Saturday, August 31, 2019

McNeal Book Review Final Essay

Abstract This paper will constitute a review of Practicing Greatness: 7 Disciplines of Extraordinary Spiritual Leaders,1 with attention given to the disciplines themselves, as well as the rationale and method that McNeal believes will lead to leadership success. The work begins with a quotation from Elton Trueblood that sets the tone for the book’s contents. Trueblood states that â€Å"Deliberate mediocrity is a sin,†2 and to be mediocre is to be without discipline. McNeal penned this work to highlight the disciplines that lead to greatness, both spiritual and in leadership. Interestingly, the listed  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Disciplines† require a course of action on the part of the reader; and this implies not being idle or in the words of Trueblood, mediocre. The â€Å"Disciplines† comprise seven chapters and are noted as follows: The discipline of self—awareness is crucial as it safeguards the leader against unhealthy views of self and needs as well as from task oriented rather than people oriented. The discipline of self—management supports the claim that great leaders are great managers, not merely of others but, primarily and chiefly, of themselves. The discipline of self—development is indicative of all great leaders. They will never stop learning and developing. The discipline of mission honors the propensity of great leaders to sacrifice themselves to great causes. The discipline of decision making sets great leaders apart from good or average leaders. The discipline of belonging characterizes great leaders’ ability to retain and nurture significant relationships that in turn nurture their lives. The discipline of aloneness celebrates great leaders’ ability and grace not only to endure the loneliness of leadership but to actually build solitude into their lives. The over-arching theme of the book, is the spiritual leader that is truly â€Å"great,† achieves that distinction not â€Å"for what they do for themselves or even as a way to become recognized as great leaders. Their end game is about expanding the kingdom of God.†3 Great leaders are cognizant of their inner selves and the signals they send to others via actions. In Boundaries, Cloud and Townsend list four boundary personalities that can derail a leaders’ ability to maintain trust and influence in those they lead. These boundaries are noted as â€Å"Complaints, Avoidants, Controllers and Non-responsives.†4 To augment the above, McNeal cites Gary McIntosh and Samuel Rima’s identification of the leaders’ â€Å"dark-side† comprised of the following characteristics: 1. Compulsive Leaders 2. Narcissistic Leaders 3. Paranoid Leaders 4. Co-dependent Leaders5 McNeal notes that â€Å"Great leaders are great managers—not just managers of projects or other people but mostly of themselves.†6 Yet they are also distributors of â€Å"blessing and encouragement†7 with their work done in humility and in a servant mentality, guaranteeing â€Å"extraordinary character  and exceptional competence developed over time.†8 The author writes with people in view first, and then delves into the varied aspects of leadership based on the disciplines listed in the contents of the book. McNeal draws from years of ministry and teaching experience to demonstrate from Scripture that biblical leadership is possible if one is committed to looking at themselves in light of what Scripture states regarding our condition. Current patterns and preconceptions must be dealt with before change can be implemented; and McNeal provides support from biblical characters who, while not perfect, heeded sound wisdom and learned from experiences so that they would be able to become prepared for what God had planned for them to do. In this regard, McNeal states that all spiritual leaders must flesh out superlatives to distinguish the essence of their call from God to ministry. Questions to be asked in this regard below, will aid the future/current leader in providing answers to questions he/she might have regarding their present ministry or avocation: a. What people or cause do you feel drawn to? b. What do you want to help people do or achieve or experience? c. How do you want to help people? d. What message do you want to deliver? e. How do you intend to serve or have an impact on the world? f. Why did you say yes to God to begin with?9 Mc Neal expounds on leadership and those who will seek to carry it out. the work is not overtly religious, yet it is balanced in the biblical references included. The illustrations of real people in real situations and with real leadership styles are instrumental in bringing clarity and focus to an exhaustive subject. The author has clearly demonstrated his objectives set out in the introduction, and has provided examples for leadership that are able to be implemented in all business applications and not merely the church only. This work is to be commended for anyone interested in not only what makes leaders great; but as well, how they arrived at the summit and are able to remain there. Two things are clear from a complete reading of this book: 1. Great spiritual leaders are committed consciously and intentionally to the spiritual disciplines 2. Great leaders feel blessed, have an attitude of gratitude and have chosen excellence before God and men. Response One major life experience that this book triggered involves the section of â€Å"Managing Expectations in The Discipline of Self-Management.10 I had recently been promoted to assistant manager at my place of employment where I was to be responsible for the implementation of new sales protocols. In reading McNeal, and in retrospect, I realize that because an understanding of self-awareness was lacking, I set expectations so high my natural and learned abilities could not stay even with them. I failed in goals I set and therefore lost confidence in my ability to manage others who worked under me. I knew that there were things which were wrong in how I was doing things; yet I could not figure it out. I arrived at the point where I felt that I would become ill anytime I had to make decisions on the job. I sat down and cried because things seemed to have no solution where it seemed, I was able to find solutions and fix things. I remember hearing a preacher once who was teaching on the wisdom of God and the finiteness of the mind of men. I took my Bible out and went to the concordance where I searched for words and phrases relating to wisdom, mind and knowledge, and I was led to Proverbs 3:5-6 which states to 5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (KJV). After studying these verses, I realized that not only was I lacking understanding of self-awareness, I was lacking in acknowledging God faithfully considering his infinite wisdom and sovereignty. This was the point where I had to confess my sins of ingratitude and ignorance of God and his power and wisdom. I knew in my heart that I would have to pray and listen to God through his Word more than I ever had; and I knew that I would have to be disciplined so that I would not find it easy to revert to where I had been before in my working life without him. Reflection One question that immediately came to my mind the further I went in this book was why McNeal did not incorporate more Scripture references than he did, or at the least alluded to? The â€Å"disciplines† of extraordinary spiritual leaders, one might think, would be found in Scripture with an excursus into what these disciplines entail. Were the decision left to me, I would have  drawn especially from the teachings of Christ; and from various leaders found within the pages of the sacred text.11 In retrospect, McNeal gave considerable attention to various disciplines within the teaching (illustrating) and ministry (practical) of Christ; yet the reader would likely desire more from the author in these regards than what he did present. There were areas of this work that read more as a psychological development course than the dynamics of spiritual development as the sanctified life of the leader will become apparent within his or her duties regardless the arena they work in. In r eading and discussing this book with my husband, I feel that a sense of balance would have been achieved were McNeal delved a bit more into biblical application of the topics he presented throughout. In terms of fleshing out the ordinary from the extraordinary, McNeal provides generous circumstances and situations from his own ministry life to demonstrate that every aspect of self-awareness and development hinge upon how the person views him/her-self in light of the truth. These â€Å"truths† are the non-negotiable prima fasciae of obedience to God and his will. In terms of readability, this work does not pose difficulty in determining where the author is headed in his teaching. The main issue is that more references to biblical characters might help to balance the illustrations of modern day people within various ministry or organizational structures. Action One of the first things I aim to accomplish in my life is to focus more on God and his wisdom rather than my own. It is so easy and tempting to second guess what one should do to achieve desired results; and more often than not, I have been guilty of over-guessing what I should do to the point that I am correcting every aspect of something to the point of micro-management and monarchial temperament. In the second place, I must set aside daily and consistent times to be alone with God in prayer and meditation on him rather than myself and my needs. I realize that most issues may be solved with remembering that â€Å"he must increase while I decrease† (Jn. 3:30). The power of God is not going to be neither availed nor prevalent if one does not fully relinquish the reins of their life to him, thus following rather than leading him. The above can have no time-table for measurement, so it seems best to state that it is a daily discipline that only grows and develops  properly over a course of time never ending. My ministry now and in the future will very likely utilize vast sections of this work with a focus on the three â€Å"Self’s:† Self-Awareness, Self-Management and Self-Development. I must commit to long-term developed and sustained growth interspersed with bench-marks as a measurement to demonstrate that I am growing and ministering properly. The people I will eventually teach and lead have a right to know what will be expected of them; they also have a right to point out the missteps leaders can make. Here is where I need to be receptive to criticism and rebuke; not wearing my emotions on my sleeve, rather, considering what is being said and then praying to God for the mind to take the necessary steps to corrective action and further development. I know where I am at now, even if I have not fully figured out everything about myself. I do anticipate a long road ahead toward restructuring and complete discipline; yet I believe that â€Å"the race does not belong to the swift, but to those who will never quit† (Eccl. 9:11). Bibliography McNeal, Reggie. Practicing Greatness: 7 Disciplines of Extraordinary Spiritual Leaders. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2006.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Discuss the relationship between literary and film versions of a particular ‘romance’ text

