Renaissance (1300-1650), the Industrial Revolution Essay

Throughout history, slavery has played a very prominent role in shaping the world’s societies and economies. Across three time periods in particular, slavery throughout the world has notable similarities and differences in areas such as the status of slavery, the way slavery influenced society, and the motivation for a civilization to practice slavery. These time periods are the Renaissance (1300-1650), the Industrial Revolution (1700-1900), and World Wars I and II (1914-1945). Renaissance The time period known today as the Renaissance was, as its name means, a â€Å"rebirth† of Greco-Roman values. It was a reaction against the Dark Ages and stood in stark contrast to the medieval time period before it. The practice of slavery was no exception. Whereas slavery had fizzled out during the Dark Ages, it was instituted again during the Renaissance. Slavery in the Renaissance began in Spain, and for a while the Spanish played the primary part in the slave market. Soon, though, slavery spread to the other parts of Europe. This was especially true with the case of the Italian city-states in which the Renaissance boomed. As the Renaissance grew in Italy and as the city-states expanded, slavery became more and more widespread until Italy became a main user of slaves (Hooker). In contrast to slavery in the later periods of the Industrial Revolution and the two World Wars which is explained later in this essay, slavery in the Renaissance was not solely based on race, but mostly religion (at least in Europe; another type of slavery was practiced in America during the Renaissance, as explained later). Europe and Africa at that time was divided between Christians and Muslims, and so slavery in nations dominated by either religion was based on captured people from the other religion. In other words, in the Renaissance, Christians mostly enslaved Muslims and Muslims mostly enslaved Christians. In the case of the Italian Renaissance, Muslims slaves came from â€Å"Spain, North Africa, Crete, the Balkans, and the Ottoman Empire† (Hooker). The vast majority of slaves at the beginning of the Renaissance were white (Hooker). But as the Renaissance progressed, black slaves began to be used more and more widely. In the beginning of the Renaissance, these African slaves were acquired through Arabs in North Africa, who also held them as slaves. When the Portuguese started exploring the African coast, they participated in a black slave market, shipping slaves to the Americas and back to Europe (Guild). El Mina was the first slave trading post set up by the Portuguese on the West Coast (â€Å"Gold Coast†) of Africa (Guild). Thanks to enslaved Africans, the Portuguese were especially successful in their plantations in the islands off the west coast of Africa known as the Cape Verde, where they transported many of the Africans they enslaved to work in plantations there (Gascoigne). While most slaves in the Industrial Revolution did hard labor in fields, most slaves in the Renaissance were domestic slaves. This means that they did work in the home, doing duties for their masters around the house. Rich people in the cities almost always had one or more slaves. Instead of the brutal, inhumane treatment of slaves common in the Industrial Revolution, slave-owners during the Renaissance commonly integrated their slaves into the family. In both the Industrial Revolution and the Renaissance, masters claimed all rights for their slaves; they did with them what they willed. Therefore, there arises the similarity between all three time periods in that commonly the slaves were used as sex slaves, although sex slaves in the World Wars were used mostly just for sex, not for hard labor. When masters in the Renaissance had an illegitimate child with a slave, the child was not a slave but was free (Hooker). However, when a child was born to a slave and its master in the Industrial Revolution, the child became a slave like its mother (â€Å"Master-Slave†¦). While most slaves were domestic in the Renaissance, another form of slavery was surfacing, slaves used for cheap labor in plantations. In the Renaissance, slaves were starting to be used in plantations, mostly in America, but also in plantations in Italy and off the coast of Africa (Gascoigne). So, in both the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution, at least some slaves were used for hard labor. The Portuguese were the first to put slaves to work in plantations, and slaves soon came to be used on plantations in the Americas by nations such as Spain, Holland, France, England, and the Netherlands. The first slaves they enslaved in these colonies were the native peoples, but soon, the native population began to dwindle. Since Portugal had been exploring the coast of Africa and since Africa had a booming population of people, Africans became the people they predominantly enslaved (Guild). Thus, racial slavery was started. Blacks came to be viewed as lower than human, and this view spread to all the nations which came to have plantations in America. Millions of blacks were imported to plantations for sugar, spices, tobacco, coffee, etc. during the span of the Renaissance (Hornsby). Industrial Revolution Slavery went through many changes during the course of the Industrial Revolution. At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, slavery on plantations that had developed in the Renaissance continued to grow in the Americas. With the success of the plantations in America, what is known as the triangular trade began to form, and this trade majorly affected the world’s economies and prosperity. This system of trade is known as the triangular trade because the directions of travel for the trade were in the shape of a triangle—from Europe to Africa to the Americas and back to Europe. Items such as weapons, liquor, jewelry, and products made from cotton were taken to Africa from Europe and traded for slaves. These were loaded on ships and taken to the Americas. Conditions in the ships were horrible. Thousands of slaves were chained in very tight spaces in the ships. Disease permeated the hold where slaves were kept. Slaves laid in their own excrement and urine, and were fed barely anything. Many slaves died or committed suicide—an average of 16% of slaves. When the horrible trip was over, the remaining slaves were auctioned and sold in slave markets to plantation owners in the Americas. The products made in the plantations, such as tobacco, coffee, sugar, spices, and molasses which could be made into rum were then shipped to Europe, completing the trade system. The British were the primary traders in this system, but other nations participated (Gascoigne). Slavery greatly affected the Industrial Revolution. It made it possible to create and grow products in a shorter period of time and for less money. All the master had to do was to provide food, which he have very little of, so slaves provided very cheap labor. In the case of America, slaves operated the new inventions such as the cotton gin to make cotton products easier. This greatly affected the economy of America. The prosperity in the South boomed as agriculture continued to see success. This cotton industry and therefore the textile industrial majorly drove the Industrial Revolution in America. It became the primary export and cash crop. Hundreds of thousands of slaves were imported until 1808, when the American slave trade was banned. Still, hundreds of thousands of slaves were moved across America to the South and West to work on cotton plantations. These plantations and slavery in general brought in a huge profit for the American people. A similarity between slavery in the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution can be seen here—both used slavery as a catalyst for economies (â€Å"Africans.. †). But a difference is that most slaves in the Renaissance were domestic slaves in homes and were considered part of the family (Hooker). However, most slaves in the Industrial Revolution were plantation slaves and were considered less than human and were subjected to incredibly harsh treatment by their masters. However, near the Industrial Revolution, there was more of an awareness of the brutalities of slavery and more of a movement to stop it than the Renaissance. The final time period that will be discussed in this essay is the World Wars from 1914 to 1945. World Wars Forms of slavery used during World Wars I and II from 1914 to 1945 were very different from slavery before it and slavery after it. The wars during this period of history had a huge impact on all aspects of society, and so the status of slavery and the motivation for slavery was largely based on the huge wars taking place. During World War I and the time after it before World War II, outright slave traffic continued to be curbed in the areas of the world still practicing slavery. The slave trade still continued underground between countries in eastern Africa, especially Ethiopia, and the Middle East, especially Arabia. Throughout this period before World War II, there were outrages about revealed underground slave trades with enslaved Africans in Liberia and the Congo, and enslaved Native Americans in northern Peru (â€Å"Slavery†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). Joseph Stalin was the dictator of the Soviet Union from 1927 to 1953. During his regime, millions of people were forced to work in labor camps. This was in accordance with the USSR’s Labor Code, which stated that all citizens must labor for the government. Prisoners, enemies of the state, and other convicts were sent to do hard manual labor in Siberia during this time. Citizens were accused of being enemies of the government and sent to work without a trial and without much grounds at all. Like in the Renaissance and Industrial Revolution, Stalin used his massive free labor force to build up the Soviet Union’s economy and to industrialize the nation. Labor projects included building roads and railroads, building houses and power plants, mining, cutting trees, working in fields, etc. The workers were given nothing but food. One third of all the workers died from the poor environment in which they worked and from starvation and the cold. They were brutally treated on unjust bases. Therefore, this â€Å"corrective labor,† as it was called, is really slavery at its core. World War II was the instigation of several other types of slavery, also, such as POW slavery, Holocaust slavery, and sexual slavery. Nazi Germany captured enemy civilians and soldiers and brutally enslaved them to fill the gaps in the workforce. Much of the weaponry made by the Germans during World War II was made by slaves. One manufacturing company alone – Krupp—held 100,000 slaves by the end of the war. Many of these slaves died from exhaustion, starvation, and lack of basic necessities. They were kept in stables like livestock. Those that didn’t die were forced to work in German factories and farms. In 1944, Germany held 9. 5 million slaves—7 million civilians and 2. 5 million captured soldiers. Russian women that the Germans captured were held as domestic slaves, and Russian adolescents that the Germans captured were apprenticed to German businessmen. Not only were the Germans notorious for their brutal system of slavery for prisoners of war, but even worse, they enslaved innocent Jews and other â€Å"undesirable† people during the Holocaust. As a method of exterminating them, these people were sent to labor camps where they were treated even worse than the prisoners of war. Children from 6-years-old up were forced to work in these camps. Slaves mined, built weapons, sewed, etc. Slaves there were driven to work too hard in tight spaces with the poorest of living conditions. They had poor and meager food rations and a shortage of shelter and clothing. Loads of people died from diseases such as tuberculosis, from being overworked, from the cold, and from starvation. Their corpses were systematically burned in huge crematoriums (Sylvester – everything above). The fact that there were scandals about slavery and labor camps during the time period of the World Wars indicates a similarity and difference between this time period and the Renaissance/ Industrial Revolution. A similarity is that all three time periods had some forms of slavery to enhance nations’ economies and extract resources. But a difference is that slavery in the World Wars was looked down upon and was underground, whereas it was not in the Renaissance. But there lies a similarity between the World Wars and the Industrial Revolution, in that in both, measures were enacted to end slavery and the slave trade. However, World War II had labor camps for prisoners of war and specific races, which had never been done before. It also had sexual slavery, which though it had been practiced before, never to the extent it was carried out in World War II. Some captured slaves in the World Wars were used as domestic slaves, as they were in the Renaissance. But in the World Wars, there was not the worldwide slave trade there was in the Renaissance and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Part 222 Introduction The 18th century English poet William Cowper’s poem, â€Å"Pity for Poor Africans,† accurately portrays the world’s mindset throughout history about slavery. A line from that poem reads, â€Å"I pity them [slaves] greatly, but I must be mum, for how could we do without sugar and rum? † This sums up much of the world’s motivation for millennia for slavery. Throughout history, slavery has been a way to easily derive resources and produce goods. It has played a very prominent role in shaping the world’s societies and economies. Though it may have struck a chord with peoples’ consciences, the world did not know how else to get luxuries and how to live without them, and so the world allowed this horrific practice to go on. This essay details more of how slavery was used as an economic stimulus, how the world finally took action against it, and what forms of it still were used after this action took place. Across three time periods in particular, slavery throughout the world has notable similarities and differences in areas such as the status of slavery, the way slavery influenced society, and the motivation for a civilization to practice slavery. These time periods are the Renaissance (1300-1650), the Industrial Revolution (1700-1900), and World Wars I and II (1914-1945). Conclusion As one can clearly see, slavery has been a major factor in affecting and molding the world’s economies and societies throughout all of history. It has gone through major changes, affecting the world as a whole, especially in three time periods, namely, the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and World Wars I and II. Throughout all three and under many names, it was used as cheap labor to easily produce goods and advance civilizations’ economies. This slavery did, and it played a massive role in getting the world to where it is today. Without slavery, America might not have been industrialized or industrialized as quickly. Without slavery, we would not have the manufactured goods we have today. However, I am by no means condoning slavery; if slavery had not been practiced, millions of innocent, beautiful people would have lived their lives in freedom and would not have been torn away from their homeland, families, and livelihood to go labor without profit for people who abused and beat them. The Civil War would have been largely prevented if it weren’t for slavery. Though slavery was mostly domestic in the Renaissance, this does not make it any better. Also, the plantation slave emerged in that time period, and the triangular trade between Europe, Africa, and the Americas continued well into the Industrial Revolution. Men achieved luxury through the pain and misery of others. Thankfully, mankind realized, though later than it should have been, how deplorable this system was. Finally, they put an end to it through abolitionist movements that spread throughout the world at the end of the Industrial Revolution. Yet, slavery continued in several other forms into the 20th century. Throughout the time period of the World Wars, labor camps emerged. Though these were seen as punishment for criminals and war prisoners, they were slavery at root, used to industrialize and make transportation routes, weaponry, etc. These labor camps were even used against innocent Jews and other â€Å"undesirables† during the Holocaust. Unbeknownst to the world for a time, even outright and brutal slavery was still used as exemplified by King Leopold of Belgium. Sexual slavery is another often overlooked form of slavery that had been carried out through past time periods like the Renaissance and Industrial Revolution but that was executed en masse by the Japanese during World War II. Still today, the pernicious act of slavery continues to be practiced, though concealed to the world, in underdeveloped countries of the world. Let us hope that mankind’s conscience continues to overshadow its greed and that slavery continues to be fought until it is completely wiped out the whole world over.

