Comparison and Criticism

Countee Cullen is one of the most famous African-American poets who has won more literary prizes and recognitions than any black American has ever won before. He came into prominence quite early in his life. Becoming quite famous already in the high school he has been recognized as an outstanding poet before he was 25 when he published such poems as â€Å"I Have a Rendezvous with Life† and â€Å"The Ballad of the Brown Girl† (Johnson). So, â€Å"The Medea† and â€Å"The Lost Zoo† which I am going to compare and criticize in this paper are during his late period (in the age of 37 and 31 respectively).I am going to argue that both poems are still valuable today because of their didactic nature. By writing them Cullen attempted to express and somehow summarize his ideas of that what is good and what is bad, as well as about morals and proper behavior. They are all written for children, even if those children believe themselves to be adults. Since 1934 Cullen taught English and French at the Frederick Douglas Junior High School. He has been offered a position of a lecturer at the Fisk University in Nashville which he declined. Thus he has chosen a career of a teacher, not a lecturer and scientist.His interest to work with children and writing for children later clearly revealed when he wrote â€Å"The Lost Zoo†, yet it can be traced already in the â€Å"Medea and other poems†. Why among numerous Greek tragedies has Cullen chosen to translate exactly â€Å"The Medea†, and why has the translation been accompanied by a set of Cullen’s own verses? The answers can be found after reading this poetry collection and comparing its themes and motifs to the ones of Euripides. The original myth of Medea, as it has been told by Euripides, is a story of an aggrieved woman who has been driven to a disastrous path by her passion and despair.Cullen provided a modern translation of Euripides story (Corti 202) and the other poem s included to the collection can be viewed as Cullen’s commentary to the problem. Medea’s fate is reflected in â€Å"The Magnets† in which Cullen writes of â€Å"The straight, the swift, the debonair† who â€Å"are targets on the thoroughfare†. This passage can be viewed as a personal reflection, yet in the light of â€Å"Scottsboro, Too, Is Worth Its Song†, another Cullen’s poem, it can be interpreted in a broader social context, as a vision of an entire nation driven to the wrong pass.Cullen begins the poem by imagining poets who will sing and their cries â€Å"Their cries go thundering Like blood and tears†. The period when Cullen wrote this poem was marked by a deep spiritual crisis following the Great Depression, so Cullen observes that in the world â€Å"Is all disgrace And epic wrong† and wonders why the poets have not eventually risen their voices against this wrong. This poems is to put a rhetoric question but n ot to give an answer. Cullen attempts to make his readers themselves concerned with the moral descent, to awaken their own minds and conscience.Otherwise they are likely to repeat Medea’s mistake. This was Cullen’s teaching method: he has not expressly developed own philosophy and preferred to teach through parallels and comparison (Nelson 91). It can be observed that Cullen’s teaching and moralization is not only for children, but for adults as well, perhaps more for adults than children. His â€Å"The Lost Zoo† published in 1940 is for the â€Å"young but not too young†. Although this writing may seem childish, in it Cullen once again (after â€Å"Black Christ†) rises to the Biblical heights in his poetry (Nelson 90).In â€Å"The Lost Zoo† Cullen tells tales of animals that for some reasons could not get onto Noah’s Arc thusly teaching his readers certain life lessons (Silvey 3). Squilililigee’s story is a warning both against teasing and against excessive susceptibility, while the story of a Snake-That-Walked-Upon-His-Tale is a warning against arrogance and false vanity (See: Cullen, Pinknee 1991). In fact, neither of the lost animals was fated and each of them could be saved in case they themselves behaved in a proper way. The conduct of the lost animals ruins them because they attempt to be that what they are not. This is a typical mistake of all times.Cullen is a man of his time, yet his verses are of universal everlasting value. They are topical in our days same as in the days of Cullen. When Cullen wrote both â€Å"Medea† and â€Å"The Lost Zoo† he played a role of a teacher rather than a poet and he was able to teach not only children but adults as well. Human passions never change, and so Cullen’s poems will never lose their importance, just like â€Å"Medea† by Euripide and the Biblical story of an Arc have not lost theirs. Each generation understands and inte rprets them in their own manner just as Cullen interpreted the Bible and Medea. Works Cited: 1. Cullen Countee. The Medea and Some Poems.New York: Harper & Bros. , 1935; 2. Cullen, Countee; Pinknee, Brian J. The Lost Zoo. Silver Burdett Pr. , 1991; 3. Corti, Lillian. The Myth of Medea and the Murder of Children. Greenwood Press, 1998; 4. Nelson, Emmanuel Sampath. African American authors, 1745-1945. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000; 5. Silvey, Anita. The essential guide to children's books and their creators, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2002; 6. Johnson, Clifton H. About Countee Cullen's Life and Career. 27 May 2009 http://www. english. illinois. edu/MAPS/poets/a_f/cullen/life. htm 7. Countee Cullen 27 May 2009 http://www. harvardsquarelibrary. org/poets/cullen. php

Claudine Ly

International OrganizationAfter the inception of the United Nations, the world viewed the United Nations as the impetus of a new global order. Nations states succumbed to peaceful concessions rather than having allowed interstate problems to culminate into a third world war. The United Nations was different from the League of Nations in that it reintegrated WWII victors as well as losers and formed them into a coalition that worked towards global peace and security.However, as decolonization began to manifest in the 1960’s, the increase in the number of sovereign states expanded membership in the United Nations.  Ã‚   As the numbers of member nations grew, the United Nations reflected more diversified interests.   The major shift in interests was notably observed in one of the principal organs of the United Nations, the General Assembly.   It granted all member nations the right to one equal vote and resolutions could be passed with a two-thirds majority.   With this i n mind, the United Nations widened its scope to reflect the interests of smaller nation states such as in the areas of economic development and health.However, small state ambitions have coincided with the interests of the great power states.   For example, countries such as Rwanda or Burkina Faso would have preferred to form U.N. initiatives to aid their countries’ sustainable development rather than having spent the U.N. budget to support the U.S. aim to counter the war on terrorism.   In addition, because of this growing disparity between national interests, the United Nations has not been able to adhere to its proposed principles. In recent years, one has observed one of the greatest human rights violators, Libya, elected to chair the Human Rights Commission.   Another deplorable undertaking was Syria, a global supporter of terrorism, elected to Security Council.Today, the image of UN has suffered greatly due to repeated scandals that left the image of a corrupted a nd dysfunctional organization, incapable of performing its attributions in the new world order.UN is facing a new world order to which it must adapt in order to maintain its position and its role on the international arena. Recent years’ crisis have found UN incapable of having a firm and prompt reaction and somehow stuck in the attitudes adopted in its beginnings. UN seems unable to rise to the expectations and unable to assume a leading role in world politics. Instead of having the means to impose its position in the world, UN is faced recently with on of its worst periods, when its position on different subjects has no importance or influence.The distribution of power in today’s international order is inclining more and more towards the West, especially towards the only world power remaining – the US. The relations between UN and US are more and more deteriorated due to the differences in opinion over the war in Iraq and this inconsistency in the relation wit h US had a great cost on UN. However, UN is still seen by Washington as having an important role in the international arena on both security and humanitarian levels.This is why the US is trying to find out solutions for a reform of UN by trying to involve the organization in the ongoing crisis in the world. The challenge is therefore even greater with UN having to face a new leadership starting in 2007, and having to face the nuclear crisis in Iran and North Korea. Perhaps the only reason why UN is still supported by US is that it is still seen as â€Å"a valuable forum and tool for advancing U.S. interests on the international stage† (Gardiner, 2007). Despite the shown support for UN reform, there is little trust in US that it might succeed.UN, although seen as a strong organization that regulates upon the world order, no longer has the power to enforce its sanctions and dictate in crisis. It is very unlikely that UN will be able to impose its sanctions on Iran or North Kore a in what regards the nuclear crisis, so the role of the organization is becoming more and more insignificant. This is why the gap between the capabilities of UN and its position is getting wider.The most important role of UN has been played in the past decades in humanitarian actions, as the involvement of UN in third world crisis has gained a very valuable reputation. In contemporary humanitarian crisis UN seems unable to perform its role and intervene in such a serious matter as the genocide in Sudan. Due to this incapability, the role of UN is more and more contested at the international level, as the UN proves to be as incapable of dealing with humanitarian crisis as it was with Rwanda and Bosnia. This is why there is a need for reform in the UN Human Rights Council (Gardiner, 2007).  The challenge that lies ahead of UN through the nuclear crisis in Iran and North Korea is going to define the future of the organization and its role in the international arena. This is why it i s so important for UN to regain its position and influence. But in order to do so, UN must go through institutional and managerial reforms that will reinforce the organization’s role in world politics.In the actual shift in power in the international arena, UN’s decisions seem unlikely to have much influence on particular actors. Countries such as Iran or North Korea are very unlikely to be affected too much by the sanctions imposed by UN as the power of the organization is rapidly decreasing.There is an increasing opinion that UN is an illegitimate organization, incapable of facing the current international order and no longer able to impose its position in the international arena. This situation was caused by several scandals and crisis that the organization faced in the past twelve years (Gardiner, 2007). UN’s poor interfere in Rwanda, Bosnia, or Sudan, as well as cases of corruption exposed inside the UN have affected the image of the organization greatly, m aking it unable to stand up for its cause in international crisis. If UN is no longer respected and seen as the moral protector of human rights and of peace, then it cannot perform its role. As UN proved unable or unwilling to stand up for its humanitarian believes in genocides or against dictatorship, its influence and its role decreased considerably.UN’s actions have been intensively critiqued and its credibility suffered greatly after 2005, when UNESCO gave the Josà © Martà ­ International Prize to Venezuelan president Hugo Chà ¡vez, awarding the Latin American leader for his â€Å"struggle for liberty† (Gardiner, 2007). This award was clearly against the position held by the world powers and it stands as a proof of the gap created between the formal rules of UN and the international powers.Perhaps the only way in which the UN can save its credibility and perform the role it was created for is by not expanding the membership in the Security Council. In the new in ternational military context, the role of UN can be significant and by paying its cards right the organization has a chance of regaining its influential role.In order for UN to continue its work and re-impose itself it must adapt to the new world order – it must follow the leadership of US and Western forces. By increasing the number of members in the Security Council, UN would be forced to take stands against the US as the vote will likely be against US on key issues. An enlarged Security Council would be against the US, which would widen the gap between UN and world leadership (Gardiner, 2007).One of the reasons for UN’s inability to respond promptly and efficiently to world crisis such as the war in Iraq is that its operational system is far too slow and ineffective. The members of the Security Council have far too different views in order to reach an efficient agreement in time. This institutional framework of the UN proves to be inefficient in today’s chang ing world order. UN’s ability to respond in crisis will only decrease in a larger Security Council, since it already faces serious difficulty.If UN wants to reinforce its position in the international arena, it must face some very much needed reforms that are intended to shape up the organization and make it reinstate a leading role. But such reforms are very unlikely to be achieved as the influence of opposing members is quite considerable.A significant number of member states, especially those leading the G-77 group of developing countries view the reform of UN as threatening to their influence in the organization and therefore they use all their power to prevent the reform of UN. Particularly this kind of influence that some member states have upon the UN decision making process is the kind of influence that is widening the gap between the actual world powers and UN (Schaefer, 2006).In order for UN to actively participate in international relations, it must reform its inst itutional framework. But in order for UN to reform, it must have the vote of several countries that are against reformation and strengthening the role of the West. This vicious circle is the one that is stopping UN from evolving and adapting.The influence of today’s great powers in the UN decision making process is low and this is one of the reasons why UN is losing its legitimacy. Instead of being an important actor in security matters, the institutional framework of UN makes it impossible for the organization to reach a consensus in an effective time framework, leading the organization not interfering or not taking a strong enough position in important issues.Today’s international actors seem to ignore the UN and seem to take decisions disregarding the position of UN particularly because the influence of UN has decreased severely in the past decade or so. More and more voices see the UN as a future failure that will follow its predecessor, the League of Nations.In re cent years, the role of UN is more and more challenged and its decisions have less and less impact in the international arena. Designed to promote peace and worldwide security, the UN proves to be a failure 62 years later due to its incapability to evolve and develop in time. UN’s incapability to adapt to the new world order and its inability to promote its goals makes the organization seem dysfunctional and illegitimate. The major change that is needed for the future of UN lays in its ability to face the challenges of today and to aggressively take action in the matters concerning today’s threats.Bibliography:1.Gardiner, Nile, The Decline and Fall of the United Nations: Why the U.N. Has Failed and How It Can Be Reformed, February 7, 2007, available at http://www.heritage.org/Research/InternationalOrganizations/hl991.cfm;

