PESTLE analysis for the LUKoil company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

PESTLE analysis for the LUKoil company - Essay Example Theoretical view of LUKOIL In monitoring of the company’s macro-environmental or external marketing factors, the analysis would help in shedding light on some of the factors that have an impact on Lukoil Company. As a major market player, Lukoil Company operates through four operating segments. These are the exploration and production part, the process of refining, Marketing and Distribution, chemicals segment, and power generation segment (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development 2003, p. 23). This comes through exploration of natural resources in order to produce crude oil and natural gas. The expansion of this company extends its interests in operational zones by holding properties in Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, South America, South East Asia, the Middle East, and North and western Africa (Kotok & Sciarretta 2010, p. 78). The success of Lukoil depends on its versatility to navigate the political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors surrounding its operations, since it is an international corporation cutting across the business world. PESTEL ANALYSIS Political and Economical factors The political factors stem from the extend of the government’s policies in intervening the economy by either through political stability or instability, foreign trade, tax policy, labour laws, in addition, trade restriction. Since Lukoil is an international corporation, its operation, and success cut through many political realms and may certainly influence how the company does business (International Business Publications, USA 2011, p. 23). It is therefore the mandate of the Lukoil Company to respond to the current and potential legislations in order to adjust their market policy accordingly. The profitability of Lukoil Company largely relies on its economic factors (Plunkett 2008, p. 120). There are macro-economical factors like economic growth, interest rates, inflation, and disposal income of consumers, exch ange rates, and businesses. The oil product profits and losses that this company derives from diverse contexts of its markets come with the way the management of demand goes on in the respective economies of operation. This varies, as different countries especially in the East, cannot compare their economy with countries of the West like USA. How well Lukoil adjusts itself to the governments’ mechanism such as interest rate control, taxation policy and government expenditure determines their gain or loss in the economies of investments. Social and Technological factors There are also social cultural factors in the regions with the highest Lukoil investment, which influence a lot on its operations. Many regions have different beliefs, and shared attitudes within their population. Compare the social factors of Eastern Europe and those of East and South Asia and this would culminate in the way the consumption of products do range of different contexts (Marinova & Marinov 2003, p . 104). The large influence of this will depend on the region’s population growth, health consciousness, age distribution, and career aptitude. The marketers of Lukoil have no choice other than understand their global customers and their preferences. The way Lukoil markets its products have to

Looking Glass Self Essay Example for Free

Looking Glass Self Essay In the most basic terms the Looking Glass self is your self image which is formed by the views others hold of you. These views the people around you have can have either a positive or negative effect on your self imagine. First we picture how our personality and appearance will come off to others, and then we think about how they will judge our personality and appearance. As people around us pass judgment on who we are this is when our self-concept develops, basically who we think we are and how we feel about ourselves as a whole. These judgments’ can have a powerful effect on ones beliefs and feelings about themselves. I’ve felt and been effected by the beliefs another person has about me. When I was in the 8th grade I thought I was a wonderful student, smart, well behaved. I felt as though my teachers all thought the same way. Then one day my homeroom teacher called me stupid for missing a homework assignment. To be called out in front of the class like that was horrifying. Though that wasn’t the only time an incidence like that occurred. In the 9th grade I struggled with math. I did poorly on tests, I already lacked confidence in the subject and it took one day with a substitute teacher to shatter it completely. I will never forget the words she said to me â€Å"Why can’t you finish the test? Are you stupid? † As child of any age, those words are damaging to the way you feel about yourself, and the way you think others perceive you. â€Å"Tell a child he’s stupid enough times and eventually hell start believing you, claims Benj Vardigan, with the Behavioral Institute. When a child makes mistakes or doesn’t understand a concept, his knee-jerk reaction may be to conclude that he’s stupid. Take that one step further and watch a child stop trying to understand or stop trying to learn a concept because he automatically assumes he can’t figure it out. † (Hatter) In A Class Divided on of the first examples of looking glass self that I picked up on was when the children came back in from recess after fighting. Mrs. Elliot asks â€Å"What’s wrong with being called brown eyes? † and a little  boy, Roy, says â€Å"It means we’re stupider and – well, not that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It’s immediate how the effect of this experiment took hold. These children took to heart what their teacher, Mrs. Elliot had said, that brown eyed children are less than blue eyed children, they aren’t as smart or as well behaved. In the first day of the lesson the effects on their peers perception of them had caused so much turmoil that it caused one child to hit another, clearly the negative aspect of looking glass. In the Teaching Adults section, Mrs. Elliott describes how she gave tests before during and after the lesson on discrimination. Telling the audience that the student test scores raise on the day they are on top, scores drop when they are on the bottom and after the experiment the children’s testing scores maintain a higher level. She attributed this to the children discovering how good they are. I believe instilling a positive self-imagine in a child is one of the most important things a parent, or teacher can do. â€Å"Whether self-concept is positive or negative can influence important areas of a childs development and achievement. Educators have recognized that there is a link between self-concept and performance in school. Students with a strong self-concept tend to have good grades and take an active role in school. They are able to accept challenges and enjoy new learning experiences. Students with a negative self-concept tend to have both attitude and behavior problems. They may be unwilling to try new things, because they believe they will fail anyway, or they may not work up to their potential. Some educators feel that a positive self-concept is so important that children need to be taught to like themselves before they are taught academic skills such as reading, writing, and mathematics. † (Myers-Walls and Hinkley)

Homoeroticism in the novel Between Men by Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick :: literature gothic fiction homosexual gay

"Homoeroticism in The Monk and Christabel" The Monk In Between Men Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick presents an idea of the "Male homosocial continuum", which is outlined on our poster. In analysing the relationship between Ambrosio and Rosario, it is evident that the two share a "social bond"; yet whether or not this bond is evidence of desire is uncertain. Kosofsky Sedgwick also describes points of 'radical disruption', which in The Monk appear to result from the heterosexist framework to which we are introduced on the very first page, through Lewis' statement: "The Men came to see the Women". The homosocial relationship between Ambrosio and Rosario is disrupted by "the ambient heterosexist culture" (Kosofsky Sedgwick Epistemology of the Closet 46) that is physically manifested in Matilda. Ambiguity remains, however, concerning the author's intent. Lewis initiates a homosocial bond between Ambrosio and Rosario; he easily could have circumvented any notion of homoeroticism in the novel. He chose not to, but then chose to 'heterosexualise' the novel through revealing Rosario to be a woman. We would like to raise the question -- why did Lewis portray Ambrosio and Rosario in this way? The historical context for "Christabel" - its production, reception, and how that relates to homosexual or ambiguous sexuality. This poem, (composed in 1798 and published in 1816), sparked 7 verse parodies and 15 continuations in the years before 1909. What the parodies do to the figure of Geraldine is of particular interest. There are many answers to who and what she is. Some, following the conventions of Gothic romance suggest a "fairy tale" resolution which re-establishes the hetero-sexual order (Christabel marries her far away lover) and the supernatural and mysterious Geraldine is expelled. In 1819 David Moir wrote "Christabel, Part Third". In this, he uses the mundane to decrease the Gothic elements, but he increases the sexual content. For him, however, Geraldine turns out to be a man, and impregnates Christabel. Many of the interpretations of the relationship between Geraldine and Christabel work to remove any mystery or ambiguity. The anonymous poem Christabess, from 1816, increases the amount of sexual content in the poem, but this version subverts the expected heterosexual encounter and leaves Geraldine a woman. There however, is still ambiguity as to their relationship. There are quotes from the parodies and Coleridge himself on the poster which reveal the uncertainty of the relationship between the women and the conflicting interpretations of the writers.

