Evaluation of Barclays Bank in India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Evaluation of Barclays Bank in India - Essay Example After the deregulation and reformation initiatives taken by the Ministry of Finance and the Reserve Bank of India for improving the structure of Indian banking Industry, the banks in India are performing better in comparison of other developing nations. Enhancing economic condition of Indian people is another key factor for the success of Indian Banking Industry and other macro-economic factors are also favourable for growth of Indian banking sector. However, due to dominance of Indian domestic banks, Barclays have wisely selected its target market i.e. the HNI and HRI clients. Besides, it is also trying to offer world class services to position itself as a leading global bank. The process of globalisation has influenced the entire process of human activities and globalisation of trade and business in one of the most significant instance for global economies. It has also given birth to the global banking sectors as many banks from developed countries are trying to enter in the emerging nations like China and India. The growing economic stability and increasing disposable income of India, many multinational companies including banks have entered in this market and these MNC banks are also experiencing a rapid growth in Indian market (Arasu, 2008, p.274). This paper will attempt to present an evaluation of Barclays Bank, a leading global bank for its Indian market business. The primary objective this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of Barclays in India using multiple analytical strategic tools. Barclays bank is basically a UK-based multinational bank established in more than 330 years ago, and for market expansion, it has also entered into the most of emerging and developed countries like Middle East, U.S.A., Asian countries, European countries (Barclays-a, 2011). Barclays bank entered into the Indian financial market during 1970s and since then, it has experienced tremendous growth and success. In Indian market it offers retail as well as commercial banking services catering more than 400,000 customers and clients. It has opened its multiple banking units in most of Indian cities.  

Judy Chicago Essay Example for Free

Judy Chicago Essay Judy Chicago was a â€Å"celebrated artisan, writer and a feminist. † On July 20, 1939, Arthur and May Cohen of Chicago, Illinois who were then a labor organizer and a medical secretary respectively were blessed with a baby girl and they named her Judy. In 1962, she earned her Bachelor’s Degree on Fine arts at UCLA. After 2 years, she received her Master’s degree on the same course and at the same university. By 1977, Judy was already receiving accolades and rewards for her artworks and art exhibitions particularly at the â€Å"Los Angeles County Museum of Art. † In 1969, Judy decided to change her name to Judy Chicago in honor of her hometown. She was able to conduct a â€Å"one-woman show at California State University at Fullerton in 1970. † While Judy’s career was growing, her lovely life was not doing so well. After 2 years of marriage Jerry Gerowitz, she became a widow. Then, she met Lloyd Hamrol in 1969 and divorced him after a decade. Her last husband was Donald Woodman whom she married in 1985 (Harvard University Library). When Chicago was in her late 20’s to early 30’s, she experimented with the use of â€Å"reduced geometric shapes. † More so, she utilized all various forms of art to convey her minimalist style. The utilization of basic forms and colors combined with the evasion of â€Å"incisive cultural commentary,† Chicago was able to put form or meaning to her ideas and art techniques. As a result, she was able to create artworks that â€Å"were formulative to her landmark â€Å"spectral color† theory that has informed all of her subsequent work† (Through the Flower). In the 1960s to 1970s, American society was energized by activism which encouraged the public to question the status quo or the ruling class. It was in this period that Chicago was inspired to initiate a new movement in the art world called the Feminist Art (Through the Flower). The unusual political and social views of Chicago were the results of â€Å"her childhood influences such as her father who was a member of the Communist Party and recognized the oppression of women. † She was considered to be part of the â€Å"red-diaper baby† genre wherein most of the children born in the early 1940s were raised in a progressively manner which was a â€Å"spillover of the WWII atmosphere of leftist and Communist thinkers† but in the case of Chicago, it was more of a â€Å"working-class Jews† scenario. More so, within the family Judy, the â€Å"left-wing politics† replaced Orthodox Judaism. † Through this, Judy was shaped into having an identity that was linked to the Jewish culture with a reputation of being an intellectual with â€Å"a commitment to social justice. † This clearly became the foundation for the creation of Chicago’s radical and socially relevant artworks including the Holocaust Project: From Darkness Into Light (WordPress. com). Chicago started to teach feminism through art education and other academic programs for women at â€Å"California State University, Fresno, and the California Institute of the Arts. † According to Chicago, â€Å"Women’s history was neglected or added on, as opposed to integrated into the full history of the human species†¦both implicitly and explicitly the message that is communicated is that what women did wasn’t important† (Pogrebin 1). It was in these academic institutions that Chicago founded the â€Å"Feminist Art Program† that yielded the Womanhouse, which was the â€Å"first installation demonstrating an openly female point of view in art. Chicago’s ideas helped to initiate a worldwide Feminist Art movement. † Then this was followed by the creation of Chicago’s one of most popular masterpiece, The Dinner Party. This artwork was focused on portraying the history of women. It was a multimedia project that showed the evolution of the female specie in the Western Civilization. Because of the forward-thinking concept and unique approach and the enormous support from the people all over the world, The Dinner Party became a huge success (Through the Flower). The Dinner Party is a 48 feet triangle-shaped table which is set for 39 significant women from history to mythology. Each of the set of plate was intended to visually honor the corresponding woman. Different types and designs of table wares were strewn all over the table. But it was the plates that embodied Chicago’s creativity and distinctive qualities. The plates were painted with â€Å"an undulating, flowerlike abstraction of femininity. † Additionally, the porcelain base contained the 999 more names of distinguished women all over the world. In this particular work of art, Chicago was trying to impart women’s history to broad and different types of individuals (WordPress. com). Overall The Dinner Party was a huge undertaking for Chicago that reflected her passion, beliefs and personality. After this, Chicago ventured into making another great piece of art which was called Birth Project. This project was comprised of several massive â€Å"series of birth and creation images for needlework,† which were intricately made by skilled workers from different parts of the country. In her later years, Chicago was able to produce numerous artworks in various forms such as paintings, sculptures, drawings and many others. In Powerplay, she incorporated a feminist point of view to the â€Å"gender construct of masculinity† (Through the Flower). Through Judy Chicago’s unwavering conviction that art can be an instrument for conveying â€Å"intellectual transformation, social change and women’s right to engage in the highest level of art production,† she was able to change how women perceived in modern world. Because of her many achievements, she was able to establish herself as an â€Å"an artist, writer, teacher, and humanist whose work and life are models for an enlarged definition of art, an expanded role for the artist, and womens right to freedom of expression† (Judychicago. com). Works Cited â€Å"Biography. † 2009. Judychicago. com. 13 April 2009 http://www. judychicago. com/? p=biography â€Å"Chicago, Judy. † September 2004. Harvard University Library. 13 April 2009 http://oasis. lib. harvard. edu/oasis/deliver/deepLinkcollection=oasisuniqueId=sch00326 â€Å"Judy Chicago. †2009. Through the Flower. 12 April 2009 http://www. throughtheflower. org/page. php? p=40n=3 â€Å"Judy Chicago: Art As Activism. † 26 October 2007. WordPress. com. 13 April 2009 http://ourdescent. wordpress. com/2007/10/28/judy-chicago-art-as-activism/ Pogrebin, Robin. â€Å"Ms. Chicago, Party of 39? Your Table’s Ready in Brooklyn. 1 February 2007. The New York Times. 13 April 2009 http://www. nytimes. com/2007/02/01/arts/design/01party. html? pagewanted=1_r=3fta=y

The Good Earth: Family Structure in Rural China :: Pearl Buck Good Earth Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most critiques of The Good Earth are preoccupied with the authentic quality of the novel, and while the Western critiques praise it as a novel based on facts, the Chinese hold a different view. Kang Younghill, a Chinese man, in reference to the image Pearl Buck created of China, stated that "it is discouraging to find that the novel works toward confusion, not clarification" (Kang 368). This statement illuminates Kang's feelings that the details, which Buck had presented as factual in the novel, were contrary to the actual life of the Chinese. Yet researches have shown that Buck was rightly informed and presented her information correctly. One detail that she paid special attention to was the family structure within the rural Chinese family, which she presented in the form of the Wang Lung household. The family structure demonstrated by Buck is not restricted to the Wang Lung family, but was a part of every rural Chinese home in the early 1900s. Every member 's experiences within the family structure are determined by the role and expectations placed on them by the society, and Buck was careful to include these experiences in Wang Lung's family.      Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the World Book Encyclopedia, in rural China, persons live in large family units, and it was ideal that five generations live under the same roof. Even so, most peasants live in nuclear families, and the extended family can only be afforded by the wealthy. ("China: family life" 483) This was perhaps one of the reasons why Buck transported Wang Lung from a peasant to a great landlord, so she could establish an extended family structure that was ideal to all Chinese families. When Wang Lung was just married he lived in a somewhat simple nuclear family, except for the presence of his father that would make it like an extended family. Moreover, the Chinese perception of a nuclear family included the father, but when members other than the children are introduced, the family would then be an extended one. Thus, Wang Lung's nuclear family is comprised of himself, O-lan, his wife, and his father. After he had his children, there were three generations un der his roof. Wang Lung soon began to prosper, and had an extended family when his uncle and his family moved into Wang Lung's house.