Creativity and Innovation in Indian Banks

Topic: Innovative products by Indian organizations in the Banking Sector Akshita Shetty Student K J Somaiya Institute of management studies and research PGDM (RM) Roll no: 56 Email id:[email  protected] com Abstract During the past one decade, one of the sectors which underwent visible sea-change through innovative strategies is undoubtedly the banking sector. The sector has been growing at a fast pace in India and is challenged with several aspects like new regulations from time to time, changing customer needs and perceptions, changing technology and changing operations.Technology has been playing a crucial role in the tremendous improvement of banking services and operations. Indian banking industry has moved way ahead both in terms of offering value added services and delivering quality service. It was thought that the world financial crisis would impact the Indian banking sector in a serious manner. But, because of the strong foundations of Indian banking system with the suppo rt from well structured financial systems, the anticipated impact of the world crisis was almost insignificant. Instead, it helped the banks to get strengthened further and become closer to the customer with innovative approaches.Banks appear to be on the path of achieving sustainability and a long-term survival because of innovation. Keywords: Innovation in banking, technology in banking, changes in banking, transformation in banking, IT in banking, Indian banking. Introduction Technology has brought about a complete paradigm shift in the functioning of banks and delivery of banking services. Gone are the days when every banking transaction required a visit to the bank branch. Today, most of the transactions can be done from the comforts of one’s home and customers need not visit the bank branch for anything.Technology is no longer an enabler, but a business driver. The growth of the internet, mobiles and communication technology has added a different dimension to banking. T he information technology (IT) available today is being leveraged in customer acquisitions, driving automation and process efficiency, delivering ease and efficiency to customers. Many of the IT initiatives of banks started in the late 1990s or early 2000 with an emphasis on the adoption of core banking solutions (CBS), automation of branches and centralization of operations in the CBS.Over the last decade, most of the banks completed the transformation to technology-driven organizations. Moving from a manual, scale-constrained environment to a global presence with automated systems and processes, it is difficult to envisage the adverse scenario the sector was in the era before the reforms, when a simple deposit or withdrawal of cash would require a day. ATMs, mobile banking and online bill payments facilities to vendors and utility service providers have almost obviated the need for customers to visit a branch.Branches are also transforming from operating as transaction processing points into relationship management hubs. The change has been very productive for banks bringing in an increase in productivity and operational efficiency to be more competitive. Better risk management due to centralization of information and real time availability of critical data for decision making. With most of the banks being technology-enabled, the focus is shifting to computerizing regional rural banks (RRBs).In addition, banks are moving toward decision making and business intelligence software and trying to optimize the IT infrastructure created The banking system in India has created a niche for itself in the current competitive global arena where adoption of new and innovative technological developments carries the key to expansion of business and its future development. The Indian banking system has come a long way from being a player restricted to domestic boundaries to a leading giant in the world of financial services across the globe.Credit for this progress goes to a mix of factors like, the introduction of various economic reforms which gave a boost to the banking sector, adoption of new technology by banks in order to streamline their line of businesses and increasing profits by improving cost efficiency and offering doorstep banking convenience to their customers. Banking ‘Then' and ‘Now' Indian villages were deprived of various financial products like mutual funds, insurance and equity trading hitherto, which are now accessible through proxy banking in the form of Internet kiosks and ATMs.The alias given to banking which is not routed through branches is ‘Channel Migration'. Through this route, a bouquet of services is at the customers' disposal in today's banking system. This is possible because banking transactions are stored in a centrally located server with which all other branches of a bank are connected. The technological systems in India are considered far more advanced than those of Russian and Chinese banking sy stems but are lagging far behind the UK, USA and Singapore.Connectivity takes root Today almost all scheduled commercial banks are connected to all the branches on a real time basis extending the anywhere banking facility to the customers, which means that it is not necessary for a customer now to visit the branch personally in order to conduct transactions. Now a customer has various other options available with him like internet banking, mobile banking, ATMs (automated teller machines), phone banking which offers 24 X 7 banking, etc.Whenever and wherever a transaction is done in a bank account, the updated status is reflected in all the branches, thus making anywhere banking possible. ATMs have revolutionalized the banking sector by making cash and other banking services available to customers at all times. Future Outlook The future of Indian banking lies in increased investment in technology platforms and a greater focus on end-to-end solutions provided by IT majors like core ban king products, vertical specific CRM and risk management software. Body scopeInnovation by Indian banks in aspects such as: Service banking ATMS’s Net banking Mobile banking ECS/RTGS/NEFT Debit card/credit cards CRM (customer service) Case studies: (for example) South Indian Bank: The salary disbursement of corporates , firms and such others who maintain accounts with any of the 511 CBS branches would be managed by the Bank, hassle-free and free of any bank charges. The employer would be benefited in that the salary could be disbursed to any employees/any single employee who are/is working even in far-off places where SIB has no presence.Dr. V. A. Joseph ,Chairman & CEO of the Bank and Mr. M. P. Gopalakrishnan,President ,CMS Trust jointly launched the product . In his inaugural address Dr. Joseph said, †This convenience banking product, which is designed for the convenience of both employers and employees, leverages the bank's strong technology platform, which connects all the 511 branches and 26 extension counters of the Bank under Core Banking Solutions network offering anytime banking to its customers. GSSA can be opened with zero balance†.The Chairman and CEO of the Bank also stated, â€Å"South Indian Bank, being a customer – oriented Bank is striving hard to render personalized customer service using the latest technological capabilities. The technological capability of the Bank was recognised when the Bank could bag the banking technology excellence award from IDRBT which is the technical arm of RBI. The service quality of the Bank has also been recognized when the Bank was selected in the ‘Outlook Money – C Fore’ survey as the best private sector Bank in India in the service quality segment. . Dr. Joseph also referred to the facility recently started for online booking of offerings, free of bank charges , through South Indian Bank payment gateway-the first bank to go online booking -by the customers of the bank who are devotees of Guruvayur Sreekrishna Temple which is described as the Dwaraka of South India. This facility is being utilized by the NRIs also to effect offerings, hassle –free with greater transparency and security at the click of a button ,either for themselves or their aged parents resident in India.. South Indian Bank had completed on 26. 03. 07 the project ‘SIBertech’ by introducing a centralised Core Banking Solution in technology partnership with Infosys Technologies when many banks had not even started implementation of CBS . SIB, had started this project in 2001 to render personalized customer service. The new product now launched would confirm this belief†, the Chairman concluded his inaugural address.With the following carefully thought-out value additions of this innovative convenience banking product , banking for employers and their employees, is made extremely easy and comfortable: – * ;Free International ATM-cum-Debit Card for which annual maintenance charges are not collected * Online booking of offerings for Lord Sri Guruvayurappan, free of bank charges * O  Withdrawal of cash from the ATMs of other Banks free of bank charges (As charges would be borne by SIB) * O  Free utility payment and e-commerce services * ;No stipulation on minimum balance ;The depositor enjoying many freebies can earn the usual SB interest * ;The depositor can operate his SB account –during his travel/temporary transfer /transfer- hassle-free * ;The account can be closed /transferred to another branch with out any charge * ;Free of cost cheque leaves (subject to limits in each category ) * ;Free fund transfer facility through RTGS/NEFT/Fast Money /DD Customers of this feature-rich Savings Bank account are also provided with facilities to open Depository account and also enjoy mobile banking facility. Indian bank:Indian Bank has won the ‘Golden Peacock Innovative Products/Service Award' for 2011. The award was received by the bank's Chairman and Managing Director, Mr T. M. Bhasin, at the World Congress on Total Quality, held in Bengaluru on Saturday. The award was given to the bank â€Å"in recognition of its contribution to promotion of self help groups (SHGs)†. SHGs have turned out to be major vehicles of women empowerment. In the current year, Indian Bank has so far disbursed Rs 1,360 crore to 55,391 SHGs, taking the total exposure under the SHG portfolio to Rs 2,336 crore, benefiting 175,390 SHGs, says a press release from the bank.State Bank of India: State bank of India, the largest public sector bank in India, offers the following innovative services. 1. SMS Unhappy This innovative idea was initiated by Mr. Siva Kumar, Dy. Managing Director of SBI. Any customer who wants to lodge a complaint sends the message â€Å"Unhappy† to a specified number (8008202020). The Happy Room then calls the customer and records the details of the complaint. The complaint is then forwar ded. SBI has received thousands of such messages since its commencement and this service is a great success.Other banks have also started imitating this service. 2. Crorepati Only Branch SBI has launched first of its kind branch for High Networth Individuals (HNI) where it takes minimum Rs 1 crore to open an account, and that too on invitation only. This branch offers specialized banking facilities like relationship managers, 24/7 lockers, extended banking hours, doorstep pick-up and drop facilities, in addition to pampering customers five-star amenities at the branch. â€Å"We have opened as many as 50 accounts so far.We are confident of opening another 150 by the end of the current fiscal,† as per Mr. Shiva Kumar, Chief General Manager, SBI4. According to SBI, an attractive feature of the branch is 24 hour open lockers. The bank also is providing special dressing rooms for customers to cater to the needs of late night function goers segment. References -Y. Ramakrishna, Serv ice Innovation in Banks for Sustainability, IJMBS Vol. 2, Issue 2, April – June 2012 -Indian banking System: Epitome of continuous innovation, 2008. -Process innovation in the Indian banking industry, 2009 Indian Banking Sector: Challenges and Opportunities -Keertiman Sharma, Innovations in rural financial products and services, VOL. 2(1) – 2011: 35-37 -Outsourcing in the Indian banking sector: gaining momentum, 2008 -Innovation in retail banking -India PRWIRE, South Indian bank launches another innovative convenience product, 2008 -Vortex engineering, Solar power to enable banking and ATM facilities for rural india, 2011 -J U Ahmed, Services Rendered by Commercial Bank: A Customer Oriented empirical Evidence from State Bank of India, Vol. I No. – 2, Jan-2011 ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Service Innovation in Banks for Sustainability [ 2 ]. technology in banking: I nsight and foresight [ 3 ]. Indian banking system: epitome of continuous improvement [ 4 ]. Solar power to enable banking and ATM facilities for Rural  India [ 5 ]. Y. Ramakrishna, Service Innovation in Banks for Sustainability, IJMBS Vol. 2, Issue 2, April – June 2012