When a reader reads a novel and then watches a movie based on the book, they take in two very different perspectives. The use of camera techniques within the movie creates the story from the director's or script writers perspective, leaving the viewer only with one interpretation of the novel whereas when a reader reads the novel, he or she takes in a personal insight to the book and creates their own version to the narrative process. Wuthering Heights, written by Emily Bronte in the mid 19th century is a gothic novel which presents the love of Cathy Earnshaw and Heathcliff as a very innocent relationship whereby many people will see it as been a ‘teenage crush'. The novel is structured around two key points (purposes): the strong male ‘hero', and the romance between the hero and heroine (Cranny-Francis). Wuthering Heights is in many ways a romance novel (even though many critics choose not to agree). The term ‘romance' according to the Oxford English Dictionary the term is defined as: A prevailing sense of wonder or mystery surrounding the mutual attraction in a love affair. Cathy and Heathcliff's romance for one another is outside social due to economic circumstances therefore they do not marry even though their love for one another remains strong until the end of the novel (Cranny-Francis). The many movie versions made of Wuthering Heights have gotten a grasp on the main shared themes in the story yet however the differences between the two mediums is vital to the narrative structure. Heathcliff's character been vital to the storyline (as he is the novels key point of focus) is very important when making the movie versions of Wuthering Heights as he brings out the audiences response (Haire-Sargeant). Previously, film versions of Wuthering Heights have in fact attempted to explain the character of Heathcliff in a way the audience can connect with this character and achieve their expectations. Directors have been doing this change by altering parts of the story so that Heathcliff's character is not as evil as Bronte's character in the novel is; or by leading the audience or the reader as Bronte does to take in Heathcliff's good and wicked personality within his perspective. When Bronte wrote the novel, of course it had to have been linguistic. Movies however, cannot give the viewer every last detail that is in the novel and therefore have to adapt the book into a screenplay in order all the audience can understand its concept. Therefore changes and problems are created. The question which arises from every book turned into a movie becomes ‘does the movie mirror or replicate the context of the novel' which in so many words is not possible. To get every last detail of a four hundred page novel down in the short space of two/ or three hours will confuse the viewer as movies unlike novels do not ask for an audiences creativity to form the story it is already done and bought to life on screen. The question at hand therefore should be ‘how does the movie engage audiences/ viewers attention? Does it succeed in its own way? (Haire-Sargeant) This analysis of Wuthering Heights will be explored in William Wyler's 1939 version and also in Peter Kosminsky's 1992 version of the book. From the beginning of the novel Heathcliff is bought into the story as diclassi. He is bought home by Mr Earnshaw and is just explained to be ‘from the streets – a gipsy'. His background remains anonymous to the reader throughout the book as well as the movies (Cranny-Francis). In the novel, Nelly Dean tells Lockwood the narrative from her personal insight to the family having been with them for three generations. However, in Wylers movie the story is presented by first generation of Earnshaw and Linton. In the book, Bronte makes Heathcliff's character appear to be tall, dark, passionate, violent and uncivilised. Yet however, in Wyler's version of Wuthering Heights he has cast Lawrence Olivier to play the character of Heathcliff. He is characterised differently in this movie in comparison to the novel. Wyler and Olivier present Heathcliffs emotions and the cruelty he has had to bear from Hindley a great deal. This 1939 version of Wuthering Heights is what Haire-Sargeant describes as been ‘holographic'. The movies framing brings the movie together to form together a masterpiece work. Wyler controls a black and white of delicately shaded tonality; the powerfully expressed emotional and spiritual touch. The story through the use of extreme emphasis on visuals presents open space in comparison to the settings described by Bronte in the novel. (Haire-Sargeant p. p. 170-173). Wyler's movie has bought forth to the audience attention the connection between Heathcliff and Cathy and the emptiness of the world for both of them when not together (Hair-Sargeant). Peter Kosminskys 1992 version titled Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights did not achieve the audience response that the 1939 one received merely due to the fact of poor casting. French actress Juliette Binoche played both the characters of first generation and second generation Catherine. The controversy surrounding this poor casting was simply the fact that Catherine in Bronte's novel was from an English background. To cast a French to play the role of an English girl was part of the reason of why the movie did not seem to do well. Another interesting casting in this movie was the actor who took on the role of Heathcliff: Ralph Fiennes. Although he did not look in the part with his refined features, he quite differently to Olivier's performance of Heathcliff in the 1939 version presented a quiet, smiling torturer at play. This is a major personality characteristic of Bronte's Heathcliff in the novel. The cruel personality of Heathcliff in this movie version cannot be understood to be an act of anger or personality as the Heathcliff played by Olivier presents. Different to the 1939 Wuthering Heights and the book by Bronte, in this version it is not Heathcliff who holds the narrative process together but rather it is Catherine. The story in this version gave the character of Catherine more maturity and power as opposed to in the book where Bronte seemed to present an immature ‘school-girl' type of girl in the first generation Cathy's personality. Yet the most important factor to consider is the fact that Binoche took on the role of both mother and daughter each been delivered differently and fitting in together with the story. Unlike the book where Bronte focuses a great deal of volume one on the first generations childhood, the book just touches on it and skims past them really quickly leaving the audience to fill in the gaps. For example Nelly Dean's character in this movie only has a small role and does not state exactly who she is to the audience whereas in the book more then half of it is her narrative of the events circulating between the Earnshaws, Lintons and Heathcliff. Another example is the character of Hindley who is important to the novel. He fades off the screen as well as his wife, Frances, before the viewers' notice what happened to them. Kosminskys main interest in this movie was to show the viewer the great love story between Cathy and Heathcliff. Yet he gave the audience little time to grasp the storyline as he wanted us to focus primarily on the main ‘stars' without drifting the audiences mind towards other matters. Unlike Wyler's version however, like the book the 1992 version presented both the second generation as well as Lockwood. The end of the movie showed second generation Cathy and Hareton riding together a happy couple getting married soon. This romance developed gradually over a period of time in the novel whereas in the movie it is one of the final shots. This refers back to the point made earlier about Kosminsky's skimming over the lives of the characters in the story not letting the audience take in what is happening. Hareton's character in this movie version did not have an important role nor did he make much appearance whilst he was a central character in the novel. The key strength of the movie however, is the use of only key subject matters in relation to the story to make it fit perfectly into the duration time of two hours (Haire-Sargeant). The use of settings, tone and music all contribute to the construction of the film. When a reader reads the novel they create their own interpretation and felt emotions in regards to what is happening in the texts, but however with movies comes the fact that we are witnessing all one set perspective of the story. Music and scenery are a major aspect of witnessing something before us especially on screen. It reminds the viewer of how they see what is real and what is not real, therefore forming and revealing the storyline. The use of screenplay and Hollywood touches adds more drama to the actual story, making the love story appear to be more realistic for viewers and more ‘romantic' in relation to the novel where it is interpreted according to the readers' imagination. The book allows readers to go beyond the linguistic and explore deeply into the plot, whereas the movie is set images on screen and it is up to the viewers to accept or reject the shared ideas or themes introduced by the screen play writer and the actors acting out the novels characters. Wuthering Heights the novel is a well structured novel, which explores everyone and every event in sufficient detail for the reader to comprehend the story. It gives the reader the impression that they are part of the dramas of the characters lives and the reader has a connection with each storyline. The movie because it is so fast paced and shorter then the novel, the viewer can not make that special connection which keeps them enticed as they are not using their imagination but rather their sight sense. In conclusion, going back to the question bought up earlier in regards to whether the two movie versions made of Wuthering Heights have brought to life the novels' key strengths, the novel and the movie both are unique and interesting in their own set ways. Whilst the novel has been interpreted to be a Gothic novel with a metaphorical aspect of romance in it by many critics over the past centuries, the movie versions of this is novel is far from been described and categorised as been Gothic. It is a highly dramatic piece of work with a totally different presentation of the characters which Bronte firstly introduced in her 1800s novel. The novels plot thickens mainly around Cathy and Heathcliff and for a director to put this into action a lot of things need to be toned down as of the fact the story was written two centuries ago and the audience who view it in today's society will vary in ages therefore it needed to be played down so the viewer can take in more of the story and the characters and walk away with the basic concept of what the book is about. The use of sadism in Heathcliff's character is played down on in the movie versions of the novel, and although both the Heathcliff's played out by Fiennes and Olivier are differently presented they both sum up the main plot of the un-dying love between Catherine and Heathcliff that Bronte sought to present in her book but however, each director displays this theme accordingly to his own personal interpretations of the story.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Go Pro Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Go Pro Case Study - Essay Example During a surfing activity with camera in his palm he got his business idea. The future wife of the Woodman, Woodman’s mother and Woodman’s father gave the startup capital to do the business. Arrangement of money, creation of the team and the arrangement of several other resources were the main challenges in front of the Nick Woodman. Learning the market and the customer were also initial challenges for Woodman. Currently the business of the GoPro is significantly successful. In the year 2013 the revenue of the organization increased by 87% and the total revenue was $985 million. The company is certainly profitable in nature. Net income almost doubled in the year of 2013. It became $61 million in 2013 in compare to $32 million of 2012. All these facts are clearly articulating its profitability. Both revenue and the net income have increased which are clear indications of profitability. Sony action cam and CENTR cam are the competitions for the GoPro. The company went for initial public offering in the month of June 2014. Almost $100 million capital was raised from the sale of stocks. The stock was traded in between the range of $21 to $24. Being an US company in NASDAQ the stock is being traded. Code of the stock in NASDAQ is GPRO. Ten years full of slogs, dedicated and committed management, business understanding and the innovation of products are the driving forces for the growth of the company. GoPro sales High Definition personal cameras mainly for the purpose of the extreme and action related video photography. Targeted customers of the GoPro are active teenagers, athletes; people who are involved with deep water surfing and enjoy different expeditions, adventures and mountaineering (Solomon). Marketing campaigns of the GoPro are intoxicating in nature. The organization knows very well how to amaze the people. The organization allows its users to make commercials of the company. All these created such a strong brand identity. Nick Woodman and his

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Current events in the economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Current events in the economy - Essay Example According to the article in the Journal by Froyen, (2009), the other school of economics that deals with monetarist, real business, and classical cycles believe that fiscal policies cannot increase production or employment levels. Fiscal policy is considered as the planning of government expenditure and revenue thus; tax revenue and government expenditure can be determined as a percentage of GDP. In addition, human capital can be determined as the expenditure on human development as a percentage of GDP. Since the governments do not rely on one source of revenue, fluctuations in the level of GDP do not have an impact on employment and production (Froyen, 2009). Monetary, real business and classical cycles’ theories say that fiscal policies cannot increase the level of employment, but rather influenced by other supply side determinants such as deregulation, technology development and infrastructure. If fiscal policies are considered alone they have the potentiality of affecting employment in all production

