Southern Masculinity in Faulkner’s The Unvanquished Essay...

Southern Masculinity in Faulkner’s The Unvanquished The narrator of Faulkner’s The Unvanquished is apparently an adult recounting his childhood. The first person narrator is a child at the story’s outset, but the narrative voice is lucid, adult. Telling the story of his childhood allows the narrator to distinguish for the reader what he believed as a child from what he â€Å"know[s] better now† (10). The difference affords an examination of dominant southern masculinity as it is internalized by Bayard and Ringo, and demonstrates the effects on the boys of the impossible ideal. The initial indication that narrator Bayard may be an adult recounting his childhood comes with the past tense in the story’s opening line: â€Å"Behind the smokehouse†¦show more content†¦(87) As children, neither Bayard nor Ringo would possess the capacity for critical thinking necessary to employ the linguistic precision demonstrated above.Children think more abstractly, in grander and simpler terms. For example, they may take role models unreflectively; Bayard and Ringo play-act as General Van Dorn and General Pemberton, but they obviously do not understand why these men are their heroes. Based on what they have been told, and wholly independent of reality, the boys have constructed a General Pemberton that represents good and a General Grant that represents evil. By rule, Bayard plays the good guy twice for every single time Ringo gets to. The unfairness of this rule is apparently as lost on the boys as the idea that in the context of this game, Grant would make a more suitable good guy for Ringo. The disparities in their relationship are apparently unnoticed by both Bayard and Ringo. They think that they are equals. They â€Å"had been born in the same month and had both fed at the same breast and had slept together and eaten together† until they felt like brothers. They are not brothers, though. When Sartoris comes home in spring, both boys run to meet the man they look up to as a father, and they enter, Bayard â€Å"standing in one stirrup with Father’s arm around me, and Ringo holding to the other stirrup and running beside the horse† (8). Later we find that the boys do sleep together, Bayard on a bed, andShow MoreRelated Southern Masculinities in Faulkner’s The Unvanquished and Barn Burning1486 Words   |  6 PagesSouthern Masculinities in Faulkner’s The Unvanquished and Barn Burning The youthful protagonists of The Unvanquished and Barn Burning, Bayard Sartoris and Sarty Snopes respectively, offer through their experiences and, most importantly, the way their stories are told, telling insights about the constructions of southern masculinities with respect to class. The relative innocence that each of the boys has in common, though ultimately loses, provides a record of sorts to the formation of theRead More Narrative Techniques in Faulkner’s The Unvanquished and Barn Burning779 Words   |  4 PagesNarrative Techniques in Faulkner’s The Unvanquished and Barn Burning The Unvanquished is composed of a series of stories during which Bayard Sartoris, the narrator, grows up from a twelve-year-old boy to a young man of twenty-four years. The narrative style makes it obvious that events are being related by an adult who is looking back at his past. There are several indications of this: in the very first story â€Å"Ambuscade†, the narrator, while describing his war games with his coloured friend, RingoRead MoreEssay on The Maturation of Bayard in Faulkner’s The Unvanquished636 Words   |  3 PagesThe Maturation of Bayard in Faulkner’s The Unvanquished William Faulkner tells his novel The Unvanquished through the eyes and ears of Bayard, the son of Confederate Colonel John Sartoris. The author’s use of a young boy during such a turbulent time in American history allows him to relate events from a unique perspective. Bayard holds dual functions within the novel, as both a character and a narrator. The character of Bayard matures into a young adult within the work, while narrator Bayard relays

The Effects Of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - 2424 Words

Post-traumatic stress condition is a disorder that grows in a number of people who have had a visual experience or at a certain point of their lives they had lived through a scary, dangerous or a shocking event. Events that can lead to the posttraumatic disorders include warfare, terrifying road accidents, sexual assault, and any other event that may pause a threat on an individual’s life. Majority of individuals who had gone through traumatic events normally have low chances of development of posttraumatic stress disorder. It is usually a scary feeling that occurs naturally after a traumatic situation occurred. Fear that is usually generated within the body triggers the body of human beings to develop immediate forms of defense mechanism†¦show more content†¦For a symptom to be considered as PTSD it must have lasted for a period of more than one month, the reason for the illness may differ. The sings includes dreams in relation to the occurrences, disturbing feelings and thoughts. Psychologists and psychiatrist is the people responsible for the diagnosis of PTSD. 2 ï ¿ ¼BIOE 555-2015C NEUROETHICS FINAL For an adult to be diagnosed with PTSD he must have the following traits at least for a period of one month: he should have an experience that is occurring frequently, should have a single avoidance symptom, and should have two reactivity and arousal traits, mood and cognition indications. An experience that occurs severally may be inform of a terrifying thoughts, bad visions or nightmares flashbacks that relieves the trauma , it may involve physical body traits like sweating and a racing heart. The events that keeps on recurring usually affects a person’s daily activities, the symptom may develop from an individual’s feelings, objects, thoughts or incidences that acts as reminders to the incidence. People can avoid these symptoms by shunning away from locations objects or incidences that may make them remember the traumatic incidences. Having a strong sense of emotions, avoiding depressions, and reducing interest in events that used to be enjoyable earlier. However some of the traumatic events can trigger a positive effect in a person and make change the way in which they used. I.e. a person that

Operation Zapata Free Essays

Operation Zapata, or invasion in the Bay of Pigs, was developed by the CIA as a way to replace Castro’ s regime by non-communist government friendly to the USA. The initial plan of the operation was revised greatly: â€Å"Kennedy thought the plan exposed the role of the United States too openly† (Sierra, J. A. We will write a custom essay sample on Operation Zapata or any similar topic only for you Order Now , 2008). Revised operation had little chances to succeed (Sierra, J. A. , 2008), and several major failures occurred during performance of the invasion (The Bay of Pigs, n. d. ), resulting in failed operation and imprisonment of almost all CIA-trained invading troops. Initial plan was well thought out and had much more chances to succeed, but interference from the new President and his advisors made this impossible to perform and underlined dependence of intelligence agency, its activities and plans from external decisions. Cuban missile crisis was a logical consequence of failed operation Zapata. Castro feared of military interventions from the USA and decided to agree for placement of Soviet intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Cuba (An Overview of the Crisis, n. d. ) in exchange for training and funding of Cuban army. This activity soon was discovered by CIA (Simkin J. , n. d. ). Kennedy ordered a naval blockade of Cuba and demanded USSR to remove all missile bases and their content (Goldman, J. , 1997), and the crisis was launched. Due to efficient performance of intelligence agency critical information about potential enemy activity was obtained beforehand and actions that ensured national security were taken in time. If operation Zapata would be successful, Cuba would have been ruled by the non-antagonist government and USSR would have received no possibilities for the placement of nuclear missiles so close to the US territory. If intelligence had failed to discover Soviet activity on the Cuba, national security would have been endangered greatly because of Soviet nuclear missiles placed so close to the national borders. Both of these examples show how crucial is effective and unhindered performance of intelligence divisions to the national interests, for intelligence proved critical role in both of accidents mentioned. 1. An Overview of the Crisis. (n. d. ). In ThinkQuest Library. Retrieved January 8, 2009, from http://library. thinkquest. org/11046/days/index. html 2. Goldman, J. (1997). The Cuban Missile Crisis, October 18-29, 1962. Retrieved January 8, 2009, from http://www. hpol. org/jfk/cuban/ 3. Sierra, J. A. (2008). Invasion at Bay of Pigs. – The Plan. Retrieved January 8, 2009, from http://www. historyofcuba. com/history/baypigs/pigs3. htm 4. Simkin, J. (n. d. ). Cuban Missile Crisis. Retrieved January 8, 2009, from http://www. spartacus. schoolnet. co. uk/COLDcubanmissile. htm 5. The Bay of Pigs. (n. d. ). In John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum: Historical Resources. Retrieved January 8, 2009, from http://www. jfklibrary. org/Historical+Resources/JFK+in+History/JFK+and+the+Bay+o How to cite Operation Zapata, Papers

