Novel and a workhouse Essay Example

Novel and a workhouse Essay Example Novel and a workhouse Essay Novel and a workhouse Essay Source C was written by Charles Dickens who became a famous author and was acutely aware of the social and economic problems of the early nineteenth century so his facts are likely to be reliable. He was alive at the time of the Andover Workhouse scandal so he would have bee aware of the terrible conditions some workhouses were in and he was able to describe inhospitable workhouses so the source is useful for investigating the Andover Workhouse. Charles Dickens used the Andover Workhouse scandal and other accounts of inhospitable workhouses to bas his novel Oliver Twist on. Source C is a primary source and was written in 1838, which was year after the McDougals were employed in the Andover Workhouse. This is useful because Charles Dickens would have known what the Workhouses were like. This is because he was alive at the time of the scandal, so he would have known how bad some of the workhouses were therefore this source could be based on one of the inhospitable workhouses. So this is useful in investigating the events of the Andover Workhouse because their conditions could have been similar. Source C was written quite factually as Dickens based some of the novel on the Andover Workhouse Scandal and he was aware of the social evils of this time. Source C is limited however because it only tells us what the meal times were like. It doesnt tell us that the work they did between meals was crushing bones or flints it doesnt tell us that in most workhouses there were three meal times a day and it doesnt tell us that adults would have been treated the same. Source C is also limited because inmates usually had to work in silence and the boys in the source were whispering to each other, which they would normally have been punished for. Source c also states that the master would punish the children with violence but it is limited because it doesnt state how the adults would have been punished. If source C doesnt give this information about the workhouse it is talking about then I cannot identify it with the Andover Workhouse therefore the source is limited. The source is limited because it doesnt state which workhouse it is and all workhouses were different so the source may not be useful to investigate the Andover Workhouse events. It doesnt state how many people were in the workhouse and may be limited because there could have been more or less than in the Andover Workhouse. Source C was originally written as a novel so it could have been exaggerated to sell and the words used to suggest this are, Stupefied astonishment, and desperate so this may not be useful for investigating the events in the Andover Workhouse because the source maybe unreliable. However, the source maybe limited because even Dickens didnt include the full horrors of the workhouses in this novel. Charles Dickens wrote source C and he was a rich man who didnt leave any money to the poor when he died so it is unlikely that he cared as much as it is made out. He may have wanted more money and therefore may have exaggerated his novel so it would sell. This means Source is likely to be limited for investigating the events of the Andover Workhouse. The source was written in 1838 so the source is more likely to be an opinion from the time. Therefore it may limited for investigating the events of the Andover Workhouse because we are not informed of another opinion. The source in some ways seems to be exaggerated because it uses words like paralysed and reckless so this maybe limited for investigating the events of the Andover Workhouse because it is unreliable. I think the source is useful in some ways for investigating the Andover Workhouse events for example the food they ate and how they were placed at dinner. However the source is limited in other ways because it is restricted so it is no use for investigating the events of the Andover Workhouse.

Muhammad Ali Becomes World Heavyweight Champion

Muhammad Ali Becomes World Heavyweight Champion On February 25, 1964, underdog Cassius Clay, better known as  Muhammad Ali, fought defending champion Charles Sonny Liston for the world heavyweight title in Miami Beach, Florida. Although it was nearly unanimously believed that Clay would be knocked out by round two if not earlier, it was Liston who lost the fight after refusing at the beginning of round seven to continue fighting.  This fight was one of the largest upsets in sports history, setting Cassius Clay on a long path of fame and controversy. Who Was Muhammad Ali? Cassius Clay, renamed Muhammad Ali right after this historic fight, had started boxing at the age of 12 and by 18 had won the light-heavyweight gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games.   Clay trained long and hard to be the best at boxing, but many at the time thought his fast feet and hands didnt have enough power in them to beat a true heavyweight champion like Liston.   Plus, the 22-year-old Clay, a decade younger than Liston, seemed a bit crazy. Clay, known as the Louisville Lip, was constantly boasting that he would knock out Liston and calling him the big, ugly bear, riling up both Liston and the press into a frenzy over his wild taunts. While Clay used these tactics to unsteady his opponents and to garner publicity for himself, others thought it was a sign that he was afraid or just plain crazy. Who Was Sonny Liston? Sonny Liston, known as the Bear for his giant size, had been the world heavyweight champion since 1962. He was rough, tough, and hit really, really hard. Having been arrested more than 20 times, Liston learned to box while in prison, becoming a professional boxer in 1953. Listons criminal background played a big role in his unlikable public personae, but his hard-hitting style earned him enough wins via knockout that he was not to be ignored.   For most folks in 1964, it seemed a no brainer that Liston, who had just knocked out the last serious contender for the title in the first round, would pummel this young, loud-mouthed challenger. People were betting 1 to 8 on the match, favoring Liston. The World Heavyweight Fight At the start of the fight on February 25, 1964, at the Miami Beach Convention Center, Liston was overconfident. Although nursing an injured shoulder, he expected an early knockout like his last three big fights and so had not spent much time training. Cassius Clay, on the other hand, had trained hard and was thoroughly ready. Clay was faster than most other boxers and his plan was to dance around the powerful Liston until Liston tired out. Alis plan worked. Liston, weighing in at the slightly heavy 218 pounds, was surprisingly dwarfed by the 210 1/2-pound Clay. When the bout began, Clay bounced, danced, and bobbed frequently, confusing Liston and making a very difficult target. Liston tried to get a solid punch in, but round one ended without much actual hitting. Round two ended with a cut under Listons eye and Clay not only still standing, but holding his own.  Round three and four saw both men looking tired but determined. At the end of the fourth round, Clay complained that his eyes were hurting. Wiping them with a wet rag helped a little, but Clay basically spent the entire fifth round trying to evade the blurry Liston. Liston tried to use this to his advantage and went on the attack, but the lithe Clay surprisingly managed to stay up the whole round. By the sixth round, Liston was exhausted and Clays eyesight was returning. Clay was a dominant force in the sixth round, getting in several good combinations. When the bell rang for the start of the seventh round, Liston stayed seated. He had hurt his shoulder and was worried about the cut under his eye. He just didnt want to continue the fight. It was a real shock that Liston ended the fight while still seated in the corner. Excited, Clay did a little dance, now called the Ali shuffle, in the middle of the ring. Cassius Clay was declared the winner and became the heavyweight boxing champion of the world.

