Quality Improvement

Using the notion of correct process management can definitely influence the business operation of a company. Primarily, a single process in the manufacturing sector can predict whether quality can be achieved on products or services offered to the end consumers. That is why it is very important to monitor the quality process of each segment within an organization.The company in reference for process management is Wet Seal. The business is involved in the garments sector and in the distribution of apparel products for retailing and wholesaling. In line with this, the process to be analyzed is the Quality Control maintenance procedure. Primarily, this department is involved in making sure that the products meet the standards imposed by the company to designate customer satisfaction principles (Tech Target, 2006). Even though the main objective of the office is to induce customer satisfaction, the procedures do not have a formal platform which can be followed by all quality check person nel. In line wit this dilemma, an improvement in re-structuring the quality analysis program is needed.The first main process in the Quality Control (QC) department is to obtain the apparel products from the distribution department which must acquire products from different distributors. Since the products are all mixed up, the first task of the Q.C. team is to segregate the merchandises according to brand. This makes it easier to identify the distributor which could have delivered sub-standard items. The next procedure is to assign the items to divided teams within the department. Say for example team â€Å"A’ is assigned to Brand â€Å"A†, team B is assigned to Brand â€Å"B† and so on.This makes sure that each item from specific manufacturers is catered for quality check. On a team level, each of the members of the team will be distributed with at least 50 pieces of clothing styles. Each of the personnel will then conduct a thorough evaluation of each of the products’ integrity. Some of the most important aspects are identified in terms of seam strength, type of cloth material used, color saturation, and possible runs within the cloth. Once a piece of apparel is identified to be of good quality, it will then be marked with a sticker of approval.To have an illustrative identification of the proposed process, a diagram is provided below:Distribution Dept. à   Quality Control Dept à   Team Assignment (By brand) à  End User ß   Runs Check ß Â  Color Check ß Material Check ß Seam StrengthIf the strategic plan of the company is to be considered, the process involved within the Quality Check segment may have the most influential impact. This is so because primarily, the only investment that Wet Seal is involved with is the distributorship of the prodders to local market dealers. Because of such a case, it is directly involved on how each of its partner dealers will perform. Mainly, the process of quality check integra tes the notion of good investment value and customer satisfaction. For example, if the QC team was able to identify defective products or those that do not meet quality levels set by the company, Wet Seal can then send back the items to the manufacturers for possible replacements of refunds.This can save the business lots of money since it will be able to prevent the distribution of defective items from reaching the base market. Therefore it can save at least half of the chain process of sending the items back from the end-user to the manufacturer since Wet Seal stands as a â€Å"middleman†. On the aspect of passive profitability, if the processes in the Quality Department was able to send only items attuned to the demands of the consumers, then quality will result to greater customer confidence which in the long run can become a source of continuous market purchases. Of course, consumer satisfaction has a direct link to market performance (Hampshire, 2003).When it comes to p rocedure effect to the customers, the processes in the Quality Department affects both internal and external clients. Basically, internal clients are identified to be that of entities which have long been partners of Wet Seal in apparel distributorship. In some notions, external customers can also affect the satisfaction of internal customers depending on the business arrangement (Lewis, 2008).The main effects of quality assurance factors can be realized by being able to strengthen the bonds of business between a dealer and semi-distributor units. On the other hand, external customers can also benefit in the processes of quality checks since these newly established partners of Wet Seal will get a first hand experience of what the company can actually offer. There will be fewer chances for them to be involved in problematic business schemes since the quality assurance principles are already establishedBy the time all the members of the organization become aware of the improvement in the quality check procedures, Wet Seal can then delegate an approach to use a Quality Management Tool to see whether there is an effect (be it negative or positive) of doing the improvements within the department concerned. The most appropriate tool for measuring success is by conducting a survey study which will generate raw data for analysis. Wet Seal can invest a little more to study the direct patterns of consumers based on the supposedly â€Å"quality† items that have passed the Quality Check department. Dealers can be used to become channels in getting direct responses from their respective customers.A carefully structured satisfaction survey can provide enormous info for the company’s decision-making capabilities (Welsh Assembly Government). On the other hand, a time-framed monitoring process can also be used to see whether the personnel are actually doing the right checking procedures of the products. Upon completing the data representing the consumer satisfact ion ratings, amount of check errors and overall experience of the company, a statistical tool can then be used to analyze whether there was an actual progress in profitability after the improvement was made.Since statistical analysis scan provide a certain number level of correlation, what Wet Seal can do is to utilize the data to see whether the initiative for improvement directly relates to that of the company’s metrics. An opportunity to ratify the main quality check process is also possible if the main errors are identified in it as according to the surveyed data values.It would be good to at least estimate the level of improvement on profit margins based on the ratification of the Quality Control processes. One thing which can be realized is that a reduction of distributing defective products to the open market may increase sales values. Of course, it wouldn’t be feasible to provide a certain percentage value but most probably, customer satisfaction equates to gre ater credibility effects towards the products.Identifying the weakness of a process in business can greatly affect the overall productivity of the company. Since each procedure influences the totality of the organization’s management style, it would only be appropriate to find problematic units of the company to help it resolve posing dilemmas and maintain the stability of the operation. In line with using the principle of Quality Management, an organization can be relieved from the potential experience of encountering market problems.ReferencesHampshire, S. 2003. Customer satisfaction, loyalty and profit – understanding the links. Customer Focus Consulting. Retrieved January 26, 2008 from http://www.customerfocusconsult.com/articles/articles_template.asp?ID=3.Tech Target. 2006. Quality Assurance. Tech Target-The IT Media Experts. Retrieved January 26, 2008 from http://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/definition/quality-assurance.

Mission and vision Essay

Mission statement â€Å"Reason for existing† 1. What do we do? We drill, we make pipes, we make wells, we help to clean the environment, 2. How do we do it? 3. Who for? We do it for our clients, for the countries and in the end for local people 4. Why do you do it? Values Triple A – grade system HSE – employee and environment orientated Quality and Ethics – product and customer orientated Performance – business and finance orientated Fancy words to use: The best, clear, easy, secure, quality, strong, fast?, vision, make a change/traditional/growing business, innovative, progressive, excellence, sustainable, world-class/globally operating, inspiration, Make the brand stand for one thing. What is our product for? What role does it play in people’s lives? How does Bauer help the local community? Or globally? Corporate Social Responsibility Sustainable development the Group’s environmental policy stipulates that environmental impact must be minimized in all construction works and other projects Vision What do we want to achieve? In the future (Where are we going with this?) When would you be satisfied as the company owner? Obvious: We want to be N.1 company on the market Future of mankind Strategic goals Smaller visions for various areas, they are based on the vision and represent the desirable states and conditions which the company wants to achieve. Strategic, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timed, Ethical, Rewarded Areas: 1. Market 2. Financial performance 3. Business growth 4. research and development, the level of technology and investment, 5. Social Services, the quality of employees and motivation systems, 6. implementation of information systems, and the environment Strategy How do we reach these strategic goals? Swot analysis http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130626044531-64875646-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-mission-and-vision-statements BCG method Slogans used: We won’t stand still When others go into detail you deal with the big stuff at Bauer No hire and fire Halliburton: Solving challenges In the coming decades, energy resources will become increasingly difficult to find and access. As one of the world’s largest providers of products and services to the upstream energy industry, Halliburton serves the life cycle of the well. Using the latest geological technologies, we create data that help our customers locate oil and natural gas. When hydrocarbons are located, we provide solutions to determine if oil and gas can be produced. If a well is determined to be viable, we begin production and throughout the life of the field, we help ensure that our customers get optimal production rates. To prevent and respond to emergencies, customers call Halliburton for premier well intervention, pressure control, and pipeline and process services. Halliburton’s team of professionals around the globe provide these services to help our customers meet the world’s demand for energy, while maintaining the highest standards of environmental safety. The company serves the upstream oil and natural gas industry throughout the lifecycle of the reservoir: Create FAQ 1. What does the company do? 2. What industry are you in? for what industry do you provide? 3. How is the company organized? 4. What are your most significant projects?