FOCUS STORE BUSINESS PAPER URBAN OUTFITTERS Essay

FOCUS STORE BUSINESS PAPER URBAN OUTFITTERS - Essay Example Of those interviewed, 5 customers had not been offered any assistance by the store employees. However, since 10 of them had been asked if they needed help, it is clear that more than half of the customers had communications with the store. There are 2 employees and 1 manager who took the survey. Of them, 2 said they often ask the customers about what they want to buy. The manager however said that she never asks the customers what they need to buy. The main reason for asking this question during the survey was to find out how often the store communicates with its customers in order to make the customer’s experience at the store a better one. When I walked in to the store, several employees were informing the customers coming in that there was a sales promotion offer going on. Customers were happy to hear that and seemed eager to take advantage of the sale. Overall, this store is doing fine in communication. Several customers mentioned the location of the store is ideal and convenient, great or excellent in the survey. The particular Urban Outfitters I choose is located at centre Grand River Avenue. It is very near the school, and near to many clothes shops, bookstores and restaurants. The Urban Outfitters store is so well located that the customers find it convenient to arrive at the store. There is a bus stop in just near the store. The location is a good choice to set the shop at this area. There is a large choice of goods in the store. Most of them have plenty inventories. The clothing there are based on seasons in order to make sure that the customers can always get what they need and wish when they want it. This ability to meet the customer’s needs as they shift is an important one, especially for a focus store such as Urban Outfitters. Therefore, this is summer now. They changed all clothes to fit the season like dresses, t-shirts, shorts, flip-flops, etc. I have shopped at

Fences by August Wilson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fences by August Wilson - Essay Example Upon the analysis and criticism of Wilson’s play, the arguments of Birdwell are evident. Therefore, the assertions of Birdwell are valid according to the nature of events in the Wilson’s play. Some of the fences outlined in the paly are realistic. There are events that manifest real life fences in the play. The realistic fences in this story dominantly manifest defensive features. For instance, Rose requires a fence that engulfs her homestead (Janet, 20). This was a realistic fence that was constructed by Bono and Troy upon a request from Rose. The major purpose of this fence was to defend Rose’s family. Evidently, this fence had a key objective of defense. There is a fence that defines the perimeter of the baseball field. Troy and other playmates maintain the game within the defined confinements (Janet, 35). In this context, the fence plays a defensive role as they prevent interruptions of the game. The real fences are as well evident in mental hospitals. In this case, they play a defensive role as they protect occupants within the hospital. Real fences in the story do not require a deep analysis and evaluation. They are obvious observations in the events of the p lay. They are clearly evidenced in the play. Apart from the real fences, there are metaphorical fences as well. These fences exist in the play to convey certain implications. Therefore, they are not obvious revelations in the story. The identification of these fences requires an analysis and critical response towards the play. In this case, there are diverse events and features of the play that portray existence of fences. Metaphorical fences in this play are dynamic. They manifest both defensive and obstructive roles according to the context they are placed. In this case, the metaphorical fences have a major role of communicating the themes of the play. Upon criticism, the metaphorical fences convey essential themes of the play. Diversity in generations is a manifestation of metaphorical

A New Empirical Model for Predicting the Sound Absorption of Polyfelt Article

A New Empirical Model for Predicting the Sound Absorption of Polyfelt Fibrous Materials for Acoustical Applications - Article Example Empirical models do not require detailed knowledge of the internal structure of the material nor are they derived from theoretical considerations. Delany and Bazley [1] showed that the values of the characteristic acoustic impedance and propagation coefficient for a range of fibrous materials, normalized as a function of frequency divided by flow resistivity could be presented as simple power law functions. Model for Impedance The model is based on numerous impedance tube measurements and is good for determining the bulk acoustic properties at frequencies higher than 250 Hz, but not at low frequencies [2,3]. The validity of this model for lower and higher frequencies was further extended by Bies and Hansen [4].Dunn and Davern [5] calculated new regression coefficients between characteristic acoustic impedance and propagation coefficient for low airflow resistivity values of polyurethane foams and multilayer absorbers. To that effect, engineers can obtain the absorption coefficient of sound at normal incidence by using the equation below: ZR = P0 * C0 (1 + C1 ((P0f)/r)-c2) The final model which comes as a derivative of the first model is Zt = (ZR + iZl)[coth(a + iB) * l] Zt = ZIR + iZIl Qunli [6] later extended this work to cover a wider range of flow resistivity values by considering porous plastic open-cell foams.Miki [7, 8] generalized the empirical models developed by Delany and Bazley for the characteristics acoustic impedance and propagation coefficient of porous materials with respect to the porosity, tortuosity, and the pore shape factor ratio. Moreover, he showed that the real part of surface impedance computed by the Delany’s model converges to negative values at low frequencies. Therefore, he modified the model to give it real positive values even in wider frequency ranges. Other empirical models include those of Allard and Champoux [9]. These models are based on the assumption that the thermal effects are dependent on frequency. The models wor k well for low frequencies. The Voronina model [10] is another simple model that is based on the porosity of a material. This model uses the average pore diameter, frequency and porosity of the material for defining the acoustical characteristics of the material. Voronina [11] further extended the empirical model developed for porous materials with rigid frame and high porosity, and compared it with that of Attenborough's theory. A significant agreement was found between their empirical model and Attenborough's theoretical model. Recently, Gardner et al. [12] implemented a specific empirical model using neural networks for polyurethane foams with easily measured airflow resistivity. The algorithm embedded in the neural networks substitutes the usual power-law relations. The phenomenological models are based on the essential physics of acoustic propagation in a porous medium such as their universal features and how these can be captured in a model [13]. Biot [14] established the theo retical explanation of saturated porous materials as equivalent homogeneous materials. His model is believed to be the most accurate and detailed description till now. Among the significant refinement made to Biot theory, Johnson et al. [15] gave an interpolation formula for â€Å"Dynamic tortuosity† of the medium based on limiting behavior at zero and infinite frequency. The dynamic tortuosity employed by Johnson et al. is equivalent to the structure factor introduced by Zwikker and Kosten [16] and therefore

