Impacting factors on human social service Essay

Socio cultural factors are norms, values, beliefs, material and non material objects that are passed on from one generation to another in any given society .Socio cultural factors are crucial in any developmental aspect of a community.(Noyo Ndangwe p230) There is considerable interest in analyzing these factors that are impacting on human social service delivery and these are economic, religion, political and socio-cultural factors which are of special significance because of their tendency to shape the context or foundation for the operation of any other set of factors that operate upon human social service delivery. In this regard, we will try to look at one factor, that is, Socio cultural factor how it is impacting on human social service delivery. First and foremost would like to define the key concepts this assignment. 1. Socio means interaction. 2. Culture means the beliefs, customs, practices, and social behaviour of a particular nation or people. 3. Factors mean something that contributes to or has an influence on the outcome of something. 4 Impacting means to have an immediate and strong effect on something or somebody. 5 Social Service These are welfare programs aimed at enriching human life 6 Delivery means taking something to somebody.  The first to way to discuss this will be to try to analyse how socio-cultural factors affect the performance of Primary Health Care. There is now a large body of literature on the social and cultural determinants of health which ‘refer to both the specific features and pathways by which societal conditions affect health. The WHO has, for example, identified a number of socio cultural factors and conditions. The list of factors includes (i) cultural beliefs and taboos, (ii) gender inequality, and (iii) the urban – rural divide. The socio-cultural factors impacting on health will differ  between societies and even within sub-cultures within the same society. Thus the factors in a developed society will tend to differ from those that are operative in a backward, underdeveloped society. Factors such as urban-rural migration, unemployment, education, gender inequality, lack of money, transportation, distance to health facility, cultural inhibition, fear of going alone to health facilities, inability to make informed choices and the need to obtain permission from some authority figure such as the husband in the case of some married women have been cited (Social Determinants of Health: Nigerian Perspective: 2005). Social cultural taboos and social meanings attached to certain diseases and their causes are other socio cultural factors that are impacting on service delivery. Cultural beliefs and taboos Cultural beliefs and taboos impact upon the performance of the Primary Health Care in several ways. First, they shape forms of behaviour that lead to certain health outcomes. As an example, consider beliefs about fertility and family planning. People living in rural areas tend to want to have more children and not to want to use the more modern methods of family control (PHC, WHO: 2004). This has implication for population growth, the incidence of child and maternal mortality and the number in the population seeking access to health care. As another example, we can also consider the case of beliefs about HIV/AIDS. Quoting a UNESCO Report, Kickbusch et al (2002:4-5) have observed that in some parts of Africa, ‘people believe that clean and well-dressed individuals cannot become infected or that having sexual intercourse with a virgin will cure AIDS’. Ladipo et al (2003) have also reported a study on the perceptions of Gate keepers, the custodians of cultural beliefs and moral norms, about sexuality and HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. Using in-depth interviews with teachers, media representatives, religious, political and traditional leaders and focus group discussions among parents the study reported that the culture downplayed the sexual mode of transmitting the disease; ‘condom promotion was not accepted on religious grounds by most participants. Cultural beliefs not only also shape how individuals respond to forms of disease and illness but also choices about which forms of care should be accessed. For example, cultural beliefs about certain forms of disease may lead to silence and denial thus creating  veritable grounds for the continuation of behaviours and actions that promote the disease (Human Rights Watch, 2002). Studies of the social meaning of infertility in Nigeria have shown that beliefs about infertility play a determinant role in interpretation and treatment of infertility. Following these beliefs, most people used three treatment outlets: ‘churches (spiritualists), traditional healers and hospitals (orthodox medical treatment)’ (Okonofua et al 1997:211). Gender inequality Gender inequality impacts the Primary Health Care system through its contribution to lower status, lack of empowerment, higher rates of illiteracy, and higher levels of poverty for women. As in the case of illiteracy, these factors translate into higher incidence of ill-health for women and paradoxically, their lower capacity to access health care. For example, women with less education have less control over their sexual activities and therefore also more affected by sexually transmitted diseases. For example, HIV/AIDS which is transmitted largely through sexual activities is more prevalent among women than among men. The relative lack of control over their sexual choices also means that many more women get pregnant than should be the case. This has implications for fertility and maternal mortality rates. Women therefore have a higher need to access health care especially at the PHC level. Only women generally tend to need the permission of men to access health facilities. Poverty is also higher among women in the population than men. These factors suggest that women will also have a lower capacity to meet their health needs even when facilities exist to provide for those needs. The urban – rural divide The urban – rural divide is implicated in the differences in living conditions between urban and rural areas, in the distribution of the population between the two areas and in several other factors. Differences in these factors impact upon the performance of PHC in a number of ways. First, it imposes different challenges on PHC in urban and rural areas. It has been observed for example, that living conditions, especially with respect to the availability of electricity, good roads, water, transportation, communication, poverty and quality of life tend to be much higher in urban than rural areas (Imoudu, 1995). The implication of this is  the tendency for PHC units to be better staffed and equipped in urban areas than rural areas. It is thus not surprising to find that storage facilities for drugs are better in urban areas than rural areas (Gupta et al, 2004). Professional health personnels are also more reluctant to accept postings to rural areas. Another implication is the pattern and distribution of the disease burden between urban and rural areas. Given the fact that urban areas have more PHC facilities and that other secondary and tertiary health care facilities tend to be located in them, the health needs of urban populations tend to be better served than those of rural areas. There will therefore tend to be more pressure on PHC facilities in rural areas. If we take into consideration the additional factor of higher poverty in the rural areas, the lower capacity of rural communities to access health care when they need it will translate into worse health indices in the rural areas than urban areas. However it should be noted that socio cultural factors also impact positively in human service delivery in the following ways. Traditional medicines have become part or alternatives were modern medicine has failed. That not all in certain areas use of socio cultural factors has enhanced social service delivery in the areas of ceremonies which bring in foreign exchange and general leading to an improved standard of life of the people.eg prior to the kuomboka ceremony of the lozi people of western province, roads are graded, buildings painted, the towns and villages cleaned hospitality industry also takes a new shape which is a plus in service delivery. CONCLUSION Socio cultural factors are norms, values, beliefs, material and non material objects that are passed on from one generation to another in any given society. As we looked at how socio-cultural factors affect the performance of Primary Health Care we have noted that socio cultural factors are crucial in any developmental aspect of a community The socio-cultural factors impacting on health will differ between societies and even within sub-cultures within the same society. The WHO has, for example, identified a number of socio cultural factors and conditions. The list of factors includes (i) cultural beliefs and taboos, (ii) gender inequality, and (iii)  the urban – rural divide. The socio-cultural factors impacting on health will differ between societies and even within sub-cultures within the same society. Cultural beliefs and taboos impact upon the performance of the Primary Health Care in several ways. First, they shape forms of behaviour that lead to certain health outcomes. Gender inequality impacts the Primary Health Care system through its contribution to lower status, lack of empowerment, higher rates of illiteracy, and higher levels of poverty for women. BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. Dr. Festus Iyayi, (2009), Socio cultural factors impacting upon Primary Health Care in Nigeria, Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria 2. Global Health Watch (2004) Global Health Action, edited by Whyte, A., McCoy, D and Rowson, M, Russell Press 3. Noyoo. N, (2000), Social Policies and Social Services in Zambia. UNZA Publishers, Lusaka, Zambia. 4. Oxford advanced learners dictionary (2002).

Success Is a Journey Not a Destination

(a) In the following passage, fill in each of the numbered blanks with the correct form of the word given in brackets. Do not copy the passage, but write in correct serial order the word or phrase appropriate to the blank space. Example: (0) discussed. The other day we (0) ______(discuss) the attitudes of people in our country. Why (1) _____ (be) most of them rude and aggressive? Pritam asked. Sanjana (2) ______(say) that it (3) _____(be) because there (4) ________(be) too many people and one had to fight for everything.Nirode (5)______(insist) that it (6) ______(be) the climate. We (7) _______(be) as efficient and polite as Europeans if only our weather (8) _______ (be) better. [4] (ii) Joe? s parents are sick ________ his behaviour. (iii) Colonel Gurmeet congratulated the soldiers _______ their victory. (iv) The planet was seen ________ the telescope. (v) The news of his promotion came ________the next day. (vi) He is not afraid _______ the consequences. (vii) He rushed ______ the class as he was late. viii) The school is famous _______its sports achievements. [4] (c) Joint the following sentences to make one complete sentence without using and, but or so. (i) Sonia asked a riddle. I was unable to solve it. (ii) John helped Thomas. Thomas will always be grateful. (iii) Rajan is a great Cricketer. He is also popular. (iv) Adnan sang a wonderful song. It became a hit. (i) We had not even walked one kilometre when they stopped us. (Begin: Hardly †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦) (ii) The memory is so vivid that I will never forget it. Use „too? in place of „so? ) (iii) That need not happen. (Rewrite: using does. ) (iv) Food and sleep were all we cared about. (Begin: All †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ) (v) We sat there face to face with our accuser. (Begin: There †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ) (vi) Herbert consulted his parents before accepting the job offer. (Begi n: Herbert did not †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. ) (vii) Put your tools away, the children may fall over them (Use: lest†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦) (viii) It was the last time he saw his wife. (Begin: Never†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦)