Exit Strategies for Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Exit Strategies for Business - Assignment Example The exit strategy must not be left for the future and the entrepreneurs must decide appropriately for the coming days. The main reason behind the entrepreneurs stepping away from their businesses is the retirements or the terminations of the partnership or the joint ventures. The entrepreneurs must have built their businesses with certain care and efforts and have taken them to a certain position and after certain point of time they may consider handing over the businesses to other entrepreneurs who by applying their experiences and perspectives can take the businesses to new heights. The entrepreneurs may as well decide to exit for the reason that they might have lost interest in that particular business or project and thus may consider entry into new projects or ventures. However, if planning is done in-advance it provides the entrepreneurs to decide on numerous options of exiting from the businesses. The profits can be maximized at the times of shutting from the businesses if prop er strategic business direction is considered (The Great British Business Show, 2011). Advantages of Exit Strategy The main advantages of the exit strategy are that the value in relation to the business built by the entrepreneur can be protected and the future worth of the businesses can be enhanced. The tax impacts upon the estate or family can be reduced to a greater extent through exit strategies. Income can be generated that can assist in retirement or during any disability (Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, 2011). Exit Strategies for Entrepreneurs There are numerous strategies for exits, available to the entrepreneurs. They are buy-sell agreement, cash sale to the third party, buyout or recapitalization along with employee stock ownership plan. Each one of them has been explained below: Buy-Sell Agreement: Buy-sell agreement strategy enables the entrepreneurs to end the business relationship by the formation of the parameters for the participants who would be buying the busines s. It can be mentioned that one or two associates are capable of involving themselves with the business while the others may plan to separate themselves from it. The agreement may assist the businesses with funding for the takeovers because of disability or for the reason of the death of the co-owners. The design of the buy-sell agreement needs to be done carefully so that the execution of the strategy does not get overlapped with other estates as well as succession planning tools. Cash Sale to A Third Party: When the businesses are to be sold by means of cash transactions, it can create immediate liquidity for the seller. Through means of cash sales owners are capable of executing immediate separation from the businesses. While searching for the third party buyer, the challenge is the difficultly to find a market ready where the small businesses can be sold. In simple words, the owner needs to put great deal of time and money to search for the profitable deal. Buyout or Recapitaliz ation: In case of the leveraged transactions, the corporate entities such as the managers, partners as well as the business houses tend access the funds so that they can buy the stocks of the existing owner. For the purpose of dissolving the multiple ownership arrangements or for preserving the businesses as a going concern this arrangement of buyout or recapitalization is quite important. The strategy may also be useful while transferring the responsibility of

Exercises for Editing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Exercises for Editing - Assignment Example To repair a glass window, you will need these tools and materials. The tools include a glass cutter, a putty knife, a window scraper, a chisel, an electric soldering iron, a razor blade, a pair of pliers, and a paint brush. The materials you will need are putty, paint, hand cleaner, linseed oil, and glazier’s points. (15 pts.) You need tools and materials to repair a glass window. Edit the following sentences so they focus on the real subject, focus on the real verb, use the active voice, express parallel elements in parallel structures, do not have misplaced and dangling modifiers, and do not have verbal filler. Each sentence has only one of these kinds of errors. All of the required tasks were completed by the intern. (2 pts.) The intern completed all of the required tasks. Once they wilt, most garden sprays are unable to save vegetable plants from complete collapse. (2 pts.) Most garden sprays are unable to save vegetable plants from complete collapse once they wilt. There are several factors that have caused structure’s strength to be questioned by the engineers. (2pts.) There are several factors about the structure’s strength that made it questionable to the engineers. It is because the price of a college education has soared that many college graduates have accumulated large amounts of debt. (2 pts.) The price of a college education soared that many college graduates have accumulated large amounts of debt. The team leaders have not yet been designated by the project supervisor. (2 pts.)

Trace the complex seemingly contradictory relationship between the Essay

Trace the complex seemingly contradictory relationship between the exotic 'newness' of primitivism and the urge to explore ethnic or national roots - Essay Example The canvas included portraits, still lifes, landscape, verve, nudes of spontaneity with rich textured surfaces, bold colors and lively linear patterns. The Fauves used startling contrasts of emerald green, vermilion, vivid orange and cerulean blue in bold strokes and sweeping brush strokes. Fauves desired to use both sides of Expressionism. Outward expression was expressed in the bold release of internal thoughts in wild color, brutal and powerful brushworks and the depiction of inward expression awakened the emotion of the viewers through the designs. There was no official organization of Fauve painters. The laxity of stylistic affinities and personal connections led the Fauve movement to disintegrate as soon as the art form emerged. The artists who followed Fauve principles departed from the idea and followed their own personal styles. The short tenure of Fauvism however made remarkable contribution to the art of painting by experimenting expressive, structural and aesthetic capabi lities. Henri Matisse was a prominent figure among the Fauve group.1 German Expressionism evolved from Fauvism and moved beyond the art in compelling, dramatic portrayal of people and scenes. Three main groups of German Expressionism were Die Brucke, Der Blaue Reiter and Die Neue Sachlichkeit. Der Blaue Reiter  or the Blue Rider group took shape in Munich which is home of avant-garde New Artist Association. The most famous artist of Der Blaue Reiter was Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc. Der Blaue Reiter was a loose association with artists like Paul Klee, August Macke and Gabriele Munter. The objective of the Blue Rider was to infuse art with spiritual values with the use of color. Blue riders mean vague. Marc instilled the idea that animal had innocence and so it is superior to human. The Blue Rider Expressions are mild forms which are seen in Cossacks by Kandinsky, Little Blue Horse and The Little Blue Horses by

Leadership Styles Of Director Of Social Services Dissertation - 1

Leadership Styles Of Director Of Social Services - Dissertation Example In 2011, the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics confirmed this, further adding that there is a crisis of leadership in nursing home practice because employment for care professionals in these institutions are often equated with low prestige, leading to inadequate supply of professionals capable of meeting the demands of nursing home residents (Tolson, et al., p. 185). This trend is unfortunate because studies demonstrate that knowledgeable and effective leaders are critical in addressing challenges in the operation of a healthcare establishment such as those related to organizational culture and structure (Grabowski et al., (2010). There is an increase in scholarly attention with respect to the relationship between leadership style and the quality of nursing care, but empirical studies are still in their infancy. This theme is, of course, comprehensively covered in other fields, particularly in business and healthcare industry. However, there is an imperative for specificity. Effective social services administration calls for a model or a standard leadership framework that would lead to the identification of managerial abilities, strategies, and behavior that positively impacts the incidence and quality of organizational/institutional outcomes. So the question of interest involves whether leadership style(s) positively impacts the well-being of nursing home residents. Research indicates that substantive control by the administrative leader on the care, quality, and services have the significant impact on the psychosocial well-being of nursing home residents (Allen, 2008). Success in nursing home care depends on the performance of the management team.

Coastal Development Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Coastal Development - Assignment Example Currently, plans are underway in finding the best way of mitigating the effects of Hurricane Sandy, which is expected to hit the coastline in the near future (Hutchins and Augenstein, 2012). Although controversies have marred the proposed new construction measures at the New Jersey shore-front, the only way to protect the communities living near the shoreline is to establish new construction requirements to ensure that structures built near the shoreline are strong enough and capable of withstanding heavy storms. The devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy confirmed that the existing building codes cannot solve flooding and elevation problems witnessed whenever a storm hits New Jersey coastline. Therefore, to mitigate future damage that may be caused by heavy storms, the property owners at the New Jersey coastline will be required to elevate their buildings above the base flooding elevations (BFE). The flood elevation requirement issued by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is effective from October 2013, requires that properties built in the coastlines, which are prone to storms should be built above the flood elevation threshold (Foster, 2014). Building properties above the BFE will ensure that the flooding does not reach the properties in case of a storm like the Hurricane Sandy. Since storms are accompanied by heavy winds, contractors and property owners at New Jersey coastlines will be required to build structures that are capable of withstanding high winds. In this regard, the contractors will be required to ensure that properties have wind-rated roof covers capable of withstanding strong winds. Additionally, the contractors will also be required to ensure that adequate protections of openings, such as doors and windows are created to protect properties from strong wind pressure and windborne debris. Where necessary,

Demand In Health Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Demand In Health Care - Essay Example the health care facilities are scarce, with limited hospitals and doctors. Most of the rural areas are deprived of proper medical treatments. In these developing (and under developed) countries most of the population belongs to the rural areas. The availability of proper medical facilities is scarce (Pear & Lowry, 2012). In addition to this, low standard medical facilities are available at significantly high prices. The demand for the proper medical treatment becomes low in rural areas because of lack of affordability and access to the up to the mark medical goods or services. Therefore, people in developing countries, particularly in the rural areas demand health care services. On the contrary, in developed countries most of the people are provided with the facilities of health care insurance at reasonable prices, which can make the access to proper medical facilities easier (McConnell, Campbell, Brue & Stanley, 1990), therefore people in developed countries like Canada, U.S and Europe take great care of their health. This again reflects the law of demand. The example illustrates the fact that there are different categories of health care facilities, some of them are those, which cannot be avoided for example in case of a car accident the emergency treatment cannot be avoided. The demand for the medical treatment in such situations is considered inelastic, no matter at what price the medical treatment is available. On the other hand, some medication for the purpose of headache can be avoided if the prices of medical facilities are high. Therefore, the demand for medical facilities, which are needed in case of emergency are inelastic i.e. with the change in price the demand of medical facilities may have insignificant impact. On the same logic (but with a different scenario), the demand for minor medication is highly elastic i.e. the demand reduces with the increase in price. On the contrary, the demand increases with

Corporate Social Responsibility Plans and Communications Strategy Literature review

Corporate Social Responsibility Plans and Communications Strategy - Literature review Example A CSR communications strategy provides the potential to generate stakeholder participation, which can yield the discussion, production, and dissemination of meaningful ethical norms and practices. Sensemaking enables different stakeholder groups to openly and comprehensively discuss CSR issues and problems. Stakeholders refer to anyone who will be/are affected by the organization’s goals and actions. Sensemaking allows stakeholders to â€Å"make sense of things in organizations while in conversation with others while reading communications from others while exchanging ideas with others†. Sensemaking expands ways of thinking and doing through collaboration and questioning groupthink processes. Moreover, despite apprehension for CSR intentions, Ihlen, Bartlett, and May (2011) asserted that companies must exert full effort in expressing CSR intentions because it can engender stakeholder participation. They noted that communication theory offers models for stakeholder invol vement and collaboration, including those that deal with conflict and yet build consensus (Ihlen et al, 2011, p.12). Recognizing that companies have self-interests and finding ways to balance that with stakeholder interests are integral to the communication process. Aside from sensemaking, stakeholder theory can improve stakeholder participation. CSR communications treat stakeholders as value-producing in the long run, where value includes financial and social aspects (Morsing & Schultz, 2006, p.324). CSR concerns the critical balance between financial and non-financial goals of organizations.

