State Test Persuasive Essay free essay sample

Throughout high school you are given many different tests that determine how well you do in certain subjects. High school gives you many challenges to prove that you are ready to graduate and receive a high school diploma. That is why I feel that giving a standardize test is an unfair way to determine a student’s graduation. Many students can get test anxiety and score low on a subject that they normally do every day. Graduated shouldn’t be set on one certain test because there are many aspects to high school that are completely outside of the classroom. Also there may be students who have done nothing throughout high school, but they â€Å"look good on paper† therefore they get away with doing the bare minimum and graduate because of one test score. To begin, taking a test can be different for every student. From personal experience I know that I can do 10 homework assignments and get close to 100% on them, but when I go to take the test I blank out and lose track of everything I have learned. We will write a custom essay sample on State Test Persuasive Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I know that I am not the only student that experiences this problem. If we measure a student’s knowledge by making them take a test, it would be a big mistake and we would risk the chance of not letting a good student graduate. Test anxiety affects many very smart students; therefore a standardized test would not be appropriate to determine a student’s graduation. Next a standardize test is unfair because your diploma is not determined on everything you learn in the class room. A lot of the material that student’s learn in the classroom the teachers are told to teach around a certain type of test that you would normally receive at the end of the year. There are other events and experiences in high school that contribute to our graduation. To survive outside of high school you have to think outside the box. It sometimes isn’t the material we learn that we are going to actually use in real life, but it’s the thinking process and concept. It is unfair to base the way a student will be after high school on one test score. Last, this test could allow slackers to get away with doing nothing and still get to graduate. We all know those kids; we’ve had them in class. The ones that hardly show up, never study, and hardly does homework but they still come out on top no matter what. This kind of goes back to the test anxiety but in reverse. It means that there will be students that have done the bare minimum throughout high school could take this test and score well enough to graduate, and on the other hand a student that has done very well through high school may get test anxiety and score low on this test and in result not graduate, To conclude, having students take a standardize test to graduate is unfair and not an appropriate way to determine a student’s graduation. Test anxiety can affect many students which in result could cause them to score low on the test that determines their graduation. Receiving your diploma is not based on everything you learn in the classroom. Last, taking a standardize test could encourage a lot of the students that normally do the bare minimum to keep doing what they are doing because just one test will determine their graduation. That is why I feel that giving a standardize test is an unfair way to determine a student’s graduation.

Free Essays on Lunar Calander

Ancient Calendars: All ancient calendars were lunar calendars. The practice of starting a month at the first sighting of a new moon was observed not only by Romans but by Celts and Germans in Europe and by Babylonians and Hebrews in the Lavant. The new moons were sighted after either 29 or 30 days. If clouds obscured vision on the 29th day, that month was declared to have 30 days. This is still done for the Islamic Calendar. When human civilization excelled in agriculture, there was a need for having a calendar that repeats the seasons so that it would help sowing and harvesting on repeated calendar dates. This calendar was established based on rotation of the earth around the sun. Early estimates of this rotation was 360 days, so the first solar calendar was invented having 12 months of 30 days each. Some civilizations invented a lunisolar calendar which basically had lunar months based on new crescent moons but were adding days or a month to be decided by priests/rabiis wherever and whenever they felt to satisfy social and religious needs to keep their calendar in phase with seasons. This practice of adding days or a 13th month was called "Intercalation". Babylonian Calendar: Around 1800 B.C. Babylonians were using strictly lunar calendar based on the visible new crescent but somewhere between 1100 B.C and 800 B.C. a lunisolar calendar was adopted using intercalation which was haphazard. Some sources report that during the reign of the Babylonian king Nebuchadenezzar II (630 B.C. - 562 B.C.) priest/experts discontinued their practice of looking for the new moon and adopted a 365 day calendar of 12 months of 30 days each, with five days added at the end of the year. Hindu Calendar: Hindus have both solar and lunisolar calendars. In the Hindu solar calendar month is 30 or 31 days and begins on the day of first sunrise after the calculated time of the mean sun's entry into the next zodiacal sign. If the calc... Free Essays on Lunar Calander Free Essays on Lunar Calander Ancient Calendars: All ancient calendars were lunar calendars. The practice of starting a month at the first sighting of a new moon was observed not only by Romans but by Celts and Germans in Europe and by Babylonians and Hebrews in the Lavant. The new moons were sighted after either 29 or 30 days. If clouds obscured vision on the 29th day, that month was declared to have 30 days. This is still done for the Islamic Calendar. When human civilization excelled in agriculture, there was a need for having a calendar that repeats the seasons so that it would help sowing and harvesting on repeated calendar dates. This calendar was established based on rotation of the earth around the sun. Early estimates of this rotation was 360 days, so the first solar calendar was invented having 12 months of 30 days each. Some civilizations invented a lunisolar calendar which basically had lunar months based on new crescent moons but were adding days or a month to be decided by priests/rabiis wherever and whenever they felt to satisfy social and religious needs to keep their calendar in phase with seasons. This practice of adding days or a 13th month was called "Intercalation". Babylonian Calendar: Around 1800 B.C. Babylonians were using strictly lunar calendar based on the visible new crescent but somewhere between 1100 B.C and 800 B.C. a lunisolar calendar was adopted using intercalation which was haphazard. Some sources report that during the reign of the Babylonian king Nebuchadenezzar II (630 B.C. - 562 B.C.) priest/experts discontinued their practice of looking for the new moon and adopted a 365 day calendar of 12 months of 30 days each, with five days added at the end of the year. Hindu Calendar: Hindus have both solar and lunisolar calendars. In the Hindu solar calendar month is 30 or 31 days and begins on the day of first sunrise after the calculated time of the mean sun's entry into the next zodiacal sign. If the calc...