The future of SMEs(Small Medium Enterprises) in developing hospitality Essay

The future of SMEs(Small Medium Enterprises) in developing hospitality products - Essay Example Eminence inside a hospitality organization consists of the entire services which the tourist is busy in and is not restricted by instance or locality of the stay. The pace of reply and size of information are to be perceived as significant factors for the quality of Small and medium-sized hospitality organization and, of course, customer satisfaction.   This paper deals with the future of small and medium-sized hospitality Enterprises (SMHEs) in developing hospitality products. The hospitality industry is entered a new era of dazzling breakthroughs in communication and information technologies. Today, the top organizations are no longer shrinking back from the technology sector because they believe it to be broad, personal, or indispensable. In its place, advanced hospitality hands, especially in UK, distinguishes that in a progressively more bloodthirsty market, the acceptance and amalgamation of new technologies across their whole business enterprise opens the door to new potentials and practices that can indicate the disparity between success and malfunction. It has been argued that smaller enterprises can achieve considerable profits from IT sector. However, there should be a clear difference between the information needs of firms and their technology requirements (Mutch, 1998). The spending on IT sector in the hotel industry is somewhat low contrasted with industries such as monetary services and telecommunications, whose basic functions are reliant on IT-based developments, the sector use up to  £2,241 per desktop every year for small and medium-sized industries and  £5,554 for larger industries. Study has previously shown that various products are by now one of the most well-liked and trendy products putted up for sale over the Internet. Once the chains of hotels have been nippy to take advantage of on new technology and similarly it can be alleged for Internet, with the majority of

Projct Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Projct - Essay Example For this reason, we included all the relevant information and graphical representations on how exactly a child should be looked after and given all the necessary counseling support. Obviously, the topic is a very interesting and sensitive one that concerns a large number of people in the society. However, to be precise, we narrowed down on counseling therapists as our professional and parents. Having specialized on counseling psychology, it is these therapists who have a deeper understanding of young children and how they can be effectively brought up without interfering with their physical, physiological, emotional and mental growth. On the other hand, the topic will be targeting the parents and guardians as non-experts. Although they spend a lot of time interacting with children, the parents and guardians are not trained on child counseling (Winnicott 49). Despite spending their energies to bring up the children under their care, they might still not be in a better position of having a deeper understanding of the children’s emotional challenges. Thus, they might not be of much help when it comes to offering counseling services to such children. The information provided here is very important to all the audiences. To the professional therapists, it challenges them that every child has got a potential of thriving regardless of the situation. Meaning, they are the future of the society whose welfare should not be ignored at all. By providing them with all the necessary therapy support, all the children will be relieved from their traumatic experiences and feelings. Therefore, the information challenges the therapists to acknowledge that it is only through proper counseling services that a distressed child’s life can be restored and put back to a balance. Therefore, having known that fact, the therapists will have to dedicate their time and deliver their best services to the children who might be in a dire need

