Mcmaster Children’s Hospital Essay

â€Å"Mcmaster Children’s Hospital is a caring for our future, one child at a time. † It was distinguished as one of the hospitals who provided the best care for patients and is also awarded with Profiling Excellence in Family-Centered Care in 2008. Aside from receiving various awards and recognition for the quality of their services it is also one of the largest pediatric hospital in Canada and ranked second busiest in Ontario. It also has 40 pediatric clinics with diverse specialization which can treat illness of almost any kind. It is like a one stop shop wherein all that you need in child care treatment, child care specialists and medicines are all there. In addition, it has also specialization on child care disorder. Because of its size and specialization a number of clients and patients can be accommodated immediately once they approach the lobby area. Superior care can be given to children because of it advocates the â€Å"inherent worth of youth and children†. Another characteristic of Mcmaster that set it aside from other hospitals is that it does not surpassed the opinion of patients (the youth and the children) as well as their families in deciding for their welfare. Before deciding for a certain treatment and the like they consult first the concern people. As it is best for children it is also recommended for babies because of its newly installed intensive care units for neonatal. It best fits pregnant women for the superior caring of their unborn children because it can give thorough care to the pregnant women beginning from pre-natal stage to post-natal stage. As it advocates innovation, one may experience an extraordinary hospital treatment because of its innovative facilities. As it advocates quality service, a patients, clients, or visitors are surely to experience a comfortable stay in the hospital. The nurses and medical practitioners are all very accommodating and are very helpful in any way possible. For the families, the Mcmaster hospital is an absolute safe alternative haven for your children and relatives who happened to visit or to be confined in the hospital. All of the staff has proper identification and name tags, likewise, the patients, have identification bands. In case that someone needs assistance whether in rooms or bathrooms, call bells are available to inform nurses. As for the hospital’s organization, the structure is formal with moderate degree of bureaucracy. The decision making process is participative, with the patients, clients and residents as partner in decision making. Although, the Mcmaster organization is generally stable and the functions can be considered as highly effective and efficient there are also some improvement that can be done to the organization for superior achievement of goals and better-quality satisfaction of customers. First, the Mcmaster organization may opt to post more and detailed information on their websites regarding their facilities and services. The customers can generate more information and knowledge about their services if this can be done. Another change that can be implemented is the adaptation of modern medical record technology. Several years ago, technology adaptation in medical recording has hailed a tremendous welcome from medical practitioners and health care providers. The goal of this is to ensure a secure exchange of health matter information through out the national system. The basic assumption of the electronic medical record directive is to secure accessibility to patients’ health information, whenever and wherever needed. Improving the quality of service requires a change in the system that will also bring forth efficiency which is the very heart of the so called EMR. The modern way of recording can be more protective for patients’ information. It will serve as a tool in promoting a more secure environment. Even the staff is assigned to l00 patients; he/she will be able to enjoy a hassle free recording because of the automatic commands in computer that will speed up the process unlike the manual recording. The EMR will help decrease errors in medical recording. The medical attendants to patients’ time will be also increase because there is no longer need for checking on the time consuming paper records and correcting on the misreported patients information and diagnoses.

Posienden vs Athena

Athens, one of the chief city-states of all of ancient Greece, was a city greatly desired by two powerful deities: Athena and Poseidon. The myth that shows how this dispute was settled is depicted in many ways. This story can vary depending on which depiction is being observed. There are slight discrepancies between the Greek version of this myth, the Roman version, and the sculpture shown on the Parthenon in Athens. With close scrutiny of this myth, it is clear that culture, time period, and genre all are reasons for this myths disparity.This myth starts with a king named Crecrops, who is half man and half snake. He is the king of a flourishing unnamed city state in need of a patron god. He turns to Poseidon and Athena who both want to be the patron deity of this thriving city. Quickly a conflict arises between these two powerful gods. The first discrepancy between the Greek version of this myth (Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3 14. 1) and the Roman version of this myth (Ovid, Metamorphos es 6. 70) is that when Athena and Poseidon are about to go to war over this conflict these two myths have a different deity suggesting an alternative course of action.In the earlier Greek depictions of this myth Athena decides to hold a contest of who can contribute most to King Crecrops and his city-state. After they had given their gifts (an olive tree from Athena and a salt water spring from Poseidon; Poseidon’s spring that he created also serves as an aetion of how a specific river was created near Athens. The river or spring is named Erektheis) the king would decide the victor: the patron deity of his state. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, it is Jove who decides to hold a contest, and the judges of the contest are Olympian gods and goddesses.One reason for this difference is that the learned Ovid is giving as much respect to Jove as he can. He was being very wary not to disrespect Jove in anyway, for he did not want to end up like Prometheus. â€Å"†¦With his limbs bound upon the hard rocks by galling fetters of bronze, Prometheus fed with his liver an eagle that ever rushed back to its prey. † (Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 2. 