Music affect the growth of a plant Essay Example for Free

Music affect the growth of a plant Essay Plant growth is the development of seeds of a plant, which might be surrounded by a protective and nutrient rich layer called the fruit, into plant tissue that includes roots, leaves, and the stem (along with all the cells and other things that this tissue is composed of) to create a fully functioning, living, multi-cellular, eukaryotic organism that lacks the ability to move (a plant). Their growth is affected by several factors that include soil moisture, soil pH, sunlight, nitrogen-content of the soil and more. If some these factors are affected in negative ways, then there can be some negative outcomes on the plant itself which could include death. Music might also be one of these affecting factors. In this experiment, two very young plants (pinto bean sprouts Phaseolus vulgaris) will be planted at the same time and will have the same amount of everything; from sunlight to the amount of water they get daily. After they have grown a little and the stem has begun to emerge from within the cotyledons of the bean, they are then separated, and one plant sits in the peace and quiet as a control while the other is subjected to some serious loud music. If conditions are right, the music should stimulate the plants growth. Hypothesis If a pinto bean sprout (Phaseolus vulgaris) plant is grown in a quiet area and another pinto bean sprout is grown in an area with loud music playing, the plant in the area with music will grow to be much larger. The amount of growth will be measured with a metric ruler in centimeters Variables Independent Variables: Temperature, Light, Water: These three factors are equally distributed among both plants, so only variable that would affect plant growth is the music played. Type of Plant and soil: same type of bean sprout used for both plants as to ensure that there are no other variables other than the music being played for the plant along with the same type of garden soil Dependent Variables: The height of both plants after a day of one plant being exposed to silence and the other to music. Control of Variables: 1. Get to pinto beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) to be grown that are identical to ensure no other affecting variables in this experiment other than the music being played. 2. Expose both plants to identical conditions of moisture, temperature, sunlight and have both of them grow in the same type of garden soil and they will be grown in containers with the same size as well. 3. For the plant being exposed to music, the same album is played over and over so the type of music is consistent. Materials and Method Materials 2 pinto bean sprouts (Phaseolus vulgaris) 180 ml of water 2 plant pots top opening is 4 inch diamter 2x 500g of garden soil 500 watt stereo Metric Ruler Linkin Park Album Hybrid Theory 100 ml graduated cylinder Method and Procedure 1. Take the 2 plant pots and fill them each with 500 g of garden soil 2. Then, take a pinto bean and plant it in each of the pots; plant each bean so that it is just barely submerged under the soil. 3. Then, take each pot to a different location, but a location in which both plants will be exposed to the same amount of sunlight, heat, etc 4. Then, just leave one plant in the serenity of its surroundings (its the control) and place the 500 watt stereo next to the other plant. Put the CD into the stereo and have the stereo play at about three-fourths its full volume and have it play next to the plant and have it play for a minimum of 7 hours next to the plant. Look at the diagram below for more information. 5. At noon give both plants 30 ml of water using the graduated cylinder. Do this again at 6 p. m. 6. The next day, note your observations and record your findings in a table. 7. Then feed the plants again and play the music for at least 7 hours and record the observations once more the next day. SETUP Data Collection and Evaluation Table: The effect of music on plant growth Day Plant without Music Plant with Music 1 The plant had sprouted and a small stem began to appear- 2 cm in length The plant had also sprouted and a stem larger than that of the other plants appeared- about 2. 47 cm 2 The plant continued to grow and the stem had reached a height of approximately 3. 22 cm. The plants stem also continued to grow but the stem had now reached a height of about 3. 85 cm Data Evaluation From the numbers and observations presented in the above data, that as time passed and the plants were closely monitored, the plant that had the music playing seemed to grow a lot more than the plant that grew in the quiet and serene environment; the quiet plant ended with a height of 3. 22 cm while the plant with music ended with a height of about 3. 85 cm. Conclusion and Evaluation Conclusion. In the above data, it is deciphered that plants that grow with music grow much more than plants that grow in a quieter environment. This all has to do with the fact that different factors affect or stimulate plants, and sound is one of them. And, from the data, sound is a positive stimuli as it increased plant growth in one of the plants. This verifies the hypothesis and, since there are other results on the internet as well to verify that music really does stimulate plants, the results are plausible and reliable. Limitations Not everything can go according to plan or as hoped and so these errors that occurred during the experiment provide a basis from which the experiment can be proved: 1. There was only one trial instead of several and the experiment in this one trial was over a 48 hour period and it should have been longer so that the true comparison of the difference between a plant grown with music and a plant grown without music can be easily made. 2. Only one type of music (rock) was used and so it is now unknown whether different kinds of music and sound also act as a different stimulus for the plant. Suggestions for Improvement To create a much better and more reliable experiment, the experiment should be carried on for about a 4 day period in order to acquire more results than can show the differences between plants with and without music. Then, there should be at least 3 different plants; one control, one with a type of music, and another with a different type of music. This then will help to go deeper and explore this stimulus of sound toward plants on different levels. This entire experiment should then be at least repeated one more time to ensure plausible results. Bibliography http://forums. gardenweb. com/forums/load/teach/msg0113244514471. html? /teach/msg0113244514471. html http://www. sproutnet. com/toc. htm http://www. gcagators. org/Activities/fair/jason/analysis. htm.