How does Mary Shelley create tension in chapter 5? Essay

Mary Shelley was born in London in 1797 and her mother died just after giving birth too her. Mary married Percy by her Shelley. At this time new discoveries were being made the first electronic battery was created in 1799 by a man called Alessandro Volta. Luigi Galvani did experiments with frogs and he believed that he had discovered electricity present in human limbs in 1802. In 1815 the guys’ hospital in London did the first unsuccessful blood transfusion. At the time there was a lot of interest in gothic novels. â€Å"Dracula† was another gothic novel it was published in 1897. The novel begins at the North Pole when Frankenstein is chasing the monster to kill it and Frankenstein is rescued by Captain Walton to whom he tells the whole story to. The story starts when Frankenstein is at the university and he is interest in bring dead things back to life; he used his lectures notes who had died, and he also used dead body parts. He tries to bring the bodies to life with electricity. Then the monster comes to life and Frankenstein immediately regrets what he had done. The monster then wants a wife but Frankenstein will not create him one; so the monster decides to kill Frankenstein wife. Frankenstein chases the monster to the North Pole this is were Victor Frankenstein was killed by the monster In chapter 5 it starts in a â€Å"dreary night in November† and â€Å"The Lifeless monster opens his eyes; Frankenstein then realises that the monster is ugly and that only god can create life, then he leaves the laboratory. Frankenstein is upset and disappointed about what he has created he paces up and down his bedroom. He then falls asleep in his clothes and dreams about his dead mother rotting in her grave. In the night Frankenstein wakes up and sees the monster trying to speak. Frankenstein spends the rest of the night regretting that he had made the monster; he spends the rest of the night in the courtyard. In the morning he goes to meet his friend Clerval; they both return to the apartment and he is worried if the monster is still there as he opens the door then realise that the monster is not there anymore Frankenstein is very happy about this. Frankenstein becomes very ill over the winter and the friend Clerval look after him in the spring Frankenstein makes a full recovery. Tension is built up in chapter five by the use of gothic elements. Which create a sense of horror or terror. Mary Shelley uses pathetic fallacy at the start of chapter five as it sets the scene by say â€Å"it was a dreary night of November†; another gothic element is â€Å"I saw the grave worm’s crawling in the folds of the flannel†. Other gothic elements are â€Å"Mingled with this horror† also â€Å"dim and yellow light of the moon; and another one is â€Å"dreaded spectre†.

American vs. European Education Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American vs. European Education - Research Paper Example However, it is not merely the United States educational system that has changed as it is important for the reader to understand that the past 250 years of history have provided deep and intrinsic changes to the European system as well (Ingrassia 669). Nations have been born and have been absorbed, forms of government experimented and failed; ultimately, this has led to a nebulous and ever-evolving approach that Europeans have sought to contend with. Whereas the American approach has changed a great deal over the past several decades, it can be definitively argued by the researcher that the American model is more or less unchanged when compared to the European model (Kim 69). From the sociological perspective, it has been observable that the European individual approach to education is much different from the way that the individual and parental approach has evolved in the United States. For instance, from a review of the extant literature, researchers have noted that with regards to the European system, the parent is more likely to provide a supportive and encouraging role but not typically be overbearing and highly involved; choosing instead to praise accountability and personal efforts as the ultimate good (Sy et al 15). Conversely, the same researchers have noted that with respect to the United States system of education, parental involvement on the whole is something of a mainstay; causing the educational system to be predicated on the somewhat untenable grounds of the combination of shareholder emotions, feelings, and needs. Although it is not the intention of this author to make a series of value judgments with regards to what system has the most value for the shareholders, it is impossible not to point out... This paper approves that the approaches themselves cannot be counted as right or wrong; rather, they are merely indicative of the sociological and geographic separation that defines the means by which the respective systems have evolved. However, regardless of the lack of the researcher’s ability to make a value judgment on one being better than the other, it is highly interesting to note that when the systems were combined, the shareholders were able to experience an increase in educational attainment and efficiency. This synergy between the systems bodes well for the educator that might be seeking to combine certain elements of the European approach into his/her practical application of knowledge. The researchers conversely described the key components of the European approach as Humboldtian idealism. However, when the two were mixed and after the growing pains ceased, all individuals involved experienced a higher degree of efficiency and information transfer as compared to before. This essay says that the research has sought out a model of a mixed approach to education as it exists within the system so that the author and the reader may draw a level of inference with regards to how well these two can harmoniously exist. With reference to the mixed model, the student has selected the University of Leipzig in Germany. This particular combinational approach has created a great deal of growing pains for the students and the other shareholders within the system of education; however, ultimately, it appears to be experiencing a resounding degree of success.