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Prison violence overlook Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Prison violence overlook - Essay Example Ones downward march to destruction and negativity can be replaced by an upward march to construction and positivity. Robert J Meadows writes, . â€Å".....violence results from many factors, including but not limited to mental illness, racism, poverty, gangs, drugs, availability of guns, biomedical problems, media influences and family relatives.†(p.3) Everyone has the right to become a worthy individual and the proud citizen of his country in particular and the world at large. The prime questions are, what sort of circumstances and mind-set pushes one on to the track of self and societal destruction? How self-reformation is possible? The managers of the society own the responsibility to open the door to a new realm, a new direction and provide a new lease of life to those who have been entangled in the web of crime. The causes due to which they took to the path of crimes are many-fold. Throwing light upon this aspect Meadow opines, â€Å"Those who are poor or disenfranchised turn to violence because it is a means to an end. That is to say, society expects everyone to be winners, but not everyone has the same economic opportunity.†(p.4) An intensely shattered personality lies with the four walls of the prison and his/her psyche needs constant care. The criminals have great potentialities. They are gutsy individuals. In the absence of proper channelizing of their abilities, they have moved to the wrong track. But if checked and guided well in time,they can become good leaders. Their capacity for hard work is immense and there is something special in them. Upon release or acquittal, one has to restart and rebuild life amidst a society that will not willingly allow the process of assimilation easily. Whether guilty or guilty, the prison stamp shall remain forever on the individual. For the hardcore criminals, prison is the place to plan the next bout of criminal activities, once they are out of the prison. This is the

Monday, August 26, 2019

The Effects of Equality Act 2010 on NHS Employment Dissertation

The Effects of Equality Act 2010 on NHS Employment - Dissertation Example Equality act 2010 all the public service organisations operating in the UK directly or indirectly. The company's have to reframe their customer service standards, change the method of complaint handling and pay more attention to employee related issues. Every company has to support a report ensuring there is no gender-based, race-based or disability-based discrimination in their office proving the same through statistical data (Briefing 74, 2010).NHS or National Health Service is a very famous trust providing health services for certain people in the UK. The trust handles nearly 9 million telephone calls a year and over 1.5 million website oriented requests. Over 3000 staff works with NHS answering the telephone calls, booking appointments and attending emergency cases (NHS Direct, 2011). People from different type of classes, races and financial background call NHS daily. NHS is the best organisation to monitor how the equality act 2010 affects the employment strategies of an organi sation directly and indirectly. Before dwelling deep into the research methodology let us analyse the history of the Equality act 2010 in detail.The Equality act 2010 was framed after precise evaluation of various political and social circumstances. The team of experts analysed the historical basis on which the previous laws were formed and eliminated over 100 small classes and subsections to grow them all under one single act. Several notable pieces of antidiscrimination laws like Equal Pay Act 1970 The Sex Discrimination.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

An investigation of either STRUCTURAL or TECHNOLOGICAL control and Essay

An investigation of either STRUCTURAL or TECHNOLOGICAL control and reactions to it in an organisation - Essay Example $170.9 billion and the net income was US $48.9 billion. Such financial returns could be achieved by the organization only with the help of an organized managerial structure. The human capital of the company is highly efficient and the latter constantly undertakes strategic business initiatives to enhance the skills of its workers. This paper will investigate ways through which the company manages its workforce and also, will discuss the impact of such management on the organization. In the contemporary world, the scope and scale of operations for nearly all organizations in the industry have turned out to be highly complex in nature. Since globalization, the prevalence of giant firms across different marketplaces has significantly increased (Stoica, 2010). It has been commented by analysts in the market that such high degree of internalization in business is feasible by firms, only with the assistance of a good managerial structure and technological development. This paper will concentrate on the managerial structure of the organization, Apple Inc., which is a giant multinational organization based in California. It engages in designing, developing and retailing of electronics, personal computers and computer software. Since its inception in 1976, the organization could achieve such high brand value among all its business stakeholders, only through efficient managerial expertise (Apple, 2013). Giant multinational companies possess a vast organizational structure for operating all its business branches across various nations. Figure 1 in the Appendix explains the general form of organizational structure that exists in every multinational company. However, there are five main types of structure: However, ethical issues in research were given high value by the researcher. All the personal information and data collected from each of the employees were, thus, highly confined and were not disclosed in public (Mukherji and Albon, 2009). The research

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Skyfall Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Skyfall - Essay Example A good film will undergo multiple scripting and deliberations on the most effective elements that are likely to make it a classic piece. From the graphics, the scenes, the background setting, color, soundtrack and lighting, are examples of decisions that the production has to decide on befor5e the movie can be cast. In short, the team does not wake up one day and go to the field to shoot a movie. Common decisions they have to make include the cinematic and theoretical elements of the movie. In differentiating between these two elements, this paper will analyse the film â€Å"Skyfall† that features James Bond, Javier Silva, Gareth Mallory, Eve, Severine, Q, Tanner, Patrice, Kincade and M. From the filming of the â€Å"Skyfall†, the director portrays a series of cinematic and theoretical episodes, making the audience get the feeling of watching a film that still can be referred to as a play. The film begins with a cinematic element in a chase where Patrice an agent of Sil va is in a hot pursuit from Bond. This takes place after a raid of the M16 offices and crucial information is stolen. However, Bond is shot by Eve his colleague and falls into a river. This dramatic turn of events is prompts others to think that Bond died from the shot. Theatrically, the movie portrays various characters that are in the cast, with unveiling of undercover agents deployed by the NATO in dangerous places. However, the setting is yet again replaced by a cinematic setting where Bond re-emerges from a beach, safe and ready to keep on with his mission (Wilson, 2012). Bond picks up with his mission of tracking Patrice and retrieving the hard disc containing information about the secret agents operations. From the trip to Shanghai to casinos in Macau, he desperately searches for the accomplice. This search and the various encounters of Bond with agents working for Silva, both Cinematic and Theatrical elements are portrayed. When Patrice and Bond start a fight after the killi ng of M16 agents, music is played all the way to the moment when Bond overcomes Patrice who falls of from the storied building. The music does not only make the scene interesting but also creates a cinematic element. After a long search of Patrice, Bond finds him at a casino in Macau. The two rivals start yet another fight in which music is played as they engage in a heated fight that is a measure of strength and wits. Music is also played all through this scene in order to pass time. The scene would have appeared boring as little was said by the two. Therefore, to keep the viewer engaged and as a way of killing time, music was played (Wilson, 2012). In the fight between Bond and Patrice at the casino in Macau, a cinematic scene is created when the two face off each other in presence of animals. The appeal of this to the audience is interesting and captivating too. To win the hearts of the audience, the directors make the Bond character strong and therefore this entices them to stay by his side as he hunts and kills the bad people. This is too cinematic. On the other hand, a few scenes from the film portray the theatrical part of a film. In Macau where Bond tracks Silva, Bond gets into a fight with agents of Silva. He fights them, killing all of them. Although this reveals him as a strong character, his ability to do so single handed is questionable by the

Article review focus microeconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Article review focus microeconomics - Essay Example ged because oil fields in North Dakota and West Texas have been not only producing surplus oil but its transportation has been easy through a new pipeline to the coastal region of Louisiana and Texas. Following the law of demand and supply in economics, oil glut leads to lower prices for oil producers. A representative from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) says that Saudi Arabia is supplying oil at lesser price to their own refineries in coastal region than what it fetches in Asia. Surprisingly, Louisiana crude fetches $9.46 per barrel less than the price in England for the comparable quality of crude. With this shift in demand-supply equilibrium, the prices of crude in Texas, North Dakota are heading southwards. Sellers market has suddenly turned into a buyers market. However, experts do not envisage a glut that could result into a significantly lower price as happened in case of increased natural gas production in the US pushing the price of gas at its lowest in last couple of years. The reason is that many Gulf Coast refineries cannot switch over to Light Sweet crude oil from more viscous crude currently being used without making significant changes in their refinery equipments and processes. In this article, the author is mainly trying to emphasize that now cheap US crude is available to refiners increasing price competitiveness of the US refiners over their global counterparts. It is pertinent to note that between June and October, the US refiners have increased their exports by 22% controlling over 20% international market of jet fuel, diesel and similar products. It is significant to note that the largest oil refiner of the US namely Valero has stopped importing due to availability of Light Sweet crude oil. The reason is that North Dakota has been producing one million barrels per day from Bakken Shale formation. This is over and above the production of almost 1.3 million barrels in South Texas at the Eagle Ford Shale

Friday, August 23, 2019

Not deciding yet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Not deciding yet - Essay Example In other words, we can also say that the gradual increase in the minimum wage rate will show relatively negative values of the employment rate in the US labor market. The maximum wage rate will result into the highest negative value of the employment rate. These statistics are shown in the research study conducted by the Federal Department, which was conducted to check the implications of the proposal of increase in the minimum wage rate maximum up to $ 9 – 10 / hour. In case of a perfect competition in the market among different firms, all the resources are equally available to all the possible market players. The firms are facing a neck-to-neck competition between each other competitive firm. In this situation, every decision should be taken very carefully because the firm managers will have to compete with many other game players also. Therefore, according to my opinion an increase in the minimum wage rate in case of a perfect competitive market will cause a decrease in the employment rate of that particular labor market. Because if any State or Government is increasing the wage rates then firms or the employers still have other options available to hire the cheap labor from where it is available. In case of a monopolistic competition, all the firms have individual products and services; they are not competing directly with each other just because of the reason that their products are not exactly substitute to each other. In case of a monopoli stic competitive market, the increase the minimum wage rate may also cause an increase in the employment rate just because of the reason that every firm will require certain skills and expertise for their production. They cannot hire any available labor if they are cheap as compare to the home market. The products and services of the firms are not similar to each other therefore; there will be certain set of skills, which is required by any manager of the firm. Therefore, we can predict that in case of a

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Patient Safety and Quality Essay Example for Free