Impact of Beliefs on Learning | Essay

Impact of Beliefs on Learning | Essay CPPD Introduction Reflection has become a fundamental component of professional development of teachers and lecturers in the Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE) sector (Harkin, 2005). The lifelong learning sector can be seen to transcend both these paradigms and contexts of post-compulsory learning. This essay addresses some key elements of reflecting upon the experience of a teacher in Beauty Therapy within the lifelong learning sector, addressing the intersection between the personal and experiential and the theoretical/pedagogical aspects of the role and its function. Teaching roles and context within the lifelong learning sector Teaching roles within the lifelong learning sector seem to be related to the kind of teaching, the kind of subject, and the kind of learner (Zukas, 2006), a three-way relationship which I have observed to be perhaps more negotiated upon a day to day basis than founded in one single pedagogical theory or framework. It is notable that within the lifelong learning sector, there seems to be a crossover between the vocational type of education, and more traditional ‘teaching’, and in particular, these roles of ‘teachers’ are very much based on how best to meet student needs. Therefore, it seems that one element of the teaching role within this context is related to learning ‘on the job’ or learning through doing (Eraut, 2004), and the ‘becoming’ element of the process of ‘becoming’ a teacher in this context is a response to the demands of the job, rather than a formal process which prepares you to carry out the role. While t his might run against the theories of pedagogy, being a much more personal take on what the teaching role is, it is based on perceptions of professional identity as well as an understanding of dominant concepts of the role in a formal sense (Beckett and Gough, 2004). Austerlitz and James (2008) describe the emotional journeys that students go through in further education as a process of cognition through which emotions help students to appraise situations and develop knowledge and understanding. This may be an important perspective to consider within the lifelong learning sector, because of the range of types of students and types of subjects that are prevalent within this sector. There is no single student demographic, no single approach to pedagogy, no one-size-fits-all model of teaching and learning. Bathmaker and Avis (2005) carried out research into professional identity formation amongst trainee FE lecturers, and found that â€Å"rather than identifying effective processes of increasing participation in existing communities of practice, a strong sense of marginalisation and alienation amongst trainees was observed† (p 47). Bathmaker and Avis (2005) suggest that this lack of engagement in communities of practice is â€Å"detrimental both to trainees and experienced lecturers if they are to actively engage in building new forms of professionalism for the future† (p 47). I would draw from this the concept that formal training processes do not necessarily pos itively contribute to role formation, definition and professional identity, and that learning is much more experiential and interactive. Hagger et al (2008) support this view, and suggest that experiential learning dominates learning of this type. Own teaching role and context within the lifelong learning sector My own teaching role is to teach and support students to learn on two levels. The first is to learn the practical skills and abilities of the beauty therapy industry, so that they can become capable, effective practitioners. Beauty therapy is no ‘soft option’. In fact, there is a great deal of precision, dexterity and deeper learning involved in acquiring the skills to function as a therapist. The second element of the learning is for students to develop knowledge and understanding of the body, of health, of individuals and their holistic wellbeing, in order to contextualise the activities that they carry out within their roles, and to be able to provide suitable treatments, therapies and the like to appropriate clients. The third element of the role is to support students to develop the communication and interaction skills necessary to be able to bring together knowledge and practical skill into their own ‘professional role’ and identity, and work effective ly as a therapist within a team. My role within this setting is to ‘teach’, but also to facilitate learning, raise difficult issues, support students to resolve complex questions, and act as a role model. Part of my role is to assess practical activities, and then provide feedback so that students can learn from their experiences and learn to improve their own practice through reflection and evaluation (Edwards and Nicoll, 2006; Solomon et al, 2006). My role also involves becoming more aware of the impact of my role on the students, and attempt to be as good a ‘teacher’ as I can be. More and more, however, my role involves other activities, including administration, engaging in marketing and recruitment activities, and looking for new topics and curriculum developments (Chivers, 2006). Impact of own beliefs, assumptions and behaviours on learners and others My own beliefs about learning affect not only the learners who I interact with, but also their interactions with others, particularly clients. I believe that my own actions, reflections, and the way I respond to emergent situations within the teaching context are likely to affect the students and how they learn as much as the formal, planned learning activities I provide for them. It is through reflection on my actions as a teacher that I have realised that reflection itself becomes a reflexive process, which changes the way I behave and react to students, which then changes their responses to me. Austerlitz and James (2008) have developed a model which describes and captures PPD statements which are used in the further and higher education sectors (see Figure 1). Figure 1 PPD Model (after Austerlitz and James, 2008). This model encompasses many of my own beliefs about the ways in which students interact with their learning processes, and in particular, how they respond to my teaching and learning activities. Every aspect of learning must have an emotional element, and to exclude this from pedgagogical processes and theories is to overlook important aspects of how students learn and how they behave when applying that learning. Yet there is some evidence that current perceptions of teaching roles within the FE sector are also changing (Thompson and Robinson, 2008). I believe that the Austerlitz and James (2008) model could provide a means by which students could themselves identify the emotional elements of their learning and address this, through reflection, in proactive ways. Impact of own professional, personal and interpersonal skills, including literacy, numeracy and ICT skills on learners and others. I have used a range of teaching approaches, including some innovative use of ICTs, including using ICTs to make posters and mind maps, to encourage the application of new knowledge and exploration of complex situations. These have had a positive effect on some students who relate well to ICTs, particularly younger students, and have also helped students who are more visual learners. However, in relation to professionalism, I think it is my professional skills and experience which have positively impacted on students’ development of awareness and understanding of the complex interactions between beauty therapist and client. The current social construction of beauty, particularly in relation to ageing, raises issues about client experiences and emotional/psychological wellbeing (Paulson, 2008; Radley, 2000). Students need to understand the emotions and thoughts which underlie the desire that women have for the different kinds of beauty therapies, and be able to interact in a cre dible way with clients and meet their requests in appropriate ways. My own professionalism helps this because I set a good example, exemplify proper interactions, and support students to address often challenging issues such as intimacy, privacy, body-image and the like. Conclusion Overall, the most important aspect of my role as an educator is as a role model, and not simply as a role model of good communications behaviours or good practical skills, but as a questioning, reflective, responsibly practitioner, who sees clients as individuals, not just in relation to their treatments. It is important not to simply perpetuate traditional ways of working, but to question practice and the self in the professional context, and by acting as a reflective practitioner myself, I can encourage my students to develop similar skills and perhaps become better professionals because of it. References Austerlitz, N. and James, A. (2008) Reflections on emotional journeys: a new perspective for reading fashion students’ PPD statements. Art, Design and Communication in Higher Education 6 (3) 209 – 219. Chivers, G. (2006) The work roles and development needs of vocational lifelong learning professionals in British higher education. Journal of European Industrial Training 30 (3) 166-187. Zukas, M. (2006) Pedagogic learning in the pedagogic workplace: educators’ lifelong learning and learning futures. International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning 2 (3) 71-80.