Organisational Behaviour Essay Example for Free

Organisational Behaviour Essay Question One. From the case study, we can learn a lot. It ranges from leadership, management, work ethics, behaviour shaping and changing to the impact of positive and negative reinforcements in organisations. Managing of creative workers, recognition of opportunities and problems, unethical strategies and tactics, team building and networking among others are aspects that can be learned from the case study (Robinsen 2000). We can also learn from the study that Godot applied an autocratic or authoritative style of leadership. He could not listen to any of his workers, he could not open any avenue of communication and consultation with his workers and could not involve the workers in decision making. All he could do was to haul insults at them instead of actively involving them in the day to day running of the restaurant. It is important to treat workers in a good way if any positive results are to be realised (Simons 2003). The first genesis to doing so is to implement ways and methods that would boost the morale of workers. Good leadership and management skills are essential to any organisation. Good work ethics and behaviour should be instilled to the workers so that they can deliver good results with very minimal supervision (Haddock 2001). Abuses and insults are not supposed to be used at the work place as they even tend to scare away sensitive customers and other business people. Leaders and managers should learn new ways and methods of improving workers’ efficiency and results. Organisations that deploy such ways and methods, have proved to stand ahead of others (Wharton 1996). Question Two. There are several negative and positive reinforcements, punishment and extinctions that were used by Godot and the customers in shaping of the employees’ behaviour. Positive reinforcements included the dedication and industriousness of Godot. This is positive in that it helps the workers as they are able to emulate what Godot stands for. Through dedication and hard work, the restaurant was able to stand the test of time. This was an inspiration to the workers. Another positive reinforcement was that of the customers. The customers would appreciate the work done by Diane and compliment her efficient services. This would give her morale to work even harder and efficiently knowing that her services were good. There are also negative reinforcements. They can be seen mainly from Godot’s attitude and way of doing certain things. He was a man prone to emotional outbursts. He could yell and shout at his workers whenever something went wrong or whenever he could not see what he expected of them. This is negative in that it instilled a sense of fear to the workers and always made them nervous (Bringsrud 2004). This makes someone not to perform to the expected standards, His lack of compliment to his workers is also a negative reinforcement (Myers 1997). He did not appreciate anything good but was so quick at condemning and demonising anything he felt was not right. A good employer needs to give credit where it belongs. This is a way of encouraging and giving morale to the workers (Simons 2003). Godot could not see anything good in it. All he could do was merely grunt at Diane even when she said hello or goodbye. Such attributes do not befit a good employer. Punishment was in the form of fining his workers whenever something went wrong. When Diane dropped a plate of bouillabaisse appetiser, she was scorned at and fined a total of $24. 95. This punishment demoralised her to the extend of affecting her performance. Her earnings from tips dropped from a one time top of 23 percent to a meager 15 percent. This was as a result of reducing the pace at which she worked in order to prevent any other incidences from happening. From this, one can easily tell that the punishment imposed on her was too much and she could not risk losing the amount any more. Such a negative reinforcement does not add any value to the business but instead it demoralizes the workers thus reducing the pace of working (Wharton 1996:8). As a result, the customers end up waiting for long and some might give up and leave. This turns out to affect the restaurant adversely. Godot as an employer has various ways of improving or shaping the behaviour of his employees. One of the ways is by introducing packages that are employee friendly and putting in place certain measures that would improve the performance of his employees instead of using ruthless methods such as imposing of huge fines and punishment to the workers. Such methods could include appreciating what the workers do and also ones in a while complimenting the efforts made. Diane would have been appreciated in various ways and by so doing, her morale would have been boosted thus making her work extra hard and as a result winning more customers. Employers need to realise that social responsibility and leadership in organisations and businesses for that matter are very vital aspects (Haddock 2001:475). Workers depend on employers and employers depend on workers too. This is a mutual relationship which should be upheld in all cases. This should be realised by both the parties in order for the business to perform to the expectations. Question Three. The reinforcements and punishment mentioned in question two have both positive and negative impact on Diane’ behaviour. Inasmuch as the punishment imposed on Diane would seem to be on the extreme, it could be viewed as positive in some ways. Being careful at the job place is extremely important. When Diane dropped the plate of appetiser, she was fined heavily by Godot. This made her promise to be more careful than ever before so that she could not get herself in the same mistake again. This instills a sense of discipline and responsibility to the workers (McTagart 2003). The strict nature of Godot, his dedication and industriousness was a lesson for Diane. Her behaviour would be influenced by such reinforcements. She would learn to be dedicated and more independent in future. Her pace of doing things would also improve as she was used to doing tasks at a very fast rate. This obviously is a positive change to her behaviour. On the other hand, Godot’s lack of compliment and appreciation would affect her behaviour too. This will make her feel left out, unwanted and also feel like her services are not worth. If Godot had behaved differently in this case, Diane would have learned from the same and applied it elsewhere. In any organisation, behavioural shaping and change is very important. Every employee should feel like part of the team in order for there to be teamwork and tangible results (Moir 1999). The lack of appreciation and compliment changed Diane’s way and pace of doing the job. It made her slow down thus affecting the job she was doing. The emphasis of Godot on the importance of working as a team is seen as a positive gesture of behavioural shaping. If an employee was hired and he/she did not appreciate the importance of working as a team, he/she would learn from Godot’s vision and his way of doing things, thus shaping ones behaviour (Stuart 2003). Question Four. The effectiveness of hourly pay rates and tips as a way of reinforcing desired behaviours could go either way, that is, it could either be positive or negative depending on the outcome and the intention of the method. Hourly pay rates in most cases is the method that most employees prefer (Hufman 2002:49). This is because one gets paid depending on their efforts. If one inputs more effort in the job he/she is paid more than that who inputs less. The principle ideally is ‘more effort more pay, less effort less pay’. This is not just an advantage to the employees only but also to the employers (Godwin 2001). If an employee does more, the employer also gets more in returns. Hourly pay has proved to be the best way of dealing with both the employers and the employees. One could work for a certain period of time and get doing something else including attending lectures and lessons. This method does not tie someone to one thing. One becomes flexible enough to the extend of even doing more than one job. Tips are also a good way of reinforcing desired results and behaviours (Borer et al 2000). Tips make a worker work extremely fast and with dedication. How much one takes home at the end of the day, week or month depends on the person’s zeal of work. Just like hourly pay, tips benefit both the employee and the employer. For instance, if an employee makes 20 percent of the total amount of money, it definitely goes without saying that the employer must have bagged the 80 percent. It is therefore important that the mode and way of payment as per the contract is obeyed by the two parties involved. Reinforcing of behaviour could be done in different ways, hourly pay rates and tips being one of the ways. Such a method makes the employee work under certain rules and conditions as deemed fit by the employer. Work for three hours, do not break anything, get your pay and tips and leave. This is normally the motto of such methods. Some employees are too careless and lazy to the extend that they do not care about what happens in the event that loses are incurred. The only way to check them and put them on toes in by introducing the hourly pay rates and tips. This is meant to give the employer the opportunity of maximising his/her time at the job place. In the extract, Godot decides to introduce such a method in order to cushion himself against the lazy workers who might think that they can just get to the hotel, work anyhow and get away with it. This is not Godot’s way of working. He believes in workers earning what they worked for. If you work hard you get more. If you just lazy around, you are bound to get very little. Diane had to work hard so that she could save something substantial for her use ones she went back to school. To her, a table waiting job was what she could do instead of just staying at home during summer. She thought that she could make some money and improve on her University life, actually change her diet. Her hard work would fetch her upto 23 percent on tips and $15. 0 per hour. She had set targets that she wanted to meet. Her ability to work fast and efficiently earned her the percentage she had targeted on tips. This plus her hourly pay was enough to take care of her University needs after summer. This method of tips encouraged her to work hard. Had it been a flat rate pay on tips, Diane would not have worked as hard as she did. This meant that Godot also made a lot of money in the process. Fur thermore, Godot spelt out clearly what he wanted for his restaurant. He had a vision for his restaurant and insisted on the importance of working as a team in order to deliver good services to his customers. It is on the basis of this too that Diane decided that she would put in her best to prove how good she could be. Conclusion. From the case study, it is very clear that something has to be done in most organisations regarding work ethics and behaviour. Employers subject their workers to unfavourable working conditions and all they care about is there well being and not that of the workers (Huberman 1994). Workers in such organisations end up persevering such conditions with the aim of just making ends meet in their lives. This could be clearly seen from Diane’s case. She had to persevere for the purposes of making money but did not enjoy working under such conditions. Workers should enjoy doing their work and this can only be made conducive by the input of the employers (Benstin 1995). Organisational behaviour is a topic of discussion that leaves many employers and employees looking for ways and methods of dealing with the issue.