Assessing the Zara brands success worldwide

Assessing the Zara brands success worldwide Zara is one of the most well known brands in the world and is also one of the largest international fashion companies. They are the third largest brand in the garment industry and are a unit of Inditex. It their flagship range of chain stores and are headquartered in Spain. Zara opened its first outlet in Spain in 1975. The headquarters of the company is based in Galicia. There are more than 2600 stores across 73 countries in the world. The Zara clothing line accounts for a huge bulk of its parent group’s revenues. There are other clothing brands owned by Inditex such as Kiddy ´s Class (children’s fashion), Pull and Bear (youth casual clothes), Massimo Dutti (quality and conventional fashion), Bershka (avant-garde clothing), Stradivarius (trendy garments for young woman), Oysho (undergarment chain) and Zara Home (household textiles). Inditex owns all Zara outlets except for places where they are not allowed ownership of stores (that’s where Franchises step in) . Zara is renowned for coming up with products on a short timescale instead of taking forever. They are known for taking around 2 weeks to develop products and have been known to come up with around 10,000 new designs every year (which is an industry record). They have bucked the trend by making productions in Europe instead of shifting their entire production to Third World or Developing countries. However some of their clothes are manufactured in parts of Asia due to the fact that they have a longer shelf life. They make most of their own products inside Spain or other European Countries as they own a large number of factories in both Spain and Portugal. They also don’t have to depend on anyone else as they can get everything done by themselves. Zara is unique in the way that it does not spend money on marketing and instead concentrates on opening new stores instead. Their brave experiments have led them to be labeled as one of the most innovative retailers in the world. Za ra started out with low priced products which were pale imitations of high end fashion products. This move led to Zara being a smashing success and allowed them to expand by opening more stores in Spain. The company management also managed to reduce the time it took to create new designs and came up with the term â€Å"instant fashions† which allowed them to capitalize on new trends really fast. Zara is known to use teams of designers instead of individuals. Zara has to face a lot of competition from H&M, Gap and Bentton internationally. Fortunately Zara is considered to be more fashionable than the rest of the brands despite the fact that its price is less than Benetton and Gap. H&M is still cheaper than Zara but is equally fashionable as Zara. Gap and Benetton are less fashionable and more pricy. SWOT Analysis Strengths Zara’s biggest strength is the fact that it provides cost leadership strategy by aiming at efficiency and cost reduction on products. There is a lot of efficiency merely due to the fact that products are put on fast track and costs are kept really low. They don’t take a long time to come up with new collections. Zara is able to come up with collections really fast (around 2 weeks to get a collection ready).

Nationalism and Sectionalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Nationalism and Sectionalism - Essay Example This was a mighty issue which would generate much debate and ultimately foster sectionalism, which was so fervent until the label of Federalist (those who supported a strong central government) and anti-federalist (opposed to the watering down of state sovereignty created substantial followings. James Madison and John Tyler served together in the Virginia General Assembly. They devised a plan for a state's convention to be held in Annapolis, Maryland in September 1786. At this convention, the two men proposed that macro commerce is controlled and regulated by the Continental Congress. James Madison and Alexander Hamilton issued a report on the Annapolis meeting. The meeting amplified the urgency to reverse the economic trends. In their report to Congress, including an appeal addressed to Congress, to have the states appoint delegates for a gathering in Philadelphia. Further, that the announcement of purpose to all delegates, was to be a revision of the Articles of Confederation. Thou gh some members of Congress viewed this move as a stepping on their Congressional â€Å"toes†, nonetheless, the delegates from each state were summarily notified by Congress. â€Å"Rhode Island viewed the gathering as an attempt to circumvent their strong state sovereignty. The men of the state had a strong attachment to paper currency; they had low taxes and a state government which was supportive. Many other Americans also had misgivings, which were aligned with the men of Rhode Island. Patrick Henry was rumored to have said.† I smell a rat†. ... strong central government) and anti-federalist (opposed to the watering down of state sovereignty created substantial followings. James Madison and John Tyler served together in the Virginia General Assembly. They devised a plan for a states convention to be held at Annapolis, Maryland in September 1786. At this convention the two men proposed that macro commerce be controlled and regulated by the continental Congress. James Madison and Alexander Hamilton issued a report on the Annapolis meeting. The meeting amplified the urgency to reverse the economic trends. In their report to Congress (Madison and Hamilton), included an appeal addressed to Congress, to have the states appoint delegates for a gathering in Philadelphia. Further, that the announcement of purpose to all delegates, was to be a revision in the Articles of Confederation. Though some members of Congress viewed this move as a stepping on their Congressional "toes", nonetheless, the delegates from each state were summarily notified by Congress. "Rhode Island viewed the gathering as an attempt to circumvent their strong state sovereignty. The men of the state had a strong attachment to paper currency; they had3 low taxes and a state government which was supportive. They sent no delegates to Philadelphia. Many other Americans also had misgivings, which were aligned with the men of Rhode Island. Patrick Henry was rumored to have said." I smell a rat". (Quinn) Patrick Henry articulated his belief in the "sanction of place". It was the precursor of the adage or

Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Proposal - Essay Example It is very important for the treatment of the ischemic stroke that the scope of the damaged made to be defined. Diagnostic requirements for imaging the patients with ischemic stroke changed due to the result of research made by National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke (NINDS). A new treatment for ischemic lesions of the (MCA) middle cerebral artery territory was introduced. It is called Thrombolysis. A metanalysis was published and it summarizes the entire outcome for which Thrombolytic agents were used to treat severe ischemia in three to six hours (Kobayashi et al 2007). The result was significant decrease in patients with negative outcome after the treatment. However there was also higher threat of hemorrhage and death in the first ten days of treatment. At the increase of the time interval between the beginning of the stroke and thrombolytic treatment, the threat of death and hemorrhage also increases. The determining factor of the success of thrombolytic therapy de pends greatly on the earliest detection of the unfortunate event. The study shows that those patients that have been diagnosed as early as three hours from the onset have the greater positive outcome. Thus, the efficiency of the diagnostic imaging is of uttermost importance. It will ascertain the right patients for thrombolytic therapy so that severe complications could be avoided. For this reason the efficient diagnostic imaging should greatly help (a) leave out intracranial bleeding, (b) to determine which brain tissue is irreversibly affected and which is still has the good chance to recover, (c) and recognize stenosis or narrowing of the passage of the major extra and intracranial artery. On time restoration of blood flow to an organ or tissue may help prevent death of cell and reestablish normal function (Tomandl et al 2003). The one aim of the neuroimaging in ischemic stroke is to ascertain the tissue at risk of infaction (Murphy et al 2008). The aim of this

Family genogram progect Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Family genogram progect - Term Paper Example My parents did raise me, however, to believe in the tenants of religion and the teachings that are important in any religious observance. These teachings include the admonition that I must treat everybody with kindness and respect; that I must not judge anybody, as I am not perfect myself; that I must love my neighbor as myself; and that I must not become too enamored of material things, because material things are not what brings true happiness. My parents are very traditionalists, aside from the fact that they are not religious overtly. Their parents were even more traditionalists, and they observed more traditional religion. They believed not only in the Supreme Being, but they also believed in lesser gods, ancestral spirits and magic and medicine. In a way, my grandparents shaped my religious identity more than my parents did. This is because I believe, at least somewhat, in the old ways of my grandparents. I understand that Christianity has some of the same beliefs as what my grandparents ascribed to, which includes the beliefs in guardian angels and the like. I also believe that my ancestors are watching over me, like a kind of guardian angel. My beliefs in magic and medicine are derived from my grandparents, and they are translated into my beliefs in the Tarot and astrology. In other words, I have more of a mystical basis for my overall belief system that does not necessarily comport with Christianity, but is more in line with my grandparents. And, from my parents, come the values that they have taught me, which I have listed above. As far as the sociopolitical foundations of my family, my parents showed the typical exchange theory of labor within the family dynamic, which means that my mother had the role as a homemaker, and she exchanged her labor for my father’s economic provisions. My grandparents have exhibited the same type of exchange. I am different, however, as I am raising my three teenagers on my own, with some

Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Research Paper Example This paper presents a detailed analysis of some of the important aspects and features of the web based systems. The basic purpose of this research is to discuss various issues those need to be considered by the enterprise web application developers while developing web based systems. This paper also discusses solutions and strategies to address these security threats. Information security remains an extremely significant concern throughout the system development life cycle. In other words, it is as imperative as the delivery of the overall system development according to a functional requirement. Through the identification of problems and issues near the beginning in the projects initialization phase the operating system, environment, system architecture and database can be designed and integrated with security included features. In addition, it also ensures that system development process followed the rules and regulations, legislation and standard application. This paper presents a detailed analysis of web-security issues which need to be considered by the developers of enterprise web-applications. This paper also outlines fundamental security features offered by database management systems and use of these features in securing the database from security breaches. Without a doubt, with the passage of time the use of web applications is growing in all the fields of life. These web applications encompass huge databases at the back in order to support various functions of an application. Additionally, these databases are used by the web applications to store web related data. However, with the growing usage of these applications, there are also emerging latest kinds of attacks that hinder the use of these applications. So the development of these enterprise web applications has established serious challenges for application developers. They need to take care of a wide variety of security issues while developing these systems (Halfond &

School of Social Science and Public Policy. Case Studies in Policy Essay

School of Social Science and Public Policy. Case Studies in Policy Decision - Essay Example Inter-American Development Bank (2010, p.203) explains that the integrity, adaptability, sustainability and applicability of public policy depends on how the policies are presented, debated and implemented. Policies go through the stages of formulation, implementation and effect (Wilson, 1997, p.12). For successful outcome policies must put into consideration four aspects; needs of the population, the opportunities available, challenges and applicability within a given environment. These issues are better conceptualized by learning through case studies. Case studies bridge the gap between theory and practice and allow students to simulate the processes of policy formulation, implementation and effect and some to the challenges and gaps that might be encountered. 2.0 English Smoking Ban The English Smoking ban was introduced after studies revealed that passive smokers were at risk of developing lung cancer just like first hand smokers. The policy issue in this case was that non-smokers were continually being placed at a risk of developing health problems as a result of passive smoking (Institute of Medicine (U.S.). Committee on Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Acute Coronary Events, 2010, p.32). The problem became a policy issue and there was a dire need to protect non-smokers from the dangers of passive smoking. For instance, studies by Hirayama 1984 and Trichopoulos in 1981 established that there were serious health risks associated with passive smoking (Lippmann, 2011, p.723). ... According to Gerston (2010, p.3), the politics accompanying the process of policy formulation is mostly characterized by â€Å"confusion, contradictions and consternation.† Other aspects that impact on policies are issues such as advocay, path dependency and bureaucracy. Inter-American Development Bank (2010, p.203) explains that the integrity, adaptability, sustainability and applicability of public policy depends on how the policies are presented, debated and implemented. Policies go through the stages of formulation, implementation and effect (Wilson, 1997, p.12). For successful outcome policies must put into consideration four aspects; needs of the population, the opportunities available, challenges and applicability within a given environment. These issues are better conceptualized by learning through case studies. Case studies bridge the gap between theory and practice and allow students to simulate the processes of policy formulation, implementation and effect and some to the challenges and gaps that might be encountered. 2.0 English Smoking Ban The English Smoking ban was introduced after studies revealed that passive smokers were at risk of developing lung cancer just like first hand smokers. The policy issue in this case was that non-smokers were continually being placed at a risk of developing health problems as a result of passive smoking (Institute of Medicine (U.S.). Committee on Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Acute Coronary Events, 2010, p.32). The problem became a policy issue and there was a dire need to protect non-smokers from the dangers of passive smoking. For instance, studies by Hirayama 1984 and Trichopoulos in 1981 established that there were serious health risks associated with passive smoking (Lippmann, 2011, p.723).