Environmental Analysis At Tui

Environmental Analysis At Tui INTRODUCTION: The modern era of business is much complicated than the previous. Any organisation must seek to understand the nature of its competitive environment if it is to be successful in achieving its objectives and in establishing appropriate strategies. For this the organisation and those leading them need to improve their understanding of the nature of the organisational structure, the importance of technology and the role they play in the organisation for improving the performance. This report presents the overall analysis of the tourism industry, achieving, maintaining leadership and implications of the changing business environment with respect to TUI case study. TUI is one among the largest European tourist operator in the world which is the leading international leisure travel which operates approximately in 180 countries worldwide and serves more than 30 million customers in over 24 source markets. Starting its business as Preussag which was operating in smelting and mining industry, profitability was decreasing in that sector so it gave an exit to that sector and entered tourism industry, a radical decision to change. It started acquiring other tourist operators included its acquisition of major European tourist operators by late 1990s. In 2001, all the brands and firms were put under the World of TUI. Till 2005 and after that TUI has taken the first position in tourism industry and has worldwide operations. TUIs strategy was to have its label in almost all parts of the world. Their main objective is to have a strong brand portfolio in all parts of the world and constantly raising the performance of the international tourism industry. BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS AT TUI: Strategic management includes understanding the strategic position of an organisation, strategic choices for the future and managing strategy in action (Johnson et al, 2008). Strategic position identifies the impact of external environment, strategic capability, expectation and influence of stakeholders on strategy. The business environment can be divided into (refer appendix 11.2): Through the DEEPLIST (Demographic, Economic, Ecologic, Political, Legal, Informational, Social and Technologic) analysis, from a macro level, examining factors within the remote environment and show how they influence tourism industry. Moreover, Porters Five Forces, including the bargaining power of suppliers and buyers, potential threats from domestic substitutes and overseas entrants, and the intensity of rivalry, will focus on the structural determinants of the intensity of competition that affect the tourism industry from a micro level (Stubbs, 2000). Business change due to technology is the transformation of business activities which is not regular and not done all the time. According to Anderson et al (2001) change is catalysed by number of forces that trigger it and these forces start off in the organisation or the marketplace. Change in business is required if core processes, organisation structures, rules and procedures are not efficient enough to achieve the desired goal. Following are the change drivers which triggers change in tourism industry. The Key drivers to be considered here are Political, Technology and Socio-culture/Demographics (refer appendix 11.2). PESTEL/DEEPLIST ANALYSIS Demographics: Social issues can create great problems to business and this can result in business change in the tourism industry. One aspect of social change consists of changes in peoples attitudes, values and beliefs when they visit different places. Other aspects of social change are in the field of culture, social structure and of the patterns of behaviour. Social problems can be anything affecting the nature, social institutions, and community of people or group of individuals. The business might be aiming at developmental change and benefit of the society but it can be taken in negative sense by some group of people who believe the business is eliminating the existing way of living. Thus this may affect the TUIs operations and market share as customers are the main asset for companys growth. Political Issues: In general form the case study, international tourist arrivals recorded across the world was more than 800 million which was due to the growing annual pace 10 years back in the tourism industry was quoted according to World Tourism Organisation (WTO) in which policy issues are accounted. Terrorism: We can know that there was 5.5 per cent growth rate and 10 per cent growth in 2004 seemed to be like the tourism industry had taken a boom indicated the rise which was followed by insecurity created after the various terrorist attacks in Newyork (2001), Djerba (2002), Bali (2003) and Madrid (2004) during 2001-2003. London bomb attacks in July 2005 really did not affect the arrivals in UK. In fact there was a 10 per cent increase on tourist arrivals in the Northern Europe and UK. Usually terrorist attacks at destinations have an adverse effect on tourism industry as people tend not to visit those places out of fear and insecurity. Security: In 2005 TUI was considered to be the biggest tour operator in Europe. The wholesaler tour offers packaged or all-inclusive prepaid and pre planned holidays to its customers which offered security and the value for the vacationer. Taxation: if any common Value added tax is introduced for every booking made through internet/mobile. Poor people will be affected greatly compared to rich in the society. This may reduce internet transactions. Social Issues: Traumatic effect on international travel from 2000 to 2004 is due to global economic downturn and the health crisis, such as the outbreak of SARS in 2003. We can also consider the Demography, social values which lead to social problems, cultural features wherein peoples attitude for the tour can change accordingly. Economic Issues: Financial: The WTO forecasted that the 1 billion arrivals spot would be passed in 2010 and by 2020 there would be 1.6 billion international tourist arrivals, which seems to be the expansion of tourism shaping the future of the world economy and activity. Exchange Rate: Typically, an income per capita of source countries and the relative price of exported tourist services as the main determinants of demand. Demand has generally been found to be highly income elastic, consistent with international tourism being a luxury good and highly responsive to changes in the relative price of tourist services when measured as the real exchange rate relative to the destination country. Competition: All the package tours offered through travel agents such as Thomas Cook, My Travel Group, Rewe Touristik and First Choice Holidays are the main competitors for TUI even though in 2005 it took a major market share in European tourism market. Lodging, food, beverage, leisure, tourist demand spending, channels of distribution leads to weakness and strengths of economic sectors. Tourism is the major trend in economy (Manuel et al, 1999). Ecological /Environmental Issues: Carbon is the main affluent which is taken into account when tourism industry is concerned about package tours offered to customers which is composed of air transportation. Even oxides of nitrogen due to the combustion of fuel, packing plastic bags for food preservation by travel industry are hazardous to environment. Climate change is one of the biggest challenges as a tourism sector. According to the UN World Tourism Organization, travel and tourism contributes around 5% of total global carbon emissions. Along with many other industries, the leisure travel sector is feeling the effects of climate change, and in the future we can see changes in the quality of tourist seasons, an increase in the intensity of tropical storms and rainfall, and more severe droughts (www.tuitravelplc.com, 2009). Tourism is known as a thirsty industry, due to the amount of water required for tourism activities such as golf courses, swimming pools and washing of linen. Water scarcity is likely to be an issue for the business in the medium to long-term (www.tuitravelplc.com, 2009). Climatic conditions may influence the decisions of customers effectively in tourism industry (Example change in season or heavy rain pour). However, tourism sector also has a significant positive impact on the people who live and work in the destinations. Tourism is one of the worlds largest industries, contributing around 11% to global GDP. It is particularly important for developing economies, and is a top five export in 80% of developing countries. 