1245-1247). This is a very common principle that came about more in the Roman era. In earlier Greek times, often times heroes would counteract their positive deeds by having hubris or excessive pride.The idea of hubris is clearly shown many times in Homer’s Odyssey. A prime example of this is when Odysseus is escaping from the island that Polyphemus is on and he shouts back at him, bragging in a way, and ends up almost getting hit by a boulder thrown by Polyphemus and facing the wrath of Poseidon as his journey continues. On the sculpture on the west pediment of the Parthenon, Jove isn’t depicted at all. Some may say that this is an act of disrespect, but that is simply false. The Parthenon does show Jove in a sculpture of the birth of Athena on the east pediment of the building, which is actually the front of the building.The fact is that the Parthenon was built to honor Athens’ patron goddess: Athena. The west pediment of the building is an aetion for how Athens got its name: Athena named it after herself after winning the contest. The sculpture, which was created long after this original myth was told, does not show the spring that Poseidon created most likely because sculpting that on the top of the Parthenon would be a very challenging task. Because of this, the sculpture looks more of a battle than a contest.Another reason why a â€Å"battle† theme can be felt through this sculpture is because the Parthenon was built somewhere in between 447 and 438 B. C. E. The Parthenon embodied the triumph of the Greeks, especially the Athenians, over the Persians who had destroyed the acropolis earlier in 480 B. C. E. The time period in which a certain myth is written or a sculpture sculpted in can tell us a great deal about the themes behind each respective work. As written works are passed down through the ages, each time period will interpret the document in a different way, relating to their own lives and culture.Poseidon takes losing the contest very harshly and acts drastically. In the Greek depiction of the contest between Athena and Poseidon, Poseidon, after coming up short in the competition, floods the Thriasian plain and drowns Attica under his salty sea in a fit of rage. â€Å"Athena created the olive tree, and the two divinities disputed, until the gods assigned Attica to Athena. Poseidon, indignant at this, caused the country to be inundated. † (Herod. viii. 55; Apollod. iii. 14.  § 1 ; Paus. i. 24.  § 3, &c. ; Hygin. Fab. 164. In a different translation of the story, not only does Poseidon flood Attica, but he also puts a curse on the city so that it will be forever be in a drought after the flood. This, coming from a later Roman text, can be considered an etiology. It is not hard to believe that Attica, during a certai n time period, had a drought. They used the aetion of Neptune cursing them for eternal drought to explain why this all was happening. Earlier time periods probably did not have problems with water so the aetion was not needed. They did not need to explain why they had water because it was a natural occurrence.The genres of these works also have a great influence on how they are perceived. Ovid writes in a completely different genre then earlier writers such as Hesiod. Ovid’s Metamorphoses poke fun at, in a way, of epic poems. There is more of a sense of humor in Ovid’s works then that of Hesiod. The later depictions of this contest between Minerva and Neptune are slightly wittier then their earlier counterparts. Ovid, being the learned poet that he was, was sure to still have the ultimate level of respect for both of these gods; however, his other works such as Pygmalion (Ovid's Metamorphoses, 10).Ovid knew when it was acceptable to be witty in his writings, and when t he utmost respect was required. Popular genre often shows the general moral of a group at a certain time. The sculpture of Minerva and Neptune seemingly showing battle ready gods was not a mistake. Greece and Athens especially, was celebrating an enormous victory over Persia. The Parthenon was built to honor Athena who contributed a great deal too Athenian triumphs. This sculpture could have been portrayed in a million different ways based on the sculptors’ mood, which was popular genre at that time.Over changes in culture, time, and genre different aspects of different myths are subject to change. However, just because many myths vary does not mean that these myths have nothing in common. In fact, many different myths, Roman and Greek, have the same underling principles: principles that are sometimes over looked. It is obvious that Roman and Greek myths both honor gods and they both have the same aspects about the underworld, but what often times goes unrealized is that each myth regarding a particular god or goddess is connected.As shown in the myth previously discussed, Athena and Poseidon were not playing for the same team so to speak. The tension between them is present in other works; however, it may sometimes be overlooked. One example of this tension is shown in Homer’s Odyssey. Odysseus, who is a Greek hero from the Trojan War, is a very cunning warrior much like Athena. She favors him and tries to help him in any way she can. Poseidon, on the other hand, despises Odysseus for blinding Polyphemus, and does all in his power to hinder Odysseus in his journey home. The journey back to his home town Ithaca takes Odysseus ten years.After battling with monsters like Scylla and Charybdis, Odysseus finally returns home to find his kingdom in ruin. Athena is there to provide advice and assist him in the establishment of order back in his home town. Each myth is different in its own way and has something to contribute. Everything about a myth from its genre to the time it was written conveys differences about the culture of the people who created it. The disparities in Ovid’s description of the contest between Minerva and Neptune and the accounts from Apollodorus, Bibliotheca show a great difference in culture, time periods, and genre.The sculpture on the Parthenon again communicates something different all together. With close scrutiny of the different aspects of a myth, it is unbelievable what can be discovered. There are unknown aetions waiting to be uncovered. Undiscovered connections between ancient heroes and gods ready to be made known. It is essential to dive into these myths and discover everything they have to tell us. Bibliography Frazer, J. G.. â€Å"NOTES ON BOOK 3 OF THE LIBRARY OF APOLLODORUS. † http://www. theoi. com. Theoi E-Texts Library Copyright  © 2000 – 2011, Aaron Atsma. Web. 17 Oct 2012. lt;http://www. theoi. com/Text/Ap3d. html;. Morford, Mark P. O. , Robert J. Lenardon, and Mi cheal Sham. Classical Mythology. Ninth Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press Inc. , 2011. 177-180. Print. Anonymous, . â€Å"ATHENA MYTHS 1 . † http://www. theoi. com. Theoi Project Copyright  © 2000 – 2011, Aaron J. Atsma, New Zealand. Web. 17 Oct 2012. ;http://www. theoi. com/Olympios/AthenaMyths. html Anonymous, . â€Å"Mythagora Home Page. † www. Mythagora. com. Copyright 2012- All rights reserved. Web. 17 Oct 2012. ;http://www. mythagora. com/bios/prometheus. html;.