Internet Technologies for Service Industries - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theInternet Technologies for Service Industries Journal. Answer: IPV6 additional to providing large address space, it has many advantages over the IPV4 these are as follows; IPV6 protocols usually have an in built support for the multicast 1 transmission whereas the IPV4 this characteristic is just optional (Chadwick, 2006). The IPV6 devices has an allocated locally accessible and the IPV6 addresses which are valid for the clients who are connected hence allowing communication to be possible between the endpoints to the same sub-network despite the presence of the router (Chadwick, 2006). When it comes to IPV4 they have the data packages that have an upper size limit of 64Kilobytes whereas when it comes to IPV6 they are extended up to 4 GB which increases on the transmission rates. Reason why the transition taking so long. The reason as to why the transition of IPV6 they are taking long due to these aspects; They are very expensive: Replacing or upgrading of the routers and switches to be compatible to the IPV6 could take a lot of time and cost is high. Compatibility issues: During the designing of the IPV6 protocol the backward compatibility was not considered in the requirement list. The strategies for the transition from IPV4 to IPV6. Dual stack Routers. The router can be installed with both the IPV4 as well as the IPV6 addresses which are configured to its interface to be able to point to the network for the relevant IP scheme. The Dual Stack Router has the ability to communicating with each of the coverage as it provides medium for the hosts to manage to access the server without changing on the respective IP variations. NAT protocol transmission. This strategy uses the NAT-PT enabled devices. When using this products the host with the IPV4 address have the ability to send request to the IPv6 permitted servers to the internet which would not recognize the IPV4 address. The NAT-PAT helps in the connection between these types of protocols (Jap Mohr, 2002). Tunneling. When it comes to the numerous IP variations which occur the intermediate way or maybe the transit networks, the utilization of tunnelling could offer a much better solution where the data of the users pass via the non-supported IP version. The Centralized P2P approach it means the hybrid system to where there are several Meta information in regards to the data as well as the peers are stored to the multiple and centralized or a well-known entities of a server (Hanna, 2012). The information set could include the parameters such as the file availability, the bandwidth, as well as the latency value. The transmission of the data is organized in the processes that are decentralized. When it comes to the pure decentralized approach, the exchange of the information of the Meta information needs to be conducted without distinct server systems (Hanna, 2012). Depending on each of the communication handshake process between the peers consists of the data substitute these Meta data. Advantage They are ease and simple in setting up as they require hub or even a switch to be able to connect to all the computers together. It is more reliable as the central dependency which is limited. The overall cost for building as well as maintaining it is less. Disadvantage The security is not good as it entails only to set up of password for the files which you do not need individuals to access. The data recovery or even the backup is very difficult. The circulated hash table is the class of the decentralized distributed program that provides a lookup service that is similar to the hash table (Comer, 2008). The responsibility for the maintenance of the mapping from the recommendations for the values is circulated among the nodes, in a manner wherein an alteration of the groupof the participant could cause minimal amount of the disruption (Lowe, Murray, Lindsay Liu, 2009). The properties of the DHTs emphasize on the following; Autonomy along with the decentralization that is the mutual form of the nodes without the central coordination. Scalability: the program will be able to operate effectively despite millions of the nodes. Fault tolerance: This involves that the program must be dependable despite the nodes joining, or faltering. The technique that is used in achieving on these goals is any nodes needs to coordinate with few other nodes which are in the system. Some DHT design seeks in securing against the malicious Participants as well as allowing on the participants in remaining anonymous. This is much less common than in many of the P2P systems. Sometimes a computational entity could have something which another does needs. In the computational world, the server usually offers a given service to the other computers which are connected to a network (Comer, 2008). It is common for the organization to have lot of the disks on which the information of the members is stored, as well as have a single machine which is responsible for offering access to the storage space (Hanna, 2012). The machine is regarded as the disk server. Additionally, another machine in the business could control on the public html access for the firm World Wide Web pages. In these cases, the service is regarded as what is provided. It is also important to characterize on how the service is offered (Comer, 2008). A server could offer a variety of the services. Some of the service specialization does not fit under the same abstraction. A server can offer transmission and deliver on these services of which some may not be related. The host usually laces the valuation on the timeout parameter which the web host might permit an idle connection to stay significantly open before it actually closed. A connection is significantly idle in the event there is absolutely no data that is dispatched and even obtained by the host. The max parameter usually indicates the maximum number of the request which the clients usually make or the server which allow to be made to the persistent connection (Shamdasani, Mukherjee Malhotra, 2008). Once the various number of the requests as well as the response have been sent, the host which include the parameter might close the connectivity. Furthermore, the server is free of charge to close the connection after an arbitrary precious time or even the number of the requests. Depending on how this is implemented solely depends on the HTTP server. References Chadwick, A. (2006). Internet politics: States, citizens, and new communication technologies. New York, NY. Comer, D. E. (2008). Computer networks and internets. Prentice Hall Press. Hanna, P. (2012). Using internet technologies (such as Skype) as a research medium: A research note. Qualitative Research, 12(2), 239-242. Jap, S. D., Mohr, J. J. (2002). Leveraging Internet technologies in B2B relationships. California Management Review, 44(4), 24-38. Lowe, D., Murray, S., Lindsay, E., Liu, D. (2009). Evolving remote laboratory architectures to leverage emerging internet technologies. IEEE Transactions on learning technologies,2(4), 289-294. Shamdasani, P., Mukherjee, A., Malhotra, N. (2008). Antecedents and consequences of service quality in consumer evaluation of self-service internet technologies. The Service ndustries Journal, 28(1), 117-138.

David M. Buss, Ph.D. Essays - Sexual Fidelity, Social Psychology

David M. Buss, Ph.D. His main area of study has been human desires, what people want when they are looking for a husband or wife. To research this, he surveyed over ten thousand people in thirty-seven cultures on six continents. What his findings show is that men tend to choose mates more on physical attractiveness and youth. While women seek men with more financial power. Now this may come as no surprise to us in America, because men here have always wanted women who were more physically attractive, and women have always wanted to marry a rich man, like a doctor or a lawyer. What Buss found out is that it is also similar in other cultures. How a man's wealth is determined may vary, but the man's desirability is the same. From his studies and what he has gathered from past information, he has put together a good theory that explains why we have our preferences for a mate the way we do. It dates back to our ancestors, some of the first humans. The main goal for them was to survive. To do this men wanted to have as many children as they could. Women wanted men who could protect them. For them the man's wealth was measured by his social status, strength, and ability to fight (to protect themselves). From generation to generation these traits were inherited, written deep down in our subconscious. The characteristics men look for in women are: skin tone, symmetry in the face, clear skin (acne can be a pre-indicator of high testosterone levels, which could mean they may have ovarian dysfunction), and a low hip-to-waist ratio. This ratio is the 36-24-36 measurements. This certain hip to waist ratio is a strong indicator that the woman is more fertile, and thus able to have more children. The reason men want younger women as their choice for mates is that because they're younger, once again they can produce more children. Of course now they're not as interested in having a large family, but these standards, throughout history, have never changed. The most beautiful supermodels have these certain measurements. The models who are extremely skinny usually aren't considered as sex symbols. Women today still look for that doctor or lawyer, the kind of guy that will keep them supported financially. They do this because of those subconscious thoughts we inherited from our ancestors - to be able to protect their family. A man with lots of financial power will be able to support a family easily, making the woman's job as a mother easier. People in positions of power, generally men, have people who will do anything to fulfill their desires, just because of their status. A good example is President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Now, not all women are looking to try to date Bill Gates, but you'll find most women do want a guy who has done somewhat well in life. All these things don't mean that men are "sexist pigs," and that women are "gold diggers," it just explains why we do have these tendencies. It also helps to explain relationships as a whole. Women are looking more into a long-term relationship. This would help in raising a successful family. It is also the reason most women will usually forgive a guy for cheating on them once, just as long as they're not falling in love with another girl (or guy). Because if the man was falling in love with someone else, then her perfect family would be wrecked. Men are usually thinking about a short-term relationship. The reason behind this is because back in the days of our ancestors, the male needed to produce many children to keep his family strong. The more women he had to mate with, the more children he could have. Most men aren't thinking about having all those children anymore, but there have been some cases where rich businessmen had sex with many women because they wanted to have children. They needed to prove that they could support all of them. Men tend to become more upset if they realize their mate has been sleeping with someone else, than if their mate is falling in love with someone else. The reasoning behind this is, if a

Essay on An Ideal Trip to the Winter Olympics

Essay on An Ideal Trip to the Winter Olympics Essay on An Ideal Trip to the Winter Olympics An ideal trip would be to somewhere that we could learn about many different cultures and have fun at the same time. The Winter Olympics would be a great place to do just that. With so many things to do and people to see, it would certainly be a very fun and educational trip. There are many events to choose from at the Olympics. From the luge to figure skating there is something for everyone. If we had multiple teachers go with us, each student could pick which event they would like to go to. Maybe one or two students like skiing but another one likes snowboarding, the group could split up and watch an event before meeting again. Since there are many rounds to each sport, we could watch the first half of one event and the second half of another so that we have the opportunity to experience each one. The plan for the trip could be flexible so that everyone is able to enjoy something. In between races and awards ceremonies, we could also learn a great deal about other cultures. There would be many educational benefits in going to the Olympics. We would learn not only about the lifestyle of the country we are in, but also the other countries that participate in the games. We would get a new idea of culture by interacting with visitors from other areas of the world. Along with learning about the character of the country, we could also learn about the geographical details. Before leaving for the trip, the group could study and learn about the location of our destination. Once we arrive, each student could take turns completing tasks that involve interacting with new people. One student might check in at the hotel, the next might order food at the restaurant, and another could catch the group a taxi. We will learn about different countries just by participating in everyday life with the people who live there. The trip could provide us with many long-term

Biography of an Economist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Biography of an Economist - Essay Example Details and specifics of his line of thought are given in the following segment. The text is finally rounded off with conclusions and comments about the scholar that Marshall was. Alfred Marshall was the foremost economist in England of his times. He was fussy at times, which distanced some of his contemporaries. However, the mantle of leading the newly emerging field of economics fell on none other than him. As Wood (2004, p. 220) states, Marshall saw Economics in the light of human behavior which was measurable in terms of money. This was a paradigm shift in the emphasis of the field away from market economics. He was of the opinion that people craved more for perfection and acknowledgement from others rather than for material gains. He gave importance to the standard of life than the standard of living. Towards this end, he felt that the government should guide whereas the employer should lead. Only then would there be an end to the deep-rooted poverty. He followed a deductive method of theorizing based on observation. It could be argued that he tried to boost the image of this discipline in the eyes of the common man by stretching too far the maturity and continuity of Economics. He established the Cambridge School which was succeeded by luminaries like Keynes and Pigou. He used illustrations to teach economic concepts, which was then taken forward worldwide. More than a teacher, he has been immortalized for his works that have enriched and broadened the horizons of Economics. Marshall hailed from London (born in 1824) and showed an inclination for Mathematics in his childhood. He started his higher education in philosophy but ended up in the newly formed discipline viz. Economics. His forte was Political Economy. He married one of his students Mary Paley, with whom he co-authored The Economics of Industry (1879). He was Principal and Professor of Political Economy at Bristol. He shifted to Oxford and later to

Differentiating Instruction and Why It Is Important- Bring it all Essay

Differentiating Instruction and Why It Is Important- Bring it all Together w8 - Essay Example Furthermore, one can also ask the help of the other faculty members in the department who may be knowledgeable of the profile of the students that one will have. Aside from talking with their previous teacher, one can administer a diagnostic pre-test during the start of the class (Carnegie Mellon, n.d.). This activity will be very useful in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the students. Another activity that can be done is to ask the students to make a concept map about a major topic in the course one is teaching (Carnegie Mellon, n.d.). This can provide one with a clear sense of the extent of understanding of the students on the issues that will be discussed. It will help one point out the students’ false impressions and wrong beliefs. One of the challenges posed by the teaching profession is to be able to assess a student’s background knowledge. To be an effective teacher, one must find ways of determining where the students stand at the start of the class. It is only then that one can design a course which will be useful and appreciated by one’s

