood transfusion, immigration, use of injectible drugs, unprotected sexual behaviors and transmission of mother to child. With the current globalization, most people are traveling from their countries with the purpose of trade. There is no restriction of migration of people who are infected with the HIV virus. People travel and mingle with other people from different

Personal Value Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Personal Value - Essay Example In the light of these two classifications regarding personal values, I consider my family to be the most prior entity in my life on which all of my personal values are based upon. My personal values and its association with my family will be explicated in this paper. I belong to a Vietnamese background where following parents’ order is one of the most important value. My parents have shaped my whole personality and fundamental education in which the development of my personal values is a significant part. As these two factors have played an immensely sufficient role in the development of personality, my whole life has been led in concordance with the decisions and desires of my parents. All of the values which are my priorities are being transferred to me by my parents. It is certainly critical for many individuals to consider is as independence or liberty, but it has never displeased or dissatisfied me because they have never suggested anything which can pose grave consequenc es for me. It is mainly because of their experience of practical life which is certainly more than my experience. As much as I have examined their teachings with a critical frame of mind, I have explored that they have always intended to give the society amorally good and valuable individual in the form of their daughter. In this regard, my most important personal value has become caring for others. They have taught me to be a selfless person that has illuminated some other important personal values that are honesty and forgiveness. These personal values are directly associated with my parents which is the reason why I consider myself to be a family person. In addition to these significant values, my religious teachings, that is Buddhism, which was also delivered in me by the parents, has added the value of kindness in my life. I believe in karma, that is why I intend to be a good person in order to lead a good life. In the light of personal values and my intense level of belongingn ess with my family, I try to lead a selfless, caring and helping life and to satisfy my family to the best that I am capable of delivering. This is the major goal of my life which has been developed by the upbringing which I have acquired from my parents. There is another significant personal value which I appreciate mainly because of my parents. This value is education. My parents have always suggested for me to acquire higher education. As I always follow my parents, I acquired education and by the education I have understood the importance of education to lead a good life. It has developed my intellectual capacity to a significant level from where I can fruitfully consider the difference between good and evil. Education has also assisted me to realize the significance of my personal values which have been intensified and has become more demonstrable in my behavior. The intention of my parents to provide a useful and valuable person to the society was contained with the necessity of education which has developed it as a personal value to admire. Education does not only help to understand the critical distinction between good and evil, but it is also a significant tool to acquire economic development. Financial development is one of the most important factors of contemporary life by which

Immuno-labelling, fluorescence microscopy and live time-lapse imaging Lab Report

Immuno-labelling, fluorescence microscopy and live time-lapse imaging - Lab Report Example The background of the alterations in the cell behaviour to include shape and movement is examined in the paper. The paper seeks to explain the significance of the microtubules in the cell, which is to increase the motility of the cells and the affinity of the cells on different reactions as detected in the body and the cell physiologies (Diaspro, 2011. p. 125). The examination of the process of immune labelling in the experiment to detect the presence and effects of the proteins in the cells is explained. The aims and objectives of an experiment basically answer the intent of the experiment. In this case the aims are directed towards the administration and examination of the cell physiology and the detection of the cell proteins and the reaction tests of the antibodies and antigens of the cell. This work explores on the background of the experiment and the purposes of the involvement of the cell physiological processes and the influences they have, such as the proteins, microtubules. The explanations of the experiment’s procedures, the tasks, actions, results and the findings are all covered in the paper. Introduction Immuno-labelling, fluorescence microscopy and live time-lapse imaging involves the cellular biological experiments which aim to detect as well as visualize the structures of the cells while analyzing the cellular changes in the cell and its substructures during a certain period of the body biological processes (Reimer & Kohl, 2008). This experiment involves the study of the immune system dynamics in the human tracheal cells. The involvement of the fluorescent microscopy in the experiment implies the detection of the fluorescent protein in the cell organelles, while observing other defects in the structure of the cell during the experiment. The experiment is not targeted at one result as the process includes diverse measures to analyze different structures in the cells. The process generally involves the analysis of the cell health to entire ty (Widdows, Kingdom & Ansari, 2009 pp 735). Immuno labelling is a biological process that involves the detection of antigen to a particular site in a cell, tissue or organ. In any immune labelling reaction the antigen and the antibody reacts within the given organ or tissue or cell in the experiment. The experimentation of the immuno labelling in the cell experiments are meant to reveal information about the cell or the substructures of the cells. In these processes, the antigens can be detected and visualizes using a combination of antigen-specific antibody in the process of detection referred to as tag, which is covalently related to the antibody (Tiwari & Nagai, 2013. pp 497). The immune cytochemistry, which is the process involving the imagery and analysis of the cell biology through fluorescent microscopy, compare the amplification strategies for the primary antibody detection in the cells. The results of the experiment after the detection analysis are used to direct action to wards achieving the recommended remedies (Hyatt & Wise, 2001. pp 97). Background of the Experimental Processes The cells of the immune system in the human body explore a wider existence territory than any other cells in the biological systems. The immune-imagery involves t6he visualization of the cells in the native tissues with the intent to detect the changes in the cell biological process of the cell. This process involves the quantification of the immune responses at the cellular level. It is through the process that the

Analysis of Strategic Factors for Microsoft Corporation Research Paper

Analysis of Strategic Factors for Microsoft Corporation - Research Paper Example Political/legal forces: Microsoft Corporation runs the risk that its business may be affected by changes in the political landscape of the U.K. However, the political climate of the UK is quite business friendly and this is really not a problem. Moreover, new legislation on tax may come into force. This may have a direct impact on Microsoft Corporation. Value added tax recently witnessed a decline. This is good news for Microsoft Corporation as it means that more customers can now shop for Software given that they will be paying less tax on consumption. Moreover, there has been a renewed increase in environmental protection. This may lead to new environmental legislation that may have a direct or indirect material adverse impact on the operations of Microsoft Corporation. Economic Forces: The main economic forces that may affect Microsoft Corporation include fluctuations in interest rates, which has been the case in the UK recently. Interest rates have fallen significantly recently inducing consumers to spend more. Higher inflation means that the cost of inputs will be rising. Exchange rate fluctuations indicate that cash flows denominated in foreign currency are unstable. Prices of inputs sourced from abroad will be unstable as well. The Great British Pound has depreciated significantly against major currencies such as the euro and the dollar. On the one hand, this is good news for Microsoft Corporation given that tourists from abroad can spend more on Software in the UK. On the contrary, it is bad news to Microsoft Corporation in that the prices of foreign inputs in terms of Great British Pounds will be higher. Fluctuations in GDP have an impact on consumer spending. Increasing GDP indicates that consumers can spend more while decreasing GDP indicat es that aggregate demand will drop which will reduce consumption of Software. The global recession has also affected a number of industries and Microsoft Corporation may have witnessed a decline in the demand for its products as well as a decline in funding for its projects.