Patient Safety and Quality Essay The nurse involved with the caring for this family needs to be open to facts of the situation at hand by realizing that it is going to be a period of stress on Susie. At the same time, the goal is to make sure that Susie prioritizes her daily activities which will involve all three of caring for her children, taking in the additional demands of assisting her mother and promoting her health, and of course making sure her career is also focused on. As it is, Susie is overwhelmed and the nurse will need to help the family overcome any additional stress points as well as the specific illness related to her mother and so the nurse will prioritize as well. Since Susie seems to manage the household, the nurse will need to make her the key point of contact with the steps involved with making sure the family stays healthy during this period of additional anxiety. As it has happened now with her mother coming in to the family, she will need to adapt to a new lifestyle that has new demands of caretaking as described in the family structural theory. Family structural theory is a theory where a family is an open and social cultural system, which reacts and adapts to the demands placed (Grand Canyon University). This theory would be best applied by the nurse recognizing the rules and roles the family currently has and how they will need to change to encourage health promotion. Developmental stages give opportunities to family members to realize their potential (Edelman Mandle, 2010). With the children also being a priority to take care, Stage four of the Family Developmental Theory will be applied. Perhaps the nurse will need to better understand through Susie what the latter’s keys to success have been from Stage 1-3 to better help take care of the kids through this. Through these types of conversations, the nurse can help promote health throughout their family by better understanding how the cope with particular situations and helping apply new methods of care. Health promotion can best be accomplished when the nurse focuses on Susie first and then the rest of the family so that Susie can also take care of the family. Health education includes all family members, with learning activities according to each individual. General teaching goal will be same but the approaches and specific goals will be different for each family member. A nurse will have to provide different teaching to each family member. To promote health for Mrs. Jones, nurse can make a plan explaining how Mrs. Jones need to function at her highest level of capacity physically, psychologically, culturally, and spiritually. To promote Susie’s health, nurse will have to educate her on social roles, financial and occupational responsibilities, and reassessing life goals. School aged children health can be promoted by educating on staying away from harmful and unsafe environments such as drug and alcohol abuse. Also, allowing school aged children participate in family conversations and allowing them to speak increases their self-esteem which can be beneficial to Susie to decrease stress. References Edelman, C., Mandle, C. L. (2010). Health promotion throughout the life span (7th ed.). St. Louis: Mosby. â€Å"The Form and Function of The Family.† (2011). Grand Canyon Universtiy, Phoenix, AZ.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Relationship between Poverty and Educational Outcomes

Relationship between Poverty and Educational Outcomes Children in Poverty:  Addressing Inequalities in Educational Outcomes Jodie Somerville The American Psychological Association (2007) asserts that socioeconomic factors and social class are fundamental determinants of human functioning across the lifespan including development. Levels of parental education, occupation and income are factors used to quantify socio-economic status and classify social class (Duchesne, McMaugh, Bochner Krause, 2013). Socioeconomic status (SES) is a recognition of the economic, environmental and education factors in the lives of parents, which affect educational outcomes of children. Often the relationship between SES and education focuses on those individuals living in poverty, the lowest tranche of economic privilege. Boston (2013) asserts that there are disparities evident in educational achievement between children from advantaged backgrounds and those experiencing deprivation. Students with higher family SES have higher educational achievement than students with lower family SES with a wide gap evidenced between the two (Thrupp, as cit ed in Boston, 2013). Those disparities and the inherent causes thereof will be outlined herein. Changes that may alleviate the effect of poverty on educational outcomes in New Zealand will also be highlighted. In particular, the need for a multi-faceted approach towards addressing inequalities in educational outcomes arising from poverty and SES. In 2012, 285,000 children in this country aged 0–17 years lived in poverty equating 27% of all New Zealand children (Craig, Reddington, Wicken, Oben Simpson, 2013). It is important to note that poverty rates for MÄ ori and Pasifika children are around double those for PÄ kehÄ /European children with evidence suggesting that MÄ ori and Pasifika children are almost twice as likely to be living in severe poverty and face a higher risk of remaining in poverty for extended periods of time (Boston, 2013). Major influences on the overall level of child poverty are changes in demographics, family structure, unemployment rates, benefit and retraining levels, childcare services and housing costs, all of which are influenced in broad terms by social policy and legislation to some degree (Davies, Crothers, Hanna, 2010). These factors have led to a rise in the cost of living particularly housing affordability, food and medical care (Boston, 2013). The changes have also seen low wages and relatively high taxes for low income families with family assistance programmes not sufficient to meet shortfalls for those in poverty (Every Child Counts, 2010). These aforementioned factors that give rise to poverty and low SES have subsequent health, cognitive and socio emotional outcomes which affect child development (Duchesene et al., 2013). The development of the child then in turn affects his or her educational achievement. The relationship between SES and educational attainment of children is evidenced in a New Zealand study by Fergusson and Woodward (2000). That study noted that children from higher SES backgrounds achieved university entrance rates five times higher (57%) than those of children from families of a lower SES (11%). Further, there is a statistically significant relationship between family income during the early years of a childs life and subsequent school completion rates and adults income with children from poorer families having worse outcomes (Gibb, Fergusson, Horwood, 2012). Boston (2013) cautions that although there is evidence of a strong correlation between the socio economic status of children and their education achievement, socio economic status in itself is not the only cause of poor educational outcomes. He asserts there other interlinking factors associated with SES, particularly factors prevalent in situations of poverty, that contribute to the educational attainment gap . The first aspect affecting educational achievement is family SES and income. Duchesne et al. (2013) state that children of low SES backgrounds often have poor nutrition, are exposed to environmental hazards and have inadequate access to healthcare. Boston (2013) highlights that limited finances place constraints on choices and opportunities for those living in poverty. This includes being able to afford nutritious food, access to primary healthcare and quality early childhood education, accommodation choices and providing for a stimulating home environment. The effects of poverty on educational outcomes are wide reaching. Poor nutrition can effect physical and mental growth and development and cognitive function. It can also result in lethargy and resultant decreased motivation to learn. Boston (2013) states that children from low SES backgrounds are likely to eat fewer healthy foods and have higher cholesterol intake than their peers in elevated socioeconomic circumstances. They are also much more likely to start the school day hungry and have little or no lunch. This reduces the child’s ability to concentrate and learn and generates negative behaviours. In New Zealand lack of access to health care for children living in poverty is linked to the high rates of otitis media, an infection of the middle ear particularly prevalent in MÄ ori children, which leads to hearing loss (Duchesne et al., 2013). Boston (2013) also notes that during their early school years economically disadvantaged children typically have less access to a variety of important learning resources such as books, newspapers and the internet. The second link between poverty and educational achievement are parenting factors. Bradley Corwyn (as cited in Duchesne et al., 2013) highlight a strong association between poverty, low levels of parental education and lower levels of school achievement for children. Parental education has an effect on interactions at home and the ways in which parents interact with their children (Duchesne et al., 2013). Children whose parents, especially mothers, have higher levels of education were more likely to be supported in ways that encouraged engagement in education including better resources. Overall experience in homes with lower levels of parental education was likely to be less with lower parental input (Duchesne et al., 2013). This is evidenced in activity levels and language use with parents in poorest families using only one third of the spoken language of other families when conversing with their children (Hart Risley as cited in Duchesne et al., 2013). Language is important to le arning and displaying knowledge at school. Parents own experience of education affects interactions with children including their ability to prepare children for school, their expectations and attitudes towards education. Parents from lower SES groups may value education but have little expectation for their children to excel. They may have little or no relationship or trust towards the school or teachers. This low level of expectation is linked with a negative orientation towards school, a sense of indifference and alienation from education and influences the attendance and participation patterns of children (Boston, 2013) making further schooling beyond what is compulsory less likely (Duchesne et al., 2013). Parents with low educational achievement were also less likely to provide cognitively stimulating enrichment such as trips to libraries or specialist classes such as music lessons for their children (Duchesne et al., 2013). The third link between poverty and educational achievement is stress. Families living in poverty encounter employment uncertainty, poor financial stability, transience and often live in substandard overcrowded accommodation in neighbourhoods where violence is prevalent (Duchesne et al., 2013). These conditions of hardship are contributors to parental stress, relationship difficulties and mental health issues (Boston, 2013). Both Duchesne et al. (2013) and Boston (2013) assert a correlation between stress and maladaptive parenting behaviours (including a higher incidence of neglect and maltreatment) and lower levels of warmth and responsiveness in familial relationships. This situation undermines a child’s sense of security and self-esteem, identified as factors that may provide some resilience for children at risk from poverty (Duchesne et al., 2013). Stress also contributes to learnt helplessness and feelings of powerlessness. Children living in stressful environments, partic ularly substandard accommodation and more likely to suffer illness that impacts on learning. The transient nature of low socio economic households also has damaging educational outcomes. A fourth connection can be made between school factors and educational achievement. In the same way that a childs school outcomes are not purely as a result of their individual characteristics but subject to wider family and environmental influences, there are influential factors within schools themselves and their interactions with families that affect educational achievement for low SES children (Duchesne et al., 2013). McLloyd, 1998 (as cited in Duchesne et al., 2013) suggests that teachers often perceive students ability and behaviour more negatively for those from lower SES circumstances. Children from poverty were less likely to receive positive attention and reinforcement for academic achievement possibly attributable to lower teacher expectation for those students. Duchesne et al. (2013) highlights that there are a number of ways in which the relationship between schools and their families and communities contribute to educational disadvantage. Firstly, children whose home ex periences fit the style of the school experience better educational outcomes than those who dont. Secondly, a division may exist and be maintained between home and school where the values of the school and home differ with home values of lower SES families, particularly ethnic minorities, perceived as less valuable. In line with that, differing communication styles of home and school also serve to create a barrier for lower SES children with misunderstandings and conflict between the two environments. Lastly the perceptions of and about minority groups, who are often over represented in lower SES families, may be stereotypically based in wider societal beliefs. This can be exacerbated by practices within schools that reject or marginalise those students. Overall, these school factors can lead to withdrawal and alienation from the education system and poor outcomes for disadvantaged children. It is clear that children from lower SES backgrounds experience poor educational outcomes. The challenge of policy makers and educators is to work together collaboratively to mitigate the effects of child poverty on the education of our most vulnerable citizens. A 2014 report by the Child Poverty Action Group entitled Our Children, Our Choice sets out a number of measures which it asserts will alleviate some of the effects of poverty on childrens education. Its first recommendation is to develop culturally appropriate measures of the cognitive, affective, behavioural and developmental needs of new entrants. This data could then be used to make funding allocations to ensure children in poverty receive meaningful, enjoyable and empowering experiences to address their disadvantage, not a narrow focus on standards. In line with that, the reports second recommendation was to abandon national standards as they have been found ineffective, disadvantaging poor children’s learning and teaching in low decile schools. The third recommendation is the provision a 100% government subsidy to the lowest decile secondary schools for NCEA and scholarship examination fees. It also recommends providing NCEA subject pathway guidance to tertiary study on entry to secondary school for all students. In particular, academic counselling and target setting to improve outcomes for Pasifika students and extension of kura kaupapa MÄ ori and wharekura to more communities. The Child Poverty Action Group report from 2014 also highlighted some social measures to mitigate some of the environmental disadvantage experienced by children from low SES homes. Its first recommendation in that regard was to provide free breakfast and lunch for children in decile 1-4 schools. It extrapolated on that with an assertion that low decile schools have multi-agency services on site which would include social workers, health workers, alternative education programmes and providers and teen parent units. The Child Poverty Action Group (2014) highlight the recommendations of the Expert Advisory Group on Solutions to Child Poverty which suggest solutions also include expansion of the positive behaviour plans and extension of school-local community collaboration initiatives. The report also recommended a reduction in class sizes in lower decile primary schools and providing salary incentives to encourage quality teachers into schools in areas of low SES. Its final recommendati on was to retain the decile funding system principles currently in place, which are based on need and equality of outcome. In conclusion, there is substantial evidence of the correlation between socio economic deprivation and low levels of educational achievement. Boston (2013) asserts that child poverty, especially when experienced in early childhood and/or when persistent and severe, has damaging effects which are twofold firstly to the individual child but secondly the wider society. Child poverty contributes to the large educational achievement gaps between children with different SES backgrounds. The Child Poverty Action Groups measures target investment of resources and interventions towards those of highest need. Boston (2013) notes that the goal of such interventions is not merely to assist the children and families currently experiencing situations of disadvantage, but also to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and its effect on educational achievement. By ensuring that more of the children from current low-income families achieve educational success, this will translate to improved o utcomes for the next generation. Children whose material circumstances, quality of life and experiences are improved through a multifaceted approach aimed at reducing child poverty will enjoy greater choices, opportunities and success and have more favourable educational outcomes. REFERENCES: American Psychological Association Task Force on Socioeconomic Status. (2007). Report of the APA Task Force on Socioeconomic Status. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/task-force-2006.pdf Boston, J. (2013, May). Improving educational performance: why tackling child poverty must be part of the solution. Symposium conducted at the Poverty Impacts on Learning Conference, Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://igps.victoria.ac.nz/staff/team/Education and child poverty V4.pdf Child Poverty Action Group (2014). Our children, our choice: Priorities for policy. Retrieved from http://www.cpag.org.nz/assets/Publications/1-0 Our Children Our Choice Part 3.pdf Craig, E., Reddington, A., Wicken, A., Oben, G., Simpson, J. (2013). Child Poverty Monitor 2013 Technical Report (Updated 2014). Dunedin. New Zealand: Child Youth Epidemiology Service, University of Otago. Retrieved from http://nzchildren.co.nz/document_downloads/2013 Child Poverty Monitor Technical Report MASTER.pdf Davies, E., Crothers, C., Hanna, K. (2010). Preventing child poverty: barriers and solutions. New Zealand Journal of Psychology. 39 (2) 20-31. Duchesne, S., McMaugh, A., Bochner, S., Krause, K.-L. D. (2013).Educational psychology : for learning and teaching(4th ed.). South Melbourne, Vic.: Cengage Learning Every Child Counts (2010). Eradicating child poverty in New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.everychildcounts.org.nz/resources/child-poverty/ Fergusson, D. M., and Woodward, L.J. (2000). Family socioeconomic status at birth and rates of university participation. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, (1), 25. Gibb, S. J., Fergusson, D. M., Horwood, L. J. (2012). Childhood family income and life outcomes in adulthood: Findings from a 30-year longitudinal study in New Zealand. Social Science Medicine(12), 1979. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.02.028