Prohibition in Usa 1900-1930

Prohibition in USA in the 1900’s The prohibition was brought on by the strong temperance movement happening in America in the early 1900’s. These groups were devout Christians who vowed to be sober as they saw the affect alcohol had on families. But the members of this movement campaigned for everyone to give up alcohol. The arguments of the Temperance groups were so strong that they eventually convinced state governments to prohibit the sale and produce of alcohol in their state.Politicians backed this movement as it secured them votes in the rural areas, and by 1916, the sale and production of alcohol had been banned in 21 states. USA’s entry into the war strengthened this movement, as drinkers were being labelled as ‘Unpatriotic cowards’ for not entering into the war. The fact that Germany supplied most of the countries alcohol also helped the movement, as Germany was seen as the enemy. Despite the great efforts made by the government, the sale an d production if alcohol didn’t entirely cease.People all over the US started making their own alcohol, these were called ‘bootleggers’ People also set up illegal bars selling black market alcohol and providing entertainment, these were referred to as ‘Speakeasies’ and made a fortune. Over the 13 years that the prohibition lasted, over 37,000 illegal distilleries, or ‘stills’ were shut down, and nearly 23 million gallons of illegally produced or imported alcohol was seized. But even after all that it is said that only a fraction was discovered, although it is Impossible to know for certain.Temperance groups had been around for many years, but their quest for a dry country wasn’t prominent until the early 1900s. These groups were strong in rural areas of the US, but after America’s entry into the First World War in 1917, this movement was strengthened. America’s deep sense on patriotism previously weakened the temperan ce movement, as citizens were proud of who they were and all enjoyed a good drink. But when the war was over, and Germany was distinguished as the enemy, patriots were unwilling to support their economy by buying their alcohol, which greatly helped the movement as most of the US’ alcohol was supplied by Germany.With majority of the country on their side, the temperance movement grew stronger and by 1917 they had enough states on their side to propose the eighteenth amendment, which ‘prohibited the manufacture, sale or transportation or intoxicating liquors’ and in January of 1920 it became a law, known as the Volstead Act. The prohibition was not for everyone, and although a lot of Americans agreed with the movement, there were plenty who did not.People began to see there was potentially a lot of money in this, and began to set up illegal bars selling illegally made alcohol. A lot of these people were immigrants, who were poorly educated but also ruthless and cle ver. The government enforced the prohibition by implementing ‘prohibition agents’ who discovered and arrested offenders. But despite the work of these agents, who were poorly paid and had a large area to cover, it became apparent that it was practically impossible to effectively enforce prohibition in the cities.Many speakeasies thrived as bootleggers took advantage of the underpaid officers, and bribed them to keep quiet. Many people made a vast fortune through the movement, one of the most well-known being Al Capone, who made an estimated 2 billion dollars throughout the 13 years of prohibition. Al Capone was a well-known gang leader, and was renowned for his ruthlessness. His criminal activities were not exactly ‘quiet’ but it was virtually impossible to convict him as he had such a strong control over the police.In 1929 Capone and his gang dressed up as police and murdered 7 members of an opposing gang, which is now known as the ‘St. Valentineâ₠¬â„¢s day massacre’. It was at this point where it became apparent that things had gotten out of hand, and some say it was this event which essentially led to the end of the prohibition. At about the same time, there was a massive crash in the American stock market. People were losing jobs and the economy was crumbling. By this stage the police were corrupt, the country was lawless and the gangsters were rich and powerful.To make matter worse, by 1930 a great depression had set in and arguments were raised that if the ban on liquor was raised, it would create more jobs, the gangsters would have less power and less money, and it would open resources which were dispensed to the agents in charge of the unrealistic task of enforcing prohibition. These ideas were frowned upon by many, but the country was in need of change. In 1932, the democrat Franklin D Roosevelt was elected president, and by 1933 the eighteenth amendment was revoked.It was said by many that the prohibition was a complete failure, as from day one it was an immense struggle to enforce the law, and people continued to drink despite it, which resulted in huge profits for the people illegally producing and selling alcohol. Many people also think that the prohibition was a contributing factor to the great depression, and impacted the country in a negative way. American culture was greatly changed by the movement, as police became more corrupt than the offenders they were allegedly trying to imprison, and gangsters were controlling the cities which put the country into a state of constant fear.Crime and violence rates rose greatly, the government lost a lot of money from alcohol taxes and the country struggled to support itself without the income which alcohol used to provide. It wasn’t until the St Valentines Massacre that people realised how out of control the whole situation was, and it is referred to as a ‘turning point’ as it is thought that this event made the governmen t see that the prohibition was causing more trouble than it was fixing. In conclusion, the prohibition really did not achieve what it set out to do, stop people from drinking and create a more civilised country, in fact, it did quite the opposite.