Beyond Bourgeois Gentrification Essay Example for Free

Beyond Bourgeois Gentrification Essay We’ve all seen those new work-live artist loft spaces in the remodeled industrial complexes next to the new galleries, cafes and office buildings that used to be factories, low-income housing tenements or warehouses. They look chic and modern while still trying to maintain their urban appeal. However, what does gentrification mean in our post-industrial urban society and how should we address its contradictory standing? According to the PBS special Flag Wars: What is Gentrification, it is the â€Å"general term for the arrival of wealthier people in an existing urban district, a related increase in rents and property values, and changes in the districts character and culture (Grant). In this vein, we can read gentrification from two perspectives. The first would be from the point of view of the newly arrived ‘wealthier people’ who see this process as an investment in urban renewal that brings down crime rates and increases the economic cultural capital of what was once a neglected and impoverished neighborhood. On the other hand, gentrification as seen from the perspective of the original community is thought of as another form of economic and geographic discrimination and exclusion due to the increase in rent and property values as well as the overall cost of living. The issue of urban displacement results in an unbalanced benefit for the already economically advantaged. UNESCO recently published an article concerning this contradiction: â€Å"Building projects become the centre piece of the city’s economy, justified by job creation, taxes, tourism and the building of large cultural complexes† (Smith). What makes this such a divisive issue and halts community building is that much of the new investment comes from the social class that fled to the suburbs during the white-flight era of urbanization. After fleeing to the suburbs due to a discomfort of having to live so close to other racial and ethnic populations, there is now a distrust of the new inhabitants by the pre-existing urban population who are being forced out of their own neighborhoods. So we must ask ourselves how we can overcome this contradictory social movement in a way that will be mutually beneficial to all involved parties. The best way to accomplish this would be to invite community dialogue in an effort to address all sides of the issue. An interesting study put out by the Urban Institute echoes this sentiment. They emphasize the need for â€Å"strategies used by nonprofit organizations, for-profit developers, and city agencies to ensure low- to-moderate-income residents can live in revitalizing and gentrifying neighborhoods† (Levy). This is essential in order make sure that all voices can be heard so that more than just money talks. If this can be done, urban renewal can be embraced and cultural diversity can flourish in a vibrant new community based on shared principles and the exchange of different ideas. We must abandon the notion that gentrification is either positive or negative, as many people have argued in the past. Gentrification is a social process that affects us all differently depending on our own cultural context. That being the case, let us open the discussion to the public at large so that everyone has an equal say in how their community will develop. Urban transformation is a constant presence that we need to shape into a vision of the future that we would all like to live in. References Grant, Benjamin. (2003). What is Gentrification?. PBS Flag Wars. Retrieved November 30, 2008, from http://www. pbs. org/pov/pov2003/flagwars/special Levy, Diane, Comey, Jennifer, Padilla, Sandra. (2006). In the Face of Gentrification. Urban Institute. Retrieved November 30, 2008, from http://www. urban. org/publications/411294. html Smith, Neil. (2007). From Gentrification to Forced Eviction – how should economic competitiveness be reconciled with social sustainability in historical districts?. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved November 30, 2008, from http://portal. unesco. org/shs/en/ev. php

SWOT Analysis of Skoda

SWOT Analysis of Skoda Introduction. After began an industrial revolution from England in late 18th century most of Europeans and some other countries socially and economically changed. Such as they shift from home-based hand manufacturing to large-scale factory production. As a result of that people were moved to use of iron and steel, new energy sources, the invention of new machines that increased production. As well as this was mainly caused to continue the transports and communication sectors. Eventually there were certain values in the automobile industry. (Answer.com/03-02-10). That has got a rapid development; Such as land rover, jaguar from England and Audi from Germany were made fast as a result of the great industrial revolution. Two cyclists named Vaclav Klement; Vaclav Lourin started to make their own bicycle industry in the year 1895 whose country was Czechoslovakia from the Eastern Europe. Then they were succeeded to develop their industry by making cars, farm ploughs and air planes. They made a brand name for this multiple industry; â€Å"Skoda† one of the great invent of these cyclists. Nevertheless from 1925 to 1990 they couldnt be successful because of political changes, war, economical depressions. (www.skoda.co.uk/03-02-10) As a matter of fact they decided to merge with Volkswagen AG (VAG) came from Germany which has got the biggest manufacture of Europe for their products included Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, CEAT, Lamborghini,bently and Bugatti. However in this report I am going to analyse and illustrate about Skoda automobiles case study from â€Å"The Times 100†. 1. According to the case study the key weaknesses that SKODA UK was able to identify through the SWOT analyse can be explained as follows; * Recently Skoda has 1.7 market shares in the world car market. So that its not enough to fit into highly competitive fragmented market. Because Mercedes Benz, Ford, BMW and other high branded products has succeeded in the car market. * Skoda doesnt have a good brand image about their products. Because customers think that their brands are out-dated perceptions as customers think that their products contain poor vehicle quality, assembly, design and materials. 2. Skoda did use enough strength to turn its brands weakness into an opportunity as bellows; * They started to make some products with differentiation according to the market as they have realized what the customer wants. Because they have got to know that there is a gap among their competitors. So that they have created a slogan named â€Å"The manufacturer of happy drivers†. (www.skoda.co.uk/03-02-10). The reason why they have created that slogan; they havent promoted their brand itself like their competitors but they do promote the customer experience what the customer needs. * They have decided to design cars with various ranges for the proper market segments. For instant; The Skoda Fabio is sold as a basic but quality â€Å"city car† The Skoda Superb offers a more luxurious, â€Å"up market appeal† The Skoda Octavia Estate provides a family with fun drive but also a great big boot.  · Considering with other products they introduced quality budget cars when comparing with their competitors. They have a good combination when we considering about their ranges of the car market.  · Their products lifecycles every steps are environmental friendly. This is mainly caused to increase their customer minds brand image and accurate EU legal procedures. For example; Their cars dont make much noise because they have created those with improved sound quality. They used to recycle their products as much as possible. They are using the latest most environmental-friendly manufacturing technologies for their manufacturing process. Their cars dont use much fuel according to the efficiency of those machines. So that the efficiency of those machines are exquisite when we considering about using fuel for them. 3. The Skoda has identified some external threats such as.  · According to the case study the main threat that Skoda facing is market competition come from their competitors. For instant if competitor launching cheaper and good quality products for the market. As an example 50 car makers active in UK car market. 2000 model selections have for the customers. So Skoda should active effectually to wining their market share from others.  · EU legal and environmental regulations also put extra preacher for the Skoda. As a resalt of that they should spend more money for their product life cycle rather than their competitors. Because they using environmental- friendly technologies and facilities are always more costly than others. Not only environmental regulation but also other legal rules also reason to increase production cost. Such as labours minimum wages, welfare, working hours, government taxations etc 4. According to my personal point of view about SWOT analyse, it is an enormously useful tool for any kind of organization. Because it has been facilitated for management to understand and decision- making for all sorts of situations. The SWOT analyses provide very clear pitcher to organizational internal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats for management. Swot analyse is scheduled to know how acts the internal factors for a business. Because internal influences are some factors which preceded a business for the success. As they can obtain competitive advantages. Product differentiation and cost leadership are known as competitive advantages. In the other hand SWOT analyses can be used inside a business in different ways to gain different perspectives. Such as ; (Robson W. /1997) (www.tutor2u. Net/2010). The way how they contribute their sales. Making an unbreakable partnership. Finding an alternative way to change the supplier. Adding some investment opportunities. How to launch for the new market and also how they use their business ideas for the improvement and success of their business. In the view of the above report the SWOT analyses can be explained as a compulsory tool for the modern business world. I said so because this is the unique tool and the only way that helps to create a perfect internal environment. References Answer .com /03-02-10/ Industrial revolution/ [online]Available From http://www.answers.com/topic/industrial-revolution Wendy R. , [1997] Strategic Management Information Systems [secand edition], Financial times, Prentice Hall , London, UK Www.skoda.co.uk/ About Skoda/ [online] Availble From http://www.skoda.co.uk/aboutskoda.aspx www.tutor2u. Net , Strategy- competitive advantage [online], Available From http://tutor2u.net/business/strategy/competitive_advantage.htm Bibliography Quick MBA , [1999-2007], Strategic Management [online] Available From http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/swot/ Rugman A., Collinson S. , [2006], International Business (4th Edition), Financial Times ,Prentice Hall , London ,UK

We All Must Take Responsibility :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

We All Must Take Responsibility "She is a really responsible person." "He doesn't take responsibility for his actions." "She was responsible for the accident." How many times have we heard statements similar to these? A definition of responsible might be accountable, reliable, dependable, or trustworthy. Based on my observations and experiences, I believe many people have a problem translating that into their everyday lives. If something bad happens, it must be someone else's fault, or someone should have to pay. A few months ago, I was involved in my first car accident. I think it's pretty remarkable that this was my first accident, considering that I've been driving for almost thirty years. The accident itself was pretty traumatic. I was at a complete stop behind two cars that were turning left, when a large van traveling at about thirty-five mph rear-ended my car. I was fortunate to escape with only some large bruises and a very sore knee; however, the car didn't fare quite as well. What was more amazing than the accident itself were the actions of the young man who ran into my car. Instead of taking responsibility for his actions, he lied to the police and to his insurance company about the events that took place. His version was that he was driving behind me when I ran into the car in front of me, then bounced back into his van. Perhaps if he'd had more time he might have been able to concoct a more credible story, one that actually made sense. In the end, the police and his insurance company saw through his lies and everything was taken care of. But in the meantime, my car was towed away and I was left with no car. What's amazing to me is that he never got out of his van to see if anyone was injured, and he never apologized for smashing two cars and causing me the inconvenience of being without a car for five weeks while the damage was repaired. Several months ago, there was a tragic fire near the Quad Cities. Unfortunately, two young children lost their lives when one of them started a fire in their apartment.