Nutrition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Nutrition - Essay Example utrition, eating foods rich in carbohydrates and fats but not protein, having problems in gastrointestinal tract which inhibits absorption of protein or any other infection that somehow affects protein intake by the body. Sometimes weaning off early may also result in kwashiorkor since breast milk is composed largely of proteins and sudden removal causes protein deficiency. Kwashiorkor leads to swollen belly, fatigue, weight loss, retarded growth and susceptibility to other opportunistic infections. Marasmus is also caused by a deficiency of protein in diet. The causes therefore are very similar to those of kwashiorkor. However unlike Kwashiorkor Marasmus can occur even before the age of six months even when the baby is being breast fed. There is no collection of fluid in belly and on the contrary to kwashiorkor, a child suffering from marasmus would lose weight and appear thin. Both Marasmus and Kwashiorkor are common to the third world countries and are life threatening conditions. The treatment of these conditions needs to be done with care and constant monitoring of the diet that the patients take. Proper food programs and nourishment may herald a world without kwashiorkor and

Design Culture of china Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Design Culture of china - Research Proposal Example The developments in the design culture of the nation have also reflected in its consumer culture too as many people are lured by the prospect of experiencing the grandeur and beauty of Chinese designs. Thus, this paper tries to throw light on the extraordinary moments in Chinese design and the rise of Chinas consumer society. There is truly a sense of design frenzy in China right now. The paper also seeks to explore how the new design explosion has drastically changed the major Chinese cities beyond all recognition in the last two decades. The changes foresee that there will be a time when everyone talks about things being designed in China, not just made in China. The designers included in China Design Now are pioneers for future generations who will bring Chinese design to an international audience. The paper also explores the origin and development of the design culture in the nation and it deals with all the major designers, architects and artists of the era and pinpoints the pec uliarities of their designs. Tracing back to the origin of designs in China, one understands that the nation has a unique and traditional fashion designing from its early history which was very much in tune with the customs and traditions of the early Chinese people. The nation maintains a long and rich tradition in clothing and fashion designing. The ancient Chinese clothing demonstrated both refinement and sophistication even during the Shang Dynasty from 16th to 11th B.C. Pien-fu, the chang-pao, and the shen-I are the thre dominant traditional Chinese clothing and each of them has strong roots in the tradition and customs that prevailed in the early Chinese civilization. The pien-fu is a â€Å"two-piece ceremonial costume of a tunic-like top extending to the knees and a skirt or trousers extending to the ankles† whereas the chang-pao is â€Å"a one-piece garment extending from the shoulders all the way to the heels† (The Culture of China: Living and

GLOBAL MARKETING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

GLOBAL MARKETING - Essay Example A good example of a firm practicing internalization as a result of globalization is KFC Limited (Kentucky fried Chicken) which has opened eateries in Europe, Asia and Africa yet its home country is USA. Key drivers of globalization have been linked to internalization with regards to marketing in that they might have positive and negative effects on marketing. Some of the key drivers of globalization are as presented by Daniel Traca in his article(International Trade) are, lower transport and communication costs, development of international institutions and political decisions towards deregulation and liberation of trade and FDI(Foreign Direct Investment) regulations. Lower transport and communication costs have especially propelled marketing standards by firms. This has led to healthier marketing competition and reduced monopoly by some major firms. It has also widened their market base and resulted into increased revenues. Customer services and goods delivery has also improved due to this. Daniel Traca outlines that the development of international institutions such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and regional trade agreements between continental blocks and countries has greatly lead to internalization benefits by major firms. Though some regulations and rules that are governed by WTO have added towards marketing internalization, some are restrictive and are not favourable to all participants. Regional trade agreements have also lead to better products and services by firms in these regions. This is as a result of favourable marketing conditions such as reduced taxes, large market sizes and setting up of Export Processing Zones that foster growth of trade and marketing. Political decisions towards deregulation and liberation of trade and FDI regulations have resulted into better marketing standards. This has enabled firms to directly market themselves globally by getting involved in community programs

Financial report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial report - Essay Example Notwithstanding the fact that both options were promising, there was a need to engage in complete evaluation of the viability of the options, based on the future predictions of the benefits obtainable from such options. The process of determining the viable option entailed the application of mathematical techniques and models such as the regression analysis, the LM test and the decision rule to arrive at the most promising and viable investment option. Therefore, variables such as the GDP per capita, the inflation rates, and the consumer price index were used to modify the mathematical models and reach at a conclusive decision on the most promising option that could be adopted. After the application of the mathematical models and the modification of these models with the above mentioned variable, a decision was reached that the option to receive the sure sum offered by the bank was not plausible, and so the decision was to reject the offer Introduction Financial decisions are among t he most difficult decisions to reach. This because, while making a financial decision, varied considerations should d be made, which call for a greater level of accuracy and precise estimations (Ingersoll, 1987 p47). Additionally, financial decisions are not hundred percent dependable, owing to the large number of factors that affect financial investments and savings. Most significant is the fact that the complexity of making financial decisions is added to, by the nature of the risks involved in the financial sector, where a slight mistake either in prediction or estimation could mean the success or failure of the investments made (Batyrshin, 2007 p23). Therefore, it is extremely important to ensure that financial decisions are reached with the highest degree of precision possible, while at the same time putting into consideration all the factors that determine the viability of the decisions. This financial report presents the considerations that were made to determine whether CORV ETTE Company should accept a sure sum of sum of $2,150,000 which is risk-averse, granted by a bank, at the expense of continuing with its business of selling cars to its customers worldwide, using a local currency, or it should reject the offer. Therefore, all the considerations that were made, courtesy of the mathematical models applied will be discussed, and the final decision that was made presented. Discussion The task required that we carry out a research on whether CORVETTE Company should accept a sure sum of sum of $2,150,000 granted by a bank, at the expense of continuing with its business of selling cars to its customers worldwide, using a local currency. The need to reach this decision was based on the fact that CORVETTE Company could receive the sure sum that was risk-averse, or reject the amount and continue taking the risks associated with selling cars to customers worldwide using a local currency. Both options presented financial benefits to the company. However, the b enefits obtainable needed to be quantified, to come up with a final decision regarding the most promising and viable option. When banks advance credits to customers, they do so with an intention of making profits (Narayanan & Nanda, 2004 p65). Therefore, while granting CORVETTE Company a sure sum of

Employee Burnout Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employee Burnout - Essay Example At the end, the writer will render her opinion on the issue discussed. Employee burnout is often associated with workers feeling "lethargic, empty, and no longer able to take satisfaction in their jobs (ASTD)." In order to understand this problem more thoroughly, we will turn to the three common symptoms of employee burnout. Often, the first sign of employee burnout is emotional exhaustion from one's work. This happens when the employee complains of feeling drained up, at the end of the rope, and physical fatigue. Work has become dreadful and everyday in the office has become agonizing. Next, the employee cope with the situation by depersonalizing his/her relationship with his/her colleagues. The worker may resort to creating distance between himself/herself with his boss. The last sign is a feeling of low personal accomplishment where the worker feels that he/she is not contributing to the organization or community (Jackson & Schuler 2). Knowing the general symptoms of employee burnout, we now turn to their various causes. Employee burnout happens within an organization where there are no rewards and control. Emotional exhaustion is largely caused by these factors.

A Stereotypical Teenager Essay Example for Free

A Stereotypical Teenager Essay Loud, obnoxious, rebellious, out of control, and up to no good†¦ these are just a few of a wide number of stereotypes that are attributed to American teenagers. What is it about teenagers that make the rest of society seem to turn against them? I believe that there are many misconceptions about teenagers. Many people in different generations sincerely believe that all teenagers are up to no good, and are guaranteed trouble no matter where they are. I am not arguing that teenagers like that don’t exist, because there are plenty of them out there, but it bothers me that one type of teenager has been able to spoil the image of all other teenagers. Personally I think that these stereotypes apply more to me because I am a male. In addition to being a male teenager, I also have noticed that people think negatively of me because I wear a longer hair style than what is typically expected in society. Some people grow long hair to show rebellion, or to be unique, but I wouldn’t classify myself into either of those categories, I simply enjoy having it more than short hair. But because of that, many members of society link certain stereotypes of male teenagers to me because I show long hair. I could be considered many different things including: rebellious, troubled, angry, arrogant, or any other sort of stereotype out there. How could anyone possibly claim to know all of these false accusations simply based on my age, and my gender? At times it can be bothersome when people take certain precautions around teenagers, because they believe that we are all reckless, and dangerous. Parents will cross to the opposite side of the street with their kids, people clear sidewalks when walking, other drivers tense up on the road, and all while this is happening, other people will keep one eye carefully watching, just to make sure that all of the rotten teenagers don’t do anything dangerous. I sometimes think that people see me and other teenagers as giant, shiny explosives that are about to detonate, so everyone else needs to distance themselves as much and as quickly as possible. Just because a teenager happens to be walking around outside, that should in no way trigger a response where people feel that it isn’t safe to be near  teenagers. Although it does bother me, I can also see a point of view where I would do the same thing. If I saw someone outside that looked a little bit off-beat to me, I would most likely go a different path as well. However, that raises the question, why does society take in all of these stereotypes and live all of their lives believing false statements? All of it is ridiculous I believe. Anyone that knows me will be able to explain that I am the exact opposite of a stereotypical teenager, so no one should need to take precautions if they see me out somewhere. A stereotypical teenager would most likely be thought of being connected to alcohol, tobacco, and drugs in some way, shape, or form; I on the other hand do not do any of those things, and am strongly against them. Because I do not consider myself anywhere close to a stereotypical teenager, it does bother me when people mistake me for doing those types of activities. All of these common stereotypes don’t do any good for the people who actually work hard, and try to do something with their lives. For many people, stereotyping does more than just become a bothersome hassle. For a handful of teenagers, the effect of stereotyping makes them feel pressured into behaving like a stereotypical teenager. For example, some people do drugs and alcohol because they are expected to by society’s stereotypes, so someone may think, â€Å"Oh, I am a teenager now, I guess because other people are drinking then I have to as well.† I don’t even see peer pressure as that much of an issue here, people tend to start drinking or doing drugs voluntarily; more often than not, there isn’t peer pressure that is forcing them into doing something. And that creates an entire roundabout of madness. To simplify this; many people start acting like stereotypical teenagers, because they feel that they need to in order to be a â€Å"normal† teenager. But that in turn makes society cast out teenagers, when it is actually those same members of society who created these stereotypes for teenagers to follow. In reality, there are several statistics that illustrate a decline in teenage drug abuse, alcoholism, and teenage pregnancy, yet stereotypes still exist (Poole). Are all teenagers loud, obnoxious, rebellious, out of control, and up to no good? Obviously not, there is no way that every single teenager in the world  could fit that description. And yet, society still labels every teenager in the world by a description very similar to that. The few teenagers that live a life similar to that have managed to destroy the image of every teenager that happens to be a good kid. It seems that hardworking, determined, and honest teenagers don’t have a place in the world anymore. They are out there, and ready to be noticed, but the rest of society has chosen to view them in the same manner as the bad crowds that exist in the teenage population. Quite strange, that the model teenager that is acceptable in society is not taken seriously. Why does society view superior teenagers that way? It is not only teenagers; it is everybody in the world. No person will ever be right in prejudicing someone, no matter who they are.