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

SWOT Analysis of Tesla

SWOT Analysis of Tesla Tesla, Inc. is an American company that specializes in electric automobiles, energy storage, and solar panel manufacturing. Founded in 2003, Tesla has recently disrupted many industries, most notably the auto industry. Tesla’s focus on electric power vehicles, lithium-ion battery, and energy storage set itself apart from their competitors; â€Å"Tesla has expanded its focus from simply building the best electric car to paving the way for autonomous vehicles, solar power, and so much more† (Houser, 2017). This demonstration of leadership and shared knowledge expresses their overall effort to â€Å"accelerate the advent of sustainable transport† (Musk, 2013). While it isnt common for a company to hope their competitors copy their products, this is exactly what CEO, Elon Musk, hopes for. While Tesla is a business, it is more interested in the fundamental good of getting the auto industry as a whole to move towards sustainable transport faster; the first step in doin g so would be to get their competitors to follow suit. As defined in the text, a SWOT analysis is â€Å"a technique through which managers create a quick overview of a company’s strategic situation† (Pearce, 2015). Tesla, Inc., like any company, has strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities that are unique to their company specifically. (S)trengths The strengths of a company are focused on proficiency, skill, and the advantages of an organization. Tesla, Inc. stands out against competitors due to their unique position in the market. Tesla has created a market for cars that are both luxurious and long range electric. By doing so, they have set themselves apart from their competitors who either offer luxury gas vehicles or less expensive electric vehicles, but not both. Tesla, Inc. is also reputable for its high rate of innovation, especially in introducing the world’s first fully electric sports car. Apart from its range of vehicles, Tesla also makes solar energy and energy storage systems. All three of their current product lines are highly innovative and equipped with the best, most advanced technologies. Prior to Tesla, consumers often had to choose a car between a car that would fit their luxurious desires or a car that didn’t need to be fueled by high gas prices and would contribute towards a healthy and stabl e environment. In alignment with their innovation, Tesla doesnt use the traditional method of car selling through dealerships; Instead, they sell their own cars through Tesla-branded stores. Through this approach, Tesla is able to go directly to the customer. However, another valid reason for Tesla to not follow the traditional strategy to selling its cars is because Tesla is not the typical car; Unlike gas-run vehicles, Teslas cars use a different business model that does not require services such as tune-ups and oil changes. In addition, Tesla is better off selling themselves rather than through a dealership because of the conflict of interest in being assorted with gas-powered vehicles; this poorly aligns with their image and does not make the dealership approach a good advocate for their all electric brand image. While it is important to recognize a company’s strengths, it is also important to acknowledge their weaknesses. There is no such thing as a company that only has strengths, the reason for that is because no company has unlimited resources. Companies and businesses have a minimal amount of resources and have to use their limited amount to focus and support their strengths. (W)eaknesses Weaknesses are areas that a company can improve in; they are the factors that prevent an organization from reaching its full potential. While most are highly supportive and encouraging of Tesla and their mission, many of their supporters can’t represent and purchase the car themselves due to the high cost of the car. Teslas current models readily available for sale, Model S and Model X, are quite costly with them both having a starting price tag of roughly $80,000. Such a high cost makes them not affordable to be purchased among the middle class, which significantly decreases the size of their potential audience. Tesla fully develops the vehicles as well as their sub-assemblies themselves, which results in a high cost of production per vehicle. With that said, it would be difficult for Tesla to make their cars more affordable whilst making a profit. The Model 3, Tesla’s more affordable model, begins at a cost of $35,000 before incentives which is an extreme price slash in comparison to their other models. While the Model 3 may be well priced for customers, it doesn’t seem to be priced to a point where Tesla will make much profit, if any at all. It seems that Model 3 is a big risk in terms of financial gain because â€Å"in order for Tesla to break even on the vehicle, UBS believes that customers must purchase nearly $6,000 in additional options† (Stumpf, 2017). However, the production of Model 3 may provide the company to seek opportunities they could not before. (O)pportunities Opportunities are external factors that may contribute to the organization while supporting the strengths. Model 3 is Teslas newest release which is a smaller, more affordable version of Model S with less range, power, and fewer features. The $35,000 model is currently available to be reserved. This is a huge opportunity for Tesla to expand the size of their audience market, primarily because one of the main disadvantages previously was that the cost was too high for the middle class to afford. Upon reserving the model, there is a twelve to eighteen month waiting period to receive the car. â€Å"According to an update from Tesla, about 373,000 people want to buy the Model 3† (Shen, 2017). With hundreds of thousands of people waiting for their Model 3, there is more demand than there is supply, which explains the waiting period. According to the Bloomberg Model 3 tracker â€Å"Tesla has manufactured 7,618 Model 3s so far, and is now building approximately 1,052 a week† ( Randall, 2018). This opportunity of making models for the middle class also creates, and is proven in the current evidence, an increase the ongoing demand. A third opportunity that Tesla is taking the lead in is autonomous driving. Autonomous driving is a big opportunity for Tesla to break through that has the potential to completely change everything about the future of transportation. Although it is more in the test phase at the moment, the possibilities are huge and will disrupt and cause many different industries to be altered once it is under effect. (T)hreats Threats include potential issues and risks that may be caused by external factors. A major threat that Tesla, Inc. faces is competition from both luxurious and environmentally friendly car brands; this will be even more problematic when their competitors, who haven’t already, release their own and possibly more advanced electric vehicles. Because the cost of Tesla’s current makes and models are so pricey, they currently face the threat of brands like Ford and Nissan. Ford and Nissan, two brands that also offer electric, environmentally friendly vehicles, do so at a more affordable price of approximately $30,000. Future competition is also likely by companies like Toyota who plans to offer more than ten purely electric vehicle models in its lineup by early 2020. Another possible threat to Tesla is their experimentation with price skimming. Price skimming is a product pricing strategy by which a firm charges the highest initial price that customers will pay. Then, as the demand of the first customers are satisfied, the firm lowers the price to attract another, more price-sensitive segment. This is exactly what Tesla is doing with their Model 3, which shows to have a high demand, but low profit. It is uncertain how they will be financially affected, but current study shows a loss of profit. Conclusion The main message of Tesla, Inc.’s mission is â€Å"to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport by bringing compelling mass market electric cars to market as soon as possible† (Musk, 2013). From vehicles, to solar energy, to energy storage systems, all of Teslas products are related to sustainability; To be sustainable is what the company was built around in order to reach their end goals. The conducted SWOT analysis for Tesla, Inc. provides the opportunity to better understand the environment in which they operate; it ultimately highlights important factors which affect both its internal and external environment. In the future, it is expected that there will be major advancements made in the fields that Tesla, Inc. are involved in. Such progress will change the world for the better, but to do that requires every individual within the world to willingly adapt. References Houser, K. (2017, February 26). 7 Ways Tesla Is Changing Everything. Retrieved February 17, 2018, from https://futurism.com/ready-for-edit-7-ways-tesla-is-changing-everything/ Musk, E. (2013, November 19). The Mission of Tesla. Retrieved February 17, 2018, from https://www.tesla.com/blog/mission-tesla Pearce, J. A., & Robinson, R. B. (2015).  Strategic management: planning for domestic & global competition. New York: McGraw-Hill. Randall, T., & Halford, D. (2018, February 14). Tesla Model 3 production tracker. Retrieved February 19, 2018, from https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-tesla-tracker/ Retrieved February 16, 2018, from https://www.tesla.com/about 7 Reasons Why Tesla Insists on Selling its Own Cars. (2016, January 19). Retrieved February 19, 2018, from http://fortune.com/2016/01/19/why-tesla-sells-directly/ Shen, L. (2017, July 3). Everything You Need to Know About Teslas Cheapest Car Ever. Retrieved February 19, 2018, from http://fortune.com/2017/07/03/tesla-model-3-electric-car/ Stumpf, R. (2017, May 21). Researchers Estimate Break-Even On Tesla Model 3 at $41,000. Retrieved February 19, 2018, from http://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/10479/researchers-estimate-break-even-on-tesla-model-3-at-41000