How Bat Echolocation Works

How Bat Echolocation Works Echolocation is the combined use of morphology (physical features) and sonar (SOund NAvigation and Ranging) that allows  bats  to see using sound. A bat uses its larynx to produce ultrasonic waves that are emitted through its mouth or nose. Some bats also produce clicks using their tongues. The bat hears the echoes that are returned and compares the time between when the signal was sent and returned and the shift in the frequency of the sound to form a map of its surroundings. While no bat is completely blind, the animal can use sound to see in absolute darkness. The sensitive nature of a bats ears enables it to find prey by passive listening, too. Bat ear ridges act as an acoustic Fresnel lens, allowing a bat to hear the movement of ground-dwelling insects and the flutter of insect wings. How Bat Morphology Aids Echolocation Some of a bats physical adaptations are visible. A wrinkled fleshy nose acts as a megaphone to project sound. The complex shape, folds, and wrinkles of a bats outer ear help it receive and funnel incoming sounds. Some key adaptations are internal. The ears contain numerous receptors that allow bats to detect tiny frequency changes. A bats brain maps the signals and even accounts for the Doppler effect flying has on echolocation. Just before a bat emits a sound, the tiny bones of the inner ear separate to reduce the animals hearing sensitivity, so it doesnt deafen itself. Once the larynx muscles contract, the middle ear relaxes and the ears can receive the echo. Types of Echolocation There are two main types of echolocation: Low-duty-cycle echolocation allows bats to estimate their distance from an object based on the difference between the time a sound is emitted and when the echo returns. The call a bat makes for this form of echolocation is among the loudest airborne sounds produced by any animal. The signal intensity ranges from 60 to 140 decibels, which the equivalent to the sound emitted by a smoke detector 10 centimeters away. These calls are ultrasonic and generally outside the range of human hearing. Humans hear within the frequency range of 20 to 20,000 Hz, while microbats emit calls from 14,000 to over 100,000 Hz.High-duty cycle echolocation gives bats information about the motion and three-dimensional location of prey. For this type of echolocation, a bat emits a continuous call while listening to the change in the frequency of the returned echo. Bats avoid deafening themselves by emitting a call outside their frequency range. The echo is lower in frequency, falling within the optimal range f or their ears. Tiny changes in frequency may be detected. For example, the horseshoe bat can detect frequency differences as small as 0.1 Hz. While most bat calls are ultrasonic, some species emit audible echolocation clicks. The spotted bat (Euderma maculatum) makes a sound that resembles two rocks striking each other. The bat listens for the delay of the echo. Bat calls are complicated, generally consisting of a mixture of constant frequency (CF) and frequency modulated (FM) calls. High-frequency calls are used more often because they offer detailed information about the speed, direction, size, and distance of prey. Low-frequency calls travel further and are mainly used to map immobile objects. How Moths Beat Bats Moths are popular prey for bats, so some species have developed methods to beat echolocation. The tiger moth  (Bertholdia trigona)  jams the ultrasonic sounds. Another species advertises its presence by generating its own ultrasonic signals. This allows bats to identify and avoid poisonous or distasteful prey. Other moth species have an organ called a tympanum that reacts to incoming ultrasound by causing the moths flight muscles to twitch. The moth flies erratically, so its harder for a bat to catch. Other Incredible Bat Senses In addition to echolocation, bats use other senses unavailable to humans. Microbats can see in low light levels. Unlike humans, some see ultraviolet light. The saying blind as a bat doesnt apply to megabats at all, as these species see as well as, or better than, humans. Like birds, bats can sense magnetic fields. While birds use this ability to sense their latitude, bats use it to tell north from south. References Corcoran, Aaron J.; Barber, J. R.; Conner, W. E. (2009). Tiger moth jams bat sonar. Science. 325 (5938): 325–327.Fullard, J. H. (1998). Moth Ears and Bat Calls: Coevolution or Coincidence?. In Hoy, R. R.; Fay, R. R.; Popper, A. N. Comparative Hearing: Insects. Springer Handbook of Auditory Research. Springer.Nowak, R. M., editor (1999).  Walkers Mammals of the World.  Vol. 1. 6th edition. Pp.  264–271.Surlykke, A.; Ghose, K.; Moss, C. F. (April 2009). Acoustic scanning of natural scenes by echolocation in the big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus. Journal of Experimental Biology. 212 (Pt 7): 1011–20.