2.1.6 Technological Issues: In March 2005 TUI launched the virtual tour operator Touropa.com, in Germany, selling travel tours not only online, but also through travel agencies, television and call centres which bolstered TUIs place as the European head in the direct sale of travel products with a turnover of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2.6 billion in 2005. Online transactions and booking include broadband service and internet technology in tourism industry. 2.1.7 Legal Issues: Issue of online trademark protection, spawning, mouse-trapping spoofing, cyber-squatting, domain name fraud, as well as spyware. Internet Marketing in Hotel industry and Tourism lets us to know that loss of control of a companys trademark can occur (for example when a third party bids on a trademarked term on search engines), not only may lead to loss in revenues, but also brand confusion by the consumer. For Example: My Travel Group was under reorganization after several bad years, including 2005 when revenue decreased by 19 per cent, under claims of accounting and mis management. TUI is active in the shipping business which includes logistics and containers, during shipping legal factors are to be considered with many countrys legal scenarios which have to be met with high terms. Import and export duty are also considered. International trading is the other part of TUI wherein most of the activities were taken into account other than shipping where in legal terms will have a greater impact on the tourism industry. PORTERS FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS: PORTERS five forces diagram explains how forces like buyer power and threat of new entry creates competitive rivalry and ultimately leads to business change for the current tourism industry based on the development in the market and detail analysis is carried out in the appendix 11.3 (Porter, 1985). INTERNAL ANALYSIS OF RESOURCES AND CAPABILITIES AT TUI: Internal analysis is done to explore the contribution of resources in achieving profits and to analyse how the internal resources of an organization helps in achieving sustainable competitive advantage. The importance of internal resources in adding value to TUI can be analysed using two approaches- the value chains the value system (refer appendix 11.4). 3.2 VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS 3.2.1 Primary Activities Inbound Logistics Preussag, former TUI took more interest on acquisitions of many tour operators (Hapag-Llyod AG, TUI Deutschland, Thomas Cook etc) during early stages. This many acquisitions lead to the formation of TUI tour operator, which has become the first player in tourism industry in European market (refer appendix 11.4). Operations Quality and consistency are important attributes in travel and tourism industry for TUI. Thus retaining the brand, TUI transformed its operations by improving product quality and consistency for which people were ready to take the packages. It also enjoyed significant economies of scale. Outbound Logistics Setting up different travel agencies across many countries with major presence in Germany, UK and Netherlands and Belgium. By 2005 there were 3500 travel agencies in 17 countries. Acquiring these helped TUI in expanding its boundaries and reaching the world. This helped in building an image over time in international context. Service Tourism industries have to ensure that it provides good quality service to consumers because using poor quality raw materials may have major affect on the operator market share. Providing good quality service is a case of social responsibility. 3.2.2 Support Activities Procurement Acquiring raw materials locally and importing consisted of inputs in TUIs value chain. It also procured its inputs used in value chain from the resources it attained from acquisitions (refer appendix 11.4). Technology Development Technology includes the product and process development. It used its virtual tour operator Touraopa.com, where in travel tours are sold online and also through travel agents and call centres from Germany in tourism industry to dominate the market share of the world (Johnson et al, 2008). Human Resource Management TUI had 58,191 employees by the end of September 2005 across the group and has more than 180 destinations. It gives opportunity to develop, rewards and recognition, work experience and leadership ability within the group and of which some worked in logistics division, trading and sales operations as well. (www.tuitravelplc.com, 2009) TUIs Infrastructure Preussag created TUI management structure was centralised in order to manage the airlines grouping the year 2002(www.tuitravelplc.com, 2009). Resources for managing operations in different countries have lead TUI to have a better infrastructure. 3.3 HUMAN RESOURCES: TUI deployed its workforce from the expert operational management skills from different operators which were acquired from the firm during mergers and acquisition. Also since its management structure was centralised during 2002; it has human resources from the international context who will be framing its strategy according to the requirements and it is said to have implement resource based view. PORTERS GENERIC STRATEGIES: The firms profitability is the primary determinant of the industry and its position within the industry is an important secondary determinant. Above average profitability is the fundamental basis for attaining sustainable competitive advantage. The basic types of competitive advantage are low cost or differentiation. Along with types of advantage and scope of activities for which firm needs to attain them lead to three generic strategies to pull off above average performance in an industry like tourism. COST LEADERSHIP STRATEGY: TUIs ability to offer lower price to powerful buyers. This usually targets a broad market. Firm sells its products either at average industry price to achieve profits further than rivals or below the average industry prices to put on market share (refer appendix 11.6). Low cost firm like TUI finds and exploits all sources of cost advantage like efficient distribution channels involved in the process. TUI has attained overall cost leadership, as it can command prices or near industry average. Hence it is considered to be above average performer in its tourism industry (refer appendix 11.5). DIFFERENTIATION STRATEGY: The value added by the exceptionality of the product may allow the firm to change the best price for it. Large buyers have less power to negotiate