The Powers and Responsibilities of the Greater London Authority Essay

The Powers and Responsibilities of the Greater London Authority - Essay Example Hence, the power set-up for GLA was kept restricted. However, after a span of six years, the GLA strived for success through the incorporation of a model of ‘strong Mayor’. In the present scenario, the GLA is defined as that form of the government in which powers and responsibilities are bestowed through the Mayor and Assembly with the aim of addressing the challenges that are being faced by London. The various areas in which the GLA is held responsible are inclusive of transportation, policing, fire and salvage, growth and development and lastly strategic planning. The responsibilities of the GLA are not accounted for direct service provision but it operates with the help of functional bodies embedded under the scope of the GLA (London First, 2011). For dealing with transportation, the functional body Transport for London is held responsible. This body is bestowed with the responsibility of managing the system of transportation within the city of London. ... Â  Along with these historical powers and responsibilities of the GLA, on November 30th, 2005, additional powers were proposed to be incorporated under the GLA. The review for the GLA powers and responsibilities gave rise to the inclusion of additional powers and responsibilities which included managing waste, housing, planning and learning along with skills (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: London, 2005). 2. Literature Review Summarizing the Environmental Policies of the Mayor Johnson (2010) provided a positive feedback towards the decision that Mr. Boris Johnson (the Mayor) considered regarding the environmental issues but at the same time had also criticized the process through which the Mayor aimed to achieve his environmental goals. As per the policies of the Mayor, the target is to achieve 60% reduction in the city’s emission of CO2 by the year 2025. The Mayor stated estimation that 60 billion pounds would be required to be invested for attaining the targeted reduct ion in CO2 emission. However, the Mayor also intimated that he expects spending from the government in this regards up to an amount of 800 million pounds for introducing vehicles emitting low carbon by the year 2018. As regards to the expectations of the Mayor, the author estimated that the government would have to spend 193 million pounds by the year 2015 (Johnson, 2010). The policy of the Mayor was appreciated by the author on the grounds that it would generate contributions for the city in the form of job enhancement, security in terms of energy supply, reduction of fuel inefficiency and also improvement of the public’s health.

Anth2 Final Exam Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Anth2 Final Exam - Assignment Example Intimate relations of close family members or incest are usually regarded as a taboo which may be disastrous. 5. Family status influences gender role in that the conduct of single and married people is different. Ethnic culture is another factor that affects gender roles whereby certain ethnic backgrounds may be passive than others and vice versa. 7. Leadership in tribes is uncentralized due to lack or very little forms of stratification. In case stratification is present, the leadership in place determines its level. On the other hand, chiefdoms are centralized with highly regarded and exalted leaders. Therefore, the leader has more control over subjects in his domain more than at the tribe level. 8. Formal means of social regulation or control refers to the external undertakings by civil authority to deter development or establishment of anomie within the society. On the contrary, the informal means alludes to socialization which causes internalization of values that impart morally accepted behaviors within the society. 9. Both these rites have great importance attached to them because they usually bring the community closer when they are being undertaken. In this regards, they serve a means of improving relationships among people and creating harmony within a community. 10. One way in which religion and magic are similar is use of rituals. Rituals are actions or undertakings which are accompanied by vague chanting. Secondly, these two also have unique symbols that are both mystical and spiritual. These symbols are routinely used during the time of rituals. Besides, these two also believe in the contagion principle where there is continued connection and communication between two objects that had been in contact and are separated. 11. One of the functions of revitalization cults is to deliver the followers from deprivation which is political in nature. This is important for amelioration

Why was the civil war significant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Why was the civil war significant - Essay Example Other than the cause or the objective which originally motivated the pursuit and concretization of the Civil War, one could also look into matters of consequence from which to judge the grounds it is signified by. Pondering on the significance of U.S. Civil War bears the equivalent work of recounting the occurrences which essentially depict the post-war impact and which may be put together and labelled into what has since been known in U.S. History as ‘Reconstruction’ at the height of which could be found the tumultuous state of political affairs which not merely distinguished the philosophy of the Radical Republicans from that of the Democrats but even shaped the fate of the ‘freedmen’, in the process. During the period of Reconstruction (1865 - 1877) particularly with respect to the early years of its commencement by the persistent rule of Congress that was then chiefly composed of the Radicals, the federal government experienced yet another severe case of division between the two dominant political parties. On one hand, the Radical Republicans who had become accustomed to dealing with the issue of slavery conveyed the desire for implementing Reconstruction policies in a manner that would materialize a vision in which â€Å"Equality of opportunity created a more fluid social structure† as exemplified via â€Å"the model of free individuals, competing equally in the labor market and enjoying equal political rights† (Faragher et al, 464). On the contrary, however, Pres. Andrew Johnson who belonged to the Democratic Party contested such visionary scheme by augmenting the powers of civil governments in the South as well as replacing certain military officials with a commanding staff that seemed less likely persuaded in advancing the cause of the blacks especially in matters concerning suffrage (Wheeler et al, 310). Before the Civil War broke out and by the time it took place, factions generally existed between the federal N orth and the confederate South but after the test of martial skills, bloodshed, and the taste of several deaths came another era that would eventually justify whether or not the Civil War deserved to be treated with significance. Apparently, through these factions narrowed within the political domains of the federal government, Reconstruction served as a projection of Civil War or the rebirth of a principle which resembled a test by fire designed to refine and determine whose spirits remained driven and sincere in defending the great original cause. This became evident the moment when the Moderates and the Radicals of Republicans united to form a single huge force in the House of Representatives aimed at impeaching Johnson whom they charged heavily for violating the Tenure of Office Act in spite of the truth that the president’s removal from office was due to his intense opposition toward the policies of Congressional Reconstruction which the Republicans could not afford to t ake any longer (466). Through the victory of the Radical Republicans, Reconstruction Acts triumphed over those of Restoration which Johnson attempted to promulgate during his effective term. Hence, with zeal kept on continuing to promote the core ideals of the Civil War, the Republicans managed to enable the Congressional Reconstruction to establish the Freedmen’s Bureau which, according to the findings of Wheeler and company, â€Å"was given additional federal support to set up schools for African Americans, negotiate labor contracts, and with the military, help monitor elections†

Components of Interpersonal Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Components of Interpersonal Communication - Essay Example Verbal skill is important for establishing relationship (Key, 1980). According to Key, in a hunting society relationship is based on one’s ability to hunt but in a technological society verbal skills replace hunting skills. This only implies that interpersonal communication has also evolved over time. It is clear that the environment and human experience change the course of interpersonal communication which is evident on how the verbal skill has become so important in establishing relationship in contemporary society. Message has to be spoken clearly in order to understand it. A preacher for instance has to read the passage in the Bible, but it is not enough. He has to elaborately discuss it in detail based on his meditation. It is the only way in which a certain passage from the Bible can be clearly understood by the people. Thus, a preacher is required to have excellent verbal skills in order to convey the message or information successfully. People are expecting something more from him and that is to be able to gain insights. One way a preacher can be able to address the spiritual needs of the people is through effective communication through excellent verbal skills as anointed by God. On the other hand it is not only enough to focus on verbal skills in order to effectively communicate, but there are also non verbal skills that need to be taken into account. The American culture for instance values handshake as important part of being polite and meaning business at some point. The Japanese culture places more emphasis on body bow as an act of politeness and loyalty. Body gestures therefore are integral parts of communication process because they convey specific meanings or symbols. There are different cultures around the world which means there are different non verbal communications that need to be clearly defined and they are categorized as technical,