William Blakes London Essay -- William Blake London Poem Poetry Ess

William Blake's "London" Works Cited Not Included William Blake's "London" is a representative of English society as a whole, and the human condition in general that outlines the socio-economic problems of the time and the major communal evils. It condemns authoritative institutions including the military, royalty, new industries, and the Church. Blake's tone creates a feeling of informative bitterness, and is both angry and despondent at the suffering and increasing corruption of London's society. Blake's sophisticated use of notation like capitalization, his specific change in meter, and the point of view all clearly develop London.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The point of view in which Blake employs to London is significant to the understanding of the poem. Blake chooses to give the poem a persona, a person who appears to have extensive knowledge of the city and helps give credibility to the poem. (Foster, 1924) The use of first person in all three stanzas allows the poem to be more opinionated and less objective, drawing the reader's attention by making it more personal. Blake's London is to be the reader's London as well. In addition to point of view, Blake further sophisticates his piece by presenting specific tone to each section of the poem. Blake sets the tone early in the poem by using the word charter?d which shows the condition of London as repressive. The speaker refers to the people or ?faces? he meets with ?Marks of weakness, marks of woe.? This diction advocates the probability of the city being controlled by a higher authority. The faces of the people, or the face of society reveals the feelings of entra pment and misery in the population. This in itself could propose, "humanity itself is being commercialized" (Damon, 1965). One of the interesting aspects of Blake's poetry is the layers of meaning his words connote.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Blake's advanced use of notation is evident through his utilization of capitalizing specific words to emphasize a point. Capitalization is repeatedly used in "London" to stress a higher meaning than the literal interpretation. Blake's use of the phrase ?every Man? again alludes to Blake?s intention that the poem represents not just the common, man but also, common society. Similarly the title "London" is used to represent the state of English society and to symbolizes the condition of every human society (Hirsch Jr., 1964) Aga... ...en with gonorrhea and other diseases, which blinded the newborn babies (Damon, 1965) Hence the diction ?Blast the new-born Infants tear?. The poem reaches its climax as the speaker exposes the infants who were born into poverty. When Blake uses the contradicting phrase ?Marriage hearse? in the last line it is significant because he combines something good with something bad (Lambert Jr., 1995) Blake proposes the possibility that as long as powerful institutions corrupt society, marriage is always cursed. Even though the joy of a new life is present, the fact that the child is born into a corrupt and evil society is discouraging. Blake suggests to the reader that until there is change this loop will continue.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ?London? is a poem of serious social satire directed against social institutions. According to Blake author Michael Phillips ?it is a poem whose moral realism is so severe that it is raised to the intensity of apocalyptic vision.? Blake becomes more specific in his descriptions of the prevalent evil and moral decay of society as the poem progresses. Blake?s informative nature is clearly evident in ?London? as he ?points the finger? and exposes powerful institutions.

The process of digestion

Wart also learned from his experiences as a snake that snakes weren't deaf at all, they can still hear using one/ two ear(s). Wart then met a serpent named T. Natural, a patient and gentle serpent who taught Wart about snakes, history, and legends. T first told Wart about his education being neglected as a snake and how he can't distinguish a T. Natural. Wart was then told about the reptile's history, including the two families Totalitarians manias and the Curator's incisors.The Atlanta family had very huge descendants, while the Cerate family was about 17 feet long, but razor sharp teeth that were giant. The serpent T told Wart about these two families and how they constantly battled and flee from each other. T then told Wart about how the python lost its venom. The python released his venom in fury after he saw that he transported humans to the 7th heaven. The poison then fell onto trees, water snakes, frogs, and cobras. In order to prevent chaos, the leader Aunt E told the venomou s animals to use their poison in self defense.The frog and water snake did not agree, so they lost their poison due to water. Wart learned many things from his experience as a snake talking to other snakes. Annotations: 1. In chapter 15, why was Sir Sector so upset that the King sent hunters to kill boars in the forest? Sir Sector argued that he wanted to instead hunt down the boars with his own team and hounds and supply the king. This is unreasonable because the hounds or hunters can be killed in a boar hunt, so Sir Sector should be grateful that he King is sending his own men and dogs to hunt.I think the only reason Sir Sector is angry is because he has to supply and nourish the hunters and their dogs until the goal Is achieved. 2. On the bottom of page 194, what Is the song that is being sung? I don't know how to Interpret this as a song except for the rhyming such as puddle and fuddle. There are many slash marks and weird words such as, â€Å"E could ‘rent alp It,' e AD to. This is too confusing and I have no idea to what it may be. 3. On page 185,

Fourth Grade Play

Fourth Grade Play Free Online Research Papers It was the fourth grade. I always heard rumors and gossip about a certain teacher. This year, kids said to take any teacher except Mrs. Williams, the oral project teacher. Of course in elementary, we did not have a choice of which teacher to choose. Boy, I was shocked when I glanced at the window that had my schedule. I knew it was going to be a bad year. The old, grouchy, mean Mrs. Williams would be my teacher. No problems, all I need to do is stand in front of the class and speak. Of course, I always hated talking in front of the class. I did orals in second and third grade; but it couldnt be that bad. Nothing could go wrong. Thats what I thought. The season changed with cold rains and blistering chills to blooming flowers and emerging birds. It was spring, and the school year would be over soon. This is when I finally knew why everyone hated her class. Mrs. Williams gave us the dreaded and most painful oral, The Play. It consisted of singing, dancing, acting, and prancing across the gym. Could it get any worse? Of course it could. On a piece of paper, stuck to a wall with eight pushpins and long-lasting duct tape, it stated, Invite people you know to The Play. A couple days after the announcement, a white envelope came in the the name Mrs. Williams pasted on the return address. Why wasnt I surprised to find out this was an invitation to The Play for my parents? There were no more excuses. I had no choice but to join the play. We first started by taking roles in different dramas. I rushed through a crowd of kids and hunted for a small lined part. I would be a dashing soldier, protecting the country of Rome from evil dragons while doing my best to keep the Gods happy. Next, we all took bells and canes for the singing, prancing, and dancing part of the play. I received a tiny scratched bell with a little red piece of yarn. It was the ugliest bell, but I became use to these consequences and I did not have any problem in going forward with progress. After getting our red-striped canes and other materials, we rehearsed our parts. Well most did. Personally, I hated the whole thing, especially the singing roles. When the kids werent in tune, she blamed it on me and forced me to sing more. When we had to jingle the bells for a beat, my bell would just make an ugly thump sound. Even with all these problems, everyone seemed ready for The Play. It just started to get dark and people piled onto the benches. Today was the day all our preparation came into action. Cameras covered the scene with parents making sure they did not miss anything. I was doing well. The Roman drama went perfectly and we excited the crowd with our acting skills. The singing and dancing were just as great. We sung with utmost excellence and made it to our spots with no wrong steps. That was the last major oral project we did in fourth grade. It was a pretty awful school year, but I gained a lot of knowledge from it. I learned how to speak in front of an audience in a firm and clear voice. I gained more confidence and I did not worry about orals as much. I guess fourth grade was not that bad, after acknowledging all the accomplishments I made that year. However, I sure would not want to go through the dire fourth grade again. Research Papers on Fourth Grade PlayThe Spring and AutumnStandardized TestingHip-Hop is ArtTrailblazing by Eric AndersonHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XThe Hockey Game19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided Era