First Ancient Civilizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

First Ancient Civilizations - Essay Example Religion is of crucial importance to society since it facilitates the guarding of morals in society. The word Mesopotamia in the Greek language means ‘the land between two rivers’, because the civilization began between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It was in the Eastern Mediterranean, had the Zagros Mountains to the northeast and the Arabian Peninsula to the southeast, and corresponded to the present-day Iraq, most parts of Iran, Turkey and Syria. It was called Al Jazira by the Arabs and has been termed to as the Fertile Crescent. This civilization is the earliest in world history and, one which lasted for the longest time having begun around 3500 BC and ended in (Chadwick, 2005). It had much influence in western civilizations and most of these civilizations laid their foundations based on its example. Unlike other civilizations, Mesopotamia was a collection of various cultures, which were only bound together by their gods, writing and how they treated women. Mesopotamia is regarded as the cradle of civilization because it was the first to build cities, use the potter’s wheel, to develop writing, to organize armies, use large quantities of bronze and is called the place where history began. The yellow river civilization in china began in 4000 BC in China. Since water is known to play a critical role in the development of a civilization, the yellow river civilization owed its origin and development to the yellow river. The yellow river occupies a place of importance in china and has been known as the mother river of china. Just as the Egyptians credit their existence to the river Nile, the Chinese also attach great importance to the yellow river, referring to it as the cradle of Chinese civilization. The yellow river population was the centre of politics, economy and culture of the Chinese. It was also the center of science and technological advancement. It existed for 2000 years, covering the period

Compensation and Benefits Critical Reflection of Learning Reflection Essay

Compensation and Benefits Critical Reflection of Learning Reflection - Essay Example A person may exhibit a combination of these four basic learning styles (known as the learning style inventory or LSI) based on theory developed by American psychologist David A. Kolb; his theory is that people learn best by way of experience but this experiential learning can vary, depending on each individuals preferences. This concept of learning styles has broad practical applications in real life situations, such as the formulation of teaching principles for higher education and adult classes (Kolb, 1984, p. 184). Kolbs cycle of learning theory has a high degree of reliability and validity based on test results of several subjects based on research studies done, in terms of its predictability. Based on this learning styles inventory which consists of four learning processes, I found out that I have a preference for the AC (score of 20 out of a possible 20) as primary, and in the RO (12 out of 20) as secondary learning styles (the two highest scores, with AE at 11 and CE at 7 only). The results mean I am more of the abstract conceptualization type of a learner, using both reason and logic to arrive at a rational evaluation of matters being discussed through systematic analysis. This fits in nicely with the second learning style which is the RO, which relies on impartial observations to make a judgment, based largely on being an objective observer (Kolb, 1985, p. 68). In this regard, what I learned the most from this course is the topic of employee benefits as discussed in Chapter 1 (Introducing Employee Benefits) because I found the topic interesting. The rise in administration of employee benefits has a long history that goes back to the Industrial Revolution, when people shifted from mostly agricultural to industrial production, and in wealth creation produced a new economic class, the entrepreneurs and capitalists. In the early days, this social, political and economic hierarchy

Canadian cultural Essay Example for Free

Canadian cultural Essay In her article â€Å"I Am Half-Canadian,† Pamela Swanigan seeks to define Canadian cultural identity by comparing and contrasting it to the often highly regarded identity attributed to Americans. Born in the USA to parents of mixed racial origin and later immigrating to Canada, Swanigan offers a unique view on many of the common fallacies that come up when one envisions the culture of the United States. Contrary to the popular view, that depicts the United States as an all-welcoming â€Å"melting pot† of cultures and races, Swanigan contests instead that American culture is one of constricting self-definition and pigeonholing. She argues that American culture is neither open nor accepting of diversity, instead forcing people to strictly classify themselves into certain racial and linguistic categories- â€Å"everyone’s forced to pick one definition and stick to it. † Having personally experienced this phenomenon, as a woman of mixed race working in a traditionally male field (sports writing), Swanigan is extremely influential in presenting her case, offering a number of examples as to how Americans are boxed in to certain classifications and social expectations. She further goes on to remark on the close-minded nature of such a view, which leads many Americans to be suspicious and vaguely threatening- a stance that directly contradicts the traditional view of the United States as an open and accepting country. Swanigan contrasts this with the relatively fluid and undistinguishable collective culture of Canada, where a lack of strict individual definition leads to the misconception that Canadians have no culture at all. Instead the author seeks to dispel this myth by suggesting that this lack of identification is in fact the ideal that America claims to promote, which its neighbor to the north that has achieved.