Lesotho Case Essay Example for Free

Lesotho Case Essay Lesotho Case Study BY byrne280 The Market and the Mountain Kingdom: Change in Lesothos Textile Industry Apartheid and the resulting sanctions against South Africa are what ultimately created the textile industry in Lesotho. Aside from the workers that have historically worked across the border in South African mines, the arrival of the textile industry gave Lesotho its first real participation in the global economy. Otherwise the Lesotho economy consists mostly of subsistence farming. The textile industry gives Lesotho an opportunity to participate in trade with the rest of the world and ideally benefit rom globalization. Geographically, Lesotho is uniquely landlocked and in a complete enclave of the country of South Africa. It is the abundance of affordable labor that has attracted clothing manufacturing firms, mostly from Asia that then bring the finished products to the world markets, primarily the United States and Europe. Lesotho has been an appealing location for textile manufacturing in part because of world trade agreements such as the Multi-Fiber Arrangement (MFA), the Lom © Convention and the African Growth and Opportunity act (AGOA). All of these trade greements have expired or are set to expire in some capacity as of the writing of the subject case study, The Market and the Mountain Kingdom: Change in Lesothos Textile Industry written in November of 2006. I will be examining these trade agreements and other factors to determine the costs and benefits of each. Lesotho is at a crucial stage of economic development and the decisions that the government makes will affect the quality of life for the people of Lesotho for years to come. Through this examination of the past there are many lessons to be learned from these previous trade policies. In some ways, these policies benefit other countries more than Lesotho. Hopefully these lessons can be applied to a plan of action for the government of Lesotho. It is my recommendation that the government of Lesotho evaluate the causes and effects of these policies as well as the costs and benefits. Going forward Lesotho should do more to empower and educate its own people rather than rely on preferential trade policies. It is not my point that Lesotho should not take advantage of trade policies while they are in place but it has repeatedly set itself up for failure when trade policies expire. Analysis of Previous Policies Affecting the Lesotho Textile Industry The Lom © Convention: The Lom © Convention was the first experiment in development and co-operation between Europe and Africa after colonial rule. It was established in 1975 and during the 1980s greatly benefited Lesotho by providing a developmental spark to the textile industry. It also provided for a smoother separation from British colonization and was a good stepping stone for development. As result, Lesotho along with other former colonies benefited from preferential trade with Europe. However the agreement went through five major evisions as needs changed and finally expired completely in 2007. The Lom © convention can be credited for providing a short-cut to development for developing former colonies but the preferential treatment was not sustainable long term. It was changed to require that the raw materials originate from a former colony as well. Since Lesotho does not produce its own raw materials and imports most of raw materials from China rather than other former colonies, the policy was already outdated before it expired. This left a 17% tariff in place for Lesothos access to European markets. This virtually eliminated trade with Europe by 1998. The Multi- Fiber Arrangement (MFA) and, the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) The MFA was a multi-nation agreement that created quotas from individual countries on imports to the Unites States. The MFA was active from 1974 to 1994 and was then replaced when the World Trade Organization (WTO) implemented a similar policy called the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC). The policy expired in 2005 and there are currently no country quotas on textiles. Much like the Lom © Convention, the ATC helped to start the Lesotho textile industry and carried it through 2005. The cost is that arguably quotas can hinder free trade in the world arket. It gives inefficient countries and unfair advantage over efficient countries. The aggregate world output of textiles is fundamentally lower with the quotas in place. The MFA and ATC provided a great way for Lesotho to participate in world trade but unless the policies are permanent, it is not a sustainable solution. Because quotas facilitate inefficient production of goods, they cannot be in place indefinitely. Eventually, truly fair trade must be allowed among all countries and Lesotho must be able to manufacture textiles as efficient as countries like China if it would like to have its textile industry survive.