Under Treatment of Pain in the Elderly Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Under Treatment of Pain in the Elderly - Essay Example Under Treatment of Pain in the Elderly Roy and Thomas (1986) conducted a survey regarding chronic pain in the elderly. They conducted their study on 132 participants who were either residents of the nursing home or were attending hospital programs. They found that 83% of the patients stated that they, most of the time, suffered from pain which mainly was due to damage in connective tissue. 84% of the participants who reported pain were using analgesics and 16% were not receiving any kind of treatment at all. The participants reported that they had been feeling pain for many years. Researchers found that majority of participants reported low levels of pain accompanied with depression, and none of the participants was being treated for depression. According to the researchers, â€Å"there may be an inclination to underestimate the prevalence and intensity of pain in the elderly† (p.513). Bernabei et al. (1998) studied the treatment of pain and pain management in the elderly patients who were suffering from cancer and were admitted in nursing homes. Theirs was a retrospective, cross-sectional study conducted in 1492 nursing homes located in 5 different states. The population size was 13625 and the participants were 65 years and older. They found that among the total population size, 4003 patients were those who reported daily, regular pain 16% of whom were receiving a WHO level 1 drug, 32% were receiving a WHO level 2 drug, and 26% were those who were being treated with morphine only (p.1880). They also found that as the age grew older, the opportunities for pain treatment became fewer so much so that the patients who were over 85 years did not even receive an analgesic dose. Their study concluded that â€Å"Daily pain is prevalent among nursing home residents with cancer and is often untreated, particularly among older and minority patients† (p.1877). Ahmad and Goucke (2002) conducted their research on the treatment of neuropathic pain in the elderly and pain management strategies. Accor ding to them, neuropathic pain is the hardest to identify and manage in the elderly without inflicting any adverse effects on them, and this leads to its undertreatment. They state that it is important to incorporate non-drug pain management options in the treatment process to reduce the adverse effects that medication inflicts on the elderly. These options may include psychotherapies, exercises, improved life style, and environmental modification. According to them, combined strategies and mixed treatments can prove to be more helpful in treating pain in the elderly. Gagliese and Melzack (1997) also support the fact that the older adults usually receive inadequate pain management. They state there can be three reasons for this: â€Å"lack of proper pain assessment; potential risks of pharmacotherapy in the elderly; and, misconceptions regarding both the efficacy of non-pharmacological pain management strategies and the attitudes of the elderly towards such treatments† (p.3). Supporting the fact that pain treatment becomes less likely because the elderly do not express their pain, there is a research by Manfredi et al. (2002) who studied assessment of pain through facial expressions in the elderly suffering from dementia. They evaluated 9 patients who had â€Å"decubitus ulcers associated with reports of pain during dressing changes†