Qualities A Person Must Possess Essay Example for Free

Qualities A Person Must Possess Essay In this fast paced world , highly competitive labour market and lesser jobs for every individuals , Sometimes it becomes very hard for a person to get a good job for himself if he does not possess good qualities required from him . Every individual is born with some qualities but one cannot say that those qualities are the best and suited for all jobs . For different jobs different types of qualities are required from a person such as for a student , commitment towards his studies is the most important aspect that can lead him/her to success . If a student has a quality of being committed to his studies then he will never give priority to any other task other than studies and will be fully absorbed in it until he gets what he wants . Apart from that there are some qualities that are equally important in any field of work you are doing . In this essay I will focus on three particular qualities I have identified that a person practicing in the field of work you want to go into must possess. The first quality that I have identified as important for a person doing any type of work is Communication skills . Communication skills means Ability to communicate with other people. It includes Oral and written both mood of communication. A person who is able to communicate effectively and with confidence is said to have a good Communication skills. This type of skill is almost required in any field of work, whether it is military , teaching , marketing or finance . Here it is important to note that Knowing good English doesn’t mean a person is a good communicator but how and when he uses a particular word or phrase can tell if a person is good communicator or not . Suppose if a marketing manager wants to tell his boos that the product Is in declining phase but says that the product is not liked by the customer anymore will entirely just change the whole meaning. Therefore in order to success in any field of work ability to communicate effectively can be considered as the most important quality. (Alessandra , 2002) Pressure Handling is another quality that employees should possess. Having pressure handling quality means controlling oneself when the pressure of work is tremendous. A person whose work and dealing with other people remains unaffected even when he has a lot of work to complete is said to have a good pressure handling quality. There are many fields of work where individuals remains in pressure of work, some of the jobs are management, labor working in factory, freelance writing, etc.. Moreover A person who has been on a job for years will feel less pressure towards his job as compare to a person who is recently employed. Suppose if there are two project managers, A and B, A has been recently hired and is a fresh graduate and B has been working for 10 years in the same field. Because of difference in experience, Manager A will have more pressure from his jobs, his personal life and professional life will both be disturbed whereas manager B will do the work without effecting is personal and professional life. Fortunately this quality can also be learned through books and experience Third and Last quality that I have identified is of Emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is a new phenomena but a very important one especially for decision makers Emotional intelligence means how intelligently a person behaves when emotions comes in between. A person who makes a wrong decision when an emotion is involved means that the person is not emotionally intelligent. We encounter plenty of situations in our daily lives when we don’t act logically but emotionally. We buy cars for young children even when we know that the child is not big enough to drive it. Decision over Laying off an close employee when he has committed a wrong deed can only be made by a person who is emotionally intelligent because he knows that it can hurt the organization’s reputation very badly. (Alessandra , 2002) Any field of work you want to go into you must possess some qualities that will differentiate you from the rest of the employees. Qualities like good Communication skills, Pressure Handling and Emotional Intelligent are some of those qualities. At the same time we should always keep in mind that a person is not born with all the qualities but he can learn it anytime during his lifetime