Theoretical Positions of Jung Essay Example for Free

Theoretical Positions of Jung Essay While science worked diligently to quantify and validate early structuralist perspectives in psychology, early functionalists were hard at work developing theories that were more qualitative in nature. Although not directly associated with the functionalism movement, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, and William James were clearly most concerned with how psychology could improve the lives of the individual and less inclined to laboratory research. Through each psychologist’s theory, the underlying tone is how one can identify and develop treatment for the vast array of psychological obstacles an individual may encounter. Additionally, each places significant emphasis on the human consciousness as the foundation of all behaviors. Variations in theory focus on the inception of human behaviors and how best to analyze and treat those early behavior motivators. Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud, the father of Psychoanalysis, was a phenomenal man. Freud was a physiologist, medical doctor, psychologist, and one of the best influential thinkers of the early twentieth century. In this theory of psychoanalysis, Freud believed that the best way to view the human mind was through a sexual perspective. The main tenet of his theory was that the human mind consisted of three basic components: the Id, the ego, and the superego. Individually, Freud believed that when these components conflict, shaping personality, only therapeutic treatment would prevent neurosis (Putnam, 1917). Carl Jung Carl Jung is a famous Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of analytical psychology. His interests in philosophy led many to see him as a spiritualist; however, Carl Jung preferred to be viewed as a man of science. He is celebrated for his consideration and developments in individuation, which joined the opposites of conscious and unconscious while maintaining normal functioning autonomy. Furthermore, individuation is the main and central development of analytical psychology. Jung is known today as the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as religious by nature, making it the focal point of his exploration. Carl Jung is also one of the best known researchers to practice in the fields of dream analysis and symbolization. He spent a great deal of his life as a practicing clinician, and explored divergent areas like Eastern and Western philosophy, sociology, astrology, alchemy, literature, and arts. Additionally, many popular psychological concepts were anticipated by Carl Jung, these concepts include the collective unconscious, the archetype, the complex, and synchronicity. Alfred Adler Alfred Adler is best known as the founder of Individual Psychology and for his concept of the inferiority complex. As Adler’s interest in examining personality arose, he turned his focus to psychiatry and began working with Sigmund Freud. Adler’s work with Freud led him to contribute greatly to the development of psychoanalysis. Still, rooting his focus on the real life experience of individuals, Adler eventually came to reject Freud’s accentuation on sex, breaking away from Freud to form his own theory. Through this theory, known as Individual Psychology, Adler put forth the idea that personality difficulties are the result of inferiority feelings that derive from restrictions on an individual’s needs for self-assertion (Fisher, 2001). Adler held the belief that each individual acquires an ideal self-image that serves as the motivator behind his or her behavior. His studies led Adler to discover what he came to call the inferiority complex, which is the notion that a person’s feelings of inadequacy are what drive a person to try to overcome what he or she believes is a lack of worth by striving for superiority (Fisher, 2001). According to Adler, this initial state of inadequacy people obtain is the result of factors, such as neglect in their childhood, that significantly influence and shape how a child perceives him or herself as well as the choices he or she makes. Therefore, only through assisting people in identifying the factors that led them to the distorted view of themselves can change, healing, growth, and the development of a new, healthy self-image occur. Playing a major role in child development, among numerous other areas, Adler’s beliefs and theories became widely accepted within the world of psychology therefore significantly influencing modern day psychology. William James William James was an American philosopher whose work in psychology in the nineteenth century recognized science as a crucial element in the improvement of social and philosophical doctrines (Allen, 1967). His blend of psychology and philosophy refined his concept of pragmatism. This pragmatic approach grasped the meaning of the ideas and truth of his beliefs in an approach that influenced the lives of individuals as opposed to the abstract sense of ideas (Hothersall, 1995). His research also outlined â€Å"the understanding of consciousness and the self, a proactive position and perception of truth, and a number of other beneficial studies of social concerns helped create an outstanding philosophical system† (Hothersall, 1995). He referred to consciousness as a stream of thoughts instead of a static or reducible mechanism and felt prickled with the notion of any approach to consciousness in which the mind was reduced into its smaller elements. James believed consciousness to be continuingly changing and a selective and active agent in and of its self. He could not consider conscious to be outside the realm of self consciousness. Nonetheless, he also believed the functionalist understanding of consciousness as an active agent of mental action was more consistent with reality than what he called the meaningless, artificial exercise of identifying the elements of consciousness, which conforms more to the structuralize perspective (Goodwin, 2008). Comparison and Contrast of Theories Freud sought to explain human personality and the underlying issues in a person’s life. He theorized that the human mind consisted of three major components (Goodwin, 2008). Despite Alders’ theory that all of one’s activities center on a basic life plan, Freud and Alfred Adler both agreed that personal characteristic begin in childhood. Jung based his theory on individuality, He theorized that individuation was a necessary process leading to individuality by integration of the conscious with the unconscious (Putnam, 1917). William James had a distinctive religious perspective. James viewed religion entirely different from Freud, Adler, and Jung. James believed that everyone should have a religious experience. Freud believed that each person interprets religion differently; Adler believed that people used their religious views to understand the world, and Jung believed that not all people understood religion. Differences among their Perspectives There were disagreements with Freud’s theory of the conscious and unconscious as well his theory of sexual motivation. The main disagreement in perspectives was between Freud and James. Freud believed that behaviors are controlled by the unconscious mind described as dreams and free association. While James believed that self-reflection and introspection was the only way to understand mental life (Goodwin, 2008). Jung and Adler disagreed with Freud’s theory of sexual motivation and psychosexual development. They thought he placed too much emphasis on sexual motivation which made it seem like the fundaments of human behavior relied solely on one motivation. Adler believed that his own notion of the inferiority complex should replace Freud’s beliefs of sexual motivation. Freud focused on internal forces including conflicts, biological disposition, and sexual motivation (Goodwin, 2008). The focus in Adler’s theory was on social factors. Conclusion Freud, Jung, Adler, and James all shared a deep desire to help improve people’s lives through a psychological medium. Each explained psychology using their own theories, and they often differed on the basis of human functioning and its causes. Freud analyzed the world through his idea of psychosexual development, and thought that sexual motivations are the origin of all human behaviors. William James believed that consciousness was a more fluid and distinct entity, which could not be broken up into parts. Adler and Jung thought Freud put too much emphasis on sex as motivation; Adler believed inferiority complexes govern human behavior, while Jung put much more emphasis on religion and its influences. These philosophers and psychologists of the 19th century influenced people’s outlook on the world, even to this day. Each of their theories have influenced and furthered our current understanding of the human psyche and how to treat various psychological disorders. References Goodwin, C. J. (2008). A history of modern psychology (3rd ed. ). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Fisher, M (2001, May). Alfred Adler. Retrieved January 26, 2012 from http:// www. muskingum. edu/~psych/psycweb/history/adler. htm Allen, Gay Wilson. (1967). William James: A Biography. New York: Viking Press. Hothersall, D. (1995). History of Psychology (3rd ed. ). NY: Mcgraw-Hill Putnam,J. (1917). The theories of Freud, Jung and Adler: I. The work of Sigmund Freud. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 12(3), 146-160

