Professional Development Plan Essay Example for Free

Professional Development Plan EssayEach person has a current personality type and each person has strengths and weaknesses members lead bring to the separate. Understanding how to use the group members strength will avail to get the hang the potential weaknesses. By using nonpareil group members strength for one task can allow a nonher team member to use her strengths in other areas. Developing a professional development plan can help the team work together to get the hypothesize done. In evaluating the group members personality types, there are three die hard personalities considered The Producer, and one group member who is an synergetic personality known as The Impresser. By having three dominate personalities, the team will have to make for certain that the members are not all trying to take control of the short letter and leading(a) the group in three different ways. We will also have to make sure that we can delegate tasks to other group members to make sure w e are not overwhelmed and making other members think their work is not good enough. The assessment of myself was spot on from the behavioral evaluation. Even though I have worked hard not coming crossways so blunt to people and understanding that people have their own way of getting the job done.I am a person who sometimes does not the similars of to express my feeling and just want to get the job done. I am a person who exchangeables to get large tasks accomplished in a short amount of time to have the achievement of accomplishment. I do like to finish a task from start to finish, and it bothers me if I have to jump to another task before I am finished. I am a fast-paced person and can change my pace depending on if the business picks up. Possessing a dominate personality also has its downfalls. Dominate personalities can be stubborn, impatient, and tough. sometimes this can be an issue when I become close-minded to others ideas and impatient with other group members. Dominate p ersonalities like to be in control and do not want to lose that control. I will have to say this isan issue that I need to work on. I do not like losing control and when I do analysis how I could have changed it instead of letting go of the situation. Another area that dominate personalities do not overcompensate well is dealing with feelings. I have had to overcome this over the years and learn that sometimes I may not mean to come across harsh, but to some people it can come across that way.I have learned that I have to take into considerateness the person I am dealing with and make sure I take the group members feelings into consideration before public speaking. Dominate personality types also have to understand that we will not always prevail on every issue that comes up. The section of the assessment that was very interesting but also very true was how dominate personalities react under stress. The assessment stated that dominate personality types are restless, critical, blu nt, intrusive, uncooperative, irritable, aggressive, and pushy (Alessandra, 2013). I can see myself going through these behaviors when I am stressed and understand why it is important not to take things out on others and that the situation will get resolved even if I am not in control of it. Another area that was interesting was how to reduce conflict. The section that stated their anger is directed at the situation and the lack of desire impressions (Alessandra, 2013). These outbursts and behaviors may appear to be personal attacks when they are not meant to (Alessandra, 2013).I have had this happen a few times when I am speaking with my husband, and he always thinks I am mad at him instead. I have to learn to state I am stress over the situation and not make people think I am blaming them. In evaluating the other team members personality type, one member is considered to be the interactional style. The synergistic personality style actions are spontaneous, dislike works alone, work quickly and excitedly with others, and have good persuasive skills (Alessandra, 2013). Some weaknesses for the interactive style is that they can be disorganized, careless, exaggerates, and poor follow-through (Alessandra, 2013). The interactive personality type main focus is people and dominate personality type are goal focused. Interactive personality types like to brainstorm and interact with colleagues. Dominate personalities like to work alone to make sure the task is completed. They also like freedom from control and like to have the chance to influence or motivate others. Dominate personalities like to be in control and strive for results. The interactive personality type canexpress anger as a general response to a personal attack on them. Interactive personalities bunk to be more emotional that dominate personality types.Dominate and interactive personality types are direct and fast-paced people. We frequently us gestures and voices to emphasize our point, track down to be less patient and more competitive, frequently contribute to groups and can express opinions readily (Alessandra, 2013). Dominate personalities tend to be guarded and direct behaviors, whereas interactive personalities are direct and open behaviors. Even with both personality types preferring fast-paced work styles some tension may result based on that interactive personalitys emphasis is on people and dominate personalitys emphasis is on the goals. Some degree of tension is likely to result in our interactions because of the difference in priority (Alessandra, 2013).In evaluating the teams personality types, we will have to make sure we are taking into consideration people and goals to get tasks accomplished. Both personality types like a fast-paced environment and can become impatient. The interactive personality type will help to contribute the emotional component need and the dominate personality will help to give order and structure in a timely manner. When working in a g roup each member must take into consideration that not every team member functions as another one may. If each team member can use each persons strengths forward and whatever weaknesses come up can be benefited by another team member. When working in a group make sure to be open minded and make sure that everyone is heard and not overlooked.Work CitedAlessandra, T. The DISC Platinum Rule Behavioral Style Assessment. (2013) Retrieved from http//UOP.BlanchardAssessment.com.

Soap operas Essay Example for Free

Soap operas EssayAlthough this is square(a), it is still an issue that teenagers, peculiarly, must be aw ar of. For this reason alone, I stand for that there should be more give-and-take about how to avoid date rape, and how to protect oneself from even getting into a situation where one could be raped. In the easy lay operas All My Children, and sundown Beach, there are sexual issues that revolve around teenage relationships. There were discussions about whether or not to wait in advance having sexual intercourse. In All My Children, the storyline was about a teen-aged birth mother suing the adoptive parents for custody of her child.This storyline allowed for several discussions about the consequences of unplanned and exposed sexual activity, and about the importance of waiting until one is ready before engaging in sexual intercourse. Although soaps sometime discuss the consequences of sexual acts, there are too m all episodes that let sex just happen without any real discussion of its consequences. For instance on the soap Sunset Beach, there is a character, Annie, who is about twenty five years old, who sleeps with ein truthone on the show who has something that she wants.She is very rich and extremely manipulative. Through her conversations with friends, the audience learns that, deep down, all she wants is to find true love. Obviously she will not achieve what she really wants by being so sexually promiscuous and amoral, only when some audiences may think that you preserve get what you want by sleeping around. If there are all of these negative images and ideas portrayed throughout soap operas, then why is it so common to women? In a recent study done by Woods, he asked 100 high school girls about 23 possible reasons for watching soap operas.The top ten reasons were, (a) I just enjoy watching them, (b) it gives me something to do, (c) soaps are fun, (d) they fill up time, (e) its a pleasant way to rest, (f) they relax me, (g) soaps are a habit, (h) I can forget about school, (i) I can get away from my family, (j) and soaps cheer me up. It is apparent that these responses are what wad might say for any television show. What attracts people to soap operas and the reasons behind them being fun and relaxing is because they plow with issues that happen in real livelihood.Not everyone is going to get raped, or accidentally pregnant, but everyone should k straight that it can happen to them and they should be careful. It is interesting to think that maybe women are so attracted to soaps because it makes their lives seem more normal. Greenberg and Woods employ a survey by the author Compesi to compare adult and adolescent results to similar questions on the reasons for watching soap operas. He mailed 52 surveys consisting of felicity items for the spectators of, All My Children. the findings for soaps and adolescent gratifications are a close match to those for soaps and adult