History of Abolishing Slavery

History of Abolishing Slavery Slavery is among the oldest institutions that spread rapidly throughout the world. It existed in the Western Hemisphere, Europe, Middle East, and vast parts of Asia for a long time. It took its roots before the emergence of any religion in the world. The principles that governed it were so peculiar. In most occasions, slaves worked tirelessly in order to meet their needs and the needs of the lords at very low pay.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on History of Abolishing Slavery specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The main victims of slave trade were the black people. The blacks were not only massively enslaved, but also sold into bondage across the continents. A lot of religious people also played a significant role in advancing slavery; Christians and Muslims also took part in enslaving others. This paper aims at providing detailed information on how slavery was abolished. This paper will expound on the diverse m ethods employed in eradicating slavery in many parts of the world. Abolishment of slavery is one of the greatest achievements that took place in the world. It took approximately two centuries for it to be eradicated since it involved overcoming opposition and cunning inversions from diverse parties. The signs of abolishment of slavery started being visible in the early 18th century when evangelical Christians made up of mostly Britons held an anti-slavery political crusade (Sowell, 210). The crusade managed to mobilize most Britons into exerting pressure on the British government. â€Å"British governments found themselves forced to push the anti-slavery effort further and further towards its logical conclusion†, (Sowell, 210). To meet the demands of their citizens, the British government was forced, not only to do away with the international slave trade, but also to abolish the practice of slavery throughout the British Empire. Additionally, the British governments were forc ed to take part in bribing and coercing other nations into stopping slavery. The abolishment of slavery in Britain empires and the involvement of the British in preaching against slavery contributed immensely towards the end of slavery in the United States and France. It also led to the French government to take part in intercepting ships involved in slave trade via the effort of its navies.Advertising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The effort employed by the British government also led to the spread of Western civilization to many nations including despotic governments such as Russia. The Quakers also played a significant role towards ending slavery in the world. They were the ones who laid an example that was followed by the worldwide political revolution. Worldwide political revolution, headed by William Wilberforce, was made up of the evangelical leaders from Church of Engl and, involved itself greatly in preaching against slavery. Its effort led to Henry Thornton, a renowned banker, to start up an anti-slavery crusade. Additionally, the effort put by Wilberforce, Thornton and their allies played a significant role towards ending slavery. They spent over 20 years pressing for the abolishment of slavery via drafting slavery abolishing bills. Protests also played a significant role towards ending slavery. For instance, the memorandum penned by black Americans in early 1688 led to the reduction of the number of Negro slaves in the United States (Doren, 276). According to the Negros, only fervent protests could stop Europeans from inhumanly handling the blacks. The perception of the Negros about slavery also played a significant role towards Newton’s confession. It led to him denouncing slavery and note that it was a crime that needed eradication. Additionally, the diminishing acts of the Europeans led to many slaves opposing them. In most occasions , â€Å"they charged slaves with blasphemy while in the midst of cruel punishments that resulted from their enslaved status† (Schwartz, 430) Emergence of international antislavery opinions also played a significant role towards ending slavery. According to Bender (19), â€Å"international antislavery opinions led to the evolution of man’s moral perception† (Bender, 19). It made slaves not only to understand themselves, but also their roles in the society. It also made men under slavery to realize that no man was born to be a slave. Additionally, the experiences gathered by men with lordship and bondage contributed to their quest for their rights.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on History of Abolishing Slavery specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Publication devices such as books and pamphlets and presentations such as poems, sermons and plays played a significant role towards eradicating slav ery. They achieved this by not only airing out the â€Å"problems of slavery in Western Culture, but also creating public awareness† (Bender, 25). Additionally, they aided people from different areas to share ideas pertaining to slavery. In her article, Dorchen Leidholdt expounds on how children and women were and still are exploited sexually. According to her, any sort of dominance contributed immensely towards advancement of slavery. For instance, she argues that men dominance over women, adults over children, and first world over third world countries contributes immensely towards the occurrence of oppression among the disadvantaged in the society. According to her, it is also evident that â€Å"most slavers were motivated by a desire for sexual gratification, economic gain, or power and domination, or a combination of these factors† (Leidholdt, 2). However, formation of a coalition among continents such as Africa, Australia, and Asia played and a significant role t owards eradicating slavery. In most occasions, â€Å"the Coalition worked against all slavery-like practices such as sexual violence, sex trafficking, and exploitation† (Schwartz, 1). Its work played a significant role in abolishing slavery practices in different nations. Poverty and acceptance of prostitution as a viable practice in the society have also been associated with women and children involvement in sexual practices. They lead not only to many women and children being exploited by their employees, but also advancing sex tourism in most countries (Leidholdt, 7). According to Leidholdt (3), the Coalition â€Å"urges the Working Group to continue addressing slavery and slavery-like practices that affect primarily women and children in order solve slavery problems.† In conclusion, slavery is one of the oldest institutions in the world that existed almost everywhere. Most of its victims were the blacks; majority of the Europeans overworked the blacks in order to i ncrease their revenue. Unfortunately, most religions also took part in enslaving the blacks in the past.Advertising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It took about two centuries for slavery to be abolished fully. Among the things that led to the eradication of slavery include abolishment of slavery practice in British governments and involvement of British in coaxing other nations to stop slavery. The formation of anti-slavery political crusade in the 18th century by the evangelical Christians also contributed immensely towards the abolishment of slavery. Wilberforce, Thornton and their allies also played a momentous role towards its abolishment. However, it is evident that slavery-like practices still exist in most societies. Poverty, as well as acceptance of prostitution as a societal element plays a significant role in advancing sexual slavery. Bender, Thomas. The Antislavery Debate. Capitalism and Abolitionism as a Problem in Historical Interpretation. New York: Cornell University. 1992. Print. Doren, V. Charles. A History of Knowledge. New York: Ballantine Books. 1992. Print. Leidholdt, Dorchen. Prostitution A Modern Form of Slavery. New York. Web. Schwartz, B. Stuart. Black Latin America: Legacies of Slavery, Race, and African Culture. New York: Duke University Press. 2002. Print. Sowell, Thomas. Race and Culture. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. 1994. Print.

Why The North Won The Civil War Essays - American Civil War

Why The North Won The Civil War Essays - American Civil War Why The North Won The Civil War You Are Bound to Fail. Union officer William Tecumseh Sherman to a Southern friend: In all history, no nation of mere agriculturists ever made successful war against a nation of mechanics. . . .You are bound to fail (Catton, Glory Road 241) The American antebellum South, though steeped in pride and raised in military tradition, was to be no match for the burgeoning superiority of the rapidly developing North in the coming Civil War. The lack of emphasis on manufacturing and commercial interest, stemming from the Southern desire to preserve their traditional agrarian society, surrendered to the North their ability to function independently, much less to wage war. It was neither Northern troops nor generals that won the Civil War, rather Northern guns and industry. From the onset of war, the Union had obvious advantages. Quite simply, the North had large amounts of just about everything that the South did not, boasting

What Effect Has Industrialization Had on the Environment Essay

What Effect Has Industrialization Had on the Environment - Essay Example The researcher of this essay analyzes the effects that industrialization causes yoday and suggests that there are many. The major effect that the concept of industrialization has on the environment is pollution. Pollution which is generally referred to as the negation of the environment by causing harmful effects is very dangerous for human beings and other thriving people in the environment. There are very many types of pollution caused by industries. They range from water pollution, soil pollution and the major one of all, air pollution. Some of the products are like cars that ease the movements of people from one location to the other. There are also machines that are used in farms to assist in farming and such hard activities. However, despite the positive attributes credited to the concept of industrialization, there are also the negativities related to it. All these effects, that were analyzed in the essay are tied to the production of industries to the environment. Despite the fact that scientists argue that the environment is affected for a greater cause as the people dwelling in it generally benefit from the industries. The researcher then concluds that this is due to the fact that the many machines that make work easier for human beings come from the industries. However, environmentalists argue that despite that fact stated by scientists, the environment should be protected by the people running the industries taking more care of the manner in which they dispose off wastes.

Parks and Recreation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Parks and Recreation - Assignment Example He quoted several challenges he has come across. These were like the fluctuating number of visitors, the low income due to competitions with other national parks and the way to manage the staff and his subordinates. He elaborated how difficult it has been to manage people, whose goals are different, putting their diverse ideas together and making them to move towards a particular goal. Been the manager of the park, Luther displayed to me his extensive budget. Severally, he kept confirming one or two points from his records. His department had budgeted for $ 250,000 from the government allocation. In his budget, he has a list of objectives and activities to work on. These included extension of the park services to add more activities like bird watching and camping. His list of expenses also included motivation of workers through salary and wage increment, advertising the park to attract more visitors and introduction of modern technology in their services like online booking. I learnt from the way he emphasized, that these were among the long set goals and objectives of the park include in the mission but were never achieved due to poor management and lack of government support. Before we parted, I could read from his expressions, the zeal of Luther in application of his leadership qualities and skills in making the park one of the major attraction sites in US (Pet ersen

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

Physiology and Function - Essay Example Peristalsis is the rhythmic segmental contraction and relaxation of the GI tract that helps in propulsion of food. Peristalsis is generally under autonomic control and is further mediated by myentric plexus located between the circular and longitudinal muscle layer. Contraction of these two muscles produces peristaltic waves, normally in a forward direction. Peristalsis plays a different role depending on the location of the GI tract. In the esophagus, it simply propels the food into the stomach. But in stomach, strong peristaltic contractions grind the food and mix it well with the acidic contents of the stomach. In the intestines the peristalsis is slow, providing sufficient time for digestion and absorption to take place (Guyton & Hall, 2000). Bile is produced and secreted by liver but is transported to gall bladder for storage. In the gall bladder it becomes concentrated and is released into the duodenum via common bile duct under the influence of cholecystokinin and vagal stimulation. Bile is composed of water, bile salts, bilirubin, cholesterol, fatty acids, lecithin and other common ions. Bile serves two important functions: assistance in fat digestions and removal of waste products. Bile does not contain any enzymes for digestion of fat but it causes emulsification of fat particles facilitating digestion and absorption in the intestinal mucosa. Bilirubin, a waste product of hemoglobin breakdown is also secreted in the feces via bile (Guyton & Hall, 2000). Saliva is secreted in the oral cavity by various glands such as parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands. Every day these glands produce 800-1500ml of saliva. Saliva has two important components: ptyalin and mucus. Ptyalin is an amylase enzyme that helps in starch digestion, whereas mucus plays an important role in lubricating the food bolus and reducing mechanical friction. Saliva also has one important function of protecting oral cavity from invading

Online Store Vs. Physical Store Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Online Store Vs. Physical Store - Assignment Example All products further fall into categories for different markets. For instance, music accessories are sorted by price range in order to direct buyers to products that are willing to spend certain amounts. With the online store, one has the opportunity of shopping through a personal account. Personal accounts allow one the comfort of shopping without worrying about carrying along a credit card or cash. This is made possible by the available options of saving one’s payment information. In addition to this, accounts offer the opportunity of receiving news about new offers and discounts from the company through emails. In a physical store, one only gets to learn about discounts through publicly placed advertisements that are temporary and dependent on one’s location. Online stores save an immense amount of time for shoppers. People do not need to queue in order to check out. Queues can become tediously long especially during peak times. Moreover, the time it takes for differ ent customers to finish shopping is unrelated to the amount of products bought. The process of checking out at the online store is simplified to a few clicks within the site’s pages. In addition to this, burden of travelling in order to make a purchase is eliminated. The Express.com online store, for example, ships products directly to the customer free on certain purchases. What does the ‘brick and mortar’ store offer that the virtual store cannot? When customers shop at a physical Wal-Mart store, they have the opportunity to select products that they need in their actual forms. Certain aspects about the product may instantaneously affect the choice to make a purchase. One may realize that the size or the appearance of a product is not precisely, what you would want if you were in direct contact with it. At the store’s website, one only gets the chance to select the product based on visual appearances displayed online. There is a possibility of purchasing something only to realize it does not precisely match your preferences. For instance, one cannot try to fit a new piece of attire at Express’s online store, but this is possible at the physical store. This, hence, means that there is a risk of purchasing a cloth that does not fit your size. Furthermore, one may not be able to seek immediate assistance from store attendants when shopping online. Questions about a product have to be sought independently or at a time cost if one chooses to make phone calls to consult the customer support team. This slows down the buying process. Shopping at the physical store also allows one to access products instantly as opposed to the online store, where shipment has to be made over a certain period. One has the chance to interact with other buyers at the physical store, as opposed to an online situation where there will never be a chance of seeing other shoppers. Such interaction with fellow shoppers can help in gaining information about ce rtain products, for example, when trying to choose an appropriate book. Again, some products are not deliverable to certain locations if purchased online, for example, groceries. Thus, it requires one to travel physically to the store. Finally, at the physical store, one has the additional option of using cash to pay for shopping bills. If shopping is online, the only options available involve electronic money transfers. What