Novel Dihydroquinoline Derivatives Facile Synthesis

Novel Dihydroquinoline Derivatives Facile Synthesis Facile synthesis of novel dihydroquinoline-3,3-dicarbonitriles in the presence of glacial aceticacid as catalyst under solvent-free conditions Masoud Nasr-Esfahani* and Elham Kanaani Department of Chemistry, Yasouj University, Yasouj, Iran Abstract A series of novel dihydroquinoline derivatives were synthesized using malononitrile, 2-aminobenzoic acid and benzaldehydes in the presence of a catalytic amount of acetic acid, without the use of any additional co-catalyst, under solvent-free conditions. The reaction is characterized by high efficiency, easy workup, simple purification of the products and availability of catalyst. Keywords: Dihydroquinoline derivatives, Acetic acid, Malononitrile, 2-Aminobenzoic acid, solvent-free Introduction Heterocyclic compounds including nitrogen, have an important role in organic chemistry. Among these compounds, the quinoline derivatives have attracted great attention because of their application in biological and pharmacological fields. They act as antimalarial,[1-3] anti-psychotic,[4] antihypertensive,[5] anti-parasitic,[6] anthelmintic,[7] antitubercular,[8] antiasthmatic,9] antifungals,[10,11] anticancer,[12] anti-inflammatory,[13] anti-HIV,[14] anti-AIDS,[15] and antineoplastic.[16]A few promising compounds with quinoline ring system are shown as 13 compounds (Fig. 1). Furthermore, quinoline derivatives can be used in the synthesis of fungicides, biocides, alkaloids and flavoring agents,[17] as well as these compounds find use in manufacturing a wide variety of food and lake colors. They could generate a sharp green electroluminescence and have the high quantum efficiency of emission in the blue and the green region.[18] Therefore, in regard to these observations and importance of pharmaceutical and biological of these compounds, herein we study the solvent-free synthesis of novel dihydroquinoline derivatives in presence of glacial acetic acid as catalyst. In the context of green chemistry, the development of clean technologies is very important in organic and medicinal chemistry. The use of available and nontoxic catalysts and replacing solution reactions with solvent-free ones are some cases that can help reduction and elimination of harmful effects of chemical reactions.[19] The volatile nature and toxicity of many organic solvents that are widely used for organic reactions have propounded a serious threat to the environment. Therefore, in recent years, the design of solid-state reaction has received much attention from the eco-friendly synthesis viewpoint.   Solvent-free techniques represent several significant synthetic benefits including savings in money, time and products, and simplicity of the experimental procedure and work-up technique. In recent times application of nontoxic catalysts such as glacial acetic acid in chemical reactions has been an area of interest. Acetic acid is an excellent polar protic solvent and can act as a mild and efficient catalyst for the promotion of the organic reactions. Other factors that stimulate the use of acetic acid include the price of catalyst and simplicity of the work-up procedure. In this research, we report the synthesis of 4-oxo-2-aryl-1,2-dihydroquinoline-3,3(4H)-dicarbonitriles, that involves two steps, in presence of glacial acetic acid under solvent-free conditions. AcOH is an efficient, inexpensive and available acid and in recent decades has been recognizing as a mild catalyst in organic synthesis.[20] Results and Discussion In continuation of our studies in the development of the synthetic methodologiesfor the preparing of fine chemicals and heterocyclic compounds of biological importance,[21-25] herein, we were interested in reporting the synthesis of novel dihydroquinoline derivatives in the presence of the glacial acetic acid as a mild and efficient catalyst. This synthesis involves two steps: firstly, 2-(2-aminobenzoyl) malononitrile intermediate (6) was synthesized via the glacial acetic acid-catalyzed reaction of 2-aminobenzoic acid (4) with malononitrile (5) under solvent-free condition. Subsequently, the novel dihydroquinoline derivatives (8)were prepared by addition of benzaldehyde derivatives (7) to the mixture reaction and attack on the intermediate 6 and followed by intermolecular cyclization (Scheme 1, Table 1). The main advantage ofthis reaction that was carried out with AcOH is that the percentage of peripheral products was low and the recrystallization was also much easier. The 1H NMR spectrum of 8b showed a singlet identified as CH (ÃŽÂ ´ = 4.263 ppm), and a signal at ÃŽÂ ´ 7.831 ppm for NH group. The signals appearing in the 7.308-8.197 ppm are assigned for aromatic rings protons. The proton decoupled 13CNMR spectrum of 8b compound exhibited 14 distinct resonances that confirmed the proposed structure. The infrared spectra (IR) of these compounds show NH bonds appearing at 3388-3453 cm-1. The bands found at 2210-2229 cm-1 are attributed to the CN groups. The intense bands appearing at 1695-1700 cm-1 are assigned to carbonyl groups. The peaks in the region of 1025-1350 cm-1 are assigned for à Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (C-N) stretching vibration. The proposed mechanism in which acetic acid has catalyzed this conversion was depicted in Scheme 3. Initially, the proton of acetic acid activates carbonyl group of 2-aminobenzoic acid (3) to achieve intermediate 9 and thus increases the electrophilicity carbonyl carbon of acid. In the following, nucleophilic addition of intermediate 10 was done by intermediate 9 and following the loss of H2O intermediate 6 was produced. In the next step, with the addition of an aromatic aldehyde to the reaction mixture, the carbonyl group of aldehyde   was activated by acetic acid to give intermediate 11 thus increases the electrophilicity of carbonyl carbon of aldehyde 7 . The reaction proceeds by nucleophilic addition of the amino group of 6 to the activated aldehyde to afford intermediate 12 and following loss of H2O intermediate 13 was produced. Finally, with intermolecular cyclization of intermediate 13 the product 8 was produced (Scheme 2). Conclusions In summary, a novel class of dihydroquinoline derivatives 8 was obtained using 2-aminobenzoic acid, malononitrile and aromatic aldehydes in presence of AcOH as catalyst under solvent-free conditions. These novel compounds as potentially useful compounds with possible biological and pharmaceutical activities can be applied in various fields such as medicinal and agricultural areas. The most important features of this protocol are an inexpensive and available catalyst, simple purification, easy work-up, with the desired products being isolated in excellent yields. Experimental Section Chemicals and reagents were purchased from Merck, Fluka, and Aldrichchemical companiesand were used without further purification. IR spectra were recorded applying a FT-IR JASCO-680 spectrophotometer in KBr with absorptions in cm-1. The 1H NMR (400 MHz) and 13C NMR (100 MHz) spectra were recorded on a Bruker 400 MHz Ultrashield spectrometer in DMSO-d6 solution with TMS as an internal standard. Mass spectra were recorded by the Fisons Trio 1000 (70 ev). All melting points were measured on a Barnstead Electrothermal (BI 9300) apparatus in open capillary tubes and all are uncorrected. The progress of the reaction was monitored by thin layer chromatography (TLC). General procedure for the synthesis of dihydroquinoline derivatives using AcOH Firstly, a mixture of malononitrile 5 (1.0 mmol, 0.06 g), 2-aminobenzoic acid 4 (1.0 mmol, 0.14 g) and glacial acetic acid (o.2 ml), was heated at 80  °C under solvent-free conditions with concomitant stirring for the 6 h (reactions were monitored by TLC). Subsequently, with the formation of intermediate 6, aromatic aldehyde 7 (1.0 mmol) was added to the reaction mixture, and the mixture was stirred under reflux for the suitable time (reactions were monitored by TLC). After completion of the reaction, ethyl acetate was added and the obtained mixture filtered and then washed with water. After that, the obtained crude products were recrystallized in ethyl acetate to afford the pure product in 70-87% yields (table 1). The products were characterized by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and mass spectroscopic methods. 2-(4-nitrophenyl)-4-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinoline-3,3(4H)-dicarbonitrile (8a): Brown solid, Mp: 238-240  °C;IR (KBr, cm-1): 3440, 3165, 2225, 1695, 1509, 1417, 1344, 1203, 1160, 833, 572; 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6): 8.39 (t, 2H, J = 7.8 Hz, aromatic CH), 8.30 (d, 1H, J = 7.6 Hz, aromatic CH), 8.15 (t, 2H, J = 7.8 Hz, aromatic CH), 8.07 (s, 1H, NH), 7.91 (t, 1H, J = 8.4 Hz, aromatic CH), 7.69-7.63 (m, 2H, aromatic CH ), 4.62 (s, 1H, CH); 13C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6): 203.81, 162.54, 149.23, 148.75, 138.52, 131.44, 129.52, 126.17, 124.65, 118.15, 116.19, 111.06, 60.24, 56.02; MS (m/z): 318.1[C17H10N4O3]+, 293.1 [C16H11N3O3]+, 246.1 [C16H12N3]+, 234.1 [C16H12NO]+, 184.1 [C11H8N2O]+, 277, 170, 127, 101, 89, 75. Acknowledgements We are grateful to the Yasouj University for supporting this work. SUPPORTING INFORMATION Experimental method, IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, Mass and MP for this article can be found via the Supplementary Content section of this articles webpage. Broom, A. D.; Shim, J. L.; Anderson, G. L. J. Org. Chem. 1976, 41, 1095. References Kaur, K.; Jain, M.; Reddy, R. P.; Jain, R. Eur. J. Med. Chem. 2010, 45, 3245-3264. Marella, A.; Tanwar, O. P.; Saha, R.; Ali, M. R.; Srivastava, S.; Akhter, M.; Shaquiquzzaman, M.; Alam, M. M.   Saudi.   Pharm. J. 2013, 21, 1-12. Wang, X. S.; Zhang, M. M.; Jiang, H.; Yao, C. S.; TU, S. J. Tetrahedron 2007, 63, 4439-4449. Li, K.; Li, Y.; Zhou, D.; Fan, Y.; Guo, H.; Ma, T.; Wen, J.; Liu, D.; Zhao, L. Bioorg.   Med. Chem. 2016, 24,1889-1897. Eswaran, S.; Adhikari, A. V.; Chowdhury, I. H.; Pal, N. K.; Thomas, K. D. Eur. J. Med. Chem. 2010, 45, 3374-3383. Ulahannan, R. T.; Panicker, C. Y.; Varghese, H. T.; Musiol, R.; Jampilek, J.; Alsenoy, C. V.; War, J. 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Aghel-Mirrzaee, H. Kashi, Efficient and green catalytic synthesis of dihydropyrimidinone (thione) derivatives using cobalt nitrate in solvent-free conditions, J. Chil. Chem. Soc. 2014, 1, 2311-2314. M. Nasr-Esfahani, S. J. Hosseini, M. Montazerozohori, R. Mehrabi, H. Nasrabadi, Magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles: efficient and recoverable nanocatalyst for the synthesis of polyhydroquinolines and hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridines under solvent-free conditions, J. Mol. Catal. A: Chem. 2014, 382, 99-105. M. Nasr-Esfahani, T. Abdizadeh, Nanorod vanadatesulfuric acid as a novel, recyclable and heterogeneous catalyst for the one-pot synthesis of tetrahydrobenzopyrans, J. Nanosci. Nanotechnol. 2013, 13, 5004- 5001. M. Nasr-Esfahani, S. J. Hosseini, F. Mohammadi, Fe3o4 nanoparticles as an efficient and magnetically recoverable catalyst for the synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones under solvent-free conditions , Chin. J. Catal. 2011, 32, 1484-1489. Figure 1: promising compounds with quinoline ring Scheme 1:Synthesis ofdihydroquinoline-3,3-dicarbonitrile derivatives Table 1. Synthesis of 4-oxo-2-aryl-1,2-dihydroquinoline-3,3(4H)-dicarbonitriles using AcOH Entry R Product Time 1 (h) Time 2 (h) Yield (%) a Mp ( °C) 8a 4-NO2 6 5 87 238-240 8b 4- Cl 6 6 87 201-204 8c 2,4- Cl2 6 6 84 177-179 8d 4- Br 6 8 74 217-225 8e 4- OMe 6 9 77 206-208 8f 4- Me 6 9 69 140-142 a Isolated yield. Scheme 2: Proposed mechanism for the formation of dihydroquinolines 8.

