Organisation of the Retail Sector

Organisation of the Retail Sector For the purpose of this assignment, I shall start off the assignment by defining the term retailing. I shall then describe how the retail industry is organised include many ways and places in which retail is conducted and finally I shall describe the changes that are taking place in the industry structure. Retailing is to provide services and products and at a profit. Retailing consists of the sale of goods for personal or household consumption operating from an appropriate location offering wide range of access to its target audience. For example, Retail Park in (Lakeside) ensuring adequate stock is available to meet customer demand as well as offering attractive and distinctive products. Ways and places in which retail is conducted There are immense ways and places in which retail may be conducting in current environment, however the aim of all types of retails is to engage with customer effectively and achieve the organisation aims and objectives through the various strategies that may suit them. Some of the ways and places are mentioned in detail as following. Classification of types of store There are several classifications of types of retail store as shown in the table below. Type of retailer Example Independent Corner shop such as Multiple chains Pharmacy, Department stores John Lewis, Selfridge, Tesco Metro Supermarkets Iceland, Morrison, Mark Spencer, Tesco Catalogue stores Argos, Empire direct, kays Discount stores Pc World, Maplin, Currys, Comet, Superdrug Emerging store types There are number of new store formats have appeared recently as mentioned below Shopping village Outlet Stores, Factory Shops, Factory Outlets, there are many names but only one concept, and that is to bring you designer products at discount prices. For example, shopping village in Oxford provides designer cloths at discount prices through website. Factory shops The factory shop is attached to a factory. A factory shop normally sell imperfect produced in the adjacent factory. In other words goods that may not be satisfactory produced in nearby factory. For example, The original factory shop offering a wide range of merchandise Ladieswear, Menswear, Kidswear, Sportswear, Football, Electricals, Housewares, Toys and Gifts, Beauty and Fragrance all discounted. Much of what they sell is either branded or is originally made for other high street stores and supermarkets. Television sales channels In recent years cable or satellite channels companies have dedicated shopping channels such as QVC and Express Shop to allow the consumer to order online instantly through remote control. E -Retailing The internet has tremendous change on the shopping habit of consumers and selling and buying products over the internet continues to gain popularity. This is because the internet has tree main advantages such as Convince shopping over internet allows consumer to shop online without having to leave their house Choices this is seen as the biggest advantages as the internet allows access to wide range of products from across the world for example EBay, this gives advantage to internet over shopping centre. Cost in general, goods sold online are much cheaper than those sold in shops and the expenses to run the website is relatively less than running physical shops. Online and physical stores The combination of technology and physical appearance of store is combined together, for example an electric store Pc World attempts to combine both an online web store and a physical store as it allows customer to surfer to order online and pick up from the store as well as delivering at their doorsteps. Service versus product retailing Organisation providing high proportion of services emphasis on providing effective marketing mix, such organisation includes banks, estate agents, cafes e.t.c. however product retailer emphasis not as much as service providing organisation. It is because service can exists within customer and organisation for long time such as Tenants and agents and therefore the agents has to provide effective service to convey customer and not loss it, on the other hand retailer selling cable electrical products, if once sold to customer then it will be used as long as the fault becomes. Therefore the service can exist for a long time where as providing products can be flexible and quick. Classification of retailers Retailers can be classified from variety of viewpoints, for example higher number of employees and sales turnover is indication of a tall structured organisation. There are other factors as well such as the size and product strategy, for example very large stores such as ASDA and Morisons selling a full range of food and non food products. In the UK 11% of all enterprises are retailers operating from around 280,000 retail outlets. Location The places of shopping have become more diverse, todays there are local, city centre and out of town retail parks, plus regional shopping developments. Local Local shops are located and serve suburban areas or smaller towns. They generally consisted of significant number of stores. The aim of such stores is to provide flexible shopping for consumers in a given locality enabling them to shop close by where they live rather than having to travel far away. In town stores and shopping centres It is commonly known as typical high street which is consisted of Department stores (such as Mark Spencer) Multiples (such as new Look) Service retailer (such as building societies and banks) The aim of such town stores and shipping centres is to provide large coverage and access to all possible products and services that is commonly used by consumers such as cloths, food and non food products, banking e.t.c. it is to maximising the efficiency of providing everything at located places. Out of town retail parks and regional centres There are huge regional shopping complexes located in several out of town sites in the UK. They have more attraction than shopping mall on large scale, these provides wide range of facilities such as restaurants, cinema, cash points as well as train stations and motorway access. Other out of town includes stores such as Comet, Dixons, Pc World, MF and BQ. The reason for such stores is that it is easy to park, prices are competitive and the size of these stores is huge means a great variety of goods is on sale. Ownership The ownership of retail stores reflects the diverse nature of the industry. Independent retailers are organisation with fewer then ten branches. Independent retailers tend to offer specialist range of products for example medicines, they also sell a range of products including groceries household goods, wine and spirits. Multiple retailers are organisation with more than ten branches. Some multiples are classified as specialist such as Burtons for clothing. Multiple variety stores like Boot s and Mark Spencer offer wide range of food. These stores tend to be in busy shopping areas and the prices tend to be relatively low. Voluntary chain retailers choose to buy most of the stock from the certain wholesalers whose price tends to be relatively low due to their buying power such as SPAR. Franchised retailers are granted the rights in a geographical area. In simple words, it is legal right given to a person who wishes to run the branch of established business or organisation an example would be Mc Donald or KFC. The franchisee pays a fee based sales or even agrees to buy supplies from the franchisor. Structured of the retail industry The structured of the retail industry has become more diverse due to expansions of brands in different type of location. The structure of retail can be noticed from number of perspectives such as the size