Political Science - Politics in Quebec (Canada) Research Paper

Political Science - Politics in Quebec (Canada) - Research Paper Example Cultural globalization refers to the emergence of a combination of values and beliefs even across the world. Globalization is associated with a clash of ideas, lifestyles, and identities, as well as enhanced interdependence within the international community. The amplification of international migration and advancement of technology has led to an increased ethnic and cultural diversification of societies. Canada hosts a constantly increasingly number of immigrants, majority of who originate in cultural1 environments that do not share similar values with the host society (Di Sciulo 2011, p. 28).1 The pressure of globalization on language and culture has triggered a remarkable range of research and analysis. This is certainly true in Canada where scholars and policy makers have long been anxious on the impact of globalization on local culture and language. The problem has aroused keen interest, especially owing to Canada’s geographical and cultural proximity to the U.S., the world’s biggest exporter of cultural products, as well as Canada’s internal division of twin population, French and English. Of recent, issues 2of globalization, ethnicity, and politics of identity have been dominant in Canada, especially in the region of Quebec. Most inhabitants of Quebec have raised concerns on the effects that cultural homogenization could have on Quebec’s distinct culture and language (Fletcher 1998, p. 360). 2 Most Quebeckers are fearful that increased globalization will lead to language loss or language shift together with their cherished cultural heritage. Language shift in this case refers to circumstances in which speech communities witness gradual displacement of a certain language by another. The language question in Quebec has constantly aroused mixed feelings of anxiety and passion enveloping maintenance of cultural and linguistic diversity. Language

Online Store Vs. Physical Store Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Online Store Vs. Physical Store - Assignment Example All products further fall into categories for different markets. For instance, music accessories are sorted by price range in order to direct buyers to products that are willing to spend certain amounts. With the online store, one has the opportunity of shopping through a personal account. Personal accounts allow one the comfort of shopping without worrying about carrying along a credit card or cash. This is made possible by the available options of saving one’s payment information. In addition to this, accounts offer the opportunity of receiving news about new offers and discounts from the company through emails. In a physical store, one only gets to learn about discounts through publicly placed advertisements that are temporary and dependent on one’s location. Online stores save an immense amount of time for shoppers. People do not need to queue in order to check out. Queues can become tediously long especially during peak times. Moreover, the time it takes for differ ent customers to finish shopping is unrelated to the amount of products bought. The process of checking out at the online store is simplified to a few clicks within the site’s pages. In addition to this, burden of travelling in order to make a purchase is eliminated. The Express.com online store, for example, ships products directly to the customer free on certain purchases. What does the ‘brick and mortar’ store offer that the virtual store cannot? When customers shop at a physical Wal-Mart store, they have the opportunity to select products that they need in their actual forms. Certain aspects about the product may instantaneously affect the choice to make a purchase. One may realize that the size or the appearance of a product is not precisely, what you would want if you were in direct contact with it. At the store’s website, one only gets the chance to select the product based on visual appearances displayed online. There is a possibility of purchasing something only to realize it does not precisely match your preferences. For instance, one cannot try to fit a new piece of attire at Express’s online store, but this is possible at the physical store. This, hence, means that there is a risk of purchasing a cloth that does not fit your size. Furthermore, one may not be able to seek immediate assistance from store attendants when shopping online. Questions about a product have to be sought independently or at a time cost if one chooses to make phone calls to consult the customer support team. This slows down the buying process. Shopping at the physical store also allows one to access products instantly as opposed to the online store, where shipment has to be made over a certain period. One has the chance to interact with other buyers at the physical store, as opposed to an online situation where there will never be a chance of seeing other shoppers. Such interaction with fellow shoppers can help in gaining information about ce rtain products, for example, when trying to choose an appropriate book. Again, some products are not deliverable to certain locations if purchased online, for example, groceries. Thus, it requires one to travel physically to the store. Finally, at the physical store, one has the additional option of using cash to pay for shopping bills. If shopping is online, the only options available involve electronic money transfers. What

Personal class Design Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Personal class Design Project - Assignment Example th many youth especially those from my class are continuing to fall victims of drug abuse, it will be necessary to have practical examples through group discussions in order to effectively communicate with the students. The class is composed of 20 students who have just joined the secondary education. The class is a mixed class with more boys than girls. The sessions are designed to be taught 2 hours one in the morning and the second one in the afternoon. The class will be made up of students from all walks of life. This is a good parameter through which students from different backgrounds would be subjected to discussions with students from other settings to have the issue of drug abuse addressed comprehensively. Experiences of people with relatives or students with drug addiction would be indispensable in making the learning more practical. The10 minutes of the class will entails students responding to the questions outlined in their journals and which will also be written for them on the blackboard. The first question will entail what drug abuse is. The second one will entail causes of drug abuse, and the third one will entail effects of drug abuse. This part of introductory in a new class is intended to bring to the speed on whether the students prior understanding on the issue of drug abuse (Dupper, 2002). This way, the following activities will be dependent on the understanding of what the students know about drug abuse. This session will entail taking the students through various readings on the definition of drug abuse and its causes. This is critical in that it will first make students understand the topic at hand even before detailing how to develop an ad for anti-drug campaign. For this lesson, the students will be required to give their own understanding of what drug abuse is and give practical examples of the same. This is essential in that it will help in bridging the gap between the materials the students read in class and what they belief drug