Monday, August 19, 2019

Quantum Computers :: quantum physics computer

Missing figures With today's technology we are able to squeeze millions of micron wide logic gates and wires onto the surface of silicon chips. It is only a matter of time until we come to a point at which the gates themselves will be made up of a mere handful of atoms. At this scale, matter obeys the rules of quantum mechanics. If computers are to become smaller and more powerful in the future, quantum technology must replace or reinforce what we have today. Quantum computers aren't limited by the binary nature of the classical physical world. Instead, they depend upon observing the state of qubits (quantum bits) that may represent a one or a zero, a combination of the two, or that the state of the qubit is somewhere between 1 and 0. This "blending" of states is known as superposition. "Here a light source emits a photon along a path towards a half-silvered mirror. This mirror splits the light, reflecting half vertically toward detector A and transmiting [sic] half toward detector B. A photon, however, is a single quantized packet of light and cannot be split, so it is detected with equal probability at either A or B. Intuition would say that the photon randomly leaves the mirror in either the vertical or horizontal direction. However, quantum mechanics predicts that the photon actually travels both paths simultaneously! ... This effect, known as single-particle interference, can be better illustrated in a slightly more elaborate experiment, outlined in figure b below:"1 "In this experiment, the photon first encounters a half-silvered mirror, then a fully silvered mirror, and finally another half-silvered mirror before reaching a detector, where each half-silvered mirror introduces the probability of the photon traveling down one path or the other. Once a photon strikes the mirror along either of the two paths after the first beam splitter, the arrangement is identical to that in figure a, and so one might hypothesize that the photon will reach either detector A or detector B with equal probability. However, experiment shows that in reality this arrangement causes detector A to register 100% of the time, and never at detector B!"2 "This is known as quantum interference and results from the superposition of the possible photon states, or potential paths. So although only a single photon is emitted, it appears as though an identical photon exists and travels the 'path not taken,' only detectable by the interference it causes with the original photon when their paths come together again.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Use of Devices in Londons To Build A Fire :: London To Build a Fire Essays

Use of Devices in London's To Build A Fire Jack London uses the devices of plot, setting, and characterization in this short story "To Build A Fire" to convey his message that humans need to be social. London sets an average, middle-aged logger in a deserted Yukon trail during a wintry season. The temperature is seventy-five degrees below zero and the logger and his husky are traveling towards Henderson Creek, about ten miles away, where the logger's companions are located. London places the man in this Yukon environment to symbolize that in this cold, cruel world, we need to learn how to benefit from each other. Prior to embarking on his journey, the logger is given advice from an old-timer at Sulfur Creek that "no man must travel alone in the Klondike after fifty below". The logger thinks this is "rather womanish" and believes he can survive by himself. Along his journey, the man encounters death as he falls into a spring, where "At a place where there were no signs, where the soft, unbroken snow seemed to advertise solidity beneath, the man broke through. It was not deep. He wet himself halfway up the knees before he floundered out to the firm crust". Then the man builds a fire beneath a tree and snow falls over it putting it out. London creates these natural events in the plot to prove they are not the cause of the man's death. Using characterization, London is able to display on account of who is alive at the end how one benefits from being social. The old-timer at Sulfur Creek is alive because he is experienced and wise enough to benefit from others' experiences that it is not wise to travel alone in the Yukon. The boys at camp are also alive because they are together and can benefit from each other. The logger's husky is alive because it is well-suited for the Yukon environment, while the logger is not. Unlike the other characters, London has the man die at the end of the story to display that he dies because of his arrogance in his ability to travel alone. Use of Devices in London's To Build A Fire :: London To Build a Fire Essays Use of Devices in London's To Build A Fire Jack London uses the devices of plot, setting, and characterization in this short story "To Build A Fire" to convey his message that humans need to be social. London sets an average, middle-aged logger in a deserted Yukon trail during a wintry season. The temperature is seventy-five degrees below zero and the logger and his husky are traveling towards Henderson Creek, about ten miles away, where the logger's companions are located. London places the man in this Yukon environment to symbolize that in this cold, cruel world, we need to learn how to benefit from each other. Prior to embarking on his journey, the logger is given advice from an old-timer at Sulfur Creek that "no man must travel alone in the Klondike after fifty below". The logger thinks this is "rather womanish" and believes he can survive by himself. Along his journey, the man encounters death as he falls into a spring, where "At a place where there were no signs, where the soft, unbroken snow seemed to advertise solidity beneath, the man broke through. It was not deep. He wet himself halfway up the knees before he floundered out to the firm crust". Then the man builds a fire beneath a tree and snow falls over it putting it out. London creates these natural events in the plot to prove they are not the cause of the man's death. Using characterization, London is able to display on account of who is alive at the end how one benefits from being social. The old-timer at Sulfur Creek is alive because he is experienced and wise enough to benefit from others' experiences that it is not wise to travel alone in the Yukon. The boys at camp are also alive because they are together and can benefit from each other. The logger's husky is alive because it is well-suited for the Yukon environment, while the logger is not. Unlike the other characters, London has the man die at the end of the story to display that he dies because of his arrogance in his ability to travel alone.

Illuminating The Path Of Progress :: essays research papers

Illuminating the Path of Progress Thomas Alva Edison is the most famous inventor in American History. Edison designed, built, and delivered the electrical age. He started a revolution that would refocus technology, change life patterns, and create millions of jobs. He became famous for his scientific inventions, even though he was not a scientist. His real talent was his ability to clearly judge a problem and be persistent in experimenting. He was the master of the trial and error method. Thomas Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. He was the last of seven children born to Samuel and Nancy Edison. Edison's early life was spent in Ohio near the nation's busiest grain port. He spent time exploring the canal and played near his father's shingle business. When Alva was a child, he had scarlet fever. The fever damaged his hearing and delayed his entrance into school. Edison was curious about the world around him and always tried to teach himself through reading and experiments. Alva spent three years in home schooling. He was taught by his mother. He later returned to school but left at age twelve to get a job and help support his family. Edison got his first job selling newspapers and snacks to the passengers on the train between Port Huron and Detroit. Edison bought a used printing press in 1862 and published the Grand Trunk Herald for passengers. It was the first newspaper published on a train. When Edison was fifteen, he was taught Morse code and became a manager of a telegraph office. Edison got the idea for his first invention from working here. His first inventions were the transmitter and receiver for the automatic telegraph. At 21, Edison produced his first major invention, a stock ticker. In 1869, when Edison was twenty-two, he patented his first invention and advertised that he would devote his time to bringing out his inventions. The first patent received by Edison was for a vote recorder. Years later Edison's design was put in use by state legislatures for use by the public in general elections. By the age of twenty-three Edison owned two factories to manufacture telegraphic equipment and had money to pursue his research. On December 25, 1871, Edison married Mary Stilwell. They had three children. Two of his children were nicknamed Dot and Dash after the Morse code. In 1880 Edison made a discovery in science. He noticed that when a metal plate was inserted into a light bulb, the plate became a valve and the current could be controlled. This discovery is known as the "Edison Effect.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Numeric Investors