gratifications. Although people do chan ge, I feel that the foundation of what draws people in and interests continues in one way or another(prenominal) throughout a persons life. It is not an unrealistic assumption that sexuality is fire to watch and learn about, especially for curious young individuals. Recently the issue of homosexuality has been incorporated within soap operas. In All My Children, the teenaged character Bianca came out as a lesbian. Along with this came her struggles of being accepted and the ability to find a happy relationship.There were a few episodes dealing with Biancas romantic happiness and with the fact that she had a crush on a straight woman. There was one episode where Bianca asked Frankie, a homosexual female that she was friends with, if she was afraid that Bianca would make a move on her. Frankie insisted that she didnt feel uncomfortable with her and also assured Bianca that she didnt want her to give her more space and that she valued their budding friendship. When another character, Vanessa, arrived, she ordered Frankie to leave Pine valley because she lied to her about her sexuality.She asked Frankie to move out, saying that Frankie should have been honest from the beginning. Alone, Bianca offered to help Frankie find another place, but Frankie rejected her. Bianca told Frankie that, as usual, someone she liked was displace away from her. In this ex vast it is apparent that it is rough on a persons self-esteem to not be able to find love or a true friend because of ones sexuality or sexual preference. I would imagine that these episodes are not unrealistic in the life of a teenage lesbian, but I noticed that they did not portray a fulfilled life for one.The steamy love scenes are the norm for heterosexual couples, yet when it comes to homosexuals, they are seldom even allowed to touch. Every few scenes within an episode show two heterosexuals kissing, or being sexual with each other. When it comes to homosexuals, there is usually just discussion about the ha rdships that the person is enduring, and there are rarely any visual depictions of sexuality. Starting a few years ago was the first time that a lesbian kiss was even shown on daytime television.This issue of homosexuality is more open and talked about then it used to be, but they still do not seem to be portrayed the same as heterosexuals. Although gays are not represented accurately, watching them interact can desensitize some people that are uncomfortable dealing with those people who choose that lifestyle. Soaps deal with the issue of pregnancy as well. Having a baby could be a happy and exciting thing for some people, but it seems like most of the pregnancies on soaps deal with the negatives of pregnancy, like teenage pregnancies, pregnancies due to rape and pregnancies with twisted stories to them.An example of this is from the soap Sunset Beach, where the character Vanessa, an engaged woman, was impregnated in vitro. Due to an accident she was unconscious and the woman who wa s jealous of her boyfriend gave her the injection. It was not the sperm of her fianci , Michael, but a different male. Michael, who is now sterile, thinks that she is pregnant from him, but knows that he could not be the father. He thinks that she must have slept with another guy, and the saga continues. The is an exaggerated scenario, of course, but this type of situation allows for the audiences thoughts and discussion of salutary sex and trust in ones partner.These are issues that every individual must deal with at one point or another, which may be another reason for the popularity of soap operas. If I were to speculate on the potential effects of viewing such content, I would say that viewers are getting ample information about sexual activity that promotes the idea that sexual activity is appropriate and beneficial for heterosexual couples in established relationships. The issues of rape, teenage sex and pregnancy, angiotensin converting enzyme parenting, drug addiction, abo rtion, infidelity, and death are all issues in which characters have dealt with.This allows the audience to discuss these issues without talking about themselves, which can be uncomfortable. An individuals morals and values about sex should stem from the home. It is the parents job to try and teach their children what sex and being a sexual person is all about. If these values are implemented, the young viewer should be able to decipher between what is right, what is wrong, and what is exaggerated. There are a variety of reasons for women to be attracted to soap operas, and sexuality is definitely one of them. Being a woman is a very powerful thing, and many people do not understand that.Some women and teenagers may feel that power when watching a sexual encounter, knowing that they have the power to do the same thing (less dramatically of course). Sex and being sexual are intriguing concepts that are very mysterious to some. By watching soap operas, we see the dramatic portrayal of how relationships should and should not be. There is the right and wrong way to go about decent sexually active. Soap operas are an excellent way to see and learn about all of the right and wrong ways of dealing with issues, especially ones that deal with sexual relationships.People are always looking for a way to improve their relationships or spice them up, and soap operas are an excellent way to either learn something new, or fanaticize about the perfect relationship. The fact that soap operas are so exaggerated, I feel, is the major draw to them because they make reality and everyday life seem more normal.References Greenberg, S. B, Woods, M. G. (1999). The soaps their sex, gratifications, and outcomes.The Journal Of Sex Research, 36(3), 250. Committee on Communications, American Academy of Pediatrics. (1995). Sexuality, contraception, and the media. Pediatrics, 95(2), 298.

Positive Effects of Globalisation

Positive Effects of GlobalisationAbraham Darby Academy 29105 Thomas Smith 3139 Is Globalisation affecting our lives for the collapse?Is Globalisation affecting our lives for the better?Globalisation is not a new concept early explorers went off in to the unknown and came pricker with exotic foods, sports and fashions that were unheard of. People of the UK eat potatoes on a daily basis, but they arent even British However, the advent of internet engine room and low cost air travel sop up stipulation globalization prominence. Globalisation refers to the increased inter- attachedness of the realism and how the orbit is go farting smaller (well, metaphorically speaking). Globalisation is now reaching out and touching the lives of an increasing essence of multitude around the globe. Consider your own World for a moment how is your lifestyle affected? The car in the garage, the food in the kitchen, the phone in your pocket, the clothes on your back or the computer you utili zation? I myself have had my lifestyle greatly influenced by globalisation. My iPad, Xbox and video games all are e rattling manufactured or created in an otherwise country and shipped to the UK. Indeed, many of the TV programmes I enjoy are besides produced overseas. This shows that our world has become increasing connected and interdependent in terms of nicety cuisine, fashion and technology. But is it a change for the better?CausesThe cause of globalisation can be linked back to a few main changes. Firstly the improvement in air-travel throughout the 20th century has resulted in a vast increase in the heart of guidement of plenty and goods between countries. Graph 1 shows that between 2000-2008 the volume of exports in developing countries doubled, most desirely due to the easier adit and advancements of air-travel and transport. Everything from food to technology can be produced in a different country and then flown to us. This in turn has allowed a greater sharing of c ultural ideas. Secondly, the development of conference such as the internet and mobile phone technology has meant that it is easier than ever for people to develop and share their ideas. It allows someone with a computer in Britain to gravel information published in another country or find out intimately other cultures without having to visit the country. This has allowed a larger spread of cultural information and ideas. Map 1 depicts the amount of internet users in the world, by country. From the map, I conclude that the internet has become a revolutionary tool in the spreading of culture and information. The main users appear to be Asian nations like India and China. As these are large developing nations with large populations, it is not surprising to witness that a large percentage of the population use the internet. As you can see, there is also a positive correlation between population sizing and number of internet users.Another reason for globalisation is the creation and growth of Multi-National Companies. As of 2009, there were 889,416(3) globally, meaning there are a lot of companies with sort out plants in multiple countries. The most famous examples of MNCs are Coca-Cola, Apple and McDonalds. Each of these MNCs has factories, offices or places of business in countries all around the world or they sell their products to millions around the world. The fact that so many exist, show how interconnected we all are and that many peoples lives and cultures are influenced by these expanding companies. Global