An Internal Analysis Of Starbucks Marketing Essay

An Internal Analysis Of Starbucks Marketing Essay The internal analysis of Starbucks will consist of an organizational analysis strategy analysis and a business model analysis. 4.1. Organizational Analysis The corporate mission of Starbucks, along with its vision statement and business model are crucial in determining where Starbucks wants to go as an organization. The Starbucks mission statement is: to inspire and nurture the human spirit one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time (Starbucks, 2011). To deliver on its mission, Starbucks executes some core principles. Firstly, Starbucks commits to the finest coffee. Starbucks is not only concerned with quality for the end consumer, but also ensures coffee beans are purchased in an ethical manner that will improve the lives of the farmers. Secondly, Starbucks deems their employees as a crucial resource and asset. Starbucks guarantees perfect coffee to their customers, which can only be delivered by high engagement of staff (Starbucks, 2011). Thirdly, the third place experience provided by Starbucks gives customers a gratifying atmosphere of human connection and a sense of belonging (Rice, 2009). The products and services that Starbucks offer are critically important to Starbucks achieving differentiation in the market by way of constant product innovation (Kelly, 2006). Starbucks currently offers more than just quality gourmet coffee. Starbucks is proud of its customer service and is dedicated to ensuring that each customer enjoys each trip to Starbucks (Starbucks, 2011). Other services include the third place experience atmosphere and onsite coffee service. The third place experience is what Starbucks refers to as the third location that consumers will relax and enjoy drinking coffee beverages (Rice, 2009). Starbucks also offers free Wi-Fi to everyone at its store locations to entice customers to stay longer and work or surf the web while they enjoy their coffee (Starbucks, 2011). The organizational analysis evaluates the key characteristics of the organization. Starbucks aims to nurture the human spirit around the globe by offering the finest coffee in a friendly and inviting atmosphere. It promotes product innovation and customer service through a decentralized leadership style that emphasizes distributed decision-making and information-sharing. The quality of a company is judged by the symbiotic fit between its strategy and organizational structure, yet consideration is also placed on whether the firms strategy and structure meet the demands of the external environment (Hannan, 2011). The next section will give a detailed analysis on Starbucks strategy. 4.2. Strategy Analysis The strategy analysis consists of three parts: marketing strategy analysis, operations strategy analysis and international expansion strategy analysis. Marketing strategy The first part is about Starbucks positioning strategy. A positioning strategy aims at positioning rival companies into strategic groups. These strategic groups consist of industry members that have similar goals and positions in the competitive industry (Piercy, 2008). These groups are placed on a strategic group map to analyse how industry firms are positioned. Firms in the coffee industry will be mapped based on price and quality of their products versus product line breadth. The size of the circle representing each firm on the strategic group map is symbolic proportional to the size of the firms share of total group revenues. The coffee beverage strategy group consists of quick-service restaurants and specialty coffee shops. The major players in the strategy group are listed in the following table. The firms are divided by breadth of products offered to the market, industry related sales, and percentage of sales relative to rivals. The data listed in table x are used in constructing the strategic group map. Diagram 7: Strategic Group Map of Coffee Industry Green Mountain Price/ Quality Source: Williams (2007) Competitors of Starbucks can be divided into two different categories: direct and indirect. The direct competition would include firms that manufacture and produce hot drinks (Datamonitor, 2010). These firms are the retailers of ready-to-drink coffee and tea products, quick-service restaurants, and supermarkets. Also, in this category are the large multinational companies that produce ground coffees and instant coffees (Datamonitor, 2010). The indirect competitors are comprised of firms producing energy drinks, caffeinated soft drinks, and energy shots. Starbucks close competitors include other specialty coffee shops, doughnut shops, and restaurants. Starbucks holds a dominant position in the specialty coffeehouse market and has no single clear rival in the sector. Its closest specialty coffeehouse competitor is Caribou Coffee with 440 stores in the US. Its most intense specialty coffeehouse competition is dispersed among the thousands of independent or small-chain coffee shops around the nation and the world. Two of Starbucks stiffest quick-service restaurant rivals are McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts. McDonalds followed its 2009 strategy of competing against Starbucks through expansion of McCafe locations into more stores both domestically and internationally (Liu, 2009). Nevertheless, there are big differences between their core customers. Privately owned Dunkin Donuts is another major competitor, with nearly 5,000 stores in the US. Following Starbucks footsteps, Dunkin Donuts will look to expanding globally, especially in the Asian markets (Dicarlo, 2004). Although Dunkin Donuts retail footprint also overlaps largely with that of Starbucks, its customer experience is much more similar to the coffee-to-go model rather than the third place to work and relax model. Consequently, it is likely to compete more directly with McDonalds than with Starbucks (Dicarlo, 2004). Starbucks is an industry leader in both product innovation and product offering. Most other firms take a follower position and simply copy successful Starbucks products at lower prices. This is a favourable position for Starbucks. The strategic group map shows Starbucks as the leader in both price/quality of product offerings as well as the breadth of products offered. The white space on the map is possible openings for existing firms or new firms to move into. These would be high priced, low breadth offering positions, or low cost, high breadth offering positions. The second part analyses Starbucks competitive strategy using Porters Generic strategies framework. As a whole, Starbucks implements a broad differentiation strategy. It provides high quality coffee and a unique experience in accessible locations, which makes it stand out among all the coffee providers. VIA, the new instant coffee line, straddles broad differentiation and cost leadership strategy. Though it will be a low cost and convenient alternative to Starbucks regular coffee, Starbucks coffee is still unique from other products in the market. Providing in-store gifts and brewing utensils is the focused differentiation strategy; it was designed for coffee lovers, especially Starbucks loyal fans. Diagram 8: Starbucks competitive strategy Competitive Advantage Uniqueness Low cost Broad Target Narrow Target As a whole VIADifferentiation Cost Leadership In-store brewing utensils/ gifts Differentiation Focus Cost Focus To differentiate it from rivals, Starbucks convinces customers that it provides more than a cup of coffee and associates its brand image with a sense of community activism. Moreover, Starbucks acts as a social responsible company to strengthen its differentiation strategy. It promotes ethical sourcing, environmental stewardship, and community involvement. Starbucks also prides itself on the innovation of new products, which further differentiates it from its competitors. However, with the customer base becoming more sophisticated and differentiation indicators adopted by ordinary coffee firms, Starbucks advantage on the differentiation strategy may fade away (Piercy, 2008). The third part is about Starbucks brand building strategy. Its marketing strategy has focused on word-of-mouth advertising and building the brand cup by cup, letting the high quality of their products and services speak for themselves (Starbucks, 2010). For years, this unique marketing strategy has played an important role in making Starbucks Coffee Company a success. In 2010, two-thirds of all coffee was sold in supermarkets. Starbucks coffee sold in supermarkets featured distinctive, elegant packaging and the same premium quality as that sold in its own stores. This new change requires Starbucks to create a new way to build its brand. Therefore, the Starbucks marketing strategy has expanded to create a community around their brand. On its website, individuals are encouraged to express their experiences with Starbucks history, and the company strives to personally join in the discussions. Operations management Strategy Starbucks has positioned itself as a provider of ethical premium coffee products and pleasant, luxurious meeting places for people. So, its prices are relative high and it competes on a unique value proposition. Commitment to the best quality and high ethical standards are evident in every step of the supply chain, from bean procurement to service (Jennings, 2009). Starbucks supply chain starts from bean sourcing. To ensure compliance with its rigorous coffee standards, it controls coffee purchasing, roasting and packaging, and the global distribution of coffee. Starbucks pays over the market price for its beans in order to procure premium beans. Besides acquiring the highest quality coffee, the ethics of paying a fair price for coffee producers provides an ethical aspect to the value proposition (Rubin, Dierdorff and Brown, 2010). Starbucks also has the expertise to secure top-notch coffee beans to supply the companys growing needs. All this allows Starbucks to serve coffee that is of superior quality compared to competitors. As part of its sourcing strategy, Starbucks entered into fixed-price purchase commitments in order to secure an adequate supply of quality green coffee beans and to limit exposure to fluctuating coffee prices (Starbucks, 2010). When satisfactory fixed-price commitments were not available, the company purchased coffee future contracts to provide price protection. Nonetheless, there have been occasions in years past when unexpected jumps in coffee prices put a squeeze on the companys margins and necessitated an increase in the prices of its beverages and beans sold at retail price. However, by this approach, Starbucks can smooth costs and avoid price hikes in the stores that would have a devastating effect on the companys image. Starbucks deems store operations as an important part of strengthening the companys reputation and image. The company formed a group to create a store development process to ensure that each store conveys the appropriate image and character. Then, the information and operating system of Starbucks allow it to communicate information throughout the organization to increase the quality of decisions and efficiency in value-chain activities (Gamble Thompson, 2011). Starbucks also tries to develop the companys brand through its specialty operations with third parties outside the traditional coffeehouse. This includes Licensed Stores, Packaged Tea and Coffee, Branded Products and Foodservices Operations. In 1997, Starbucks began entering into a limited number of licensing agreements for store locations in areas where it did not have the ability to locate its own outlets. For example, Licensed Stores with Marriott Host International and Aramark Food and Services put Starbucks stores in airport locations and on university campuses. Starbucks received a license fee and a royalty on sales at these locations and supplied the coffee for resale in the licensed locations. International Expansion Strategy Starbucks international expansion started in 1995 and its international expansion strategy is to provide licenses or create joint ventures with reputable local companies, which are equipped with retailing know-how in the target country (Garza, 2010).. This strategy is built upon the growing reputation of the Starbucks brand and the ability to identify attractive store locations. The international expansion strategy is also supported by centralized buying, standard contract development and fixed fees for certain items, and consolidated work under contractors with good cost-control practices (Alberto, 2011c). Starbucks product supply is also a key in the successful expansion. As reported by the Wall Street Journal (2006), the Starbucks Corporation is expanding at a very high rate and focusing on China. This company has aggressively campaigned to become the leading coffee in the United States and after attaining this, it has made further steps to considering global leadership. The expansion and growth of Starbucks has been well known, especially by its desires to venture in emerging economies. Currently, the Starbucks Corporation is downsizing in the US as a result of the economic downturn in this country and its increasing global expansion. In 2008, this company closed more than 600 coffee shops across the US. Since the need for international coffee has increased, Starbucks is opening up 1,000 coffee shops across the world especially in Asia. Starbucks expansion strategy was well thought out: the strategy target was in the Asian Pacific, far away from Europe and Latin America where coffee shops competition is very strong. As the diagram below shows, the revenue from the US market is shrinking and the operating income of the EMEA market became negative in 2010 and 2011, while the market of China and the Asian pacific shows good potential. Therefore, China is Starbucks largest target, as it is expected to be the biggest growing market over the next two year s (Starbucks, 2011). After the global economy recovery, Starbucks is planning to open an average of more than one store each day. Starbucks continues to close domestic stores that have already saturated the market, and replace them with international stores abroad. Total revenues ($ Million) Starbucks is able to enter into Asian markets and China in particular by targeting Chinas middle class and bringing new lifestyles while maintaining coffee and other beverages as affordable luxuries. Barraclough (2006) reports that the Chinese are known for their increasing preference for coffee and hence Starbucks is able to convince more customers to take coffee. American products and lifestyle are highly admired by the Chinese and Japanese, and hence consumers there adopt American trends and products easily and quickly. This indicates that Starbucks is making use of the Chinese culture to enter into Chinas market (Haoting, 2009). However, the rapid international expansion also has negative effects. First of all, too many new locations established would exert an adverse effect on customer service. Therefore, the customer experience may degrade. Secondly, some retail stores opened even before the local supply chain was fully built up, leading to bad customer perceptions towards Starbucks coffee and food. Thirdly, the strategy of closing down US locations to offset new growth abroad results in reducing the convenience factor in the US market. Many American customers have to drive a long way to buy a cup of beloved Starbucks coffee. As mentioned previously, the convenience is one of most important parts of its value proposition. Last but not the least, the large number of stores is a huge asset or liability, depending on how one assesses the situation. If there is a strong economy and people have disposable income, then it is an advantage to have abundant stores to generate revenues. On the other hand, the vast n umber of stores will become a huge financial liability during economic downturns. Therefore, now Starbucks, led by Schultz, advocate the disciplined expansion of store bases and focus on real, sustainable growth. 