Sylvia Plath Poetry Notes

Sylvia Plath Plath’s poetry depicts her quest for poetic inspiration and vision: In her early poems, like ‘Black Rook’, Plath sees inspiration as transcendent, something that would announce itself to her from the external world. Plath’s language implies that she awaits a visitation of beauty, like the Annunciation by the angel in the Bible. Plath longs for an occasional ‘portent’ or ‘back talk from the mute sky’. She doesn’t believe in religious epiphany; but she uses Christian language as an analogy to convey her longing.Her longing is for even brief moments of revelation from things, nature or the universe: ‘As if a celestial burning took possession of the most obtuse objects now and then—Thus hallowing an interval otherwise inconsequent’. Throughout the poem ‘Black Rook’, Plath uses ‘fire’ and associated words as an analogy for poetic inspiration or vision. See the extended no te on this point in Imagery below. In ‘Black Rook’, Plath is resigned to the fact that inspiration involves a ‘long wait’. The euphoria of inspiration is ‘rare, random’ and brief.By the time Plath Wrote ‘Finisterre’ four years later, she had ceased to seek or discern enlightenment or any transcendent reality in nature and the universe: ‘Our Lady of the Shipwrecked †¦ does not hear what the sailor or the peasant is saying – She is in love with the beautiful formlessness of the sea’ [Finisterre] . Instead, she discerns: ‘Black admonitory cliffs’ and ‘Souls, rolled in the doom-noise of the sea’. Plath’s perception of the world is therefore very bleak. In the poem ‘Mirror’, the poet’s quest for beauty and vision has turned inwards. She gazes inwards towards the self.She seeks despairingly for enlightenment through self-examination. What she finds appals her: ‘A woman bends over me, searching my reaches for what she really is†¦ tears and an agitation of hands’. In ‘Pheasant’, Plath declares her atheistic stance: ‘I am not mystical. It isn't As if I thought it had a spirit. It is simply in its element. ’ However, Plath shows that not all her poems are bleak. She experiences the aesthetic beauty of nature. She enjoys the beauty of a natural creature in its environment: ‘It unclaps, brown as a leaf, and loud, Settles in the elm, and is easy. ’In ‘Elm’ Plath probes her subconscious, and states she is saturated with self-knowledge. Plath experiences harrowing visions within the inner self. Plath invents a demon in her subconscious that gives her a very self-destructive vision: ‘I am incapable of more knowledge. What is this, this face So murderous in its strangle of branches? — Its snaky acids kiss. It petrifies the will. These are the isolate, slow faults That kill, that kill, that kill. ’ [Elm] In ‘Poppies in July’, Plath seems so emotionally exhausted that she has given up the rational pursuit of the truth or any kind of vision.She longs for drugged relief, for a ‘colourless’ state: ‘Where are your opiates, your nauseous capsules’. In ‘Child’ Plath has lost the capacity to find beauty for herself: ‘this troublous Wringing of hands, this dark Ceiling without a star’ But she feels a desire to provide visions of wonder and beauty for her infant’s eye: ‘I want to fill it with color and ducks, The zoo of the new’ [Child] Plath explores her own depression. Plath is exhausted and aimless: ‘not seek any more in the desultory weather some design†¦ this season of fatigue’ [Black Rook]Plath predicts her own fading away, destruction or ‘effacement’: ‘I'm no more your mother than the cloud that distils a mirror to reflect its own slow effacement at the wind's hand’ [Morning Song] Plath uses a bleak landscape to portray her own despair: ‘This was the land's end: the last fingers, knuckled and rheumatic, Cramped on nothing. Black Admonitory cliffs, and the sea exploding With no bottom, or anything on the other side of it, Whitened by the faces of the drowned. Now it is only gloomy, a dump of rocks†¦ Bay of the Dead’ [Finisterre] Plath reveals intense grief: When they free me, I am beaded with tears’ [Finisterre] Plath confesses her deep anguish: ‘She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands’ [Mirror] Plath is very self-critical: ‘I trespass stupidly. Let be, let be. ’ [Pheasant] Plath’s fears becomes ever more nightmarish: ‘I am terrified by this dark thing that sleeps in me’ [Elm] Plath reveals that she is inflicting suffering on herself: ‘Is it for such I agitate my heart’ [Elm] Plath confesses the trau matic effect of electric-convulsive treatment: ‘I have suffered the atrocity of sunsets.Scorched to the root My red filaments burn and stand, a hand of wires’ [Elm] Plath confesses that isolation and lack of love haunt her: ‘I am inhabited by a cry. Nightly it flaps out Looking, with its hooks, for something to love’ [Elm] Plath reveals that she is becoming powerless to deal with her illness: ‘Its snaky acids kiss. It petrifies the will’ [Elm] Plath has moments when she longs to escape her mind through drugs: ‘Or your liquors seep to me, in this glass capsule, dulling and stilling’ [Poppies]

Intensive Mothering

Other writers, like Sharon Hays, mount descriptions of American mothering that implicitly criticize some of the facets of attachment parenting. After reading these authors' pieces alongside the work of attachment parenting proponents Like Lauren Lindsey Porter, William and Martha Sears, and Katie Allison Grange, do you believe that the critics' condemnation of attachment parenting Is fair? Does AP place undue demands on women? Why or why not? Questions to Ponder: Is attachment parenting synonymous with â€Å"intensive mothering? † Why or why not?Do you think attachment parenting always entails the type of parenting the authors criticize, or might aspects of attachment parenting in fact work against â€Å"intensive mothering? Is the rise of attachment parenting to blame for the stressful nature of motherhood in contemporary American society, or are other social structures at fault (e. G. Lack of maternity/family leave, lack of subsidized public childcare options, etc. )? Are t he practices AP promotes (co-sleeping, breastfeeding, and barreling, for example) problematic? Are they Incompatible with paid work?How does social class Influence the practice of attachment parenting, and do the authors myopically focus on the middle/upper-middle classes? Why do you think attachment parenting has been targeted as an object of criticism? Note that I do not expect you to answer all of these questions; I'm including them merely to give you a sense of some of the directions you might take with your Format and Specifications: In an approximately 4-5 page (1200-1500 word) paper, make a claim about whether or not you believe the critique of AP levied by the critics Is a fair and reasonable one, and why.The why Is as Important If not more Important than the stance Itself, and should play a part in your actual claim, so that your claim is not merely â€Å"the critique Your claim should be clear yet robust, and contestable, and you should draw on at east 2-3 of our in-class readings (note that you may use the Accredited and Blades and Rowe-Finickier readings on paid work and mothering as well) to support it. You should also cite at least one source that we have not read together as a class (more on that later), for a minimum of 3-4 sources.All of the papers you write for this class should adhere to MEAL guidelines both for citations (which will be parenthetical) and for the works cited page. You need not include works Vive given you to read for this course in your works cited page, but you should always put any outside sources that you cite on your works cited page. Please refer to your syllabus for specifications on margins, font, font size, and word count! Outside Sources: The following links might prove to be useful in learning more about the theory and practice of attachment parenting, and may lead you to other sources as well.I will generally accept any of the information on these sites as credible sources on attachment parenting as it is perceiv ed by its adherents. Www. Disenfranchisements. Org (official website of Attachment Parenting International Group) www. Wisped. Org (note that I don't normally encourage the use of Wisped for academic research, but TTS entry on AP is actually quite accurate and helpful; also contains links to other sites) www. Saddlers. Com (more from William Sears) www. Gastrointestinal]u. Com (this is Grange's blob; you can also link too list of her essays and articles from here) www. Naturalistic. Mom (the site on which the Porter reading appears; explores AP from a â€Å"Natural Family Living† perspective) www. Mothering. Com (website for â€Å"Mothering† magazine, an AP/NFG publication; contains numerous articles and hosts the largest discussion board on the web regarding attachment parenting issues) If you have questions or concerns about a source you intend to use, and whether it is reliable, feel free to ask me my opinion. You will have more time and opportunity to refine your u se of outside sources during the revision stage, but you should make a reasonable attempt to flesh out your evidence in this draft.Rhea Shawnee English Paper I-Draft Parenthood can often be extremely overwhelming and demanding. Putting aside your entire life and giving up everything to satisfy the needs of your baby is not an easy or poses a huge responsibility on parents. In my opinion, the critiques condemnation of attachment parenting is not fair. I believe that the concept of attachment is reasonable and infant necessary for infants to develop into skilled, independent and mature individuals who share a strong emotional bond with their parents.First and foremost, it is essential to know what Attachment parenting is all about? It is ‘an approach of raising children who are well connected to their parents rather than a strict set of rules. ‘A common misconception that people have is considering intensive mothering to be a synonym for attachment parenting. Intensive mot hering is based on the idea of completely sacrificing your needs and desires and devoting our life to your child or in other words letting your child dictate your life.Most of the articles such as DRP. Laurel's neighborhood focuses on the extreme extent people go to in order to raise their child in the â€Å"perfect† way. The author in a rather sarcastic tone aims to make the readers realize that even in the sass's and ass's parents raised babies who turned out to be Just fine without the concern that they aren't spending enough time with their kids and needing to demonstrate in countless ways each and everyday that you really, really love your child'.It lays emphasis on the fact that if you re unable to provide technologically advanced gadgets like ‘Baby-Be-Safe Crib sheet or video surveillance cameras to keep a check on the nanny looking after your baby or electronic monitors to check the babies heart rate even before he is born' you are considered an incompetent pare nt.Attachment parenting on the other hand means ‘opening your mind and heart to the individual needs of your baby and letting your knowledge of your child be your guide to making on the spot decisions about what works best for both the mother and child, that is learning read the cues of your baby and responding appropriately to those uses. ‘ It encourages parents to find out which parenting style fits their lifestyle in the best way and modify what does not work for them. As sears says, â€Å"Like any Journey, parenting requires adjustments along the way. Attachment parenting does not pose undue demands on women in the sense that it is not compelling you to do all the seven Baby Bi's and being practical and realistic, if not impossible it is extremely difficult to do everything that is recommended. It mainly advises you to incorporate whatever makes the connection between you and your child stronger in your day to ay routine. Attachment parenting does not expect parents to spend 24 hours of a day Just attending to your child, instead it's the quality of time during which you are able to develop a feeling of trust and make your baby feel that he/she can rely on you for his needs.A frequently asked question that people have is won't the constant nursing and attention giving to your child be problematic? People feel tied down with the seven Bi's of attachment parenting and might consider them to be challenging. However, many attachment parents after being interviewed stated, â€Å"l feel so connected with y baby. † â€Å"l feel right when with her, not right when we're apart. † â€Å"l feel fulfilled. † The seven Bi's of baby wearing include, ‘breastfeeding, balance, beware of baby wearing and birth bonding. Attachment parenting is a very typical way of parenting and all these practices have been practiced all over the world for hundreds of years only recently these practices have been termed together as attachment parentin g. Though some people may consider the seven Baby Bi's to be highly problematic if they are working mothers but as stated earlier, it is not mandatory to follow all seven of them. For instance, I feel breastfeeding is essential for the health of the baby, moreover, ‘Current studies show that babies who are breast fed tend to be healthier, more secure and even score higher on IQ tests!In addition the bond between breastfeeding mom and baby tends to help form a secure attachment for the baby as he or she grows. Breastfeeding also tends to be an economical choice for many families. ‘ ‘A British study of 36 middle-class mothers and their three-year-olds found that securely-attached children scored 12 points higher on the Stanford-Bines intelligence test than did insecurely attached children (Crandall and Hobnobs 1999). Since research has proven that breastfeeding is vital for healthier growth of babies I think it would be unfair for those babies who are not breast-fed. Another topic that is highly debated over is whether a baby should co-sleep or not? Research has come to a conclusion that co sleeping reduces stress and anxiety levels among babies as they sleep in a safe and sound environment close to their parents. Co-sleeping may be a stress-reducer as well. A British study reports that children (aged 3-8) who slept in their parents' rooms showed lower daily levels of the stress hormone cortical (Wentworth 2007).Its is argued upon by people who say that it may be dangerous for the baby to sleep on the same bed as the parent and co sleeping may be spoiling the baby as it would not make him independent and the baby needs to learn how to sleep alone at some point. However, co-sleeping does not mean that the baby has to sleep on the same bed as the parent. The baby can sleep anywhere in the same room as the parents or in a crib right next to the parents bed it would still be considered co sleeping.The main idea is for the baby to be close to the par ents so that the parents can easily tend to the baby if needed. If pondered upon, intensive mothering is much more problematic in comparison to attachment parenting. Intensive mothering is Judging your capability as a mother on the basis of your ability to afford expensive and luxurious products. In that sense it can be said that attachment parenting is reasonable, as at least it is not expecting parents to go over the top to raise their child.All Attachment parenting is asking parents to do is treating your child with love and affection and to getting to know your child better. Which part of that is unreasonable or unfair for mothers? A child is not a machine; it is not inbuilt with functions neither goes it come into this wide world prepared to react to all the situations it is faced with. Parents need to understand what is going on the babies mind and respond accordingly. This can only be possible if the parent spends enough time with their baby. If parents are unable to find som e time out they should not to have a baby.As critiques put it, attachment parenting may pose undue demands on women, as she is the sole person who can provide the kind of care, love and attention that the baby is unable to devote herself to her babies needs when he/she needs it the most she is not ready for the challenges of motherhood. In western cultures, it is not an obligation for a married couple to have children. If both parents are professionals and have chosen their career over their family, it would be a wiser option not to have babies, as there is no point raising a child who is going to be neglected.In several parts of the world such as India, it is almost mandatory for a married couple to have children or else the family members along with the society raise questions and the mother is expected to leave everything aside and raise the baby. This is very customary in India, as my own grandfather did not let my mother continue with her equines, as he wanted her sole attentio n to be on raising her children. Therefore, a majority of the Indian babies are attachment parented. However, in countries like America, no one is putting a gun to your head to have a baby.It is entirely the couple's choice. Therefore, in conclusion, the fact remains that every individual is unique and one parenting style cannot fit everyone. I feel that a majority of the critiques â€Å"who tend to criticize attachment parenting don't really understand what attachment parenting is all about,† â€Å"So many studies show that if you meet the needs of a child when she's nouns, she will grow into becoming more independent. † Attachment parenting is a broad parenting style that promotes seven ways to get connected with your baby.Moreover, attachment parenting is exactly what has been practiced all over the world for years only now its been given a name; the only change that has occurred is that there has been a significant increase in the number of working mothers. Attachm ent parenting is criticized because it is thought to pose strenuous demands on working mothers but it is always possible to try to mix and match parenting style and figure out what works for them. It is not setting out a strict set of rules to raise a baby and above all it is because of its flexibility why I feel attachment parenting is fair and reasonable.