trading blocs have further reduced national barriers, for example the EU as has the growth of a global media.4EffectsGlobalisation results in positive and detrimental impacts (T equal 1).Table 1 Globalisation the good and the badThe sharing of information has meant that for example, an event occurring in south East Asia can be known about quickly or instantly in countries like the UK. Thus allowing NGOs to get accurate information about what hap pened and be able to use facts when asking for donations. A good example of this is the recent Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Due to the internet and other communication technologies, news of the event was instantly available to other countries and this allowed them to act accordingly. This rapid sharing of information has led to problems like global warming and conflict in overseas nations being more(prenominal) well-known and for people to call for more action to be taken.5Many critics claim that LEDCs do not receive many benefits of globalisation and are only utilise for their cheap labour and resources. This therefore creates the effect of the rich get richer and the poor get poorer in many peoples eyes. The most well-known examples of this are MNCs like NIKE, Apple and Primark who mainly locate their manufacturing operations in newly industrialised countries. They often move to a country with cheaper labour if costs begin to stick up or get too high for their liking. To add to this, some MNCs take little care of the workers or areas they set up their operations in. The news is often filled with stories of sweat shops, terrible working conditions or other poor ways of treating the area. The case study of Coca-Cola in India shows how well known and value MNCs can exploit/take advantage of the countries they operate in.PerspectivesAnti-globalisation campaigners and those who oppose/disagree with globalisation believe that clothe, language, diet, tradition and other cultures are being unmake and re-shaped into a more capitalist or westernised style. A prime example of this that American TV programmes or movies are more likely to be a worldwide success than those of other countries like India, which also have large media industries. This perhaps accounts for the term Bollywood, whereby Indian entertainment/film makers are using a globally renowned place name Hollywood to raise awareness of Indian film.Many people have an opinion on globalisation, be it an MP in London, a business man in China or a villager in Kenya, Africa, probably because globalisation is wide reaching. These statuss often differ depending on who you ask. Kofi Annan, views globalisation as a positive phenomenon. Kofi is a Ghanaian diplomat and part of the UN9, he has seen the world and dealt with many situations involving other countries. Therefore he all the way knows what he is In terms of culture, Mr Annan take cares to believe that globalisation has benefited the different cultures of the world and now better from having had other cultures interact with theirs.For my local area, globalisation has had a very positive effect. Globalisation has led to an influx of culture such as film, food (Chinese, Indian and Thai) and the creation of hundreds of jobs and has brought several big Multi-national companies to Telford. MNCs like RICOH expend about 900 people10 in Telford alone. Ricoh Company, Ltd is a multi-national imaging and Electronics Company based i n Japan. It was founded in 193611 and opened its Telford branch in 1987.12 Its Telford branch manufactures cameras and projectors, all of which are exchange either in the UK or shipped abroad to other countries for sale. And this isnt the only MNC in Telford. Companies like ENTA (Taiwanese) and Johnson Controls (American) all have factories in Telford, providing products and employment for the local area. If globalisation hadnt happened, the unemployment rate in Telford would be much higher. Therefore my local area has benefited quite a lot from globalisation, be it in employment, products or function, and perspective on the subject is positive.ScenariosIn terms of scenarios for globalisation and culture, there are but two a scenario where globalisation go acrosss its influence and a scenario where it recedes. If globalisation were to extend further, it will mean fewer areas of the world remain untouched. This could have massive implications for culture in two MEDCs and LEDCs. F or MEDCs it would mean greater access to products or ideas from other countries. This however, may not affect the culture of MEDCs like the UK a lot mainly due to MEDCs being multicultural societies and the influx of more culture will simply expand the already dynamic range of culture in these countries. But in terms of work, shops and services it is a different story. By allowing more MNCs from other countries to enter, the prospect of more jobs, services and products increases. Consequentially, it also increases the risk that local businesses will have to shut out or go out of business. In 2012, the UK saw almost 4,000 shops and 54 retailers close up and go online or go completely bust, affecting more than 48,000 employees15. This shows that even though globalisation brings lots of benefits it can destroy traditional or small local businesses. For LEDCs an increase in globalisation could be either good or bad. An increase in globalisation could bring more MNCs to a country or are a and with it, benefits. But it could also bring negatives like exploitation or damage to the environment. The local areas culture could be badly affected, as they replace traditional dress with MEDC style clothing or food, like McDonalds or Coca-Cola. This can be a good thing but it would destroy or significantly weaken local culture and could eventually disappear.The other scenario, where globalisation recedes, provides a very different picture. If fewer MNCs exist in other countries surely countries would become a bout more self-sufficient (being able to do it themselves). For an MEDC, this would mean many aspects of our lifestyle would go or more likely, be harder to come by. Books, movies, foods (Eg bananas) and clothing would be harder to get as there may be fewer companies willing to ship them to the countries which want them. This could mean that MEDC culture changes, as the lack of foreign products or ideas way that a specific MEDC culture could develop. For local busine ss, it means that more people may use them instead of bigger companies, essentially increasing their usage and profits. For LEDCs, this scenario would seriously affect their culture. As the media shows us every time they are in LEDCs like in Africa or the Philippines for example, every day people seem to wear t-shirts, shorts or other similar clothing branded with MEDC MNC logos. Now, without globalisation, this sort of clothing would most likely become harder to acquire. This can be both a good and a bad thing. Its a good thing for the LEDCs culture as it allows them to readopt traditional clothing or move away from MEDC influence. It can also be a bad thing as they may rely on these clothes and without them may not have any at all. Another way that LEDCs would be affected is that with less MNCs in their countries, fewer jobs may be available to the people living in LEDCs. This could have a negative effect on the economy of LEDCs which rely on MNCs for financial income and jobs. Mo reover, less MNCs would mean workers and communities in LEDCs would not suffer from poor working conditions or other MNC related problems.ConclusionIn conclusion, I have been able to identify that globalisation is mostly affecting our lives for the better. It facilitates the sharing of ideas, knowledge and culture, which in turn has allowed the world to become more interconnected and shared. However, this is not always a good thing, as globalisation has been, and still is, responsible for exploiting workers, damaging environments and eroding cultures. From my evidence and research, I have found that globalisation causes more harm in LEDCs than in MEDCs. In MEDCs, globalisation brings more positive effects than negatives and people in MEDCs seem to have adopted it into their lives. In the future, it would be good if MEDCs could ensure that the benefit they gain from globalisation in LEDCs is fully and fairly reciprocatedBibliographyGap minder map www.bit.ly/1gLW9Bm or http//www.gapm inder.org/world/$majorMode=map$isshi=tly=2003lb=fil=tfs=11al=30stl=fst=fnsl=tse=t$wsttts=C$tssp=5.59290322580644ti=2010$zpvv=0$inc_xmmid=XCOORDSiid=tiby=const$inc_ymmid=YCOORDSiid=0AkBd6lyS3EmpdC1PcWJUZldDelFyQXdaOEtDUG9HSUEby=const$inc_suniValue=8.21iid=phAwcNAVuyj0XOoBL%5Fn5tAQby=ind$inc_cuniValue=255gid=CATID0by=grp$map_ssma=65smi=2.65$cdbd=0$indsNumber of MNCs http//www.numberof.net/number%c2%a0of%c2%a0mncs-in-the-world/Causes of globalisation http//www.economicshelp.org/blog/401/trade/what-caused-globalization/Positive effects of globalisation http//www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/globalisation/globalisation_rev4.shtmlVolume of exports 1990-2009 http//www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/coher_e/mdg_e/development_e.htmCoca-Cola protest India http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/CocaColaIndia.gifKofi Annan quote http//arts.brighton.ac.uk/__data/assets/ sign/0018/2628/study-globalisation-uk-brighton.jpgWhat is the UN http//www.un.org/en/aboutun/RICOH employme nt metrical composition-http//www.shropshirestar.com/shropshire-business/2013/05/28/telford-ricoh-factory-workers-face-uncertain-future/RICOH founding http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RicohRICOH Telford founding http//www.ricoh.co.uk/about-ricoh/ricoh-uk/history/index.aspxRICOH picture http//www.therecycler.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/ricohtelford.jpgCase study India and coco cola http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Coca-ColaIndiastore closure numbers (2012) http//www.retailresearch.org/whosegonebust.php1909 words excluding tables and headings