because of few close alternatives. Customers of TUI get attached to differentiating attributes, reducing threat of substitutes. Corporate reputation is for innovation and quality of service in the case of TUI (refer appendix 11.6). FOCUS STRATEGY: It basically aims at narrow competitive range within an industry. The focuser services only a segment or group. Two variants are considered in this: cost focus a firm seeks a cost advantage in its target segment, where as in differentiation focus a firm seeks differentiation in its target partition (refer appendix 11.5). The target segments must either have buyers with strange needs or else the production and delivery system that best serves the target segment must differ from that of other industry segments (refer appendix 11.6). STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE AT TUI TUI is considered to be more bureaucratic, which is more rigid and it stabilises the decision making progression (Barron et al, 1994). An intrusive firm have more in force and inhibits the choice of more active strategies (Peters, 1992). Service revolution can happen when industry focuses on people, Optimize technology/processes and empower employees, making service transparent, by delivering invisible excellence, focus on elegant simplicity, adapt and evolve, requirement to achieve best of all which may include society, environment and economy(Silvester et al, 2008). Well defined centralised process development and structured innovations, framework, with number of fixed points which include high cost innovations whereas most of the functional departments are decentralised and customer feedback helps TUI to obtain competitive advantage(www.tuitravelplc.com, 2009). Flexible process like running different service for their customer which is usually much diversified in its development of operational units. Whereas in distributed functional departments of TUI primarily were unstructured, emergent process focuses on continuous improvements. This budget may be often taken into operating expenses (Heracleous et al , 2005). SWOT ANALYSIS: TUI key issues in the business environment and its strategic capability can be analysed using a SWOT analysis. This will help in identifying the extent to which the current strength and weaknesses of TUI are relevant to and capable of dealing with the changes taking place in a business environment. The table in appendix 11.6 depicts a SWOT analysis of TUI. GROWTH SHARE OF TUI A BCG MATRIX ANALYSIS The BCG matrix analysis will be helpful in determining the relationship between the relative share of the product portfolio TUI and its market growth. The key constitute of TUIs product portfolio includes its tourism business and also its interests in hotels and shipping industry. Later TUI also expanded its portfolio by adding transportation between airport and hotel, provided local excursions, offered assistance for car rentals etc (www.tuitravelplc.com, 2009). In the tourism sector TUI has to choose whether to concentrate more on its mainstream or the international best segment. However the 2007 annual report of TUI showed that the worldwide trend towards the tourism industry is increasing. The appendix 11.7 depicts a BCG Matrix analysis wherein TUI is marked as Stars (High market share, High market growth). LIMITATIONS OF TOOLS USED FOR ANALYSIS: Limitations of PESTEL Analysis Some corporate strategists comment that since future is uncertain, there is no point in prediction. Therefore while applying PESTEL, factors like economical conditions, lifestyle of the people, etc. should be assumed as static. Also for analysing the strategic position of TUI, a company large by its size and operations and spread in different parts of the world, PESTEL alone cannot help because it only analyses the external environment where as analysing strategic position requires both external and internal environment analysis. Thus, it can be used only in support of other tools. Limitations of Porters Five Force Analysis Five Force Analysis demands that all other factors should be static whereas the competitive environment in practice is constantly changing. Also customers and the external environment are given same importance than any other aspect of environment in the analysis whereas customers should be the prime aspect of strategy development for companies like TUI who are selling their products to end customers (shipping, tourism and hotels). Also, a broad analysis of all the five forces makes it very difficult in compound industries with multiple interrelations, product groups, by-products and segments. Limitations of Market Segment Analysis Customer needs may vary than predicted about the particular market especially when the target market is large. Another major disadvantage of Market segment analysis is that changes in market conditions will lead to potential threats. Limitations of Value Chain Analysis The key actors in the value chain are sometimes affected by certain rules that are set by others like the government. So value chain analysis is influenced by information on these rules. It is difficult for companies like TUI whose business is diversified in different parts of the world for giving specific and meaningful information like fares, quotations, offers, quality standards and environmental standards imposed by tourism places. Sustainable Supply chain management (SSCM): the main challenge is to apply SSCM. Quality is the most important part of supplier selection by tour operations. Communication between relationship of quality and sustainability to increase market share awareness is the factor evaluating SSCM (Font et al, 2006). Limitations of Generic strategies: Risks in generic strategies, inclusion of low-cost strategy. For example if other firms (like My Travel) may also lower the costs due to advancement in technology. Thus, as a result narrow focus groups should be targeted to gain significant market share. Risks dealt with differentiation strategy are imitation of competitors and change in customers tastes. Specialized products and core competency protect against substitutes. Limitations of SWOT Analysis The output of SWOT analysis may contain a big list in which some may be more important and some may be less important. Also it is not suitable for more dynamic and insightful analysis. Limitations of BCG Matrix Analysis In BCG Matrix analysis it is very difficult to measure market growth rates and relative market shares. Also economical and political factors vary from country to country and BCG Matrix analysis doesnt take this into consideration. CONCLUSION The analysis reveals that TUI is in a very strong position in the tourism industry. TUIs current strategic position reveals that it has achieved long term growth from developing markets, acquisitions and resources from developed markets. Its expertise gained from many mergers and acquisition from different tourism groups and gradual development of technology in Europe. Years of experience are its greatest resource of sustainable competitive advantage by which it is able to tackle the fearlessness in a turbulent economy. However it also faces some issues like attitude of customers behaviour may change due to economic crisis or personal wish which impacts on its operational productivity as every industry faces in the competitive world. In short, TUI has made its strategic choices very efficiently leading to its success. The options are laid and needs to be decided upon which can help TUI in achieving a niche position in the tourism industry (refer appendix 11.1).