Humour in The Tempest :: essays research papers

Act II Scene I has been written as a humorous scene. It is meant to be funny and light-hearted. Although a modern day audience may not laugh out loud, the humour, itself, is very obvious. Alonzo thinks that his son, Ferdinand, is dead and one of his servants/Lords, Gonzalo, is trying to comfort him, but not succeeding. Sebastian and Antonio, basically mock Gonzalo and everything he says. Gon: When every grief is entertain’d that’s offer’d Comes to the entertainer – Seb: A dollar Gon: Dolour comes to him indeed†¦ Gonzalo is trying to tell the king not to grieve too much or something will come to the entertainer of grief, but before he can say what, Sebastian interrupts with â€Å"A dollar†. This is relevant because Sebastian pretended to take the term ‘entertainer’ literally. However, Gonzalo interprets what Sebastian said as dolour, which means sorrow. To make this even more humorous, Shakespeare has made Sebastian tell Gonzalo, outright, that he has taken what he said in the wrong way. The second attempt at humour in this scene is Antonio and Sebastian talking to each other about Gonzalo not shutting up. After a short silence, they bet on who will be the next person to speak. Ant: Which, of he or Adrian, for a good wager, first Begins to crow? Seb: The old cock Ant: The cockerel * * * * (Seb & Ant settle on the bet) Adr: Though this island seem to be desert, - Ant: Ha, ha, ha! Seb: So: you’re paid. I personally found this humorous because there is no ASIDE used, which means they are not even trying to be discreet about their mockery. The third attempt at humour is when Gonzalo is trying to be optimistic by talking about how fresh his clothes are. Of course, Sebastian and Antonio see this as another opportunity to mock Gonzalo. We, as the audience, know that Ariel made all of their clothes fresh after the ship was caught in the tempest. We therefore know that Gonzalo is actually telling the truth. Gon: That our garments being, as they were, drenched In the sea, hold, notwithstanding their freshness And glosses being rather new-dyed than stained