Diversey, founded in 1923, in Chicago, currently sales in 160 countries. It started its operations in India during the year 1998 as one of the major providers of cleaning, sanitation and hygiene products and solutions to institutional customers across the industries in India market. It established itself as pioneer in providing the cleaning, sanitation and hygiene needs of the large government and private institutional clients from different industries in India. The clientele spread across various industry segments like hotels, airports, metro, railways, hospitals, shopping malls, offices of the MNCs companies etc. Challenges in Indian Industry:- The cleaning industry in India is majorly unorganized sector accounting for almost 70% of the market. The perception of cleaning as a daily chore rather than a science followed by the lack of awareness on the criticality and sustainable benefits of hygiene and cleaning resulted in lot of resistance and reluctance on the part of the institutional customers, in accepting the need to shift from labor-oriented cleaning process to technology-oriented cleaning products and services. Diversey wanted to change this mind-set in India market. It gained more than 30% of the market share in the organized cleaning market segment by 2012. It was the only company in India, which was in the business of providing end-to-end cleaning product and services solutions to the customers and it had a nearest global competitor in Ecolab, who also entered the India market directly in 2008. In the cleaning equipment segment, Diversey competed with 4-5 key namely Roots Multiclean, Eureka Forbes, Diversey, Dulevo and Karcher. However, unlike Diversey, most of these equipment players focused only on offering the cleaning equipment products. Point of differentiation – A total solution provider, which combined the cleaning, sanitation and hygiene product offering with consulting services to improve operational efficiency for its customers. – Offering cleaning products, which did not involve any banned chemicals or harmful substances. -Offering the best quality product to its customers and provided supplementary education and awareness on need based usage of the same Segmentation 1. According to type of industry:- building service contractors, hospitality & healthcare, retail & food service and food & beverage 2. According to size of customer:- it divided its customer according to the size within any industry as a. International large accounts as customer having presence in multiple countries b. Large domestic local accounts as five star hotels, large corporate hospitals, large Indian corporates c. Mid-size units as hotels, hospitals and offices; and d. Smaller units as roadside eateries, offices, shops Goal A sales turnover of INR 10,000 million by 2015. Problem Identification There are primarily five main issues that have been identified. 1. How to benchmark the products and services against the local competition, especially against the low-cost and low-quality local players, who were offering low-quality but cheaper products for cleaning purpose. 2. How to change the social mindset of majority of the Indian customers, who believed that cleaning and hygiene was a day-to-day chore, which did not require anything else other than any simple cleaning agent. 3. How to convey the importance of applying the right type and composition of chemical solution for each of the specific need, i. e. he one-size-fits-all mindset of the Indian customers. 4. How to create a distribution channel, which could change the existing relationship and convert ‘Dhobis’ to Diversey. 5. How to manage the inventory of slow moving but time critical spare parts for the cleaning equipments Strategic options To capture market share in organized sector 1. Communicate the eventual low cost of use of Diversey products in the long run to by linking it to the costs reduced due to reduced maintenance costs. 2. Focus on attracting the attention of customers of hospitality, edical-care, airlines etc on the health aspect through advertisements and print ads in magazines served in hotels, airlines etc. which is achieved far better by using diversey products. This in turn would lead to increased demand of diversey products as the customers would be more health-conscious and force the above industries to cater to their demand which would be fulfilled by diversey’s products. 3. Press on the fact that diversey gives personalized end to end serv ice and after sales service according to the needs of the clients. Communicate that diversey uses world class products which are highly safe and effective. Hence it increases the life of the surface on which the product is used and does not affect the health of the applicant. To capture market in unorganized sector 1. It’s important to change the mindset of people to shift from water-based cleaning to chemical-based cleaning which could be achieved by giving free demonstrations at their homes by hiring trained cleaning gangs. 2. Increase brand awareness through advertisements which focus on the health and germ protection advantage by the use of diversey products over the use of cleaning by water. And specially focus on children protection from germs which would drive families spending into diversey products. 3. Create awareness through social media through videos and blogs highlighting the superiority of diversey products over pochas and involve young minds into it who will be the future prospective buyers. 4. Portray diversey products as safe which can be used by all members of the family, reduces time to clean and gives effective results. . Use R&D to come up with a multi-purpose product which could satisfy one-fits-all mindset of the people. Diversification 1. Provide cleaning service to clients by hiring cleaning gangs or recruiting and training people as training gangs on daily or weekly or monthly basis as per client’s requirements. 2. Enter into business of cleaning houses by launching in tier 1 and tier 2 cities where people could use diversey products to clean their clothes which could bring in customers by eliminating dhobis and in turn promote diversey products. 3. Foray nto the business of providing waste handling and storage equipments as this business would supplement their core business. Inventory reduction 1. Standardization of products and use of common parts to make different products would reduce inventories 2. Identification of parts of products and not stocking those which could be manufactured quickly after the demand of the product. 3. Tracking of demand of each product from each region over time should be done which would give a fairly rough estimate of the inventories to be kept for that product.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Price and Value Agreement

Is the value of something equal to the price tag placed on it? Is the value and worth of something the same for every person? This is something that many struggle with understanding properly. To fully understand this concept then you must understand the true difference between the value, price, and worth of something. I intend to explain these and provide you with a better understanding by the end of this paper. Have you ever went grocery shopping and purchased multiple items just because there was a half off sale; or a buy one and get one free sale? Many of you probably have, I am one myself that is guilty of this. However, have you ever really thought about the value of that additional item? Since it was free does it mean that there was not value of it either? This is where the importance of knowing the difference in value and price. The value of something does not determine the price of it; the price is determined by the demand of something and how many are available, or otherwise known as the supply. If there is a high demand of something then there is going to be a lower supply of them available. When the supply is low and the demand is high; people are willing to pay more for that item when it is available. This is something that you see happening during the holiday season. For example, a few years ago when the Tickle Me Elmo’s were so popular, the stores increased the prices by almost double just because they knew that people would pay it. Are you one of those people that will pay the price for something you want, regardless on how much it is? There are many of people that do; but not me. I am one of those that will wait for the price to go down; or will do research online to look and see if I can find it cheaper. I am not one of those people that have to have the best of everything; although I do like to stay within the modern days. However, I am willing to pay more for fuel and true necessities. I know that there are smaller stores and gas stations that have these things but price them higher; however, I figure if I can get everything that I need at that time in one stop then why should I waste gas to drive around to find what I am looking for? I have also realized that the name brand items are more expensive that the generic items. This sometimes means that you get cheaper made products, depending on what you are looking at at that particular time. I will pay more for the more popular and name brand items when it comes to vehicles and electronics; but I am all for the generic in everything else. There are sometimes that I prefer name brand jeans; but that is just because they are stronger material for when I work. My uncle is from Mexico and sends money home often. He indicated that the last time he sent money the exchange rate was fourteen peso to the American dollar. So does this mean that if something costs fourteen thousand dollars here that it is only one thousand in Mexico? No, it does not. Something that would cost 32 peso in Mexico would convert to costing two dollars and twenty five cents in American dollars. However that same thing is going to cost roughly three dollars and sixty cents here. Mexico has a much lower income rate so therefore the cost of living is lower. This also applies for each state here in the United States. There are different states that have higher income levels, thus higher cost of living. This means that goods, services, homes, and many other things are going to be more expensive in that state than what you could get in another state. With this being said; is a three bedroom home is California worth more or better than the same three bedroom home in Montana? This does not make the house any better than the other; however, does make it worth more. This is because California is a much more desired state to live in and work because of the attractions and the income level being so high. Therefore, the real estate prices and value go up. The house in California is also going to have a different type of structure that the one in Montana and that is because of the different climate threats and weather conditions; therefore, that also raises the value of the property. However, the largest asset that is going to determine the value of the property is the location of it. I personally would pass up an opportunity to live in a large state and city any day just to stay in my little town. I may not live in the best house but I do live in the best neighborhood of my town. I don’t have to worry about the crime and violence where I am as much as others do. The one thing to remember about property value is that it is better to be the roughest house in the best neighborhood than what it is to be the best house in the roughest neighborhood. This is once again because of the location determine the value of the home. Not only have the value and prices of real estate in my area went down over the years with the economy; but the value of the American dollar has as well. This is caused the cost of living to increase and therefore, the minimum wage has also. When I first started working the minimum wage was only $5. 15 per hour. Here is Indiana it was actually that for many years up until here just a few years ago. Since the cost of living has gone up, the minimum wage has now gone up to $7. 25 per hour here. I try not to look at it as me only being worth that much; but my time for the company being worth that much. I know that my time is worth more to my family; however, I have to have a means of supporting them. I think it is really hard to determine the worth of people dependant on their career choice. I say this because when we take a rookie baseball player making five million dollars a year and a veteran teacher only makes sixty thousand dollars a year; it is really hard to believe that a baseball player does more good than a teacher. The baseball player makes more because they generate trillions of dollars in income annually for the team; thus why they are able to be paid so much. Although the teachers put in just as much time, if not more, they do not generate any income for the schools, so they could be considered an expense. The funding to pay the teachers come from the government and therefore, is much less than that of a baseball player. However, I do not think that the amount of income can determine one’s worth; especially in this situation. I think I would have to say that I am willing to do many jobs to support myself and my family; however, the one that I am not willing to do is fast food. This is because I can not take the heat of being in the kitchen and dealing with the rude customers. It is also a proven fact that those that work in fast food are more apt to be overweight and not healthy. I have enough problems with my weight the way it is; I don’t need the help of the fast food. Price, value, and worth are all related in one way or another. You make decisions on the worth of the item to you every time you decide to make a purchase or not be determining if the item is worth enough to you to pay the price. The higher the demand equals the lower the supply; therefore, the lower the supply equals the higher the price. The worth is determined by each individual because an item may be worth more to one person than it is to another.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Mother/Daughter Relationship in “I Stand Here Ironing”