Structured Portfolio of My Teaching Activities Essay -- Clinical Fello

Structured Portfolio Assignment Prepare a structured portfolio relating to your teaching activities over a minimum of a 3 month period. Introduction This is a portfolio of the teaching activities I undertake as a Teaching Fellow. I will be reflecting on my activities and discussing the principles that I have tried to use to guide my teaching. I am a clinical teaching fellow in Medicine and I am involved with teaching undergraduate medical students. I am also involved with the examination of medical students at different stages of their study. This takes place in a variety of settings like bedside teaching, tutorials, lectures, mock examinations. I will include evidence of the different aspects of teaching I am involved with. I feel privileged to be involved in training medical students to become doctors and it is therefore my responsibility to make every effort to develop the skills needed to become a competent teacher. These skills according to the General Medical Council’s document Tomorrow’s Doctors(2009) involve using emotional intelligence when teaching the students, and teaching them with an awareness of what the curriculum objectives are. Background of My Teaching Role as a Clinical Teaching Fellow My teaching experience prior to my job as a teaching fellow was limited to impromptu bedside teaching of house-officers and medical students. However, when I was a medical student, I was involved in giving tutorials as well as organising revision sessions for my fellow students. Currently, I work as a Clinical Teaching Fellow, where medical students from the University at various levels of their training come for their clinical posting. The Medical school has a graduate entry programme for Medicine and therefore... ...ence. London: Routledge. Okuda, Y., Bryson, E. O., DeMaria, S., Jacobson, L., Quinones, J., Shen, B. & Levine, A. I. (2009) The Utility of Simulation in Medical Education: What Is the Evidence? Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine: A Journal of Translational and Personalized Medicine. 76: 330–343. Pratt, D. (2002) Good Teaching: One Size Fits All? New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. 2002(93): 5–16. Purcell N & Lloyd-Jones G. (2003) Standards for medical educators. Med Ed 37: 149–54. Sutkin, G., Wagner, E., Harris, I. & Schiffer, R. (2008) what makes a good clinical teacher in medicine? A review of the Literature. Academic Medicine. 83(5), May 2008. Yeates, P. J. A., Stewart, J., Barton, J. R. (2008) What can we expect of clinical teachers? Establishing consensus on applicable skills, attitudes and practices. Medical Education. 42:134-142.