Lessons on French Parts of Speech

Lessons on French Parts of Speech Learning French is hard, and its even harder if you dont understand the basics of grammar in your own language. If your mind boggles when people start talking about nouns, adjectives, and other parts of speech, this lesson is for you. The eight parts of speech are listed below, with each one bolded in a sample sentence. Click each term to learn more about it, including examples, tips on figuring out which part of speech a particular word belongs to, and links to more detailed lessons. Adjective Je parle lentement parce que les nouveaux à ©tudiants sont la table.I am speaking slowly because the new students are at the table. Adverb Je parle lentement parce que les nouveaux à ©tudiants sont la table.I am speaking slowly because the new students are at the table. Article Je parle lentement parce que les nouveaux à ©tudiants sont la tableI am speaking slowly because the new students are at the table Conjunction Je parle lentement parce que les nouveaux à ©tudiants sont la tableI am speaking slowly because the new students are at the table Noun Je parle lentement parce que les nouveaux à ©tudiants sont la tableI am speaking slowly because the new students are at the table Preposition Je parle lentement parce que les nouveaux à ©tudiants sont la tableI am speaking slowly because the new students are at the table Pronoun Je parle lentement parce que les nouveaux à ©tudiants sont la tableI am speaking slowly because the new students are at the table Verb Je parle lentement parce que les nouveaux à ©tudiants sont la tableI am speaking slowly because the new students are at the table

Lower Underage drinking. essays

Lower Underage drinking. essays There is no denying that there is a problem in our country with underage drinking, and that something must be done about it. We have already tried raising the drinking age to 21 and have become stricter with underage drinkers. Ever since the legal drinking age was raised to 21 (in 1987) there has been an increase in binge drinking as well as an increase in problems related to heavy and irresponsible drinking. (www.asfar.org). We must find a way to stop this increase in dangerous binge drinking, and the way we can do this is by lowering the legal drinking age to 18. In the next few paragraphs I will outline the main reasons why the drinking age should be lowered and how this can help combat the irresponsible drinking habits of todays youth. First of all, studies have shown that the current drinking age is counterproductive. (www.rallyusa.org, April 30, 2002) Binge drinking has been on the rise ever since the legal drinking age was raised to 21. Kids now see drinking as a forbidden fruit, a badge of rebellion against authorities, and a symbol of adulthood. Which has caused a lot of irresponsible drinking, and a rise in problems related to heavy drinking. For example after the 21 year old law was passed, students reporting vomiting after drinking went from 46% to over 50% after the law change. The number of students cutting class after drinking also rose form 9% to almost 12%. (Ruth Engs, indiana.edu/%7Eengs/articles/cqoped.html, 1998). Both of these numbers indicate that alcohol is not being used by youths in a responsible manner. For many of these students drinking is more exciting when it is illegal and by denying them alcohol, they want to drink even more. This causes them to turn to underground drinking and of cou rse irresponsible drinking. Ironically, it is the drinking age that drives many y ...

Conjugating the Verb Désobéir (to Disobey) in French

Conjugating the Verb Dà ©sobà ©ir (to Disobey) in French The verb  dà ©sobà ©ir  means to disobey in French. To transform it into the past tense disobeyed or the present tense disobeying, the verb needs to be conjugated. This is a relatively simple French lesson that will show you how to do that. Conjugating the French Verb  Dà ©sobà ©ir French students are often frustrated by verb conjugations because there are so many verb forms to remember. The nice thing about a verb like  dà ©sobà ©ir  is that its a  regular -IR verb. This means that it follows a common conjugation pattern. If you learn this one, verbs like  convertir  (to convert) and  chà ©rir  (to cherish) will be a little easier because the same rules apply. French verb conjugations take into account both the subject pronoun  and  the present, future, or past tense. As you study the chart, notice how the endings attached to the verb stem  dà ©sobà ©-  change. For instance, I disobey is je dà ©sobà ©is and we will disobey is nous dà ©sobà ©irons. Subject Present Future Imperfect je dà ©sobà ©is dà ©sobà ©irai dà ©sobà ©issais tu dà ©sobà ©is dà ©sobà ©iras dà ©sobà ©issais il dà ©sobà ©it dà ©sobà ©ira dà ©sobà ©issait nous dà ©sobà ©issons dà ©sobà ©irons dà ©sobà ©issions vous dà ©sobà ©issez dà ©sobà ©irez dà ©sobà ©issiez ils dà ©sobà ©issent dà ©sobà ©iront dà ©sobà ©issaient The Present Participle of  Dà ©sobà ©ir The  present participle  of dà ©sobà ©ir  is  dà ©sobà ©issant.  This is as simple as adding -ant  to the verb stem. Not only is this a verb, but it also acts as an adjective, gerund, or noun in some circumstances. Another Common Past Tense Form   A  common form of the past tense disobeyed in French is the  passà © composà ©. To form this, begin by conjugating the  auxiliary, or helping verb  avoir, then add the  past participle  dà ©sobà ©i. As an example, I disobeyed is jai dà ©sobà ©i and we disobeyed is nous avons dà ©sobà ©i. More Simple  Dà ©sobà ©ir  Conjugations The following verb forms of  dà ©sobà ©ir  are less common, though you may run into them as you speak and read more French. While you may never use them yourself, its a good idea to be able to recognize them as a form of to disobey. The subjunctive and conditional imply some level of uncertainty or dependency to the verbs action. The passà © simple and imperfect subjunctive are primarily found in French writing. Subject Subjunctive Conditional Passà © Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je dà ©sobà ©isse dà ©sobà ©irais dà ©sobà ©is dà ©sobà ©isse tu dà ©sobà ©isses dà ©sobà ©irais dà ©sobà ©is dà ©sobà ©isses il dà ©sobà ©isse dà ©sobà ©irais dà ©sobà ©it dà ©sobà ©Ãƒ ®t nous dà ©sobà ©issions dà ©sobà ©irions dà ©sobà ©Ãƒ ®mes dà ©sobà ©issions vous dà ©sobà ©issiez dà ©sobà ©iriez dà ©sobà ©Ãƒ ®tes dà ©sobà ©issiez ils dà ©sobà ©issent dà ©sobà ©iraient dà ©sobà ©irent dà ©sobà ©issent The imperative verb form is often used for short and direct commands and requests. This is a simplified conjugation as you can skip the subject pronoun. Rather than saying tu dà ©sobà ©is,  you can use dà ©sobà ©is alone. Imperative (tu) dà ©sobà ©is (nous) dà ©sobà ©issons (vous) dà ©sobà ©issez

Culture briefing for a US based company selling bicycles Essay

Culture briefing for a US based company selling bicycles - Essay Example These divisions include the pre-colonial era, colonial era, and the post-colonial era. Kenya is widely known to comprise forty two tribes each with a distinct mother tongue language. Historically, each and every tribe has its own distinct history in terms of relocations and resettlements, development, communication and relations with other tribes, customs, traditions, as well as in trade and industry. On the basis of resettlements, Kenya’s population is groups into Bantus, Nilotes, and Cushites. Cushites include Somali and Borana among others. Some examples of the Nilotes include Nandi, Pokot, and the Luos. Examples of Bantus include Kikuyu, Embu, Meru, and Kambas. During the pre-colonial era, most individuals in Kenya depended on crops and animals. In 1985, Kenya was colonized by Britain. The country got its independence in 1963 (Hornsby, 2013). Geography According to Hornsby (2013), Kenya is a unique country with an extensive shoreline, a large proportion covered by vegetati on, beautiful mountains, arid region, lakes, as well as home to the Great Rift Valley. The Indian Ocean touches Kenya towards the south east direction. The country has a total of five countries as its neighbors. These countries include Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, Sudan, and Ethiopia. Available sources assert that the country comprises of five climatic regions. These include the Coast, the Rift Valley, Semi-desert, desert, and the lake region. Only twenty percent of the country is considered appropriate for both crop growing and animal keeping. A whooping seventy percent of the country is either desert or semi desert. Political system Since independence, the country has upheld and preserved a centralized form of government. It is important to point out that this centralized form of government brought with it individualistic leaders such as Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel Arap Moi. These rulers were above the law during their tenures as presidents. The current president is the fourth since in dependence. The country adapted a multi-party system in 1992. This saw the emergence of new parties unlike the time of Jomo Kenya and partly during Moi’s era whereby the country had only one political party, Kanu (Hornsby, 2013). Currently, Kenya is divided into forty seven counties each being represented by a governor and a senator. Economic perspective Economically speaking, Kenya is a developing nation. Consequently, this country can be termed as a capitalist nation in terms of the economy. It depends on a large proportion with the international markets for trade and commerce. The country gets most of its revenue through the importation of cash crops such as coffee and tea. Tourism is also well structured and coordinated in Kenya and is a source of foreign exchange. Tourist throng the country’s wildlife reserves, game parks, as well at the coastal region for its favorable and warm climate (Hornsby, 2013). Traditions and customs Kenya comprises of forty two tribes ea ch practicing its own customs and traditions. For instance, Kambas undergo various rites of passage. They undergo initiation to become adult members of the community as early as the age of twelve. Young men are given the responsibility of upholding, preserving, as well as preservation of the community. The final stage among the Kambas is becoming an elder. The Maasai on the other hand are known for keeping animals and making ornaments. There are

Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 23

Business law - Essay Example For example, the opportunities to go to school, where they are expected to attend all classes and pass exams. When minors leave their parents’ home on their own accord, there is little probability that court will force their parents to support them financially. If the minors leave their parents’ home as a result of the influence of other people or failure to abide by the rule stipulated by their family, then parents do not have any financial liability over such a minor. When they leave their home under these circumstances, they have to survive on their own (Brown and Emily 4) Parents are financially liable if minors leave home as a result of mistreatment, lack of food, cloth and to escape from harsh environment that they are subjected to by their parents. A minor is granted financial support in case parents have neglected to provide these things to their children. When the parents cannot afford to pay for expensive things like private school, court cannot force them to pay. This is because where the parents are providing their children with cheap but quality services, their children cannot win a law suit. Parents cannot be forced to provide their children with expensive things like private schools, jewelry and cars if they cannot afford (Brown and Emily 7) Paying of extraordinary costs should be made out of free will of the parent. This is because no one can force other people to provide what they are not able to afford. If parents are willing to pay extra money for their children to attend a private school, they should be the ones to make that decision. However, in case the public school the child is attending is in bad condition and does not offer quality services as compared to private school, then the parents have a duty to see that their children can attend a school where they are able to achieve their goals. This should also include healthcare since it is the children right to quality healthcare

John Cleese & Creativity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

John Cleese & Creativity - Essay Example In his lecture, John Cleese uses many past stories to try to make the listeners get a clear understanding of exactly what message he is trying to pass across to the listeners. One of the lessons was when he talks about how a person’s subconscious can easily help save them from a situation that may seem so bad turn out to be just the opposite of ones expectations. The writer uses the story about his life with his co-writer Graham Chapman. Just like any other human relationship, the two writers also had their fall outs which at some point made John Cleese lost some of his valuable work (Salter, 78). However, this did not deter the writer from reaching into his subconscious and coming up with a new and even better sketch. John got all the ideas for the sketch comedy from his unconscious (Salter, 80). This simply shows that if people were to reach into their subconscious mind and actually look for ways through which to make better a bad situation, maybe the situation wouldn’t be so bad after all. Take the situation of indulging in the use of marijuana. Most people are normally pressured by their peers and never actually think about the consequences. However, if the individual were to reach into their subconscious and try and seek out other alternatives, maybe the situation wouldn’t be so bad after all. Cleese also speaks of people always being more of impulsive thinkers rather than actually taking the time to give a situation deep thought until ones unconscious actually contemplate an idea. The only reason that most people indulge in the use of marijuana is out of fear of what their friends would think of them if they were to say no. People never actually take time to think and let the idea actually sink in. The only reason most people worldwide use the drug is that people try so hard to fit in with the rest of the community. Consequently, people are even willing to partake in the use of drugs as long as at the end of the day they feel like they

Analyze the Current Presidential Campaign Essay

Analyze the Current Presidential Campaign - Essay Example The USA administers general elections for its highest official post of the president of the country after every four years on 4th of November in the leap year. These elections are watched and observed with great curiosity all over the world, and people from different regions of the globe remain well informed regarding the latest developments being made during the election campaign. Problems are discussed, issues are raised and promises are made, according to the prevailing situation, with the people by the presidential candidates. There was a time, when the election campaign of the country was determined by targeting the growing Russian threat, though it has become quite a stalemate during the contemporary era, and the candidates have to set other targets in order to capture the attention of the subjects. â€Å"The United States†, Rice submits, â€Å"has found it exceedingly difficult to define its "national interest" in the absence of Soviet power. That we do not know how to think about what follows the U.S.-Soviet confrontation is clear from the continued references to the "post-Cold War period." Yet such periods of transition are important, because they offer strategic opportunities. During these fluid times, one can affect the shape of the world to come.† (Rice, 2000: retrieved in the Council of Foreign Affairs) Now terrorism, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, price hike of oil products, globalization, the unabated unemployment and widening gulf between the USA and Iran have become the moot point especially during the present campaign for the presidency of the USA. Since this year 2008 is also the election year, many candidates appeared during the election campaign to participate the elections, and arranged demonstration in order to introduce themselves in public. The public listened to the points raised by these candidates and analyzed them in the perspective of the existing uncertain state of

Literacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Literacy - Essay Example Lake uses his son’s cultural literacy and the Indian traditional literacy standards to describe Wind’s state of grace, his power, and functionality within the Indian culture. He describes Wind’s literacy as a state-of-grace by identifying his excellence in learning what has culturally been expected of him. Lake applies traditional standards and succeeds in illustrating how the child’s literacy meets honorable standards by demonstrating his diversified knowledge. The description of the child’s scope of education that has been â€Å"colorful, complicated, sensitive, and diverse† identifies this state-of-grace because of the child’s tender age. The child has also learnt many things that different members of the society engage in. He has learnt from all social groups and this includes his father, mother, and people from both his generation and his parents’ generation. Wind’s literacy also identifies a state of grace because h e is able to apply the learnt concepts such as understanding indicators to natural phenomena (Lake n.p.). The writer also describes power in the child’s literacy by illustrating how the literacy captures the child’s attention to an extent that he can only focus on the knowledge when he identifies an associated phenomenon. When he identifies change in the atmosphere, Wind is carried away, and is captured by what he has learnt and his mind dreams of the things that his traditional literacy taught him that should be done at such times. This means that Wind’s literacy is not only powerful in its self, but is more powerful than the western literacy that has failed to capture Wind’s attention into focusing in class. Lake also uses developed conflict in the child to demonstrate the power in his literacy. When Wind learns that his literacy conflicts with the new form of education in school, the cultural conflict

Public Value and Accessibility of Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Public Value and Accessibility of Art - Essay Example One fact is that it is observable that art allows one to live life happier and lighter. Art can be observed as having played a crucial role in life throughout the ages. It can be described as universal because its presence is seen everywhere, in every country and culture with their own depiction of art. Cave dwellers of prehistoric times used art by drawing on the walls to record history. Religion uses art in recording the life and death of Christ. An artist creates art for a specific reason and purpose, which could be religious, symbolic, customary, traditional or just simply expressive. Whatever the purpose may be, art has been used as a way to express ideas and beliefs. With the question, "does a concern with public value in the cultural sector mean that it should be accessible to all", the answer to this is yes. This position is supported by a number of attempts from a shift of private art museums into making them public and allowing the people to see them. The Louvre is considered a prototypical public art museum that offers civic ritual (Duncan 1995). The Louvre also made public art museums become signs of politically virtuous states. It contributed to the flourishing of the art in public domain that by the end of the 19th century, every western nation had one important public art museum (Duncan 1995). The popularity of public museums had spread in the third world in the 20th century in which military despots and traditional monarchs built them to pay respect to the western values as well as in gratitude to their western military and economic aid (Duncan 1995). It is also said that political advantages go along with public art (Duncan 1995). In Europe, two of the most important public art museums are the Louvre Museum in Paris and the National Gallery in London. The two have different histories and collection yet both of them stand as monuments of the then emerging age of democratic revolutions (Duncan 1995). The cultural value of art is brought more clearly when it is publicized or when the public is allowed to take a view of it. Although in the past, certain works of art were put under censorship and/or created a public stir such as Goya's Nude Maja, these works now are considered an icon of cultural value in which people can study the social condition of the past through them. The government support for the arts can be understood as one in which arts produce cultural benefits while directly enriching artists, art firms, and arts consumers (Frey, 1997). This being said, pursuits for its public value allow for explorations of various possibilities in which they may be further promoted, in which that promotion implies inviting people to view them and making them accessible. Some of the benefits of arts are education, prestige, bequests to future generation, economic development, expressive freedom, and diversity, whose maximization can be realized by making them accessible to all. Through the arts, people may be culturally enriched in a community that involve vital arts sector and supports its undertaking. Despite not having to attend arts events and formal arts studies, the accessibility of arts must be ensured since it provides education through various forms, and people can still obtain education and enhance themselves into

Literacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Literacy - Essay Example Lake uses his son’s cultural literacy and the Indian traditional literacy standards to describe Wind’s state of grace, his power, and functionality within the Indian culture. He describes Wind’s literacy as a state-of-grace by identifying his excellence in learning what has culturally been expected of him. Lake applies traditional standards and succeeds in illustrating how the child’s literacy meets honorable standards by demonstrating his diversified knowledge. The description of the child’s scope of education that has been â€Å"colorful, complicated, sensitive, and diverse† identifies this state-of-grace because of the child’s tender age. The child has also learnt many things that different members of the society engage in. He has learnt from all social groups and this includes his father, mother, and people from both his generation and his parents’ generation. Wind’s literacy also identifies a state of grace because h e is able to apply the learnt concepts such as understanding indicators to natural phenomena (Lake n.p.). The writer also describes power in the child’s literacy by illustrating how the literacy captures the child’s attention to an extent that he can only focus on the knowledge when he identifies an associated phenomenon. When he identifies change in the atmosphere, Wind is carried away, and is captured by what he has learnt and his mind dreams of the things that his traditional literacy taught him that should be done at such times. This means that Wind’s literacy is not only powerful in its self, but is more powerful than the western literacy that has failed to capture Wind’s attention into focusing in class. Lake also uses developed conflict in the child to demonstrate the power in his literacy. When Wind learns that his literacy conflicts with the new form of education in school, the cultural conflict