There are numerous reasons why a child behaves in a certain way or why he or she grew up to be the person they are now.   Experts say that how a mother brings up her kid greatly affects the psychological thinking of her child.   Well, besides the other factors like race, environment, health, and education, they say that mothers have a great role in the nurturing of their child.   This is shown in the works, â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing† by Tillie Olsen and â€Å"Two Kinds† by Amy Tan.   However, it was mother-daughter relationship shown in these emotion-steering novels. In the first novel mentioned, â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing†, this featured a mother who let the so-called experts take care of her child.   She thinks that the experts know what is best for her child (http://litsum.com/i-stand-here-ironing/analysis001.php).   Although she does want to follow the rules of these experts but she was forced to do so because she does not have any other choice (http://litsum.com/i-stand-here-ironing/). However, the environment also plays a large role why she was forced to follow the experts in sending her child, Emily, to nursery at a very early age, and sending her to a recuperative home where she moves by numbers, where she was not free to do what she wants and Emily was not even allowed to have physical contact with her parents.   And during this time, America was experiencing the Great Depression.   It was hard for the mother to manage their home, take care of young Emily, and it was most difficult to work. And because she had to work, she did not have ample time to spend with Emily.   It even got to a point where she had to let her parents-in-law to take care of Emily.   It was also a huge adjustment when her mother remarried but things got worse when she had four younger siblings.   There was also a time when the mother was pregnant with her second daughter and Emily got measles.   She was not permitted to come close her mother for the safety of not only her mother but also the baby.   As for school, Emily performed not at all satisfactory. Having four siblings to take care of, she can only study at night when all of them are already asleep.   Not to mention that her brothers and sisters were the culprit for scribbles on important material and missing books.   Emily was not at all close to her mother no matter how her mother tried to be close to her.   Her mother was too busy doing other things that she had not been really in touch with her daughter. Emily was always left alone.   On the contrary, she had a knack for arts and comedy.   Though her childhood can be classified as bleak, she can be found shining through the art of comedy.   It is quite remarkable that Emily had made it through it all without the actual help and guidance of her mother.   Unexpectedly, she found her real self, what her passion was without the supervision of her mother. The latter novel, â€Å"Two Kinds†, was presented as a mother prompting her child to excel in all fields especially in the field where the mother thinks that the child has a lot of potential at.   It was a novel wherein the child was forced to follow what her mother wants her to be.   It was a novel wherein the mother takes control of the life of the child.   She will determine the future of the child.   And great depression and misery await if their wants are not obeyed.   It involves kids prodded to be stars and geniuses. Well, it is usual for mothers to want the best for their children.   Although, sometimes, it gets worse that the children are not allowed to make their own choices.   Why do mothers, not only mothers but the same goes for both parents, behave this way?   This may be due to competition with other parents that they have produced a genius.   Or it may be due to their wants as kids that they did not achieve, so they want their children to be what they want to be.   Sometimes, the child becomes a rebel due to this kind of bearing. The child rearing style of the two novels are not exactly correct but it was the best they can think of.   The first was too lenient while the latter, too strict.   Although both mothers idolize the famous Shirley Temple, the first mother let he child be what she wants to be, while the other wanted her child to be a star.   Furthermore, both daughters achieved what they want to be in the end, but in different ways.   One was hiding from her mother and the other, from rebellion.   It is queer enough to think that no matter how a mother brings up her child, it would be the child’s decision who she wants to be and how she is going to make it there. REFERENCES BookRags Student Essays on â€Å"Two Kinds† by Amy Tan. 2000-2006. http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2005/11/10/16231/007. I Stand Here Ironing Summary, Detailed Analysis. http://litsum.com/i-stand-here-ironing/analysis001.php I Stand Here Ironing Summary, Detailed Summary. http://litsum.com/i-stand-here-ironing/ http://www.angelfire.com/ma/MyGuardianangels/index9.html http://www.angelfire.com/ma/MyGuardianangels/index10.html http://www.angelfire.com/ma/MyGuardianangels/index11.html http://www.angelfire.com/ma/MyGuardianangels/index12.html      

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Participant’s development Essay

With this model in mind, the author of this essay, who represented the coach in the coaching session, will consider back to the session and reflect what planning had to be involved and why, and what was intended and included.  The author of this essay is herself a passionate Badminton player, exercising regularly for the University and a local team. From her own experience in these teams, she knew that many players struggle with the tactical positioning in this sport, particularly in the doubles’ game. Tactical positioning is a crucial element to succeed in Badminton (Grice, 1996). For this reason, the coach had chosen the following aim for the session: raising awareness of tactical positioning in the doubles’ game of Badminton, therefore the objective was accurate defensive and attacking positioning. To achieve these aims and objectives, the author invited four players, two men and two women, from the above mentioned teams to take part in the Badminton session (see Appendix 1). The participant’s level of play can be stated as advanced, hence gender was not showing a significant impact on the later performed exercises and match situation. According to training guidelines stated by Martens (1997), the participants had to be and were able to match necessary requirements of the conducted training program, which included knowledge of specific skills and shots like ‘the ready position’, footwork, drop shot, smash etc..  The 45 minute lasting session itself consisted of four parts: a brief introduction, a 10 minute warm-up, a 28 minute long main part and a short cool down. The intention of the introduction was to give the participants a concise overview of the session’s aims and objectives aswell as informing about potential hazards and dangers. The sports hall policy about appropriate sports wear and shoes was already mentioned in the invite (see Appendix 1). ‘To produce the safest environment possible for the athletes and the coach’ (Martens, 1997), further essential risk management, within the introduction, included the explanation of emergency exits and the procedure of raising the alarm and informing the University Security Office through the Emergency telephone. The coach herself had identified, evaluated and made herself familiar with potential risks and dangers as well as appropriate behaviour in case of an emergency by a pre-session risk management through inspecting the venue a day before the actual session. Before the start of the session, the floor was examined to avoid injuries caused by potential trip hazards like whol es or dirt. As stated by Martens (1997), the intention of a warm up is not only preventing respectively reducing the likelihood of potential injuries but to improve the athlete’s performance (Sports Coach – Warm Up and Cool Down). Moderate jogging including ballistic stretching of specific arm and leg muscles was used to raise blood circulation and the respiratory rate as well as increasing the body temperature (Martens, 1997; Sports Coach – Warm Up and Cool Down), followed by more specific Badminton movements including side walks and side steps (Grice, 1996). To progress on, the next warm-up exercise included movement on court, simulating game play without a shuttle. This is called shadow Badminton and allowed the participants to perform key elements of Badminton like positioning to the ‘central position’ (CP), accurate footwork and performing different shots. All six key positions of the court had to be reached in a specific order within timed 30 seconds (see diagram 1). After a following 30 second break to regain stamina, the exercise was modified to a more realistic game play by giving the athlete the choice of which position to chose. A further 30 second break was followed by the last shuttle and included a realistic game play with a free order of positions to reach, this time with increased speed. Along with Givemefootball – The professional footballers association, this ghosting exercise showed full characteristics of ballistic stretching: specific and related movements as well as increased effort to prevent muscle stiffness and muscle injury (Sports Coach – Warm Up and Cool Down). To conclude this Badminton specific warm-up, Grice (1997) suggests 5 minutes of gentle knocking with a shuttle. This was performed by the participants, including all possible Badminton shots like Clear, Drop, Drive, Smash and net play. The main part consisted of 2 appropriate exercises to achieve the session’s objectives as well as implementing newly acquired skills into a realistic match of doubles. Exercise 1 was training the defensive positioning and allowed one pair to play against the other, attacking couple. Due to the advanced level of play of the participants, the coach could assume that basic skills and knowledge of defence as well as attacking positioning were existent. The new main idea introduced now was, that the defending player had to follow his/her long line shot to the side including the partners movement to the middle line maintaining the basic concept of being level with the partner. A cross court shot resulted in following the defender to the middle line, the partner to the side line (see diagram 2). Moving according to one’s own shot will allow the defending pair to quickly respond to the opponents’ attacks. If the defender plays a long line shot and follows to the sideline, a long line attacking smash can quickly enough be responded by another defensive shot. If the opponents play a cross attacking shot like a drop, the defender’s partner at the middle line will still have enough time to reach this shot as a cross shot will take more time to reach the corner. Hence it is to advise hardly ever to play a cross attacking shot in Badminton as this will allow the defending opponents to quickly enough place themselves into the appropriate defending position and possibly even counter attack the shot. The positions of player A and B as well as the positions C and D were changed within the exercise to guarantee experiencing both the left and the right, respectively the front and the back side. After 5 minutes the couples changed playing from defence to attack and vice versa. Exercise 2 intended to empower an attacking couple to perform the rotation system while attacking. The coach, assisted by player C ‘feeding’ the coach with shuttles, provided a rally of 20 shuttles played into the key positions shown on diagram 3. The positions were targeted in order from 1 to 8. Starting position for attacking player A is shown on the diagram 3 as well as the position for Player B. Player D was first observing, then helping to pick up the shuttles on the ground. Key elements of this exercise included ‘being in line’ with the partner though positions changed. Therefore the coach used the racket as demonstration material, the head of it representing the attacker at the net and the grip the attacker at the back. By rotating the racket like the players had to rotate on court, it was made visible that rotation includes the partner’s movement according to one’s own movement (see diagram 3). To provide a realistic game situation, the coach had to quickly target all key positions as the doubles’ game is a fast game requiring quick movements (Grice, 1996). The following 5 minutes lasting doubles’ match gave the opportunity to implement the newly acquired skills.  A contingency plan was not needed as all exercise could have been performed even though one respectively two participants wouldn’t have arrived. Then the coach would have played in their positions respectively played as a single attacker in exercise 1, however making it more difficult to observe the progression of each participant’s development. To conclude the session, a brief cool down was conducted allowing the body to return to normal pace, reducing its temperature and to remove lactic acid build up during the vigorous exercises (Grice, 1996; Sports Coach – Warm Up and Cool Down). Gentle jogging as well as a static stretching was performed. According to Sports Coach – Warm Up and Cool down, a static stretching should be preferred within a cool down compared to a ballistic stretching in the warm up, as this will increase the range of movement as well as helping to relax the muscles. When planning a coaching session, it is important to identify resources (Ewles and Simnett, 1999). Within this case, the coach was given the opportunity to use the University sports hall as well as their posts and nets. Two courts to perform the warm up and exercises were needed. Each participant was advised to bring his/her own racket(s), shuttles were provided by the coach (see Appendix 1). A stopwatch, to ensure accurate timing and time management of the session, which is important according to Martens (1997), was borrowed from the technicians room in Ramsden’s building one day in advance.