and profitability, Trends in sale and other aspects. Size The size of UK retail industry continues to grow but not as rapid as it was from year 2000 to 2007. This is due to competitive market and economic turmoil in the current environment which is forcing industry size to be limited or even reduce it as the sales begin to slump. Trends in sales Form the past two year the retail sales have fallen dramatically due to the affect of recession on their sales, some retailers have reported of 10% sales being fallen. This has reduced the growth rates of the UK retailers. UK retail sales values fell 0.1% on a like-for-like basis from August 2008, however Retail sales in central London in November were 13.3% higher on a like-for-like basis than a year ago, when sales had fallen 0.4%, as financial turmoil hit consumer confidence especially in the City. This shows the glowing picture of sales. Profitability The formula for better profit is high sales and similarly low sale contributes to low profit. The retailers from across the country have reported improved sales from the last three years this means presumably healthy profit. however it cant be neglected that the uncertainty still remain in the British economy. But for the mean time the retailer are enjoying the volume of profit. Store size and location Some of the retailers such as Tesco have expanded in terms of the size and location. The management have made changes into physical structure enlarging it even further in some of the stores. Tesco have also begun to deploy stores in community such as Tesco Express in local community where the local shops are also operating. In general, it is noticed that retailer are committed expand the physical size as well as location such as retail park to provide maximum access to consumers. Not-for-profit and public place retailers There has been a growth in not for profit retailers such as Oxfam, Cancer research. They sell goods brought in by donors and use voluntary staff. The growth can be as people are becoming aware of their aims and objectives and thus feel compassionate towards their cause. Public retailers also have common variety of diverse venues, for example there has been noticeable rise in the products available from vending machines as it provide more services such as hot drinks. Similarly, there has been increased in retailers in main rail station for example, WHSmith is a common sight at many UK rail stations. Employment characteristic The retail industry employee approximately 3 million people, over the last five years employment in retailing has grown by 141,000. However, from the last year there has been decline in retail employment due to economic turmoil and the demand of employment has reduced significantly. Conclusion In this assignment, I have defined the term retailing described how the retail industry is organised through many ways and places in which retail is conducted and I have described the changes that are taking place in the industry structure

Brexit: Causes and Reactions to the Vote to Leave the EU

Brexit: Causes and Reactions to the Vote to Leave the EU United Kingdoms Exit from the European Union Abstract This paper discusses the recent decision and vote in the United Kingdom (UK) to break from the European Union (EU) after being a member for over 40 years.   Many factors went into the people’s decision to leave the EU and even then, the vote to leave was very close, with the majority winning by a relatively slim number.   Those who voted to leave think it is the correct move for the UK, just as those who voted against the separation think there could be negative effects. Even though the majority of voters voted to leave the EU, it will still take years before the process can be completed due to legal aspects that must be adhered too.   This does not include that fact that no country has ever left the EU, so there are some areas of uncertainty as well.   Even then, there is still a possibility that the British Prime Minister may over rule the vote and decide to remain in the EU, even if against voters’ wishes. United Kingdom Exit from the European Union When it comes to politics, everyone has their own opinion on what is best and what is not.   To each individual, they feel that their views are correct, and often times the other side is incorrect in their way of thinking.   Now imagine taking that to a much larger scale and instead of just having a difference of opinion in politics and what political party should run a country for the coming years, include the actual fate of a country.   This is exactly what the United Kingdom (UK) did in June 2016.   They held a vote for what direction the UK would take for the years to come.   This vote was to determine whether or not to remain a part of the European Union (EU), which they had been a member of for over 40 years.   As with any major decision that impacts a country, there are those that feel the move to break away was the right decision and the UK will be better off, since they will not have to abide by the rules that have been imposed by the EU.   Just as there are those that feel that leaving the EU is a major mistake and feel that the break from the EU will be disastrous.   This exiting of the United Kingdom has been called Brexit, which is essentially short for Britain and exit.  Ã‚   Being part of the EU has many advantages for those living in the UK.   It is not just financially advantageous or beneficial to have strength in number to being a member a of the EU.   According to Occupytheory.org (2014), six advantages of being a member of the EU are: Low prices of goods – there exists a ‘Single Market’ for all member countries wherein products are low-priced and there are no charges when it comes to custom tax; custom tax is usually charged when goods are transported or sold between states/countries but this is not applied among member countries.Citizens are free to move from one member country to another – citizens can freely travel, study, work, or live in any European country of their choice.More jobs are generated – more or less than 3.5 million jobs have been generated over the years.Development of deprived regions – some member countries of the EU are economically deprived and through the ‘European Structural Funds’, deprived regions are developed.Louder voice – the EU is able to ensure that all their concerns are taken seriously and heard internationally since it speaks in behalf of millions of people.Workers are protected – this is made possible through t he European Working Time Directive; the directive includes regulations regarding holidays, working hours, breaks, etc. Essentially, the EU is what is known as a single market.   What that means is that members of the EU have free roam of all EU nations.   They can free travel between countries without having to have a passport or other travel documents required by people from outside the EU.   It also allows for people to more easily work and live outside of their home country.   It also helped with trade among EU nations as they did not have to pay tariffs for trade amongst each other. Just as there are advantages of being a member of the EU, there are also disadvantages.   According to Tejvan Pettinger (n.d.), six disadvantages of being a member of the EU are: Cost.   The costs of EU members to the UK is  £15bn gross (0.06% of GDP) – or  £6.883 billion net.Inefficient policies.   A large percentage (40%) of UE spending goes on Common Agricultural Policy.Problems of the Euro.  Ã‚   Members of the EU doesn’t necessarily mean membership of the EURO.Pressure towards austerity.   Since 2008, many southern European countries have faced pressure from the EU to pursue austerity – spending cuts to meet budget deficit targets, but in the middle of a recession these austerity measures have contributed to prolonged economic stagnation.Net migration.   