4.3. Value chain analysis Michael Porter (1998) states that acquiring competitive advantages can be done through an analysis of the companys value chain. Companies can attain competitive advantage when the value chain is optimised by coordinating these activities to create value for its products or services that exceeds the costs of performing the value activities (Porter, 1998). In other words, a company can create additional value without necessarily increasing costs. A companys value chain system can be classified into two categories; (1) the primary activities, which involve the physical creation of the products, marketing and delivery system, and after sale service and support activities; and (2) the secondary activities, wherein company infrastructure and inputs allow the primary activities to take place (Porter 1998). When these activities are already defined, the value chain system can be analysed in order to aid the development of a strategic goal and gain competitive advantage or, in our case, to understand the current downfall in the Starbucks business model. Below is the current value chain of Starbucks with international and technological developments. The upstream value chain allows the development of new products that suit international markets better, e.g. green Tea Latte in Starbucks Japan. The downstream is the online storefront customization, which allows customers to order online and create new drinks etc. The newly-added mobile app could locate Starbucks locations and order drinks. Product Distribution Bean and Ingredient Selection Local Adjustment Product Development Take-home products Online Storefront Customization Mobile Apps Storefront Starbucks value chain creates additional value for its products, which the customers are willing to pay for. Hence, the customer is not reluctant to pay above-market prices for Starbucks coffee. In fact, its customers are not looking for the price of the coffee but they are seeking for the quality of the products and the brand image that the company offers. For a company to achieve or maintain competitive advantages and add value to its products or brand, it is necessary to link these activities and optimise the companys value adding activities (Porter, 1998). In the case of Starbucks, as stated earlier, its value activities were at first effective in the co-ordination between its primary and secondary activities. For example, the setting up of stores was well planned. Each location was carefully studied, taking consideration of irrelevant details such as traffic flow, density of people and demographic characteristics of an area, and careful selection of personnel to be deployed in each outlet (Clark, 2007). These aimed to deliver good quality coffee products and exude an ambiance of luxury and comfort for its consumers (Clark, 2007). However, gaps in the value chain activities occurred in recent years. An example is the rapid expansion in several locations across Asia. The company failed to maintain the companys brand image of luxury and exclusivity. The company rapidly expanded by opening an average of a store per week, which resulted in the downgrading of the Starbucks experience that its customers have been looking for (Velta, 2008). In fact, the customers have not seen any noticeable improvements in their experience (Jennings, 2009). Analyst Andrew Barish also commented that Starbucks operations have slipped and longer lines, more complexity and less-than-stellar looking assets could be causing a modest decrease in sales in this challenging consumer environment (Moore, 2007). As a result, Starbucks strategic competitiveness is slowly disintegrating and its rivals are eating up some of its customer base (Rushe, 2006). 4.4. Business model analysis The business model concept is defined as the value a company offers to customers and the architecture of the firm and its network of partners for creating, marketing, and delivering this value in order to generate profitable and sustainable revenue streams (Osterwalder and pigneur, 2002). It also consists of a narrative of both how the business works and how it makes a profit. Schindehutte and Allen (2009) developed a framework in order to define the core competencies of a business model from an entrepreneurial perspective. The most important component of the framework is concerned with value creation. Starbucks creates unique value through great customer experience and interactive service. The unique value proposition of Starbucks is best described by Howard Schultz: The idea was to create a chain of coffeehouses that would become Americas third place, a place where people could go to relax and enjoy time with others, or just be by themselves. Starbucks enhances the coffee experience for the customers by creating a relaxed environment within the store whilst offering consistently rapid and on time delivery. Many companies pursue a resource-based strategy which attempts to exploit company resources in a manner that offers value to customers in ways rivals are unable to match (Piercy, 2008). Starbucks customer value proposition is also based on its unique resources and capabilities. Starbucks capitalizes on intangible resources like brand power and image as a high quality coffee provider to attain its objectives. Starbucks also utilizes its immense human capital and expertise in product innovation, location selection, and its marketing ability to stand out as the premier coffee brand. Particularly, Starbucks utilizes technology extremely well, e.g. the heavy use of internet capabilities, social network marketing, rechargeable payment cards, and even new mobile apps help to ease and speed up the payment and ordering. Moreover, Starbucks has other competitive advantages based on its skills and specialized expertise, and valuable alliances (Piercy, 2008). Starbucks has a skill set in creatin g and introducing innovative products into the market. These skills give Starbucks a competitive advantage to be an innovation leader, but not a copycat follower. It is essential to differentiate itself from rivals in the coffee industry. Last but not the least, Starbucks has abundant free cash flow and physical assets to fund and drive its strategic initiatives. Without these physical assets, Starbucks would not be able to aggressively expand in the market or fund further product research and development. Another important component of the business model is the firms core competence. Core competencies are defined as a proficiently performed internal activity that is central to a firms strategy and competitiveness (Piercy, 2008). The core competency can also lead to sustainable advantages. To be a sustainable advantage, the core competency must be hard to imitate or copy by rivals (Piercy, 2008). For Starbucks, its core competency can be defined as high quality coffee and products at accessible locations and affordable prices, providing a community the coffee drinking experience. Its sustainable advantage resides in the intellectual capital of defining and leading the market. Starbucks stands out as a leader, mainly because of its good business model that can generate innovative products that consumers desire. Starbucks is able to leverage its resources, both tangible and intangible, to create competitive capabilities and core competencies to form its business model. Starbucks achieves this by utilizing its human capital and expertise to constantly strive for excellence in product innovation. Furthermore, Starbucks is able to internally fund its growth strategy from sound financial performance. However, Starbucks needs to take more efforts to innovate its business model. Specialty coffee shops copy or adopt the Starbucks model, which leads to Starbucks competitive advantage shrinking and this poses a serious threat to the company. In addition, the gap between customers expectations and perceptions of Starbucks is bigger. Many customers are not satisfied with Starbucks offerings as they were before. They think Starbucks charges a premium for coffee and experience, but actually it falls behind its promises. This may be because customers become more demanding while Starbucks ability to innovate value offerings is weak. Therefore, to keep its popularity and consistent growth, Starbucks needs to innovate its value-adding activities so as to innovate its business model. SWOT Analysis A SWOT analysis is a powerful tool to evaluate a firms resource strengths, its competitive deficiencies, the opportunities that exist in the market, and the external threats to the organizations future well-being (Gamble and Thompson, 2011). The strengths of Starbucks come from an internal origin and are designated as helpful to Starbucks reaching its target objectives. The weaknesses of Starbucks are categorized as operational areas and activities that reduce Starbucks being able to achieve strategy execution. Starbucks needs to leverage these strengths to overcome their weaknesses and realize potential opportunities. Threats are areas of concern in the external environment that can affect how Starbucks, and the coffee industry as a whole, will do business. Diagram x: SWOT Matrix for Starbucks Internal External Strengths* Weaknesses* à ¢- Brand image is extremely important to Starbucks. à ¢- Good ambiance and convenience are two of the foundations that Starbucks grew on. à ¢- International Markets offer lower risk investment and innovation opportunities. à ¢- Cheap alternatives like McDonalds threaten the convenience factor. à ¢- Founders of premium coffee and an industry leader à ¢- Product diversification à ¢- Excel in product development à ¢-  Valued and motivated employees, good work environment à ¢- Strong financial foundation à ¢- Lack of internal focus (too much focus on expansion) à ¢- Self-cannibalization à ¢- Overdependence on the US market à ¢- Aggressive expansion leads to managerial or financial problems (e.g. customer experience is watered down) à ¢- Pricing is relatively higher than customers expectations Opportunities* S-O Strategy W-O Strategy à ¢- Co-branding with other famous brands à ¢-  Increasing need of premium coffee in emerging markets à ¢- Rising awareness on CSR issues à ¢- Capturing new markets (retailing) and new consumer groups à ¢- To increase market share in emerging markets à ¢- To make full use of cross-broad marketing à ¢- To revamp brand image and work on brand extension à ¢- To be a more socially responsible brand à ¢- To coordinate and adjust expanding speed à ¢- To innovate its business model so as better deal with new challenges à ¢- To think about new ways to differentiate itself à ¢- To integrate distribution channels Threats* S-T Strategy W-T Strategy à ¢- Stiffening competition à ¢- Possible saturation in the coffee market à ¢- Volatility of coffee price à ¢-  Blamed by green lobby and ethical lobby à ¢-  Recession would affect customers willingness to spend à ¢- To consider further vertical integration à ¢- To consider creating a sub-brand to provide less pricey coffee à ¢- Continue to use fair trade coffee as ingredients and pay more attention to environmental and ethical issues. à ¢- To shrink product lines and wash out less favourable products à ¢- To provide customized products and combinations à ¢- To close down less profitable locations *Source: Dataminitor and http://www.businessteacher.org.uk/business-resources/swot-analysis-database/starbucks-swot-analysis/ Being a leader in the coffee industry, Starbucks is powered by its constant product innovation, customer service aptitude, ability to expand globally. Apart from the basic strategies used by Starbucks, the external environmental conditions and the internal characteristics of the Starbucks organisation present a favourable condition for growth. Even though Starbucks profit has declined in the previous year, due the growing intensity of competition and the economic crisis aggravating the situation, Starbucks is still the dominant player in the specialty coffee sector through its years of experience and brand reputation. Thus, the company can use this position to leverage itself and put pressure onto its competitors. Nevertheless, strategic change is the call for Starbucks. Perhaps, it is the time for the company to revisit its existing business models, practices and strategies and to examine whether these models still conform to the conditions of the market. Since market conditions cha nge as evidenced by current events and the continuing globalisation of markets, the company may need to reform its strategy. The PSETEL and Porters five-force analysis show that coffee firms are very sensitive to the macro environment. The overall competitive pressures are moderate and firms can be successful if they are efficient and effective in the execution of strategies execution. Starbucks achieves its mission through a decentralized leadership that emphasizes distributed decision making and information sharing to promote product innovation and customer service. One concern about Starbucks organizational culture is that Starbucks over relies on Schultzs talented leadership. Schultz was able to turn the company back by several strategic moves, but without Schultz and his leadership capabilities, Starbucks may have fallen into a disaster. Overall, it might be a pitfall for Starbucks; Schultz is to Starbucks what Jobs is to Apple. The SWOT analysis of Starbucks reveals that the strength of Starbucks lies within their strong financial performance. The weakness of Starbucks is an over reliance on the saturated U.S. market with a declining market share as a result of intensified rivalry in the marketplace. This weakness can be overcome by utilizing Starbucks strong finances to realize the present opportunities to expand into emerging markets. Overall, Starbucks has maintained a competitive advantage since it created its original blue ocean of bringing quality, bistro-style coffee choices to the masses. The key issues facing this firm were its attempts at massive expansion and creating new value innovation. The aggressive expansion could cause the company to become over exposed and adversely affect its ability to change. In order to enhance sustainable growth, it needs to focus on its core competencies. Facing fierce competition with McDonalds and other coffee chains, Starbucks needs to create new value innovation by enhancing the customer experience and investing in online content and interactivity. Rather than creating more new products, it is better to enhance the connection with their loyal customers and to differentiate it from its rivals. 6. Recommendations Viable recommendations must be able to solve Starbucks greatest issues. One is the increasingly saturated US market and another is the need to penetrate attractive foreign markets. Furthermore, degrading customer perception must be prevented both in the US and overseas. Here, a great challenge is how to re-establish a positive customer attitude towards the company in the US and retai