Analysis of the Investment Opportunities in Amp and Qbe Essay

This study investigates the opportunities to make an investment decision between AMP limited and QBE Insurance Group Limited. In order to find that, this study has done ratio analysis, risk and return assessment, SWOT analysis and analysis regarding the influence of the external environment. Both AMP limited and QBE Insurance Group Limited are in the insurance industry whereas QBE provides general insurance service and AMP has two business units which includes AMP Financial Services and AMP Capital Investors. Considering profitability analysis, systematic risk and cost control policy, investing in AMP Limited is found out to be a better choice than investing in QBE Insurance Group Limited, even though EPS and P/E ratio contrary the choice. This study has also done SWOT analysis on the insurance industry and external environment analysis which may affect the investment decision. Therefore, after considering all these analysis, this study concludes that investing in AMP limited decision would be worthwhile than investing in QBE Insurance Group Limited. 1. Introduction The purpose of the report is to make a conclusive investment decision between AMP and QBE companies based on educated analysis which includes ratio analysis, risk and return assessment, SWOT analysis and impact of external environment on the AMP and QBE. Therefore, company’s financial performance, future profitability opportunity associated with risk can be speculated prior to the investment decision. 2. Company profile As one of the largest companies in Australia, QBE Insurance Group Limited provides general insurance services not only in Australia, but also in all over the world. And for AMP limited, it is an Australian financial corporation which focuses on insurance services to the customers in Australia and New Zealand. 3. Risk Assessment 3.1 Current ratio For the financial year ended 31st Dec 2010, AMP has a current ratio of 9.99 which is larger than the QBE figure 1.30. Since current ratio is a measure of short-term solvency of companies, the ratio indicates that AMP is more liquid than QBE in 2010 financial year. In a historical view from Table 1 in appendix, the current ratios of AMP were constantly larger than QBE figures in the past 10 year. 3.2 Debt/equity ratio From the balance sheets provided by Annual Report Online Database (n.d.), the D/E ratios can be calculated as 29.36 for AMP and 3.08 for QBE in 2010 financial year. The enormous difference between D/E ratios of the chosen firms indicates that AMP has bigger debt components in its capital structure than QBE does. The D/E ratios of AMP and QBE for years between 2006 and 2010 shows AMP shareholders are bearing more risks than QBE shareholders because of the heavy portion of debts the company has to generate value for each dollar in equity. 3.3 Return on equity In 2010 financial year, AMP gives us a ROE of 24.45%, compared with the ROE of QBE which is 12.30%. The ROE figures indicate that each dollar in AMP’s equity could generate more profit than that in QBE’s. From information provided in Fin Analysis Database (n.d.) and illustrated in Table 2 in appendix, we can analyze the historical trends of the two companies. From 2005 the ROE ratio of AMP had a continuously growth above QBE and reach the peak of 52.43% in 2007. After that period, both AMP and QBE had slight contraction in ROE, however the ROE of AMP maintained larger than QBE till now. From the ratio analysis above, we can briefly conclude that the AMP has more risks in long-term solvency than QBE; however, it is much more profitable than QBE for each dollar invested in its equity. Considering analysis above, investing in AMP is better over QBE from the profitability point of view. 3.4 Systematic risk analysis 3.4.1 AMP Provided by Fin Analysis Database (n.d.), the beta coefficient of AMP is 1.73. The beta figure suggests that the systematic risk of AMP is greater than the average risk in the market. Based on coupon rate of 5-year and 10-year government bonds as well as the market risk premium for 2010 provided by Pablo Femandez (n.d.), the expected return of investing in AMP is 14.78% for 5 years and 15.78% for 10 years. 3.4.2 QBE From Fin Analysis Database (n.d.), the beta coefficient of QBE is 0.50, which is smaller than an average risky asset and the beta of insurance industry. The expected return of investing in QBE is calculated as 7.65% for 5 years and 8.65% for 10 years. As illustrated above, the systematic risk of AMP is larger than QBE, this result in a greater expected return on investment in AMP for a five to ten years period. 4. Return analysis 4.1 Earnings Per Share As we can see from the historical data from Fin Analysis (n.d.), as at 30/12/2010, the EPS of QBE was $121.73, obviously higher than that of AMP which was $36.90. For the last ten years, the EPS of QBE was generally indicated a trend of stable growth from 2001 to 2007 and peaked at 2007 of nearly $225.67, however, from 2008 to 2010, the EPS started to decrease, especially decreased from $196.41 in 2009 to $121.73 in 2010. As for AMP, on the other hand, there was a significant change of EPS in 2003, during which time the EPS decreased from -$78.73 to -$399.86, afterwards it also had ups and downs, but the trend was quite smooth with an EPS around $40.00. Therefore, considering the trend in the last ten years, OBE has a higher EPS with reasonable fluctuation. 4.2 Net Profit Margin Net profit margin is commonly used to evaluate the effectiveness of the company’s ability of converting revenue into actual profit. During the last ten years, both AMP and QBE experienced a generally increasing trend in the Net Profit Margin except for the year 2008. The average net profit margin of QBE and AMP was around 5% and 10% respectively, which indicates that AMP might have a more effective cost control policy compared to QBE. 4.3 P/E ratio (PER) As we can see from the database of Financial analysis (n.d.) which showed in Table 3, from 2003, the PER trend of both QBE and AMP were quite smooth without much fluctuations. Also QBE generated a slightly higher PER than AMP, which indicates that QBE yields higher returns and is more price sensitive than AMP. 5. SWOT analysis 5.1 Strengths: The life and the non-life insurance section in Australia are certainly considered as an attractive place where to do business, because both segments are expecting to grow over the future period more at a rate of 7% per annum compared to the growth rate for the industry as a whole. 5.2 Weaknesses: Non-life insurance premiums are barely developing because this segment is fully grown in mature market, so it is difficult to invest and benefit to investors. There is also a lack of reinsurance capacity in the local market and the local market of investments is exposed to the requirements of the global market. 5.3 Opportunities: There is a strong linkage between life insurance products and superannuation funds which mean the growth of the superannuation funds will benefit to life insurance in Australia. Voluntary motor insurance and non-life insurance are growing quite dramatically in Australia, so there is still a possibility of investments to these products. 5.4 Threats: The investment risks in connection with the popular insurance products are placed with the clients, not with the insurers. That is, fluctuation in global financial markets may easily have a negative impact on life premiums. 6. Impact of external environment of insurance industry The world economy is not stable in recent several months. That means the growth of world economy cannot be reasonably guaranteed. It is due to the fact that two of the most important and largest economic bodies in the world cannot seek appropriate solutions to their own economic problems. As the largest economy in the world, American economy has been in difficult situation and struggling since the world financial crisis. The US economic statistic data have revealed that the recovery of the America’s economy will probably be a long process. For example the unemployment level of the last six months in America is between 9 to 10 percent. It should be mentioned that the US average unemployment rate is 5.7 percent. Even though the data indicates that the US manufacturing industry rebounded last month, the probability of recession is still high. The economy of European Union (EU) is also experiencing difficulties. The European debt crisis has been spreading from Greece to Spain and Italy. It is an unambiguous fact that Greece is insolvent. Even though Spain and Italy is not insolvent, they have liquidity problems. The suddenly deteriorated finance in Europe has resulted in the loss of confidence of investors. The insurance industry has been growing steadily since global financial crisis. But the natural disasters such as the flood and hurricane in Queensland have important influence on insurance industry .More specifically, QBE suffered from these catastrophes such as storms in Queensland and Victoria. Besides, the 12 tornadoes that happened in America and Christchurch’s fourth major earthquake in New Zealand also affected QBE’s profit. But these natural disasters failed to decrease QBE’s profit. Instead, it was the contraction in insurance margins led to the shares of QBE to decrease. 7. Conclusion In conclusion, AMP limited is better choice than QBE Insurance Group Limited to invest due to high profitability opportunity, considering systematic risk and cost control policy although EPS and P/E ratio indicates in favor of QBE. According to returns, AMP is slightly better than QBE in terms of investment decision. Therefore, it would be highly recommended to invest 1 million dollar in AMP limited rather than QBE Insurance Group Limited.