Factors in organisations that would influence choice of leadership styles

Factors in organisations that would influence choice of leadership styles Identify factors in organisations that would influence choice of leadership styles and explain why leadership styles are likely to positively affect team building Leadership styles are currently different across the globe, especially between Asia and America. Culture makes the way how things are done, but less so what is done. The differences of styles in different parts of world clearly reflect the stage of development of the economies, like companies of Asia. As Asian companies seek access to global capital markets, they will move toward professional managers who will employ leadership styles most likely to those now used in the United States and Europe. Mostly Asian companies rely more on professional employees, and as professional services become of more importance in Asian economies, there will be less autocratic style of leadership and more participative and even empowered style of leadership will emerge. Asian leadership will show more resemblance to that of the West. But significant cultural differences will remain unchanged causing economic and geopolitical rivalries within Asia and between Asian countries and the West will continue and perhaps grow. Family and political connections: Cultural differences are very important, For example, family leadership of business which passes by one generation to another, including in large companies, occurs in very similar ways in both parts, East and West, but is more common in Asia. Li Ka-shing ( Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa and Cheung Kong holding group), for instance, runs his business closely and is planning to pass the leadership of his firms to his two sons. Similarly, in America the heads of some largest firms, both publicly held and private, belong to the families that founded the firms, but there is less freedom of action for executives and boards in America than in Asia. But in America, more commonly firms are run by professional managers who are replaced by other professional managers, either as result of retirement or of replacement by the board of directors of the firm. The better companies have much sophisticated programs for developing executives within the firm, and in most cases, choose a next chief executive officer from among them. In Asia, succession in most cases is passed on to the siblings. In Lis case, he is passing it to his sons, while Jack Welch chose to groom CEOs for General Electric. To a significant level, large American firms are at a higher stage of development than many Asian firms, they have passed from founders family leadership to professional management and to capital obtained from the capital markets rather than obtained from government directly or indirectly or from family sources, in this transition they have adopted particular styles of leadership responsive to boards often led by outside directors. It is possible, but not certain, that Asian firms as they develop, follow this evolutionary path. In Asia political connections so important for top business leaders as compared to Western countries, whether in democracies or one-party states are not unknown but are much less important in America and Europe. It is a common characteristic of Asian top executives that they have strong connections that are important to their businesses. In America, the CEOs of very large firms often have less or no direct connections to top politicians-the government is treat ed at arms length and business is done by business people. There are some off course, and there is deep political involvement, but it is much less common than in Asia. Furthermore, leadership is of three levels where team is the base of it, so as a result of this all leadership styles affect in positively towards team building. With reference a relevant leadership model, explain how an organisations working practices could be improved, by collecting feedback from others. Assumptions: Involvement of people working in organization for decision-making improves the understanding of the issues. People are more committed to actions when they have involved in the relevant decision-making. People become less competitive and more collaborative when they work on joint goals. When people make decisions together, the social commitment between them is greater and thus increases their commitment to the decision. Several brains deciding together make better decisions than on brain alone, for such situation participative leadership style is widely used. Style: A Participative Leader, instead of taking autocratic decisions, seeks to involve other people in the decision making, possibly including subordinates, colleagues, superiors and other stakeholders. Often, however, as it is within the managers control to give or deny control to his or her subordinates, most participative activity is within the immediate team. The question of how much influence others are given in the process of decision making, may vary on the managers preferences and beliefs, and a whole spectrum of participation is possible. Businesses in the world need to focus greatly on smarter working practices in order to remain competitive in the global economy and to prosper, leading experts have claimed. Most business leaders acknowledge that smarter working practices will help to improve staff wellbeing and make businesses more inclusive. In particular, experts say that it is necessary to reduce the average length of the working week in the organizations, as well as cutting down commuting time. Both of these things always lead to worker stress and ill health. Some experts also say that technology could play an important role in helping to improve working practices in the in todays worstile and sophisticated business. Recently in UK, figures from the Office for National Statistics were published which showed that broadband internet connections have helped the number of home workers increase by 18 per cent over the last nine years in this decade. Similarly, data from BT Business recently indicated that faster internet connections had helped the bosses of small businesses achieve a better work-life balance. Explain why it is so important to make effective and efficient use of your teams knowledge and skills while planning to achieve work objectives TEAM EFFECTIVENESS The importance of work teams appears to be gaining strength as jobs get long and complicated, organizational structures get more complex, and more and more companies become multi-national in scope . In todays corporate environment, it appears the team not the individual holds the key to business success. DREAM EFFECTIVENESS As companies restructure, downsize, and reinvent themselves, the new roles being created which often tend to be team-oriented. Organizations are becoming flatter, leaner, and more agile and efficient. A prominen and most commont feature of effectiveness today is satisfying customer needs. Many jobs and projects are becoming increasingly complex, less time available for completion, and global in scope due to fast changing business world. All these factors collectively are making it increasing difficult for one person to perform a single job. Todays workplace uses teams as the basic work unit for example surgical units, airplane crews, research and development teams, production crews. Although teams are found everywhere in organizations but most employee related functions are individualized (e.g., selecting, training, evaluating, rewarding). Such a disconnection between an organizations need to foster effective teams and its natural tendency to focus on the individual employee can create many problems. In addition, some research suggests a key reason why some teams fail is that employees are not well prepared to make the transition from individual contributor to team member. One of the keys to develope high performing teams is to remember that successful teams do not simply happen. They take much effort and time. They take proper guidance and support from the team leader. They require an organizational culture which enables and enhance team work. To achieve a high level of team performance, we must be knowledgeable about the factors which influence team dynamics and effectiveness. To understand how teams work, many authors have proposed models of team performance. Each of these models presents several variables that the author posits influence the effectiveness of teams. Some of the models highlight group structure and interpersonal dynamics, while others tend to focus on the talent and motivation of individual team members. Still others emphasize factors external to the team itself (e.g., a companys culture). Some models were proposed more than three decades ago in 1970s; some were developed within the past few years. Identify and describe barriers to delegation in the workplace and one mechanism to support delegation in the workplace Managers often have a number of excuses for not delegating: I can do it better myself; My employees just arent capable enough; It takes too much time to explain what I want to be done. The real reason may be the manager is simply too disorganized or inflexible to delegate work effectively. Other barriers to delegation are insecurity and confusion about who is ultimately responsible for a specific task the manager or the employee. Managers cannot sidestep their responsibility to higher ups simply by delegating difficult or unpleasant tasks. They are always accountable for the actions of their employees a fact that makes some managers reluctant to take a chance on delegating. Others fear that delegating reduces their own authority. Still others feel threatened if their employees do too good a job. Some employees on the other hand, want to avoid responsibility and risk. They prefer that their managers make all the decisions. These barriers can be overcome if managers follow certain guidelines for effective delegation. Supportive elements for delegation: Factors from manager point of view: An   effective and   talented   manager   would   delegate, who   has   interest   in   developing   the   subordinates. An overload   of   work   could also   force   a   manager to delegate decision making power. The   task   may   Ã‚  recur   in   the   future or   frequently The   Tasks in   hand   are  critical for long-term success   Ã‚  and   genuinely do need your attention The   subordinates   have   the   necessary   experience, expertise   Ã‚  to handle   the   Ã‚  tasks and ability that could help manager and other higher officials . The tasks timelines and deadlines, for example. i : How much time is there available to do the job? ii: Is there time to do the job all again if its not done properly the first time? iii: What are the possible consequences of not completing the job on time? iv: Your expectations or goals for the   task(s) v: How important is it that the results generated are of the highest possible standard and quality? vi: Is an adequate result good enough? vii: Would a failure be crucial? Viii: How much would failure impact other things? FACTORS FROM   Ã‚  THE STAFF POINT of view:   Ã‚   The   Ã‚  staff has the expertise to complete the job. The delay is acceptable, if the staff cant complete. The staff is keen to take the opportunity to grow/ develop. Explain techniques that could be used to monitor the outcomes of delegation in the workplace After the process of delegation is completed then comes the measurement stage of its outcomes and mostly same techniques are used for measurement, which are often used to measure the performance at a broader level, for company performance. Same 8 step process is used for the outcomes of delegation which is most commonly used as performance measurement. To evaluate how the subordinates are performing, for this some targets are set before the delegation, as goals are set for organisation this stage is of two parts, data about the performance of subordinates and the benchmark. To control the things to ensure that subordinates are doing the right things. Today managers do not control their subordinates mechanically (measurement of time-and-motion for control as during Taylor) as couple of decades they used to, but managers still use different measures to control, while allowing some space for freedom in the workforce. Organisation create measurement systems that involve particular actions they want to be executed by branch employess. Then they want to measure the performance to see whether the employees have taken those actions. Officials need to measure behavior of individuals (subordinates in this case) then compare this performance with requirements to check who has and has not complied. Often such requirements are described only as guidelines. Do not be fooled. These guidelines are legally requirements and those requirement are designed to control the things. This measurement of meeting with these requirements is the mechanism of control. To budget the process of any kind is sometime answer to improving performance for example providing better technological equipments could improve the performance. To motivate subordinates after giving significant goals to achieve and then using measurements of performance for better outcomes. Motivation is one of three elements of performance; ability and environment. To celebrate the accomplishments keep subordinates tie together and give them a sense of their individual as well as collective relevance, celebration also helps in performance improvement because it brings attention to the goals and promotes competence and attracts resources. To promote, at broader level of company performance managers convince political superiors, stakeholders, journalists, and citizens that their company is doing good job but to monitoring the delegation outcomes this stage is used to promote the work of subordinates. To learn from the delegation is also a very important stage, this involves that how whether it has brought desired results or not. This stages data is also very useful in future decision making. To improve the things that we learned at previous stage, this means to identify places that need improvements.

The Problem of Racism :: essays research papers

Racism has many meanings, one of which is the discrimination of a group of people due to their race, color, and religion. In addition, racism is hatred for all races apart from one that is considered the master race. Racism stemmed from the past and is still active today. Racism in the past was purely violent especially in the early 20th Century. When slavery was abolished in America in 1865 racial tension settled in. As the free slaves, where allowed to move freely around the land a majority of the white population still saw them as slaves and did not want to mix with them. Fewer than 50% of the population supported the abolition of slavery. The South was a hotbed for racism in the late 19th Century. Segregation was introduced in the 1920's and 30's. Blacks and whites were kept apart from each other. Sometimes there was a single white line between the races, the blacks were given poor surroundings to reside in, while the whites had comfortable surroundings. People found crossing the line on both sides were given severe punishments especially on the white side of the town. Lynching was a common punishment that was used many times by the white community, sometimes it was arranged. There were separate toilets, separate washbasins, separate shops, separate restaurants and coffee houses and even separate drinking fountains and in schools. The schools were separated for the blacks and the whites it ended in 1954 with schools being told to let the black children go to the same schools as the whites. There were countless demonstrations from the white parents. Segregation was also present on the buses, blacks had to sit on the three back seats and if the bus was full and a white person got on the bus the black person had to give up his/her seat. There was an incident that sparked the whole pacifist movement from Martin Luther King. Rosa Parks was going home from a day shopping, the bus she was on was packed. A white person got on the bus and told her to get up and let him sit down. She refused profusely and was physically thrown of the bus. She was then arrested and imprisoned. This caused a boycott of the bus service from the black population. Many businesses went out of business and the segregation on the buses came to an end. This forced a bill to be