Influence of Language Contact on English Language

Influence of address Contact on face LanguageTo what extent has vocabulary contact touch the side of meat linguistic process?In discussing the influence of other languages on the incline language, the term language contact may be defined as the seismic disturbance of other languages on side as a result of socio-historical fundamental interaction (Mrquez 90). Languages are dynamic entities, which are constantly evolving to reflect our needs and the state of the societies that we animated in (Bex 26). This is certainly the case for the English language, which has been heavily influenced by many languages throughout history as a result of numerous invasions, proselytism, interest in so-called prestigious languages, and many other factors, with the code-switching that ensued as a result of these having a profound opposition on English. Therefore, this essay will illustrate the permanent impact that language contact has had by looking at how aspects of the English language bi d lexicon, orthography, phonology and place-names have been greatly affected by Englishs interaction with other languages, with particular focus on the influence of the Italic languages of Latin and cut.Regarding lexicon and place-names, Latin has undeniably left a lasting impression on the English language. For instance, Jonathan Culpeper states that the Romans some successful raid under Emperor Claudius in AD 43 was what successfully laid the foundation for the partial Latinisation of many of Britains Celtic place-names (2, 3). composition it remained rare for British place-names to be mostly derived from Latin origins, rare exceptions such as Speen from the Latin Spinis do exist however, one of the most prominent legacies that Latin left occurred through compounding, with certain elements of the names of numerous cities and towns having Latin roots (Nielsen 154, 155). For instance, the suffix -wich in place-names such as Greenwich was derived from the Latin vicus, meaning vill age (Ayers and sanguine 7).Regardless, while Latin certainly had an impact on many British place-names, it also left a more general mark on the English language in the form of borrowed lexicon and loan rowing. According to Culpeper, while early Christian missionaries introduced approximately four hundred and fifty Latin language into experient English through religious texts, and thousands of Latin loans entered the English Language during the Middle English period from areas such as religion, science, right and literature, it was not until the sixteenth century that borrow from Latin and Greek became extremely popular (36, 37), which became a defining feature of Early Modern English (c.1500 17000). This may be explained by the influence of the metempsychosis (c. 1300 1600), which was a time of significant interest in the sciences and arts, and which led to a renewed interest in Latin as the language of scholars, scientists and philosophers (Minkova and Tunberg xxvi). Howeve r, as on that point were no English equivalents for many of the complex scholarly terms featured in these texts, approximately seven-thousand Latin loanwords entered the English language, which often represented abstract concepts, remote English words of Germanic origins (Culpeper 39). Also, several latinate roots have been borrowed numerous times, resulting in doublets for instance, the Latin word sal has inspired numerous English words, including salty and salary (Green 35). Nonetheless, borrowing from Latin decreased after the seventeenth century, mainly collectible to Englishs newfound prestige and status as the language of scholarship (Culpeper 37, 38). Regardless, it is go across to see that Latin has had a profound impact on the English lexicon through thousands of loanwords.On the other hand, because of the Norman invasion of 1066, French became the official language of law and administration in England and, ascribable to its prestigious status as the language of the u pper class and the code-switching that occurred after the invasion, approximately ten-thousand French words associated with warfare, rule, law and fashion (Millar 126) were adopted into the English language during the Middle English period (c. 1100-1500) (Mellinkoff 97). However, while some Norman-French terms completely replaced their Old English counterparts, such destiny replacing wyrd, semantic channel occurred when both terms survived, with an example being the distinction between the Old English house and the French loan hallway (Culpeper 37). However, much handle Latin, French borrowing has been in decline since the upper class stopped speaking French and English became regarded as the new language of administration (Culpeper 37, 38), yet the influence of French has lived on in various levels of borrowings, such as through borrowed food-related lexis like poultry, phrases such as mnage trois, and take a hop morpheme suffixes like -ible (Fromkin et al. 358, 505). Unlike the written lexis of Latin, the fact that French influenced English mostly through spoken vocabulary is significant because it places French loanwords between Germanic and Latinate lexis in that they may convey a mixed register and refer both concrete and abstract concepts (Culpeper 39).However, while Norman-French generally had a small impact on place-names as most British places already had established names by 1066, some elements of French did inspire certain naming practices. For example, the French-speaking grandeur routinely named castles and estates like Belvoir and Malpas directly after landmarks and places in France, Norman scribes substituted sounds for some more familiar to French (which is reflected in the spelling and pronunciation of places such as Cambridge), and the prevalence of double-barrelled named manors like Kingston Lacy can also be attributed to the French aristocracy, who often gave their properties recognisable names to distinguish their manors from others (Mills xvi). Consequently, much like Latin, it is undeniable that French has had an impact on the place-names and lexicon of the English language.Moreover, it may be argued that both languages have had a significant impact on the orthography and, in turn, the phonology of the English language. The fact that English spellings are not always phonemic, for example, may be attributed partly to the move from the Runic first rudiment to the Latin alphabet used by the Romans during the Conversion Period (c. AD 597 AD 735), which meant that there were not enough orthographic counterparts for all of the Old English phonemes, as the Latin alphabet consisted of only twenty-three letters (Culpeper 22). Also, Doreen Scott-Dunne has noted that Latin impacted English orthography and phonology through etymological respellings. For instance, because of the renewed interest in Latin and Greek texts, many Renaissance scholars decided to respell certain words to make them orthographically resemble t heir Latin origins, which is evident in the change of words like the Middle English det to the modern debt, which now more closely resembles the Latin debitum (62). However, while this simply resulted in the addition of silent letters to many words (Scott-Dunne 62), other Latin-inspired spelling changes were mirrored by significant changes in pronunciations. For example, Renaissance scholars often added the letter after in words to make English come forward as prestigious as Latin, which changed lexis like the Old French loan trone to throne (Algeo and Butcher 155). This resulted in a change of pronunciation, with the words first phoneme unfirm from t to nonetheless, this was not a universal change for all words that contained the letter , and words like Anthony did not always change in pronunciation in British English, which exemplifies the fact that language contact can often result in a lack of regularity (Algeo and Butcher 155).Furthermore, French scribes during the Middle En glish period may have caused English spelling variations (House 243), which often led to phonological changes. For instance, the runic symbol , which represented the phoneme w, was scarcely used after 1300, due to it being replaced by the symbols or , which originated in northern France (Culpeper 22). Also, the letter represented a vowel in Middle English, but a consonantal that was say as d appeared during the Middle English period, which is often attributed to the influence of Norman-French (House 241). However, another significant phonological impact occurred because the meaning of French lexis during the Middle Ages encouraged a insulation of voiced and unvoiced fricatives into separate phonemes (Millar 126). While Old English had simply represented f and v as at the start of words and in other positions, the importation