Health Promotion: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Levels

Health promotion is composed of three levels. Primary is the initial level of health promotion and prevention of diseases. The next level is secondary which involves early detection of a disease and prompt intervention to prevent the progression of the disease. Tertiary, the final level, is when a disease is permanent and the goal is to return the individual to the best possible level of functioning (Edelman & Mandle, 2010). According to American Diabetes Association website, the 2011 diabetes statistics in America is 25. 8 million of the population has diabetes. This paper focuses on the health promotion in primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of patients diagnosed with diabetes. Health promotion can affect many factors of a patient’s life from progression of a disease to loss of school or work days therefore loss of education and income to increase in healthcare. O’Donnell (2009) defines health promotion as: â€Å"the art and science of helping people discover the synergies between their core passions and optimal health, enhancing their motivation to strive for optimal health, and supporting them in changing their lifestyle to move toward a state of optimal health. Optimal health is a dynamic balance of physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual health. Lifestyle change can be facilitated through a combination of learning experiences that enhance awareness, increase motivation, and build skills and, most important, through the creation of opportunities that open access to environments that make positive health practices the easiest choice. † Patient’s active participation is a main part of health promotion. Patients have to take an active role because education provided to patients is to empower them to make better decisions in their healthcare. Primary interventions include making changes to the individual’s diets, activity levels, motivation, and knowledge. These interventions were utilized in a study to decrease the development of diabetes. The participants were selected by having diabetic risk factors including hypertension, obesity, increased blood sugar, hypercholesterolemia, or family history of diabetes (Penfold, 2013). Diet and nutrition advice was given to individuals. They were educated and demonstration provided on how to make healthy changes in their meals that was within a limited budget. Exercise sessions were also used as a preventative measure in which the individuals were encouraged to participate in cardio activities. The program encouraged the individuals to continue with the exercising by offering free classes. The participants of the study had a positive outlook as they progressed with the new healthy changes. Follow up will be a main factor in this fairly new study to determine if primary intervention was successful. Once an individual is diagnosed with an illness, intervening without hesitation is the key to the secondary level of health promotion. The cause of gestational diabetes is not completely known. Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy in women who did not previously have diabetes, but certain risk factors such as obesity can increase a women’s chance of developing it (Webb, 2013). Secondary preventions include prevention of further complication and treatment of a disease to decrease complications (Edelman & Mandle, 2010). The women should be educated on how to take blood glucose, targeted blood sugar levels and to contact providers with abnormal readings. Treatment of the gestational diabetes is also aimed at patients modifying their lifestyles with diet and exercise. If blood sugars remain uncontrolled Webb reports according to National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (2008) recommends metformin for treatment of gestational diabetes in spite of successful evidence. Patients that are not compliant are at risk of progression of diabetes. Primary and secondary prevention continue into tertiary level of health promotion. â€Å"Tertiary prevention focuses on rehabilitation to help people attain and retain optimal level of functioning regardless of their disabling condition (Edelman & Mandle, 2010). A patient can suffer from many complications of diabetes such as eye complications, foot complications, hypertension, kidney disease, neuropathy and depression. Patients are encouraged to have a satisfying lifestyles and function with their diseases. In an article about health and lifestyles of diabetic adolescents â€Å"Diabetic adolescents had healthier eating habits and more positive attitude towards their satisfaction with life, but their health perception is less positive than that of other adolescents (Serrabulho, Matos & Raposo, 2012). In the study diabetic adolescents had similarities of inactive activities and social support to adolescents without diabetes. The care of diabetic patient from a health promotion point view involves diet, exercise, medication, and knowledge. Involvement of experts in the fields and communities can assist the patient in awareness of diseases. When nurses and patients are educated on primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention care, they develop a mutual respect and responsibility in assisting patients to have successful healthy lifestyles.