International Trade and NAFTA Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International Trade and NAFTA - Research Paper Example International trade revolves around many Disadvantages as well which are given below:1. International Trade can sometimes increase your expenses for Example, in certain cases you will have to hire additional staff for the procedure of import and export 2. Can result in trade deficit (negative balance in balance of trade) this takes place when there are more imports and comparatively less exports3. In certain cases create conflicts between two countries 4. In case of exporting/importing goods it increases the additional cost of Packaging and traveling 5. In certain cases discourage the local manufactures and prove to be unjust for them. For example, a local manufacturer produced 500 shirts and they are available in market for $ 40 each, where as someone imported 500 shirts and the marginal cost of each shirt was lesser than the local manufacturer because of Comparative Advantage and hence the imported shirts are available for $ 30 each in the market. Because of this the local manufact urer will face great loss and might get discouraged.6. Create unemployment in the country, if you start importing more then there will be less industries, mills, and factories in the country this might result in unemployment7. Increase dependency on other countries  NAFTA was created to make trade and investment easier and more accessible between United States, Canada and Mexico and to encourage free trade.   1.  One of the major positive effects of NAFTA was increase of trade between United States,Canada and Mà ©xico.

Questions 7 and 8 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Questions 7 and 8 - Coursework Example This is because he thought that the workers were lazy, or the supervisors were inefficient. Canadian Fabrication and Design has attained its marginal product. This is the output that the company generates from one additional factor of production which is a metal worker. The decision of cracking down employees will not yield to high production levels. This is because the firm has attained its optimal production level and beyond this point it will only yield the same production or less. The best measure that the Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Fabrication and Design should adopt is to expand production of the firm. This will increase the marginal production level of the business and thus sustain the newly employed sheet metal workers. The Chief Executive Officer of the organization should adopt this measure as an alternative to cracking down the number of employees. It will result in success of the organization since the company will make sufficient sales (Hirschey, 2008, p. 21). Priceless goods refers to the commodities which people hold as having non market value which makes them perfectly unsuitable for buying and selling. An example of a commodity that people view as allegedly free is prescription drugs. The various people who make drugs have the responsibility of setting reasonable prices for the medicines. This calls them to restrain the prices. People view these drugs as priceless since they are urgent that they leave companies without price which they acquire in the market (Hirschey, 2008, p. 28). The concept of accounting cost states that a company incurs expenses during production. These expenses show up in the financial statements of a company. Prescription drugs are not priceless since the company incurs expenses in the production process of their manufacture. This refers to a business cost that one can identify and account for in an easy manner. It is a direct expense which an