Working with families is difficult and complex. Essay -- Social Issues

Working with children, young people and their families can be seen as difficult and complex for many different reasons. However, before these topics can be discussed and explored fully, it is important to completely understand the difference between the words ‘difficult’ and ‘complex’. ‘Difficult’ implies that things are not easily or readily done, where it requires much effort much effort, labour and skill to be performed effectively. In the same way, ‘complex’ implies a hard to deal with situation, but also involves many interconnected parts or complicated arrangements that consist of emotional attachment. Social work is rarely working with one individual, as stated in O’Loughlin and O’Loughlin (2008); it will involve working with the whole family which is constantly changing making it complex and diverse. It may consist of parents or carers who share the same race, class, culture, or sexuality, but alternatively it may not. Members within the family help to determine our behaviour, roles, rules and stereotyping. To add to this, people are constantly entering and leaving the family system either by marriage, divorce or death. These complexities are shown in ecomaps or genograms. It is important to understand that the child’s welfare is paramount, but in order to achieve positive outcomes for the child, effective work will need to be done within the family. Relationships within a family are known as a system with the family being viewed as a whole, rather than as many individuals. Within family relationships, everyone seeks to uphold the equilibrium so if one member seeks to change, the others seek to resist. However, difficulties include maintaining good relationships and knowing boundaries between professional and personal... ...children, young people and their families can be both complex and difficult. Social work practice is one of the most challenging as it involves work with a diverse range of both professionals and service users. However, there is more that one single reason for this. As all professionals, agencies and parents continue to work together in various different cases, a variety of skills are required including: communication, preparation, intervention skills, assessment of significant harm, research of current legislation and decision making skills, all of which contribute to the complexities and difficulties of social work. It could be argued that these difficulties are highlighted most in many public cases of child abuse; moreover these cases can be seen to be changing social work practice, affecting the difficulties and complexities of working within this profession.

A Philosophic Challenge Essay -- Theory of Evolution, Darwin, DNA

Did you know the odds of proteins necessary to create a strand of DNA lining up in order naturally are only once in 4x10022 years? (Werner 104). That’s highly improbable! Darwin didn’t anticipate that future discoveries would disprove the fundamental tenants of his theory of evolution. Modern science is repeatedly uncovering evidence that Darwinian evolution cannot be the explanation for life on earth because it relies on an implausible claim of spontaneous generation, leaves gaps in the fossil record, and is contradicted by emerging scientific discoveries. Spontaneous generation refers to the theory that the first life form evolved rapidly out of nothing, and all organisms evolved gradually from the original life form. Mounting evidence makes the argument for spontaneous generation untenable. No biological phyla (a level of organism classification) have yet been discovered to support Darwin’s theory. Even more condemning is that Darwin understood taxonomy (the classification of living organisms), but he refused to acknowledge or account for the gaps in his theory (Wilker 24). For example, spontaneous generation, a necessary assumption in Darwin’s theory, cannot explain how proteins are formed. Evolutionists suggest that either proteins or DNA were involved in the first living organism. However, proteins cannot be formed naturally, yet are required for DNA (Werner 105). This raises the â€Å"chicken and egg question,† which came first? Evolutionists cannot explain this, providing no justification for how proteins an d DNA could have been involved in spontaneous generation. Amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, would have had to form naturally to allow for the possibility of spontaneous generation. Yet, an experiment conducte... ...naturalists for using the existence of vestigial organs as an argument for evolution, stating â€Å"vestigial organs provide no evidence for evolutionary theory.† (qtd. in Wells, â€Å"Why Darwinism†) More and more scientific evidence is overturning the biologically based arguments used to support Darwin’s theory. Darwin’s theory falls short of fulfilling explanations for the beginning of life. Darwin’s suggestion that life is spontaneously generated is a leap of faith not supported by science. The fossil record is full of gaps that Darwin’s theory cannot explain, and new discoveries in biology undermine the basis the of evolutionary theory. While Darwin’s theory may have initially seemed plausible when it was first published, modern science has provided evidence that the foundations and hypotheses on which Darwin’s theory of evolution are based cannot possibly be true.

Personalized Conversational Recommendation Systems :: Business Communications

Conversation via Dialogue Management Up: Personalized Conversational Recommendation Systems Conversational Recommendation The goal of recommendation systems is to help users find items of interest, and thus they must eliminate some choices from consideration while keeping others. To achieve this, they must either know or determine the interests of the current user, then present items that satisfy those interests. One of the most widely used approaches for information acquisition in recommendation systems is the use of a simple form (usually a single query box) that the user fills in. Coupled with this, a common presentation format is the ranked list approach. In this scheme, the system presents a usually long list of results, ordered by their predicted relevance to the user. The combined technique of information acquisition through a form and presentation in a list originated in information retrieval, where it was used to help find documents or reports during library research. The basic method, which we refer to as the ranked list approach, is more general, however, and it underlies the simpler search e ngines for the World Wide Web, which are used regularly for many different selection tasks. In contrast, the ADAPTIVE PLACE ADVISOR supports conversations as its mode of interaction. In this approach, one conversational participant, which we call the inquirer, asks a second participant, which we call the advisor, for assistance in selecting an item. For example, if the inquirer is deciding on a restaurant at which to have dinner, the conversation may proceed as follows: 1. Inquirer: Where do you think I should eat tonight? 2. Advisor: What type of food would you like? 3. Inquirer: What types are there? 4. Advisor: You can say things like Chinese, Indian, and Mediterranean. 5. Inquirer: Oh, maybe a cheap Indian place. 6. Advisor: What kind of parking would you like? 7. Inquirer: I don't care, as long as it's in Palo Alto. 8. Advisor: I'm sorry, I don't know of any restaurants like that, would you like to search for any price? 9. Inquirer: No, I think I'd like Chinese instead. 10. Advisor: How does Mandarin Gourmet on 420 Ramona sound?1 11. Inquirer: No, what else do you have? 12. Advisor: How about Jing-Jing Szechwan Hunan Gourmet on 443 Emerson Street? 13. Inquirer: Sure, that sounds fine. We will refer to systems that mimic this approach to recommendation as conversational recommendation systems. The interaction supported by conversational recommendation systems is quite different from that found in the ranked list approach.