Free movement of labour has caused problems of overcrowding in UK cities.More bureaucracy less democracy.   It is argued that the EU has created extra layers of bureaucracy whilst taking away decision making process further from local communities. When it came time for the referendum, or vote, for whether or not to stay within the EU, nearly 30 million people voted, which equated to an approximate 71.8% voter turnout.   Once the votes were in, the margin of victor was relatively small.   The percentage of votes to Leave was 51.9% and percentage of votes to stay was 48.1%, which means that the Leave vote only won by only 3.8 percent.   It was not just Great Britain that was voting and would be impacted by the UK leaving the EU, due to the UK being made up of three other countries as well:   Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.   With the exception of the vote in Scotland, votes from the other three countries taking part in the UK vote were fairly close.   The over breakdown was â€Å"England voted for Brexit, by 53.4% to 46.6%.   Wales also voted for Brexit, with Leave getting 52.5% of the vote and Remain 47.5%.   Scotland and Northern Ireland both backed staying in the EU.   Scotland backed Remain by 62% t o 38%, while 55.8% in Northern Ireland voted Remain and 44.2% Leave.†Ã‚   (Hunt & Wheeler, 2017).     Ã‚   Considering the vote, why did the vote to leave the EU come about in the first place?   For years, the UK Independence Party has campaigned to leave the EU.   They felt that the UK was being held back by the EU due to the rules and restrictions that were placed on businesses.   There was also the matter of the amount of money that the UK paid annually to be a member of the EU.   They were paying billions of pounds each year, but they did not feel that they were getting enough in return for what they paid.   Border control was another issue that was used as part of the Leave campaign.   Due to EU borders rules, the UK was limited on what they could do in regards to controlling their border and the amount of immigration.   Since members of the EU had open borders to other EU nations, people from poorer countries wanted to move to richer countries to live and work, thus creating a influx of people.   There was also concern that this influx of people was taking needed res ources and jobs from those already living in the UK.   This in turn took away jobs and added to the welfare system.   The members of the Independence Party and their supporters are not opposed to immigration, that just wanted to be able to control the numbers and who came into the country and they were unable to do that under EU rules.   When it came to the Leave campaign the Independence Party had support from other public officials.   They had approximately half of the Conservative Party Members of Parliament (MP) and some of the Labour Party MPs.   One other group that was significant was the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) out of Northern Ireland.   Although Northern Ireland voted to Remain, the DUP most likely helped to keep the vote closer then it could have been, similar to how the vote went in Scotland.   There was also a concern that the EU was trying to create more a single country, similar to the Untied States of America.   This would then take away indivi dual countries identities, as they would be unified.   â€Å"One of the major sticking points in the conversation has been immigration concerns, as some Brits worry that the countrys employment market and social services will drown under the weight of too many new residents. Theres also the worry that upper-crust elites and Brussels bureaucrats are pushing for a continental identity that diminishes the U.K.s own sense of self.†Ã‚   (Rosenfeld, 2016). When it came for the campaign to stay in the EU, there was no real added bonus, besides remaining a member of the EU.   The argument was that being a member of the EU helped economically due to single market trade.   They tried to battle to immigration fears by saying that the people that were immigrating to the UK where helping and were not creating a burden, since they came to work which in turn helped the economy.   The strongest argument to Remain was that they are more powerful in numbers.   The UK on its own does not have as big a voice, since they would be a single entity, as opposed to being one of 27 other countries who could stand together as one, thus making them more powerful due to numbers and economics. Although the exact numbers are not known on what demographic voted the most and whether or not they voted for Leave or Remain, there is an idea due to polling that was conducted after the referendum.   â€Å"The results found that 64% of those young people who were registered did vote, rising to 65% among 25-to-39-year-olds and 66% among those aged between 40 and 54. It increased to 74% among the 55-to-64 age group and 90% for those aged 65 and over. It is thought that more than 70% of young voters chose to remain in the EU.†Ã‚   (Helm, 2017).   What this shows is that the highest voter percentage turnout was from the older generation, increasing with each age group.   What was the most surprising though is the high number of voter turnout for young voters, with young voters being between the age of 18-24.   There was even some speculation as to what would have happened if 16-17 year olds had been allowed to vote due to that being a possible 1.6 million additional vote rs, which could have made the referendum a lot closer.   Even with these numbers, there is no way to know if it would have been enough to sway the vote to Remain. Since the outcome of the referendum has been determined and the UK will leave the EU, what are the steps for this to take place since it is not as easy as just not being part of the EU one day?   The uncertainty of it all is that this has never been done, due to   Article 50 only came into existence in 2009.   Article 50 is what created a way for a member country of the EU to leave. To start, it will take at least two years for everything to be negotiated for its withdrawal from the EU.   During this time the UK will still abide by EU rules, but they will not be able to take part in any decision-making process.   According to Hunt & Wheeler (2017), as posted on BBC News, the following are the steps needed for the UK to leave the EU, to include a legal challenge to invoke Article 50: November 2016:   Legal challenge to government’s right to invoke Article 50 without consulting Parliament succeeds.   MPs approve bill in March 2017.Two year time limit begins.29 March 2017:   UK invokes Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union.Remaining 27 EU countries meet 29 April to discuss withdrawal.Negotiations begin between UK and EU.Draft deal put to European Council (27 members).Needs approval from at least 20 countries with 65% of the population.Ratification by European ParliamentUK introduces Great Repeal Bill to revoke the 1972 European Communities Act.After two years, negotiations can be extended if all 27 countries agree but if not EU treaties cease to apply to the UK.The UK leaves the European UnionGreat Repeal Act comes into force, copying EU laws into UK law, to give time for UK to amend or repeal them. Besides the political and bureaucratic process that has to be completed by the politicians, as well as questions they need answered, there are still questions from the voter as to what happens next and these questions will need to be answered during the two year exit process.  Ã‚   Some people are worried about the safety of their products, but this is unlikely to change due to creating two items.   