Survival Tips For Small Businesses :: essays research papers

You may be in Mail Order, Direct Mail, or you may be a local merchant with 150 employees; whichever, however or whatever... you've got to know how to keep your business alive during economic recessions. Anytime the cash flow in a business, large or small, starts to tighten up, the money management of that business has to be run as a "tight ship." Some of the things you can and should do include protecting yourself from expenditures made on sudden impulse. We've all bought merchandise or services we really didn't need simply because we were in the mood, or perhaps in response to the flamboyancy of the advertising or the persuasiveness of the salesperson. Then we sort of "wake up" a couple of days later and find that we've committed hundreds of dollars of business funds for an item or service that's not essential to the success of our own business, when really pressing items had been waiting for those dollars. If you are incorporated, you can eliminate these "impulse purchases" by including in your by-laws a clause that states: "All purchasing decisions over (a certain amount) are contingent upon approval by the board of directors." This will force you to consider any "impulse purchases" of considerable cost, and may even be a reminder in the case of smaller purchases. If your business is a partnership, you can state, when faced with a buying decision, that all purchases are contingent upon the approval of a third party. In reality, the third party can be your partner, one of your department heads, or even one of your suppliers. If your business is a sole proprietorship, you don't have much to worry about really, because as an individual you have three days to think about your purchase, and then to nullify that purchase if you think you don't really need it or can't afford it. While you may think you cannot afford it, be sure that you don't "short-change" yourself on professional services. This would apply especially during a time of emergency. Anytime you commit yourself and move ahead without completely investigating all the angles, and preparing yourself for all the contingencies that may arise, you're skating on thin ice. Regardless of the costs involved, it always pays off in the long run to seek out the advice of experienced professionals before embarking on a plan that could ruin you. As an example, an experienced business consultant can fill you in on the 1244 stock advantages. Getting eligibility for the 1244 stock category is a very simple process, but one with tremendous benefits to your business. The 1244 status encourages investors to put equity capital into your business because in the event of a Survival Tips For Small Businesses :: essays research papers You may be in Mail Order, Direct Mail, or you may be a local merchant with 150 employees; whichever, however or whatever... you've got to know how to keep your business alive during economic recessions. Anytime the cash flow in a business, large or small, starts to tighten up, the money management of that business has to be run as a "tight ship." Some of the things you can and should do include protecting yourself from expenditures made on sudden impulse. We've all bought merchandise or services we really didn't need simply because we were in the mood, or perhaps in response to the flamboyancy of the advertising or the persuasiveness of the salesperson. Then we sort of "wake up" a couple of days later and find that we've committed hundreds of dollars of business funds for an item or service that's not essential to the success of our own business, when really pressing items had been waiting for those dollars. If you are incorporated, you can eliminate these "impulse purchases" by including in your by-laws a clause that states: "All purchasing decisions over (a certain amount) are contingent upon approval by the board of directors." This will force you to consider any "impulse purchases" of considerable cost, and may even be a reminder in the case of smaller purchases. If your business is a partnership, you can state, when faced with a buying decision, that all purchases are contingent upon the approval of a third party. In reality, the third party can be your partner, one of your department heads, or even one of your suppliers. If your business is a sole proprietorship, you don't have much to worry about really, because as an individual you have three days to think about your purchase, and then to nullify that purchase if you think you don't really need it or can't afford it. While you may think you cannot afford it, be sure that you don't "short-change" yourself on professional services. This would apply especially during a time of emergency. Anytime you commit yourself and move ahead without completely investigating all the angles, and preparing yourself for all the contingencies that may arise, you're skating on thin ice. Regardless of the costs involved, it always pays off in the long run to seek out the advice of experienced professionals before embarking on a plan that could ruin you. As an example, an experienced business consultant can fill you in on the 1244 stock advantages. Getting eligibility for the 1244 stock category is a very simple process, but one with tremendous benefits to your business. The 1244 status encourages investors to put equity capital into your business because in the event of a

10 Reasons We Love Asean

10 REASONS WE LOVE ASEAN A baby orange utan chills out at Sepilok, East Malaysia’s world-famous centre for rescured orange utans. Smart, strong and found only in Southeast Asia, the orange utan was an easy choice to launch our lists of the 40 things we love most about this region. 1. ORANGE UTAN Smart, charming and much stronger than they look, orange utans are Asia’s largest apes. Scientists have discovered that orange utans even have their own cultures, with different groups developing their own style of tools. Some orange utans have even taught to use sign language.There are fewer than 55,000 left in the wild, on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. 2. CORAL REEFS Life gets pretty complicated in Tubbataha Reef Marine Park, Phillippines. With 396 coral, 479 fish, six shark and two sea turtle species, it has greater biodiversity than any other reef of its size in the world. This World Heritage Site was once threatened by pollution but the Filipinos are fighting to save i t for the next generation to swim in. Tubbataha is part of Southeast Asia’s â€Å"coral triangle†, which also covers Malaysia and Indonesia. . ELEPHENT Southeast Asia has marched to war and riches on the back of the elephant. These intelligent giants have carried kids and kings, and are still used for heavy work in Myanmar and other countries. They’re also worshipped in Laos and Thailand – especially if they’re white or albino. Laos used to be called Pathetlao Lanexang, or â€Å"Land of a Million Elephants†, but the region now has fewer than 30,000 in the wild. 4. ORCHIDS What do Queen Elizabeth, Kofi Annan and Laura Bush have in common?They’re all orchid hybrids that can be found in Singapore’s famous National Orchids can be found in many parts of the world, Southeast Asia has one of the widest collections. Singapore and Indonesia have orchids as their national flowers. These flowers don’t just attract bees – the y can also be used in food and medicine. 5. KITES Kites have a long history in Southeast Asia, with the Sejarah Melayu mentioningkite fighting as far back as the 1400s. Each village has its own style, often drawing inspiration from batik designs, architecture or gods. There are fighting kites and singing kites, and giant ones as much as 6 metres in width.Major kite-flying festivals and competitions take place during the northeast monsoon, when strong winds carry the kites even through the night. 6. ROLLER-COASTERS Life’s full of ups and downs in Brunei – in a good way. The country holds the world record for the most roller-coasters per person: there are 0. 8 for every 100. 000 Bruneians. To join in the fun, visit Jerudong Park, the country’s theme park. 7. BAKILBAYAN BOXES: Millions of Southeast Asians live and work in foreign countries, but they don’t forget everyone at home. Filipinos working in faraway places love sending huge gift boxes to their famil ies.These care packages are called balikbayan (meanine returnee) boxes, and contain novelties from the foreign country, like food and toys. 8. SMS Southeast Asians don’t need a lot of space to have a lot of fun. Just look at how wild we can go on our mobile phone screens. Young Singaporeans won the title of fastest SMS-fingers in the world, not once, but twice. The Philippines, sometimes known as the SMS capital of the world, uses SMS for everything from poetry to political protests. 9. PUPPETS After a hard day working in the rice fields, it’s great to chill with a fun puppet show.Southeast Asia has a puppet love affair, celebrating it every year with the ASEAN Puppet Festival. Vietnam is famous for its water puppets, with carvel wooden puppets (above) making a splash on the surface of flooded rice fields. Then there’s wayang kulit – the shadow plays that have entertained villagers and kings from Indonesia to Thailand for over 800 years. 10. FORMULA ONE: Every year, thousands satisfy their need for speed with the F1 Malaysian Grand Prix, Racing legends like Michael Schumacher have burned rubber on the Sepang circuit. Singapore will have F1 races from 2008.