The Colourhouse Essay Example for Free

The Colourhouse Essay Introduction The business I have chosen to report about is a high quality sheet fed printers called The Colourhouse. This means that they provide the best possible printing work that they can. Sheet fed printers are best suited for shorter runs and where showcase quality is required. Sheet fed presses can also run heavier paper and conversely web presses can run newsprint or other thin paper. The machines in The Colourhouse can turn the sheet over within the press and print both sides at once. The Colourhouse was established 11 years ago in 1993 when four people invested their money into the company and called it Scott Colour. The four owners who invested their money into the company became directors of the company and still work in the firm. They own The Colourhouse. Two years ago the company changed its name to The Colourhouse and the location of the firm was moved to a bigger outlet in Deptford. This was because a major shareholder decided to sell his share of the business who was called Scott. The other owners decided to then change the name and change the logo of the company as well. The company now has 93 people working for it. Some of their clients include Aston Martin Lagonda, Transport for London, Barclays Bank PLC, J Sainsbury PLC, De Beers, Ford Motor Co, The Tate, Tesco and BP and of course many leading and advertising groups throughout the UK. These big companies show that The Colourhouse provides good quality products to huge names and therefore make better advertising for The Colourhouse to potential clients. I chose to study The Colourhouse because it was easily accessible for me to go and report on it since my dads friend works there. I also wanted to see how the different departments work together to make the firm a success. The managing director Mike Roberts showed me round The Colourhouse. He showed me around all the departments of the company and afterwards took me to meet three of the companys clients who had done business with the firm, who were in the process of doing business or were considering business with the company. This gave me an insight into how the employees communicate with customers. Ownership 1.0 The type of business organisation my company is is a private limited company. 1.1 Limited companies must produce two documents the Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association in order to set up the business. The Memorandum sets out the constitution and gives details about the company. The Companies Act 1985 states that the following details must be included. * The name of the company * The name and address of the companys registered office. * The objectives of the company and the scope of its activities. * The liability of its members. * The amount of capital to be raised and the number of shares to be issued. A limited company must have a minimum of two members but there is no upper limit. The Articles of Association deal with the internal running of the company. They include details such as: * The rights of shareholders depending on the type of share they hold; * The procedures for appointing directors and the scope of their powers; * The length of time directors should serve before re-election; * The timing and frequency of company meetings; the arrangements for auditing company accounts. These two documents, along with a statement indicating the names of the directors, will be sent to the Registrar of Companies. If they are acceptable, the companys application will be successful. It will be awarded a Certificate of Incorporation, which allows it to trade. A limited company must also submit a copy of its annual accounts to the Registrar each year. Finally the shareholders have a legal right to attend the AGM and should be told of the date and venue in writing well in advance. A private limited company is a company that has at least 2 shareholders or more. The Colourhouse has 4 shareholders. The shares in the company cannot be traded on the Stock Exchange. The Colourhouse became a private limited company because four people invested their money into the company and became the instant shareholders of the firm. The Colourhouse has a committee that protects the shareholders interest called the Board of Directors. The members of the board choose the managing director, who is responsible for the day-to-day running of the business. This person in The Colourhouse is Mike Roberts. Benefits 1.2 There are many benefits of The Colourhouse being a private limited company. Firstly they may find it more possible to raise capital (by selling shares) then unlimited liability businesses since shareholders are not risking their personal wealth. If for example The Colourhouse is losing money and needs to pay for employees wages or rent for their factory and offices, they could sell a part of their shares to pay for this. This would mean that employees would be getting paid and doing their job and they would have an actual place to do their work i.e. in the factory. This is better than for example taking out a loan because this means that there is no money needed to pay back. The shareholders can also have the protection of limited liability. This means that if The Colourhouse goes bankrupt, because it is unable to meet its debts, the shareholders will not be liable (responsible by law) to lose their possessions or pay the money that is owed. The maximum amount they could lose is the amount they have put into the shares. But the maximum amount they would lose is the whole of the business because there are only four shareholders and they all work in the company. Another benefit is continuity. This means that the business will continue if one of the owners should die. If for example a shareholder in The Colourhouse dies, then the shares can just be transferred to another owner and the business can keep on running. As the shareholders work in the business they know it well and have a vested interest in its success. So therefore they work hard and motivate employees to make The Colourhouse successful. Constraints 1.3 However, there are also disadvantages to being a private limited company. They cost more to set up than other types of firms i.e. sole traders and partnerships. So if the four directors of The Colourhouse did not have the money 11 years ago to set up the business, it is unlikely that the business would exist, be as successful or be as big as it is today. Another disadvantage is that there is a legal procedure to set up the business. This takes a lot of time and costs money. As The Colourhouse cannot sell its shares to the public, it is more difficult for the amount of capital to be raised. Luckily the directors of The Colourhouse already raised the money themselves and therefore invested the money they had in to the company. A final disadvantage is that any member of the public can inspect financial information with the Registrar. This is an advantage to competitors because they can be seen at any time. Business Objectives 2.0 The Colourhouse has many business objectives. An objective is an aim or several aims that a business work towards to achieve their goal and this is why it is good to have them. Their objectives are to make the company profit, increase sales for the company, to survive, develop staff skills, produce high quality products and offer good quality service and finally to make it the best sheet fed printers in the United Kingdom. 2.1 The main objective of the company is to make a profit. The reason businesses seek to make a profit is that, without profit, a business is unable to do all the things it wants to do. If The Colourhouse makes a profit, employees feel more secure in their jobs, shareholders profits go up and suppliers feel more secure. The Government also receives more in tax from the business. Without profit, The Colourhouse will find it difficult to plough back money into research and development, invest in new technologies and reward their employees with an increased wage package. The profit The Colourhouse makes mainly is reinvested in the company to purchase new machinery. It also pays rent for their factory and offices, wages for their employees, gas, electricity, petrol and lighting. 2.1 The second objective of the company is to increase sales. Without sales, The Colourhouse would not have any work to actually produce in the company. A decrease in sales would see employees having less work to do and less money coming into the business. This therefore would see a greater chance of The Colourhouse becoming bankrupt. Increasing the sales would mean more profit coming into the company so it can be reinvested to buy new technology and increase employees wages. The sales force of the business has the skills to sell The Colourhouses service to customers. 2.2 The next objective is surviving. The survival of The Colourhouse depends on the profit that it brings in each year. If The Colourhouse does not bring in the aimed value of profit each year, then the business is in trouble. A reason for The Colourhouse losing its profit is competition from other printers in its area. If this happened they will have to for example sack a number of employees or maybe move location to a smaller factory and office so that the rent will be less money. If the competition gets too much, the company could fold because the people running The Colourhouse would feel that they are not making enough profit to cover the efforts that they are making and the risk that they are taking. 2.3 The next objective is developing staff skills. The Colourhouse recognises that their employees are an important asset to the company. Without their employees the service that they promise to provide would not be available to clients. By developing staff skills they can help the employees as well as helping the company. This is because the employee would be using these skills in the workplace. The ideal employee at The Colourhouse would have good communication skills, good interpersonal skills, the ability to work with numbers and information technology and the ability to work effectively in problem- solving situations. If for example an employee did not communicate well with a client over the telephone or face-to-face, the client is less likely to do business with The Colourhouse again or even decide to take their business elsewhere altogether. The Colourhouse has therefore developed a detailed training and development programme that seek to create a better workforce for their company. This is called Perfection Through Improvement (PTI). This is a team of people from all areas of the business who strive to make the company a better place for the employees to work in. The team had one week of intense training to learn the tools required. They meet fortnightly to plan and discuss future developments. An example is making the factory and offices tidy for the employees to work in. They have come up with a scheme called the 5S. This stands for set in order (orderliness), which is keeping needed items in the correct place to allow for easy and immediate retrieval. An example of this is using labels to put items back in their correct place. Shine (cleanliness) which is to keep the workshop swept and clean. A case of this is making less mess and fixing leaks, rattles and shakes. Standardise (standardise clean up), this is the condition they support when they maintain the first three pillars. An example of this is putting cleaning stations companywide. Sort (organisation), which is clearly distinguishing, needed items from unneeded items and eliminating later. An example of this is tagging items that are ready for disposal. The place where these items were kept was then turned into the PTI workshop. Finally sustain (discipline) which is making a habit of established procedures. The PTI team each have an area and they then carry monthly audits on that area. This encourages and retrains any staff that requires it and it is also healthy competition between areas of the business. One of The Colourhouses future plans for development is to apply for government funding. This will then be used to further train the management team and indeed staff where required. 2.4 Another of their objectives is offering a high quality service and producing a high quality product at the end of it. One of their most important aims is to please the customer. If the customer is not happy with the service they are provided, they will then take their custom elsewhere. The Colourhouse does its best by satisfying customers requirements so tries to provide the best possible service they can. The Colourhouse in the near future will be appointing a customer service director and a customer service team from its current staff to increase customer service levels. If this is increased there will be more business coming into the company and therefore more profit, which means that one of their business objectives will be achieved. 2.5 Their final business objective is to make The Colourhouse the best sheet fed printers in the UK. This is a very big aim, which requires workers to be more motivated at their job and make the company even more successful. An example is organising more social events within the firm so employees can get to know each other better from all departments and therefore is an enjoyable place to work, which motivates the employees to come to work and work hard. Another way to make The Colourhouse the best sheet fed printers in the UK is by advertising. They plan to advertise the business more by local radio and advertisements in newspapers. They have already improved their website which was very basic beforehand but is now very helpful to clients who are thinking of using The Colourhouse for business. The advertising of the company will make more people know about the firm and may consider using it in the future. How the company measures their success 3.0 The Colourhouse monitors the success of these objectives by undertaking various customer and staff care surveys. These are conducted face-to-face, over the phone and through the post. These results are then reported back to the directors of the company who have meetings with their staff to talk about the results. The feedback from these surveys is usually very positive. These surveys usually ask clients if they were satisfied with the product and service that they received from The Colourhouse. If customers are not pleased with the results, then the company tries to help with these problems by holding meetings with staff to see how these problems can be solved i.e. giving discounts to particular clients. 