Modern and Contemporary Poetry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Modern and Contemporary Poetry - Essay Example The post World War 1 Western society according to Elliot is not an integrated unit of individuals. In fact, it is just â€Å"a heap of broken images† (22), which suggests that the individuals are detached from one another and fail to form a functional society. It is like â€Å"the dead tree† (23) that cannot provide shelter to anyone. It reflects an awry state of society whose foundations have crumbled and its individuals are left alone. This line evokes an innate desire of individuals to break away from the oppressive traditions of society and seek refuge in the mountains, where one can exercise the freedom of self. The effects of the First World War on society and individuals were irreparable and it has been portrayed by the gloomy imagery in this poem. â€Å"Unreal City, / Under the brown fog of a winter dawn,† (60-61) A quite depressing state of society that survives under â€Å"the brown fog† has been portrayed in these lines. It is quite possible that Elliot is metaphorically representing the society as the brown fog, which gives a sense of oppression and stagnation because this blanket of â€Å"brown fog† doesn’t let in light or fresh air. It is suffocating for the individuals to live in such society that doesn’t give them the freedom to grow. In the second poem, â€Å"rats’ alley† (115) could be a reference to modern society that has turned into a narrow place with no light or fresh air. It gives a sense of a place where the characters, values and lives of human beings are decaying. One also gets an impression that the society Elliot is talking about is so cold that it dampens the spirit and will of the individuals to move on in their lives. â€Å"But at my back in a cold blast I hear/ The rattle of the bones, and chuckle spread from ear to ear.† (185-186) However, the individuals are still hoping and waiting for a response from the society they are living in

Community Health Practice Essay Example for Free

Community Health Practice Essay Community Description and Data Interpretation Pueblo, Colorado, also known as â€Å"The Home of the Heroes†, was given this proclamation in 1993 by the United States Congress, due to Pueblo having as many as four recipients of the â€Å"Medal of Honor† living here in the community. Pueblo dates back as far as 1842, and was known as â€Å"Fort Pueblo† (History of Pueblo). Over the years, Pueblo became the â€Å"backbone† of Southern Colorado due to the ore mines and is also the largest steel producing city in the United States, thus also being referred to as the â€Å"Steel City†. Pueblo has had a long and colorful history and has had five different countries and territories that â€Å"held dominion† over the area. These five areas are as follows: France, Mexico, Texas, Spain, and of course, the United States of America. (History of Pueblo) Pueblo County is 2,398 square mile area and is located approximately 112 miles south of the state capital of Denver, Colorado and approximately 100 miles north of the New Mexico border. Pueblo is geographically located at the intersection of the Arkansas River and Fountain Creek and is approximately 4600 feet above sea level. Although surrounded by lots of mountains such as the Wet Mountains, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Green Horn Mountains and Pikes Peak Mountain, Pueblo is very much desert land with annual precipitation being only approximately 12 inches. (Pueblo, Colorado, 2014). Pueblo County has a land area of 2389 square feet and 9.0 square miles of water. (City-Data Pueblo County, CO , 2012) Population/Economic Assesssment Pueblo’s population according to 2012’s census is 159,063 which is a growth rate of 3.56% since 2000, and which rank it 246th for the most populated city in the nation. Pueblo is comprised of a very diverse mix of people with the majority being white non-Hispanics at 56.2% and the Hispanics or â€Å"Latinos† comprising 39.2% of the population. The remaining population is comprised of African Americans 2.4%, Native Americans 2.9%, Asian 1% and the remaining 2.4% of the population are those that are of two or more races  (American Fact Finder). The average age of Pueblo’s population is approximately 39 years old. The total population percentages of those 18 years and younger is 24.5% and with those 65 years and older comprising 15.3%. (United Stated Census Bureau, 2010) `As mentioned before, Pueblo is one of the nation’s top leaders in steel production, but the huge â€Å"steel-market† crash of 1982 left Pueblo with a fairly weak economy sinc e that time. According to the 2010 census, the average annual household income in Pueblo is approximately $38,780, which has Pueblo County’s income ranking far below Colorado’s average income of $47,510. With such a difference in the average annual income, Pueblo has a high percentage of the population that is living below the Federal Poverty Level, making Pueblo’s overall poverty rate is the 2nd highest in the state of Colorado. The average household size is 2.47 people. According to statistics from the American Fact Finder, Pueblo County has 18.1% total population below the Federal Poverty Level. Of that population, there are 26.3% that are children 18 years and younger, those 18 years to 64 years old is 17% and those over the age of 65 are 9.6% below the Federal Poverty Level (America Fact Finder, 2012). With almost 20% of Pueblo County’s population being below the Federal Poverty Level, it would stand to reason the increase in the number of people in Pueblo that qualify for food stamps and other public assistance. According to the 2012 American Community Survey, there were an estimated total of 11,976 households in Pueblo County that received food stamps. Of the households that received food stamps 45.7% of them had children 18 years or younger and 23.4% had at least one person in the household that was 60 years or older. (United Stated Census Bureau, 2010) The unemployment rate in Pueblo County is 9.6% approximately 1% higher than the U.S. average; however, there has been a recent job growth of 1.38% in Pueblo. Even with the more than average unemployment rate and high population below the Federal Poverty Level, Pueblo County has a very low cost of living compared to the rest of the nation. The cost of living in Pueblo, CO is approximately 15.3% lower than the U.S. average with the median housing cost of $96,700. Even with the lower cost of living in Pueblo County, there are still about 175 individuals that are homeless that are living on the streets. With large international companies such as  Vestas pewag, and Rocla Concrete Tie choosing Pueblo, Colorado as new sites for their companies, unemployment rates will lower and this can only boost the economy and increase the population. (Community Health Status Report, 2011) Before the inception of the current Affordable Care Act, Pueblo County had approximately 30,312 individuals that were on Medicaid. This number has drastically increased since January 1, 2014 since Colorado was a state that chose â€Å"Medicaid Expansion† to assist with aiding the health care costs and compliance of the Affordable Health Care Act. According to Colorado Health Institute, Pueblo County has done an amazing job getting the â€Å"uninsured† children in public insurance programs. Pueblo County recorded that 95.7% of children eligible for Medicaid/CHP+ is enrolled. Access to health care is largely affected by available and affordable health insurance. Pueblo County was noted to have a total of 13.6% of the population in 2010 that were uninsured. The amount of money that Pueblo County spent per capita on public health funding took a significant drop in 3 years from 2009 to 2011 of over $2.00 per person. Pueblo County also has a large percentage (18.8%) of individuals that not only are on Medicaid but are dually covered by Medicare. Dual coverage is based on income, health and disability; these individuals are usually in very poor health with chronic, complicated health problems and/or mental issues. Even with the public health funding, Pueblo County still has 17% of the population that have unmet health needs because of financial limitations. Hopefully with the new law of the Affordable Care Act the percentage of â€Å"unmet† health needs will completely diminish or at least significantly decrease. Cultural Assessment Pueblo, Colorado is a multi-cultural community with the majority of the population of Hispanics, Italians and Slovenians that have occupied Pueblo for generations. The Hispanic culture is the most prominent in Pueblo, which can be seen in the architecture, art, festivals and museums which pays great tribute to their Hispanic heritage. One of the largest pieces of the Hispanic culture that is enjoyed by all in Pueblo is the food. Pueblo holds annual festivals and celebrations that display the unique cuisines of the Hispanic culture, the most prominent cuisine being the â€Å"Pueblo Green Chili†. Food of the Hispanic culture and the health risks may contribute to the high number of adults that are overweight or obese. According to findings in the Pueblo Community Health Status Report of 2011, 23% adults over the age of 18 are overweight. With such a large Hispanic population comes a high percentage of the population that have genetic disposition for Diabetes Mellitus Type 2. (County Health Rankings and Road Maps, 2013) A large family unit which includes generations of â€Å"extended† family is a huge part of the Hispanic culture in Pueblo. The Hispanic population in Pueblo really holds the matriarchs and/or patriarchs to a high respect. Although not nearly as prominent in Pueblo, the Italian culture is a large part of Pueblo’s culture as well. Italian culture is seen predominantly in the culinary influences that paved the way for the unique â€Å"Pueboloan† dishes, such as the Italian Sausage sandwich that you can find at one of Pueblo’s oldest tra ditions, Pass Key Restaurant. (Pueblo, Colorado, 2013). The Slovenian culture is another influential part of Pueblo’s culture. The Slovenians migrated to Pueblo and settled here working in the steel industry. They introduced cultural and culinary traditions that are still very highly practiced and part of Pueblo’s culture even today. For example, Potica is one of the most popular culinary treats that is extremely popular around the holiday season, but can be found and enjoyed all year around. The Slovenian folk music and theatre can also be seen throughout Pueblo. (History of Pueblo) Catholicism is the predominant religion in Pueblo and is a huge part of the culture. Approximately 68% of Pueblo proclaims they are Catholic. In Pueblo’s culture, women are the largest majority of this population, although â€Å"Holy Orders† are the role of the men. (Pueblo, Colorado, 2014) Genogram Interpretation From my observation of data, statistics and information gathered for Pueblo County’s Community assessment, I have found that Pueblo County overall is a fairly healthy community. The community is predominately white, non-Hispanic population with an increase of the Hispanic population in the past two years. The Median household income is $38,780 and 16.9% household at or below poverty level. The unemployment rate at 9.6% which is 1% higher that the U.S. average. With such financial difficulties there were approximately 13,760 individuals that receive food assistance, Pueblo is a multi-Cultural community consisting of Hispanic, Italian Slovinian. All cultures brought together with food served at festivals and at restaurants. Pueblo is predominately Catholic religion at 68% with women playing a large part in Catholic Hispanic Culture. Large Hispanic population diagnosed with diabetes type II and obesity. The crime rate is higher than the national average. In 2006, Pueblo County had approximately 2.4 liquor stores per 10,000 people. Underage rates of drinking increased with age. Methamphetamine use in youth (less than 10 percent), but showed signs of increase between 2005 and 2007. The health factors and morbidity and mortality rates of Pueblo County are higher than the national benchmarks. Pueblo has 95% of days with good air quality and drinking water safety at 1%. Pueblo County has a disaster/ emergency management preparedness plan as well as a chemical stockpile emergency preparedness program for the Pueblo Chemical Depot. Pueblo operates in an all-hazards disaster plan with Pueblo Health Department being the lead in the Emergency support function of Public Health. Pueblo County, Colorado is overall a healthy community. Nevertheless, the areas where improvements need to be made are determining a way to attend to each individual’s reaction to negative life events. These events are causing a rise in binge drinking and the use of methamphetamine abuse. Creating and implementing a plan to decrease the poverty level and being able to inform and address access and functional needs. Neighborhood/Community Safety Assessment As sad as it is to say, violence in Pueblo County is a huge â€Å"health† problem. Pueblo’s overall crime index as reported in 2006 was 6945 crimes which was higher than the national average and encompasses â€Å"violent† and â€Å"property† crimes. Violent crimes consist of murder, rape and aggravated assaults. Property crimes include burglary, larceny, theft , motor vehicle theft , arson, and vandalism. In 2006, Pueblo had a reported total of 628 violent crimes with breakdown as follows: Murders – 6; Rapes 49; Robberies – 170; Aggravated assaults – 403. Pueblo’s reported â€Å"property crimes are as  follows: Burglary – 6317; Larceny/Thefts – 4409; Motor Vehicle Thefts – 455 and Arsen – 55. (Pueblo Colorado Crime statistics and Data Resources, 2014) . Along with the high crime rates that fill Pueblo’s neighborhoods that have an effect on the safety and health of the county are the large nu mber of liquor stores that fill them. In 2006, Pueblo County had approximately 2.4 liquor stores per 10,000 people. (Community Health Status Report, 2011) With such a high density of liquor stores and access to alcohol, it can also contribute or be a large relation to the economic and social crumbling of the community and overall rate of crime. There are studies that report that the â€Å"over-concentration of liquor stores increases the perceived lack of safety and limits walkability in the community†. (Community Health Status Report, 2011). The excessive consumption of alcohol also leads to major health problems, such as, cirrhosis of the liver, cardiovascular disease, cancer, anemia as well as the effects due to injuries sustained in car accidents secondary to driving under the influence. Substance abuse, including alcohol, is another public health concern in the Pueblo community. One of the biggest concerns of alcohol abuse is that of â€Å"binge† drinking among individuals. Binge drinking is a major indicator of substance abuse and is defined as â€Å"Consuming five or more alcoholic drinks in one occasion in the pa st month†. From 2007-2009, there were 14.5% of adults in Pueblo that reported binge drinking, a rate that was well below the Healthy People 2020 objective. (Community Health Status Report, 2011). According to the website, Teen Drug Abuse, 90% of alcohol consumption by those that are underage is in the form of â€Å"binge† drinking. (Teens and Addiction, 2014). In Pueblo County, underage rates of drinking increased with age, indicating that teenagers are more likely to experiment or try alcohol around the ages of 16 or 17. (Community Health Status Report, 2011). In Pueblo County, methamphetamine use in youth ages 15-18 years was low (less than 10 percent), but showed signs of increase between 2005 and 2007 for the â€Å"15 or younger† category. Following national trends, results from 2009 indicate decreasing methamphetamine usage across the board for all age groups. This may be in part to successful prevention interventions, education campaigns about methamphetamine use, or inconsistent self-reporting (Community Health Status Report, 2011) Housing, water quality, and air quality are factors that can be classified as the environmental quality/safety of Pueblo,  County. â€Å"Homes† represent to most a place of safety, security and shelter and because these factors are so important they have the potential to help or harm the h ealth of the community. The United Way Pueblo County evaluation in 2009 reported that Pueblo County had a large shortage of â€Å"low income† rental housing. The estimated rental housing in Pueblo County reported in 2009 was 32% and home ownership was reported at 68%. (America Fact Finder, 2012). Sewage is another factor that can potentially be a huge source of water contamination. Waste water treatment plants in higher populated areas of Pueblo County are used to treat sewage before being released back into the environment; however, not all areas of Pueblo County are served by a treatment plant. Pueblo County has approximately 16,000 homes that have septic systems and are not serviced by a waste water treatment plant. Water wells can become contaminated due to improper septic system treatment. In Pueblo County, the majority of its population the drinking water comes from surface water. In some cases, the drinking water may come from shallow surface sources or underground wells. (Community Health Sta tus Report, 2011). The air quality in Pueblo is for the very good with the particle matter (PM2.5) being very low. Particle matter is defined by the EPA as the tiny particles directly emitted into the air and particles formed in the air by chemical transformation of gaseous pollutants. (United Stated Census Bureau, 2010). According to the Pueblo City-County Health Department’s Environmental Health Division, there were over 830 complaints in 2010 with the majority of complaints which were 41% of the total complaints were about the housing. (City-Data Pueblo County, CO , 2012). All in all the environmental Quality of Pueblo County is above average. The health factors and morbidity and mortality rates of Pueblo County are in lot of cases higher than the national benchmarks. Premature infant deaths in Pueblo County in 2009 were 8,767. Malignant neoplasms rank first in Pueblo County for the leading casue of death with heart disease being second leading cause of death in Pueblo County. (Community Health Status Report, 2011) Morbidity reporting of poor or fair health was 17% Health factors in Pueblo County such as smoking was 23% compared to the National benchmark of 13%, teen birth rate was 63% compared to National benchmark of 21%, sexually transmitted diseases reported in Pueblo County was approximately 352 with the national benchmark of 92. (County Health Rankings and Road  Maps, 2013). Disaster Assessment Pueblo has a Disaster Management Program which includes several support functions based on the emergency which includes the following: transportation, fires, wildfires, victim care, search and rescue, long-term recovery, hazmat, damage assessment, floods, mass fatality, terrorism, tornadoes and winter storms. The program’s goal is to prevent or decrease the impact of natural or human caused disasters. There are also additional support systems such as behavioral health response and an animal health response plan. The department staff and fire fighters are specially trained and ready to respond to any major disasters that may occur. The command staff members assist in the coordination of the disaster and emergency management training exercises in the local region. There are monthly meetings with the members and the Pueblo County Emergency Response Team (PERT) and with other local emergency reponse and support agencies. (Pueblo, Colorado, 2014). Pueblo also operates and â€Å"All Hazards† disaster plan that is designed to address the needs of the Pueblo Fire Department and the people of Pueblo in and efficient and effective manner if a disaster occurs. It is also serves as a supplement to the Pueblo County Emergency Operations Plan. (Pueblo, Colorado, 2014). The Pueblo Chemical Depot, a chemical weapons storage site is located in Pueblo County. Mustard agents HD and HT are stored at the Pueblo Chemical Depot. The chemical stockpile emergency preparedness program is the federally funded program administered by the Department of Defense and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The program was placed to prepare the local authorities for a possible chemical weapons incident. If such an incident occurs, Pueblo Chemical Depot will notify the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Communication Center in accordance between the agreement between Pueblo County and Pueblo Chemical Depot. (Emergency Services Bureau, 2013) Due to the hot dry summers, a fire or wildfire frequently occurs and there is an emergency support system that is in place. The following agencies included are the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Services Bureau, Public Works, the Colorado State Patrol, the Colorado State Forest Service, US Forest Service, Colorado State Parks, American Medical Response, both local hospitals –  Parkview Medical Center and St Mary Corwin Hospital. The Emergency Support Function and Wildland Fire Incident Annex is there to guarantee a correct response from the numerous agencies involved for containing and extinguishing fires. This is an effective system that was established to manage the various resources and agencies involved to fight structural and wild land fires in Pueblo County. (Emergency Services Bureau, 2013). The Pueblo Activation Sequence establishes procedures for the activation and operation of the Pueblo County Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The EOC is activated to an anticipated or actual response that involves more than one area or jurisdiction and/or multiple response agencies. This includes agencies that respond to HazMat accidents, severe weather, flooding, earthquakes, civil disturbances or terrorism. (Emergency Services Bureau, 2013) The Pueblo County Health Department leads the emergency support functions for Public Health and Medical Services. Their supporting agencies are as follows: Local Hospitals, EMS, Behavioral Health Services, Emergency Service Bureau, Coroner, Agriculture, Education, Human Services, Law Enforcement Agencies, Military and Veteran Affairs, Public Safety, Regulatory Agencies, Transportation, Pueblo Community Health Center, American Red Cross, Salvation Army and COVOAD. This program provides a response and recovery action related to the lifesaving tra nsport, evacuation, treatment of the injured, controlling of the spread contamination, prevention of contamination of water and food supplies and the disposition of any dead. (Emergency Services Bureau, 2013) As you can see, Pueblo County is very well prepared with any type of natural, chemical, or human caused disaster. Summary From my observation of data, statistics and information gathered for Pueblo County’s Community assessment, I have found that Pueblo County overall is a fairly healthy community. The community is predominately white, non-Hispanic population with an increase of the Hispanic population in the past two years. The air pollution in Pueblo County is below the national average with 95% of days with good air quality and only 5% with moderate air quality. An area that could use improvement would be to find a way to attend to the individuals that make negative responses to traumatic or  negative life events. These responses and events may play a huge factor in the rise of homicides that are taking place in Pueblo County. The education of the public community about the emergency and disaster preparedness programs through community outreach will help to inform and develop functional needs for Pueblo. Works Cited (2013). Retrieved February 07, 2014, from Pueblo, Colorado: http://pueblo.org/history America Fact Finder. (2012). Retrieved 02 08, 2014, from U.S. Census Bureau: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08/0862000.html City-Data Pueblo County, CO . (2012). Retrieved February 5, 2014, from http://www.city.data.com/county/Pueblo_County-CO.html Community Health Status Report. (2011). Retrieved February 2, 2014, from Pueblo.org: http://county.pueblo.org/sites/default/files/documents/Status%20Report%202011%20Final.pdf County Health Rankings and Road Maps. (2013). Retrieved February 8, 2014, from http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/aIntpp/#/colorado/2013/pueblo/county/outcomes/overall/additional/by-rank Emergency Services Bureau. (2013). Retrieved February 9, 2014, from Pueblo County Sheriffs Office: http://www.sheriff.co.pueblo.co.us/esb/oem.html History of Pueblo. (n.d.). Retrieved 02 08, 2014, from Pueblo, CO Official Website : http://www.pueblo.us/index.aspx?nid=119 Particle Matter. ( 2013, March 18). Retrieved February 5, 2014, from EPA United Stated Environment Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov/pm/ Pueblo Colorado Crime statistics and Data Resources. (2014). Retrieved February 2, 2014, from Area Connect: http://pueblo.areaconnect.com/crime1.htm Pueblo, Colorado. (2014, January 31). Retrieved February 08, 2014, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pueblo,_Colorado Teens and Addiction. (2014, February). Retrieved February 9, 2014, from Teen Driug Abuse: http://www.teen-drug-abuse.org/ United Stated Census Bureau. (2010). Retrieved February 2, 2014, from Current Population Survey: http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/cpstables.htm