Childbirth Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Childbirth - Thesis Example All in all many patients think that VBAC is safe after the age of 35, or when the foetus is big or that the pregnancy has progressed more than 40 weeks, yet it remains again to doubt as these facts themselves lower the chances of being able to deliver vaginally. But still patients having acquired this kind of data prefer VBAC and this stems from basically the intrinsic desire to be able to experience the natural process of birth and plus avoidance of the scar that the c section leaves behind and the post operative pain . All those who opted for VBAC knew that Information gathering was very important as it helped them to cope with the situation in a better manner and to understand the risks involved and eventually make a better judgment for themselves. The fact that a prior scar could open and it is very dangerous for both mother and baby put the patient's nerves at edge, for in such emotional status it was too worrisome for them to consider anything remotely dangerous for their babies, and did not want to take any risks. Patients having vertical uterine c sections avoided it totally .Those with multiple caesareans, single layer closures, uterine surgery, narrow pelvis, breech foetus, triplets, genital herpes also could not have VBAC. This varied a lot in women and mostly depended up... They had previously failed the normal process of vaginal birth. They did not want to experiment with the rare risk of the c section scar opening up during the vaginal delivery and fearing of which shrunk these patients from considering VBAC. The fact that a prior scar could open and it is very dangerous for both mother and baby put the patient's nerves at edge, for in such emotional status it was too worrisome for them to consider anything remotely dangerous for their babies, and did not want to take any risks. Most patients who had doubts about the hospital facility of handling emergency shrunk from the risk, and especially patients who's labour did not start on its own and cervix remained closed and firm. Patients having vertical uterine c sections avoided it totally .Those with multiple caesareans, single layer closures, uterine surgery, narrow pelvis, breech foetus, triplets, genital herpes also could not have VBAC. Anxiety of patients regarding Caesarean: Infection that could develop, in the incision. Blood clots Breathing problems, this in case of miscalculated date of delivery and the baby lungs not developed fully. Foetal injury. Scaring, after the operation. Pain. The patients were not all that hype about being under the affect of anaesthesia. Excessive blood loss. Facts the patients felt most concerned about and questioned about 1. A caesarean section is a surgical procedure and requires the use of anaesthesia. Any surgery carries a risk of infection, excessive blood loss, and problems caused by the anaesthesia. 2. Women who need a caesarean after a VBAC trial of labour have a higher rate of infection than those who have a caesarean without a VBAC trial of labor.1 3. Whether your doctor will be available in the hospital throughout your labour and

Healthcare Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Healthcare Communication - Essay Example Some of them also face a lack of proper attention given by a health care professional as a result they seek some other nursing services at a very low cost.â€Å" According to Chronic Care in America [Institute for Health and Aging, University of California San Francisco for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation], â€Å"more that one half of the United States has a chronic condition. Out of those, 412 million were limited in daily activities, and 12 million are unable to live independently†. [Strengthforcaring.com. 2006]. It this being the case it appears that the health care industry does not really consider the needed, or they simply function on a profit based level. Most of the reforms brought out in the health care industry prove to be convenient for the health care professionals and service providers rather for those who are in need of a health care service. For example that computerised health care system has brought several innovative trends in providing a health care services. However, It is very useful for the Physicians and health care services to maintain patient details and the treatment undergone by the patients. Immediate access to patient data could maintain the records confidentially and more privacy and security can be expected from computerised health care services. The lack of financial development plays an important role in determining the health care opportunity for an American citizen. The tax system depends more on the individual and consumer items as a result people with a very moderate income and those without that struggle to pay either for health care or for insurance. â€Å"Between 2000 and 2005, 7.2 million Americans lost their health coverage according to the US Census Bureau. Americans typically lose health coverage when they lose their jobs, or get a job with an employer that does not offer coverage,† observes. Favro. [2006]. The health care system seems to have become a profit based one a more

Unit 3 Discussion 2 Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Unit 3 Discussion 2 - Annotated Bibliography Example Gray, S. (2012). A Study of Negotiation styles between business managers from UK and Indian cultural backgrounds. Dissertation paper presented to University of Wolverhampton Business School. West Midlands. https://publications.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/48611/Culture%20Dissertation%20by%20Sasha%20Gray.pdf?sequence=1 The above research paper researches aims at developing an in depth understanding of the culture led differences in business negotiation styles in India and UK. The paper begins by defining culture to create an understanding of its implication to different areas of life including business. Data analyzed in the paper shows that there is a significant difference in how business people in India and UK want to be treated and thus it is important to understand these differences for effective negotiation. The paper generally recommends a more conservative form of business negotiation style in India than in the UK. The above book by Kumar and Worm seeks to advice people who intend to venture in emerging economies such as India and China on how to effectively negotiate in these two cultures. The book offers extensive coverage of the culture differences between the West and these two Asian economic giants. The book recommends that business negotiators must appreciate the culture differences in these countries and their home countries in order to succeed in business. The conduct of diplomacy in the 21st century has been affected by new forms of challenges that arise from globalization and interdependence among nations. Diplomacy has gotten intensive, volatile, plural-directional and multifaceted. This is as a result of the large numbers of objectives, ways of communication, dialogues subjects and the heightened complexity in terms of factors. Having been written by a Foreign Service expert and leading scholar, this book analyses all these factors

Short answer quiz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Short answer quiz - Essay Example nly be resolved through significant collaboration between the government and the people in addressing social problems as well as regulation of issues such as health and business. Political progressives had supported the goal of returning sanity in the nation’s political arena through strategies such as introduction of recall aimed at removing non-performing leaders, and referendums which sought to give voters more power (Henretta & Brody, 2010). Political progressives such as Robert M. La Follette particularly played a critical role in the introduction of the direct primaries or the Wisconsin Idea as the model for selecting government leaders. Social progressives, on the other hand, had the goal of liberating the society from social injustices such as discrimination of women and restoration of the minorities’ rights. Some of the social progressives such as Wells-Barnett, Du Bois and Washington fought against racial injustices experienced during the Gilded Age (Henretta & Brody, 2010). The increased inflations and the severe negative impact of the war saw the government strengthen its regulation in the banking sector with the aim of reversing the situation. Woodrow had already initiated such reforms through the establishment of the Federal Bank Reserve Act which was later strengthened through the Clayton Antitrust Act (Henretta & Brody, 2010). Throughout the war period, a significant shift was away from monopolies and elimination of most unfair trade practices through the Federal Trade Commission. World War I resulted in significant success in the accomplishment of some of the union demands as labor became scarcer. Some of the notable achievements included the introduction of fixed wages and involvement of the government in regulating working conditions. A minimum wage and limitation of the working hours to 8 hours were arrived at through the New Deal. World War One came a blessing in disguise for the African Americans as it opened new doors for the

Reflective Writing Study Skills Essay Example for Free

Reflective Writing Study Skills Essay At the beginning of the task no one took the initiative of introducing themselves. Our initial concern was getting started on the jacket. This seemed to be of more importance to everyone. This could be viewed as unsociable, but on reflection, previous to this task we all took part in an ice-breaker session, whereby we had to introduce our selves by name, followed by a descriptive word, this meant we were already acquainted with one another, so concentrating on the task in hand seemed most appropriate. I believe we were all very wary of taking over as we were always asking one another do you think this is a good idea? and shall we do this?, rather than just doing it without the opinion of other team mates. Although this was the case it is possible we were being very agreeable to any idea put forward in order to keep peace, and put over a likable persona. Upon reflection the organisation of our group to begin with was very inefficient, we did not consult one another about how we would make the jacket, before getting on with the task, this meant the sleeves were being made by myself, whilst the body of the jacket by another, with no idea how they would fit together. I believe this is because we all wanted to have a share in making the jacket and help as much as possible, but no one wanted to adopt the role of task leader. On the other hand our team displayed great efficiency in the way we worked together, at one point we had a production line, where one would pass the Sellotape, then one would hold the piece in place, while the other stuck them together. We became a more efficient team the more we worked together on the task. Communication between us became more important. On the whole and on the basis of the finished product, it is evident that our team did work together efficiently, as we finished the task in good time and all of us had an input in the overall finished product. I believe I took on many different roles within the team. Initially I took on the role of energiser. This was evident by my enthusiasm, I was eager to get started and began listing many different ideas I had about how to put the jacket together, Jake was also an energiser as he had many different ideas he wanted to express and was fully involved in the task. Ricky initially  took on the role of relaxer as he was contemplating how things would work out and managed to condense our ideas to form a jacket. In these kind of situations I would usually put forward a good argument as to why my idea should be used above someone elses. I did not adopt this attitude in this instance because my team mates were new acquaintances so I wanted to leave a good impression, I was more conscious of their thoughts and ideas and accommodating them was important to me. With this in mind I would conclude that we worked as a collective rather than a hierarchy. Further into the task I took on the role of nurturer. I wanted to make sure that everyone had an input on the finished product and that all of our ideas had been listened to fairly, and put in place if all agreed. This was evident in that I was asking my team members what other ideas they had, and finding ways of accommodating them. I did not want anyone to feel left out or less involved. Rickys mathematical mind meant that it was easier for us to measure out the different parts of the jacket equally and in proportion. As Jake is used to working as a team when he plays football, this quality was evident in this task, as he was an up building and upbeat member of the team, trying to include everyone in the activities. Jake was soon nominated by myself and Ricky to be the model for the jacket, therefore it was up to me and Ricky to actually make the jacket. We both had an equal share in the labour, cutting, sticking and measuring different parts of the jacket at the same time, then finding a way to fix them together. This was important because if somebody was uninterested or just giving out orders the whole team could be affected and not want to take part. We all helped each other when needed and were happy in our individual tasks. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate the importance of achieving the task 6/10. This is because I did view the task as a competition, even though we were never told it was such. On reflection this would show I am a competitive person and I like a challenge. When a task is viewed competitively one will be more inclined and motivated to try their best and ultimately reach their potential. Initially the task seemed menial and pointless hence why I only  scored 6/10. I was aware the jacket itself had little importance and that rather the emphasis was on team work. Even though I was aware of this my competitiveness made me want to create an excellent jacket. With the prospect of becoming a teacher one day, this teamwork exercise has taught me that there are many different roles people can take on under a team building exercise. Everyone within my team had different skills and abilities. This exercise has taught me, not only how to identify these skills and abilities but also how they can be used in a beneficial way to complete a task. As a teacher I will have to cater for the needs of each student identifying their strengths and weaknesses and using them in a positive and up building way, so they can reach their potential. I have also seen how important these exercises are in terms of the class getting to know one another, for the student this can help by taking the emphasis of social fear and more onto learning. This is evident by more members of the class being involved in group discussions after the task. This could have the same effect on my future students.