Organizational Behavior in Health Care: Case Study

Organizational Behavior in Health Care: Case Study Preparing Staff for Transition According to Borkowski in her book on Organizational Behavior in health care, she depicts the numerous changes that individuals are anticipated to portray in cases of a changes in an entity. The area that the book has concentrated on more specifically is on the health organizations. Through the first three subtopic namely, diversity in health care, attitudes and perceptions in addition to workplace communication, she has focused her attention to providing the readers with concise and clear overview from a health care managers point of view. This particular knowledge will be helpful in outlining the crucial areas concerned in preparing staff transition when merging Springdale health organization with St Marys HMO. Among the number of aspects that an organizational behavior especially in a health setting looks into include diversity, motivation, stress, power, leadership, management, group dynamics and ways of approaching management changes (Borkowski, 2010). Borkowski has expounded adequately on each factor and how it can be approached and addressed. At the same time the author has presented, learning objectives, a number of activities like evaluations and self assessment exercises and case studies in each chapter to increase the readers comprehension on the different ideas that have been tackled in the chapter. To say that this text is not helpful to learners is an infringement; the text is arranged in a way that helps bring out the ideas and facts in an arranged organized manner that helps increase the comprehension of the readers. Both practical encounters and the theoretical parts of the book help bring out the rigor making it very applicable and appropriate to students both at the undergraduate and post graduate levels of education (Borkowski, 2010). Apart from the students, health care mangers are provided with a critical insight on comprehending the dynamics and problems that are deemed to be encountered at the work place. The book thus provides a solution into how different ideas should be approached in order to increase an organizations probability of achieving set targets and goals. Through this understanding, workers morale is improved and this leads to an increase in productivity. The book also provides practices and theories essential for health organizations. It is thus undisputable to say that the ideas brought forward by this text in regard to meeting and satisfying constant organizational behaviors that are challenging modern organizations. The text presents us with a myriad that confronts modern health organizations and how to successfully approach such instances. Diversities in workplaces Diversity in work places is one of the issues that the organizations should take into considerations if their organizations have to perform optimally. Diversity in work places involves the differences that are exhibited by the employees of the company. The differences as portrayed by the employees of the organizations are according to the race affiliations of the employees, the gender, religious faith professed, disabilities, sexual orientation, physical appearance and the nationality. The diversity in the places of work can be used as strength to the organization since people would come with the ideas that are meant to improve the performance of the organization and thus enable the organization to meet its goals and objectives. On the other hand diversity can be a source of failure to the organization especially where the management does not work to acknowledge different ideologies brought to the organizations. The management of the organization should come with ways to prevent poss ible conflicts in the organization as a result of the diversities exhibited by it employees (Borkowski, 2010, pp.15). In many organizations today they acknowledge that the diversity in the organization is the source of success to the organization. It would be absurd for the organization to hire people who thing alike because the generations of ideas would be limited and thus dismal performance of the company would be recorded. In order for the organization to tap the benefits brought by the diversity of their workforce, the organization should be geared towards forming diverse-work-relationship which is important to ensure the success of the organization. For the transition program to be successful, both Springdale health organization and St Marys HMO ought to come with the programs that are meant to reward diversities in work places for instance organize cultural fairs to acknowledge people of different cultures that are present in the organization, have maternal leaves in order to enable women in the organization have time to nurse their children and also have a way of rewarding skills and special talents possessed by the organization for instance through job promotions, monetary reward and recognition of the individual as having played an important role in the success of the company (Mathis, 2007). Workplace communication Effective communication is important in the organization just like in any relationship. In an organization the takes place every other time in form of issuing order to the employees of the company by the management or through the communication of the report or findings of a give assignment to the management by the employees of the company. Thus for the business organizations to ensure it successes in the industry, it should be in a position to ensure accurate, relevant and timely information is passed to the intended parties for decision making. In the organization the communications is made to different stakeholders constantly. Importantly the business is in communication with its employees. Communications can either be from the management giving policies to be implemented by the employees. On the other hand communication can be from the employees of the organizations communicating the findings of the assignment given by the management of the organization. Lack of the effective communications between the management the employees can lead to the frustrations and killing morale and thus dismal performance of the organization. The business is in communications with its customers when it wants to communicate on the delivery of goods to the customers, for instance. Like the customers of the organization communicate with the organization when they are placing orders, want to make payments for the goods supplied and when they want to lodge complains to the company. The organization is also in communication with its suppliers of th e raw materials to the company. When the company devises effective communications with all the stakeholders, it ensures success in the organizations; the effective communication is paramount in ensuring the company meets its goals (Borkowski, 2010, pp.72). There are many sources of lack of communications or presence of poor communication in the organization. In the organizations nowadays, lack of clear instructions from the management to the employees on the accomplishment of the tasks remains to be the major source of problem in the organization. It is pathetic to note that employees of the company lack the information they need to carry out a given task in this era where information is flooded in the society. When the instructions are not clear, the employees fail to perform that task and hence the organization fails to meet its goals and objectives. Effective communication in the organization is hindered by among other issues by the management creating a conducive environment where the information can be shared freely. Employees fear that when their share information in the organization would be reprimanded or intimidated and thus opt to keep quit rather than go through a humiliating ordeal. The management should come with the rewar ding systems that encourage the employees of the company to share their ideas and thus leading to improvement in working conditions and thus success of the organization. Another source of poor communication in the organization is the conflicts among employees themselves. Employees of the company may not be in good terms with other employees and thus inhibit sharing of the ideas. It is therefore the sole obligation of Springdale health organization and St Marys HMO organization to come up with systems that ensure the employees share information they have among each other and also avoid instances that would lead to conflicts for instance defining roles of every employee as defined in performance contract and also in organizational structure. Leadership Styles Kippenberger, (2002) says leadership deals with how much a person can influence and motivate people. Some have considered leadership to be innate, this implies that leaders are born; others have disputed this fact and have termed it to a blatant lie saying that leaders are made. Despite all this contradictions, they all agree that leaders are people who have the ability to guide and influence people towards achieving stipulated goals with the most effective means. How one becomes a successful leader is not defined by oneself or those above you, the people who define successful leaders are those under you. The degree of influence you inculcate in them towards a given direction is what will define how successful you are as a leader (pp.110). A number of leadership styles have been forwarded. A leadership style deals with the approach and manner of approaching, implementing and influencing a given group f people. The different leadership styles are applicable to different organizations and groups of people. This therefore means that, a style that is very fruitful in one organization may or may not be applicable to another organization or a given group of individuals. The different styles thus are applied to different entities and situations. Three types of leadership styles have been established and can be used by leaders depending on the situation at hand (Kippenberger, 2002, pp.110). Most leaders although, operate with one dominant leadership style with the others coming handy depending on the need. Paton McCalman (2008) considers autocratic leadership style to be used in giving directions and ultimatums. Leaders often employ such a style when they are directing their employees on what they want them to do and the way it should be done. This style is very appropriate in cases when there is an emergency and the leader wants to solve a given problems, when one is short of time and in instances when the leaders have managed to motivate their employees well. In some situations, a number of individuals have considered this leadership style as a yelling vehicle, where the leader is to use very demeaning words and language to employees and even abuse of power. This in regard to business can not be termed to