Others are worried about their health care and if they will be able to continue with their health care if they live abroad.   That in of itself is another question.   What happens to the people from the UK that already are living or working in another EU country or those from another country working in the UK.   For UK citizens working outside of the UK and non UK citizens working in the UK, most likely nothing will change.   They will be able to continue working where they are.   For those planning on retiring outside of the UK, that could be another question and will have to be part of the decision making process for all those involved within the UK government and the EU, since this type of movement was under the freedom of movement that was allowed as a member of the EU.   People are concerned about the housing market being impacted.   There has been a slight decrease in the housing market from June to December 2016.   Business owners are worried about having to pay tariffs once Brexit takes effect, since they have not had to pay tariffs as part of the EU.   This is another situation that will have to be negotiated during the exit process between the UK and the EU.   â€Å"People are also worried about the economy itself. The U.K.s Treasury itself reported that its analysis showed the nation would be permanently poorer if it left the EU and adopted any of a number of likely alternatives. Productivity and  GDP  per person would be lower in all these alternative scenarios, as the costs would substantially outweigh any potential benefit of leaving the EU (Rosenfeld, 2016).   Some people even think that the economy will become weaker due to reduced contributions from immigrants.   The Internationla Monetary Fund, along with the Bank of England, have said that there could be long term economic impacts. Besides the EU, it is possible that the financial impact to be felt globally. â€Å"In Europe, the EU could run into economic trouble for a couple of reasons. The lengthy and as-yet ambiguous exit negotiations could cripple investment, as mentioned above, but they could also lead to  more exits.†Ã‚   (Rosenfeld, 2016).   With the EU being a single market when it comes to trade, it has been advantageous for businesses due to no tariffs when crossing European country lines.   However, businesses are concerned that due to the UK’s exit, they channels of free trade could go away, thus making it more expensive to ship goods in and out of the UK.   This may make companies want to leave the UK for other European countries who still are in the single market.   This could impact billions of dollars.   Brexit could also end up impacting the U.S.   â€Å"In the U.S., billions, if not trillions, of dollars could be called into question by a British exit: In 2014, Ame rican direct investment into the EU totaled about 1.81 trillion euros, and about 1.99 trillion euros flowed in the opposite direction,  according to the European Commission.†Ã‚   (Rosenfeld, 2016).   It is not just Europe and the U.S. that have these fears, but multiple other global companies that do business with the UK and the EU.   Just like with the stock market, when something bad happens in one country, it can be felt in various forms across the globe, due to the would be more globalized and working together.   With many of those that voted to Leave, they are not concerned with global corporations or investors in these companies that are looking at the bottom line, not what people think is best for their country. Based on how a member of the UK voted, Leave or Remain, it is fairly easy to determine what they thought about Brexit itself.   However, with the UK exiting the EU and the potential impact it can have on other EU countries, gauging how they feel could either help or hinder the transition and negotiation process due to emotions.  Ã‚   â€Å"A 16-country poll by Ipsos Mori showed that almost half — 48 per cent — of respondents from Sweden said they were dismayed by the UK’s decision. It was a different story in France, where only a quarter of respondents said they were sad about Brexit.† (Mertens, 2016).   The US and Russia were also polled on their feelings of the UK leaving the EU.   Of those polled, in the US, approximately 20% said they were dismayed and the UK’s decision.   In Russia, only about 6% of Russians polled were dismayed, with 54% thinking that the UK deciding to part ways with the EU was a good idea and in their own best inte rest.   However, â€Å"a majority of respondents in most countries felt that Brexit would be bad for the UK economy.   Japan was especially gloomy, with more than two-thirds of respondents expecting Britain to experience an economic downturn.† (Mertens, 2016).   Polls that were conducted can give a general idea of what the common people thought of Brexit, but there were also mixed and neutral thoughts from world leaders.   The following quotes from world leaders, as posted on BBC news Brexit: World reaction as UK votes to leave EU (2016), are just a few of the world leader reactions. This is a painful choice and it is deeply regrettable both for the UK and Europe. But this choice is theirs and we must respect it, accepting all the consequences.† Francois Hollande, French President We take note of the British peoples decision with regret. There is no doubt that this is a blow to Europe and to the European unification process.Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany The people of the United Kingdom have spoken, and we respect their decision. The special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom is enduring, and the United Kingdoms membership in Nato remains a vital cornerstone of US foreign, security, and economic policy.†Ã‚  Barack Obama, US President Victory for freedom! The British people have given to Europeans and to all the people of the world a shining lesson in democracy.Geert Wilders, Dutch Freedom Party leader Its an explosive shock. At stake is the break-up pure and simple of the union.  Now is the time to invent another Europe.Manuel Valls, French Prime Minister Depending on who one asks, there is a difference of opinions on whether or not the UK can survive Brexit.   Tom Campbell (2017) quoted the research director at the Centre for London as saying â€Å"Brown agrees that London will retain its dominance – even if terms are less favourable: â€Å"London has an unrivalled agglomeration of financial and other service firms. Some may relocate, some may choose to expand elsewhere, but many will remain in London.†Ã‚   Just as Richard Brown thinks that the UK will be ok after Brexit, others still hold a different opinion and feel that Brexit will be detrimental for the UK.   Direcctor of World Cities Cultural Forum, Paul Owens, is one of these peole that feels Brexit was bad.   He stated â€Å"There’s no doubt the decision to leave the EU poses a threat to London’s creative economy. The sector has prospered on diversity, free movement of artistic talent and international supply chains. London’s cultural assets are considerable, but it is likely to be diminished over the next decade unless there is a suitable policy response.† (Campbell, 2017).   Ashoka Mody is another believer that the UK will survive Brexit and even points out that much of the UK’s trade is outside of the EU.   â€Å"Following Brexit, productive British trade with the European Union  will survive just fine  wherever it is based on long-lasting economic gains and social relationships. At the same time, the shift toward trade with the faster-growing United States and Asia will continue.† and â€Å"Almost all new British trade is being created outside of Europe.†Ã‚  (Mody, 2016).   