Character Sketch - Cephalus from Plato S Republic Essay Example for Free

Character Sketch Cephalus from Plato S Republic Essay Choose one of the three main characters from Book One of Platos Republic (Cephalus, Polemarchus or Thrasymachus). Write a character sketch that shows how the personality, social status, life situation and position affect the views the character holds about life and about the virtue of justice. Include the definition of justice for the character you are describing. In book one, we are introduced to four main characters: Socrates, Cephalus, Polemarchus, and Thrasymachus. Republic takes place in the home of Cephalus and Polemarchus, in the Piraeus. Cephalus is a elderly and financially secure merchant and businessman. He lives his life in moderation, he doesn’t over-reach and try to become too wealthy, and was also not a fan of excessive spending. He certainly wouldn’t approve of the credit card debts that many Americans have. But thanks to his financial security, Cephalus has a comfortable life in old age. By living his life in moderation, the transition to an elderly lifestyle has not been shocking or depressing. Cephalus will admit that these are not his Golden Years, per say – it’s certainly not the greatest period in his life, but thanks to that moderation, he finds the old age to not be as much of a burden as his friends do. His friends are depressed and woeful of their age. They miss the lifestyle that they had in their youth. Because of their age, they can no longer partake in the things they thought made them happy – sex, drugs, rock and roll, essentially. Cephalus has a simple idea of justice. Though he never goes to describe it himself, we can pull some context from his discussion with Socrates to fill in the details. Cephalus is an honest man, and as we said, he lives his life in moderation in all aspects. He doesn’t strive for unlimited wealth, but still values that wealth he has, and likely behaves ethically and morally for that reason. Cephalus keeps his desires at bay – he works hard, and he enjoys himself, but always manages to hold onto most of his money. The problem is, it seems to Socrates to be easier to live a ‘just’ and moderate life, because of the wealth that Cephalus possesses. Because Cephalus values wealth, he seems to put a heavy emphasis on the repayment of debts (and avoidance of debt in the first place as well) in his ideal of justice. He feels that if he can go to his next life not owing anyone a penny, it will lift a burden on his soul, in a metaphysical sense. A peace of mind comes with not lying or engaging in deception – which is easier to maintain when wealthy and not faced with problems (like, for example, feeding and clothing your family – some people will do anything when they are seemingly backed into a corner). Thanks to wealth, Cephalus is (at least in his own point of view) able to live a life without lies, without deception, and without debts.