Fireworks poem Essay

Fireworks – a device containing chemicals that create a splendid explosion when lighted. That’s the first definition that comes to mind when the word ‘fireworks’ is mentioned. However, in the dictionary, it states that there is also a figurative meaning for fireworks, which is ‘an outburst of anger or other emotions’. In Amy Lowell’s poem, â€Å"Fireworks†, she uses the noun definition of fireworks to express the figurative meaning of fireworks. Throughout the poem, Amy reveals how much she hates this person by using descriptive words to describe the spectacular explosions caused by fireworks. Thus, the main idea of the poem is anger or strong feeling of hostility. â€Å"Fireworks† is an example of a lyrical poem because the poem rhymes and it has a regular and continuous rhyme scheme, which is – AA, AABB, AABB, AA, AABB, AABB, and AA. A lyrical poem also shows emotions and imagination. In this poem, the poet showed emotions by the lines that stated, â€Å"You hate me and I hate you†. The poem also showed imagination because Amy used the noun meaning of fireworks to demonstrate the figurative meaning of fireworks. However, this poem has an irregular meter because each line has a different number of syllables. Also, there isn’t a pattern in the stressed and unstressed words. This poem also didn’t have any onomatopoeias, consonances and assonances. The poem is written in seven stanzas, which includes four regular quatrains and three regular couplets. The first stanza is a couplet that tells the reader the poet hates this person and the person hates the poet too. It also states that they are both polite about it. The second and third stanzas (quatrains) describe to the reader what happens when the poet sees her enemy. The poet’s anger is expressed though vivid fireworks. The fourth stanza (a couplet) again tells the reader the poet hates her enemy. The fifth and sixth stanzas (quatrains) inform the reader what happens when the poet’s enemy sees the poet. Again, this frustration of the enemy is reveal through descriptive fireworks. The last stanza (a couplet) talks about the anger the two creates and the first line of the poem is re-stated again. In this poem, Amy uses a lot of descriptive words to describe the fireworks. The strong descriptive words create a vivid image of fireworks inside the reader’s head. Amy also chooses to use words like â€Å"mauve† and â€Å"azure† instead of just saying â€Å"purple† and â€Å"blue†. The imagery pictures she created were – spits and sparkles in stars and balls, buds into roses and flares and falls, scarlet buttons, pale green disks, silver  spirals and asterisks, shoot and tremble in a mist, peppered with mauve and amethyst, saffron cubes, crimson moons, wheels all amaranths and maroons, golden lozenges and spades, arrows of malachite’s and jades, patens of copper, azure sheaves, glossy leaves. The words Amy used in this poem were carefully chosen to create such detailed pictures. â€Å"Fireworks† include many literary terms. As said in the pervious paragraph, this poem has a lot of imagery. The whole poem can also be referred to a metaphor because throughout the poem, it compares anger to fireworks without using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’. In addition, there is alliteration in the poem. In the second stanza, the third line, it says, â€Å"In spits and sparkles in stars and balls†. There was a repetition of initial sounds in the three words ‘spits’, ‘sparkles’ and ‘stars’. Also, the second stanza, first line and the last two words â€Å"burst apart† can be an example of a connotative diction because the dictionary meaning means to break apart but it can also mean to get very angry. This can also be an example of a hyperbole because it is an exaggeration of how angry the poet must be feeling. The fifth stanza, first line and the last two words can also be a connotative diction because the dictionary meaning is ‘to tear apart’ but in this case, it means to be furious. This can also be a hyperbole too because it exaggerates anger the poet’s enemy feels. The last example of a connotative diction is the second stanza, second line and the last two words, which is, â€Å"blazing heart†. The dictionary meaning is ‘a burning heart’ but can also mean a strong feeling of hostility. The last literary term found is a symbol. The last stanza and the second line states, â€Å"Such fireworks as we make, we two!† The word ‘fireworks’ in this line doesn’t mean fireworks (a device containing chemicals that cause a splendid explosion) but instead meaning the problems and furious agreements the poet and her enemy create. Each of the devices the poet used is very important to the poem. The first and most obvious device the poet used was imagery. The poet used many descriptive words that created and showed the readers how the fireworks actually looked like. The main idea of the poem is expressing anger though fireworks so it is very important to show the readers how each of the fireworks look like. Another device used was the hyperbole. Using a hyperbole exaggerates a word or phrase and can emphases how much the poet hates her enemy and the other  way around. Connotative dictions are also important in this poem because they show how the poet and her enemy feel. Last but not least, the metaphor throughout the whole poem is the most significant device used because it compares the poet and her enemy’s frustration of each other through fireworks. In conclusion, this poem is using the noun definition of fireworks to express the figurative meaning of fireworks. The poem is about the poet hating her enemy and the enemy hating the poet. Throughout the whole poem, their anger towards each other is expressed in the form of fireworks. Therefore, the main idea of this poem is anger or a strong feeling of hostility.