Essay --

Immanuel Kant addresses a question often asked in political theory: the relationship between practical political behavior and morality -- how people do behave in politics and how they ought to behave. Observers of political action recognize that political action is often a morally questionable business. Yet many of us, whether involved heavily in political action or not, have a sense that political behavior could and should be better than this. In Appendix 1 of Perpetual Peace, Kant explicates that conflict does not exist between politics and morality, because politics is an application of morality. Objectively, he argues that morality and politics are reconcilable. In this essay, I will argue two potential problems with Kant’s position on the compatibility of moral and politics: his denial of moral importance in emotion and particular situations when an action seems both politically legitimate and yet almost immoral; if by ‘politics’, regarded as a set of princip les of political prudence, and ‘morals’, as a system of laws that bind us unconditionally. In Perpetual Peace, Kant writes, â€Å"all politics must bend the knee before right† (Kant, PP pg. 125). He claims that morals, in the sense of the doctrine of right, should demand more significance in political decisions, or even be the predominant consideration. To emphasize the lack of between morals and politics, Kant cites Matthew 10:16: â€Å"Be ye wise as serpents, and harmless as doves† (Kant, PP pg.116). Wisdom is not sufficient if it is not conducted towards a consistent purpose with an application towards morality. Kant considers the wisdom of the serpent to be used for the betterment of morality. Not only should politics be congruent with morals, but also properly conceived poli... ...metimes it is the mechanisms that keep the political wheels in motion. If politics were absolutely subservient to morality and honesty, it would seem not only rather unrealistic but also undesirable. In the face of this problem, a challenge for Kant would be to defend the practicality and intuitive desirability of ‘honesty is better than any policy’. Kant’s claim in Perpetual Peace supplies an inspiring vision of a just, peaceful and flourishing cosmopolitan world. It is true that morality and justice demand truthfulness, civil obedience and a full suite of basic rights and liberties; however, because human nature and emotion subsists of more than duty to moral law and there exists circumstances that demand lying, civil disobedience such as revolutions and the temporary restriction of rights and liberties, there does exist a conflict between morality and politics.