3.1 However if the results are not positive, directors usually ask staff and customers what they think is wrong with certain areas of the company and how would they change it. There are various suggestion boxes around the company, which are regularly monitored by the PTI. All the suggestions are considered and answered. 3.2 The Colourhouse also has regular meetings with their staff to keep them up to date with how the company is doing i.e. profit. They monitor their profit by keeping charts of their profit each month and then for the year. They then compare this to their profit for last year to see whether their profit has increased or decreased. If it has decreased then they try to figure out ways to improve this. They measure the success of their sales also in a similar way by recording every sale for the company each month and then for the year and comparing to previous months and years. The Colourhouse measures how well the company is surviving by finding out about other printing companies in the same area (its competition). The Colourhouse can find out about other printers by searching the Internet for example and looking on printers websites to see e.g. the number of awards they have won, the customers they have and what type of machinery they use. This means that The Colourhouse can think of different strategies to make their company have a competitive edge over other printing companies in that area. Recommendations are also a very big way to measure the success of The Colourhouse. If clients are happy with the results of their work, then they will tell other potential clients about it and therefore increase the number of sales in the company. Potential clients also can see on The Colourhouses website that they have big companies using The Colourhouse and as a result customers are more likely to use this company over other printers. 3.3 In my opinion, I think The Colourhouse is very successful in meetings its objectives. Their main objective is to make a profit. Every year, they successfully make, on average à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½10 million which is a lot considering it isnt such a big company or even has branches elsewhere. Their other objective is to develop staff skills. The Colourhouse has developed a training programme for their workforce to make them a better team. The programme is the PTI programme which aims to improve the workplace employees work in. This has proven to be a success because it is involving all members of staff to make the factory and office comfortable to work in. Overall, The Colourhouse is one of the best sheet fed printers in the UK. This is proven by the amount of awards that the company has won. They have won 56 UK, European and International premier printing awards. Some of the awards theyve won include brochure printer of the year, repro house of the year, regional printer of the year, direct mail printer of the year and reports and accounts printer of the year. They have found winning these awards have been a powerful tool in helping to grow their business. Receiving these awards tells the customers and prospects that The Colourhouse is providing some of the finest print in the world today. In 10 years they have achieved 14 Consort Print awards, 4 Sappi Graphics awards, 10 Printweek Awards, 4 Printing World Awards, 4 McNaughton Review awards, 10 Premier awards and 6 Spotlight Awards. Their most proud awards are Printing Worlds Direct Mail printer of the years 2004, best repro company of the year 2002 and 2003, and Printing Worlds Best Printer 2002. These are their most proud awards because these are recent awards that they have won and still show that after 11 years they still provide the best possible quality they can. The names of all their awards they have won are on their website which is a very good idea because clients usually browse a website of a company before using it for business so therefore clients will more than likely use The Colourhouse than other printers because it has won so many printing awards for their quality of work. Functional Areas 4.0 There are five different functional areas in The Colourhouse which all work together to make the company successful. The different functional areas in the Colourhouse are: * Administration/ Finance * Sales * Production * Human Resources 4.1 The department of administration services the work of the company. The Colourhouse has an average sized office that is responsible for controlling key aspects of the firms paperwork. This department handles the filing of materials, the companys mail, word processing and data handling facilities. The administration department also has another department to it: finance. This deals with issuing invoices, estimating and sending cheques. A client will get in touch with someone in the sales department and the finance departments job is to estimate the cost of that job and issue the invoice to that particular customer. It too is responsible for keeping day-to-day records. It is important that this department does this because if for example a major event happens, the event can be discussed in say a meeting with the exact event and time and date. The department as well produces periodic records such as the annual accounts and figures for discussion at meetings of directors. This means that if in a meeting the managing director wants to compare profit figures from particular years, this can be done because they have been recorded. This department has 3 people working in it. An organisational chart of The Colourhouse showing the different functional areas 4.2 The department of sales deals with sales. Sales advisors take enquiries from customers for the work that they want. Often sale advisors go and meet clients several times and do not just deal with sales over the telephone. By meeting the clients personally it makes the customer feel that they are the sales advisors top priority and as a result feel very comfortable doing business with The Colourhouse. This is how sales advisors bring work into the factory. However if The Colourhouse feels it cannot give a particular job the best possible quality or have time to fit the job in, then the sales advisors will speak to the clients personally and provide any information that they need i.e. the name of another printing firm. Without sales the whole process of work would not exist. There would be no work for the reproduction and printing departments to actually produce to clients so therefore employees would not get paid and would end up losing their jobs. There are 10 people working in this department. 4.3 The department of Human Resources deals with the actual staff in The Colourhouse. It is the job of this department to interview potential staff for The Colourhouse. They then train the staff and continue to train them if for example the employees have not been working as hard as they could have so human resources provide more training. This department also uses staff appraisal, which involves a review interview between the employee and the managing director. These are held usually at least every 12 months and progress is discussed and targets are set. If the employee is not working as hard and needs to be motivated then they can be re-trained. On the other hand if the employees are working very well in their job then bonus schemes can be discussed or even a pay rise. 4.4 The production department is split into three areas: reproduction, print and finishing. The department of reproduction handles printing imagery. This is where workers use Mac computers to scan their clients images onto the computer. They then change certain parts of the images to fit the clients needs, which is called retouching. An example is a client wanting leaflets designed for a historical monument. The client would take the photo of it. The employee would change for example the colour of the sky to make it more blue and clear instead of having it grey and dull like how it was taken. This then attracts the attention of the reader a lot more and therefore would consider visiting that place. The images are then transferred to a special material, which is called a plate where it goes into a machine to be proofed. This can be either done by wet proofing or digital proofing. Wet proofing takes a longer time to complete then digital proofing. All this work is saved onto discs and put away so if the client comes back and wants the same job done; it is easier for the work to be done. 4.5 The department of printing deals with exactly that. The plates from the previous reproduction department are transferred into the printing department. They are fed into machines presses where ink is pressed onto the plates. The machines used are 110 colour perfecting press, 18 colour perfecting press and 16 colour CD press. The plates are colour coded so that plates dont get mixed up and get fed into the wrong machines. The inks used are yellow, cyan, magenta and black, which are mixed together to create different colours to whatever the client requires. The images are then transferred onto several hundreds of paper. 4.6 The final department is finishing. When they are finished printings they are stocked into big bundles and are taking to where the edges of the paper must be made smooth using machines that cut the bundles. The bundles of paper next are placed into a machine where a shiny coating is placed onto them. The bundles are then taken to be folded into leaflets, posters, brochures, magazines or whatever particular job is required. There is also another side to the finishing department, which is the mailing section. This is the department where mailing is done. Mail is posted to all their clients and householders about their particular jobs with the company and about how the company is doing. The names of all the clients are kept on computerised laser machines, which enclose the client details. Mail is then enclosed in an envelope, sealed and posted. 4.7 The functional areas all work together to help the business meet its objectives. The Colourhouses main objective is to make a profit. However if the functional areas didnt work together to meet this objective there would be no profit or an increase in sales. They cannot all work without the other departments. The sales department is essential because the sales advisors actually talk to clients and persuade them to use The Colourhouse for business. The human resources department motivate the employees to carry on with jobs in the way that they are doing and help employees if it is needed. The reproduction, printing and finishing department are necessary because they offer the services and make the product. Without these departments there wouldnt be any product to give to the client at the end. The mailing department is needed to inform clients of the progress of their work and how the company is actually doing. Without it clients are not informed of The Colourhouses progress and there fore may forget using The Colourhouse in the future. By doing this the client will be satisfied with the end result and therefore come back to do more business. Their other objective is developing staff skills. The functional areas all work together to do this by helping employees in different departments whether it be for example a sales advisor telling a person in the printing department how to communicate well on the phone or showing an employee in the production department how to scan images onto a MAC computer in the reproduction department. A very important way of developing staff skills is training employees when for example they start in a department. They also use training to teach employees to work in different parts of the department on different machines e.g. the print department in case a particular employee is absent. This is called multi-skilling. This means that the employees can be more flexible with their job. It is the job of the human resources department to decide when training is given to employees and develop their skills. Another of their objectives is to offer a good quality service to the clients. The functional areas help to do this by making the best possible product to a high quality standard. The departments of The Colourhouse try to meet its deadlines for a particular job and do the job at an average speed. The sales department offer the client the best possible service when they met them by communicating well with them and helping them with any queries. Clients can also visit The Colourhouse to see where their work is being processed and can see if it is correct and to the best possible standard. If it isnt the client can point this out and the mistakes on the job can be changed. Management Style and Culture 5.0 A persons management style is the typical pattern of behaviour he or she shows in carrying out a management role over a period of time. The management style of The Colourhouse is a mixture of 3 styles: autocratic, democratic and laissez faire. 5.1 The autocratic style is one where the manager sets objectives, allocates tasks and insists on obedience. The Colourhouse uses the autocratic style in a situation like a managing director telling the people in the mailing department who to send particular mail to. This style is used by a higher employee to new and inexperienced staff who are not experienced in The Colourhouse. The democratic style is also used. A democratic leadership style encourages participation in decision-making. Managers may consult employees or could attempt to sell final decisions to them. A case of using this is when the departments of production, reproduction and printing decide whether a job that has been enquired can be taken on. This style is used to employees that have been in The Colourhouse for a long time so they dont need so much direction as new employees. 