Mission Critical: A Closer Look into the Performance Appraisal Process Essay

The performance management cycle begins with objective setting where the appraisee ought to be oriented about performance expectations for the given performance period. Throughout the period, performance is measured officially through the performance appraisal exercise, where the appraiser is given the chance to give performance feedback through an interview. The performance management system is meaningfully linked to rewards based on outcomes or results. Following all these, modifications are implemented to objectives and activities, including the drafting of an individual development plan for closing competency gaps (Clarke, Rogers, & Miklos, 1996). Types of Performance Appraisal Systems Traditionally, employee performance has been evaluated solely by supervisors. Recently, however, organizations have realized that supervisors see only certain aspects of an employee’s behavior. For instance, a manager might see only 30% of his staff’s behavior; the rest is observed by customers, peers, and support staff in other parts of the organization. Furthermore, the staff might behave differently around her supervisor than around other people. Consequently, to obtain an accurate view of the staff’s performance, these other sources should provide feedback. The buzzword for using multiple sources to appraise performance is 360-degree feedback (Gruner, 1997). Sources of relevant information include supervisors, peers, subordinates, customers, and self-appraisal. According to Conway and Huffcutt (1997), there is often very little agreement in the way that two supervisors evaluate an employee or that a supervisor and a peer might rate an employee. Interestingly, supervisors whose self-ratings agree with others’ ratings tend to be better performers than supervisors whose ratings are not consistent with others’ (Witt, 1996). Supervisor Appraisals By far, the most common type of performance appraisal is the supervisor rating. In fact, Bernardin & Beatty (1984) estimated that over 90% of all performance appraisals are conducted using supervisors’ ratings of performance. Supervisors are best able to evaluate the extent to which an employee contributes to the overall success of the organization. Through supervisors may not see every minute of an employee’s behavior, they do see the end result. A superior may not actually see a staff sign up customers but will review the overall output for the day. Peer Appraisals Whereas supervisors see the results of an employee’s efforts, peers often see the actual behavior. Peer ratings usually come from employees who work directly with an employee. An employee may be rated by those in the same level or position. However, other employees in the organization, those who often come in contact with the employee, can also provide useful information. Research has shown that peer ratings are fairly reliable only when the peers who make the ratings are similar to and sell acquainted with the employees being rated (Mumford, 1983). Most important, peer ratings have been successful in predicting the future success of promoted employees as they correlate highly with supervisor ratings (Cederbloom, 1989). But even through peer ratings appear promising, few organizations use them. One reason could be that peer ratings are lenient when used for evaluation purposes bit not when they are used only to provide feedback (Farh, Cannella, & Bedeian, 1991a). Research suggests that certain employees are more lenient in their peer ratings than are other employees. Saavedra & Kwun (1993) found that high performers evaluate their peers more strictly than do low performers. This difference in ratings is probably because employees compare others to themselves. Thus, the average employee does not appear impressive to a high performer but may to a less productive employee. Though peers may provide a unique view of performance, employees tend to react worse to negative feedback from peers than they do to feedback from experts (Albright & Levy, 1995). Employees who score high in self-esteem, high in self-monitoring, and low in individualism react most favorably to peer ratings (Long, Long & Dobbins, 1998). Subordinate Appraisals Subordinate feedback, also called upward feedback is an important component of 360-degree feedback, as subordinates can provide a very different view about a supervisor’s behavior (Whetstone, 1994). However, with the exception of students rating teachers, formal methods are neither common nor well regarded by managers (McEvoy, 1990). Subordinate ratings can be difficult to obtain because employees fear a backlash if they unfavorably rate their supervisor, especially when a supervisor has only one or two subordinates. However, subordinates’ feedback can be encouraged if supervisors appear open to employee comments (Baumgartner, 1994) and if the ratings are made anonymously (Antonioni, 1994). Interestingly, subordinate ratings correlate highly with upper management ratings of supervisors’ performance (Furnham & Stringfield, 1994). Research indicates that subordinate feedback can enhance managerial performance, especially that of poorly performing managers (Walker, 1997). This improvement in performance holds especially for areas targeted for improvement (Clarke et al, 1996). Customer Appraisals Though it would be unlikely that an organization would ask customers to fill out a performance appraisal instrument on an employee, organizations do value customer feedback. Informally, customers provide feedback on employee performance by filing complaints or complimenting a manager about one of his subordinates. Formally, customers provide feedback by completing evaluation cards (Farh et al, 1991a). Self-appraisal Allowing an employee to evaluate her own behavior and performance is a technique used by 12% of a sample of organizations (Lazer & Wikstrom, 1977). Research on self-appraisal, however, has demonstrated that self-appraisals tend to suffer from leniency (Meyer, 1980) and correlate moderately (r=. 29) with actual performance (Mabe & West, 1982) and poorly with subordinate ratings (London & Wohlers, 1991). However, when evaluations are made with clear rating standards and social comparison information, agreement is increased between self- and supervisor ratings (Keeping & Sulky, 1996). The leniency found in the self-ratings of US workers may not generalize to other countries. Farh, Dobbins, and Cheng (1991b) found that the self-ratings of Taiwanese workers suffered from modesty rather than leniency However, Furnham & Stringfield (1994) and Yu and Murphy (1993) found leniency in the self-ratings of Mainland Chinese employees. Further research is still needed to investigate potential cultural differences in Mainland Chinese ratings. Self-appraisals of performance appear to be the most accurate when the purpose of the self-appraisal is for either research or performance appraisal review interviews rather than for such administrative purposes as raises or promotions (Williams & Levy, 1992), and when employees believe that an objective record of their performance is available with which the supervisor can compare the self-appraisal (Farh & Werbel, 1986). Systems for Evaluating Performance  Trait-focused appraisal systems. A trait-focused system concentrates on employees’ attributes such as their dependability, assertiveness, and friendliness. Though commonly used, trait focused performance appraisal instruments are not a good idea because they provide poor feedback and thus will not result in employee development and growth (Kingstrom & Bass, 1981). For example, in a performance review meeting in which the supervisor tells an employee that she received low ratings on responsibility and friendliness, the employee is likely to become defensive. Furthermore, the employee will want specific examples the supervisor may not have available (Kingstrom & Bass, 1981). Behavior-focused performance appraisal systems. Behavior-focused instruments focus on what an employee does. Instead of rating them on personal traits, a behavior-focused instrument would rate him or her on specific behaviors. For example, in the case of a bank teller, some behaviors that may be rated on are as follows: â€Å"Knows customers’ names†, and â€Å"Thanks customer after each transaction. The obvious advantage to a behavior-focused system is the amount of specific feedback that can be given to each employee. Further, the focus on behavior rather than traits does not only reduce employee defensiveness but reduces legal problems (Kingstrom & Bass, 1981). There are various methods for rating behavior, as follows: Graphic rating scales. The most common rating scale is the graphic rating scale. Such scales are simple, with 5 to 7 points accompanied by words such as good and poor anchoring the ends of the scale. The obvious advantage to graphic rating scales is their ease of construction and use, but they have been criticized because of their susceptibility to such rating errors as halo and leniency (Kingstrom & Bass, 1981). Behaviorally anchored rating scales. P. C. Smith and Kendall (1983) developed behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARSs), which use critical incidents (samples of behavior) to provide meaning to the numbers on a rating scale. To use the scale when actually rating performance, the supervisor compares the incidents she has recorded for each employee to the incidents on the scale. This can be done in one of two ways. The most accurate (and time consuming) method compares each of the recorded incidents to the anchors and records the value of the incident on the scale that most closely resembles the recorded incident. The value for each incident is summed and divided by the total number of incidents recorded for that dimension; this yields an average incident value, which is the employee’s rating for that particular job dimension (Smith & Kendall, 1983). In the second method, which is easier but is less accurate, all of the recorded incidents are read to obtain a general impression of each employee. This general impression is compared to the incidents that anchor each scale point. The scale point next to the incident that most closely resembles the general impression gained from the incidents then becomes an employee’s score for that dimension (Smith & Kendall, 1983). Evaluation of Performance Appraisal Methods We now come to the question of assessing which appraisal method is best. Research has shown that more complicated techniques such as BARS, forced-choice scales, and mixed standard scales are only occasionally superior to inexpensive and uncomplicated graphic rating scales (Giffin, 1989). In fact, behavioral anchors sometimes bias supervisors’ ratings by forcing them to concentrate on specific behaviors (Murphy & Constans, 1987). Yet graphic rating scales are seldom superior to these more complicated rating methods. Although the more complicated techniques are only more psychometrically sound, they still have some advantages over graphic rating scales. Because employees are directly involved in creating techniques such as BARS, they tend to see performance evaluation results as being more fair. Furthermore, many supervisors who make such ratings prefer many of the more complicated behavioral approaches. Finally feedback from BARS may lead to greater increases in future performance than feedback from graphic rating scales (Hom, DeNisi, Kinicki, & Bannister, 1982). Though many of the behavioral methods yield similar results, the same is not true when comparing subjective and objective ratings. A meta-analysis by Bommer, Johnson, Rich, Podsakoff, and Mackenzie (1995) indicated that objective and subjective results are only slightly correlated (r=. 39). Interestingly, there was a stronger relationship between objective and subjective ratings of quantity (r=. 8) than between objective and subjective ratings of quality (r=. 24). From a legal perspective, courts are more interested in the due process afforded by a performance appraisal system that in its technical aspects. After reviewing 295 circuit court decision regarding performance appraisal, Werner & Bolino (1997) concluded that performance appraisal systems are most likely to survive a legal challenge if they are based on job analysis, if raters receive training and written instructions, if employees are allowed to review results, and if ratings from multiple raters are consistent. Rating Errors Some of the errors that may be committed in appraising performance are discussed below: Distribution errors. A common type of error in evaluating employee performance involves the distribution of ratings on a rating scale; such errors are known as distribution errors. One kind of distribution error is called leniency error because certain raters tend to rate every employee at the upper end of the scale regardless of the actual performance of the employee. A related error is central tendency error, which results in a supervisor’s rating every employee in the middle of the scale. Still another error, strictness error, rates every employee at the lower end of the scale. These types of errors pose problems for an organization because two employees doing equal work will receive different ratings if one employee is supervised by a lenient rater and another by a strict rater. This problem can be eliminated partly by having several people rate each employee (Kane & Lawler, 1979), although this is not often feasible, especially in small brand offices with only one manager or supervisor. Halo errrors. A halo error occurs when a rater allows either a single attribute or an overall impression of an individual to affect ratings that she makes on each relevant job dimension. Halo effects occur especially when the rater has little knowledge of the job and is less familiar with the person being rated (Kozlowski, Kirsh, & Chao, 1986). Usually, halo error is statistically determined by correlating the ratings for each dimension with those for the other dimensions. If there are highly correlated, halo error is often said to have occurred. However, some authors argue that many times consistent ratings across several dimensions indicate not error but actual employee performance. Halo errors may or may not be a serious problem, but they can be reduced by having supervisors rated each trait at several times. That is, the supervisor might rate the employee on attendance one day and then rate her on dependability the next day (Balzer & Sulzky, 1992). Proximity errors. Proximity errors occur when a rating made on one dimension affects the rating on the dimension that immediately follows it on the rating scale. With proximity error, only the dimensions physically located nearest a particular dimension on the rating scale are affected; the reason for the effect, in fact, is the close physical proximity of the dimension rather than the overall impression (Balzer & Sulzky, 1992). Contrast errors. The performance ratings one person receives can be influenced by the performance of the previously evaluated person. These errors can occur between separate performance evaluations of the same person. That is, the ratings received by one person on one performance appraisal will affect the ratings made on an appraisal six months later (Bravo & Kravitz, 1996). Contrast effects occur only when the person making the evaluation actually sees the employee perform and rates the employee during both rating periods. Even if a new supervisor reads that an employee’s previous evaluations were excellent but observes poor performance by the employee, she will probably continue to give excellent ratings – even though the employee’s performance deteriorated. Smither et al (1988) call this rating error assimilation. Sampling Problems Recency effect. Performance appraisals are typically conducted once or twice a year. The evaluation is designed to cover all of the behaviors that have taken place during the previous 6 months to a year. Research has demonstrated, however, that recent behaviors are given more weight in the performance evaluation than behaviors that occurred during the first few months of the evaluation period. Such an effect penalizes workers who performed well during most of the period but tailed off toward the end, and it rewards workers who save their best work until just before the evaluation (Bravo & Kravitz, 1996). Infrequent observation. Another problem that affects performance appraisals is that many managers or supervisor do not have the opportunity to observe a representative sample of employee behavior. Infrequent observation occurs for two reasons. First, managers are often so busy with their own work that they often have no time to â€Å"walk the floor† and observe their employees’ behavior. Instead, they make inferences based on completed work or employee personality traits (Conway & Huffcutt, 1997). This problem can be alleviated somewhat by having several raters evaluate the employee. Other raters can be other supervisors, peers, and even customers. A meta-analysis conducted by Conway and Huffcutt (1997) indicated that supervisor ratings on the average correlate . 34 with peer ratings. Thus, even though the two groups tend to agree with one another, the agreement is certainly not perfect. Cognitive Processing of Observed Behavior Observation of behavior. Just because an employee’s behavior is observed does not guarantee that it will be properly remembered or recalled during the performance appraisal. Cooper (1981) indicates that raters recall those behaviors that are consistent with the general impression of an employee (a halo). And the greater the time interval between the actual behavior and the performance rating, the greater the probability that halo and distortion errors occur. Furthermore, raters who are familiar with the job being evaluated recall more judgments about performance but fewer behaviors than do raters who are unfamiliar with the job (Cooper, 1981). But even though memory-based ratings lead to more distortion, in many circumstances they are more accurate than ratings made immediately after the behaviors occur (Murphy & Blazer, 1986). The reason for these increases in halo and accuracy is not clear. Supervisors perhaps realize that it will be a long internal between observation of employee behavior and the formal evaluation of that behavior and that they will not be able to remember specific behaviors. Thus, they form an overall impression of the employee and an ideal and a poor employee and evaluate the employee on the basis of comparison with the ideal (Murphy & Blazer, 1986). Emotional state. The amount of stress under which a supervisor operates also affects her performance ratings. Srinivas and Motowidlo (1987) found that raters who were placed in a stressful situation produced ratings with more errors than did raters who were not under stress. This finding is important because performance evaluations are often conducted hurriedly as supervisors evaluated employee performance so that they can return to their â€Å"real† work. Raters who like the person being rated may be more lenient and less accurate in rating employees than are raters who neither like nor dislike their employees. But this does not mean that a person who is liked will always receive higher ratings than someone who is disliked. The rater may overcompensate in an effort to be â€Å"fair†. The rater’s feelings or affect, toward an employee may interfere with the cognitive processing of actual performance information (Srinivas and Motowidlo, 1987). Research has also indicated that racial bias exists in performance evaluations. Kraiger and Ford (1985) conducted a meta-analysis of 74 studies and found that White raters gave higher performance ratings to White employees and that Black raters gave higher ratings to Black employees. Interestingly, this bias occurred only with studies involving real organizations; laboratory research seldom reveal racial bias in rating. Communicating Appraisal Results to Employees Perhaps the most important use of performance evaluation data is to provide feedback to the employee and assess his or her strengths and weaknesses so that further training can be implemented. Although this feedback and training should be an ongoing process, the semi-annual evaluation might be the best time to formally discuss employee performance. Furthermore, holding a formal review interview places the organization on better legal ground in the event of a lawsuit (Field & Holley, 1982). Normally, in most organizations a supervisor spends a few minutes with employees every six months to tell them about the scores they received during the most recent performance evaluation period. This process is probably the norm because most managers do not like to judge others; because of this dislike, they try to complete the evaluation process as quickly as possible (Field & Holley, 1982). Furthermore, seldom does evaluating employees benefit the supervisor. The best scenario is to hear no complaints, and the worst scenario is a lawsuit. In fact, one study demonstrated that dissatisfaction and a decrease in organizational commitment occurs even when an employee receives an evaluation that is â€Å"satisfactory† but not outstanding (Pearce & Porter, 1986). Finally, in the â€Å"tell and sell† approach to performance appraisal interviews, a supervisor â€Å"tells† an employee everything she has done poorly and then â€Å"sells† her on the ways in which she can improve. This method, however, accomplishes little. There are certain techniques that will make the performance appraisal interview more effective, and these are discussed in the following sections. Both the supervisor and the employee must have time to prepare for the review interview. Both should be allowed at least 1 hour to prepare before an interview and at least 1 hour before the interview itself (Pearce & Porter, 1986). The interview location should be a neutral place that ensures privacy and allows the supervisor and the employee to face one another without a desk between them as a communication barrier (Rhoads, 1997). Performance appraisal review interviews should be scheduled at least once every 6 months for most employees and more often for new employees. Review interviews are commonly scheduled 6 months after an employee begins working for the organization. It is important to note that while formal performance review interviews occur only twice a year, informal â€Å"progress checks† should be held throughout the year to provide feedback (Rhoads, 1997). While preparing for the interview, the supervisor should review the ratings she has assigned to the employee and the reasons for those ratings. This step is important because the quality of feedback given to employees will affect their satisfaction with the entire performance appraisal process (King, 1984). Meanwhile the employee should rate her own performance, using the same format as the supervisor. The employee also should write down specific reasons and examples that support the ratings she gives herself (King, 1984). At the outset of the interview, the supervisor should communicate the following: 1) the role of the performance appraisal – that making decisions about salary increases and terminations is not its sole purpose; 2) how the performance appraisal was conducted; and 3) how the evaluation process was accomplished. It is advisable that the supervisor also communicate her own feelings about the performance appraisal process (Kelly, 1984). The review process is probably best begun with the employee communicating her own ratings and her justification for those ratings. Research indicates that employees who are actively involved in the interview from the start will be more satisfied with the results. The supervisor then communicates his ratings and his reasons for them (King, 1984). At the conclusion of the interview, goals should be mutually set for future performance and behavior, and both supervisor and employee should understand how these goals are met (Cederbloom, 1982). On the whole, the performance appraisal process, with its inherent difficulties, may be leveraged on to improve organizational productivity. Proper management of this process shall help motivate employees, and ultimately, bring more to the enterprise’s coffers.