Risk Management Of District Cooling Plant Construction Essay

Risk Management Of District Cooling Plant Construction Essay Risk, which could be defined as a hazard posed for an event or an activity, is inherent in all activities and functions of any organisation. The consequences which would arise from an organisations exposure to risk could include financial loss, disruption in operations, failure to meet the expectations of stakeholders and customers, legal concerns, political and competitive failure and so forth. Therefore it is highly necessary to implement management procedures, policies and practices that would minimise the organisations exposure to risk. Tabreed DM.02, Al Rigga is project for a district cooling plant to be constructed by SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC. Any failure at any phase of the project could reflect on the reputation of the organisation as a whole. Thereby, making risk management highly essential at all phases of the project. The risk management plan for the project Tabreed DM.02, Al Rigga is detailed in the document, which adheres to the risk management policy of SNC-Lavalin, followed by SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC.. The risks identified are those that relate to the construction phase of the district cooling plant as SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC., has a sector dedicated to the construction of the district cooling plants in the region. The document discusses the benefits of incorporating risk management in order to achieve the corporate objectives. For the purpose of the document, the Australian/New Zealand Standards AS/NZ 4360:2004 was used in establishing the risk management framework. The risk management processes for the district cooling plants are documented as common document for all cooling plants in the region considering the similarity of the construction and areas of construction. For the project Tabreed DM.02, Al Rigga, the common set of risks was identified along with a few variances in relation to the construction of the cooling plant in one of the busiest areas of Dubai. The risk implementation is followed by the monitoring and review sessions in order to achieve maximum effectiveness and allow successful implementation of the project. All information in the document has been obtained through the corporate handbook, interview with the management and corporate website. Introduction SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC., is a part of the global network of the Canada based engineering and construction organisation, SNC-Lavalin. SNC-Lavalin operates in about 35 countries worldwide and would have projects in about 100 countries all over the globe. SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC., operates in the United Arab Emirates with its head office in Abu Dhabi. In 2004, SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC., expanded its expertise in district cooling technology by entering into a partnership with international and local service providers forming a joint venture i.e. National Central Cooling Co. TABREED. SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC., take responsibility mainly in the construction of the district cooling plant, either directly or through outsourcing. About the project Tabreed DM.02 Cooling Plant, Al Rigga The project for which the risk management plan is to be documented is a district cooling plant to be constructed by SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC., for its client Dubai Metro. The cooling plant would be constructed at Union Square, Al Rigga, Deira and is named as Tabreed DM.02 Cooling Plant. The project would hereafter be termed as per the naming of the contractors as Tabreed DM.02, Al Rigga. The contract for the construction was awarded to SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC. SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC., is one of the global branches of SNC-Lavalin, which is one among the giants in the construction and engineering sector in the world. Cooling plants are one of the recent environment-friendly engineering developments. The cooling plants provide savings in power consumption in providing air conditioning and chilled water supply. Tabreed DM.02 Cooling Plant is a district cooling plant which would provide air conditioning and chilled water supply to three stations of the Dubai Metro namely Al Rigga Station, Union Square and Reef Mall Station. The total cost for construction of the project is estimated to be about AED 33.4 million which covers about 2637 square metres of land. The cooling plant would consist of four chillers, of which two would be operational and two would be standby as per client requirements. The plant would have a capacity of 500 RT (Refrigerant Tonne) which would be required for the chilled water supply for the three stations. Tabreed DM.02 would be constructed with two levels of basement considering the height restrictions. SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC., have a sector which deals only with the construction of the district cooling plants in and around the United Arab Emirates and Gulf Countries. Therefore, the risk management policy, processes and approaches are created to be suited for all types of district cooling plants that would be constructed, and so does not differ from project to project unless in case of major differences in sites. Purpose The Risk Management Plan presented in the document describes the methodology used for identifying, analysing, estimating, evaluating and ultimately treating the risks for the Project Tabreed DM.02 Cooling Plant, Al Rigga. The document would define the roles and responsibilities which would assist the project management team in effective risk management of the project. The risks that would arise in the course of the construction of the project are identified and analysed using the risk management processes. Treatment plans are evaluated for a few of the risks and the risk management implementations are discussed in the document for the project Tabreed DM.02 Cooling Plant, Al Rigga. Scope The scope of the document pertains to the Tabreed DM.02 Cooling Plant, Al Rigga Project and its risk management processes and plan. The methodology used in the risk management is in accordance to the Australian New Zealand Standards 4360:2004. The risks identified in the document concentrates primarily on the risks pertaining to the construction of the cooling plant rather than all external and internal risks of the organisation. The risk management document would be used as reference through out all the phases of the project. The plan would be a deliverable along with the project management plan for the construction of the district cooling plant. The scope of the document would not include the risks relating to the organisation or the any other risks outside the construction phase as the contractors, SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC., concentrate only on the construction of the cooling plant. The risks detailed in the document would encompass the engineering concerns of construction as well as the health, safety and environmental issues in the project. Glossary of Terms All terms used in the document are as per the Australian/New Zealand Standards AS/NZ 4360:2004. However few terms used in the document within the organisation are as follows: Terms Definition/Description Hazard Equivalent of risk Impact Equivalent of consequence PPE Personal Protection Equipment Probability Equivalent of likelihood Project Risk Database Compilation of all the risks encountered in similar projects and those applicable to the current project QA/QC and HSE Quality Assurance/Quality Control and Health, Safety and Environment. The department that primarily operates the risk management processes within the sector of district cooling plants in SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC.. SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC. Abbreviation for SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC. Tabreed DM.02, Al Rigga Project documented Risk Management Plan Risk Management is a practical, structured approach in creating a systematic procedure to identify, analyse, evaluate, control and monitor risk, thereby reducing and maintaining risks within a level tolerable to the organisations risk appetite. For the project, Tabreed DM.02, Al Rigga, these risk management processes are employed during all the phases of the project in order to minimise the exposure to risk especially during the implementation i.e. the construction of the project where most risks are prone to arise. As applicable to all projects at SNC-Lavalin, an effective implementation of risk management plan in the project Tabreed DM.02, Al Rigga would increase the probability of successful implementation of the project as a whole. For Tabreed DM.02, Al Rigga, it would assist in achieving the triple constraints of quality, cost and time. It would play a major role in making decisions on funding priorities would also serve as a basis for identifying alternatives of the performance goals. An effective risk management plan would allow high adherence to the strict timelines of the project, which would inturn enhance the reputation of the organisation to meet project deadlines. The advantages of risk management would be creating value, providing lesser uncertainty, reducing capital cost, creating reliability of shareholders and assisting in successful accomplishment of objectives. Objectives of Risk Management Plan The aims of SNC-Lavalin for introducing the risk management plan are mainly to set up a systematic process that would integrate the risks and control measures already implemented by the organisation, to provide an assurance to all stakeholders of the organisations knowledge of its exposure to risk and implementation of steps to mitigate and manage the risks. It would also ensure that the organisation would consider risk management as a business tool which would allow focus on all areas which require management of risk. For SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC., the main objectives of managing risks would be to: provide maximum safety to its employees at all levels avoid any penalties for legal or regulatory non-compliance prevent loss in relation to company assets retain the reputation of the company decrease costs related to occurrence of unfavourable events allow efficient allocation and utilisation of resource creates accountability for all activities promotes creativity in management practice Risk Management Policy SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC., is guided by the corporate approach on safety of the parent organisation, SNC Lavalin, in order to match corporate standards around the globe. Safety is embedded as a core value in the WE CARE Policy (See Appendix 1) in order to carry out its mandate to protect people, properties, the environment and sustainable development of the communities while maintaining work quality in pursuing its business objectives. The policy provides the guiding principles for SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors in achieving the Zero Harm goal. The Zero Harm objective has the ideal goal setting which would eliminate all dangers of health, safety and physical well-being of the employees, through zero fatalities, zero occurrence of serious occupational health-related illness in employees and zero environmental citations from authorities. Risk management is key tool in business decision making which would allow the controlling, elimination or minimisation of all potential forms of loss. Implementation of risk management within the business processes would be able to provide protection to all its employees, customers, stakeholders, environment, assets, earnings, intellectual property as well as the organisations reputation which would maximise efficiency and effectiveness. Risk management procedures would need to be created, effectively implemented, maintained and constantly improved to match with the goals of the risk management plan. Continual identification, analysis and evaluation of risks are highly essential in order to make judicious decisions of risks. The risk management policy at SNC-Lavalin focuses mainly on the prevention and control of the occurrence of incidents that could result in personal injury, loss of life, damage to assets and properties, or any incident that may pose a threat to the environment. Although managers at all SNC-Lavalin offices have risk management as a core responsibility, all employees are to assume individual responsibility in executing risk management by reducing the likelihood and consequence of any losses or accidents. The managerial activities in implementing risk management include: training for staff in project or organisational risk management conducting surveys to facilitate identification of risks constant review of existing policies and procedures scheduling improvements in existing controls for the project or any of the business unit maintaining up-to-date information of the latest technological developments on systems, tools and process guidelines reporting to the higher management board on compliance and improvements of risks SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC., as well as all subcontractors are to strictly follow the procedures relating to risk management in order to conform to the highest standards of safety in all processes of the project and organisation. The risk management processes for the document of the project Tabreed DM.02, Al Rigga would be in accordance with the Australian/New Zealand Standards AS/NZS 4360:2004. Project organisation Tabreed DM.02, Al Rigga is a project that would be handled by the sector for construction of cooling plants in SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC. The highest responsibility is with the general manager of the sector. All the responsibility allocation is distributed as per the organisational hierarchy as shown in Figure 2. Figure Project organisation structure Each cooling plant project is handled by a project manager, who would have overall authority in decision making processes related to the project. The project manager would report to the project director on the status and any issues of the project. For any further management involvement with reference to the project, the general manager who is the managements representative would have the final authority. The risk management plan is created and monitored by the QA/QC and HSE Coordinators throughout the phases of the project, the present being Tabreed DM.02, Al Rigga Roles and Responsibilities General Manager (Top Management Appointee) Provide coordination with the government interfaces and policy Timely issue of permits Monitor project security and compliance to policies Support corporate values and policies by implementing applicable risk management programs Managing contracts and agreement to varying policies of subcontractors Maintaining information pertaining to corporate risk and controls Lead the development of dynamic safety culture based on SNC-Lavalins core values Ensuring all risk management procedures are conformed by all employees and subcontractors of SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC. Verification and approval of risk assessments and update on risk management plan Constant review and update of the risk management plan Reporting to the board of directors and parent company, for any risk management updates Accountable for any failure in risk management processes to the board of directors and parent company Project Director Coordination and regular updating of the project risk registers and treatment plans, leading to a compilation of a master risk management plan Continuous review and updating of the risk management plan, including risk identification and analysis processes Reporting to the general manager on constant intervals regarding updates on the existing policies and procedures of risk management Communicate all risk management standards and processes to all SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC. personnel Provide overall direction and support for the implementation of SNC-Lavalins Risk Management Policies and Management Systems Attend project review meetings Ensuring sufficient resources to support approved SNC-Lavalin initiatives Lead the development of dynamic safety culture based on SNC-Lavalins core values Selection of contractors and compliance to the SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC. practices of risk management Accountability for overall project performance in compliance with risk management initiatives Participate in risk assessments Review the risk assessment, elimination and control process results Provide documentation of updates on risk management plan Investigation of serious incidents Workplace inspections Accountable for failure of compliance or awareness of risk management processes among the project teams Project Manager Ensure that SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC. operations comply with legislative requirements and best standards within the industry, and in reference to the standards of the parent company Reporting to the project director on constant intervals regarding updates on the existing policies and procedures of risk management, and any issues arising from risk management Communicate all risk management standards and processes to all SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC. personnel Ensure that all contractors and consultants are informed of procedures, safety policies and safe construction methods prior to commencing a project Investigate on serious incidents Participate in workplace inspections Provide updates on the risk management procedures Review proposals for practical and effective risk management initiatives Accountable for any failure in project, arising from lack of risk management compliance Site Manager (the resident engineer would also comply with these responsibilities) Ensure that all the risk management policies and procedures are implemented through all the phases of the project Accountable for the overall direction and support of the implementation of the risk management processes Accountable for ensuring engineering specifications and method statements being critically reviewed in conformance to SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC. policies Encourage the proactive involvement of all personnel in managing the risk management program Ensure that project supervisors take an active role in promoting and enforcing health and safety protection Enforce HSE procedures and practices Investigate injuries/illnesses, near misses and environmental incidents and communicates the lessons learned throughout SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC. Ensure that Job Planning and Safety Analyses are completed and reviewed before tasks are begun Accountable for provision of adequate resources, facilities and initiatives to effectively implement risk management QA/QC and HSE Coordinators Conduct scheduled and unscheduled inspection of work areas Coordinate audits to eliminate conditions and work practices that are hazardous to the job Coordinate the thorough investigation of all incidents Review and monitor emergency Key Elements Encourage hazard identification and reporting by all site personnel Maintain a current knowledge of UAE federal standards and other applicable international standards or industry practices and communicate to the site manager and personnel Deliver internal training Attend in the site progress meeting Participate in any investigations relating any risk issues Monitor project risk policies and procedures, paying particular attention to potentially hazardous operations and emphasizing proactive solutions Coordinate contractor activities in reference to complying with the risk management policies Initiate and implement programs for the accomplishment of project risk management objectives including site emergency response plans Assist employees with all risk issues Maintain project risk recordkeeping system Recommend safety disciplinary actions to the Site Manager for deliberate safety violations committed by individuals Establish site emergency response plan, organize emergency response team and conduct training and exercise for emergency response Display and maintains materials on site bulletin boards as required Ensure that Job Planning and Safety Analyses are completed and reviewed before tasks begin Conduct safety induction and site orientation to new site employees including contractors, visitors, suppliers, etc. before mobilization to ensure that they understand and have agreed to comply with HSE policies Report all hazards to the site manager and project manager Communication Framework SNC-Lavalin operates a formally documented risk management system designed to clearly define policies, responsibilities, accountabilities and operational practices. This together with performance parameters to measure the effectiveness of the management system in operation will direct the control applied to the implementation and maintenance of the companys risk management policy throughout the organisation The System has four levels: The policy manual, to clearly define company policy and its operating policies Risk management operating procedures written as appropriate to the function to clearly define responsibilities, accountabilities and controls applied in the risk management system Work instructions, comprising of specifications, checklists, externally sourced standards, technical directives, or government legislation. Forms, templates and reports necessary for effective communication, and constitute the records generated by risk management system planning, implementation and maintenance of the risk management system. Figure Documentation process model The risk management program would be communicated to all employees within SNC-Lavalin displaying it in offices and strategic places. The involvement of all employees in the systems management ensures that they are involved in the development and review of policies, procedure changes related to the project risk matters by seeking feedback related to the same. External communication covers the following: Local authorities (Government, Municipal authority) Suppliers Interested parties Corporate head office Risk Management Framework The processes used in the risk management of Tabreed DM.02, Al Rigga are in accordance to the AS/NZ 4360:2004 standards as illustrated in Figure 4. Figure Framework for developing risk management program Communication during the project Communication processes would include developing documentation of risks applicable to the project in accordance to the standards to identify the risks, assess the likelihood and consequence of the identified risks, estimate the risk level, evaluate the risks and treat the risks accordingly. In order to establish criteria for evaluating risks, it would be essential to document the criteria for establishing the likelihood and consequence for the project. This would be based on the risk appetite and tolerance of the organisation. After the evaluation, the risks that are unacceptable to the organisation would be considered for creating treatment plan. Monitoring the risk in external situations, would allow further changes to the existing controls, if necessary. A periodical review and update on the risk register would allow for changes in the risks identified. The risk management plan for the district cooling plant is documented on common stance considering the similarity of locations all around the country. However, changes would be included depending on the variance of the area from the standard description. Internally, the risk management team, which is the QA/QC and HSE coordinators in the documented Tabreed DM.02, Al Rigga project, are scheduled for meetings which have to meet on a monthly basis in reference to the project requirements, or as relevant to the demands of the project. Training Success of the project would depend on the effective implementation of risk management through out all the phases of the project, which requires risk management training to be provided to staff, contractors and managers. The skills qualifications of all personnel within the organization are essential to achieving business quality and corporate objectives. Competence of the organization and people in identifying and managing risk requires a systematic focus on behaviours, risk perceptions and skills. Training material would encompass risk management policies, application of tools of risk management, assistance in identifying and analysis the risks which the project and the organisation is exposed to, providing the profiling of risk and reporting of assurance. On recruitment, SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC., provides induction training to all new employees in risk management involving safety measures, code of conduct and fraud awareness. On-site training is provided to all employees, site visitors, and vendors as a prerequisite to site deployment. Except for visitors and vendors, all site workers shall be assigned a SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC. number identification in the form of helmet decal sticker signifying a worker had passed the orientation program. A regular refresher course is provided to all employees in risk management awareness on updating the risk register or every two years. Monitoring and Review The risk management system operated by SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC., is subject to documented procedure and systematic program of Internal Audits. The audit procedure will direct responsibilities and controls to be applied to planning, preparing, conducting, reporting and follow-up of the risk audits. The audit program, including the schedule will be based on the results of risk assessments of the companys activities, and the results of the previous audits. The audit procedure will cover the scope, frequency, methodologies and competencies, as well as the responsibilities and requirements for conducting the audits and reporting results. The project risk registers would formally be reviewed and updated every six months, but more regular reviews and updates are conducted in reference to any significant changes in activities. With the district cooling plant projects, the common risk register would be modified after evaluation of the work site and in reference to any changes in the work activities and areas. The audits will be conducted by suitably qualified personnel and by independent of those having direct responsibility for the activity being examined. The reviews would consist of a summary risk register which would provide the overall rating to identify all levels of risks mainly the high and the medium risks across the projects. It would also include a report of the implementation of the risk treatment plans made for the previous audits and its effectiveness in the management of risks in either reducing the risk, decrease in costs associated to risk management and the progress made in the controls of risk. The internal audits will determine whether or not the risk management system conforms to planned arrangements and has been properly implemented and maintained. Where non-compliance or opportunities to improve systems or practice are identified, appropriate corrective or preventive actions or controlled changes will be implemented. All such actions will be assigned, time limited and upon completion, reviewed for effectiveness. Where considered necessary subject to audit results obtained, the frequencies assigned on the audit program will be updated. Figure Internal Risk Audit Considerations The results of the audits will be recorded, maintained and subject to further review as an integral part of the risk management review meetings, thus assuring the effectiveness of the audit program in achieving desired goals. The performance of SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC., risk management system and its suitability and effectiveness to satisfy the requirements of the zero harm corporate risk management policy would be reviewed every six months. Meetings Meetings are held at various levels in order to ensure that the project adheres to the organisations standards of safety, to create an awareness of SNC Risk Management Policy and to ensure that it is implemented in the project risk management process. Meeting Who are involved? How often? Project Executive Meeting (Overall review on the internal audits, changes in the existing risk management plan, any serious non-compliance issues) General Manager, Project Director, Project Manager Once in two months or as required by the project or in emergency situations. Project status meeting (Up-to-date information on the status of the project as well as review on conformance to the risk management procedure) Project Director, Project Manager, Site Manager, QA/QC and HSE Coordinators Weekly and in emergency situations Toolbox Talks ( Priorityissues, new instructions, lessons learned, or any job-related information that matters to the safety, health and welfare of employees, and the work environment) Contractor, SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC., QA/QC Coordinators, SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC., Personnel Weekly at the beginning of the work week Pre-job task instruction (the risks analysed are discussed herein in order for the crew to be aware of the proper job steps, the hazards associated with each job step (or activity) and the appropriate control measures to eliminate or reduce the impact or the probability of the hazards) QA/QC and HSE Coordinators, SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC., personnel on site Daily, before commencement of the activity Records are subject to systematic review and analysis as an integral part of SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors LLC. Internal Audit Plan, identify any apparent trends, prove the effectiveness of their application and identify the opportunities for continual improvement. The disposal of records at the end of their retention period will be carried out under controlled conditions designed to protect the status of any confidential or exclusive information. During project closure and demobilization, obsolete and yet classified documents exclusive to the particular project shall be shredded and recycled. Other document files shall be labelled and delivered to designated store for safekeeping. Clients would be provided access to records pertinent to the contract regulations. Risk identification Risk identification refers to the identification of potential risks exposed in a project. The deliverable of the risk identification process is the project risk register which involves the risks that could affect the ability of a project to attain its objectives. The process in which