as the authoritarian type of leadership but an unprofessional style that has no place in the leadership repertoire (pp.119). The other leadership style is referred to as the democratic leadership. This leadership style is involves the employees being included in the decision making processes because all the processes made in an entity will affect the people in one way or the other. The style allows the employees to identify what they will do and how. Despite the employees being allowed to bring their opinions and suggestions in to the decision making process, the leader is the one with the final say and maintains the final authority regarding all the decisions. When such a style is applied, many have considered it a weakness, rather it is a strength where the leader has the confidence the employees will be able to respect the democratic process and the decision arrived at. The democratic leadership style is applicable in cases where both parties have information i.e. the leader has some pieces while the other pieces are held with the employees (Kippenberger, 2002, pp.114). Employers do not have to know eve rything, and this is the reason as to why employers employ people who are knowledgeable and skilled. It is also applicable in makes the employees fell part and parcel of all the undertakings in the firm and thus they watch their entire single moves. Lastly, the third leadership style is the free reign or the delegative leadership style. The employees in this leadership style are allowed to make and arrive at their own decisions. Despite this, the leader is still in charge of everything and he makes the final call on decisions made. The style is applicable in cases where the employees have the competencies to analyze a situation and come up appropriate decisions and what to be done. It involves delegation of duties since you can not be able to do every thing. Groups and Teams In addition, both Springdale health organization and St Marys HMO, should strive to manage both the teams and the work groups. It should be acknowledged that all teams are a form of work group but not all work groups are teams. There are three types of work groups namely; dependent work groups, independent work group and interdependent work group. Dependent work group are under the control of the supervisors who control the whole group. Independent work groups are also under the control of the supervisor but the supervisor is the boss as it is the case in dependent work group. In interdependent work group, the members of the group rely on one another to have a certain task accomplished. The organization should ensure that the members of the work force work as a group in order to realize full potential of all workers in the organization. In this era where the organizations emphasize on the division of labor and specialization, an employee to perform in the are where they are best tale nted in, the organization should ensure that that every employee carry out a specific task in the group in order to have the maximum benefits for the entire organizations. Attitudes and Perceptions Though change is very inevitable, workers reacts to the idea with very mixed reactions. This is because change in any institution or condition will have to alter a thing or two. Especially with the current business environment, entities are geared towards attaining global standards for their survival. With the change taking place in organizations, there is a reflection on the emotions and psychological reactions of the labor force as they try to come up with resistance measures of the phenomenon. This means that if not well approached, a lot resistance shall be exhibited by the labor force. A very significant point regarding change is that it can not be forced down the peoples throats (Borkowski, 2010, pp.41). Change is accompanied by a number of ideas. There are those who may risk loosing their jobs, there may be the restructuring of the entire organization leading to being transferred to other departments and there may be complete new leaders who may come into the entity. Change in organizations has entirely been identified as the cause for depressions and stress among the workers in an entity. Borkowski (2010) asserts that the risks that accompany change are very fatal than any other business undertaking. Change the norms of an entity and trying to follow an unknown direction. This thus requires a lot of faith and having the trust that something better will take place. Workers believe that with change, they will loose their total control over the things they used to do in an entity. Taking a faithful leap among the employees is not an easy thing and most do not have the courage to take such risks, so the best they can do is try to resist the changes (pp.42). Motivational strategies The employees of the company should be well motivated in order to improve their performance in order for the realization of the goals of the organization. The employee should be appreciated and thus feel to be part and parcel of the organization; employees are one of the most valuable asset in the organizations and they should be handled well to ensure that the organization attains its goals. There are motivational strategies that have being identified that management of the organization could use to ensure that the employees are well motivated. One of the motivational strategies is team work; the management should form work group with the hope that the peer pressure among the employees would improve the performance of the organization. Team work as a motivation strategy has worked effectively since every employee would want to work hard to meet the expectations of other members of his group rather than the expectations of their supervisors. The second motivational strategy available to the organization is the personal involvement; the management of the organization should allow the employees to be involved in placing their standards. The employees should be allowed to make commitment of what they intend to achieve in the organization, this would give the employees the zeal to attain the goals they have set for themselves. Work enhancement is another motivational strategy; the work is structures in the organization in such a way that it has fulfillment to the employees. Management can motivate workers by issuing to them rewards either in form of monetary things or non monetary goods; this would make the employees to work hard in order to recoup the prizes offered by the management. The management also request for th e mutual exchanges as a way of motivation; the management may do some favor to the employee for the return of a given level of performance. The management can also place a competitive reward for the employees in form of a prize; the employees would work hard in order to receive the prize. And lastly the management can punish or inflict fear to the employees to ensure performance; the employee who does not performance is suspended of sacked and thus the employees would work hard to avoid such punishment (Brehm, 2004, pp.119). Resistance to Change There are a number of reasons that may make people to resist change. Some of the reasons are associated with the normal norms of the old firm and the people who would like to be identified by the old ways of the firm (Tobin, 2009, pp.30). People are identified as social beings, through this, we would like to remain attached and connected to some things and people especially those whom we know, those who we have learnt from and those that we are familiar with. It is this kind of royalty that helped our ancestors to defend themselves ands hunt (Kippenberger, 2002, pp.224). And to show its effect, we are much glued to those whom we know and resist any form of change that may seem to compromise these situations. Secondly, there may be resistance to change amongst the people of a given organization due to lacking role models in the new assignments that one is expected to take up. Through observation, one earns a lot and knowing that you will never have this learning opportunity compromises an individual making him resist changes. Tobin (2009) views lack of competence in new tasks to also lead to change resistance. New tasks may require new ideas, skills and knowledge and this may make people not to allow change to take place in an entity. This is especially if they perceive the changes as a danger to their existence and job security. For instance, in the merging in the case study above, it is clearly put that some employees will have to loose their jobs while others will be incorporated to other departments. This is a clear indication that change can never be welcomed into an organization if the employee considers the risks unbearable (pp.30). Conclusion In conclusion, the management of Springdale health organization and St Marys HMO should handle their employees well to ensure that the organization has met its goals and objectives. It should be noted that the employees of the company are the most important assets of any organization and that they should be managed effectively to ensure that the organizations perform optimally. The management of the organization should recognize that the diversity among the employees is the strength that should be exploited for the benefit of the organization. The management should ensure effective communication in the organization, sharing of relevant, timely and accurate information to all stakeholders in the organizations should be ensured for decisions making. The management should ensure that the employees of the organization are well motivated and thus ensure performance. History Of Oxfam: Non Profit Organisation History Of Oxfam: Non Profit Organisation (Oxfam International was formed in 1995 by a group of independent non-governmental organizations. Their aim was to work together for greater impact on the international stage to reduce poverty and injustice. The name Oxfam comes from the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief, founded in Britain in 1942. The group campaigned for food supplies to be sent through an allied naval blockade to starving women and children in enemy-occupied Greece during the Second World War. As well as becoming a world leader in the delivery of emergency relief, Oxfam International implements long-term development programs in vulnerable communities. We are also part of a global movement, campaigning with others, for instance, to end unfair trade rules, demand better health and education services for all, and to combat climate change. Today, there are 13 member organizations of the Oxfam International confederation. They are based in: Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Ireland, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Quebec, Spain and the United States. The Oxfam International Secretariat is based in Oxford, UK. The Secretariat runs advocacy offices in Brussels, Geneva, New York and Washington DC) (www.oxfam.org/en/about/history). Oxfam Ireland (It works with people around the world to end the injustice of poverty. They are an independent and secular not-for-profit organization. Oxfam Ireland is a member of Oxfam International, a confederation of thirteen independent members. The members work together to achieve greater impact by their collective efforts).