So even if members of the EU are initially upset with the UK and make trade difficult initially, the UK still has other sources of economic stability.   Another aspect of why the UK will survive is literally about money. â€Å"As Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman points out, the U.K. has a significant advantage compared to other nations:   they have the British pound.† (Tepper, 2016).   Even with some people thinking that the UK leaving the EU could ending up irreversibly harming the UK, there are still others that have a good understanding of what is going on and understand that although there may be some set backs, thing will not be as bad as some would like things to appear at face value. There are also those that look at whether or not the EU will be able to survive the UK’s departure.   Realistically, those that think the EU can’t not survive without the UK, do not know history, since the UK was not initially part of the EU.   Plus, there multiple other counties that want to the EU.   A potential issue with the countries that want to join, and may be the reason they have not been allowed to join yet, is these countries are poorer countries.   Due to this they would most likely not provide as many resources to into the EU as they would receive.   This is part of the reason the UK voted to Leave, paying more into the EU then they received back.   â€Å"The EU can certainly survive without Britain – but it cannot survive without buy-in from the public. Without a substantial change in how the EU communicates to the people in member countries, there will be a much greater threat to the EU than Brexit – and that threat is the EU it self.† (Can the EU survive after Brexit?, 2017).   Even though the some people do not feel that the future of the UK is a bleak as others would have people believe, they still have an up hill battle ahead of him.   Especially when it comes to to having to renegotiate trade deals within the EU, since the other 27 countries that the UK just divorced are likely to not be overly happy about their departure.   With the EU being the more powerful entity, they may have an upper hand when it comes to the negotiating table.   In an opinion poll that was conducted in 2016, French, German, Swedish, and Finnish feel that when it comes to post-Brexit negotiations, the UK should not receive any favors.   â€Å"Germans and the French were the most opposed to offering Britain a generous deal that pays tribute to Britains role as a neighbour and important trading partner, according to the YouGov survey.   In both countries,  53 per cent of respondents  said it should not expect any favours, compared to  27 per cent who said the EU should offer Britain a generous deal†. (Sims, 2016).   One the flip side of that, people are willing to take a softer stance if the UK is still willing to continue with the free movement of workers and to keep with the pre-Brexit agreements about letting EU citizens to work and live in the EU.   Although that could potentially alleviate some of the Brexit negotiation headaches, at the same time it goes against one of the big reasons that many people wanted to vote Leave.   That is the free movement of people into the UK and not have control of their own border. No matter how it is looked at, the topic of the UK wanting to leave the EU is a hot topic item.   People on both sides of the fence have strong opinions of whether to Leave or Remain, and rightly so considering the referendum was and probably will be one of the most impactful decisions they will see in their life.   It is also hard to say which side is correct in their way of thinking.   One could look at it as the older more experienced generation, choose to leave due to what they have seen and experienced in their life time and tend to have more of a nationalistic point of view.   Just as the younger generation tended to vote to remain, although they do not have as much life experience or have seen as much, they tend to have more of an open mindset of how things should be.   When it came to the vote to leave and the two sides were campaigning for what they thought was right, there seemed to be two main reasons.   The first was the immigration issue and not having conrol of their own borders.   Whether or not the huge influx of immigrants actually took many jobs or economically taxed the UK systems, could be a matter of opinion, depending on how the numbers were spun and ones point of view.   Some even cited the immigration issue as a threat to society due to not border control, so extremists could more easily travel and hide within EU contries.   The other main topic was that many people felt that the EU was holding the UK back due to their rules and regulations.   They felt that it restricted business and did not allow them to thrive they way they felt they could. No matter what the reason, a big concern for many people is whether or not the UK can survive Brexit.   The answer is yes.   Will they be as strong or globally powerful as they were when part of the EU, that is yet to be seen as only time will tell.   However, the UK is still an economic power with many resources and the UK failing would spell global disaster.   So even with the EU being upset up what is going on, it is not in their best interest for the UK to fail.   This does not mean that it will be an easy road for the UK during the two years leading up to their actually departure date.   There are a multitude of negotations that much be completed, with the UK possibly having to not get as good of deals as they would prefer.   There are also many laws within the UK that will need to be looked at and either used, amended, or be thrown out based on what is in their best interest.   All in all, the situation is overcomeable and there will not be any major catastrophi c outcomes that topples a government, although some would believe that is the case.   However, a very real possibility, based on how the transition for the UK goes from being a member of the EU to not being a member of the EU, is if other EU countries will follow suit.   As it is very possibily that the UK could be paving the way for others to follow.   After all, Article 50 came about in 2009 and it only took eight years for an EU member country to use it.   Whose to say that once this divorce of the UK and EU is done, someone else doesn’t follow suit.   That is the EU’s biggest fear. References Advantages and Disadvantages of the European Union. (2014, October 09). Retrieved April 22, 2017, from https://occupytheory.org/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-the-european-union/ Brexit: World reaction as UK votes to leave EU. (2016, June 24). Retrieved April 24, 2017, from http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics.eu.referendum-36614643 Campbell, T. (2017, January 23). Can post-Brexit London survive as Europe’s cultural and financial capital? Retrieved April 24, 2017,   from https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/jan/23/post-brexit-london-economic-self-sabotage Can the EU survive after Brexit? (2017, March 23). Retrieved April 24, 2017, from http://www.thenational.ae/opinion/comment/can-the-eu-survive-after-brexit Helm, T. (2016, July 10). EU referendum: youth turnout almost twice as high as first though. Retrieved April 23, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/09/young-people-referendum-turnout-brexit-twice-as-high Hunt, A., & Wheeler, B. (2017, March 30). Brexit: All you need to know about the UK leaving the EU. Retrieved April 23, 2017, from http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32820887 Mertens, R. (2016, August 5). This is what European countries think about Brexit. Retrieved April 23, 2017, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/08/this-is-what-european-countries-think-about-brexit Mody, A. (2016, July 04). Don’t Panic. Britain’s economy can survie just fine outside the European Union. Retrieved April 24, 2017, from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/don’t-panic-britains-economy-can-survive-just-fine-outside-the-european-union-a7118736.html Pettinger, T. (n.d.). Disadvantages of EU Membership. Retrieved April 23, 2017, from http://www.economicshelp.org/europe/disadvantages-eu/ Rosenfeld, E. (2016, June 24). Brexit 101: What just happened, and why it’s import for regular Americans. Retrieved April 23, 2017, from http://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/21/uk-brexit-what-you-need-to-know.html Sims, A. (2016, July 08). Four European countries reject ‘generous’ Brexit deal with UK, poll finds. Retrieved April 24, 2017, from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/four-european-countries-reject-generous-brexit-deal-with-uk-poll-finds-a7128001.html Tepper, T. (2016, June 29). Why Brexit Won’t Destroy The UK Economy | Money. Retrieved April 24, 2017, from http://time.com/money/4383549/british-pound-brexit-european-union/