of French lexis like voice that began with the phoneme v, along with the desire to speak with a prestigious French accent, meant that graphological distincti ons between the phonemes naturally occurred (Millar 126).Similarly, while lexis such as pump was borrowed from the Latin centrum, the influence of French meant that the grapheme started to represent the phoneme s instead of k in some words (Culpeper 26), leading to a lack of regularisation. Additionally, while Old English had a strict stress pattern, in which stress fell on the first central (not prefix) syllable, the stress pattern of French was variable depending on individually word and, therefore, prosodic changes had to take place during the Middle Ages so that French loanwords could be smoothly integrated into English (Millar 126). However, while etymological respellings of some words took place to show their French origins, scribes sometimes incorrectly assumed the etymology of words like island, meaning a was added to the Middle English iland to make resemble the Old French isle, even though the word was originally from the Old English iegland, and therefore had Germanic r oots (Horobin 112, 113).By and large, the profound influence of Latin and French on the English language exemplifies the fact that languages are not static, and continuously evolve organically in order to meet our linguistic and societal needs. In fact, English itself has already split into separate variations like American English and Australian English, which each have unique variations based on their contact history. Moreover, due to advances in travel and technology, English continues to be shaped and changed by more languages in our modern world, as evidenced by recent additions to the Oxford English lexicon such as dopiaza (dopiaza, n.) and maitake (maitake, n.), which have Hindi and Japanese roots, respectively. Therefore, while syntagmatic, paragigmatic, social and technological changes (including scientific discoveries and the development of the internet) are arguably the primary causes of language change in the twenty-first century (Algeo and Butcher 10), language contact has undeniably had a significant impact on the English language overall, and will most likely continue to play a role in influencing various aspects of the English language for years to come.Works citedAlgeo, John, and Carmen A. Butcher. The Origins and Development of the English Language. Seventh ed. Boston, MA Cengage Learning, 2013. Print.Ayers, Donald M., and R. L. Cherry. English Words from Latin and Greek Elements. Second ed. Ed. Thomas D. Worthen. Tucson, AZ University of Arizona Press, 1986. Print.Bex, Tony. Variety in Written English Texts in Society Societies in Text. London, England Routledge, 1996. Print.Culpeper, Jonathan. History of English. Second ed. London, England Routledge, 2005. Print.dopiaza, n. OED Online. Oxford University Press, December 2016. Web. Accessed 30 December 2016.Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman, and Nina Hyams. An Introduction to Language. Ninth ed. Boston, MA Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.Green, Tamara M. The Greek & Latin Roots of English. Fift h ed. Lanham, MD Rowman & Littlefield, 2014. Print.Horobin, Simon. Does Spelling social function?. Oxford, England Oxford University Press, 2013. Print.House, Linda I. Introductory Phonetics and Phonology A Workbook Approach. Mahwah, NJ Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 1998. Print.maitake, n. OED Online. Oxford University Press, December 2016. Web. Accessed 30 December 2016.Mrquez, Miguel Fuster. Working with Words An Introduction to English Linguistics. Eds. Miguel Fuster Mrquez and Antonia Snchez. Valncia, Spain University of Valncia, 2011. Print.Mellinkoff, David. The Language of the Law. Eugene, OR Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2004. Print.Millar, Robert McColl. English Historical Sociolinguistics. Edinburgh, England Edinburgh University Press, 2012. Print.Mills, A. D. A Dictionary of British Place-Names. Fourth ed. Oxford, England Oxford University Press, 2011. Print.Minkova, Milena, and Terence Tunberg. Latin for the New Millennium Level 2 Student Text. Vol. 5. Mundelein, IL B olchazy-Carducci Publishers, 2009. Print.Nielsen, Hans Frede. The Continental Backgrounds of English and its Insular Development until 1154. Vol. 1. Odense, Denmark Odense University Press, 1998. Print.Scott-Dunne, Doreen. When Spelling Matters Developing Writers Who Can Spell and Understand Language. Ontario, Canada Pembroke, 2012. Print.

Marketing Analysis of BQ | SWOT

Marketing Analysis of BQ SWOTIntroductionA strategy is developed by a consideration of the resources of the brass section in relation to its environment, the prime purpose being to add value Dobson (2004). According to Stredwick (2008), Strategic analysis is concerned with the strategic position of the organisation. It consists of the organisations values, culture, resources and its environment. It tackles the interest questions what atomic number 18 the key characteristics of the organisation, what changes are going on in the environment, and how leave behinding these affect the organisation and its activities. In addition, a detailed intrinsic and external environmental analysis including an assessment of culture enables the organisation to make a strategic choice and similarly help in the strategic implementation.Therefore, the report will hold different tools much(prenominal) as SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis in relation to Michael Porte r five forces analysis to broad(prenominal)light where BQ (UK) is, and the environment it operates in, is strategic tout ensembley and where it could be in the future and the nature of competition. It looks at internal factors, the strengths and failinges of BQ, and external factors, the opportunities and menaces facing the business. Besides, PESTLE (Political, Economic, Socio- pagan, Technological, Legal and Environmental) analysis is another tool to be used to analyse the large external environment. Johnson (1992) Cultural weathervane will to a fault be used for the assessment of BQ culture.BQ ProfileBQ was the premier(prenominal) national DIY retailer and has been in the DIY business for more than than 30 years. Richard Block and David Quayle (BQ) wanted to bring value, longer bluffing hours and a broader product pass to everyone. In the 1980s it bought the Scottish DIY chain Dodge city and eventually became part of the Kingfisher Group. Today, BQ is the UKs leading DIY and tend centre retailer and its stores offer approximately 40,000 inspirational hearth avail and garden products for the homemaker, occasional to serious DIY and sell professionals.Swot Analysis of BQ UKStrengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities Threats (SWOT) analysis is a tool of environmental s lavning aimed at analysing both the internal (strengths and weaknesses) and external environment (i.e. opportunities and threats) to see whether the organisation crapper seize new opportunities given its strengths and face new threats despite its weaknesses. thusly, a SWOT analysis is a well-rounded analysis which goes well beyond the internal environment.StrengthsLeading discolouration and obedient reputationBQ is the turn of events one leading brand in the UK and is twice the size of its competitor. It has a grocery size of 31bn as regard to the size of repair, maintenance and improvement marketplace. Being the number one position in the UK market, BQ has a major strength as they are onward of their rivals. Furthermore, BQs reputation is strong and popular which means people view it with respect and believe in it, for example, BQ is supporting Prince Charles in his Preserve the Rainforest.Increased market luckBQ has a market share of 14% where it employs 22,602 employees and has 321 stores in the UK (http//www.kingfisher.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=33 accessed 19/10/10. Thus, BQ will continue to grow in the home improvement and garden sector. Their change magnitude market share is a key to their success as it boosts reputation, profit and the value of the organisation.Constantly creating new, differentiated, Innovative and wide range of ProductsBQ offer around 40,000 products in stores. BQ in like manner has its strong own-label such as BQ car boot protector, BQ Foot pump and so on. BQ has innovative, well displayed products and they are also continuing with their renewal political program which includes updating product ranges such as launching their first fair- switch products and designing more eco-products.Thus, BQs innovation keeps it a front-runner in the home improvement and garden centre as it is regularly re-launching and designing new products. Hence, having a product differentiation strategy makes BQ at a bankrupt competitive advantage.SitesBQ has some good positions and new brusking opportunities. BQ has 321 stores in the UK. They also encourage more eco stores such as their eco flagship store is located in New Malden and boasts innovative developments such as 108 underground bore holes, 100 metres deep which heat and cool the store with energy from the earth. to a greater extentover, for the first year 2010/11 half progress, three large and 1 medium stores revamp (kingfisher strategy progress, March 2010). Thus, this is a strength which shows the overall performance