PUMA case study Essay

In order to arrive at the correct judgment of what will be puma’s opportunities and threats, let analyze the external environments factors affecting the company basing on the PESTEL and industrial competitive factors using five forces framework. And later when determining the company’s strengths and weakness I will look at the company’s internal capabilities by looking at its value chain, value network and any other competitive factors which gives the company more competitive advantage than rivals. By definition external environmental factors are those factors which have impact on company although the company has either very little or no control at all over those factors. Usually these factors are classified as PESTEL (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal). External Political Factors These refer to the following sub-factors:(I)Government stabilityThis has influence to any business. When the government in which Puma operates become unstable politically business will definitely be affected. For example civil wars affect both operations, leisure’s and sports events which are Puma’s business. In our case study we saw that after terrorist attacks of September, 11, 2001 and wars in Afghanstan, geopolitical uncertainty led puma to shift its production from Pakistan to China (Puma case study, 2003). (ii)Foreign Trade Regulations These includes treaties and agreements which must be respected by the member countries and Companies (Czinkota, Rivoli and Ronkainen, 1992).For example General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade(GATT),regulations in respect of monopoly and competition standards, Trade fair Act(1997), Paris conventional for the protection of industrial property, to name but a few. These have impact on Puma since wherever it operates it must adhere to. (iii) Taxation Policy These have impact on Puma’s business because are an expenses which reduce revenue but it can also be used as the barrier to entry to the targeted potential markets. Some government use to fix higher tax to incoming foreign company. Economic Factors These factors have a huge impact on Puma’s business. These are factors like cost of energy, oil, inflation, recession and recovery. For example interest rates(interest on loans and borrowings), inflation and unemployment has got negative impact on business since an increase of one or both of these factors is equivalent to the raise of business running costs at the same time will mean reducing the purchasing power(inflation and unemployment) of the people. GNP Trends can have impact on Puma’s business since a good GNP shows that the per capita income of the people is good. Positive growth trends means increases on people purchasing power which has a positive influence to Puma. People with big disposable income can spend more on the leisure like sports and also buys more of the products as oppose to the people with less disposal income. Sociocultural factors(i)Population demographic; there are arguments that the population is getting older and therefore Puma should starts to focus on the senior people segment in order to remain profitable and for business growth. (ii) Uneven income distribution means there are few people with disposable income (the rich) and the majority have very less purchasing power. It is not therefore a market puma should target. (iii) Lifestyle Changes These have the impact in business and it needs the company to be strategically innovative in order to cope with peoples’ taste/fashion changes to retain and persuade the customers. This is one of the factors making customers switch from one product to the others of the same use. (iv) Attitudes to work and leisureSince Puma operates globally it is possible to meet different societies with different attitudes to work and leisure. Negative attitude to work and leisure will have negative impact to business and positive one will have positive impact to Puma business. Technological FactorsProbably these are the most dramatic forces shaping our destiny which creates whole new markets and destroy others. These are such as;New discoveries/development and speed of technology transferThese makes the products life cycles get short and creates a fierce competition among industries and hence forcing the company to invest more on R&D so as to remain strategically innovative (cost implication to business). Technological factors can lead to both high rate of obsolescence and Increase Company’s budget (through R&D). Environmental factorsMost of the nations and international bodies have been enacting laws to protect the environment (green issues).Companies have been compulsorily required to adhere to these laws; for example the law to internalise pollution, waste remittance and all legislations regarding safety and environment issues. These have significant impact to business like Puma because it reduces revenue. Legal factorsThe company which operates globally must expect different laws in different markets place within its operations. For example employment laws, health and safety regulations and financial regulations. It will also need to know advertising and promotion regulations, pricing regulations and consumer protection legislations. (Brassgton and Pettiti, 2007). Porter’s five forces of competitive strategyWas developed as a way of assessing the attractiveness (profit potential) of different industries. It helps to identify the sources of competition in an industries or sectors (Johnson, scholes and Whittington, 2006).The focus is in the environmental factors influencing this competitiveness; which are as follows;(i) Threats of new entrantsThere are six major sources of barriers to entry which includes economies to scale, capital requirements, and control of distributition channel, customer loyalty, experience and retaliation. (Porter, 1998). To my opinions and with reference to sports industry for more than three decades, threats of entry has a very little influence to Puma. This is because to enter into sports industry you need not only heavy capital and technology but experience and knowledge together with attractive customer base which is the strong barrier to entry. Suppliers Power Suppliers can have power if;(a)There are a concentration of suppliers and they can purchase in big quantities(b)Suppliers have a wide range of customers and can easily switch from one supplier to the other(c)The cost of switching from one Supply another is very high and,(d)If they pose a credible threats of integrating forwards into the industry business. To my opinion these conditions does not apply to Puma and therefore can not be threats because Puma policy on suppliers is such that Puma have no long term relationships with supply and the fact that production, logistics, distribution have been outsourcing surely Puma will be having very few suppliers (mostly not related to production and transport departments). In addition to that it is not possible for those suppliers to integrate backward into industry’s business. Buyers bargaining power According to Johnson, Scholes and Whittington (2006) buyers are likely to have influence on industry’s business if the following condition prevails;(a)There are concentration of buyers and they purchase a big volume(b)The cost of switching a supplier is lower or involves little risks(c)The buyer pose a credible threats to integrate backwards to make the industry’s product. To my views this factor is not a threat to Puma because buyers are scattered all over the world such that they can not have collective bargaining power and the cost of switching from Puma to another suppliers is very big and risks because Puma is among reliable and paying company. The threat of substitutes Substitutes reduce demand for a particular â€Å"class† of product as customers switch to alternative even to the extend that this class of products becomes obsolete (Johnson, Scholes and Whittington, 2006).Looking at the trend of sports industry for more than 40 years