Essay --

Family is known to be the foundation of society, but family can also be a source of anger, grief and duplicity and animosity; cohabitation and dating relationships can also be a source of grief. No one should live in fear of the person they love, however, when love becomes interwoven with violence, the dynamic of the relationship changes. The relationship atmosphere becomes less powerful, incapable of providing support and a nurturing environment as it becomes a vehicle for personal destruction and despair. Intimate partner violence was consider at one point to be a private matter, however, it is now a public concern. In fact, people involvement in a single case of IPV-physical, sexual and psychological abuse-includes mental health and legal professionals and community members (Witte, Schroeder and Lohr, 2006). Texas defines domestic violence as â€Å"an act by a member of a family or household against another member of the family or household that is intended to result in physical harm, bodily injury, assault or sexual assault or that is a threat the reasonably places the member in fear of imminent physical harm, bodily injury, assault or sexual assault, but does not included defensive measures to protect oneself† (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2013). Domestic violence (DV), also known as intimate partner violence (IPV), spousal abuse or battering, is a widespread problem across the medical, social, and public health arena Houry, Feldhaus, Perry, Abbott, Lowenstein, Al-Bataa-De-Montero, and Levine (2004). Health-related costs of physical assault, marital rape, stalking, and homicide by intimate partners exceed $5.8 billion yearly, which is nearly $4.1 billion of which goes to direct medical and mental health services (Fantuzz... ...clusion, domestic violence registry does not guarantee accountability because not all domestic violence cases are reported. Thus, abusers are not convicted, therefore, would not be included in the registry. Since not all domestic violence cases are reported or convicted, that would make the registry incomplete, thus providing a false sense of security if a spouse’s, boyfriend’s or girlfriend’s name is not on the list. However, HB 21 could be extended into jurisdiction database. This way it can protect victim by ensuring that survivor’s do not have to live in fear worrying that their partners’ will come after them. The database should not allow the offender to upgrade their information but the system should be in the way as a parole officer is to their parolee whereby, only the officers of the law can access the database to make changes in an offenders’ information.

Scoliosis :: Health, Informative, Medicine

Scoliosis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Everyone's spine has curves. These curves produce the normal rounding of the shoulder and the sway of the lower back. A spine with scoliosis has abnormal curves with a rotational deformity. This means that the spine turns on its axis like a corkscrew.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine which may have its onset in infancy but is most frequently discovered in adolescence. It is more common in females by a 2:1 ratio. However, when curves in excess of 30 degrees are evaluated, females are more frequently affected by a ration of approximately10:1. The cause of the most common form of scoliosis; idiopathic scoliosis. is unknown, but there have been hereditary factors discovered that are present.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scoliosis causes shoulder, trunk and waistline â€Å"asymmetry†. In mild forms, the condition may be barely noticed; however, in severe forms there is significant disfigurement, back pain and postural fatigue, and it may be associated with heart failure. Fortunately the majority of scoliosis cases need only close follow-up to watch for worsening of the curve. Some cases require more aggressive treatment which could include surgery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The non-operative treatment of scoliosis involves observing the deformity with examinations and repeated x-rays. Under certain circumstances, when spinal growth remains, a brace may be used in combination with follow-up x- rays. Physical therapy exercises have not been shown to be effective treatment for scoliosis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most common surgical treatment for scoliosis is a spine fusion using special stainless steel rods, hooks, and a bone graft. The rods are attached to the spine with hooks and the curved portion of the spine is carefully

big lots :: essays research papers

Big Lots Inc.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Big Lots Inc. is not your everyday retail store such as Wal-Mart or K Mart. Big Lots, Inc. is the largest broadline closeout retailer in the nation. Big Lots’ theme is â€Å"Brand names at closeout prices!† This motto is the foundation of what the company is built upon. More than 3,000 manufacturers provide the company’s stores with brand-name products at prices 20-40% below traditional discount retailers. Big Lots meets the needs of customers by providing an assortment of merchandise, including consumables, seasonal products, furniture, housewares, toys, and gifts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Big Lots was established in 1982 through Consolidated Stores Corporation. The stores name was called Odd Lots which made its debut in Columbus, Ohio. In 1985, the company made its initial offering on the American Stock Exchange. At this time Big Lots was first launched. Thanks to their buyers, managers, associates, and other supporters, the company celebrated its first billion dollar year in 1993. In 1994, the company acquired Toy Liquidators which added 82 stores in 38 states. Two years later Consolidated Stores Corporation doubled its size and sales with the purchase of KB Toys. Big Lots Furniture became one of the fastest-growing furniture retailers after it began with 9 freestanding stores and 53 in-store departments in 1997. After gaining shareholder approval, Consolidated Stores Corporation changes its name to Big Lots, Inc. in 2001. After rebranding was complete in 2002, the company made many improvements in the Big Lots shopping experience, including updat ed, attractive stores and even better customer service. The changes bring record-setting increases in customer transactions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most closeout retailers rely on the distribution of weekly or monthly circulars to inform customers of the latest deals. Big Lots uses targeted mixtures of circulars to drive immediate customer traffic along with network television advertising to build awareness with consumers. In 2003, launched it’s first-ever $50 million television advertising campaign. Commercials can be seen all over daytime and nighttime television. With a host of different types of products to market, Jerry Van Dyke plays the lead role in promoting the company’s products. Consumers also receive a weekly sales promotion in the mail that brings to life what Big Lots has to offer in its â€Å"Here today, gone tomorrow† deals. Advertisement strategies have the potential to make or break a company. Fortunately, the company seems to be moving in the right direction. Location on the other hand is also a key factor in a company’s success.