High Performance Work System

High Performance Work System Exploring the Performance Impact of High Performance Work Systems in Professional Service Firms: A practices-Resources-Uses Approach ABSTRACT. In the present study, we develop a practices-resources-uses approach to systematically explain the indirect effect of high performance work systems (HPWS) on firm performance in professional service context. We argue that HPWS result in the creation of human capital, social capital and organizational capital resources. These resources in turn create value for firms when they are effectively explored and exploited. Our analysis of the indirect impact of HPWS on firm performance contributes to the understanding of how and why HPWS affect firm performance by identifying valuable resources and finding out the way to effectively use them in professional service firms (PSFs). We also provide theoretical support for the arguments of the resource-based view of firm (Barney, 1991), the knowledge-based theory of firm (Grant, 1996a, 1996b) and the dynamic capabilities (Teece, Pisano Shuen, 1997) perspectives. Key words: High Performance Work System; Professional Service Firms; Resource-Based View of Firm INTRODUCTION Researchers on strategic human resource management (SHRM) argue for a focus on the bundle of HR practices rather than individual practices, as a primary unit of analysis when examining the impact of HR systems on individual and organizational performance (Huselid, 1995; MacDuffie, 1995). For example, high performance work systems (HPWS) (Datta, Guthrie, Wright, 2005) have been found to positively relate to firms outcomes especially in manufacturing firms, such as financial performance (Guthrie, 2001; Huselid, 1995), employee turnover (Richard Johnson, 2001), firm productivity (Guthrie, 2001), efficiency and flexibility (Evans Davis, 2005), and organizational commitment (Youndt, Snell, Dean Jr, Lepak, 1996). However, the relationship between HPWS and firm performance is indirect and many scholars call for deeper and more theoretical approaches to understand how and why high performance work systems (HPWS) affect firm performance (Bowen Ostroff, 2004; Combs, Liu, Hall, Ketchen, 2006; Delery Shaw, 2001), especially in service organizations (Combs et al., 2006). Based on the existing research, we argue that HPWS results in the creation of human capital (Wright, Dunford, Snell, 2001), social capital (Leana Van Buren III, 1999) and organizational capital resources (Koch McGrath, 1996). Only when these resources are effectively managed and utilized, firms can generate superior profit above that which returns to competitors in perfectly competitive environment (Schultz, 1961), achieve sustainable competitive advantage and create value (Barney Arikan, 2001; Sirmon, Hitt, Ireland, 2007). The causal chain between resource endowment and firm performance is unclear and is in need of theoreti cal explication and empirical investigation (Leana Van Buren III, 1999). Thus, we pursue two research questions: (1) How do HPWS affect firm performance in the professional services context? (2) What are valuable resources and how are they utilized by firms? Guided by the contingency theory, the resource-based view of the firm (RBV) (Barney, 1991), the knowledge-based theory (Anand, Gardner, Morris, 2007; Grant, 1996a, 1996b; Teece, 2003; Winch Schneider, 1993) and dynamic capabilities theory (Teece et al., 1997; Eisenhardt Martin, 2000), we propose a ‘practices-resources-uses performance approach to add insight to our understanding of the value creation-exploitation process in the professional service firm (PSF). The paper is structured as follows. First, we briefly introduce the literature on PSFs and explain why we chose these organisations to conduct our research. We then propose a model that highlights how HPWS affect firm performance. We argue that HPWS affect firm performance through two steps. First, HPWS create firm resources, i.e., human capital, social capital, and organizational capital. And then these resources are exploited to improve firm performance in the short run or are explored to improve firm performance in the longer run. Within the HPWS and firm performance relationship research, our model draws on the â€Å"practices-resources-uses† perspective, and provides important theoretical foundations for understanding how and why HR practices affect firm performance. We then discuss the further implications of the study for practitioners and explore the potential areas for future research. CONTEXT Professional Service Firms (PSFs) are those whose primary assets are a highly educated (professional) workforce and whose outputs are intangible services encoded with complex knowledge (Greenwood, Li, Prakash, Deephouse, 2005). Examples of professional services include accounting, engineering consulting, management consulting and legal services (De Brentani Ragot, 1996). PSFs are knowledge-intensive (Morris, 2001; von Nordenflycht, 2007, 2010) with knowledge encoded in services as outputs (Empson, 2007; Morris Empson, 1998; von Nordenflycht, 2007, 2010). PSFs are different from traditional firms. They primarily exploit intangible assets to produce customized solution for clients (Greenwood et al., 2005; Hitt, Shimizu, Uhlenbruck, Bierman, 2006; Là ¸wendahl, 2005; von Nordenflycht, 2007, 2010). Their human resources constitute the critical asset of the PSFs because they embody expertise and create firm-specific knowledge which can be translated into client solutions. Indeed clien ts may often follow professionals if they change firms (Groysberg Lee, 2009). Because PSFs differ from other firms, to apply theories from other forms of organizations is â€Å"not only inapplicable †¦ but may be dangerously wrong† (Maister, 1993: xvi). Our analysis will represent a good site to examine SHRM because human resources constitute the critical asset and therefore a strong test of the practices-uses-resources model which is what we need to justify. THERETICAL BACKGROUND AND PROPOSITONS Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) Strategic human resource management (SHRM) is defined as â€Å"the pattern of planned human resource deployments and activities intended to enable an organization to achieve its goals† (Wright, McMahan, McWilliams, 1994: 298). Because firm performance stands out as a major organizational goal, many studies have been conducted that examine the linkage between human resources management practices and firm performance (Arthur, 1994; Becker Gerhart, 1996; Datta et al., 2005; Delery Doty, 1996; Guthrie, Flood, Liu, MacCurtain, 2009; Huselid, 1995; MacDuffie, 1995; Richard Johnson, 2001; Terpstra Rozell, 1993; Youndt et al., 1996). The researchers in this field argue that the bundle of HR practices rather than individual practices should be focused as a primary unit of analysis when examining the impact of HR systems on individual and organizational performance (Huselid, 1995; MacDuffie, 1995). Following the above argument, researchers have been encouraged to take a system perspective in examining the performance impact of HRM on relevant organizational outcomes (Wright Boswell, 2002). For example, the study by Youndt et al. (1996) demonstrated that human capital-enhancing HR system was directly related to multiple dimensions of operational performance, i.e., employee productivity, machine efficiency, and customer alignment; the results of Collins and Clark (2003) indicates that the network-building HR practices positively related to the organizational performance, i.e., growth in sales and stock return; the research by Huselid (1995) illustrates a positive relationship between high performance work practices and organizational turnover, productivity and financial performance; the research on high performance work systems (HPWS) conducted by Datta et al. (2005), Guthrie et al. (2009) and Combs et al. (2006) finds that HPWS positively affected firms labour productivity, employee absenteeism and turnover. HPWS include HR practices that are designed to enhance employees skills, commitment, and productivity (Datta et al., 2005). Most previous literature on the relationship between HRM practices and firm performance has looked at the direct relationship. However, many scholars agree that there are probably mediating variables through which HRM practices affect firm performance. As Wright and Gardner (2000:4) write, â€Å"One of the first issues that must be settled in the effort to understand how HR practices impact performance is to theorize the means through which this relationship occurs, in essence specifying the intervening variables between the measure of HR practices and the measure of firm performance.† In the existing research, some scholars found human capital as one of mediators between SHRM and firm performance. Human capital refers to the stock of skills and knowledge embodied in individuals (Becker, 1964; OSullivan Sheffrin, 1998). Guest (1997) argues that SHRM improve employees quality, i.e., skills and abilities. Snell and Dean (1992) also argue that HRM should ideally work to enhance the firms competitive position by creating superior human capital skills, experience and knowledge that contribute to firm economic value. Wright et al. (2001) assert that HPWS might have resulted in the creation of a high quality human capital pool that cannot be easily imitated because of time compression diseconomies (e.g., Mercks RD capability). Becker and Huselid (1996) state that human resource activities are thought to lead to the development of a skilled workforce and one that engages in functional behavior for the firm, thus forming a source of competitive advantage. This results in h igher operating performance, which translates into increased profitability, and consequently results in higher stock prices (or market values). There are also some scholars found that many human resource management practices have a significant role to play in creating social capital. Social capital is a resource which is embedded in the relationship among individuals (Loury, 1977; Coleman, 1988, 1990; Bourdieu; 1985; Burt, 1992; Putnam, 1993; Nahapiet Ghoshal, 1998; Lin, 2001). For example, Wright et al. (2001) argue that HPWS may promote and maintain socially complex relationships characterized by trust, knowledge sharing, and teamwork (e.g., Southwest Airlines unique culture). Youndt, Subramaniam and Snell (2004) state that thoughtful selection of people who ‘fit with the organizations culture, or intensive training programmes that not only socialize incoming employees but also indoctrinate common values among existing employees, may have a strong impact on the social capital of organizations. Leana and van Buren III (1999) introduce the construct of organizational social capital and develop a model that describes i ts components and consequences. They suggest that employment practices strongly affect the level of organizational social capital within a firm. They also describe the potential benefits and costs of organizational social capital for the firm and noted the contingent nature of organizational social capitals relationship with performance. In other words, organizational social capital mediates the HR practices and organizational performance relationship. Evans and Davis (2005) provide a theoretical framework illustrating how the internal social structure of the organization can mediate the relationship between HPWS and organizational performance. The third mediator between SHRM and firm performance is found as organizational capital. Subramaniam and Youndt (2005) and Youndt et al. (2004) define organizational capital as the institutionalized knowledge and codified experience residing within and utilized through databases, patents, manuals, structures, systems, and processes. Wright et al. (2001) argue that HPWS might play a role in creating cultures or mindsets that enable the maintenance of unique competencies. They mention that HR is not limited to its direct effects on employee skills and behavior. HRs effects are more encompassing in that they help weave those skills and behaviors within the broader fabric of organizational processes, systems and, ultimately, competencies. Other strategists who embrace the RBV point out that competitive advantage (vis core competence) comes from aligning skills, motives, and so forth with organizational systems, structures, and processes that achieve capabilities at the organizational lev el (Hamel Prahalad, 1994; Peteraf, 1993; Teece et al., 1997). Koch and McGrath (1996) take a similar logic in their study of the relationship between HR planning, recruitment, and staffing practices and labor productivity. They argue that â€Å"†¦ a highly productive workforce is likely to have attributes that make it a particularly valuable strategic asset,† (p. 335). They suggest firms that develop effective routines for acquiring human assets develop a stock of talent that cannot be easily imitated. The human capital, social capital and organizational capital are defined as three components of intellectual capital. One systematic research conducted by Youndt et al. (2004) find that a relatively small group of superior performing organizations exhibit high levels of human, social, and organizational capital. Most firms, however, tend to focus primarily on only one form of intellectual capital, and a small group of underperforming organizations have very low levels of all three types of intellectual capital. Another research by Subramaniam and Youndt (2005) suggest that an organizations efforts at hiring, training, work design, and other human resource management activities may need to focus not only on shoring up their employees functional or specific technological skills/expertise, but also on developing their abilities to network, collaborate, and share information and knowledge. To summarize, although the relationship between SHRM and firm performance has been found positive, it is indirect. Efficient SHRM could improve employees knowledge, skills, strength the relationships between employees, and also create superior databases, processes and then help firms achieve higher performance. In the following section, we analyse how HPWS create firm resources in PSFs. HPWS and Firm Resources There is a positive relationship between HPWS and firm performance. But how HPWS affect firm performance remains to be understood. The resource-based view of firm (RBV) argues that a firms competitive advantages lie primarily on the application of valuable resources, skills and capabilities that the firm already control (Barney, 1991; Penrose, 1959; Wernerfelt, 1984). The knowledge based theory of firm (Grant, 1996a, 1996b) considers knowledge as the most strategically significant resource of the firm. This knowledge is embedded and carried through multiple entities including individuals, relationships and organizational culture, identity, routines, documents, systems. Guided by the resource-based view of firm (Barney, 1991) and the knowledge-based theory of firm (Grant, 1996a, 1996b), we argue that HPWS affect firm performance by creating valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable, and non-substitutable resources (Barney, 1991), i.e., human capital, social capital, and organizational capital. And these resources can also be understood as the places where knowledge is embedded. Human capital. In PSFs, the human capital is defined as the knowledge and skills of their professionals that can be used to produce high quality professional services (Hitt, Bierman, Shimizu, Kochhar, 2001; Hitt et al., 2006; Pennings, Lee, Van Witteloostuijn, 1998). Human capital plays a strong role as the PSFs key resource in solving client problems (Morris Snell, 2008). Professionals possessing large amounts of experience, education, and training