Experiencing Brave New World in 1998 :: Aldous Huxley Brave New World Essays

Experiencing Brave New World in 1998 Since good literature transports the reader to immersion, absorption and sensation of plot, the successful literary experience often unveils a segment of the self's concealed character. Aldous Huxley's Brave New World immerses the reader in a State scientifically constructed to produce perpetual happiness without hardship. Six centuries into the future, a world leader has designed a civilization flabbily devoid of balancing challenges by eliminating illness, geriatrics, fear of death, passion and love, parenting, poverty, and pursuit of anything. Its inhabitants exist in a bureaucratically controlled state of stability sans emotion. Brave New World is the citizen's polar experience to the prehistoric caveman's solitary existence of self. Today we struggle individually to establish satisfactory symmetry between these two states of bureaucracy and independence while bench-pressing multi-weighted challenges. A journey to Brave New World's civilization of the ridiculous elicits an excell ent measure of the 1998 reader's centeredness between the self's grip of autonomy and its interdependence with State. Franz Boas, primo cultural anthropologist, subscribed that studying the varied threads of cultural tapestry (what's different) facilitates the understanding of culture. Published in 1932, Brave New World presented greater bureaucratic exaggeration to a general readership unengaged in the battle of the balance. Government was barely a gadfly on the barbell, while the 1932 self indeed included the entire village of extended families and neighbors bolstering each other. Sixty-six years hence, government has infiltrated human life stealthily, while the individual has gradually isolated itself with a transient society and fast-track economy bearing down upon the burden-lifter like additional weights. Although hardship labels remain the same, the 1998 challenge of dealing with these afflictions is more complex. Health and psychiatric practitioners caution us that balance is next to godliness. Therefore, we strive in solitude to balance corporate positions with family disasters, our yin wit h our yang, our left brains with our right brains, and most importantly, our debits with our credits. Our state of autonomy depends upon our frame of reference, for it is easy to remain autonomous without adversity. Consider the reaction of the Brave New World reader who has experienced a loved one's serious illness and painful death as a solitary struggle to provide emotional, financial and HMO medical support. Through the assistance of Brave New World, the reader subsequently tours "The Park Lane Hospital for the Dying, a sixty-story tower of primrose tiles. The air is continuously alive with gay synthetic melodies.