Matrilineal Societies

Sociologyindex, Sociology Books 2011, Matrilineal Descent, Patrilineal Descent Matrilineal societies are those societies in which descent is traced through mothers rather than through fathers. In matrilineal societies, property is often passed from mothers to daughters and the custom of matrilocal residence may be practiced. In matrilineal societies, the descendants of men are their sister's children and not their own, who belong to their mother's matrilineage. Matrilineage is sometimes associated with polyandry or group marriage where women have a variety of sexual partners and lines of male descent are uncertain. Ancient societies are known to have recognised matrilineal descent. Matriliny is not the mirror image of patriliny. Matrilineal societies differ from both patrilineal and bilateral societies in that the institution of marriage tends to be, relatively weak (Schneider and Gough 1961, Goode 1963). In a gerontocratic matrilineal society, women's influence and prestige tended to increase with age and were usually expressed in informal settings, although there were offices of formalised informality such as â€Å"mothers† of matrilineages. Matriliny required the subordination of marriage and conjugal duties to loyalty to and participation in the descent group. This, combined with economic activities, farming, artisan work, and trading, gave women considerable independence. Women (like elders) had prestige in the matrilineal home town, where black stools symbolised the â€Å"seat of power. † (Bartle). In a matrilineal society, women generally have a greater autonomy in terms of sexuality and reproduction than their counterparts in male dominated societies. The woman in a matrilineal society represents the clan and her children carry on the name of her clan. Land Inheritance and Schooling in Matrilineal Societies: Evidence from Sumatra – Agnes R. Quisumbing, and Keijiro Otsuka Abstract: This paper explores statistically the implications of the shift from communal to individualized tenure on the distribution of land and schooling between sons and daughters in matrilineal societies, based on a Sumatra case study. The inheritance system is evolving from a strictly matrilineal system to a more egalitarian system in which sons and daughters inherit the type of land that is more intensive in their own work effort. While gender bias is either non-existent or small in land inheritance, daughters tend to be disadvantaged with respect to schooling. The gender gap in schooling, however, appears to be closing for the generation of younger children. – capri. cgiar. org/wp/capriwp14. asp Gough, K. (1961) â€Å"The modern disintegration of matrilineal descent groups,† in D. M. Schneider and K. Gough (eds. ) Matrilineal Kinship, Berkeley, U. Calif. , pp. 631-54 Oppong, C. (1974) Marriage Among a Matrilineal Elite, Cambridge University Press. Matrilineal Society in India – Dr. Madhumita Das When most of the people in the world follow the patrilineal system, there exist a few groups here and there who believed to be the descendants of Japheth (son of Noah), and are followers of the matrilineal system (Syiemlieh, 1994). At the global level, the existence of matrilineal society is found among the tribes of African countries, in some part of Southeast Asia and among three groups of India. It is the Minangkabaus of West Sumatra, Indonesia, comprising the largest ethnic group in the world who follow a matrilineal system (Tanius, 1983). In Indian context, the matrilineal social system is found only among small pockets of south the and northeast India. The Nairs and Mappilles in Kerala, the tribal groups of Minicoy Island and the Khasis and the Garos of Meghalaya are the followers of matrilineal system. However, the matrilineal system of the African countries differs considerably from that of the Southeast Asian groups. Even within India, the system differs from one group to another (Kapadia, 1966). Among these groups, difference is mostly observed in the type of residence after marriage. The pattern of duo-local residence exists among the Ashanti of the Gold Coast in Africa, Minangkhau of Sumatra and the Nayars of Central Kerala. However, the Khasis of Meghalaya, generally follow the residential pattern known as â€Å"matrilocal residence†, where the husband resides with his wife's matrilineal kin or in other case couples settle down together in a new residence in and around his wife's maternal place (neo-local residence). Methodology This work discusses the changes that are occurring among the only few existent matrilineal setup in the world in terms of their attitudes and behaviour. In order to discuss the changes, the existing literature has been reviewed and they are supplemented by in-depth interviews of a few key informants. The key informants include eminent academicians, elderly persons of different localities, local heads, social workers and persons representing the younger generation. In addition, two focus group discussions (FGD) were done with women from different age groups. The idea behind this exercise is to clearly identify those features that have been characterising the matrlineal system of the Khasi tribe these days. Along with the qualitative analysis, the profile of women living in original matrilineal arrangement as against those who have completely transited in the form of percentage distribution is also presented. A few socio-economic, demographic, and developmental characteristics of both women and her husband has been taken into consideration. Lastly, a multivariate analysis has been undertaken to substantiate the findings from bivariate analysis and to find out the factors, which brought changes among the society. Study Area The basic aim of the study is to understand the structure of matrilineal system and the changews that has taken place in it over the period of time among the Khasis of Meghalaya. In Meghalaya there exists three tribal groups, namely Khasi, Jaintia and Garo. The state is predominantly inhabited by the Khasi tribe, who are known for their matrilineal social system. The sample design adopted was a multistage design, fitted to the study requirements. Given the resources available, it was decided to cover 600 eligible women (currently married Khasi women age 15–49 years), all from (erstwhile) East Khasi Hills district. The choice of East Khasi