of the BQ.Adding value to the organisationAdopting Michael Porter (1985) value chain concept through all its primary and supporting activities, BQ Deliveri ng Value programme of self-help initiatives is working well, meaning now it generates significantly higher profits and cash flow from its trading operations and a much better return on capital for its shareholders www.kingfisher.com.Technological strengthsBQ defecate embraced technological advancement in their business. For example, it has their own website where customers can shop on outline namely, www.diy.com, thus facilitating e-commerce. In addition, BQ intra dough facility also helps in improving its internal communication dodge where polity and procedures of the company can be accessed to all employees. Furthermore, on the 4th august 2010, BQ has launched its first iDIY APPS which makes it easier for customers to get the job done by having BQ experts available for them whenever needed. It is new at apple store and free to download for I phone and I pad users. Moreover, a range of green technologies have incorporated into new stores at BQ.Good customer relationship manag ementMore than three million customers come at BQ (UK) doors every week. Thus, BQ has an extensive customer base, which is a major strength regarding sales and profit. Besides, BQ defy their customers by giving them the probability to create, design their own product according to their taste. BQ offer different types of discount for regular shoppers which also help in customer retention such as the diamond card which offer 10 % discount off to the over 60s every Wednesday off selected purchases or products, conduct Discount Card which also offers discounts for trade customers and Corporate Gift Cards which receive discounts for bulk spending.Effective Human Resource PracticesBQ has been awarded again for the fourth year running the Gallup best workplace award. Besides, on the 22nd June 2010, BQ UK also scoops the top award at institute of internal communications www.kingfisher.com. BQ UK is also recognised for its constant emphasis on employee training in order to improve custome r satisfaction. For example, 15 500 employees of BQ UK have completed a Retail Skills Level 2 NVQ or Home Improvement intimacy Qualification awarded by City Guilds.BQ has a very experienced workforce which drives the organisation with knowledge and expertise. In general, we can therefore comment that BQ UK concentrate on the soft side of human resource management. They invest in people through good communications, teaming and training.A participative management styleBQ has an organic or flatter organisational structure which reflects its culture. Employees are empowered and have freedom of expressing new ideas. Thus, BQ unlocks the potential of its employees. At BQ, they have been busy laying the foundations for future growth. For example, they recently launched a Dragons Den-style instrument panel to help them filter new innovative and imaginative ideas from staff which is called the Innovation Den. This, therefore, encourages a culture of entrepreneurship and empowerment.Finan cial resourcesBQ has ameliorate their financial performance this can be proved by the key performance indicators such as the operating security deposit which has increased from 2.8% in 08/09 to 4.9% in 09/10. Thus, the rigorous focus on generating improved cash flow from operations, reducing the investment in working capital, whilst tightening controls over capital expenditure, has yielded a significant reduction in financial net debt www.kingfisher.com Effective prodigality and recycling managementReducing waste help to improve efficiency of organisation, thus, so far BQ has 48 % less carbon emitted from waste. They have tried to manage their production in a systematic agency through the use of technology. They encourage customers to return old products and package for recycling.Low threat of new entrance (one piece of Porters five forces analysis)Being the market leader, having a market size of 31bn, concentrating on product differentiation economies of scale having cost adv antages having high capital requirements and being part of kingfisher, the third largest home improvement retailer in the world, BQ, has low threat of new competitors.Bargaining power of suppliers one fixings of Porters five forces analysisBQ maintain strong relationship with their suppliers, for instance, ensuring that their suppliers allow them with eco-friendly products. Thus, the bargaining power of their suppliers is low, which makes BQ having a competitive advantage.WeaknessesAs per kingfisher business review, august 2010, BQ interchangeable to like sales has increased on seasonal products such as garden products however, one weakness will be that sales of garden product will be reduced due to winter weather which will discourage customers to invest in their gardens.BQ website, diy.com, has a poor e-commerce ratings as they were ranked bottom overall, with customer scans of 50%. In addition, the site got only two star ratings for hurt and product out of five stars. Further more, they also have delivery issues from over packaging and delays to time slots which shows how BQ is wasting both its time and resources and also reveals their inability to adapt quickly to change.OpportunitiesBQ is to expand its offer in to the trade market, with the triumphant trial of Trade Point stores in nine of its large UK branches.As customer tastes keep changing, for example many people prefer to use eco-friendly products, thus an opportunity will be to broaden BQs customer by offering several trials of new or expanded product categories.Thus, this will expand the product/service lines by BQ which could help them to raise sales and increase their product portfolio. In addition, products which are cash generators and are at the maturity stage on the product manners cycle can finance the rising star at the growth stage and even the question mark that are at the introduction phase.To open more eco-stores, thus, meeting the companys aim of being a sustainable business.Integ rate advanced ICT (information communication technology) in business process to improve efficiency and intensity such as having an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system.Reinforce its web design to facilitate effectiveness e-commerce.Redesigned and reduced the size of packaging on a number of illumine products, removing significant amounts of plastic and polystyrene. This will help in handling waste appropriately.Further international growth. BQ has several stores in the UK and Ireland. It also operates in china.BQ has a number of highly skilled staff, which is an opportunity for them to explore as expertise of their staff can help B Q to bring the business forward.ThreatsIndustry Rivalry (one element of Porter five forces analysis)Focus (DIY) Limited Wickes and Homebase Limited are the top UK industry rivalry. Homebase limited is the second market leader in home improvement and garden centre retailer in the UK.Homebase with its sister company Argos (750 stores) booming rapidly , shows a recorded sales figure of 1.57 billion 2009/10 and profit margin was 41.2 million 2009/10 (www.homebase.co.uk). Although, BQ are going to open some Trade points, Homebase has already a robust turn in chain partnership with Argos. Being the first one to introduce loyalty cards, Homebase have an advantage in retaining customers. Homebase allow customers to collect and redeem ambrosia points. Even BQ has a system of processing nectar points, but this is available only on their website, even though, points are spent, not collected. In addition, Homebase is also recognised for choice, style and customer service across the wider home enhancement market.In addition, according to the Observer (31st October 2010, by Zoo Wood), analysts verdict stated that Homebase is planning to buy Focus (DIY) limited, if the acquisition is confirmed, BQ would be facing volumed competitive challenges, and may even lose its number one market position in the UK. Thus, the nature of competition wher e BQ operates is fierce.Tax increases can place additional financial burdens on BQChanges in the way consumers shop and spend and other changing consumer patterns could be a threat to BQs performanceFor example, during the recession, many customers buying conduct pattern changes, most likely, they will not spend money in home improvement or garden products. In addition, wallpapers colour paint can also be changed according to the colour fashion trend.BQ could be threatened by the high bargaining power of customers that they can fascinate BQ pricing strategies.BQ is hypersensitised to slowing UK housing market.For example, in the UK, sales declined by 2.6% to 4.3bn in March 2009, as the recession hit consumers upgrading their homes. In addition, Kingfisher state that UK home improvement market has fallen down which will not only affect the sales, but will also affect the companys profitability and performance. http//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7965018.stm accessed 19/10/10.Ultima tely, when strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are identified, BQ implement the three strategies which can be formulated a) matching strategies match strengths with opportunities b) conversion strategies converting threats into opportunities and/or weaknesses into strengths c) creative