Sales Report Example

Table of Contents Executive Summary3 Part 1: GSM Personnel Specification4 1. Experience4 2. Qualifications4 3. Required skills5 Part 2: Key issues and Recommendations6 1. Introduction6 2. Key issues6 2. 1 Motivation and job satisfaction6 2. 2 Recruitment and selection7 2. 3 Training and development7 2. 4 Key account management8 2. 5 Sales team structure8 3. Conclusion9 4. Recommendations10 4. 1 Change the reward system10 4. 2 Set up the formal recruitment and selection process11 4. 3 Set up a standardized training11 4. 4 Restructure the sales team with the new role of KAM13 . 5 Action Plan15 4. 6 Expected Outcomes16 5. Limitations17 6. Bibliography18 7. Appendices19 7. 1 The recruitment process19 7. 2 Sales people calculation19 Executive Summary The report is divided in two parts. The first part ‘Personnel Specification’ is aimed to identify the required main skills areas of the new GSM. Those are: * Five to eight years sales experience and management; * University degre e of business or marketing management; * Excellent and proven communication skills and interpersonal skills; * Ability to reate a work environment and culture to stimulate individual’s development and motivation; * Ability to negotiate and high levels in numeracy and literacy skills; * Personal traits: high motivation, ambition in sales, enthusiasm, full commitment, and ability to work under high pressure. The second part, which is the most important part of this report, consists two main sections: key issues and recommendations. The key issues have been identified through analyzing our current company’s situations and related theories.Those key issues are: * Low motivation and decreasing job satisfaction; * The lack of formal recruitment and selection process; * The lack of quantity and quality in training and development; * The missing role of Key Account Management in the sales operation; * The inappropriate sales team structure. Based on the analysis of key issues, the fully detailed recommendations are provided in the end of this report, following with an Action Plan and expected outcomes. Part 1: GSM Personnel SpecificationAccuClean is in crucial need of a new General Sales Manager, who will be in charge of the sales team in all regions and report directly to the Managing Director, Peter Ward. Our company is facing several leadership problems and lack of focus in sales team. The new GSM is expected to bring the new fresh leadership style and able to manage the sales team in all regions to achieve the highest performance and long-term development. The personnel specification of GSM will be illustrated in details. Experience The new GSM is expected to have at least 7 to 8 years sales experience, preferably in B2B market (CPSA, 2012; Myjobs, 2012; Reed, 2012).The experience in B2B sales market is very important for our company since our customers are ranging from small to large sized companies, and many of them are with us more than ten years. He/she has a minimum of 5 years experience in business management, marketing and sales strategies and planning, and financial oversight (Inc, 2012; Myjobs, 2012). With these experiences, the new GSM is able to diagnose the management problems within our sales operation, and bring in his/ her new approach in leadership style, in order to improve sales team’s performance as well as increase the motivation and satisfaction of sales people.However, we should be very flexible in selecting candidates based on experience. If a candidate had excellent qualifications regarding his/ her education and 2-3 years experienced, we should not exclude him/ her from our shortlist. The requirement of sales experience is likely to cause a problem of excluding potential candidates (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). Qualifications The candidate needs to have Bachelor degree of Business or Marketing Management (CPSA, 2012). The university degree is necessary since the good educational background will h elp the new GSM a lot in management.Besides, the combination of education and experience for the GSM position is ideal for long-term development of our sales force. Required skills The new GSM is required to have excellent and proven oral communication skills (Inc, 2012). In addition, the candidate needs to prove his/ her skills in exceptional customer facing and interpersonal skills to enable difficult situations to be overcome successfully (JCT600, 2012). Communication skills are the most crucial qualities of sales people, especially sales manager (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006).Furthermore, the new GSM should be able to create a workplace environment and culture that allows all the sales people in the team to develop and excel their jobs (JCT600, 2012). This requirement is essential since the current leadership style in our sales operation does not seem to work very well and need a crucial change and improvement. The potential candidate is able to negotiate effectively and at the hi ghest level together with excellent numeracy skills and literacy skills (JCT 600, 2012). For both short-term and long-term development of our sales force, these skills are necessary.Besides, the most two important basic qualities that a good sales person must have are empathy and ego drive (based on the study of Mayer and Greenberg, 1964, cited in Donaldson, 2007). Empathy is defined as â€Å"the important central ability to feel as the other fellow does in order to be able to sell a product or service† (Donaldson, 2007, p. 60). Ego drive is a desire to want and need to make a sale (Donaldson, 2007). Both of these basic qualities are a must for our potential GSM since in order to be a good sales manager, he/ she should be a good sales person.Last but not least, we are looking for a new GSM with high motivation, ambition in sales, enthusiasm, full commitment, and ability to work under high pressure (Mathews and Redman, 2001, cited in Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). Part 2: Key is sues and Recommendations 1. Introduction Part 2 is aimed to illustrate the key issues regarding our sales operation in AccuClean. The analysis based on our current situation and theory is presented for every issue. Recommendations are coming in the end of this report, followed by the Action Plan and expected outcomes.All the key issues and recommendations are ordered according to its priority of taking urgent actions. Key issues 1. 1 2. 1 Motivation and job satisfaction Motivation is â€Å"the amount of effort that a salesperson expends on each activity or task associated with the job† (Donaldson, 2007, p. 230). Many factors are believed to cause positive motivation, such as monetary reward, workload, promotion, degree of recognition, supervisory behaviour, targets, and tasks (based on Adams’s inequity theory, Jobber and Lancaster, 2006).In AccuClean, the first factor that causes the low motivation in the sales team is bonus system, which is perceived by many staffs as unfair. The bonus system in AccuClean is set based on achieving a sales figure above the individual sales target, starting from 5% above target sales with a bonus of 5% basic salary. Last year, only nine sales people out of 71 have been able to achieve the bonus, which gives the evidence about the inappropriate bonus system. In addition, the salary is based on individual negotiations when they joined the company, which might lead to unfairness between individual sales people in the team.According to Vroom’s expectancy theory, it is assumed that â€Å"people’s motivation to exert effort is dependent upon their expectations for success† (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). It means to what extent AccuClean sales people believe by working harder (increase effort), they will achieve 5% above target sales (high expectancy), and that higher sales will lead to higher salary – bonus of 5% of basic salary (high instrumentality), and higher salary is very important for t hem (high valence).Moreover, during the merger, there were several sales staffs left to join competitors, which may result from the lack of motivations. According to Herzberg’s motivation- hygiene theory, working conditions and company policies are two of the hygiene factors, which cause dissatisfaction, thus, lead to low motivation (Donaldson, 2007). Bonus as money is the only type of rewards that is used in AccuClean, nevertheless, there are many more types of rewards that could also be applied, in order to motivate various types of sales people.The suggested bonus system will be illustrated in the recommendation part in the end of this report. 2. 2 Recruitment and selection Bob Carter is in charge of the selection process for new sales people. However, he has no formal system for recruitment and selection as well as no job description. Formal selection process is crucially important to ensure the quality of sales persons, which can have a substantial effect on sales turnov er (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). Furthermore, hiring a sales person is very costly, much more than the basic salary.Therefore, selecting the right person for the right position is essential, and can be achieved through setting up a formal selection procedure. Another problem is Carter’s way of selection – ‘he knows a good sales person as soon as he sees one’. This bias can harm the screening process, which is part of the recruitment process (see Appendix 5. 1). Either selecting the wrong person or dropping good persons is costly (Donaldson, 2007). Donaldson defines job description as the roles and duties attached to a specific position in the organization (2007).It is necessary for AccuClean to prepare job descriptions for any new positions in the sales team, to ensure the responsibility of each team members, thus, no role ambiguity can occur. 2. 3 Training and development Training is one way for sales managers to improve the performance of the sales peopl e under their controls, broadly to meet the company objectives (Donaldson, 2007). Training and development for sales people in AccuClean are lacked due to several reasons. Any trainings or development relies on the management style and differs in every ASM.There is no formal training process since Carter believes that sales people learn best ‘on the job’. Indeed, there are many kinds of training, which includes individual on-the-job training as Carter’s opinion (Donaldson, 2007). However, good trainings can also be achieved through company-specific programs that are organized in a standardized and professional manner. The irregular and occasional training sessions, usually occur when introducing new products (currently in AccuClean), might lead to the lack of knowledge about products and new skill practices.As the merger of one cleaning chemicals and the other in cleaning machinery, training should have been taken at the early stage of the merger, in order to sup port sales people in both companies about the company objectives and targets, the knowledge of different and new products, competitors and their products, selling procedure and techniques (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). 2. 4 Key account management Area sales teams are responsible for all accounts regardless their size and importance.The treatment for key accounts, medium-size accounts or small accounts is much dependent on each ASM’s view, its current mix of accounts in the area and experience. There are in fact 21 customers; each has accounts worth over ? 4 million. Those customers are important to our business and need to be prioritized as key accounts since the loss of even one of them would significantly cause a radical drop in sales and profits (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). Key account management seems currently necessary, in order to serve our key customers with special treatment in all areas of marketing, administration, and service (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006).In additi on, key account management will help to develop a close relationship between our company as supplier and our customers, in order to enhance the communication and co-ordination between us, thus, create more in-depth penetration of DMU, which includes push and pull opportunities for buying decisions (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). 2. 5 Sales team structure The sales territories of AccuClean, which are merely geographic based, have not been changed since the merger. Geographic structure is traditional and the most widely used type of sales organization in the UK.It has several advantages such as simplicity, shorter journey times, low travel costs, and less potential for conflicts over responsibility (Donaldson, 2007). However, geographic structure has some drawbacks, which might influence to the effectiveness of the sales team and its management. Examples of disadvantages are the need to sell full range, broad expertise needed, and overhead costs for more layers of management evolved (Do naldson, 2007). In order for the sales team to work more productively and better management, it is necessary to make some changes concerning our sales team structure (see Recommendations, section 4).The number of sales people in AccuClean is currently more than necessary, compared to the number of customers. Figure 1 illustrates the current sales people in each ASM as well as the actual needed sales people based on the number of customers in each area. Territory| Number of customers| Current number of sales people| Actual number of sales people| Spare sales people| Midlands| 1973| 26| 18| 8| South| 1545| 22| 14| 8| North| 1196| 16| 11| 5| Scotland/ North Ireland| 499| 7| 5| 2| UK total| 5264| 71| 47*| 24*|Figure 1: Number of Sales people (* approximate number) 1 2 Conclusion Five key issues that have been listed and analyzed above are low motivation and decreasing job satisfaction, informal recruitment and selection process, unstandardized and the lack of regular training, the lack of key account management, and the ineffective sales team structure. Those issues are the most urgent in AccuClean that need to be solved as soon as possible, in order to improve the sales team to work more effectively. Recommendations 4. 1 Change the reward systemBonus (monetary reward), which is the only form of reward using in AccuClean, shows its limitation, therefore, improving the bonus system is crucial. The starting point of 5% should be set lower and dependent on different products and accounts. There should also be other chances to get commission, which can be based on the annual sales revenue and profits. In addition to the monetary reward, AccuClean can apply many other types of rewards such as promotion or workload (based on Adam’s inequity theory, Jobber and Lancaster, 2006).Not all sales people highly value money; some of them might place higher value on promotion, responsibility or recognition. Thus, the variable of rewards will motivate different type of sale s people, in order to maximize the expectancy and value of reward (Vroom’s expectancy theory, Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). A study of sales force practices by Chartered Institute of Marketing showed that sales people are mostly motivated by individual meetings with supervisor to discuss career, job problems, etc. The second ranked motivating factors is ‘regular accompaniment in the field by the sales manager’ (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006).These methods of improving leadership style should be aware by ASMs and higher management. 4. 2 Set up the formal recruitment and selection process The formal recruitment process is proposed as below (according to Jobber and Lancaster, 2006, p. 384). Bias in selecting applicants should be minimized by carefully preparing job description and personal specification. Of course, the experience of employer should be used during the selection process. However, those five steps above should be strictly followed to avoid any mistakes dur ing recruitment. 4. Set up a standardized training Good training programs will help to equip our sales people with sufficient knowledge and skills. Besides, it plays as a motivation factor for sales people and positively influences the job satisfaction. 4. 3. 1 When should our company train our sales employees? According to Donaldson (2007, p. 208), the training should be held properly when: * New sales person is recruited * A sales person takes on a new territory * New products * New business, new market segments * Company new policies or procedure * Selling habits are poor or inappropriate An individual is being considered for promotion The sales techniques are very important to train all sales people in the organization (69% of North European firms providing sales techniques training). The market and customer knowledge is also essential in training (42% of firms providing this, based on Roman and Ruiz, 2003, cited in Donaldson, 2007). 4. 3. 2 Who should do the training? Sales tra iner can be senior managers (i. e. ASMs, GSM), technical specialists (from Production department), external specialists, or inside experienced sales people (i. e. from other ASMs).In many cases, training is more likely to be provided by inside company specialists, who not only have the best understanding about the organization and individual needs, but also can tailor training programs to suit both internal and on-the-job requirements (Donaldson, 2007). 4. 3. 3 Where should training be done? The training can be organized in internal single location (different ASMs), a centralized external location or a decentralized location (on the job). It depends on the purpose of training and variable factors to decide where to hold the training.Below is the nine possible options that are proposed by Donaldson (2007, p. 210). 4. 3. 4 What methods of training should be used? Lectures, films, role playing, case studies, or in-the-field training are options of training methods (Jobber and Lancaster , 2006). Each has its advantages and limitations. The point is how to use them properly for different training purposes, in order to achieve the best results and highest satisfaction of participants. 4. 4 Restructure the sales team with the new role of KAM New proposed sales team structure is presented in Figure 2 with two radical changes. ASM North and ASM Scotland will be combined into Regional Sales Manager of North and Scotland * Key Account Manager is added to our sales team structure as one independent function Figure 2: Sales Team Structure (proposed) The Regional Sales Managers are formed to ensure the number of sales people is interrelated to the number of customers in each region. The number of customers in the North and Scotland, which is 1196 and 499 respectively, is much fewer than the number of customers in Midlands and South (1973 and 1545 respectively).Therefore, it is appropriate to merge two ASMs North and Scotland together, in order to enhance the performance in t he broader area, and increase the influence on organization’s decision-making of sales people in the North and Scotland area. The Key Account Manager is added to be in charge of all key accounts in the whole UK. KAM’s responsibility is to manage all sales people, who are managing those key accounts in different regions. Moreover, KAM is also responsible for potential key accounts and complex DMUs. The communication and leadership style are crucially important to be successful in managing sales people in different areas.Monthly meeting can be organized and the advanced record system (computer based) should be built up to develop the whole sales team’s communication flows in long-term. This proposed sales team structure is based on all forms of selling simultaneously: KAM for very big accounts, general territory representatives (Regional Sales Managers) for the medium and small- sized accounts (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). The number of sales people in AccuClean i s currently more than necessary, as calculation based on the current number of customers. In fact, it is difficult to get rid of 24 sales people at once, and should not be done in that way.AccuClean can evaluate sales people in the whole company by their performance, motivation and achievement in past years. In a period of 12 months, it is expected to dismiss six sales people. After two years, 12 sales people in total will be fired. AccuClean may attract more customers in the future and need more sales people; therefore, it is dependent on the situation at the time to decide how many more sales people have to leave. 4. 5 Action Plan 4. 6 Expected Outcomes Limitations The merger of two ASMs North and Scotland into one Regional Sales might cause problem in the span of control.The new RSM will manage 20-23 sales people, which might lead to the role ambiguity and lack of coaching and supervision. The Action Plan illustrates many tasks that need to complete in the first year, thus, it mi ght be very challenging in the first year for the new GSM. It is a tough decision to fire some sales people in the next two years. It might cause several problems within the sales team concerning rumours or miscommunication. Therefore, it is necessary to have a serious evaluation based on a formal checklist and consultancy from different people in the team.Furthermore, the training needs to be held at the beginning of the year, to inform the sales team about new changes, thus, reduce miscommunication. Bibliography CPSA (2012) Sales Manager Job description [Online]. Available from :< http://www. cpsa. com/pdf/src/tools/Sample%20Sales%20Manager%20Job%20Description. pdf> [Assessed 16 December 2012]. Donaldson, B. (2007) Sales Management. 3rd ed. NewYork: Palgrave MacMillan. Inc (2012) General Manager Job description [Online]. Available from :< http://www. inc. com/tools/general-manager-job-description. html> [Assessed 16 December 2012].JCT 600 (2012) General Sales Manager Job descripti on [Online]. Available from :< http://www. jct600. co. uk/data/cm/careers/1028. pdf> [Assessed 16 December 2012]. Jobber, D. And Lancaster, G. (2006) Selling and Sales Management. 7th ed. England: Pearson Education Limited. Myjobs (2012) Senior Sales Manager (Oil Machinery) [Online]. Available from :< http://myjobs. classifiedpost. com/index. php/Job-Search/ENGINEERING-GENERAL-BUSINESS-DEVELOPMENT-ACCOUNT-MANAGEMENT-Job-Description/SENIOR-SALES-MANAGER-OIL-MACHINERY/597925> [Assessed 16 December 2012]. Reed (2012) General Manager – Milton Keynes [Online].Available from :< http://www. reed. co. uk/jobs/general-manager-milton-keynes/22306659#/jobs/general-sales-manager-in-milton-keynes> [Assessed 16 December 2012]. Appendices 3 4 7. 1 The recruitment process 7. 2 Sales people calculation The Figure 1 calculation will be illustrated in details as below. Based on: Number of sales people = (Number of customers x Number of call pa) / (number of calls per day x Number of working day s per year) Suppose there are 225 work days per year, 12 times calling per customer per year (once a month) Each sales person supposes to make 40 calls per week, 10 of those are to be made to prospects.Therefore, each sales person has to make: (40-10)/5 = 6 calls per day. * Number of sales people in Midlands = (1973 x 12) / (6 x 225) = 18 * Number of sales people in South = (1545 x 12) / (6 x 225) = 14 * Number of sales people in North = (1196 x 12) / (6 x 225) = 11 * Number of sales people in Scotland/ North Ireland = (499 x 12) / (6 x 225) = 5