5.2 The Colourhouse is somewhere between autocratic and democratic but there is also a style of laissez faire used. A laissez-faire type of leadership style allows employees to carry out activities freely within broad limits. They are then held responsible for the decisions it chooses to make. An example of this is the reproduction and printing departments deciding how long a particular job will take printing. If it is not finished then it is these departments responsibility. 5.3 Culture means a way of doing things. In a business context it can mean the attitudes, values and beliefs that are shared by the people in a business. If a business is to succeed in achieving its objectives, it is vital that its people share a belief in those objectives. It is up to the management of the business to instil the belief in its employees. How a culture will evolve depends on different influences. In the case of The Colourhouse economic influences dictate how the culture evolves. This is the need to make a profit and be efficient. The drive to make a profit will help to shape the attitudes, values and beliefs of the firm. Employees of The Colourhouse are motivated to go all out to win business because they are hoping for a reward in their hard work i.e. higher wages or a promotion. An organisational culture is reflected in the way individuals in the organisations carry out their tasks. It combines the beliefs and values of the individuals and the extent to which they rely on the organisations rules and procedures. There are 4 types of culture: role, power, person and task culture. 5.4 Role culture is typical of bureaucracies, which are large organisations in which all members have a defined job or role to carry out. Power culture is often found in small organisations where control rests with a single individual or a small group of individuals. Person culture is where the individuals are central and the organisation exists only to serve the interests of those within it. 5.5 In the case of The Colourhouse the task culture is used. This is a team working on a specific project. These tend to be organised into team working structures. Teams may work together for a short and long time to complete a task. Particular individuals may work on more than 1 task at a time. An example of this is staff in the reproduction department scanning images onto a MAC computer but also proofing the images onto plates. There is a strong emphasis on building the team and make them feel valued by the firm. Employers are increasingly being encouraged to take on more responsibility. In a task culture, teams will often have considerable input in determining how a particular job will be done. An example is the employees of the reproduction department giving their views to the managing director on a particular job. After all they work there all the time so therefore their opinions on things are listened to and are more often than not right about it. Task culture is best for The Colourhouse because it means that employees of The Colourhouse can work in teams and complete assignments together. Particular employees tend to work on more than one task at a time. As a result for their hard work they feel valued by The Colourhouse to be kept motivated. Teams of employees can also put their thoughts and views into how a particular job that they do e.g. the amount of time a job takes to complete. Other members of the team and the company listen to their opinions. 5.6 The Colourhouse is organised into team working structures, which involves considerable flexibility with people working in one or more teams and when appropriate. This means that all employees are taking responsibility for their particular part in the job and therefore must be in charge of that. An example of this is the different departments within the company especially the reproduction and printing department. These departments help each other out and the employees have to be flexible in these departments because they cannot leave their work really until the particular printing job is done. 5.7 The structure of the business, its culture and management style affects the performance of The Colourhouse. These help or hinder the success of the business. If for example employees hated coming to work because of particular individuals or hated the management style e.g. autocratic they wouldnt feel comfortable in their work and not put the best possible effort into it. However if more social events occurred in The Colourhouse i.e. going out for a meal with some of the other employees, workers would build on having a good relationship with other members of staff and therefore look forward to coming to work. This means that they will put their best possible effort into their work and maintain a high level of morale. Having a relaxed but hard working atmosphere in the workplace motivates the workers to meet their objectives of the company. Otherwise if the atmosphere is miserable the employees will be working in this type of atmosphere and have a low level of morale and not reaching t heir objectives as a company. 5.8 The operation of The Colourhouse is also affected by the structure, the culture and management style. If the style of management is too autocratic, it affects the way in which staff work causing the staff to lose morale and not put as much effort into their finished product. However if the atmosphere in the office is too laid back workers will not be motivated to make the best possible product they can. They will then produce sloppy work which would make the customer unsatisfied and take their business elsewhere. They will also not encourage other people too use the company either. 5.9 The structure, management style and culture also help The Colourhouse meet its objectives. The Colourhouses main objective is to make a profit. With The Colourhouse being a mixture of all 3 management styles: autocratic, democratic and laissez faire, it helps the employees of the company work together and separately to make their product and service the best possible and therefore the best for the customer. The customer will more than likely return to the company to do more business. If the customer also sees that the culture of the business is hardworking but also a relaxed environment this will also more than likely make the customer come back to the company to do more business leading to increasing sales. The Colourhouse also aims to look after the customer when they do business with them, so if the customer does not feel that the company care about them then they will take their custom elsewhere therefore decreasing sales. Another of their objectives is to develop staff skills. The management style is to work together and also apart so by doing this it is developing many of their employees skills. For example it is developing their skills to be a leader in a situation like working in a group or developing their problem-solving skills when they are alone. 5.10 I think the impact of the organisational structure; culture and management style is successful on the performance of The Colourhouse. The employees of The Colourhouse know that the most important thing is to make the customer happy. The customer is their top priority. This makes the employees motivated to keep the customer happy and maybe get a reward at the end of it i.e. promotion. Because the management style is a mixture of 3 styles (autocratic, democratic and laissez faire) it seems to work in The Colourhouse. The employees are happy that although they are told what assignments to do, they can always discuss them to other members of their team and work together as a group to finish an assignment but also at their own pace. Because they work in a task culture, employees dont have as much work to do as if they were working on their own so the work is shared out between employees and they are responsible for that. Potential and current clients can see that this management style works in the business, which is why customers keep returning to The Colourhouse. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) 6.0 ICT is the abbreviation of Information and Communications Technology. Communication is the communication used within and outside of the business. This is called internal and external communications. 6.1 The use of ICT is widely used in The Colourhouse. The use of ICT in The Colourhouse makes it possible for functional areas to share the same information and to work collaboratively using this pool of information and information creating and handling-capacity. The ICT used in The Colourhouse leads to the success of the quality of work that the company produce. The reproduction department for example uses MAC computers to scan images onto the screen. These computers are of a high quality and therefore make the end product the best possible. 6.2 ICT is used for internal communications within The Colourhouse. Internal communications is communication that takes place within an organisation. Examples of internal communications within The Colourhouse are notices, reports, memos, face-to-face encounters, email and team briefing. Notices are used to publicise any changes in policy. These are produced using Word, or Desktop Publisher. Notice boards in The Colourhouse are placed in each department and increase communication. They hold things like important dates, functions and telephone numbers for different departments i.e. if there is a problem. Reports are helpful for the purpose of keeping accurate records or to inform future-decision making processes. An example of using reports is during a meeting when an important event has happened. It has been noted down along with a date and time and who was involved and can be discussed at the meeting. Memos are the most widely used form of communication because they are brief and to the point. The Colourhouse uses this for example to tell people about a meeting coming up later that day. Both of these types of communication are word processed so they can be saved and doesnt have to be typed up again. Face to face encounters are helpful because people are talking directly to each other. An example of using this method is the managing director discussing a personal problem with an employee. Emails are used to send documents in electronic form around a company. For instance this can be used in sending information fro the managing director to all staff about a meeting. Team briefing is when managers and others with information to share brief their team on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. An example of this is the managing director discussing with the sales department what they can do to increase sales. The process of ICT is used to produce printing jobs. The reproduction department uses MAC computers to scan images from discs saved by the company onto the computer screens. It is then printed and put through a machine where it is placed onto plates. The printing department uses printing machines to press ink onto the plates to finish the job. The finishing department uses particular machines to trim up the sides of the paper/card etc and make sure that all the sides are level. 6.3 ICT is also used for external communications within The Colourhouse. External communications takes place between the organisation and the outside world. Examples of external communications within The Colourhouse include letters, Internet, websites, email, fax, and telephone. The most frequently used form of communication is the telephone. Its fast and allows those who find it difficult to meet the converse. The sales department when discussing enquiries with potential customers can use this. Letters is still a widely used form of external communication. It can for example make arrangements without the need for parties to meet etc. Letters are used in the mailing department to send news to householders and current clients about how the business is doing. This department uses Word and mail merge to produce the letters. Faxes have experienced massive expansion over recent years. Fax machines send information electronically over telephone lines. Sales advisors in the sales department use this to send quotes of the job that they wanted to clients. The Colourhouse widely use emails. It is used because its fast, and more environmentally friendly. Its efficient because customers can be kept up to date with their order placed. A case of using emails is to send an email to the companys suppliers. The Colourhouse has an Internet web site it uses for all forms of external communications purposes for public relations activities. This means that potential clients can get in touch with the company through the website and sales advisors can reply to them through the website. The website is also used to advertise their product and service that they provide. They advertise the big companies that use The Colourhouse to persuade potential clients to use them. The impact of ICT 6.4 ICT has had a major impact on internal and external communications in The Colourhouse. An efficient information and communications system would mean that the customer was satisfied and would probably return for more business. Because information and communications processing affects the ways in which The Colourhouse competes, an effective system should create genuine competitive advantage. Information and communications processing systems must be developed that best support The Colourhouse in meeting its objectives. By being fit for the purposes intended, the information and communications system should help to provide solutions and not create problems. Email for example has had a major impact on The Colourhouse. Emails have made communication much faster and people receive information quicker. For example staff in The Colourhouse can send emails to clients about their price of the job. Using databases is a good asset to the company because they are very useful to the company. Databases can keep track of client details such as their names, addresses and telephone numbers. A system that is fit for its purpose should reap results- The Colourhouse should then be able to quickly point to ways in which it is meeting its objectives more effectively. Cost has a clear influence upon the design of an information and communication processing system. An example is a manager may have a constraint budget that determines how much can be spent upon its introduction. One danger of a tight budgetary constraint is that it can be too restrictive and can make it difficult to develop a system that undertakes activities as efficiently as originally required. Information and communications processing systems must be developed to meet the needs of a number of employees. The overall aim should be able to reduce the time taken to carry out activities, to increase the speed with which output is generated, to undertake a larger volume of work and to make it easier for the employees to access and operate the system. As time has gone on, computer systems have changed and become better and more equipped. As a result The Colourhouse has invested money into new computers so that they can use the best possible computers around and therefore provide best quality product to clients. The most important element in any system is its capacity to generate output. A good information system will have the right information available when required and in the form specified by the user. Production and Quality Assurance/ control 7.0 Production is the process whereby inputs of people, machinery and materials are converted into outputs of either finished goods or services. 