Beowulf and The Intent of Christians to Convert Pagans Into Christianit

Before England was the superpower it is known to be today, it was a small country inhabited by many groups of people over time. First to England came the Celts, then the Romans, and then the Anglo Saxons. The Anglo Saxon’s traveled to England from the northern countries of Germany Norway and Sweden. When they arrived, they brought their gods with them. The Anglo Saxon’s religion consisted of multiple gods and goddesses and their own view of Heaven and what it would be like. The Anglo Saxon’s also loved poetry, and they used it to keep track of the history of their people. Beowulf is an epic poem that was past down by the Anglo Saxons from generation to generation. The poem is infused with multiple elements of their pagan religion. However, when they immigrated to England and began to tell the tale of Beowulf, the local inhabitants began to listen and put their twist on it. Douglas Wilson states: Through a heroic poem about pagans that never mentions Christ, Beowulf is the opposite of syncretistic compromise. It is written to highlight the treachery as a way of life that afflicted these pagan societies from within, and the greed and plunder as a way of life that afflicted them from without (whether they were the marauders of the victims.) (30) In an attempt to convert the Anglo Saxons, the Christians of that time changed Beowulf and incorporated many elements of Christianity into the poem. By incorporating elements of Christianity such as portraying Grendel as a descendent of Cain, mentioning the one true God’s name, and portraying the hero Beowulf as a Christ figure, the Roman Catholic Christians hoped to convert the Anglo Saxons to Christianity and instill in them the power and hope of the one true God. First, the Christian... ...nd phrases into the characters mouths, and relating the hero, Beowulf, to the Christian hero, Jesus Christ, the Roman Catholic Christians hoped to convert the pagans to Christianity and lead them toward what they believed to be the one and only truth, Jesus Christ. Works Cited Beowulf. The Longman Anthology British Literature. Ed. David Damrosch and Kevin J. H. Dettmar. 4th ed. Vol. 1. New York: Pearson Education, Inc., 2010. 36-107. Print. Bloom, Harold. Bloom’s Guides Beowulf. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2008. Print. Fry, Donald. The Beowulf Poet. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968. Print. Streissguth, Thomas. Understanding Beowulf. Farmington Hills: Lucent Books, 2004. Print. The MacArthur Study Bible. Ed. John MacArthur. Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2006. Print. Wilson, Douglas. â€Å"The Anglo-Saxon Evangel.† Touchstone. July/August (2007). 30-34. Web.

Test Ethics Essay -- Beneficence, Nonmaleficence

Exam Part B Beneficence versus Nonmaleficence The two principles in focus are beneficence and nonmaleficence. Nonmaleficence is often paired with beneficence however there is a difference between these two principles (Rich, 2008). According to Beauchamp & Childress (2009) conflating beneficence and nonmaleficence into a single principle obscures important distinctions. In addition, both of these ethical principles beneficence and nonmaleficence are strengthened by state nursing practice acts, which mandate that nurses are legally obligated to safeguard patients and the profession (Bjarnason & LaSala, 2011). We will discuss both beneficence and nonmalficence principles and how they are both important to the nursing profession. The principle of beneficence is concerned with a moral obligation to act for the benefits of others (Kennedy, 2004). Additionally, beneficence is the principle consisting of deeds such as mercy, kindness, and charity (Rich, 2008). There are other forms of beneficence including altruism, love, and humanity (Beauchamp & Childress, 2009). We use beneficence in order to cover beneficent actions more broadly, so that it includes all forms of action to benefit other persons (Beauchamp & Childress, 2009). Overall, beneficence implies that an individual takes action to do good by benefiting others and facilitating their well-being. Beneficence also requires that benefits are balanced against risks and costs (Kennedy, 2004). In order for a person to â€Å"do good†, they must also consider the values of individual in question (Bjarnason & LaSala, 2011). Health care professionals have a duty to exercise beneficence towards their patients. Nurses have a more stringent obligation to act according to the benefi... ...ay arise between health care professionals, nurses, and the patient and family. Most often, when an ethical dilemma occurs, nurses most make a choice between the two equally unfavorable alternatives. An example of an ethical dilemma would be a client who refuses to take their blood pressure medication however based on autonomy they have the right to. The nurse may not be able to follow the principles of beneficence and autonomy at the same time because respecting patient autonomy means the nurse is not able to fulfill the obligation to â€Å"do good† for the patient. However, in this case, if the patient was competent the principle of autonomy would take priority. Abortion is another example of an ethical dilemma faced in the medical profession. For instance, some doctors are against abortion, yet there are certain others who have no problem at all doing it. â€Æ' Test Ethics Essay -- Beneficence, Nonmaleficence Exam Part B Beneficence versus Nonmaleficence The two principles in focus are beneficence and nonmaleficence. Nonmaleficence is often paired with beneficence however there is a difference between these two principles (Rich, 2008). According to Beauchamp & Childress (2009) conflating beneficence and nonmaleficence into a single principle obscures important distinctions. In addition, both of these ethical principles beneficence and nonmaleficence are strengthened by state nursing practice acts, which mandate that nurses are legally obligated to safeguard patients and the profession (Bjarnason & LaSala, 2011). We will discuss both beneficence and nonmalficence principles and how they are both important to the nursing profession. The principle of beneficence is concerned with a moral obligation to act for the benefits of others (Kennedy, 2004). Additionally, beneficence is the principle consisting of deeds such as mercy, kindness, and charity (Rich, 2008). There are other forms of beneficence including altruism, love, and humanity (Beauchamp & Childress, 2009). We use beneficence in order to cover beneficent actions more broadly, so that it includes all forms of action to benefit other persons (Beauchamp & Childress, 2009). Overall, beneficence implies that an individual takes action to do good by benefiting others and facilitating their well-being. Beneficence also requires that benefits are balanced against risks and costs (Kennedy, 2004). In order for a person to â€Å"do good†, they must also consider the values of individual in question (Bjarnason & LaSala, 2011). Health care professionals have a duty to exercise beneficence towards their patients. Nurses have a more stringent obligation to act according to the benefi... ...ay arise between health care professionals, nurses, and the patient and family. Most often, when an ethical dilemma occurs, nurses most make a choice between the two equally unfavorable alternatives. An example of an ethical dilemma would be a client who refuses to take their blood pressure medication however based on autonomy they have the right to. The nurse may not be able to follow the principles of beneficence and autonomy at the same time because respecting patient autonomy means the nurse is not able to fulfill the obligation to â€Å"do good† for the patient. However, in this case, if the patient was competent the principle of autonomy would take priority. Abortion is another example of an ethical dilemma faced in the medical profession. For instance, some doctors are against abortion, yet there are certain others who have no problem at all doing it. â€Æ'

The Consequences of Drinking And Driving Essay -- Alcohol, drunk drivi

Driving under the influence has affected many people's lives and families. Today I would like to talk to you about the problems of drinking and driving, and why it is a concern for all of us. Driving under the influence is one of the most common and dangerous situations you can put yourself or someone else in. The fact is that drinking and driving is a huge deal and can leave a long trail of broken dreams and hearts. If you drink and drive, not only are you putting yourself at risk, but your passengers and the pedestrians outside of your vehicle. According to the most recent statistics by the National Commission Against Drunk Driving states that 17,000 Americans die each year in alcohol- related traffic crashes and 600,000 Americans are injured (NCADD). That's is and average of one fatal accident every thirty minutes. Every thirty minutes someone's life has ended and his or her family and friends left to weep. Anyone of these accidents could easily be a family member, relati ve, or neighbor. Most of these alcohol-related crashes are not just cuts and bruises. People are paralyzed, severely disfigured, or have lost the ability to live out a normal life with work and having fun are now activities that now rely on the aid of others. There is plenty of reasons alcohol and driving does not mix. The body is a very complicated organism with everything needing to go just right for it to function properly. Alcohol only affects how your body functions negatively. Alcohol is a downer that reduces activity in the central nervous system. The person exhibits loss muscle tone, loss of fine motor coordination ( Net Biz Mentor). Depression and alcohol also do not mix. When people get depressed from everyday life they have the ten... ...up in jail because they are one tenth of a point over the legal limit. So try to manage your life, by not drinking and driving. If you do go out for a drink, try to go somewhere that you can reach either on foot or by public transportation. Think about sharing the driving and on different days with a group of people so that you can take turns at driving. If you do drink even though you meant not to, and you went out with your vehicle, consider taking a taxi and leaving your vehicle behind. This is a whole lot better than living with the guilt and shame of having killed a person or even a friend. Do you really want to be known as the person who has killed someone because of your stupidity? Work Cited -Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. Drinking Driving and Other Drugs. Homepage. 20 June 2003.