you will find that there are always Puma and the big three which dominates the sport industry and each having a very attractive customer base and thus this is a justification that Substitutes is no a threats to Puma. Competitive rivalryRefers to organisations with similar products and services aimed at the same customer group; which for Puma can be Adidas, Nike and Reebok and Fila, Diesel and Prada for football, running, basketball and apparel and accessories respectively. This is not a threat at all since for this factor to be threats the following conditions must prevail; there are must be numerous competitors and are roughly have equal size and power which is not the case for sports industry(Look at Adidas,Nike, Rebook and Prada,diesel and Fila) all have different power and sizes. The other factor is that for the rivalry to take place the markets must be matured but this is not the case for Puma because although the traditional market segment were heading to mature there are several niches which offer attractive growth, and yet analysts expect growth in geographical regions for football especially Europe, Asia and Americans. Opportunities and threats Looking at the environmental factors and the five forces affecting Puma I have noted some of the opportunities and threats for the company;OpportunitiesTrends of accessories/equipments is attractiveIf accessories can be properly managed can be greater opportunity for puma to grow the business. Currently 60% of the total sales are generated from footwear division, but according to experts apparel and accessories categories are showing attractive growth rate .why not Puma utilise this opportunity by providing its customer variety of such products by focusing on both high-value and stylish product and lower priced products so that can get shares from companies like LVHM, Hugo Boss and Prada. In my opinion Puma can start focusing on virgin markets such as Racing especially Horse racing, skateboarding, snowboarding to mention but a few. Alliances and joint venture Although puma has acquired some of the largest companies such as Swedish Tretorn the European third largest manufacturer of Tennis balls, it is not enough. Alliances and joint venture is one of the major opportunities for Puma to both expand geographical markets for its products and at the same time get access to valuable technology and competences. Threats Puma faces both intertype and intertypes competitorsPuma’s internal capabilitiesIf the companies are to achieve competitive advantage by delivering value to customers, they need to understand how that value is created or lost (Johnson, Scholes and Whittington, 2006).Puma’s value Chain has been divided into two; Primary and Support activities. If you consider the primary activities side you must understand that puma is described as Virtualized Company. Its in-house resources and activities such as inbound outbound logistics, operations and Procurement have been outsourced. This gives the company to deal with its core competency more effectively. It does not mean however that the company doesn’t care for the outsourced activities but the management are very careful on the selection of suppliers, logistics providers and producers but also it has a strong information technology infrastructure which helps them to coordinate easily and efficiently. Human resources management Puma with no doubts it has a strong HR by looking at the CEO and his deputy. The CEO being graduate in international business administration and having an ample experience in international business and marketing and worked for Colgate-Palmolive. Also the deputy CEO having an extensive experience in supply chain management and strategy implementation is one of the justifications that the company have strong HR capability. Technology development Puma has a proprietary technology which helps the company in terms of innovation and designing and also in information technology. For example the company due to technological ability developed shudol shoe. One of the technological innovations can also be seen on â€Å"cell technology†. To manage its entire coordination and consolidation from all 80 countries is one of the justifications that Puma is strong technology wise. Marketing and SalesPuma’s strengths come from the best implementation of its strategies in marketing and sales. Puma’s core competencies have been divided into marketing, brand and product management. Brand ManagementOne of the major reasons for puma’s turnaround was the new  positioning of the brand itself (refer to case study).One of the strategies used is sponsorship of either individual player or teams and associated the company with charismatic personalities who proliferate the desired brand perception, recogonition and awareness It has association with biggest names in history of sports such as Pele, Maradona and Cruyff. Recently the CEO, use the technique of associating the company with entertainment professional such as Arnon Milchan (the influential film maker),David Matalon and Peter Chernim these stars making brand appears in several Hollywood production. Apart from sponsoring teams like Jamaica and Cameroon Puma has been organising several events such as Puma street soccer in 1994 and 4SOME competition in 2003 aiming at both displaying puma label and communicating Puma philosophy. By 2003 the brand was so high that super stars like Madonna were proud to wear Puma Product without any compensation. Marketing Puma’s marketing division is responsible for all Puma advertising, promotions, PR and selling. Strong promotion and advertisement helps Puma be known company globally. Management are careful to select a media of advertisement and promotions.Footbal, Basketbal and running cups have become the mega events watched by viewers from across the global. Puma has been sponsoring either individual or teams. As a result these events offer excellent marketing opportunities for the company to create awareness of its brand. It has been fine turning its marketing strategies for football cups from 1960’s when Stars like Pele, Maradona and Cuyff to recent stars like Madonna. Product management Product management at Puma concerned with designing, operating and maintaining good products. This ensures that the company doesn’t only produce but creates a product that people will want to buy. Fistly; the company has a wide range of product which help the company to easily respond to different customers with different levels and interests. For example Puma football, running and basketball and others in accessories and equipments. In terms of technology and also to ensure that it offers customers’ product of high quality Puma has association with engineers and famous designers such as Jil Sander Mihara.For instance Puma innovation was â€Å"Cell technology† which convinced famous athletes to be Puma products such Cameroon National soccer team and Jamaica running professionals. Puma is innovative in each stage of the production for example to develop the new â€Å"Shudol shoes† worked with the team of Jordan Grand prix engineers. From Puma’s internal capabilities the following strengths and weakness have been observed;StrengthsStrong brand-name image/company reputationPuma has a reputation for being a pioneer in sports and the brand has very strong heritage in world football, featuring a glittering list of past brand ambassadors which includes some of the biggest names in the history of the game such as Maradona, Pele and Cruffy.It boasts most of the exiting teams and individuals and as a result of having such sports people as customers creates good atmosphere for Puma to enjoy not only the survival but also the company growth. Attractive customer base Having the association with quality players it gives an image to most of the people that the company have quality as well. As the results puma has loyal customers worldwide. This landmark deal laid a foundation for sports marketing and PR drive which saves and strengthens Puma’s