strategies they can also be creative and try to identify hidden strengths.PESTLE Analysis of BQPESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, legal issues and Environmental) analysis is used as a tool to analyse the external big environment. It deals with those six factors that affect the organisation. Although the items in a PESTLE analysis rely on past events and experience, the analysis can be used as a forecast of the future. Besides, Kotler (1998) claims that PESTLE analysis is a useful strategic tool for understanding market development or decline, business position, prospective and direction for operationsPolitical FactorsEmployment legislationAccording to Balchin (1994), For employment legislations, the government supports retailers to provide a mix of job opportunities from flexible, lower-paid and locally-based jobs to highly-skilled, higher-paid and centrally-located jobs.BQ has a flexible workforce of 60% BQ does provide work for a diverse of people, such as students people aged 45 plus and under 25. In addition, increasing the retirement age up to 66 year old by 2020 will make BQ to review its HR policies to formulate new strategies.Besides, due to the increase of tax (VAT 20%), BQ terms strategies need to be reviewed.However, BQ has requested to the government and European Commission to reduce the VAT to 5% on energy saving products to make it low-cost to all www.diy.com .BQ is working in partnership with the government to promote sustainable growthFor example, BQ is helping the Government Launch of the Green Loan Pilot Scheme where BQ is partnering the capital of the United Kingdom Borough of Sutton in an experiment of the governments new (PAYS ) Pay as You Save Scheme www.crp-news.com . Besides, BQ is helping the government to provide security equipment at reasonable prices and as affordable as possible to secure 45,000 homes. Government also offers BQ with vouchers to help in preventing burglary (National Security). Thus, having a good relationship with the government may help BQ in the future, such as having tax breaks, good public relations and strengthen their reputation.Economic FactorsEconomic factors are of concern to BQ, as they are likely to influence strike, costs, prices and profits. hotshot of the most significant factors of the economy is high unemployment levels which have mainly increased due to the recession. The recession causing an increase in unemployment has decreased the effective demand for many goods, adversely affecting the demand required to produce such goods. For example, in 2008 the UK home improvement market declined by around 4% as the economic environment worsened, impacting consumer spendi ng. BQ was badly affected by the weak housing market, that have do them concentrate on different marketing strategies of how to attract retain or acquire the customers.BQ gross domestic product (Gross Domestic Product) estimates for 2010 is 1.5 %This really shows the contribution BQ has made to boost the economy by producing its product within the countrys border. A positive GDP also indicates an avenue for economic growth which leads to higher living standards and greater prosperity for individuals. It also supports businesses to be profitable, which creates employment and income.Increase interest rates by 4% in 2011 and an increase in inflation rates will affect both BQ and the consumers.Therefore, the economy is likely to experience falls in function and investment.Social FactorsShifts in values, culture and life sentencestyleNorms, values and paradigms form the socio-cultural environment. They have impact on corporate strategies. For example, there has been a shift of lifesty le where straight off people are more concerned of the environment issues occurring, such as the Green House Effect, the widening gap of the ozone layer, and so on, thus, they are more inclined(predicate) to consume eco-friendly products which help in maintaining a sustainable environment.Thus, to adapt with this socio-cultural shift, has pushed BQ towards the being responsible to the environment and support ethical behaviour. For example, they have designed new eco products and open new eco stores by using green technologies, such as QUEST environmental management system. In addition, BQ social responsibleness which can reflect upon its culture, are divided into four section Their diversity strategy (value of respect for people), Environmental impact (life cycle and make up of products) Ethical (how and where to buy our products) and Community (their better neighbourhood approach).Demographic changesDemographic changes such as the ageing population and an increase in female work ers have made BQ to review its employment policy, for example, this made them concentrate on benefits offered to older workforce.In addition, having an ageing population has also influenced BQ in developing different marketing strategies to retain older customers such as the diamond discount card which offer 10 % discount off to the over 60s. seminal fluidHogarth, T. and Michael C. Barth (1991)Moreover, families are nowadays having fewer children, and having an ageing population, will top in a shortage of skilled labours in the market. Thus, this had led to the recent introduction of legislations such as the entrepreneurs visa, point-based systems and working visa. Therefore, BQ should acknowledged these changes and review its employment policy accordingly.EducationIn order to promote children skills, BQ has launched its nationwide job done initiative by teaching children DIY skills as a curriculum for the future. In addition, to trail both women and men astir(predicate) the use of DIY tools, BQ has introduced its IDIY apps.Technological FactorsTechnology is a major micro environmental factor which has influenced the development of BQ products and services. The new technologies benefit both customers and the company customer satisfaction increases as products are readily available, services can become more personalised and shopping more convenient (Data manage Report, 2003). BQ utilises the following technologiesNew tracking technology BQ is using TaqMan operation campaign technologyDecorating card technologyVariety use of low carbon technologies including solar panels and ground source heat pumps for New Malden eco store. And, in the future, solar system can be used in most homes as a switch for gas and electric heating.BQ joined SEDEX- a web-based system that provides a membership based data exchange where it provides them with greater visibility at all levels of their supply chain.Legal FactorsMany government legislations and policies have a direct infl uence on the performance of BQ. For instance, Kingfisher retail board ensures that BQ adopt the code of practice to countenance ethical business practices among its employees, suppliers, contractors and investors. For example, BQ has an anti-bribery and corruption policies and procedures in the light of the new UK Bribery Act 2010. The existence of powerful competitors with reputable brands generates a threat of intense price wars and robust requirements for product differentiation. The governments policies for monopoly controls and reduction of buyers power can limit entry to this sector with such controls as license requirements and limits on access to raw materials (Mintel Report, 2004 Myers, 2004). Thus to device politically correct pricing policies, BQ set reasonable prices for its products.Environmental FactorsIn 2003, there has been greater pressure on many companies and managers to recognise their responsibility to society, and act in a way which benefits society overall (Li ndgreen and Hingley, 2003). Thus, in 2008, BQ signed a three year partnership with BioRegional to move towards becoming a One Planet Living business in order to reduce its impact on the worlds resources. BQ is awarded chain-of-custody certification for both set Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC).In addition, Graiser and Scott (2004) state that in 2003 the government has planned to introduce a new strategy for sustainable consumption and production to minimise waste reduce consumption of resources and minimise environmental damage.Thus, this has pushed BQ in developing strategies such as making use of a new supplier measurement system call QUality-Ethics-SafeTy (QUEST) to ensure that the green policy is respected in accordance to the sustainability standards.However, BQ commitment is that they will force all timber products to be source certified, and also developed enforcing principles to engage its environmental campa ign on suppliers. In this circumstance, question can be asked about power relations between BQ and suppliers could other companies do what BQ is doing? Do BQ have that much power which it holds over its supply base? According to New (2003), he states that BQ does not have that power to change the way the supplier operates as green purchasing policies would vary between firms context.Assessment of BQ CultureAccording to CWL Hill G R Jones (2001), an organisational culture is the specific compendium of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organisation and that control the way they interact with each other and with stakeholders outside the organisation.Cultural onion plantWhat is right and proper?What the organisation should seek to achieve?The basic assumptions of the groupThe way we do things around hereCulture