Mc Donald Case Analysis Essay

McDonaldis one of the leading fast food chain operating in more than 120 countries (Exhibit – 4) with more than 30000 restaurants. McDonald opened its first restaurant in 1955 in Illinois and started to grow rapidly serving around 47 million customers daily with more than 1. 5 million employees. As far as Indian markets is concerned it was a distant dream for any western fast food chains to enter India and serve Indian customers, the reason being distinct dietary habits and food preferences of Indian consumers. After 1990 when government of India came up with economic reforms that liberalized policies of foreign investments, established western fast food chains like KFC and PIZZA HUT rushed to the Indian market but McDonald spent about six years analysing the market before entering India. During the analysis phase McDonald first categorized its various Opportunities, threats, strengths & weaknesses in Indian market. The analysis came up with the results like: increase in the purchasing power of individuals, their dietary habits like opposition to pork and beef and more inclination towards vegetarian foods, increase in urbanization and socio cultural habits. Depending on the results from the analysis McDonald came up with effective market mix (4Ps) that helped them to utilise the opportunities and thus eliminating the threats. The major highlight of the strategies adopted by McDonald was: Indianizing the menu and thus eliminating beef and pork completely, wide variety of products with different prices, confining itself to urban cities and building strong brand equity through various CSR events. This case analysis basically gives the overview of different strategies adopted by McDonald to establish themselves in Indian market. STRUCTURE OF THE CASE ANALYSIS (1) Market Analysis External Environmental Internal Environmental Analysis Analysis (Strengths & weaknesses) Micro Analysis Macro Analysis (Opportunities and Threats(PESTLE Analysis) for a new entrant in Indian Political food industry ) Economical Socio-cultural (2) Market Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning (3) Market Strategies (4P’s) (4) Outcomes MARKET ANALYSIS Market analysis done by McDonald’s during 1990’s included various aspects of Indian market and consumer. Looking at the data we can classify the analysis into external analysis and internal analysis. (1) EXTERNAL ANALYSIS Further divided into macro analysis and micro analysis. (a) MACRO ANALYSIS: Macro analysis takes Political, Economical, Socio-cultural, Technical, Legal and Environmental issues in consideration, but as per given case study, we are taking only 3 issues Political, Economical and Socio-cultural. Political: Liberalisation of policies: Liberalisation of policies paved path for MNC’s to India. Change in polices regarding in-flow of foreign capital and technology; government fixed exchange-rate eased up the process for MNC’s. Economical: Growth in GDP: The GDP growth until 1990’s was around 3% but after liberalisation the growth rate was around 6 to 7%, which shows increase in purchasing power of the individual. Socio-cultural: Acceptance of western culture: There was a significant change in the thinking of people towards western companies and western culture . The increase in use of internet is an example of this. Eat-out tradition began to grow very fast with increase in working parent families. McDonald’s internal analysis can be braked-down into strength, weakness, opportunities and threats. (b) MICRO ANALYSIS: Opportunities: Increase in urban population from 21. 3% to 28. 1% (exhibit – 2) because of employment, education. Increase in eat-out culture and purchasing power of individual. 53% (Exhibit – 7) of a house hold income is spent on food and beverages. Threats: India has been a country of different cultures (5000 ethnic groups) each with its own food habits and cuisine. Even though the food preferences of Indians show that 80% are non-vegetarians only 17% of them were pork and beef eaters (Exhibit – 11). McDonald has a image of pork and beef serving restaurant which is a threat for it in India. (2) INTERNAL ANALYSIS (ANALYSIS OF THE COMPANY) Strength: One of the strengths of McDonald’s is its vast knowledge and expertise in various countries which helped it gain expertise in making a strong and efficient supply chain. This will once again help it in building a efficient supply chain in India. It also has established and good brand equity around the world. Weakness: Opposition in people for MNC’s was decreasing but yet prevailing. There was a need for McDonald’s to rebrand itself in Indian consumers. In order to develop an effective marketing strategy it was very important for McDonald to understand its target customers. It was necessary for them to first understand Indian market and its consumers to communicate itself to consumer market. Basically McDonalds segmented their product and services according to base of Demographic, Psychographic and Behavioural attributes. McDonald did the thorough research for six years and was able to do well because of keen understanding of the Indian economy. MARKET SEGMENTATION & TARGETING Market segmentation is dividing of single market into smaller segments. Segmentation makes it simpler to address the needs of smaller groups of consumer. Three different bases of segmentation done by McDonald in India: 1. Demographic Segmentation: McDonalds uses demographic segmentation strategy with age as the parameter. The main target segments are children, youth and the young urban family. It offers different products like happy meal which includes a free toy for kids. For families it has made different outlets and meals which are suitable for takeaways and drive-thru. It has also created a suitable environment for youngster to hang out with their friends and get their lunch. 2. Psychographic Segmentation: McDonald’s adopted themselves to the lifestyle of the Indian consumers. India has huge vegetarian population so McDonalds came up with an entirely different product for Indian customers like Mc Veggie burger and McAalootikki burger. As it is not considered religiously incorrect to eat beef in India, the menu has no beef dishes. They also made McDonald a fun place where young urban families can spend some quality time, while their children can enjoy every moment of McDonalds. 3. Behavioral Segmentation: McDonald targeted mostly occasions like Birthdays and started attracted many families to celebrate their kids birthday. They made many advertisement effort aimed directly at kids and younger generation to promote birthday parties at McDonald. As most young people in the cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore live in small overcrowded flats McDonalds has become a convenient place for birthday celebration. POSITIONING Positioning is an effort to influence consumer perception of a brand or product relative to the perception of competing brands or products. Its objective is to occupy a clear, unique, and advantageous position in the consumer’s mind. In India positioning of McDonalds has been directed as a Family restaurant. Then they started positioning according to the kids as well by introducing new advertising of toys with their products such as â€Å"Happy Meal†. Now youngster and adults havebecome so use to fast foods that McDonalds has also started to target them and try to position itself as a place for all. This may be also due to the fact that India has second largest population in the world and they adopted this approach and tried to position themselves according to this approach to increase sales and revenue. McDonalds therefore wanted to position itself as ‘Indian’ and a promoter of ‘family values and culture’, as well as being ‘comfortable and easy’. Simultaneously, the brand wanted to communicate that it was committed to maintaining a quality service, cleanliness and offering value for money. MARKETING MIX (4P’s) Market Strategies Opted By Mc Donald in India Coming on to Strategies, McDonald strictly followed the concept of 4Ps for extending their share in Indian fast food market. Looking upon all the aspects of 4Ps in details, following was the approach made by them to enter the market and successfully lead it since then. Product: Taking the food habits of Indians into consideration, Mc Donald Indianised 70% of their menu, which really helped them to successfully grab Indian population. Also keeping in mind the un-acceptance of beef and pork in India , they replaced it with mutton-based Maharaja Mac. The French fries served in India also did not contain beef tallow covering. They excluded egg from ice-creams and mayonnaise served and also introduced Indian flavoured ice-creams. Pricing: Mc Donald came up with wide range of products in terms of pricing for serving both the lower-middle and high socio-class of society. (Products ranging from Rs. 7 to Rs. 128) They charged Rs. 74 less than what they charged in US in almost every product. Their menu was 80% visual and 20% descriptive. They used to attract customer initially by low prices, then increased their prices by simply giving another name to the product, for example- McAlootikki changed to Veg. Surprise. Place: Mc Donald opened its first outlet in two of the most western culture exposed cities i. e. Delhi and Mumbai, then they targeted the national highways connecting these cities by collaborating with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. As a part of Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) business, McDonalds opened its outlets only within 500-Km radius of its main distribution centres. After that, they tapped into business of shopping mall, multiplexes, railways and bus stations. Promotion: They promoted their restaurant as â€Å"Third place† between work and home. They also introduced â€Å"Music Meal† in association with Coca-Cola India and Universal Music India. They celebrated Children’s Day week, organised Pulse Polio and camps. Fun zones and Lego toys for children Looking upon the belief of Indians in Karma Mc Donald introduced â€Å"Itch Karo Rich Bano†, where the consumers were given lucky coupons complementary with their meal which they scratched to get gifts. This was a part of their promotional strategy which really worked well in India. Outcome It is reasonable to say that MCDonald’s has achieved a decent success in India. McDonald’s with its strategies was able to increase its sales volume, which in turn got down the break even to five to seven years which is much favourable when compared with 12-13 years that it takes in foreign countries. It is also stated that McDonald’s achieved a decent success as it showed a 50% annual revenue growth since 1997. A survey by Synovate showed that 20% of young Indians between ages of 8 to 24 reported their preference for McDonald’s products, followed by Pizza Hut (11%) and then KFC(2%). Even after all these achievements it cannot be concluded that McDonald’s succeeded in India. McDonald’s growth in India remains uncertain.