CPT Literary Significance Notes Essay

Plot * Liesel, her mother and her brother Werner are all travelling on a train, to greet Werner’s and Liesels foster parents. * Liesel, illiterate has a dream o Adolf Hitler and speaks to him in broken German. * As she is half awake, Liesels brother dies, and there were two Nazi soldiers who argue on weather they leave the body there or take it with them. * Both Liesel and her mother are traumatized by his sudden death and 2 days later he is buried. * After the ceremony finishes Liesel digs at his grave but is dragged away by her mother, but before getting on another train Liesel steals a book she is unable to even read the title of. * She is taken to a place in Munich called Himmel -â€Å"Heaven† to meet Rosa and Hans Hubermann, her foster parents. * She refuses to meet or get out of the car with her suitcase that only contains her clothes and the book she stole from her brother’s gravesite. * The only person that manages to get her out of the care is her foster father. * Liesel feels abandoned by her mother, but understands that it’s better for her to live there and be protected from the poverty; she also learns that her father was a communist, but she doesn’t yet know the meaning of that word. * Liesels foster mother acts harshly upon her and calls her a â€Å"pig girl† when she refuses to bathe, but claims to loves her. * Her foster father, Hans develops a closer relationship with her and teaches her how to roll cigarettes. she starts calling them â€Å"mama† and â€Å"papa† * Liesel got terrible nightmares about her brother the first few months and was accompanied by Hans, who she kept the book hidden from. * She kept the book as a symbol reminding her the last time she saw her brother, and the last time she saw her mother. * Liesel is put in school but has to stay with a much younger grade, just learning the alphabet. When she turns ten she joins the Hitler Youth. * Liesel makes a friend names Rudy who stands up for her when other kids call her stupid. * They always pass Rudy’s fathers tailor shop and a street with broken homes with yellows stars (Star of David) on them. * Jesse Owens is a black runner Rudy is obsessed with, he colours himself black with charcoal and is dragged and lectured at home by his father, saying not to pretend to be black or Jewish because of the racist Nazis * Hans discovers the stolen book and agrees to teach her how to read, even though he himself is a poor reader. * Hans teaches Liesel every night, and continues to comfort her after her nightmares. * Liesel is later put into a class of her own level, but is not asked to perform same tasks because of her teacher, Sister Maria. * the whole class but Liesel is asked to read in front of the class, Liesel insists and is embarrassed in front of the whole class when she is unable to read and beaten by Sister Maria. * Liesel is made fun of by many students but get angry to a point where she beats Tommy and Ludwig up. She is upset about being called stupid and remembering her brother, Rudy walks her home and comforts her. | Character * Death- narrator * Liesel Meminger-(The book thief) a nine year old, steals books even though she doesn’t know how to read. Liesels love for words is incredible. Forced to move in with foster parents, because her mother is unable to keep her safe or take care of her needs. She is determined to be able to read and write. She doesn’t know what is actually happening around her, and the fact that the Nazis and Hitler are taking control and using their power for evil. * Hans Hubermann- Liesel papa, her foster father. She describes him as a very mellow and genuinely nice man, his kindness and gentleness is what makes Liesel close to him, we are told that he is the one that Liesel loves most. Protecting and helping others is what he does, he is a painter and used to be a part in the army. He doesn’t support Hitler or the Nazi but in order to protect his family and show loyalty to his people he applies for a membership multiple times. He is well known and like in the town but some people call him â€Å"Jew lover† He teaches Liesel how to read even though he himself is at 4th grade ability. He makes her feel safe and their relationship becomes very strong. * Rosa Hubermann- Liesels foster mother, her job is to do the ironing and washing for the wealthy people from the town, she is a very cold woman with a very foul mouth. Death tells us that even though she is very harsh towards her husband and Liesel she loves them both very much and deep inside actually has a very big and worm heart. * Rudy Steiner- Is one of Liesel very first and only true friend. He loves Liesel and stands up for her, he keeps her company and is able to cheer her up when she is down, just like how Hans is able to. He was also referred to as the boy who was obsessed with the black American athlete Jesse Owens. * Alex Steiner- Rudy’s father was a part of the Nazi part, only to protect his family. He had nothing against Jews, he found his son coloured black in order to represent Jesse Owens and gave him a lecture that he should be proud to be white, not black. an be proud that he has beautiful blonde hair and big blue eyes, and he should want to be like a black person or a Jew * Hans Junior and Trudy Hubermann- The Hubermanns children, Hans and his father don’t have a close relationship because he does not think his father tries hard enough to join the Nazi party which he supports greatly, and Trudy is a maid and babysitter for the wealthy. * Frau Holtzapel- A neighbour that spit on the Hubermanns door every time she walked past * Sister Maria- â€Å"A halo surrounded the grim reaper nun† beat Liesel for wanting to read in front of the class which she was unable to do, made fun and didn’t believe in Liesel. * | Theme Discrimination- Hitler effected and killed many people, Liesel did not know that, she was unaware of what was happening around her because she was so young, In their town all the Jews were getting their homes and stores shut down and taken away from them. Even if you didn’t support the Nazi party you would have to apply to it to protect your family and yourself from being questioned and killed.†Jesse Owens had just completed the 4x100m relay and won his fourth gold medal. Talk that he was subhuman because he was black and Hitler’s refusal to shake his hand were touted around the world. Even the most racist Germans were amazed with the efforts of Owens. â€Å"Love and Friendship-Liesel and her father bonded and she felt closest to him right away, she was sent to him and his wife because her mother was unable to take care of her, she was mad at her but understood that it was the right thing to do, her love for her mother and brother was indescribable, when her brother died it was as if her world had collapsed, she had constant nightmares about being at his grave site for a long time. â€Å"Somewhere in all the snow, she could see her broken heart, in two pieces. Each half was glowing, and beating under all that white.† | Style/ Literary Devices Discrimination-â€Å"But you’ve got beautiful bond hair and big SAFE blue eyes, you should be happy with that, is that clear?† Metaphor- Rudy’s dad was telling him he should be glad he is neither black nor Jewish, and be thankful that he has blond hair and blue eyes, Hitler’s preference that kept him safe.Love and Friendship-â€Å"Like cigarettes and kerosene. Sitting in the water, she imagined the smell of it, mapped out on her papas clothes. More than anything, it was the smell of friendship, and she could find it on herself, too. Liesel loved that smell. She would sniff her arm and smile as the water cooled around her.† Metaphor- Liesel loved her papa just as much as he loved her, his scent made her feel safe and she felt comfortable, she loved it. She knew that her papa would keep her safe and they would do anything for each other.|

Interoffice Memorandum Essay

The Tarasoff case involved a murder victim, Tatiana Tarasoff, who was killed by an alleged acquaintance Prosejit Poddar. Poddar was a client of a psychologist employed by the University of California, and during a therapy session he revealed his intent to murder Tatiana Tarasoff. The psychologist assessed Poddar as a danger and informed the campus police, and was held briefly and released. Shortly after Poddar was released he indeed murdered Tatiana. The parents of Tatiana Tarasoff, plaintiffs, sued the school, campus police, therapists and anyone else who had contact. The argument was over whether the third party had the right to be warned and had the right to be protected. The defendants maintained they owed no duty of care to the victim, and were immune from suit. The court stated that when a client presents a serious danger of violence to another there is an obligation, both legal and ethical, to use reasonable care to protect the intended victim against such danger. The therapist must take steps to determine or within their standard of profession determines the danger. This may call for the therapist to warn the intended victim or others likely to apprise the victim of the danger, to notify the police, or to take whatever other steps reasonably necessary under the circumstances. This ruling imposes a liability on all human service professionals to protect a victim from violent acts. There is a duty to protect and a duty to warn the potential third party victims to violence. This may cause implications with the confidentiality of the client-helper relationship and may also cause violent clients to avoid treatment. This indeed will change the environment for human services and confidentiality; as now helpers may need to divulge confidential information to third parties in certain circumstances. The professional necessity of keeping a client’s information private is rooted in the ethical codes as well as in statutory law. As professionals in the human services realm we also have a right to withhold confidential information in a court of law. To stay within the law and the code of ethics that govern us it is necessary to consider the situation from all points of view, develop a list of issues that represent multiple viewpoints, generate the possible decisions on whether to break client confidentiality, and what would the consequences of each decision. Each case in which the outcome of this case may implicate the duty to protect and warn, we must make sure we are addressing every avenue within a small amount of time in case of imminent danger that exists. This will be an adjustment with our client-helper relationships, and must be shared not only with each other but also shared with our clients.