My Philosophy of Teaching :: Philosophy of Education

Philosophy of Education Have you ever sat down and thought about who your favorite teacher was during your primary and secondary school years? Did you enjoy their class because it was exciting, educational, and unique? When I decided to become a teacher I sat down and asked myself these very questions. After graduation it was very difficult for me to decide on how to further my life, college or entering the work force. After looking back on my life and trying to decide what has made the biggest influence on it, teaching has given me the greatest joy and pride. This is why I have decided to become an elementary teacher. Teachers are very special people placed on earth to aid in the education process of children. Teachers in today’s school system have their own style of teaching which can range from the basics of essentialism to the laid back approach of progressivism. I personally am not going to limit myself to one style of teaching. When I become a teacher I will have an eclectic vie w of different philosophies and teaching styles for my classroom. Educator William Bagley coined the philosophical word essentialism in the 1930’s. This term is the traditional, or back-to-basics, approach to education. This particular style of teaching is based on lecture, discussion and recitation of reading, writing, history, social studies, foreign languages and science. This method of teaching has been the dominant since early history and is the most recognized in classrooms today. I personally know that essentialism was the philosophy used by most of my high school teachers and college professors. In my classroom I would use certain aspects of the essentialism philosophy. With the aid of the essentialism philosophy I would instill consideration of others, respect for authority and practicality for life situations. On the flip side of the essentialism coin is behaviorism. B.F. Skinner popularized behaviorism in the United States. This method of teaching uses classical conditioning from the root work of Ivan Pavlov, critical thinking skills and programmed instruction. Most teachers in today’s society use the behaviorism philosophy because they believe that the material is taught more effectively when it is broken down into smaller sections in each class.

Securing The Electronic Operating Environment Essay -- Information Tec

Purpose Operating systems, applications, databases, and other types of information processing systems are the core element for all business operations all through the private and public sector environments. Because no information system is bulletproof, nor is there any way to ensure complete safety while using any type of electronic device it is essential to practice vigilance at all times. Viruses, Trojans, worms, and other malicious tools are used daily by hackers at an attempt to compromise sensitive data and integrity of information systems. Without stable, secure applications and operating systems that have been updated with the latest patches, and tested for durability to provide a secure computing environment, the confidentiality, integrity, and availability to the entire domain and infrastructure are at risk. Differentiating between the good and bad is crucial to the protection of IT assets and personnel. This report will evaluate operating system and application security, methods us ed to verify authenticity, and reveal the most common vulnerabilities found throughout various digital operating environments. Digital information security can be defined best as the protection of IT assets and services against unauthorized access. An authorized user or service with legitimate permission to access sensitive data systems or applications may engage in malicious activities such as inputting incorrect data into the system to force others to repeat the same task over. Although these types of activities may not cause immediate irreversible damage to the infrastructure it still remains important to prevent such incidents from occurring before they escalate into something more serious. For this reason it is essential to not onl... ...mes - Politics, Breaking News, US and World News. Retrieved May 27, 2012, from http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/sep/13/computer-based-attacks-emerge-as-threat-of-future-/?page=all Johnson, R., & Merkow, M. S. (2011). Security policies and implementation issues. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Operating System and Process Monitoring Tools. (n.d.). Department of Computer Science & Engineering . Retrieved May 24, 2012, from http://www.cse.wustl.edu/~jain/cse567-06/ftp/os_monitors/index.html Thielen, D. (1992). No bugs!: delivering error-free code in C and C++. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley. Virtual machine Definition from PC Magazine Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Technology Product Reviews, News, Prices & Downloads | PCMag.com | PC Magazine. Retrieved May 24, 2012, from http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,1237,t=virtual+machine&i=53927,00.asp

Comparing Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther K

"...A little rebellion now and then is a good thing...It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government." Thomas JeffersonThoreau, a transcendentalist from the mid 19th century and Martin Luther King Jr., the Civil Rights movement leader of a century later both believed the necessity of medicine for government. Although they showed disagreement of opinion on issues regarding voting, both writers agreed on the necessity to reform the government and the means of accomplishing it. In King's Letter from Birmingham Jail and Thoreau's Civil Disobedience, both agreed on injustice of majority to rule over minority, both resisted the government passively, and both wanted a better government immediately.The majority is not necessarily right, but they have always been the ones in power because they are the strongest and the most influential. Therefore, all the laws are written by the majority, almost all are in favor of the majority, and all are enforced by the majority. According to King, a law drafted by the majority is only just when the minority are willing to follow it. He wrote "An unjust law is a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on itself" (2:475). In other words, if a law denies the right of the minority or is inflicted upon the minority by force, then it is not a just law. Similar opinions are shared by Thoreau, when he writes "But a government in which the majority r...