Pre Activity Health Screening and Customer Care

Explain the reason why pre-activity health screening is necessary Pre activity health screening is used to highlight health problems that may be aggravated by physical exercise. A fitness instructor can then assess and prescribe the correct fitness plan for the individual. Screening takes place in the form of a questionnaire and physiological measurements. Some health risks looked for by taking part in pre activity health screening are shown by Woolf, May (2006), categorised by risk factor.The first category is known as ‘primary risk factor’s’ which include high cholesterol and high blood pressure. These problems are related to some of highest risks to health such as heart attack when completing exercise . The ‘Secondary risk factor’s’ that may be aggravated by exercise include obesity that is indicated by a body mass index of over thirty kg/m2 and physical inactivity indicated by a failure to reach the minimum fitness standard required. The la st category is ‘non modifiable risks’ that is made up of factors that can not be helped such as age and a family history of heart disease.Someone over the age of fifty is also considered to be a factor in this category. When an individual has completed a health screening questionnaire they may then be asked to take part in further tests in the form of physiological measurements. A persons body mass index may be taken by dividing their weight by height. This can tell a fitness instructor whether the individual is over weight which would need consideration when an exercise plan was produced.An individuals blood pressure may also be taken as a high reading is considered a high risk factor contributing to coronary heart disease. Another test that may be carried out would be the weight to hip ratio which measures distribution of fat around the body. If the person has more weight around the abdomen it is known as ‘apple shaped’ and is related to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Completing pre activity health screening is becoming increasingly important for the fitness industry as the need for their services becomes more opular. The evidence shown suggests that health screening has the potential to save lives through diagnosing health problems that may be aggravated by certain physical activity, however a different kind of activity may be appropriate. Although health screening questionnaires are good for highlighting health risks the physiological measurements taken after are vital to further help both the instructor and the individual to diagnose health problems. (405) Q2) Discuss and analyse Reshma’s results.Your analysis should identify whether or not the results fall into healthy ranges, and discuss the implications of this with a particular focus on the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Reshma’s PAR questionnaire showed that she answered ‘no’ all the questions, however she admitte d to smoking ten cigarettes a day which is putting her at risk of serious health problems and is classed as a ‘primary health risk’ leading to coronary heart disease (Woolf May 2006). A number of physiological measurements were then taken. Reshma had a blood pressure which read 140 over 100 millimetres of mercury.Andy Russel explains that the first reading is systolic pressure which is a contracting heart and diastolic pressure is the heart relaxed. The average reading should be between 100 to 140 over 60 to 90 (mmhg) (The Open University 2008). A reading over 130 and 85 provides more risk of coronary heart disease in middle aged people . (Vasan et al 2001). Reshma then had her resting heart rate measured at 90 beats per minute. According to Netfit (2009), the average heart beat of a women of 48 years old should be between 74 and 77 and anything over 84 BPM is thought to be poor.Stress is one cause of a rapid heart beat and regular exercise would lower heart rate consid erably. Reshma has a body mass index of 30. 5 which is calculated by dividing weight and height. Marie Toms explains that healthy people have readings between 19 and 24 and that anything over 30 is classed as obese (The Open University 2008). Reshma is putting herself at a higher risk of coronary heart disease and other risks such as cancer. Regular exercise would help Reshma lower her BMI and make her a lot healthier. Reshma’s waist to hip ratio was a reading of 1. 0.As Sharky and Gaskill (2007) suggest, the safe limit for women is between . 75 and . 8 which shows Reshma is in further danger of health problems which could be reduced by regular exercise. Reshma’s body fat percentage is shown at 33%. This reading is taken in 4 measurements with a calliper from the arm and back. According to Family education (2010), the average body fat percentage for a women of between 20 to 50 years old should be between 17 to 27 %. Reshma is clearly over the safe limits of body fat an d combined with her other measurements is putting herself at serious risk.The evidence shows that Reshma is at higher risk of cardiovascular disease due to her results. Physical activity can reduce these risks and with regular exercise participation, Reshma would be considerably healthier. If Reshma stopped smoking she would decrease her chance of health problems even more. (402) Q3) Outline how physical activity could have a positive effect on Reshma’s health. If Reshma began a fitness plan she would see dramatic improvements to not only her physical health but her mental health too.Improvements to the efficiency of the vascular system and metabolic changes would increase better health both physical and mental health by reducing stress. Sharky and Gaskill (2007), describes the Vascular system as having many tasks in the body which include carrying blood with oxygen, hormones and food to the cells of the body. The system can be made more efficient when a person takes part in physical activity by reducing blood clotting in narrow coronary arteries. This is achieved by the arteries being made larger and educing the risk of blockage due to plaque in the heart therefore reducing the risk of heart disease. A notable change of the system for Reshma would be that of blood pressure being reduced when regular exercise is carried out. Another benefit of physical activity on the system would be that blood volume increases by 10 to 15 percent and in doing this will lower Reshma’s heart rate over time. The metabolic changes to the body when participating in physical activity contribute to many factors in helping Reshma become healthier.Blood lipids including high cholesterol and triglycerides can be a factor of coronary heart disease. Important metabolic changes would be seen with an increase in fat metabolism because exercise burns fat and increases muscle which further helps to reduce fat. The metabolic changes are significant to Reshma as the metabolism of fat would help to lower her body mass index and would further contribute to a lower waist to hip ratio and body fat percentage. Physical activity not only helps physical health but can also improve mental health.Reshma has high blood pressure due to a busy lifestyle. Hendrix and Hughes(1997) states that regular exercise contributes to good health by lowering diastolic blood pressure and reducing stress. Exercise is also thought to be the best form of stress management because it not only reduces the risk of physiological problems but can also reduce anxiety and depression through its relaxing abilities. These factors would lower Reshma’s blood pressure to an acceptable level. When it comes to Reshma taking part in physical activity the benefits to health are endless.A more efficient vascular system and metabolic changes improve physiological factors in the body and improved mental health reduces the stress leading to a lower blood pressure and a better overall lifestyle. (39 9) Task 2 Q 1) What legislation governs health and safety in a sport and fitness facility, and how might these relate to this accident. The main legislation in the sport and fitness sector is the ‘Health and Safety Act Ect 1974’ . This act is known as a Statute Law which means it is provided by parliament and contains a number of acts that relate to all health and safety topics in an industry.The Child Protection at Work in Sport Unit may also be interested in Luke and Fiona’s case. As Heany and Goody (2008) suggest, the Health and Safety Executive governs a lot of the health and safety aspects in the sport and fitness sector through ‘The Health and Safety Act ect 1974’. The act protects the health and safety of people at work but it also provides health and safety for visitors to a facility. An important Factor in the case of Luke and Fiona could be ‘The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999’ which states that an empl oyer should carry out a risk assessment including risks to people not in his employment.A court may then ask if an appropriate risk assessment was carried out in preventing such injury happening to Fiona. The Child Protection at Work in Sport Unit, which is part of the ‘National Society for the prevention of cruelty to children’ may show concern because they may ask why Luke took Fiona into the gym in the first place As the sport and fitness sector grows in stature, the ‘Health and Safety Executive’ becomes more important in the guidance it gives in the of running the industry. (252) Task 2 Q2) Discuss whether or not Luke or his 14 year old Fiona would have a case for negligence against the facility.Explain the reason for your answer. Before a verdict of negligence is awarded a court will use the ‘law of tort’ which takes into account many factors. Jane Goody (2008) describes the law of ‘Tort’ as being a French word for a wrong and that the law makes a defendant protect someone from harm and owe a person a duty of care. The court must prove this by showing the defendant owed the person a duty of care, that the duty of care was broken and that the person received injury due to a breach to the duty of care. Negligence is further explored by using other laws such as ‘Occupiers liability’ and the ‘Reasonableness test‘.These are of much importance in the case of Luke and Fiona When it comes to Luke and Fiona the receptionist does not owe a duty of care because although she let Fiona into the premises, she did not let her into the gym. However the Fitness Instructor did owe Fiona a duty of care because he did not ask for any form of identification. In doing this he broke that duty of care and it could be said, he then breached that duty of care when she was injured. Occupiers liability is the law that gives the occupier of a property or land, the responsibility to make sure such land or pro perty is safe for people to enter.The notable law in the case of Luke and Fiona is that of Occupiers law of 1984 which states that land should be safe even for trespassers. (Jane Goody 2008). Fiona was classed as a trespasser as she entered the gym without permission but the owner still had to make it safe for her as a trespasser. However, the law then becomes more important in the case of Luke and Fiona because even though the defendant has a duty of care to make a facility safe for all, the law changes if the claimant is a child who should have been under the care of an adult.The court may then say that Luke was being negligent for taking Fiona into the gym and it was his responsibility to look after her especially as she should not have been there in the first place. The reasonableness test takes into account whether a defendant acted in a reasonable way in the circumstance and also takes into account any different behavior by the defendant or the claimant, the size of the risk a nd whether injury could have been prevented. Special qualifications held by the defendant are also taken into account (Jane Goody 2008)In the case of Luke and Fiona it could be said that the gym instructor was being unreasonable in not asking Fiona for any identification. In other aspects the instructor could have acted in a reasonable way because Fiona fell over and no equipment was involved however the situation would change if Fiona slipped on a wet floor or fell over equipment because it should have been checked and deemed safe by the instructor. The evidence shows that a case of negligence could be successful in many factors but the law of occupiers liability may lead to an unsuccessful claim .The gym instructor broke his duty of care to Fiona by not asking for identification . Occupiers liability shows that although Fiona was trespassing she had a right to safety, however an award may be reduced or lost because Luke was being negligent in taking Fiona to the gym. 566) .Bibliog raphy 1 & 2) Woolf, May (2006), study topic 3: Minimising the health risks of physical activity in E112 Introduction to Sport, Fitness and Management study guide, Milton Keynes, The Open University. 3) The Open University (2008) E112 Introduction to Sport, Fitness and Management DVD, Milton Keynes, The Open University. ) Vasan et al (2001) ‘Hypertension and Stroke’ in Fitness and Health (6th edn) Sharky and Gaskill (2007), Leeds, Human Kinetics. 5) Netfit (2009) ‘Resting Heart Rate’ (online). Available from: Http://netfit. co. uk/fitness/test/resting-heart-rate. htm (accessed 17th January 2010). 6) The Open University (2008) E112 Introduction to Sport, Fitness and Management DVD, Milton Keynes, The Open University. 7) Sharky, B. J. and Gaskill, S. E. (2007) Fitness and Health (6th edn), Leeds, Human Kinetics. 8) Family Education (2009) ‘Fat Percentage Chart’ (online), Available from: Http://life. familyeducation. com/weight/body-image/46748. tm l (Accessed 17th January 2010). 9) Sharky, B. J. and Gaskill, S. E. (2007) Fitness and Health (6th edn), Leeds, Human Kinetics. 10) Hendrix and Hughes (1997) ‘Activity Minimises Stress’ in Sharky and Gaskill (2007) Fitness and Health (6th edn), Leeds, Human Kinetics. 11) Heany and Goody (2008) ‘Physical Activity and Health and Safety’ in E112 Introduction to Sport, Fitness and Management Study Guide, Milton Keynes, The Open University. 12) Goody,M. (2008) Negligence: ‘Legal Frameworks of Health and Safety’ in Oakley, B. and Rhys, M. (eds) The Sport and Fitness Sector: An Introduction, London, Routledge/Milton Keynes, The Open University.