should be able to effectively create ideas on their own in response to the complexities of unique client needs. Their localized experience helps them to understand the needs of local clients and markets, which allows them to develop solutions that are unique to each contextual environment and hence heterogeneous across the firm. Professionals who draw the most upon human capital tend to rely on the experimentation, inspiration, and experience of individuals to solve a problem (Morris Snell, 2008). To build high human capital, PSFs nee d to identify, attract and retain superior professionals, which can be achieved through HR practices such as selection, recruitment and training. HRM should ideally work to enhance the firms competitive position by creating superior human capital skills, experience and knowledge that contribute to firm economic value (Guest, 1997). Thus we propose that HPWS result in the creation of a high quality human capital pool that cannot be easily imitated because of time compression diseconomies, e.g., Mercks RD capability (Wright et al., 2001). For example, the professionals in PSFs gain explicit knowledge through their formal education and tacit knowledge through learning on the job. HR practices are thought to lead to the development of a skilled workforce and one that results in functional behavior for the firm, thus potentially forming a source of competitive advantage (Becker Huselid, 1998). These arguments lead to the following proposition. Proposition 1a: The PSFs human capital mediates the relationship between HPWS and firm performance. Although human capital has many positive benefits, it represents costs to firms as well. For example, PSFs usually try to recruit the best graduates from top institutions. To attract them, firms need to provide compensation which is more than their marginal productivity early in their careers (Hitt et al., 2001). Furthermore, professionals new skills must be developed since they gain tacit knowledge through learning on the job (Bierman Gely, 1994). Although they are learning new skills, they may be less effective at the beginning. The cost for them may exceed their capital (Hitt et al., 2001). These arguments lead to the following proposition. Proposition 1b: There is a curvilinear relationship between the PSFs human capital and firm performance. The relationship is negative early in the professionals tenure but becomes positive. Social capital. Social capital is a resource which is embedded in the relationships among individuals (Loury, 1977; Coleman, 1988; Bourdieu; 1985; Burt, 1992; Putnam, 1993; Nahapiet Ghoshal, 1998; Lin, 2001). It is different from human capital. Social capital is embedded within, available through, and derived from the network of relationships possessed by an individual or social unit (Nahapiet Ghoshal, 1998) while human capital is embedded in individuals head (Becker, 1964; OSullivan Sheffrin, 2003). Social capital plays an important role in PSFs. The firms ability to attract and retain clients depends not only on its competence to provide high quality services produced by the professionals human capital but also on their connections to potential clients (Maister, 1993; Smigel, 1969). Pennings et al. (1998) analysed firm-level and individual-level social capital in PSFs. The firm-level social capital can help PSFs attract potential clients because the potential clients will choose a firm as a service provider on the basis of previous interpersonal relationship with the firms professionals when other things are equal. Within PSFs, the fact is that a set of clients are handled or looked after by an individual professional who is the key person. Their results show that social capital of owners (partners) contributed more to firm survival than those of employees (associates). Pennings et al. (1998)s study produced major evidence for the contention that a firms human and social capital have important implications for performance. The service delivered by PSFs suffers from an â€Å"opaque quality† because of PSFs knowledge intensity (von Nordenflycht, 2010). This refers to situations where the quality of an experts output is hard for non-experts (i.e., customers) to evaluate, even after the output is produced and delivered (Broschak, 2004; Empson, 2001; Levin Tadelis, 2005; Là ¸wendahl, 2000; cited in von Nordenflycht, 2010). In this situation, personal relationships and ambiguity reduction through personal contact take on extra significance. As clients and customers often have problems estimating the value of the product/service offered, establishing close social links between the PSFs and the customer/ client becomes vital (Alvesson, 2001). Other things equal, the potential clients will choose a firm as a service provider on the basis of previous interpersonal relationship with the firms professionals (Pennings et al., 1998). In addition, PSFs typically make investments in relationships with clients and make efforts to generate social attachment (Fichman Levinthal, 1991). Some research also demonstrates that social capital mediates the HR practices and firm performance relationship. For example, Youndt et al. (2004) state that thoughtful selection of people who ‘fit with the organizations culture, or intensive training programmes that not only socialize incoming employees but also indoctrinate common values among existing employees, may have a strong impact on the social capital of organizations. Collins and Smith (2006)s found that commitment-based HR practices were indirectly related to firm financial performance through their effects on organizational social climate and knowledge exchange and combination; Thus, HPWS improve the internal social structure within organizations, that facilitates communication and cooperation among employees (Evans Davis, 2005) which in turn has been found to be linked to organizational performance. These arguments lead to the following proposition. Proposition 1c: The PSFs social capital mediates the relationship between HPWS and firm performance. Organizational capital. Organizational capital is defined as the institutionalized knowledge and codified experience residing within an organization and utilized through databases, patents, manuals, structures, systems, and processes (Youndt et al., 2004; Subramaniam Youndt 2005). The organizational routines and processes which embody organizational knowledge are a source of organizational competitive advantage (Teece, 2000) In PSFs, organizational process of the typical professional service firm (PSF) is highly institutionalized because of the knowledge-based nature of the work and ultimately, in the historical evolution of relatively autonomous professions (Freidson, 1986; Greenwood, Hinings, Brown, 1990; cited in Morris, Gardner, Anand, 2007). The organizational routine of PSF is informal work understandings and practices built up by colleagues as they collaborate over time, like an accumulated short hand of work (Morris, 2000: 822). Morris and Snell (2008) emphasize the importance of organizational capital for PSFs. They state that organizations tend to draw on organizational capital for many aspects of learning, including knowledge creation, sharing, and integration, but this resource may provide more value for specific types of learning. Based on the basis of previous literature and their own experience with PSFs, organizational capital is most likely to create more value when individuals in the organization are trying to integrate knowledge. In terms of integration, then, organizational capital helps to create value through the implementation and reuse of knowledge across affiliates, which allows professionals to deliver solutions more efficiently to clients. Besides facilitating knowledge integration, organizational capital also shapes professionals image and identity (Empson, 2001) which plays an important role in attracting new clients. Many scholars have found that SHRM improve organizational capital. For example, Wright et al. (2001) argued that HPWS might play a role in creating cultures or mindsets that enable the maintenance of unique competencies (e.g., the safety record of DuPont). The HR is not limited to its direct effects on employee skills and behavior. HRs effects are more encompassing in that they help weave those skills and behaviors within the broader fabric of organizational processes, systems and, ultimately, competencies. Other strategists who embrace the RBV point out that competitive advantage (vis core competence) comes from aligning skills, motives, and so forth with organizational systems, structures, and processes that achieve capabilities at the organizational level (Hamel Prahalad, 1994; Peteraf, 1993; Teece et al., 1997). Koch and McGrath (1996) took a similar logic in their study of the relationship between HR planning, recruitment, and staffing practices and labor productivity. They arg ued that â€Å"†¦ a highly productive workforce is likely to have attributes that make it a particularly valuable strategic asset,† (p. 335). They suggested that firms which developed effective routines for acquiring human assets develop a stock of talent that cannot be easily imitated. They also found that these HR practices were related to labor productivity in a sample of business units, and that this relationship was stronger in capital intensive organizations. These arguments lead to the following proposition. Proposition 1d: The PSFs organizational capital mediates the relationship between HPWS and firm performance. The Uses of Firm Resources The resource-based view of firm (RBV) and knowledge-based theory of firm contribute to identifying the existing resources that have the potential to constitute a source of sustainable competitive advantage (Hitt et al., 2006). However, merely possessing such resources does not guarantee the development of competitive advantages or the creation of value (Barney Arikan, 2001; Priem Butler, 2001; cited in Sirmon et al., 2007). These valuable resources must be effectively managed and utilized to achieve superior profit (Schultz, 1961) and a competitive advantage (Barney Arikan, 2001; Sirmon et al., 2007). The emphasis on the use of resources is consistent with the dynamic capabilities perspective (Teece et al., 1997) which includes considerations such as how resources are developed, how they are integrated within the firm and how they are released. Using these resources is the same as using the knowledge which is embedded in the individuals, the relationships and the organizational processes, routines, databases, and systems. There are two streams or approaches of research on using these knowledge or resources (Hargadon Fanelli, 2002). One focuses on how to reuse or replicate existing knowledge, i.e., exploitation (Levitt March, 1988). The other one focuses on how to generate new knowledge, i.e., exploration (March, 1991; Kogut Zander, 1992). The effective use of resources may help a PSF balance the effective exploitation of existing resources with exploration of knowledge to create new capabilities. The following matrix shows how PSFs create value by exploiting and exploring existing resources. The matrix shows that the exploration of resources in PSFs is to deliver new products or service to new clients and to deliver new products or service to old clients. It also shows that the exploitation of resources in PSFs is to deliver existing services or products to the existing clients or new clients as there is no new knowledge/capability required. The exploration process needs to explore the human capital to invent new products or services and the social capital to attract new clients and new business and the organic organizational capital (Kang Snell, 2009) that facilitate this delivery. The exploitation process needs to reuse or refine the existing products or services and existing clients, which requires the standardized organizational capital (Kang Snell, 2009) to facilitate this delivery. To illustrate exploration and exploitation more detail, four capabilities of PSFs are identified to effectively exploit existing resources with exploration of knowledge to create new capabilities. They are managing teams, leveraging knowledge, combining and exchanging knowledge, and sensing the changes in the external environment capabilities. Managing teams. In professional service firms, most of work is project or program-oriented, serving the needs of the external customers. It requires several professionals work together, and frequently involves client contact, often through co-location at a clients place of business. Then team forms the basic unit of work in the professional service firm. Generally, a team consists of partners and associates. The dynamic global economic environment accelerates PSFs work speed. Usually the customers assignments are much more compressed in term of time (Morris, Gardner, Anand, 2007). Therefore, to successful serving clients, the team management is vital. Teece (2003) provides a lot emphasis on the coordinating tasks, managing conflict, communicating and cooperating within the team in team management. As with the traditional firm, coordination must be achieved, and conflict must be managed. In the professional services context, raw conflict can lead to mass defections and the destruction of enterprise value, even more assuredly than in an industrial company setting. So conflict management is likely to be especially significant with an expert services context because experts are likely to not only have strong preferences, but are also likely to be self-confident, possibly egotistical, and possibly lacking in good business sense while already having some degree of established financial success (Teece, 2003: 897). The most critical communication in a professional service context is frequently peer-to-peer. Partners (senior talent) frequently need to access other senior talent in order to meet client needs (Teece, 2003: 903). Leveraging knowledge. Leveraging knowledge, that is the transfer of know-how from seniors to juniors in client assignments, sustains the basic division of labor in the professional firm and also underpins its profitability (Hitt et al., 2001; Malos Campion, 2000). All professional firms compete by leveraging knowledge and partners reputation (Greenwood et al., 2005). In PSFs, partners own the most human capital and social capital in a firm. To meet clients demands, partners need to select other professionals to form a team to possess the appropriate skills, experience and training. In this way, the partners knowledge and capabilities are leveraged. Meanwhile, the junior professionals, or associates also acquire intangible knowledge during the long apprenticeship they serve with their senior colleagues before being assessed for a partnership position. Leverage ratios are measured by total number of associates divided by the total number of partners (Hitt, et al., 2001; Phillips, 2001). High leverage ratios are commensurate with highly codified knowledge packages and standardized tools and methodologies which can routinely be applied by junior associates. Lower leverage is associated with experience or expertise models in which knowledge is less routinized and the firm seeks more complex projects in which there is a premium on the experience or special expertise of more senior staff (Maister 1993; Hansen, Nohria, Tierney, 1999). Effective leveraging creates dynamic capabilities whereby the firm is able to renew, augment, and adapt its current capabilities to serve continuously changing and new client needs (Teece et al.. 1997; Tripsas, 1997; cited in Hitt et al., 2001). Hitt et al. (2001) also find the empirical support for the positive relationship between leveraging and firm performance in professional service context. Combining and exchanging knowledge capability