Elderly or Old Age Stage of Development

Participant’s Cultural BackgroundThe elderly woman is a Caucasian living in the United States and has been living within the culture of the west throughout her life. Therefore, her life has not been adversely affected by other cultures. The Western culture is such that it emphasizes individualism and independence thus each person seeks autonomy through education, employment and involvement in various social activities. Information provided to me indicated that she was a teacher before she retired and involved herself in community work. In particular, her social work revolved around providing guidance and counseling services to young adults and adolescents.According to Schulz & Jutta (1996, p. 704), aging is not universal and affects people in different ways as influenced by diverse factors that the individual is exposed to, among them being education, social support, diet and nutrition. These factors mediate the process of aging thus determine the success or failure of aging. Generally, the participant had been influenced by the factors especially education, nutrition and social support. The participant had been influenced by education owing to the fact that before her retirement, she had been a teacher and lived with her family who provided her with social support and adequate nutrition.She is a Caucasian thus culturally, her family is keen on her diet and wellbeing. Setting where participant was observed I observed the participant in her home where she lives with her family for a week. I was able to make my observations constantly because the participant does not live far from where I reside. The house is medium in size and houses six people with the participant being the oldest. She lives with her son, the son’s wife and their two children as well as a nanny. There is an open back yard behind the house where there is a swimming pool and a garden with flowers and grass.The elderly woman spends most of her day in this area with the assistance of a nurse and in some occasions in the company of her son and grandchildren. She generally deals with various aging issues. For instance, she is dealing with retirement and decreased income, dealing with loss of spouse and getting ready for her own period of death. She does not engage in energy demanding activities such as walking long distances, climbing the stairs, lifting heavy objects, among others. She claims that whenever she involves herself in strenuous activities, she breathes a lot.According Leahy, Grafe and Fuzy (2004, p.  124), when people grow older, their blood circulation becomes less efficient hence they become sensitive to diverse things such as energy demanding activities and extreme temperatures. In general, I made my observations within the compound in which the participant was residing in. During my one week of observation, I did not see her travel but she always saw her family off whenever they were going out. Behaviors displayed At this stage of development, t here are a number of behavioral characteristics that can be observed in the elderly participant physically, socially and psychologically.This is because the individual is likely to have retired, thus undergone significant evolution. 92 years of age means that the person is shifting towards the end of his or her life cycle. It is often a time when they can spend time with their grandchildren, engage in leisure activities and overlook the issues that caused stress and anxiety in the prior decades. The participant was participating in some activities that enabled her to enjoy her aging. For example, in the mornings, I would see her in the garden either trying to trim the flowers, water the garden or plant more flowers in the flower pots.Although the pace of engaging in the activities was slow, she seemed to enjoy doing that work and it sometimes required the intervention of the nurse to stop her from gardening. According to Peck’s theory, during old age, an individual experience s Ego Differentiation vs. Work Role Preoccupation where the elderly individual is prone to cling to lifestyles that he or she previously lived or engage in activities that enhance their self esteem (Saxon, Saxon & Etten, 2002, p. 26). The participant had slower responses as well as reflexes.When she is asked about something, I observed that she took a while before she responded. In addition, she seemed to be forgetting various instructions within a short period of time especially in situations when the instructions or information given were verbal. I realized this after she asked my name a couple of hours after I had told her. However, she had definite memory of visual gestures because she could spot her son’s car from a distance. According to Leahy, Grafe and Fuzy (2004, p. 123), aging affects the person’s ability to remember and concentrate because it affects memory.It is difficult for the old to think fast and logically due to old age. However, the degree of memory loss differs with individuals. In most cases, the elderly often experience memory loss of recent activities whereas past activities are easily remembered. The elderly woman has lost several things ranging from independence, friends, health to family although she may have increased wisdom. The elderly are faced with some developmental tasks such as bending with declined physical energy and loss of well being. This is indicated by her behaviors such as having difficulties picking up things when they fall.For example, during one of my observations, she was walking towards the car but her hat was blown off by the wind. However, she was not able to bend and pick hence was assisted by her grandson. In addition, her reaction to the hat that had been blown off was slow in both speed and verbal response. Saxon, Saxon and Etten (2002, p. 26) point out that in the process of aging, Body Transcendence vs. Body Preoccupation influences the elderly to an extent that for older adults with the capa city to rise above preoccupation with their health, they have the ability to engage in activities that grant them individual satisfaction.Her vision, taste, hearing, and smell are quite poor. For her vision, she usually has difficulties reading and noting details in some visual objects and this explains the reason why she always wears her spectacles. She is not able to see small sized objects. For example, in case a button falls on the carpet, she cannot find it. Her taste is also poor because she always complains about food and drinks. For instance, she often complains about food having inadequate salt which is rarely the case or that the fruit juice given to her is tasteless.Her hearing has been impaired by old age because when communicating with her, one has to speak loudly or talk close to her ears. On several occasions, her grandchildren are forced to almost shout so that she can hear them. This has brought frustration to the participant owing to the fact that she finds it stre nuous to communicate with those around her. In the course of my observation, I