position as one of the best performers on footwear, apparel and accessories for years now. Lower cost base and marketing Focused CompanyPuma is a virtualized company because it has outsourced all production, procurement of materials, distribution and logistics making its working capital just small. This make the company not only have a lower cost base but more importantly focuses in its core competencies. Weakness(i)The virtualized company can have serious strategic weaknesses in the long runPuma mainly depends on partnerships, collaboration and networking. Although virtual can meet and satisfy its customers adequately just like other, there arguments that such an extreme form of outsourcing are likely to result in serous weakness in the longrun, as the company become devoid to core competences and cut off from the learning which can  exists through understanding these activities in house (Johnson,Scholes and Whittington,2006). (ii) PricePuma products’ prices are relatively lower than rivals. This is a weakness because price may bring implication that you product has lower quality because most of customers associates high price with high quality. Therefore if the product is priced lower to some customer it will mean that its quality is lower as well. Secondly it reduces the revenue especially if it is not accompanied by high volume of sales. To determine and propose the optimal strategies for Puma in light of the above SWOT and analysing possible change issues and challenges in implanting the strategies. Having looked at Puma’s strengths and weakness and taking into consideration opportunities and threats the company can encounter. The following are my proposal of what would be the optimal strategies for the company:-A Hybrid strategyUnder this strategy the company seeks to not only provide product or services benefits which are valued by the customers that are different from those of competitors but also provide those products at a lower price than that of competitors. It has both lower price strategy and differentiation strategy. Lower price strategyThis can be a best strategy for Puma given its financial position and market shares as compared to rivals. Also Puma has already some element of this strategy which can be a foundation for the implementation of hybrid strategy. For example Puma’s products have lower price than those of competitors, defenitely is because the company have a low cost base after outsourcing all logistics, production, procurement of materials and distribution.Without lower cost base you can not sustain this because lower price reduce margin which unless you have some where within other portfolio to subsidise your business will be very difficulty to sustain. However lower price strategy alone can not be effective and sometimes is dangerous because is can led to â€Å"price war† as your rivals imitate what you  have done. Thus to be strategically safe it should be accompanied by differentiation. Differentiation seeks to provide products that offer benefits different from that of competitors and that are valued by buyers. In this case Puma can upgrades its product’s quality and add to them appealing attributes than that of competitors. This can be achieved by Puma because the company have been in this line of business for decades now such that it clearly know its strategy customers (what they want ) and it clearly know what are the competitors(what they offer and their strengths).After upgraded the products Puma can sell them at similar price of that competitors. In this occasion Puma will be increasing its market shares as more people will go for its products. In addition to that Puma can use hybrid strategy to enter into the markets where their rivals are well established. If you look at the big three i.e. Adidas, Nike and Reebok you will note that they are more well off in terms of both financial and present in every country than Puma making it difficulty for Puma to grow the business and grab from them the market shares. But entering the market with a superior product and with lower price will help Puma to take market share, divert the attention of the competitors, and establish a foothold from which they could move further (Porter, M, 1998). It should clear however that the best results from implementation of the hybrid strategy depends on the sustainability of the strategy itself. And to achieve this Puma need to work harder in order to achieve more sales volume so that to compensate the reduced margin due to selling products at the lower price. This can be achieved by strategically driving down costs .For example Puma should encourage more e-business which will enable the company to sell more but maintain lower cost base. It will also enable the company to sell across the boundaries with very minimum resources but yet be able to achieve high volume at least cost. Also incorporating the supply chain into the system with a quick delivery time which can be a critical success factor. Change issues and possible challengesDefinitely what is behind hybrid strategy is selling at the lower price than that of competitors and at the same time seeking to provide products that offer benefits different from those of your competitors. To achieve efficiencies and productivity from hybrid strategy Puma will need to make changes on the entire staff within and around the organisation. It will need to change employees ‘attitudes so that to direct efforts and dedication to achieving of the positive results from the operations with least costs. This can only be achieved if the management will inspire the people towards Maximising output subject to minimisation of cost (cost sensitive strategy) and build and maintain the marketing and sales focused team. To achieve lower cost base require real time visibility to cost-critical information for many important decision that impact cost prior to products delivery. This visibility must be immediate available and understood to all who impact costs in the process across the enterprise. Selling at a lower price reduce margin and to compensate the lost margin you need to increase sales volume. You can achieve this by having a skilled and competent sales force because such a sales force can; †¢Effectively persuade customers to buy and hence increase market shares. †¢Reduce time and efforts necessary to sell by increasing the relationships level with customers. †¢Increase competitive ability and strengths by reducing predictability and delivery concise and consistent. Financially the good sale force can have the following positive results;†¢Good team can expand the size of each deal and close more deals. †¢Can decrease selling expenses. When the team doesn’t perform well sales cycles are extended and multiple calls are required to convince customers. †¢Lower recruitment and training cost. †¢Also if you able to sell more with fewer costs associated with sales efforts your margin increase. †¢A good team easily adapt to changesAll these can positively contribute to lowering down the cost base for the best implementation and achievement of the hybrid strategyReferencesBrassington and Pettitt (2007) Principle of MarketingCzinkota, rivoli and Ronkainen (1992) International business (2nd edition) New York, London, sydnet, Tokyo-The Dryden pressJohnson, Scholes and Whittington (2006) Exploring corporate strategy (7th edition) London Prentice Hall. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_analysishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitive_strategyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter_5_forces_analysishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PESTELArmstrong. M. (2006). A handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, (10th edn), Kogan Page, LondonGrant, R.M. (2005), â€Å"Contemporary Strategy Analysis†, Blackwell Publishing Ltd., Oxford (U.K.), 2005Hunger, J. David & Wheelen, Thomas L. (2003) â€Å"Essentials of Strategic Management†. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.