Cold War and for its continuance to1956 Essay

How far do you agree that ideological rivalry between the superpowers was primarily responsible for both the origin of the Cold War and for its continuance to 1956? Certainly, the ideological rivalry that existed between the East and the West, concerning Communism and Capitalism was the largest factor to fuel the lengthy cold war, but there were other smaller factors that inflamed the conflict and ensured its continuance. Almost all of these factors can be drawn back to the fundamental contradictory ideologies and most of which were reactions against the other’s respective policies, such as Comecome was the Soviet response to the Truman doctrine/ Marshall Aid, and the Warsaw Pact a reaction to the creation of NATO. As the Second World War came to an end in 1945 it became clear that pre-war revulsion for the respective ideologies was ready to once again rear its ugly head. The war time association between the US and the Soviet Union had existed simply to unite against an enemy that if faced alone, neither could have overthrown. By 1945 it was obvious that Hitler and Nazi Germany were reaching the end of their powerful and destructive lifetime. With the downfall of their enemy, the two superpowers had no common ground and were therefore left to return to their nations and their respective pre-war international policies. Both Russian and American ideologies can only be fully understood or explained by looking at their individual roots. America, as it stands today was founded less than two hundred years ago, with such a short national history and no legs to stand on, it is no wonder they are so scared of other ideologies, and insist on enforcing their bogus ‘democracy, liberty and freedom’ on other countries with no allowance or acceptance of other ways of living. The basis of US foreign policy since 1945 has been the idea of containment, sketched out by George Kennan in the Long Telegram of 1946. Kennan argued that the methods and goals of the US and the SU were ‘irreconcilable’ and therefore the US should prepare for a long struggle. At some point the ‘illegitimate’ government of the SU would collapse from within and the struggle would be over, as almost perfect prophecy of what was to happen years later. During the late Middle Ages, Russia had been isolated from Europe by Mongol occupation, once Russia gained it’s freedom from the Mongol yoke and attempted to become a European power, it found that it lacked the technology and culture of the West. Furthermore, it was an underdeveloped peasant society, embracing enormous geographical expanse. The challenge was to change and modernize the country. Russian leaders from Ivan the Terrible onwards were all faced with the problem of transforming this backward society. In 1917, the Bolsheviks inherited these traditional Russian preoccupations; however they also inherited a desire to define themselves and pursue her own unique national calling rather than simply follow in a Western pattern of development. The Soviet Union, Stalin declared, did not need the West, but could succeed on its own. Additionally, while the Bolsheviks embraced the Marxist vision of a universal pattern of development, they also inherited Marx’s ambivalent attitude to capitalism and his desire to see its destruction. Suspicion of the West thus came to be deeply embedded in the Bolshevik mentality; the West was the enemy against which Bolshevism defined its identity. It was therefore, essentially, a ‘reactive’ identity; Soviet socialism, constructed as a protest against Western capitalism, was ‘an anti-world to Capitalism’ (Kotkin 1995). Personality clashes between the two superpower leaders, Stalin and any of the US Presidents once again comes back to their completely opposing ideological beliefs and their individual fears of the other’s possible world domination. So when Stalin died in 1953 it was unclear how, or even if, Soviet politics could maintain its hard-line policies both internationally against America and internally. However, in 1956 Khrushchev, the new Soviet leader made his famous secret speech, clearly criticizing Stalin this, almost even more clearly than even Stalin’s death, signified the end of Stalinism. Khrushchev’s appointment marked the end of the relationship between Stalin and the West. Brimming with positive ideas for ‘peaceful coexistence’, and a much larger power base than Stalin’s dictatorship ever allowed, the relationship between Khrushchev and the west began, and that’s a whole other story. The Cold War was an ideological and geographical struggle between two opposing systems. Equally important, it was a struggle that took place during the first fifty years of the nuclear age, and the existence of nuclear weapons greatly affected the nature of the struggle. The black cloud of nuclear Armageddon hung over the entire cold war period. Yet, thankfully, the bomb was never used to attack after 1945 by either the United States or the Soviet Union. Although this war was nothing like either the first or second world war, the rest of the world was dragged in too. The Korean War was labeled ‘the cold war in the east’ by one historian†¦. (sorry know this bit should be much much longer) At no point in history, from before the 16th century have two superpowers been able to coexist, there has always been a single hegemonic power. Yet Holland’s influence in the 16th century and Portugal’s colonization of Spain and South America, and even the British Empire would never have been labeled ‘superpowers’. Perhaps this is because although these countries had influence, they did not have the power to destroy the world at the press of a button. Nonetheless in this nuclear era there is even less room for two major powers, and even though the ideologies are complete opposites, the cold war can be explained as a power struggle between two big kids, fighting for their right to be the biggest bully in the playground. Although this certainly wasn’t the first, or indeed the last, war that America has ‘won’ I feel that this is almost the most important win in US, indeed even world, history. The battle of two superpowers, both with the ability to destroy the world, and that only, by the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 20th century, allowed the US to appear as the ‘winner’ and assume the position of the world’s only superpower and subtly declare itself ‘world leader’. I believe the cold war is one of the largest factors for causing the American superiority which had the cold war had a different outcome perhaps would have been suppressed or even seen the Soviet Union develop the ignorance and superiority that is so fiercely disliked by much of the world. I fully agree that fundamentally the cold war was a confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union, fuelled on both sides by the belief that the ideology of the other side had to be destroyed. It is because of this that co-existence was not possible- one side could only win at the expense of the other, no matter how long either side had to wait for their victory, the ideological hatred ran so deep that both sides that neither side was prepared to jeopardize their own way of life for the benefit of the other. The Soviet Union held to Lenin’s belief that conflict between communism and capitalism was ‘inevitable’. The United States believed that peace and stability in the world would only emerge when the evil of communism had been exorcised. At the ideological level Moscow’s communist world-view, which saw capitalism as absolute evil, fed off Washington’s world-view, which saw communism as an absolute evil, and in this way helped to sustain the others prophecy. Every action that either power took was followed by an almost immediate reaction from the other, the continuation of the Cold War not only until 1956 but until the Soviet Unions downfall in 1970/80s, was continually fueled by actions and reactions which were sometimes insignificant but which also brought the world closer than ever to a full scale nuclear war. Bibliography Stalinism, An Overview – P. Boobbyer 2000 The Cold War – John W. Mason Sarah Holtam Page 1 2/5/8/2007