noted that the participant did not have a good sense of smell. I made this observation when the nanny burnt the food and while everyone else was finding fault in the strange smell, she just said, â€Å"I don’t smell anything†.Schulz & Jutta (1996) point out that during aging, it is common for the elderly to loose their senses of smell, touch, taste, hearing and sight. This is attributed to the decline in the ability of the senses of the body to function adequately. In conclusion, it is evident that old age results to changes in diverse aspects of life to psychological and physical changes in the life of the elderly. Aging affects persons differently depending on factors such as nutrition, social support, education and diet.Conversely, aging generally results to a decline in the ability of the body to function due to a decline in the capacity of a number of body parts to function e. g. respir atory system, urinary system, circulatory system, nervous system, and musculoskeletal system and hence affecting the activities they get involved in. Therefore, at old age, the elderly should be well taken care of because they do not have the ability to function effectively as they used to in their previous years (Leahy, Grafe & Fuzy, 2004). References Leahy, W., Grafe, J. & Fuzy, J. L. (2004). Providing Home Care: A Textbook for Home Health Aides. Albuquerque: Hartman Publishing Inc. Saxon, V. S.S, Saxon, V. S. & Etten, M. J. (2002). Physical Change & Aging: A Guide for the Helping Professionals. New York: Springer Publishing Company Schulz, R. & Jutta, H. (1996). A Life Span of Successful Aging. Journal of American Psychologist. Vol. 51 (7), pp.702- 714

Barclay Card

The use of Credit cards started during the first half of the 20th century. The cards were initially used to make the process of identification less complex and for confirmation of costumers when authorization was required by tellers for account purchases in retail stores. The process developed, and in the 1940’s, some banks in the united states allowed customers to buy goods and services, and have these charged to against their monthly bank charge account, rather than to a store account Development of competition Early contenders to Barclaycard emerged from their closest competitors.In 1966, prompted by the success of the bank americard network, members of the competing franchises formed the interbank card association (ICA), which was later to become known as MasterCard international. The ICA differed from bank americard in being an organization controlled by member banks which took responsibility for promoting the MasterCard brand and for setting standards for security, autho rization, clearing and settlement systems between members. ICA went international in 1968 with an association with banamex.Barclaycards strategy in the market has been associated with three continuing elements. The fist was the continued growth of the credit card market shown in exhibit 4. over the period 1989-9 the volume of credit card transaction grew at 7. 5 per cent, while debit cards grew at 40 percent. The number of credit cards in use increased by 5 percent by annum and the value of a transaction by 5. 5 percent p. a. The second factor was the relative success of visa, whose UK franchise was exclusively, enjoyed Barclaycard in the early years.Over the years, visa secured a position as the world’s most wildly used card, by 1998 accounting for $ 1. 4 trillion dollars of purchase or 55 percent of the global market. Although the competition between visa and MasterCard was less clear cut in the UK Barclaycard’s visa had international acceptability with 16million mer chants worldwide. Exhibit 5 suggests that although Barclaycard lost market share somewhat faster than the other major banks, the strength of visa’s international position to some extent offset Barclay’s premium pricing.Profitability of Barclaycard Even though Barclaycard was the first and for a considerable amount of time, the only issuer of credit cards in the UK, Barclaycard made some losses during the first decade of its operations, as the company built up its card and merchant volumes. In 1995, Barclaycard acquired 90,000 gold customers, and that launch increased Barclaycard’s market share of newly issued credit cards to more than 30 percent. Processing of Barclaycard transactions Transaction from paper to electronics introduced large economies of scale in processing.This innovation however was characterized by relatively high level, one off investments. Alternative strategic directions open to Barclaycard in its future development Barclaycard should team up more with other companies. For example, the co-operation with Sainsbury, gasoline marketer BP, and department store chain Debenhams in launching new loyalty programs. With every Barclaycard purchase, shoppers should be able to collect points that can be exchanged for gifts like restaurant meals, consumer goods, grocery shopping, flights, and cinema tickets.Barclaycard should also capitalize on the company’s strong customer base by relationship marketing alliances, with leading organizations in other service industries like celnet, BT and Marks and Spencer. Evaluation of alternatives Suitability: On the basis of suitability, the best alternatives available to Barclaycard are to ensure the continued ATM usage of Barclaycard, and to ensure automation through a fully computerized transaction system. This is because cash withdrawal through ATMs is a major customer use of credit cards.The company should also endeavor to eliminate most of the paper work in order speed up the author ization process, and provide narrative statements for card holders. Acceptability: Barclaycard’s ability to monitor and measure credit risk is very crucial to its acceptability. In 2000, the volume of Barclaycard transactions rose by 12 percent, while charges for doubtful and bad debts increased by 34 percent. Financial performance thus suggested that the company’s managers have the responsibility to find customers who were in need of rollover credit, and who were less likely to default on payments.Feasibility: Barclaycard once proposed to charge non-customers heavily for using its machines, a proposal that had to be withdrawn at that time due to heavy persecution from the press. This is not a very good strategy, and should be avoided. Recommended alternatives Barclaycard strategy in the credit card industry has been associated with the continuous growth of the credit card market, its ability to avoid price competition by branding, and also, the relative success of Vis a.Barclaycard should strive to avoid price competition by branding and by using technological developments within the card networks. This is because the intensity of the competition in the credit card business tends to lead to the best credit worthy customers gaining access to credit far more cheaply. Thus it is quite difficult for credit card transaction volumes to increase quickly without inflicting bad and doubtful debts to credit card users.