7.1 There are different types of production including job, batch and mass production. Job production is the manufacture of individual products often referred to as one off or unique products. These products are manufactured to meet the individual needs of the consumer. Each stage of the process is organised and completed until the finished product is complete. Batch production involves the manufacture of a quantity of products or parts of a product. These are produced in a batch all at once, before the next quantity or batch is manufactured. Mass production involves products or services passing down a line of production. The production process is a repeating one, with identical products going through the same sequence of operations. 7.2 Job production is the production process within The Colourhouse. This is when The Colourhouse produces one or a small number of items and where the product is smaller than in a project. The product is made on their premises and then taken to the particular client. First the sales advisors take orders from clients, then the job is decided whether it can be done or not. Sometimes it cannot be done because the client may want it done soon and there is not enough time to do it. If it can be done it is then put into a job bag (where all orders go) where also delivery notes, machine schedules and invoices are kept. The job is decided however long it will take and other jobs are planned around it. The job is then taken downstairs to the reproduction department where the order is put on a disk and placed in the computer for the employees to scan and rearrange and retouch certain parts of the images. It is then put onto plates. When the reproduction department is finished, the plates are put through pressing machines in the print department. They are printed onto hundreds of paper and then piled into bundles and the edges of the paper are made smooth and cut into the required size and shape. It is then folded into the particular leaflets, brochures, poster or whatever particular job it is. 7.3 Added value is the difference between the cost of purchasing raw materials and the price, which the finished goods are sold for. The Colourhouse adds value through the quality of product and the individual service that they provide. Clients too add value to The Colourhouse. Clients are willing to pay a high amount of money for the quality of job that The Colourhouse provides because it makes their business look good e.g. producing a glossy brochure which will bring in more customers and therefore more money, so the money the clients pay is well worth it. Quality Control 7.4 There are many different ways of controlling quality. Total Quality Management (TQM) TQM is the most complete form of operations management. It is concerned with encouraging everyone in the company to think about quality in everything the employee does. Every employee sets out to satisfy customers, placing him or her at the centre of the production process. ISO 9000 is an international certificate that indicates to clients that the quality procedures of a company are a reliable firm and deliver consistently the promised quality product or service. Benchmarking is a method many organisations use to help them discover the best methods of carrying out processes available and then using them in their organisations. Traditional quality control is self-checking or inspecting the production process. Products are made and at the end faults are corrected. Quality Circles are an important way of increasing participation in organisational activities. A quality is a study group of volunteers who meet regularly to work on a variety of operational and employee problems. 7.5 The quality of The Colourhouses goods is maintains by using quality control. The Colourhouse uses ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. ISO 9001 is concerned with quality management. This means what The Colourhouse does to fulfil the customers quality requirements and applicable regulatory requirements, while aiming to enhance customer satisfaction, and achieve continual improvement of its performance in pursuit of these objectives. ISO 14001 is an Environmental Management System. It provides a framework for managing environmental responsibilities so they become more efficient and more integrated into businesses overall. ISO 14001 specifies a process for controlling and improving a companys environmental performance. ISO 14001 consists of general requirements, environmental policy, planning, implementation and operation, checking and corrective action and management review. These quality controls indicate to potential customers that the quality procedures of the holders are reliable and by implication they are capable of delivering consistently the promised quality product and service. 7.6 The production process and quality control systems help the business add value to its product. ISO 9001 brings a significant competitive edge over the companys rivals. As printing businesses become more competitive, ISO 9001 can be a cost-effective way for The Colourhouse to demonstrate to their clients that quality assurance is of paramount importance to The Colourhouse. Being issued these certificates and having ISO 9001 shows customers and potential customers that the company takes quality seriously. This means that the customers will be satisfied with the work that The Colourhouse has done and more than likely return in the future. They also are more than likely to recommended The Colourhouse to other people because of their high quality, which means that it is increasing sales and profit as well. Implementing ISO 9001 examines the systems in detail and highlights any weaknesses/cost savings/duplication of effort, which is as well saving money for the company. Having ISO 9001 also does things right first time every time therefore reducing waste and rework saving money for the company, which can be spent on things such as bonuses for employees, or purchasing new machinery. Having ISO 9001 is an excellent training tool for employees of The Colourhouse therefore the employees are learning new things and using these new skills in the company. It may help them later on in life e.g. at another job. In addition ISO 14001 adds value to the service that The Colourhouse provides. The Colourhouse has reported cost saving associated with reduced waste. It is another significant competitive edge over The Colourhouses business rivals. This means that clients are more likely to use The Colourhouse for business rather than a printing firm, which didnt have this certificate. It also helps to promote a safer working environment for the firms employees. This is adding value to the firm because it is not losing who are well trained and motivated employees due to e.g. an accident in the workplace and therefore the work is shared equally around the company. The continual improvement of this system helps the drive for more efficient use of raw materials and enhanced performance leading to cost reductions. 7.7 An alternative approach to quality control or quality assurance in The Colourhouse as opposed to using ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 is to use Total Quality Management (TQM) however this is also what they could aim to use in the future. This is the most complete form of operations management. It is concerned with creating a quality culture so that every employee will seek to delight customers. It is concerned with encouraging everyone in the workplace to think about quality in everything he or she does. The Colourhouse aims to please the customer so motivates their employees to provide the best possible quality they can provide. Every employee sets out to satisfy customers placing him or her at the heart of the production process. 7.8 The effects of using TQM on the different functional areas within The Colourhouse are that all the employees in each department are responsible for every stage of The Colourhouses operations. For that reason employees have to be responsible for their actions if something goes wrong. It is the job of the sales department to bring sales into the company and therefore clients. The sales department would have to take responsibility if they for example booked a job but had not checked with other departments to see if it was fine to do this. This is good because the sales employees can then take responsibility for their actions and other departments will not be blamed therefore not slowing down the production process. It is the job of the production department to provide the final product to the client so if something in their departments go wrong it is up to these employees to correct their mistakes. An example is in the reproduction area where an employee scans the wrong image onto a plate. The client would see the plate and recognise it is wrong so therefore the employee would have to change their mistake. This is a good approach to the functional areas because it means that each employee of The Colourhouse are providing the best possibly quality that they can and putting all their energy into their work. 7.9 Using TQM would achieve the objectives of The Colourhouse, which are to make a profit, increase sales; to survive, develop staff skills, to provide a high quality service and be the best sheet fed printers in the UK. As the employees in all departments are responsible for providing the best possible quality in their work, this objective is highly possible to achieve under TQM. Providing high quality work makes clients satisfied with the end result and therefore uses the company again and also recommends it to others and as a result builds a profit and increase sales. As they are providing a high quality service they have the edge over other printing firms and as a result have less competition. 7.10 In my view TQM is the better type of quality control. It takes place at every stage of an organisations operations and is the responsibility of all employees. It is therefore a business philosophy as well as a set of guiding principles. TQM enables employees of the firm to realise the importance of what they are doing. It makes the point that the quality of the product sold to the external customer depends on the quality of products and services provided by The Colourhouse. It also helps to employees to realise their significance to the business. 7.11 There are many benefits of TQM. Firstly it enables an organisation to focus on the customer and quality. Also all operations and activities are thoroughly scrutinised on an ongoing basis to identify scope for improvement. Teamwork is emphasised which is an important aspect to The Colourhouse as all the departments and employees within departments work together to make the best possible product. Therefore team members in the firm feel they have ownership over the improvement process. TQM can lead to the motivation of all the employees. They like that they would be trusted and empowered to make sure that they make the best possible product. Finally TQM is a total system involving everyone in the consumption and production of products. 7.12 On the other hand there are also disadvantages to having TQM as a quality control. Firstly the system requires considerable planning and organisation and is initially costly to introduce e.g. training costs can be high. TQM requires a commitment from all those involved in the process i.e. the employees. Setting up quality systems involves considerable paperwork and bureaucracy, which may take a long time which may lead to the next point of stress. This may arise from establishing TQM processes. Finally at times TQM is based more on rhetoric rather than on practice. 7.13 Overall I think that TQM is the better quality control. This is because evaluating this type of quality control has shown to be that there are more benefits to this system than constraints. More importantly TQM is aiming to provide quality to a high standard for customers which is really important because clients help make the company what it is. Without the customers the business would not be as successful as it is. Bibliography The list of all the reference books, company information and Internet sites I have used for my assignment: Needham/Dransfield (2000), Advanced Business, Heinemann, Oxford www.thecolourhouse.com www.gain.net www.emea.bsi-global.com www.iso.org Mike Roberts Managing Director The Colourhouse