Effect of Washington Consensus Upon Emerging Market

Washington Consensus implemented by emerging markets refers to economic policies created by John Williamson (Hooper, 2002; Rodrik, 2006). It is based on financial liberalization theory of McKinnon and Shaw, which emphasis on freeing financial markets from government intervention. Financial liberalization theory assumed perfect financial markets with perfect information, perfect competition and depends on institution-free analysis (Demetriades, 1999). These assumptions are irrelevant in the sense that market, as a whole is imperfect. Despite these deficiencies, emerging countries agree to implement Washington Consensus requested by International Monetary Policy (IMF) and World Bank as part of their loan contracts. According to Washington Consensus, emerging economies facing similar problems with developed markets should be treated with the same tools. Washington Consensus aims to encourage privatization with high level of economic openness. There are many criticisms regarding the policies content of Washington Consensus. Some critics argue that the policies are not being devised in a sequentially correct manner and did not consider emerging markets’ development stage (Hooper, 2002). There are several impacts of the implementation of Washington Consensus upon the emerging capital markets namely worsen economic growth and increase stock market’s volatility. Implementation of the Washington Consensus through financial liberalization has affected economic growth of emerging capital markets. Financial liberalization is developed in the objective of improving economic growth by encouraging saving, investment and capital productivity. Before financial liberalization is introduced, many developing countries encounter financial repression, which is the process where government intervenes in the economy (Demetriades, 1999). In 1960s and 1970s, government intervention was needed to control pegged exchange rates under Bretton-Wood regime. Government controlled the markets by allocating high reserve requirement, interest rates ceiling, and controlling capital, credit as well as exchange rate. These interventions led to disequilibrium in interest rate, for example, interest rates were below equilibrium level (Hooper, 2002). In order to curb the problem, financial liberalization is introduced, for instance, by setting higher interest rates. High interest rates were aimed to encourage savings, which will attract investment through borrowing and thus improved economic growth. Unfortunately, financial liberalization did not result in greater savings instead high interest rate can destroy reformation in real sector (Hooper, 2002). In addition, financial liberalization exacerbates economic growth in the sense that ratio of reserves to foreign denominated short-term indebtedness had declined substantially (Stiglitz, 2000). Washington Consensus suggests emerging capital markets to deregulate their economies in order to achieve economic growth. However, lack of comprehensive regulation has led to Asian Financial Crisis in 1997. Moreover, dampen economic growth during Asian Financial Crisis came from maturity and currency mismatch. For example, long-term investment in local currency financed short-term liabilities in dollars. Besides, Washington Consensus did not emphasis on capital flow structure in liberalizing capital flows. Many emerging capital markets destabilized due to high level of capital flows. In Latin America (1980), economic crisis was a result of cash flow structuring problem with the increase in portfolio equity to replace portfolio debt. Asian Financial Crisis 1997 has been deteriorated due to regular flows of money between financial markets. This term hot money will flow from countries with low return to countries with the highest interest rates as banks attempt to get highest return as possible. These flows can affect balance of payments if exchange rates in the total is high (Hooper, 2002). Thus, Washington Consensus worsens economic growth of emerging capital markets. Volatility of stock markets is also affected by the implementation of Washington Consensus. Financial liberalization lead emerging capital markets to more volatility. This is because financial liberalization encourages deregulation, and liquidity, which are the components enhancing volatility. It also goes for taxation as lower taxes lead to volatility. Since liberalize markets usually have lower market concentration, volatility will also increase (Hooper, 1998). Moreover, increasing portfolio equity flows increasing volatility of stock markets (Hooper, 2002). These situations reduce the attractiveness of investing in emerging stock markets (Stiglitz, 2000). Besides, stock markets’ volatility will be exasperated when there is no sufficient accounting disclosure since investors are not able to make informed judgment about the firm. However, financial liberalization did not improve accounting disclosure and structure of governance (Hooper, 2002). There is negative relationship between quality of accounting system and volatility of stock market. Poor accounting system lead to higher market volatility. Moreover, Washington Consensus policy of deregulation has also intensified volatility of stock market (Hooper, 1998; Hooper, 1998). In addition, financial liberalization increased volatility of stock markets with changes in outside country. Since, emerging markets seemed risky, investors are discouraged to invest in the markets. Thus, results in large capital outflows (Stiqlitz, 2000). However, in the long run, volatility of emerging stock markets is improving as they liberalize. International investors find investing in emerging markets are profitable since their risk-return of overall portfolio improved. Investing in emerging stock market lead to diversification of risk, as there is low correlation with other markets (Hooper, 1998). Despite that, implementation of Washington Consensus in emerging capital markets lead to volatile stock market especially in the short-term cycle. There are several ways for IMF and World Bank to conduct policy in developing countries. One of the ways is IMF and World Bank have to make sure that Washington Consensus policies are implemented in correct sequencing manner (Hooper, 2002). For example, financial sector should be reformed after regulatory and bank supervision are restructured and after real sector has been reformed. IMF and World Bank should also encourage developing countries to review and comprehend their regulation system since deregulation can harm economic growth (Hopper, 2002). Furthermore, fortifying securities and accounting regulation help reduce volatility (Hooper, 1998) by implementing framework and policies like fiscal policy, which represent the countries stock markets’ volatility. Besides, IMF and World Bank should bequest emerging countries to be more transparent in accounting disclosure and adopt good governance structure. For example, companies with poor governance are required to pay high return to investors. To reduce the premium, corporation should lessen information asymmetry by increasing accounting disclosure. Thus, cost of equity is lowered since investors are more aware about the firms’ cash flow. Moreover, accounting disclosure overcomes capital flows problem while clear securities framework helps lower volatility. Accounting disclosure should improve so that firms are abled to be monitored and controlled by government (Hooper, 2002). In addition, higher interest rates in emerging capital markets leads to adverse selection and moral hazard problem. Adverse selection normally occurs when interest rates are high as borrowers invest in extremely risky investment without lenders’ knowledge. While moral hazard arises when borrowers invest in projects they had not agreed to. This can lead to increase in cost of borrowing for other borrowers. Thus, encouraging accounting disclosure helps to reduce adverse selection and moral hazard. For example, Thailand and South-East Asian faced moral hazard due to deficient accounting disclosure and comprehensive regulation (Hooper, 2002). Besides, transparent information helps heal economic growth through effective resource allocation (Stiglitz, 2000). IMF and World Bank should also emphasis on binding constraints on economic growth by finding ways to correct the constraints. It is important for an economy to use the appropriate tools in reducing the constraints. For instance, reforming financial intermediaries will not improve investment with poor property rights. Thus, binding constraints have to be evaluated (Stiglitz, 1998). In conclusion, implementing Washington Consensus in emerging capital markets is not efficient. It deteriorated economic growth of many developing countries; for instance, East Asian and Latin America were in bad financial crisis. Moreover, the liberalization process also affects stock market of emerging countries by exacerbating stock markets’ volatility. Thus, International Monetary Fund and World Bank have to play their role by setting up efficient policies in order to curb problems arise from the implementation of Washington Consensus as well as improving the economy of emerging countries. REFERENCE LISTS * Demetriades, P 1999, ‘Financial liberalization: the experience of developing countries’, Eastern Economic Journal, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 441-457. Hooper, V 1998, ‘Volatility and openness of emerging stock markets: some empirical evidence’, Emerging Capital Markets: Financial and Investment Issues, pp. 35-45. * Hooper, V 2002, ‘The Washington Consensus and Emerging Economies’, pp. 1-14. * Rodrik, D 2006, ‘Goodbye Washington Consensus, hello Washington Confusion’, pp. 1-28. * Stiglitz, J 1998, ‘More instruments and broader goals: moving toward the Post–Washington Consensus’, pp. 1-46. * Stiglitz, JE 2000, ‘Capital market liberalization, economic growth, and instability’, World Development, vol. 28, no. 6, pp. 1075-1086.

Intelligence Led-Policing Essay

The police institution has undergone major changes aimed at rebuilding its public. These changes date back to aggressive cops to the modern day police whose are guided by the rule of law (Ratcliffe, 2003, p 3). Introduced in the late 20th century, community policing focused on restoration of police legitimacy through community participation. It aimed at re-connecting the police institution to the public (Ratcliffe, 2003, p 4). Various researches indicate that it failed to provide measurable results. Consequently other models including problem oriented policing, Compstat and most recently, intelligence based policing (ILP) have emerged. Problem oriented policing involves use of statistical trends in identification of areas of interest. Compstat on the other hand focuses on empowerment of middle level officers to rapidly respond to crime. Basically it involves crime mapping, viewing and discussion. The most recent, ILP is an initiative at making the police smarter. It is founded on the use of criminal intelligence by the police in fighting crime (Ratcliffe, 2003, p 6). Emerging as a rare and unique initiative that attempts at understanding criminal environments and thus predict its occurrence and trends, the initiative is increasingly gaining popularity. Unlike the other models, ILP does not favor the popular reactive and investigate approaches in fighting crime but rather focuses on early identification hence prevention (Ratcliffe, 2003, p 6). It ensures that police actions are based on intelligence rather than intuition. ILP emerges as an alternative in organizational restructuring towards crime eradication. It is a result of changing crime faces and the transnational crime emergence alongside globalization, electronic financial transactions and internet in addition to police demand gap and failures of the existing policing models (Ratcliffe, 2003, p 6). The major similarity of this model to the previous models is the cause. Each aims to reduce crime marginal through either prevention or reactionary techniques. However, the approaches the take differ enormously. While the earlier models focused on either reacting to crime or cause identification, this model focuses on understanding the crime and the criminal mind as the basis for criminal fight.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Profit Essay