The King Must Die: Is Theseus To Perfect To Be A Human Being? Essay

The King Must Die: Is Theseus to Perfect to be a Human Being?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To be considered a human being one must be subject to or indicative of the weakness, imperfections, and fragility associated with human beings. This definition separates us from any lower being, or for this book's concern separates us from any higher being. Theseus had endured a life that during some times showed to be like that of any human. Yet, there were numerous occasions that proved Theseus to be not of human flesh and blood, but that of a god.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most compelling event of the book, in my mind, that would define Theseus to be more than a human being took place under the strength of the Isthmus' current between Athens and Troizen. Theseus was losing strength and falling deeper into his coffin. Theseus had not sooner lost the struggle against the angry current as Poseidon lifted his body, in an invisible form, and carried him to shore safely. Theseus had been looking for a sign from a god. He had been looking for one all his life. When he was old enough his mother told him that he could have been born of a Greek god. Voluntarily or not, his life would become a search for the truth. This sign proved him to be more than human.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A hard challenge was brought onto to a younger Theseus' shoulders when he worked under his grandfather at the tender age of eight. Theseus was to teach the inner workings of his job that was soon ...

Hydrological Ecosystem Services Modelling

Hydrologic theoretical accounts are necessary to interpret climatic forcing ( rainfall and temperature ) to lake rainfall, vaporization, and watershed influx. It is defined by Maidment ( 2000 ) as â€Å"a mathematical representation of the flow of H2O and its constituents on some portion of the land surface or subsurface environment† . There are different tools for Water Resource Management characterised as: a ) Hydrologic Models ( physical procedures ) that simulate river basin hydrologic processes ( H2O balance, rainfall-runoff, lake simulation, watercourse H2O quality theoretical accounts, etc. ) and b ) Water Resource Models ( physical and direction ) that simulate current and future supply/demand of system, runing regulations and policies, environmental impacts, hydroelectric production and Decision Support Systems ( DSS ) for policy interaction. Hydrological theoretical accounts are usually designed for stationary conditions, but they are used under conditions of alterat ion in clime alteration surveies ( Xu et al. , 2005 ) . To measure the variableness of surface H2O and groundwater resources over selected Iberian river basins several different plans can be used. Modelling is now a common tool in the field of hydrological research, and a rapid development of computational power, the ability to pattern the natural H2O rhythm has progressed tremendously over the recent decennaries. Considerable attempt has been expended on developing improved catchment hydrological theoretical accounts for gauging the effects of clime alteration ( Arnell and Liu, 2001 ) . Many new techniques and methodological analysiss have been raised to ease the river basin research. For illustration, the usage of GIS, remote feeling techniques, rainfall-runoff modeling, assorted patterning appraisals, H2O quality appraisals, river basin hydrology and so on. A quantitative analysis of river discharge is the base for all other fluxes researches like foods or H2O eroding modeling. However, the methodological analysis of quantitative analy sis or discharge modeling is really different from part to part. Although the construct of the hydrologic rhythm is simple, the phenomena are tremendously complex and intricate. The hydrological theoretical accounts are developed to analyze the future impacts of clime and socio-economic alterations on catchment hydrology and hence, the standardization and proof of the preexisting regionalised attacks demands to be carried over a sufficiently broad scope of catchment conditions such that the attack stays within or shut to the standardization scope. Water flat fluctuations during extremum flow season and H2O deficit or dry periods creates more informations uncertainness. Of major concern is the decrease in low flows and lowered groundwater degrees, which might take to H2O deficits, particularly during summer periods ( Arnell and Liu, 2001 ) . Normally low flow rivers are ignored by the establishments to enter river flow and put in adequate gauging Stationss in the water parting. However in the absence of perfect cognition, they may be represented in a simplified manner by agencies of the systems construct. Water allotment modeling has received considerable attending in the recent yesteryear by the scientific community for the analysis of H2O utilizations by all viing sectors. For illustration, an economic theoretical account is developed by Bielsa and Duarte ( 2001 ) for apportioning H2O between two viing sectors, irrigation and hydropower in NE Spain. Babel et al. , ( 2005 ) developed a simple synergistic incorporate H2O allotment theoretical account ( IWAM ) , which can help the contrivers and determination shapers in optimum allotment of limited H2O from a storage reservoir to different user sectors, sing socio-economic, environmental and proficient aspects.Water allotment mold is sort of a river basin direction determination support system ( DSS ) designed as a computer-aided tool for developing improved basin broad planning. Analysis is carried out for H2O balance of the river basins under different degrees of H2O users and determines the H2O allotment in the basin. 2.3 Ecosystem services patterning Hydrological procedures have been identified as presenting ecosystem services that are cardinal to both human wellbeing and the care of biodiversity. However, patterning the connexions between landscape alterations and hydrologic procedures is non simple. Sophisticated theoretical accounts of these connexions and associated procedures ( such as the WEAP theoretical account ) are resource and informations intensive and require significant expertness. Freshwater ecosystems provide society with the indispensable services of H2O supply for its nutriment, economic activity, and diversion, every bit good as home ground for its fresh water piscary. The WaterGAP theoretical account, used by Alcamo et Al. ( 2003a, 2003b ) to quantify freshwater-related ecosystem services, computes H2O handiness on a grid and river basin graduated table by taking into history precipitation/snowmelt, vaporization, groundwater storage and overflow. The theoretical account estimates future H2O backdowns harmonizing to alterations in income, population, and electricity demand. Other similar tools include Advanced Terrestrial Ecosystem Analysis and Modelling ( ATEAM ) , ( Schroter et al. , 2005 ) , Artificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services ( ARIES ) ( Bagstad et al. , 2011 ; Villa et al. , 2011 ) , EcoAIM, Eco Metrix, Ecosystem Services Review ( ESR ) , LUCI ( Jackson et al. , 2013 ) , ES Value, and Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs ( InVEST ) . Ecosystem services theoretical account, Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Tradeoffs ( InVEST ) developed by Natural Capital Project, theoretical accounts for quantifying, function, and valuing the benefits provided by tellurian, fresh water and marine systems. InVEST is designed to inform determinations about natural resource direction. Decision-makers, from authoritiess to non-profits to corporations, frequently manage lands and Waterss for multiple utilizations and necessarily must measure tradeoffs among these utilizations ; InVEST’s multi-service, modular design provides an effectual tool for measuring these tradeoffs ( InVEST user guide, 2.4.4, 2012 ) . Models are needed to expect ecosystem prostrations so that policies can be developed to avoid or accommodate to these prostrations. The MA’s Conditions and Trends Report ( 2005 ) besides points out the demand for â€Å"both conceptual and quantitative theoretical accounts that can get down to give both scientific and policy communities advance warning of when the capacity of systems is get downing to be eroded, or thresholds likely to be reached.† Soil eroding is one of the biggest jobs in connexion with agricultural patterns in many parts of the universe. It is required to develop a streamlined procedure in which dirt loss appraisal and the measure of transported deposit are calculated to place possible bad countries of dirt eroding. Erosion and deposit are natural procedures that contribute to healthy ecosystems, but excessively much may hold terrible effects. The magnitude of sediment conveyance in a water parting is determined by several factors. Natural fluctuation in dirt belongingss, precipitation forms, and incline create forms of eroding and deposit overflow. Vegetation holds dirt in topographic point and gaining controls sediment traveling overland. The Sediment Retention theoretical account provides the user with a tool for ciphering the mean one-year dirt loss from each package of land, finding how much of that dirt may get at a peculiar point of involvement, gauging the ability of each package to retain deposit, a nd measuring the cost of taking the accrued deposit. 2.4 Decision devising tools Decision Support Systems ( DSS ) are considered the best tool for nearing an incorporate analysis of H2O direction. Such systems apply ground similar to that of a human being, who is the expert in the topic ( Stevens, 1984 ) . These systems are provided with informations from many diverse beginnings of information, including experimental consequences, field study informations, and even those obtained from traditional theoretical accounts. Current tools range from simple dispersed sheet theoretical account to complex package bundles. If they are flexible plenty for usage in diverse determination contexts and can be affordably applied, they could moderately be incorporated into public and private-sector environmental determination doing on a everyday footing ( Bagstad et al. , 2013 ) . However, the development of decision-support tools that integrate ecology, economic sciences, and geographics to back up determination devising is a more recent phenomenon ( Ruhl et al. , 2007 ; Daily et al. , 2009 ) . Furthermore, there are besides several commercial package bundles, specifically designed for each type of DSS. DSSs can be either stochastic or deterministic, depending on whether or non they deal with procedures incorporating a grade of uncertainness. Stakeholders’ penchants could bring forth utile information in prioritizing and developing better H2O resource direction programs and besides avoid maximal struggles. The Analytic Hierarchy Process ( AHP ) is a process for depicting elements of a job hierarchically. AHP was used to work out the multi-criteria decision-making job of alternate H2O supply for Francoli river basin. The job is divided into smaller parts and the process guides determination shapers through a series of pair-wise comparing that gives the comparative importance of the elements in the hierarchy. Decision support systems are non merely of import but besides rather complex and is in demand of systems that facilitate more consistent and effectual strategic determinations.

7 Interview Secrets for Introverts

7 Interview Secrets for Introverts Raise your hand if you’ve gone to an interview, and been so nervous about the whole thing that afterward, you couldn’t remember half of what happened. (Raises hand.) Now raise your hand if that’s happened multiple times, because anxiety. (Hand still raised.) Interviewing can be really tough if you’re not a natural extrovert. Meeting new people, having to be â€Å"on† at all times, trying to negotiate the interaction†¦it can be exhausting. And more importantly, it can undermine your job search, even when you know you’re qualified, and have an A+ resume. Nerves or pauses can come off as seeming unprepared, which is the last thing you want.The way to get around this, and seem like you put yourself out there all the time, no big deal, is to develop coping mechanisms that will have you schmoozing like someone who does it all the time. That being said, here are 7 interview secrets for introverts.1. Chill- it’s just a conversation.It can be very daunting to walk into an interview. It’s just so formal. The handshake, the eye contact, all of it. Instead, remember that this is literally a conversation between two (or more) people, at heart. You already have an â€Å"in,† so it’s not like you have to start from scratch with conversation topics. Always remember that even though the stakes are higher than your average chat over coffee, you’re talking to regular people, not CIA interrogators.2. Show off those listening skills.One of the best social skills that many introverts have is the ability to listen carefully and zero in on the heart of the issue- one of the most beneficial skills to bring into an interview. Even if you’re used to being the one who hangs back in conversation, that’s something you can use to your advantage in a job interview. A customized answer to a complicated question can give you an edge of someone who’s in extrovert interview mode, and working fro m a set of personal talking points.3. Bring notes.Personally, one of my biggest interview challenges is feeling like I’m rambling or forgetting crucial information in the moment. Notes can help with that. Unless the interview is bizarrely like the SATs, where notes and calculators are not allowed, it’s not likely any interviewer would object to you having a notebook in front of you. That way, if you start to feel nervous or like you’re having trouble thinking on your feet, you have your prep notes right there for reference. However, be careful not to lean on these too much- you want to maintain the eye contact and conversational flow.4. Anticipate small talk.It’s going to happen. After the initial offer of water or coffee, there will always be some small talk. If that’s not your strong suit, think of a few topics ahead of time: the weather (clichà © but it works), the commute, that awesome painting in the lobby. Honestly, this will be the easiest part of the interview, so it’s not worth stressing about whether you’ll have anything in common with the interviewer.Be prepared to have a few casual minutes of talking about things that aren’t directly related to the job at hand. Also be prepared to think on your feet. For example, if you’re in someone’s office and see a Yankees cap, it’s a good chance to comment on their World Series chances this year.5. Realize you’re there to brag.If you struggle with being the center of attention, find ways to couch your accomplishments as part of your current company’s growth/positive outcomes, or focus on things you’ve been praised for in the past. It can be easier to illustrate your awesomeness than to come out and say, â€Å"I’m awesome.† It’s also good to focus on things that make you genuinely excited about your job- if you light up when you talk about something, that’s an easy win and engages the i nterviewer.6. Practice, practice, practice.Know the job description cold. Know ahead of time what questions you have about the job or company. Know what you want to to emphasize in your own history and experience. Then, once you have those in mind, practice answering questions about all of them. The more familiar you are with the lines of the conversation ahead of time, the easier it will be to deal with them when you’re in an unfamiliar space with unfamiliar faces.7. Use the thank you email to your advantage.If you did fumble something or let nerves get the better of you in part of the interview, the follow-up note can help you clarify a bungled point. If you’re better in writing than chatting in person, a coherent and charming thank you note can help shore up the final impression.The job interview as we know it is not suited super-well to those of us with introvert tendencies- but that doesn’t mean you have to accept that. You don’t need to become a soc ial butterfly overnight, but having a set of strategies in you pocket can really help you compete with people who take to the format much more naturally.