Two Women One Struggle essays

Two Women One Struggle essays The name Ann Frank has become so popular from a required reading in high school that she needs little introduction. She was a school girl in Nazi Germany, during World War II, that was forced into hiding because she was Jewish. This particular essay gives you some of her earlier diary entries that give you a view of her life before she was in hiding. Our second essay, The long Good-Bye, was written by a women named Amanda Coyne. She gives us a look at what family life is like in a Federal prison. My essay discusses the similarities and differences between Franks point of view in writing to her friend Kitty-a diary and Coynes in reporting Mothers day at the federal prison. In both situations rights have been removed and have been replaced with more restrictions, but the women try to hold on to some of their natural habits. In Amanda Coynes essay, she observes a group of women trying to let go of their surroundings and remember what it was like on the outside by sampling each others perfumes. It seems that Charitys uncanny talent for divine brand names is perhaps nowhere on earth more appreciated than here with these sensory-starved inmates,(pg195) Coyne describes. The women in the federal prison are also limited to there dress code. Women arent allowed to wear shorts that are to short and are regularly checked by security guards. Coynes sister Jennifer tells them a story about one of the main security guards named Ponytail, She is also the toughest guard here, particularly in regards to the federal rules governing exposed skin.(pg195) These are a lot more petty the restrictions that Ann had to face. In her diary she gives us some examples, Our freed om was severely restricted by a series of anti-Jewish decrees: Jews were required to wear a yellow star; Jews were required to turn in their bicycles; Jews were forbidd ...

10 Things to Know about Dating Your College Classmate

10 Things to Know about Dating Your College Classmate 1. You Change Throughout College Whether it’s the kids that come in fresh out of high school or those that wait until later in their twenties, four years of undergraduate studies changes a human being. You’re one way when you arrive, and another way when you leave. Think about how much you’ll have learned! With that said, it makes dating somewhat more difficult for most students. There’s so much going on. So many deadlines. So many choices. Typically a large dating pool where everyone’s hooking up with someone. Just remember that if you hook up with someone early on in your freshmen year, the relationship must be able to adapt as you both change as people. 2. Many Different Shades of Grey You’ve got to be precise when it comes to college dating. Let’s look at the four most common types or definitions: Courting: You’re both digging on one another and it’s obvious to everyone there’s something going on, but it’s not serious yet. You’re still getting to know both yourselves and each other. Exclusive: It’s official, everyone else has to keep their hands off of both of you. Social lives can easily begin to suffer here, which isn’t necessarily a great idea in college where you’re supposed to be getting out there and involved. Temporary: You’re exclusively dating but there’s no illusions. Once the graduation dates come you’re both going your separate ways. It means you won’t have to deal with being single, but there isn’t a post-college long-term commitment either. However, there are still some ways to save your relationships after graduation. Fling: Also known as the fresh, sophomore, junior and senior year fling. Yeah, they can happen every year. Typically around spring. You’ve been eyeing one another all year in college or passing by in the halls or whatever, and finally you’re hooking up for the summer. 3. A Long Term Question In America, more than half of the ladies walking around campus everyday secretly or publically hope to meet their spouse while in college. As you might have guessed, that number tends to be a bit lower with college guys. Most of them aren’t thinking much farther ahead than mid-terms, or this coming Friday night. 4. Dating can get Expensive! Unfortunately, for the vast majority of college students out there today, dating isn’t really a viable financial prospect. Not serious dating anyhow. Going out get be pricey enough. When possible, keep dating as humble as possible. 5. Grades Could Suffer Once people begin throwing the â€Å"L† word around, things could get complicated. What if there’s a pregnancy? If grades are a high priority, then keep it that way and make sure that dating doesn’t cause you to completely divert from your long term goals. 6. Guys and Girls Are not at the Same Page While most girls think of relationships as committment to the other person and love, most guys dont strive for anything serious in college and approach relationships as fun. This is about not about good or bad its just the fact caused by differences in gender psychology. Both boys and girls should find balance between having fun and serious commitment and discuss their expetations from the relationships before jumping into things too quickly. 7. Be a Yes Person It’s college. If someone asks you out you nod and say, â€Å"yes.† Simple. Obviously there are exceptions, but as a general rule you should be taking every single opportunity that comes your way to make friends, learn about new people and set up college networks of friends. Give people a chance you normally wouldn’t. Remember, after college it’s all about who you know. 8. Expectations are Poisonous When dating in college it’s best to keep the expectations at a minimum for the first few months. Is it a fling? Are you expecting a relationship from someone who is in a transitional phase of their life? Are they expecting you to wait and be faithful while they’re in Europe for six months without you? It’s best to keep your priorities in line and go with the flow. 9. Date Outside Your Major Whenever possibly try to dating someone in finance or marketing. If you’re in finance or marketing, go for a philosophy major. I’m kidding. But honestly, try not to get yourself stuck inside a little bubble where you never leave your own area of study. Date someone from a completely different major. Mingle! Get to know and make friends with people in as many different majors as possible. 10. Online College Dating? Is it really even online dating if you go to the same college? Hey, these days if you have issues with going to parties or trying to ask out people in your classes, then hop online and reach out to them that way. At this point, there’s nothing abnormal about it. â€Å"Hey, aren’t you in my 9am English class?† You can engage people in texting conversations and Facebook updates without having to get up close and personal. Overall, dating in college can be tricky for some, and easy for others. Make sure to live it up! Have you ever dated someone in your class? What that easy or not? Share your experience in the comments section!