The question which stands before is whether the Founding Fathers were democratic reformers. It is an excruciating and complicated task to come to a conclusion upon this inquisition. To find this answer it can be readily simplified by taking a look at two contending arguments found inscribed in the book Taking Sides: Clashing Views in United States History. In the text lies the position of Howard Zinn and John P. Roche who are great historians; one writes controversially and radically, and the other writes in conformity to government, and conservatively. The position of Howard Zinn is that the founding fathers were not what they have been illustrated to be. That is that they were not concerned with democracy but were really just concerned in their prosperity, in their property, their money, and their freedom, but not concerned with the peoples liberties. Freedom was a new word at the time, which many knew little of, it was but the elite who had an understanding of this sort of philant hropy. â€Å"What was not made clear-it was a time when the language of freedom was new and its reality untested-was the shakiness of anyone’s liberty when entrusted to a government of the rich and powerful(Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United States P. 99).† John P. Roche dedicates his attention to the giving the founding fathers their veil of liberators and democratic reformers, and depicts them as gentlemen of good nature, and of having the highest intrinsic values; he portrays them as benevolent wise men, which based the constitution on the needs of the people. â€Å"They were first and foremost superb democratic politicians†¦they were committed (perhaps willy-nilly) to working within the democratic framework, within a universe of public approval (Wikispaces.com, Taking Sides Issue Seven: Were the Founding Fathers Democratic Reformers, P. 3)†. Between the two representations of the issue in question, the more persuading argument 10is towards Howard Zinn who viewed the founding fathers to not have been democratic reformers. The Founding Fathers were not  democratic reformers; rather they were an elite group of men who came up with the Constitution to find compromise â€Å"between the slave holding interest of the south a nd the money interest of north† (Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United States P. 98)†, their true motives for uniting the thirteen states was to create a vast market for commerce and not to create a democracy. The Founding Fathers always depicted the majority of men as ignorant and irresponsible. For them to be democratic reformers they would have needed to add literacy and education as necessary for the creation of a democracy in the writings of the Constitution. Instead they persisted to argue that the populous was ignorant, â€Å"†¦Federalist Paper #63 argued the necessity of a â€Å"well-constructed Senate† as â€Å"sometimes necessary as defence to the people against their own temporary errors and delusions† Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United States P. 98)† rather than adding that citizenry should be educated and informed so that they would be able to take part in the democratic processes of political and economic policy making, therefore they were not democratic reformers. John P. Roche tends to be overly conservative, to actually make a compelling argument, and Howard Zinn might appear to be radical but he is factual and presents both sid es to an argument and does not rely solely on emotions and in his political idealism as does Roche. Howard Zinn gives the more profound argument. Howard Zinn rather than making statements based on nationalism or patriotism brings up logical inferences and although it is impossible to give an unbiased approach to the question, Zinn gives the less bias approach of the two. When he presents his reasoning he tends to bring up both sides to an argument, one at least opposed to what he wants to represent and one at least supportive of what he is more in favor to represent.   As when he mentions Robert E. Browns point that the Constitution omitted the phrase â€Å"life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness† from the Declaration of Independence to â€Å"life, liberty, or property† to the Constitution, he presents the acknowledgement that people did have property, but stands to say that it was misleading to make this statement for only 3 percent of the population had enough land to be considered wealthy (Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United States P. 98). On the other hand John P. Roche presents most of his views by using words such as â€Å"national interest†, â€Å"public approbation†, and always tends to give reason to why some of the things they did that were  not democratic were indeed democratic. Although the drafting and signing of the constitution was held in secrecy, according to Roche, â€Å"They were practical politicians in a democratic society†(Wikispaces.com, Taking Sides Issue Seven: Were the Founding Fathers Democratic Reformers, P. 8). The Founding Fathers did not have it in their interests to be democratic reformers. They had in their interests to create a new nation which would create a certain order to keep the nation’s wealth in the hands of a few and to maintain their privileges, â€Å"Charles Beard warned us that government-including the government of the United States-are not neutral, that they represent the dominant economic interests, and their constitutions are intended to serve their interests† (Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United States P. 98). The Founding Fathers were afraid of a majority faction and opted for a Republican form of government to keep the country divided so that the populace could not come to the same conclusion and unite to fight against the tyranny of the minority, they had to make it possible for the existence of minority factions to prevent from a future insurrection. This can be noted in Federalist Paper #10 in which James Madison makes the following statement, â€Å"it will be more difficult for all who feel it to discover their own strength, and to act in unison with each other†¦The influence of factious leaders may kindle a flame within their particular States, but will be unable to spread a general conflagration through the other states† ( Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United States P. 97). They also had to make the Constitution appealing to the people. It needed to give a few rights and liberties to the citizenry to keep a revolution from arising from the monopolizatio n of wealth that they were creating. It needed a Bill of Rights, â€Å"The Constitution became even more acceptable to the public at large after the first congress, responding to criticism, passed a series of amendments known as the Bill of Rights† Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United State, P. 99). They needed soldiers for the revolution; they had to appeal to the people, they used the words freedom, liberty and equality to get them to fight. It is has been the history of revolution through the ages that a few educated men can persuade a majority to fight for liberty or for a common goal and after the revolution is over they put into place a government for their own privilege. The United States has not been the exception. They used the same pretexts as  the revolutionaries of anytime to create a society after their own image based on their principles, privileges and their ruling ideas, â€Å"The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas, i.e. the class which is the ruling material force of society, is at the same time its ruling intellectual force† (Marx, Karl, The German Ideology, P. 64). Their ideas were not ideas for the founding of a democracy. â€Å"Still the mythology around the Founding Fathers persists. To say, as one historian (Bernard Bai lyn) has done recently â€Å"the destruction of privilege and the creation of a political system that demanded its leaders the responsible and humane use of power were their highest aspirations† is to ignore what really happened in the America of those these Founding Fathers†( Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United States P. 101)† Zinn then states that the Founding Fathers wanted to create a balance between the forces which were dominant to that time, and not a balance â€Å"between slaves and masters, property less and property holder, Indians and white ( Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United States P. 101).† His arguments continue to be reinforced by bringing into account many different views from other historians and by presenting documents from that time and by bringing into account the writings of the Founding Fathers themselves. He clearly reinforces the argument that the founding fathers were not democratic reformers. In reading both sides of the argument one can acquire an unbiased approach to the question, yet it is impossible to remain without any sort of bias, to be working class or being wealthy will play in the outcome of any given men’s stance to the question. The level of education that a person may have acquired will also depend on his view, and also his or her sus ceptibility to what stands as a norm will also give his reasoning a bias approach. Just as well as a person’s idealism being it political, economic or social or even of the combined three will not allow an unbiased standpoint from him/her. Howard Zinn makes the most compelling argument, his answer to the question holds the most validity in the two clashing responses, it is brought upon with great historical anecdotes, it is fairly easy to find the historic facts that he represents in his outlook of the issue; and it is the more logical of the two. Zinn does not speak with emotions of nationalistic fervor, or political idealism, nor does he stay compelled to the narrowness of a one sided argument, but looks upon both sides. â€Å"As Brown says about Revolutionary America,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"practically everybody was interested in the protection of property† because so many Americans owned property† (A People’s History of the United States P. 98). His response to Robert E. Brown (Charles Beard and the Constitution), who is a critic to Beards approach was, â€Å"However, this is misleading. True, there were many property owners. But some people had much more than others†¦Jackson Main found that one-third of the population in the Revolutionary period were small farmers, while 3 percent of the population had truly large holdings and could be considered wealthy (A People’s History of the United States p. 98).† The people of the Americas did not fight a revolution for their freedom, not for equality, they fought the revolution of the elite, they won them a political victory, handed them the wealth of the nation. The slaveholders of the South found compromise with the money interest of the North and the Founding Fathers were able to create the great market of commerce they envisioned when they came to the conclusion for independence from Great Britain. The People of America in that time fought a Revolution for the Founding Fathers who were not democratic reformers.

Quantative Methods Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Quantative Methods - Research Paper Example berg poll to study the music piracy in the US, and a sample of N = 1650 with a proportion sample of n = 839 representing a variable group of ages 12 to 17 and 811 representing sample = 811 (Duhigg, 2006). A sampling error which is the difference in population and the results indicated in the sample, E =  ± 3% (Ron Larson, 2015). The population selected to participate on the survey was 4466 and the respondent had to respond using internet, that’s an indication that the data left out a good proportion of candidates who could have qualified but did have internet access thus an avenue of biasness. Only 43% of the selected sample responded indicating that the survey had a poor turn-out thus the data can be biased. The questionnaire was mainly qualitative and from the data we the sponsors can use to lobby more funds to fight copy-wrongs in the US, media can use it to create awareness and the legal fraternity can use it to gauge the level of biting teeth the copyright laws in curbi ng the menace. A random survey was conducted in the US to evaluate the president’s image in relation to how he manages the government effectively. A sample N= 1015 was interviewed on telephone with a population proportion samples of 50% both on cellphones and landline with sampling error  ± 4% at 95% CI (Newport, 2015). The study focus on adults aged 18 and above, the survey does not indicate the number of the population sample selected and only gives the sample that qualified to be tested. The data can be biased as it did not cater the adults who don’t have telephone access, according to Pew Research Center (Pew Research Center, 2014), 10% of US adults of 18 years and older don’t have access to telephone and 40% of homes in the US don’t have access of landline (Channick, 2014). Further the respondent answering questions can be of below 18 years as there is no way to verify the age of the respondent thus biasness (Waters, 2011). The data was qualitative, media can use the data in