Definition of Clostridium Difficile Bacterium

Definition of Clostridium Difficile Bacterium Clostridium difficile is a bacterium that causes colitis and antibiotic-associated diarrhea among patients. The prevalence of Clostridium difficile infection has increased in the past decade not only in the general population, but also among hospitalized-patients. This means that Clostridium difficile infection is a nosocomial infection that threatens the lives of patients in hospital settings.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Definition of Clostridium Difficile Bacterium specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Forster, Taljaard, Oake, Wilson, Roth, and Walraven (2010) state that Clostridium difficile infection lengthens the duration of patients’ stay in hospitals, and consequently increases their morbidity and mortality rates. In this view, the increase of Clostridium difficile infection in our unit requires the application of effective measures to control the infection from causing preventable morbidity and mortalit y. To understand ways of preventing Clostridium difficile infection, it is imperative to comprehend its etiology. Clostridium difficile infection is caused by a gram-positive bacterium, which grows under anaerobic conditions and reproduces by forming spores. The common route of infection among humans is fecal-oral route because infected individuals release spores through feces, while uninfected individuals acquire infections by swallowing spores. Since these spores are resistant to acid, heat, and antibiotics, it is difficult to control the infection of Clostridium difficile. According to Martinez, Leffler, and Kelly (2012), the spores of Clostridium difficile can remain infectious for months on surfaces such as hands and clothing of caregivers, patient bedding, medical equipment, and furniture amongst other surfaces in a hospital environment. When an individual swallows spores obtained from various surfaces, the spores hatch and proliferate in the intestines and produce enterotoxin s, which cause diarrhea and colitis. To prevent Clostridium difficile infection in the hospital environment, you should exercise contact precautions. You should wear gloves when handling patients with Clostridium difficile infection, and wash your hands before and after handling any patient. Hand washing is an effective contact precaution that helps in preventing the spread of spores from your hands to patients. You should wash your hands with soap and water every time you meet a patient. Hand washing with soap and water is effective in prevention of Clostridium difficile infection because it eliminates spores from hands, and thus prevents the spread of spores from one patient to another (Martinez, Leffler, and Kelly, 2012). In this view, you should wash your hands routinely with water and soap, so that you do not become an agent of Clostridium difficile infection.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% O FF Learn More Given that spores of Clostridium difficile remain infectious on surfaces even after many months, you should handle bed linens using gloves. Moreover, you should transport bed linens in a closed container to prevent the spores from spreading into other surfaces in a hospital environment. Dubberke (2010) argues that cross-contamination of bed linens by Clostridium difficile spores occurs during laundering. This implies that you should isolate bed linens of patients with Clostridium difficile infection and wash them separately to prevent the spores from spreading to other linens that do not have spores. Hence, you should handle and transport bed linens while taking precaution not spread the spores that are in them. Isolation precaution is also applicable in the prevention of Clostridium difficile infection in the hospital. When a patient is diagnosed with Clostridium difficile, you should isolate the patient by placing him/her in a separate room to prevent the spores of Clostridium difficile infection that are present in bedding and other surfaces from spreading to all patients in a unit. According to Martinez, Leffler, and Kelly (2012), the isolation precaution is central in the prevention of Clostridium difficile infection as it restricts the spread of spores. Thus, you should isolate patients with Clostridium difficile infection while they receive appropriate treatment. References Dubberke, E. (2010). Prevention of Healthcare-Associated Clostridium difficile: What Works? Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 30(1), 38-41. Forster, A., Taljaard, M., Oake, N., Wilson, K., Roth, V., Walraven, C. (2010). The Effect of Hospital-Acquired Infection with Clostridium difficile on Length of Stay in Hospital. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 184(1), 37-42. Martinez, F., Leffler, D., Kelly, C. (2012). Clostridium difficile outbreaks: Prevention and Treatment Strategies. Risk Management and Health Policy, 5(1), 55-64.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Definition of Clostridium Difficile Bacterium specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More

Management Research Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Management Research - Assignment Example The managers of CCL cannot retain quality employees. The company has spent a tremendous amount of money on recruiting, hiring, and training. However, its turnover right is high. It does not provide retail products but creates and manages websites for its clients. The company rents a very large building with plenty of parking space in order to accommodate its staff members. Additional costs such as insurance, overhead, utilities, office equipment and supplies, security, etc. the costs of training, management, and many more too numerous to list kept their budget extremely high. Originally, the owners planed to serve only clients within the nation. However, customers are from around the world. But as business grew, the clientele came from various countries and the typical "9 to 5" office hours staff can no longer meet the needs of a global market as time zones varies, language and cultural barriers exist, and business procedures differ. Natural disasters (earthquakes, weather conditions , hurricanes) and manmade disasters (crimes, fires, etc.) around the world can also affect the operation of a business that has gone global. World Trends & Forecasts (1996, 2002) states "survey gave a strong boost to telecommuting when it found that e-mail traffic during the blizzard remained within fairly normal bounds," and quotes Sears, S. (1996), "The unchanged Management Research 3 volume of e-mail indicates that there was no loss in productivity, despite workers' inability to travel to their work sites." A solution to the problems of CCL Corporation is telecommuting. Telecommuting is defined by WordReference.com (2006) as, "employment at home while communicating with the workplace by phone or fax or modem." Telecommuting is bringing the work environment to the worker's home which will help alleviate some of the problems that worker's face such as the cost of car maintenance, gas prices, and the rush to make it to work in time during heavy traffic. It also solves problems for companies such as high unemployment rate in distant locations and finding quality employees. Crandall and Longge (2005) quote Tietze (2002), "For many employees work can be conducted almost anywhere: at home, in the hotel, at the local coffee bar, and even from an automobile. The space-time dimension, which requires that work be performed at the office at a certain time, no longer applies to many jobs". The TMA Group (n.d.) states, "Telecommunications technology moves information via electromagnetic waves and pul ses of light, whereas transportation moves people and goods in vehicles." Harpaz (2002) is quoted by Crandall and Longge (2005), "Many telecommuters feel they have less pressure and are more productive when they work at home. They also see substantial benefits, such as the ability to balance work and family life, increased quality of social life, more flexible working hours, and improved time management. The satisfaction of the work benefits telecommuters as well as the organization. Telecommuting may allow individuals to work in their desired profession, and the possibility of working for a number of employers simultaneously may for some offer additional

I don't have a topic, but I have the prompt. You can think out a topic Essay - 1

I don't have a topic, but I have the prompt. You can think out a topic from the prompt - Essay Example Certainly, Negro movement was a result of the many critical events surrounding the African American experiences in U.S, including the slavery period, the Great exodus of Africans from the south in the Harlem Renaissance era and the later influences of the World War I African American soldiers To help advance their goals, African Americans arriving in the north created or joined new social organization. For instance, the benevolent societies and black churches established in the north which offered support to new arrivals. In Chicago, Phyllis Wheately Home offered young women a safer stay while searching for job opportunities. The Chicago branch of national urban League which was established in 1916 offered similar help to all new comers from the south. Additionally, long established churches of Chicago eased the movement from the rural south to the urban north. For instance, Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest in Chicago, grew its membership significantly as it received new black people from the south. Another church that notably supported the black transition is the Olivet Baptist church whose members are reported as meeting the new arrivals at the railway station carry their belongings and help them settle in their new homes. The above mentions organizations served primarily in helping new arrivals settle in the north (Pg 497-498). Their arrival was not without its share of challenges both from the already established blacks and the whites. These problems ranged from struggles for resources due to the ever bulging population and even differences in lifestyle. For example, the new arrivals from the south were not readily accepted in the unions, particularly those affiliated to the American federation of labor. However, the most serious tension was that experienced between the whites and blacks, particularly on the housing issue. Here, the Chicago south population is said to have tripped, between 1910 and

Self Interest Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Self Interest - Coursework Example Ethics is a moral conduct that is good, fair, just, and admirable in the society. It brings out a clean air of behaviour and aims at showing ones dignity while interacting with fellow human beings. Morality always triumphs over selfishness, without morality social life would be nearly impossible. Naturally, people would be brutal, unjust, and selfish. Religion contributes to morality, because about 60% of individuals believe in a certain religion (MacKinnon and Fiala, 2015). Theologically, people care of what will happen in their afterlife. For many religions, an afterlife involves a person been rewarded or punished for what they have done. â€Å"Do to others what you would have them do to unto you† is a golden rule with a religious birth, which has been cemented in most people’s minds since childhood. Religion exists as a factor of unity in the society. Confucius in the ancient china was vocal in establishing a â€Å"gentleman’s code† to avoid social diso rder in China. The comfort or wrath of after life is based on the moral conduct of people’s behaviour while on earth. This regulates the conduct of people and motivates them to help others. Arguably, it is much better for people to follow rules. In the state of nature, according to social contract theory by Hobbes, it was brutal, lawless, unjust and short. The absence of rules was the cause. Inherently, man desires law and security. The need for self-preservation and protection of property prompts man to surrender their rights voluntarily.