Windowsshopping at Zara Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Windowsshopping at Zara - Case Study Example Zara is building on a vertically integrated demand and supply chain, while most other textile chains rely on outsourcing and cheap labour. Zara controls most of the steps on the supply-chain; it designs, produces, and distributes itself. (Rose 2001). Zara needs just two weeks to develop a new product get it to stores, compared with a nine-month industry average, and launches around 10,000 new designs each year. If a new design is not sold within a week, it is withdrawn from the shop and a new design is pursued. None of the designs stays on the shop for more than four weeks which encourages the shop's fans to make repeat visits. The business model for the company is based on offering the latest style in a high quality product at a good price. With a creative team of more than 200 professionals, Zara's design process is closely to the public. Zara pays special attention to the design of it stores, its shop windows and interior dcor, and locates them in the best sites of major shopping districts Zara's first outlet in Spain, the store was selling well designed clothes in a modern environment at a price anybody could afford. The in-store displays were kept minimal and the showroom was light and airy, with clean lines and white walls that act as a blank canvas for ad campaigns. Zara's window aimed at attracting the potential customers who will become the ultimate purchaser of the product. To induce them, the displays were made realistic in an expensive method to attract the onlookers. The consumers are made to repeat visits to look at the products displayed before they buy them, as few customers are impulsive buyers. As the customers have wide range of choice products with variable prices they prefer to go around the store to decide the purchase depending upon their budget. Window display and strategic positioning refers to performing different activities than the rivals or the same activities in a different way. While the display model used by Zara itself is often very easy to replicate, technology is essential to creating and enabling novel approaches to business that are defensibly different than rivals and which can be quite difficult for others to copy. Zara stores offer a compelling blend of fashion, quality and price offered in attractive stores in prime locations on premier commercial streets and in upscale shopping centers. The in-house design and production capabilities enable them to offer fresh designs at Zara stores twice a week throughout the year. In the early 1990's, Zara began formulating new type of design and distribution model. By that time it had opened up stores in countries like Europe and U.S.A. (Kotler 2008) Life like models dressed up in various costumes designed by leading fashion designers were kept in the window display. Zara's most unusual strategy was its policy of zero advertising; the company preferred to invest a percentage of revenues in opening new stores instead. The strategy has changed lately with yearly sales advertisements, together with targeted advertisements in papers. The latest technologies with innovations were used to lure the customer in the showrooms. (Barthes 1972). Figure 14 This picture shows the window display of the showroom in Oxford Street, London. It was taken in October 2009. The window display contains models wearing trendy clothes created by the leading fashion d

Examine how John Reed explains the Mexican revolution Essay

Examine how John Reed explains the Mexican revolution - Essay Example According to John Reed, the majority of the citizens were annoyed with the manner in which the state was handling the affairs of the public. Indeed, the events of the revolution shaped the social, economic and political landscape of Mexico. Hence, the paper is describing the revolution using john reed’s explanation. The Mexican revolution John Reed reports that the revolution began as struggle between the incumbent president and his challenger, Mr. Madero. According to John Reed, Mr. Madero who was challenging the presidents incited his supporters to take part in a revolution (Reed 1). Mr. Madero incited the masses because he felt that the incumbent president had bungled the elections. The rivalry amid the two leaders culminated into war that led to bloodshed. War was at the hallmark of the revolution that begun in 1910. John Reed explains that the revolution begun slowly in 1910, thereafter it escalated to uncontrollable magnitudes in the subsequent years. Lack of communicati on was contributing to the misunderstandings that lead to the escalation of the wars. During the time, the Peons took part engaged themselves in the war with the expectations that their lives will change for the better. They had been promised favors, hence their participation in the war. Moreover, a majority of Mexicans were annoyed with the dictatorial leadership of President Porfirio Diaz. According to John Reed, the fighting that took place in the North affected most of the activities in the entire country. As a result, the economic landscape of the country changed. People began engaging in activities that demanded less capital because war had incapacitated them. Moreover, John Reed states that war halted most of the activities of people of Mexico. There was a decline in farming activities since people spend most of their times on fights. Poverty levels were escalating in the entire country. However, it is perplexing when the john reed states that he is annoyed with the events of the war yet he took part in the war. In some cases, he contradicts himself by supporting and criticizing the war at the same time. From the explanations of John Reed, economic activities played a huge role in shaping the life of individuals in Mexico. For instance, issues of wealth distribution lead to the escalation of war. The poor were angered with the manner in which the wealth owners were mistreating them. Moreover, the farmers received low wages from their employers. As indicated in the works of John Reed, people engaged in wars as a means of ending slavery. Hence, slaves preferred taking part in battles instead of working in the farms (Reed 12). The deplorable conditions in the farm made them hate employment. By taking part in wars, slaves were seeking liberation. They had wanted to have a life of their own to control their lives. Interestingly, during the war, the majority preferred the rebels to occupy their territories. This is because they hated the presence of the feder al authority. Reed reported to the metropolitan magazine Mexicans engaged in agriculture as their major source of live hood. Indeed, it was true that farming was the major economic activity for the people in Mexico. Hence, people supported the revolution because they had desired to own land. In Mexico, property ownership was highly cherished by the people then. Interestingly, this applies to the current situation in Mexico whereby people strive to own properties for their own use. The Peons in Mexico were claiming that the slave owners