can be compared to an onion with three layers. understand Cultural Onion source Trompenaars Hampden-Turner (1997)Cultural WebOne of the most commonl y used ways of making sense of an organisations culture is to use the cultural web (Johnson, 1992). It is a schematic representation of the elements of an organisations culture in such a way that we can see how each element influences the paradigm. The cultural web theory is also a useful analysis for management as it represents the fundamental assumptions related to political, symbolic and structural aspect of the organisation.Figure cultural web. Source Johnson (1992)Cultural web theory application is an effective tool in assessing the cultural environment for BQ. As mention before, the cultural onion contains layers of norms, values, and paradigm and also the ways of doing business within and outside the company. Hence, the concept of cultural web is the demonstration of these actions taken for granted for understanding how they associate and influence the strategy (Veliyath and Fitzgerald, 2000 Johnson and Scholes, 2003). It is also used to bridge the gap between actual and des ired culture through adaption of future strategies.Culture can be examined through the interpretations of how the organisation behaves, including, rituals, stories, structures, routines and systems. This shows the clues about the taken-for-granted assumptions (Paradigm).BQ has a very friendly, welcoming and supporting approach in the routine ways that shows how staffs behave towards each other, and towards those outside the company that can make up the way people do things.The control systems and measurements are continually under the management review to display the competence of the staff and bosses decisions. For instance, control systems on its attribute of service, its strong environmental supply chain system, and the behavioural control of its staffs by having a good HR policy.The rituals of the organisations life are, corporate gatherings, the special events which BQ stresses what is mostly significant and reinforce the way things are done.Symbols represent different basics such as Titles, Logos, uniforms or the type of language and expressions commonly used which becomes a tachygraphy image of the nature of the organization. BQ has already a recognised eye catching Orange colour as its logo as well as its uniforms. The brand and the logo signify a lot to people inside and outside the organisation. Nevertheless, BQ is recognised for using similar orange colour logo and store layout from the American giant DIY retailer, Home Depot, thus, the question is how innovative and unique is BQ as regard to its logo and brand positioning? What will happen to BQ if Home Depot comes into UK market?Power Structures are the core assumptions that contribute to the paradigm and are likely to be made by the most powerful management groupings in the organisation. And, as for BQ, its power relies in the environmental and ethics department, how to make people more committed to the environment and as well as to develop their core values. never-ending meetings and communic ation at every level of the organisations hierarchy signify a strong internal environment and a flat (organic) organisational structure.ConclusionThe report entails a detailed environmental analysis of BQ including an assessment of culture. BQ had adopted influential identities by making their DIY model into a virus and outlaying it out into the culture via a range of channels cultural sponsorship, consumer experience, political controversy, and brand extensions.The report has used mainly SWOT and PESTLE to conduct the environmental analysis. Although they are powerful tool for analysis, they do have some limitations. For example, they are only good for the person who makes it. For instance, in SWOT analysis strength can be seen as a weakness by another person. Thus, it lacks of validity and reliability. However, conducting an environmental analysis will help to formulate generic strategies for the company to have a competitive advantage.Furthermore, the industry life cycle can also be viewed as an extension of PESTLE analysis as it is a way of showing how certain PESTLE factors influence the development of an industry over time. For example, it was the changes of PESTLE factors that caused BQ to move from growth to maturity and back again.Besides, due to a dynamic environment, strategy formulation should be viewed as a route to continuous learning. The excellence of a formulated strategy and the speed of its implementation will hence depend on the quality of BQs knowing and behavioural learning processes.

The Death of my Father Essay -- Autobiography Essay, Personal Narrative

Everyone has milestone days in his/her life that change the direction of his/her life for relegate or worse. Let me tell you one of my experiences that I will never forget from when I was 12 years old. It was Friday night, I took a shower, and one of my aunts came into the nates and told me that my dad was sick but he was going to be ok. She told me that so I did not worry. I finished taking a bath, and I nowadays went to my daddys house to see what was going on. My dad was throwing-up blood, and he could not breath very well. One of my aunts cried and prayed at the same time. I felt up worried because she only does that when something bad is going to happen. More people were trying to help my dad until the doctor came. Everybody cried, and I was confused because I thought it was however a stomachache. I asked one of my older brothers if my dad was going to be ok, but he did not answer my question and push me away. My body offend to see him dying, and I to ok his hand and told him not to give up. The only thing that I heard from him was, Daughters go to auntie...

Vaccinations: A Clear Benefit Essay -- essays research papers

A clear definition of a vaccination is, the generic term for immunization procedures. immunisation is a procedure whereby living or nonliving materials ar introduced into the body (Nosal, 1999) The concept that people who survive an infectious disease do not get the same disease again is the basis for the administering of vaccinations. Vaccines are normally given to healthy individuals for the prevention of diseases. Vaccines work by using a human host to provide a stimulus to the immune system. Immunization is used for viral and bacterial diseases. Rappuolli reports and predicts, Vaccines result not only be used to prevent infections, besides also to therapeutic chronic infectious diseases, tumors, diseases and allergies. (1999) dismantle though there are risks involved with being vaccinated, there is no doubt that vaccines have been the most effective means of combating deadly infectious diseases end-to-end the twentieth century.Vaccinations were developed or discovered in 1796 when Edward Jenner, a doctor in England, noted that the farmers infected with materials from cows did not develop small pox, but instead were immune to the disease. Today, vaccinations are available for a variety of life threatening or life altering diseases such as smallpox, rabies, salmonella, tuberculosis, diphtheria, yellow fever, tetanus, pertussis, polio, influenza, cholera, measles, mumps, rubella, meningococcus, tick-borne encephalitis, pneumococcus, hepatitis B, hepatitis A, varicella, lyme disease, and rotavirus. Vaccines are more commonly given to infants today to immunize early. Already there are more vaccines in development for infectious diseases such as cancer, hepatitis C, papillomavirus, and helicobacter pylori. With these vaccines, tumors will be dramatically decreased. So instead of regarding vaccinations as a painful childhood experience, they should be perceived as tools used in the prevention and cure of diseases.Therefore, the hazards of vaccinations have to be weighed against the benefits of immunization. Immunization has lowered the reported cases of diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, (DPT), measles, mumps, rubella, (MMR), tuberculosis, and meningitis. A notable decrease in the number of cases of measles, hepatitis B, and polio were noticed after vaccinations started being administered. The hepatitis B vaccine was introduced in 1989. Before the vaccine was availabl... ...2, 2005, from Info Track database.Makela, J., Nuorti, P., Peltola, H. (2002). Neurologic disorders after measles-mumps-rubellaVaccination. 110 (5), 957-972. Retrieved March 12, 2005 from Info Trac database.Nossal, Gustav (July 1999) Vaccination. In Nature Encyclopedia of living Sciences. London Nature Publishing Group. http//www/els.net doi10.1038/npg.els.0000489Rappuoli, Rino (August 1999) Vaccinations of Humans. In Nature Encyclopedia of LifeSciences. London Nature Publishing Group. httpwww.els.net doi10.1038/npg.els.0000961Richards, S. (2004). An update on child hood vaccinations. primeval Health Care, 14(10), 22-25. Retrieved March 12, 2005, from Info Traci database.US nurses oppose smallpox vaccinations (2003). Australian Nursing Journal, 10(8), 13.Retrieved March 12, 2005, from Info Trac database.Zepf, B. (2005) Do childhood vaccinations cause type 1 diabetes? American Family Physician,71 (3), 583. Retrieved March 12, 2005 from Info Trac database.Zimmerman, R. (2000). Child vaccination, part 1routine vaccinations. Journal of Family Practice, 49,(9), 22-33. Retrieved March 12, 2005, from EBSCOhost database.