High School and Local Elementary School Essay Example for Free

High School and Local Elementary School Essay It feels like just yesterday I was in high school, without cares just making my portfolio. Now, it’s been a couple years since college and I’m trying to adjust to married life. It’s been about a year or so since I got hitched. I’m getting ready to have my first child, Winter. I hope to have another in a few years. I currently teach fifth grade in a local elementary school. It’s an okay job, the pay is alright it will get me through my bills, after a few more years I should be getting a raise. I talk to my parents a lot now, they are very important to me. My husband and I are trying to decide how to raise our child. I believe the most important value my parents taught me was to always be polite to people because you never know who is watching. I hope my child grows up learning that. I am very in love with my husband, we met at school and we had an instant connection. Both my grandmother and grandfather have died, it was very tough but time heals all wounds. My husband and I live in a little house but we are looking to relocate to somewhere a little bigger, for the children. We go to the Catholic church every sunday and are very involved in church life. My hope for the future is that I raise my kids to be fabulous people and never give up. The three most important things that have happened since high school would be, graduating college, getting married, and now having my child. What I miss most about the â€Å"good old days† is just being able to horse around without having to care about bills and work. When I die, I hope everyone remembers me as a nice person who tried her best to do well.

E-business strategy

E-business strategy 1. Management Summary 2. Introduction Tesco is Britains largest food retailer, employing over 240,000 people worldwide and has net yearly profits of over  £1 billion. Its website is one of the most popular in the UK, with over one million registered users. [free-encyclopedia-online] Tesco started in 1919 when Jack Cohen started selling surplus groceries from a stall in the East End of London. The Tesco brand first appeared five years later in 1924 he bought a shipment of tea from a Mr T. E Stockwell. The initials and letters were combined to form Tes-co and in 1929 Mr Cohen opened the flagship Tesco store in Burnt Oak, North London. The brand sustained its rise in the 1930s when Mr Cohen established a headquarters and warehouse in North London and in 1932 Tesco became a private limited company. In the 1950s the retailer bought 70 Williams stores and 200 Harrow stores, followed by 97 Charles Philips stores and the Victor Value chain in the early 1960s. In 1968 Tesco opened its first superstore in Crawley, West Sussex. Supermarkets revolutionised the way people shopped and by the 1970s Tesco was building a national store network to cover the whole of the UK, which it continues to expand to this day, while also diversifying into other products. In 1974 Tesco opened its first petrol stations, and would become the UKs largest independent petrol retailer. By 1979 total sales topped  £1bn, and by 1982 sales had doubled to more than  £2bn. In 1987 Tesco effectively completed a hostile takeover of supermarket opponent Hillards for  £220m. In the 1990s Tesco continued to tighten its grip on the UK with more store openings and an aggressive marketing campaign in an attempt to surpass Sainsburys as the UKs leading grocer. In 1992, the company launched is slogan every little helps, followed by the Tesco Value range in 1993. This was followed by the launch of the Tesco Clubcard scheme in 1995, helping Tesco to overtake rival Sainsburys as the UKs largest food retailer. 1996 saw the retailer introduce its first 24-hour store while it also expanded overseas opening shops in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Tesco.com was launched in 2000 and the supermarket continued to expand its range of products, which now includes clothes, electrical and personal finance products. In 2004 Tesco entered the broadband market. In 2006, the retailer announced ambitious plans to open stores in the US under the name Fresh and Easy and funded by existing resources. Tesco now operates in 13 countries. Group sales were  £51.8bn in the year to February 23 2008. In 2008 the retail giant took its conquest of the UK one step further by buying up some competitor Somerfield stores on distant islands in Scotland, giving Tesco a existence in every single postcode area in the country. More than 50p in every pound spent on food by the citys 66,000 residents is done so at a Tesco checkout and similar dominance in other towns has sparked controversy. Because of their size, supermarkets have been accused by some of abusing their position by forcing smaller local shops out of business. Clark, T, (2008) Below figure 2.1 shows a graph of Tescos profit over a five year period from 2003 to 2008. Figure 2.2Graph showing the improvement of Tescos product range Grocery home shopping service, toys electronics, sports equipment, cookware home finishing Financial services (Visa card, saving accounts, banks, insurance) Gas filling station Gasoline retailer Clothing, household Food 1919 1960 1990 199   1997 2000 Year 3. Situation Analysis In crafting a strategy it is important for a company to analyse the environment. All organisations operate within an environment that influences the way in which business is conducted. Situation analysis involves the review of the internal resources and processes of the company to assess its e-business capabilities and results to date in the context of a review of its activity in the market place. It also involves the review of the immediate competitive environment or micro-environment and the review of the wider environment or macro-environment in which a company operates. The micro-environment includes customer demand and behaviour, competitor activity, marketplace structure and relationships with suppliers, partners and intermediaries. The macro-environment includes economic development and regulation by governments in the form of law and taxes together with social and ethical constraints such as the demand for privacy. Chaffey (2009) 3.1. Present Position Analysis In this section the factors that impact Tescos strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats will be looked at. Figure 3.1 presents the factors that impact the SWOT analysis of Tesco. Strengths Advertising and marketing Strong customer base Product range Services offered International entrance Location Sale increase Brand name External economies of scale Product quality Cost reduction Weaknesses Transport cost Dependence on the UK grocery market Market dominated by another company Opportunities Online market Growth Product expansion Threats Tax increase Innovation of other companies Customer preference Internet security Tescos success in the market stands firm due to their product range which allows customers to choose products from different market segments. With this strategy Tesco establishment a strong customer base. They also kept and grew their customer base by introducing new services within the organisation and by way of their advertising both in store and online. They introduced a clubcard that encouraged and continues to encourage customers to shop online with rewards. To keep their customer base strong they use different advertising and marketing methods such as sending customers mails using effective mediums which include both direct mail and electronic mail. Advertising is can be done in store and is even more effective using the online medium such as advertising on Google or sites that are used regularly by general web browsers. Services such as insurance, visa cards, saving accounts, music downloads and gas filling stations where some of the services introduced by Tesco. The products and services offered by Tesco meets or at times exceed the expectations of customers. The brand name Tesco uses allows customers to identify them and the products and services they provide even though other companies provide similar products and services. Tescos strategy of branching out into different locations was a major move which allowed them to target all groups of customer wants and needs with the products and services they offered. They also branch out into international markets and expand their products and services into different cultures. Tescos move to the online arena allowed them to target all groups all at once and allow their customers to purchase items that are in or out of season and are not available in store. They also grant them five dollar discounts to encourage them to shop on the online market. Tescos have an advantage over their competitors and due to this fact the prices they offer for the same products are much lower allowing more customers to come into Te sco instead of the competitors. Dependence on the UK market is considered a weakness because of their dependence on UK suppliers for their products. Tesco can turn their dependence on the UK market into strength by outsourcing products with equal or superior quality than the products they currently offer. Tesco dominates the market but in certain cities, Tescos competitors have monopolised the cities. In order for this monopoly by their competitors to be destroyed Tesco needs to open more branches within the cities and boost up their services to gain a wide range of customers in those cities. 3.2. Industry Analysis Porters Five Forces for Tesco.com 4. E-Business Strategy Strategy development should be strongly influenced by considering the environment the business operates in. The most significant influences are those of the immediate marketplace of the micro-environment that is shaped by the needs of customers and how services provided to them through competitors and intermediaries and via upstream suppliers. Technological innovations are vital in providing opportunities to provide superior services to competitors or through changing the shape of the marketplace. Chaffey (2009) 4.1.E-Business strategy 4.2. Implementation 5. Legal and ethical issues Privacy of consumers is a key ethical issue since many laws have been enacted. Data protection legislation is enacted to protect the individual, to protect their privacy and to prevent misuse of their personal data. This affects all types of organizations regardless of whether they have a transactional e-commerce service. Chaffey (2009) When gathering information Tesco.com needs to take in mind what the Data Protection Act states concerning personal data and the use of that data. In schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 1998, it states eight principles by which data must be protected. These eight principles are: Personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully and, in particular, shall not be processed unless— at least one of the conditions in Schedule 2 is met, and in the case of sensitive personal data, at least one of the conditions in Schedule 3 is also met. Personal data shall be obtained only for one or more specified and lawful purposes, and shall not be further processed in any manner incompatible with that purpose or those purposes. Personal data shall be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose or purposes for which they are processed. Personal data shall be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date. Personal data processed for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes. Personal data shall be processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects under this Act. Appropriate technical and organisational measures shall be taken against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data. Personal data shall not be transferred to a country or territory outside the European Economic Area unless that country or territory ensures an adequate level of protection for the rights and freedoms of data subjects in relation to the processing of personal data. [opsi 2008] According to the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998 above Tesco must ensure that: When Tesco.com collects information from a data subject, the data subject must be aware that their information is being captured and because they agree to it. This information is obtained when a customer registers an account with Tesco.com. This information will be used by Tesco.com to create a profile for the individual. Tesco.com must let the data subject know why they are collecting this information and how it will be used both now and in the future. They need to let the data subject know if they data will be sent to third parties or not and how long they will keep this information stored. The data requested by Tesco.com must be relevant according to their needs. It must also be information that a customer will feel comfortable disclosing. Tesco.com must ensure that the data being collected and processed from a data subject is accurate and up-to-date. When a customer requests the closure of their account Tesco.com should delete all data concerning that customer or they will be in violation of the fifth principle in the Data Protection Act 1998. Tesco.com should supply information to the data subject without hesitation once they request it. In gathering information Tesco.com must ensure that the data stored is safe and secure. In distributing data Tesco.com must ensure that the data subject agrees to it or the country to which the information is being transferred to must have proper data protection or else there will be a breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 principle 8. According to the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations Act, Tesco.com must see to it that the e-mail sent to customers where based on the customers opt-in or consent to receive e-mails and should also have the option for them to opt-out or un-subscribe to getting e-mails. Tesco.com should also supply the customer with some contact information so that they can contact if they feel the e-mails being sent is spam. 6. Conclusion