Unit 3 Theoretical Criminology Anomie Theory Essay

Unit 3 Theoretical Criminology Anomie Theory - Essay Example Indeed, the above fact can be used to account for white-collar crime. Of interesting to note is that mertonian approaches leaned towards white-collar crime and the anomie theory was used in explaining this kind of crime. This is based on the fact that the theory tends to explain why crime occurs and as such this can be used to explain why there is occurrence of white collar crime. Notably, criminals adopting cultural endorsed objective or goals of financial success illegally mainly characterize white-collar crime. Most white-collar crimes are related to the need of the offenders to gain money or other stuffs in order to fit in particular social classes or culture. This is more seen in criminals who are out there to become richer than before. As such, social and cultural factors, as considered by Merton, influence white collar jobs (Gomme 56). To emphasize on this, some researches carried out have showed that most convicted white collar criminals were caught while still working and they claim that they were trying to achieve economic success through illegal means (Akers and Sellers 45). As such, they can be said to be innovators given that at the time of committing crime they were after economic success. Innovators are considered to be those individuals who continually embrace material and monetary success as a goal to follow; however, they turn to criminal activities to achieve this success. Street gangs are groups formed mainly youth who are not capable of obtaining what they require through conventional means. Indeed, through these streets groups, the individuals find money and friendship and most of what they desire. Using strain theory, one may attempt to explain how various factors such as homelessness, poverty, lack of opportunity and parenting largely contribute to the formation of crime and crime (Warner and Flower 511). In relation to

Compare and Contrast Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Compare and Contrast Research Methods - Essay Example Similarity of data sets used in meta-analysis is in terms of the studies addressing the same research question. Meta-analysis method uses the characteristics of data to make conclusions rather than making general conclusions about data. The method applies when a research deals with quantitative data. Use of secondary data poses the risk of unreliability of meta-analysis. Therefore, researchers need to test the accuracy of secondary data before using it to make conclusions in a research (LaValley, 2005). Other methods of research Questionnaire-Based survey is another research method used in statistics. The method involves isolating samples from a population, obtaining data from the samples and making conclusions about the population based on the sample. Questionnaire method uses questions to obtain data from the field. The method translates research objectives into questions. Focus group is another qualitative research method that goes beyond explaining the quantitative aspects of dat a. Focus group refers to all participants who take part in discussions about a research. This method applies for open-ended research studies that cover a wide range of objectives (Jowett & O’Toole, 2006). Historical research method involves studying what happened in the past and identifying the push factors for these past events. Historians use this method to explain past events by applying scientific skills, conscience and other tools of analysis (Methods Network, 2011). Observation method involves humans using their senses to determine the events taking place and their effects. Observation method can be direct or indirect. Direct observation involves active actions of the researcher to collect data while indirect observation involves collecting data from recorded information, for example, from movies (Management Study Guide, 2012). Action research method involves participation of a group of people who suffer from a similar problem. Attempts to solve their problem reveal the best ways of solving such problems. Applications of research methods in the business sector Historical research is the research method that most business organizations use in their operations. This is because the method involves reviewing past data in the history of an organization. Scholars will be interested in determining the impacts of past events on their performance. The businesses must use past data to identify different variables that affect their performance. Researchers can also use questionnaire method to assess the impact of various strategies on employees and other members of the organizations. Employees answer the questions that the management asks through the questionnaires. The answers help the management in determining whether certain policies are successful in the research. Researchers use focus group method to explain their financial statements. This research method explains quantitative data to give it extra meaning. Businesses explain their financial statements by giving reasons that lead to a loss or profit. Businesses use observation method in observing trends in a population including consumption of goods and services. Action research method is the result of participation of members who suffer from the same problems. Most researchers use action research method to determine the impacts of change among members of the organizations. Change affects all members of the organization and their attempts to deal with the effects reveal the best w