(www.oxfam.org/oxfamhome Oxfam is many different things. Its the organization which helps poor people to build a better future for them. Its the relief agency which brings help when disaster strikes. And Oxfam is the campaigner for a fairer world. Through our work in long-term development, emergencies and campaigning, Oxfam helps people to achieve their right to a life free from poverty, suffering and injustice) (www.oxfam.org). Im doing my workplacement in the Oxfam shop of Rathmines-Dublin 6. this shop considers as one of the Oxfam International branches. In this shop, they get various donations from the public. The work carried out by this shop, they sell good quality bric a brac, cds, books, homewares, clothes, shoes etc. They shops costumers those people who want to buy good quality and different thing at the same shop. Organisation Chart Oxfam shop- Rathminess Chart The structure of the shop as you see in the diagram is flat. Thats means the shop has relatively few levels in the hierarchy. The structure looks like span of control that the volunteers directly reporting to the manager. The explanation of the Chart The role of the manager The manager is fully responsible about the shop, how to make the budget for example about (purchasing, selling, pricing, coding, and sorting the donation which he/she gets it from the public. If the donators make a complaint whe/she will: investigate fully do her/his best to explain what went wrong try to put things right At this shop, she has own office, and she works with volunteers helping teaching them how they can get on. Deputy Manager She/he is fully responsible about the shop doing the same role when the manager is off. The staff (The Volunteers) The Volunteers in this shop are the staff of the shop, they are 45 volunteers, I put them in the diagram regarding to their presence over the week. On Monday, the shop has 6 volunteers, some of are student from second and third Level doing their Workplacement. On Tuesday, there are 10 volunteers. On Wednesday, there 8 volunteers. On Thursday, there 9 volunteers. On Friday there 9 volunteers. Finally, on Saturday, there 5 volunteers. Those volunteers are working together at very peaceful atmosphere and working very hard. After they know what they should do, they do pricing, sorting, coding the donations, so they help the manager a lot. My duties in this shop I come every Thursday and Friday (full day), I sometimes work at the Till, sometimes pricier, coder, sorter of the clothes and dealing with customers. (B) Scanning the Internal Influence on organisation: There two influences on the organisation (the Oxfam shop) Resource Base View (Typical answers might refer to : Excellent service Technical know-how Responsiveness to market needs Design and engineering capability Financial resources Basic principles of the RBV model RBV of the firm provides a rigorous model for analysing firms strengths and weaknesses Basic assumptions of RBV : Resource and/or capability heterogeneity : different firms possess bundles of different resources and capabilities Resource and/or capability immobility : Some of these resources and capabilities are inelastic in supply or costly to copy RBV posits that the sources of value creation are resources and capabilities Value = Consumer surplus + Producer profit To outperform industry norm, a company must create more value than its competitors Value Chain Analysis has two basic activities Primary Activities (Inbound logistics, goods or donations from the public of the shop being obtained from the shop suppliers ready to be used for producing the end product). (Notes given in the class). Operation, the raw materials and goods obtained are manufactured into the final product. Value added to the product at the stage as it moves through the production line. Outbound logistics, once the product have been manufactured they are ready to be distribute to distribution centres, wholesales, retailer or customers.)(Notes given the class). Marketing and Sales, Essentially an information activity informing buyers and consumers about products and services (benefits, use, price etc.) Service All those activities associated with maintaining product performance. (2) Secondary Activities Procurement, his concerns how resources are acquired for a business (e.g. sourcing and negotiating with materials suppliers) Human Resource Management, Those activities concerned with recruiting, developing, motivating and rewarding the workforce of a business. Technology Development, Activities concerned with managing information processing and the development and protection of knowledge in a business Starting point for a unifying strategic framework : THE RBV of the firm The RBV of the firm is grounded in economics RBV sees companies as different collections of physical and intangible assets and capabilities, which determine how efficiently, how effectively a company performs its functional activities Attributes competitive advantage to ownership of valuable resources and capabilities that enable a company to perform activities better or more cheaply than competitors Combines internal analysis with external analysis Resources Are defined as stocks of firm-specific assets Cannot be easily duplicated Cannot be easily acquired in well-functioning markets Examples: Patents and trademarks Brand-name reputation Installed base Organizational culture Workers With specific expertise or knowledge Contribute either directly (e.g., reputation) or indirectly (e.g., through serving as the basis of capabilities) to value creation Are converted into final products or services using bonding mechanisms such as IT, incentive systems, trust, etc. Sometimes non-specific resources (like buildings, raw materials, unskilled labor, etc.) are included in the definition of resources Resource categories : Financial capital Physical capital Human capital Organizational Capital Capabilities Are defined as cluster activities that a firm does especially well in comparison with other firms o May reside within business functions (e.g., AA yield management) o May be linked to technologies, product design (e.g., Honda engines) o May reside in firms ability to manage linkages between elements of value chain, i.e., coordination skills (e.g., Ford product development) o Refer to a firms capacity to deploy resources, usually in combination, using organizational processes to effect desired ends Information-based, firm-specific processes which are created over time through complex interactions between resources Key characteristics : o Valuable across multiple products and markets o Embedded in organizational routines (well-honed patterns of performing activities) o Tacit (i.e., difficult to reduce to algorithms, procedure guides) Resources and capabilities are distinct from key success factors Key success factors (KSF) Refer to the skills and assets a firm must have to achieve profitability in a particular market Market-level rather than individual characteristics Necessary, not sufficient for achieving competitive advantage (e.g., KSF in athletic footwear are development of new designs, management of a network of suppliers and distributors, creation of marketing campaigns) Predictors of firm profitability (like resources and capabilities) Resources and capabilities Are conceptually different from KSF Sometimes overlap with KSF A FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYSIS : VRIO Resource-based analysis of the firm determines which resources and capabilities result in which strengths or weaknesses Strategies are to be implemented which exploit (or build) strengths and avoid (or eliminate) weaknesses What constitutes a strength or weakness is partially a function of the external environment Framework for analysis: VRIO resources and capabilities should be o Valuable o Rare o Inimitable o Organization can effectively exploit them VALUE of resources and capabilities A VALUABLE resource or capability (or a combination thereof) must Contribute to fulfillment of customers needs At a price the consumer is willing to pay, which is determined by Customer preferences Available alternatives (including substitute products) Supply of related or supplementary goods Thus, value is partially a function of external environment (product market, demand forces) changes in consumer tastes, industry structure, technology, etc. can result in changed value Resources of different firms can be valuable in different ways (e.g., Timex versus Rolex) Value = Lowered costs or increased revenues or both SCARCITY of resources and capabilities Resources and capabilities must be in short supply to create competitive advantage (and go beyond competitive parity) What would happen if this were not the case? An analysis of the firms resources and capabilities must include critical assessment whether they are unusual when compared to those of competitors How rare does a resource have to be in order to have potential for generating a competitive advantage? Example of a rare resource: Wal-Marts point-of-purchase inventory control system To be a source of sustained competitive advantage the rarity of the resource must persist over time INIMITABILITY of resources dans capabilities Requirement for sustained competitive advantage Ease of imitation depends on Cost asymmetries (Do firms without a resource or capability face a cost disadvantage in obtaining it compared to firms that already possess it?) Capabilities of competitors Sources of cost asymmetries / cost disadvantages fall into two categories : Impediments to imitation : Impede rivals from duplicating critical resources and capabilities Early-mover advantages : Set in motion a dynamic that increases the magnitude of that advantage relative to other firms over time Impediments to imitation : Legal restrictions on imitation : Patents, copyrights, trademarks Governmental control over entry into markets (licensing), certification, quotas on operating rights) Superior access to inputs or to customers Market size and scale economies Intangible barriers to imitation Causal ambiguity Dependence on historical circumstances Other path dependencies Social complexity Degrees of resource and capability imitability Source: C. Montgomery, Resources: The essence of Corporate Advantage, Harvard Business School Case N1-792-064.  · Cannot be imitated : Patents, unique assets, unique locations  · Difficult to imitate : Brand loyalty, employee satisfaction, reputation for fairness  · Can be imitated (but may not be) Capacity preemption, economies of scale  · Easy to imitate : Cash, commodities ORGANIZING to exploit competitive potential of resources and capabilities The following elements must be in place in order to effectively exploit the resource(s) and/or capability(s): o Structure o Management and control systems o Compensation policies Business processes o Complementary resources and capabilities)(www.ecofine.com/strategy. (C) External influence on organisation This consist of PEST Analysis and Five Forces analysis PEST Analysis (A scan of the external macro-environment in which the firm operates can be expressed in terms of the following factors: Political Economic Social Technological Political Factors (Political factors include government regulations and legal issues and define both formal and informal rules under which the firm must operate. Some examples include: tax policy employment laws environmental regulations trade restrictions and tariffs political stability) Economic Factors Economic factors affect the purchasing power of potential customers and the firms cost of capital. The following are examples of factors in the macroeconomy: economic growth interest rates exchange rates inflation rate)(www.quickmba.com/strategy/pest) Social Factors (Social factors include the demographic and cultural aspects of the external macroenvironment. These factors affect customer needs and the size of potential markets. Some social factors include: health consciousness population growth rate age distribution career attitudes emphasis on safety) Technological Factors (Technological factors can lower barriers to entry, reduce minimum efficient production levels, and influence outsourcing decisions. Some technological factors include: RD activity automation technology incentives rate of technological change)(www.quickmba.com/strategy/pest). Political Economical Social Technological Environment regulation and protection Exchange rate Income distribution Government research spending Tax policies, may affect on Oxfam as a whole Taxation Labor, social mobility New inventions and development Employment laws Economic recession Lifestyle change Rate of technology transfer Competition regulations Consumer confident for example: the Oxfam shop has many loyalty because of it Education Energy use and costs Safety regulation Inflation rate, when the government wants to reduce it. Fashion, hypes (Change in) Information Technology Political Stability Stage of the business cycle Living conditions (Change in) Internet Employment laws Interest rates Demographics, Population growth rate, Age distribution (Change in) Mobile Technology Five Forces Analysis Porters five forces is a framework for the industry analysis and business strategy development developed by Michael E. Porter of Harvard Business School in 1979. It uses concepts developing Industrial Organization (IO) economics to derive five forces that determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market.(en.wikipedia.org) Supplier Power The Five Forces The threat of substitute products The existence of products outside of the realm of the common product boundaries increases the propensity of customers to switch to alternatives: Buyer propensity to substitute Relative price performance of substitutes Buyer switching costs Perceived level of product differentiation Number of substitute product available in the market The threat of the entry of new competitors Profitable markets that yield high returns will draw firms. This results in many new entrants, which will effectively decrease profitability. Unless the entry of new firms can be blocked by incumbents, the profit rate will fall towards a competitive level (perfect competition). The existence of barriers to entry (patents, rights, etc.) Economies of product differences Brand equity Switching costs or sunk costs Capital requirements Access to distribution Customer loyalty to established brands Absolute cost advantages Learning curve advantages Expected retaliation by incumbents Government policies The intensity of competitive rivalry For most industries, the intensity of competitive rivalry is the major determinant of the competitiveness of the industry. Sustainable competitive advantage through improvisation The bargaining power of customers The bargaining power of customers is also described as the market of outputs: the ability of customers to put the firm under pressure, which also affects the customers sensitivity to price changes. Buyer concentration to firm concentration ratio Degree of dependency upon existing channels of distribution Bargaining leverage, particularly in industries with high fixed costs Buyer volume Buyer switching costs relative to firm switching costs Buyer information availability Ability to backward integrate Availability of existing substitute products Buyer price sensitivity Differential advantage (uniqueness) of industry products RFM Analysis The bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of suppliers is also described as the market of inputs. Suppliers of raw materials, components, labor, and services (such as expertise) to the firm can be a source of power over the firm. Suppliers may refuse to work with the firm, or, e.g., charge excessively high prices for unique resources. Supplier switching costs relative to firm switching costs Degree of differentiation of inputs Presence of substitute inputs Supplier concentration to firm concentration ratio Employee solidarity (e.g., labor unions) Criticisms of the 5 Forces model Porters framework has been challenged by other academics and strategists such as Stewart Neill. Similarly, the likes of Kevin P. Coyne and Somu Subramaniam have stated that three dubious assumptions underlie the five forces: That buyers, competitors, and suppliers are unrelated and do not interact and collude. That the source of value is structural advantage (creating barriers to entry). That uncertainty is low, allowing participants in a market to plan for and respond to competitive behavior. (D) Internal and External influence on organisation SWOT Analysis S (1)Oxfam Fair Trade (OFT) is one of the largest UK fair trade organisations(Oxfam as a whole) (2)Oxfam is now moving towards a broader market access programme. (3)Oxfam bookshop where I work has a good reputation among the customers and neighbours, because Oxfam as a whole was founded in 1948, so everyone wants to join it as volunteer, customer and donator. Cheaper and quality and tidy (4)This shop has a strong brand name, because the donators donate evaluated things and they get donations from strong brand companies. (5)The shops location is fantastic, it is neighbour to Rathmines College and it locates among Dublin 6s town amenities. (7)The atmosphere in the shop is attractive. (8)OFT has been very active in capacity building activities. This has led to new skills and greater access to international markets, created by fair trade organisation. W Lack of patent protection Lack of marketing expertise, because of them are volunteer, few of them well-educated, the other lack of expertise. The goods in the shop depend on the donations, sometime there is no donations so the shop lack of goods then lack of costumers. Lack of Creativity / ability to develop new products. Oxfam aims to work with disadvantaged poor producers, typically from the informal sector, which is characterised by low wages, poor social benefits, lack of access to investment and credit and consequent poor working conditions, home-working etc. O T (1)Unfulfilled customers need (1)There are many charity competitors around the shop (2) Arrival of new technologies, for example: in Oxfam shop, the customer takes long time when he/she wants to pay cash, the shop has old-fashion Till (2) Price wars in those competitors (3)New regulations (3)Loosing of regulation (4)Increase trade barriers (4)Removal of international trade barriers (5)Technological developments may make the shops offerings obsolete. Market changes may result from the changes in the customer needs, competitorsmoves, or demographic shifts. The political situation determines government policy and taxation (5) Market led by a weak competitors Value Chain Analysis (Value Chain Analysis describes the activities that take place in a business and relates them to an analysis of the competitive strength of the business. Influential work by Michael Porter suggested that the activities of a business could be grouped under two headings: Primary Activities those that are directly concerned with creating and delivering a product (e.g. component assembly); and Secondary Activities, which whilst they are not directly involved in production, may increase effectiveness or efficiency (e.g. human resource management). It is rare for a business to undertake all primary and support activities. Value Chain Analysis is one way of identifying which activities are best undertaken by a business and which are best provided by others (out sourced) (http:tutor2u.net/business/strategy/value_chain_analysis.htm). Linking Value Chain Analysis to Competitive Advantage (What activities a business undertakes is directly linked to achieving competitive advantage. For example, a business which wishes to outperform its competitors through differentiating itself through higher quality will have to perform its value chain activities better than the opposition. By contrast, a strategy based on seeking cost leadership will require a reduction in the costs associated with the value chain activities, or a reduction in the total amount of resources used).(http:tutor2.net/business/strategy/value_chain_analysis.htm) Value Chain Analysis has two basic activities Primary Activities (Inbound logistics, goods or donations from the public of the shop being obtained from the shop suppliers ready to be used for producing the end product). (Notes given in the class). Operation, the raw materials and goods obtained are manufactured into the final product. Value added to the product at the stage as it moves through the production line. Outbound logistics, once the product have been manufactured they are ready to be distribute to distribution centres, wholesales, retailer or customers.)(Notes given the class). Marketing and Sales, Essentially an information activity informing buyers and consumers about products and services (benefits, use, price etc.) Service All those activities associated with maintaining product performance. (2) Secondary Activities Procurement, his concerns how resources are acquired for a business (e.g. sourcing and negotiating with materials suppliers) Human Resource Management, Those activities concerned with recruiting, developing, motivating and rewarding the workforce of a business. Technology Development, Activities concerned with managing information processing and the development and protection of knowledge in a business