Hills over West Khasi Hills was purely purposive. According to 1991 census, little over 33 per cent population of the East Khasi Hills district live in the urban areas. Thus, it was decided to cover 200 eligible women (33 per cent of 600) from the urban areas and the remaining 400 women from the rural areas. The Khasi Matriliny: An Overview The term matriarchy or matriliny has become inseparably associated with the Khasi social organisation since it was first used in 1914 by Gurdon to describe Khasi social customs (Das. Gupta, 1964). Although the term is used to explain the pattern of residence after marriage among the Khasis, it is, however, known that matrilocal residence is not an invariable concomitant of matriarchal or matrilineal society. As among the Nayars of India, though they are also the followers of matrilineal system, the residential system among them is duolocal, where husband is usually the night visitor to their wife. Before we begin to understand the nature of Khasi social organisation, it becomes necessary, to clear that the general rule of matrilineal system is that females inherit property. However, it must be noted that at the outset the system of inheritance is governed by some code of rules, which, if taken in its totality and richness, can hardly be described as simple. In fact, the Khasi society is more complex and vivid than what is it apparent. The Khasis have matrilocal residence and matrilineal descent. Participation in the family religion and the common sepulchre, where bones of the members of the family are interred after death, are the two elements that bind the members together. Besides the matrilocal residential pattern and matrilineal descent, family property is mainly transmitted through the female line. The children of the male do not belong to the family. The youngest daughter, Ka Khadduh, in a Khasi family is in charge of the family religion. She cremates her mother and inters her bones in the common sepulchre (a place where the bones are kept with a huge stone over it which is different in shape for males and females). Marriage is a great social institution among the Khasis, as it determines the system of matrilocal residential pattern among them (Sinha, 1970). Being the followers of a unique social system of matriliny, the Khasi women enjoy a special place of status and dignity (Kyndiah, 1990). A Khasi woman is the guardian and preserver of the family goods. She plays a crucial role in the affairs of the family. However, she is not the head of the family, as this is left to a male member. The father of the family has a definite role to play in the household affairs. However, his role is limited to the final word of the maternal uncle. When Christianity came, the Khasi family was aced with the question whether a â€Å"Ka Khaduh† could hold the family property if she would convert to the Christianity. In 1918, the Government ruled that Christian converts should be allowed to inherit the ancestral property. Property is thus divorced from religion. Though religion was divorced from the traditional rules, because of the modernisation process, such as, educational development along with the spread of Christianity, that had somehow changed the traditional system in many respect (Roy, 1964). The original system and moral efficacy has now a days been largely distorted (Bareh, 1994). The literature shows that a shift is taking place in the matrilineal society towards parental or patrilineal one (Tanius, 1983; Syiemlieh, 1994). Syiemlieh (1994), in his write-up on the Khasis and their matrilineal system has explained that due to some basic reasons there exists a transition in the matrilineal set-up in Meghalaya. This transition in the matrilineal society is due to the changes in the overall set-up. Such changes can be the result of factors like the intermingling with other neighbouring patriarchal communities, the advent of missionaries and spread of Christianity among these tribal groups. The spread of urbanisationand urban development along with the spread of Christianity have changed the perception and attitude of people among the Khasis ( Kapadia, 1966; Syiemlieh, 1994). Thus from the above review we get the idea that over time these matrilineal societies are undergoing changes in its characteristics. On the basis of the above literature, each characteristic feature has been given weightage to categorize the sample women in two groups, viz. , Traditional: Women fulfilling all three criteria or those who possess at least ownership right along with matrilocal residential pattern or matrilocal residential pattern and descent through female. Transitional:Women who follow none of the criteria or only descent. It is found from the above categorisation that 55 per cent of sample women are from the traditional group while the remaining 45 per cent are from the transitional group. The Traditional women will be refereed to as ‘traditional women’, whereas women in Transitional group will be referred to as ‘transitional women’. It may be relevant to mention here that these nomenclatures are used for the purpose of conceptual categorisation of these two groups of women according to their characteristics assessed at the time of survey. Yet another issue that needs to be kept in mind is that the term ‘traditional’ is not used as opposed to ‘modern’. It may be emphasised that women in traditional group are the followers of all the three or the first two important characteristics of the matrilineal system, i. e. , property ownership right, matrilocal residence and/or family name through mother’s side. Socio-economic and Demographic Characteristics ofWomen in Matrilineal Set-up Type of Residence Type of residence is one of the important determinants that has its effect on the changes that take place in any society, as well as, on the changing perception of people towards traditions. Women from traditional group are mostly concentrated in rural areas (79 per cent). What is, however, more interesting is that 21 per cent women following the matrilineal system live in urban areas and also almost half of the women who have deviated from matrilineal system continue to live in rural areas. This indicates that the transition that we witness in Khasi society is a complex phenomenon operating at family level than merely the outcome of urbanisation and modernisation process.