Strategic Analysis of the Uk Fast Food Industry

Business and Management Strategy BAM6012 A Strategic and Competitive Analysis of the UK’s Fast Food Industry Executive Summary The food industry in the UK is a multi-billion pound industry that is mainly dominated by a few competitors such as McDonalds, Burger King, KFC and Subway. Most of the food sold in these fast food restaurants is unhealthy, which is becoming a huge concern as there are many people dying of obesity and other health related problems. This is one of the key social factors facing the fast food market at the moment.The fast food industry is a ‘red ocean’ as it is already well defined where rivalry is intense. It is also a perfectly competitive industry as the barriers to entry are low and there are many rivals each with similar products. Information about any of the competitors is freely available. The industry does have a few characteristics of an oligopolistic industry too as there is a couple of companies that have the main market share and h ave power over the buyers and suppliers.The main features that influence a firm’s ability to compete and gain profitability depend on who their main competition is. For example there are different strategic groups in the industry such as McDonalds and Burger King who compete at the top of the industry and single privately owned fast food retailer that compete on a much lower level with much smaller budgets. The customer requirements are very low in this industry as a lot of the products sold by different firms are very similar; however the requirement of a cheap and fast meal is always at the top of their needs.Any potential strategy to increase profitability within the industry will need to be assessed properly and to realise the risks involved and other potential threats to it. Table of contents Pg. Executive Summary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2 Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 History of the fast food market†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 Current market conditions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 PESTEL analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 Porter’s Five Forces†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Industry attractiveness†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9 Opportunities†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9 Threats†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9 Possible strategies†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 10 Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 11 Introduction This report aims to give a strategic and competitive analysis of the UK’s fast food industry. It will cover the main structural features of the industry that influence competition and profitability. The report will give an overview of the whole industry rather than just one company within it.I shall also aim to analyse the industry attractiveness showing why possible companies would like to enter the marketplace. Another aim of the report is to analyse the competition and customer requirements in order to identify opportunities to gain a competitive advantage within the industry. The final aim of the report is to develop possible strategies to influence and improve on profitability. Whilst developing a strategy, the difficulties and risks involved in using these strategies will be covered. History of the fast food industry in the UKThe UK has embraced a lot of different types of fast food over the years, ranging from pizza to burgers, kebabs to Chinese, curry to fish & chips and healthy offerings. There is a lot of competition in the market at present with high profile companies such as McDonalds, Subway, Burger King, and KFC, not to mention the amount of privately owned single store fast food outlets. Current market conditions The value of the fast food market in the UK grew by 3. 3% in 2011 to reach a total value of $7,860. 3 million. The forecast for the market value is set to increase to $9,147 million by 2016.This is an increase of 16. 4% by 2011. Transactions in the fast food market also grew in 2011 by 1% to reach a total volume of 2,785. 2 million transactions. The market volume is set to increase by 6. 8% by 2016 to a total of 2,975. 4 million transactions. Fast Food Industry Profi le: The United Kingdom’ 2012, Fast Food Industry Profile: United Kingdom, pg 1-35, Business Source Premier, EBSCO host, viewed [25/11/2012] PESTLE analysis â€Å"PESTLE analysis will help to capture understanding about aspects of the context by using the prompts political, economic, sociological, technological, legal and environmental.It is a technique that facilitates a wide scan of the context and actual or potential factors that would affect objectives if left unmanaged. † (Webster-Murray, R. 2010. pg. 88) Political factors * There is an increasing amount of pressure from the government to encourage people to eat healthier as the number of deaths relating to obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle is on the increase year after year. * The government can allocate grants to business start-ups to try and promote fair competition within the marketplace. There is speculation over the government introducing a new ‘fat tax’ on fast food served over a counter. This will add on another 20% to the current price in taxes. http://www. guardian. co. uk/society/2012/may/16/fat-tax-unhealthy-food-effect Economic factors * Consumers will have less disposable income with the current economic climate and therefore may be less likely to spend money on fast food as it may be seen as a luxury. * Exchange rates may affect profitability on the business if they are sourcing materials (all the ingredients used to create their food) from outside the UK. Unemployment levels are high at the moment in the UK which means there will be even more consumers without the money to purchase fast food. The current unemployment rate currently sits at 7. 8%. http://www. ons. gov. uk/ons/key-figures/index. html * The inflation rate is at 2. 2% currently in the UK. This does not pose a problem as businesses will not be phased by this to invest more and grow. http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/business-19959827 Sociocultural factors * The current social trend of eating healthy and ha ving a healthy lifestyle is pushing customers away from eating at fast food restaurants. With London just hosting the Olympic Games in the summer of 2012 then a lot of people are trying to start a much healthier diet and lifestyle for themselves, therefore cutting back on the amount of fast food they currently eat. * The high standard of education in the UK means that children are more aware and knowledgeable about the health implications that arise from eating fast food. * With the current fast paced lifestyle that a lot of consumers have, it is easy for them to just pick up food at a fast food outlet rather than cook for themselves.This shows that fast food can be seen as convenient. * Companies must try and add value to their brand by being reasonably priced and of an equal quality in relation to the price. * Consumers already have a large variety of choice within the fast food market therefore a menu should also offer a lot of choice so that the customer can be satisfied and the ir ever changing taste can be satisfied too. * The fast paced lifestyle of consumers means that the service of fast food must also match that and be quick too. * Healthy options must be made available as to encourage a balanced diet.Technological factors * Fast food companies now have a wide range of tools available to them in order to promote their brand and products. Different ways they can do this is through the use of TV, radio, internet, direct mail, interactive billboards and many other options. * Companies can now use the internet not just to promote their brand but also to take orders and let the customer make transactions. This can be helpful to lower the cost of using employees. * Technological advances mean it is easier for a company to keep track of stock levels and also take orders in store.This minimises the risk of human error. Environmental factors * Companies in the fast food industry now need to monitor the amount of waste they dispose of as there is a lot of empha sis now on cutting down the amount of waste and turning it into recyclable and reusable products. Businesses are now turning to recyclable packing. * The amount of energy that is consumed in the process of making the fast food and where all the energy comes from to power a fast food outlet. Can be seen as a good ethical policy to use or create off shore wind farms that power outlets. Legal factors Have to stick to a law that means they cannot mislead consumers on the nutritional value of their products. * Companies have to abide by certain health and safety laws for both the employees and the customers. * Other laws that a business will have follow are laws on employment, fair competition and food hygiene. Through the use of a PESTLE analysis we can see that there are many factors that affect the UK’s fast food industry. Most of these factors arise in the sociocultural section as it is here that the fast food industry gains most of its unwanted attention.This is mainly down t o the fact that the foods served by the companies are mainly unhealthy, carrying lots of calories, salt and sugars. Porters Five Forces Model In 1980, Michael Porter came up with a model that identified five forces that have an influence on an industry. This model â€Å"focuses on five forces that shape competition within an industry: (1) the risk of entry by potential competitors: (2) the intensity of rivalry among established companies within an industry: (3) the bargaining power of buyers: (4) the bargaining power of suppliers: and (5) the closeness of substitutes to an industry’s products. (Hill, C. W. L, Jones, G. L. 2010, pg. 42) Threat of New Entrants * Low barriers to entry mean that it is easy for a company to start up a business in the fast food industry. However would be unable to compete directly with the large organisations already in the market. * Easy for a new entrant to differentiate their product and atmosphere of the outlet (shop). * Once a good location i s found then it could ensure the success of a new entrant. Could be possible to dominate the market in a certain location. Capital investment is not too high or out of reach for most individuals. Bargaining Power of Suppliers * Companies in the fast food industry could change their suppliers quite easily as there are a lot of suppliers that would be happy to receive the amount of revenue they could gain from using such a large company as Burger King or McDonalds. * The larger companies in the fast food industry have a lot of bargaining power over their suppliers as they could make up a very large proportion of the suppliers revenue, if not all of it. Bargaining Power of Buyers Due to the sheer volume of customers that purchase fast food, the bargaining power of the buyer is low. For example, a customer could barter with a butcher’s market stall about the price of meat whereas they could not walk into a Subway store and negotiate the price of a sandwich down to their preferred amount. The price shown is the price that will be paid. * Only bargaining power the customer has is the lack of switching costs. A customer could purchase from a McDonalds instead of Subway without costing them anything. Threat of substitutes The threat of substitute products is very high as firstly the lack of switching costs means that a customer could change preferences and purchase from another company immediately as long as it fitted their standard of quality and price. * The market is currently flooded with products that are all very similar (McDonalds burgers are in theory the same as Burger King) therefore a new product could arise and sell particularly well as long as it had a good taste and quality. Rivalry among Existing Firms * Rivalry is high in the current market as top firms such as McDonalds and Burger King compete for the highest market share.Due to the sheer size of these companies they can spend heavily on advertising and use aggressive tactics to ensure success. * Constant funds are being ploughed into advertising to try and promote not just the products companies offer but also to try and promote their brand. For example, McDonalds now tries to show more on the ethical side of the company saying that all of their ingredients are sourced locally. Through the use of Porter’s Five Forces model, we can see that the threat of substitutes, rivalry among existing firms and threat of new entrants to the market are moderate to high.Whereas the bargaining power of both suppliers and buyers are relatively low. This shows that the companies in the market currently have a lot of power. Industry attractiveness * Massive industry worth $7,860. 3 billion. * Huge volume of transactions at 2,785. 2 billion. * Small market share can still mean high revenue. * Possibility to create a large and global company similar to that of McDonalds. * Possibility to run a franchise business model. * Has a very broad market segment. * Could be a good industry in a recession as consumers cut down spending on eating at more expensive restaurants. Industry is predicted to continue growing. Opportunities There are many opportunities and threats that arise from the use of the PESTLE analysis and Porter Five Forces model such as: 1. Due to the current unemployment rate of 7. 8% this means that large companies such as McDonalds could use this to their advantage and open a number of new stores to create new jobs and in turn create more revenue for the industry. This could enhance the image of the industry as it is helping the nation out by creating jobs in this time of economic downturn. . As consumers have less disposable income then they will be less likely to eat out at more expensive restaurants and may turn to fast food outlets as they are cheaper. This is a great opportunity to advertise heavily on a menu that is less expensive than the normal menu. For example creating a meal that only costs the consumer ? 2. This should attract a lot of pote ntial customers to spend more in the fast food industry. 3. Differentiate the industry by offering healthier foods on a whole to gain the interest of the health conscious consumers.This would increase the volume of the industry. Threats 1. If an outbreak of foot and mouth disease or BSE (mad cow disease) were to arise then consumers would not be purchasing any type of beef which would mean a downturn in the amount of revenue gained by the fast food industry. 2. Any type of negative feedback from the media would shine an unwanted spotlight on the fast food industry. For example, if someone were to find a hair in their burger at a fast food outlet then it might influence customers to eat elsewhere.Strategies to influence industry structure and improve industry profitability * Create new menus that will offer healthy food to the consumer. This will engage with a new target audience and therefore enhance the volume of transactions the industry already has. The amount of revenue earned b y the industry will also increase. This will lead to new competitors in the market place offering a different product type and increase the amount of competition amongst the already competing firms. * Companies could vertically integrate in order to gain control over the production of the ingredients that it needs to create the foods.This would be risky for some businesses as the vast majority of their expertise is in the retailing of fast food. Conclusion Overall, the fast food industry is a highly competitive industry that is dominated by a few main players. The main features that influence competition are the changing tastes of the customer and their willingness to try other fast food outlets. Profitability is not only based now on the products that a company sells but also the way in which the customer perceives the ethical values of a company.Although the requirements of a customer needing a cheap meal at a fast pace is still high on their agenda of needs. For a company to surv ive and improve upon its current position in the marketplace it should think about different strategies such as growth (new products or different areas) differentiation and vertical integration. Bibliography * Fast Food Industry Profile: The United Kingdom’ 2012, Fast Food Industry Profile: United Kingdom, pg 1-35, Business Source Premier, EBSCO host, viewed [25/11/2012] * Murray-Webster, R. (2010) Management of risk: guidance for practitioners.The stationery office: Norwich * Dennis Campbell (2012) ‘Fat Tax’ on unhealthy food must raise prices by 20% to have effect says study. (01/12/2012) http://www. guardian. co. uk/society/2012/may/16/fat-tax-unhealthy-food-effect * Office for national statistics (2012) Key figures. (02/12/2012) http://www. ons. gov. uk/ons/key-figures/index. html * BBC (2012) UK inflation rate slows to 2. 2% in September, ONS says. (01/12/2012) http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/business-19959827 * Hill, C. W. L & Jones, G. L. (2010) Strategic Man agement an integrated approach. Cengage learning: USA