Reflection in Nursing Essay Example for Free

Reflection in Nursing Essay This assignment is a reflective account of events that arose for a nursing student during their first clinical placement in a community hospital. A brief definition of reflection will be given, with emphasis placed on communication. This reflection has been chosen to highlight the need for nurses to have therapeutic communication skills, to provide holistic care for those diagnosed with dysphasia or speech loss and the scope of learning opportunities it has provided to improve practice in this area. All names in this text have been changed, to respect the confidentiality of the patient and other healthcare professionals (NMC 2002). Reflection, in this instance, is a way of analysing past incidents to promote learning and improve safety, in the delivery of health care in practice. The Gibbs reflective cycle has been chosen as a framework for reflection (see appendix 1). Mr. Comer was admitted to his local community hospital for respite care. He has suffered multiple, acute strokes in the past, which has left him with severe disabilities. These include paralysis rendering him immobile, aphasia (speech loss) and dysphagia (swallowing difficulties). He relies on carers for all normal activities required for daily living (Roper et al 1996) and is advised to have a pureed diet and thickened fluids. My mentor asked me to observe her feeding Mr Comer. She had prepared my learning the week previously by providing literature on the subject of feeding elderly patients and discussion on safe practice for feeding patients with dysphagia. I was alarmed and unprepared for the physical sight of this patient, who was coughing noisily and laboriously and a thick, green stream of mucus was exuding from his mouth. I observed Mr. Comer being fed and noticed he was coughing more than normal during his meal, but was informed that this was quite normal for him. I was asked to feed him the next day. When I uncovered Mr Comer’s meal he started to cough in the same manner that I had witnessed before, but this time he evaded all eye contact. I was feeling extremely anxious, but proceeded to load a spoon with his meal. His coughing increased in intensity accompanied by rapid eye blinking, turning his head away from me and throaty groans that I can only describe as distressed vocal growling. I was terrified at this point and called for assistance, thinking Mr. Comer was having some kind of seizure. I discovered very quickly from another health carer who knew Mr. Comer well, that he was protesting profusely about the pureed dinner I was going to give him which he dislikes immensely. On the previous day, he had received an ordinary meal, mashed to a smooth consistency, which is what his carers provided for him at home. This experience left me feeling very uncomfortable and inadequate in my role. I tried to understand why he reacted so alarmingly by putting myself in his position. I felt anger and frustration, but more importantly the feeling of helplessness. Not being able to voice my dislike to the meal offered exacerbated the urgency of hunger or thirst. Although this experience was very frightening for me and frustrating for the patient, it has highlighted the need for me to improve my communication skills. NMC (2002) outlines that we must not add extra stress or discomfort to a patient by our actions and we must use our professional skills to identify patient’s â€Å"preferences regarding care†¦and the goals of the therapeutic relationshipâ€Å". Severtseen (1990) cited by Duxbury (2000) applies the term ‘therapeutic communication’ as the dialogue between nurse and patient to achieve goals tailored exclusively to the patients needs. In this case dialogue is used by Mr. Comer in the form of body language and noise to communicate his needs because of speech loss. Nelson-Jones (1990) states that facial expressions are an intrinsic way to express emotions and eye contact is one way to show interest. The avoidance in eye contact displayed by Mr. Comer showed his distinct lack of interest. Compounding these factors was his facial paralysis, which made it especially difficult for me to ascertain the exact nature of his feelings. The nurse must be the sender and more importantly the receiver of clear information. Patients with speech impairment or loss have a more difficult task sending the messages they want and are sometimes unsuccessful in making themselves understood. (Arnold Boggs 1995). It appeared to me that Mr. Comer’s cough was not only a physiological disorder caused by his condition, but a way for him to communicate, in this case, his displeasure. Critical analysis of this experience has pointed to the fact that I have inadequacies in my skills, to identify covert and overt clues provided by Mr. Comer to his needs. I had focussed too much on the presenting task to feed him, with my mind occupied on his safety due to the nature of his swallowing problems. I had not considered his other needs like his wishes or desires and I had not gathered enough personal information about him beforehand to know this (Davis Fallowfield 1991). I had been unsure about what to say or do to alleviate Mr. Comer’s apparent anxieties and had adopted what Watson Wilkinson (2001) describe as the blocking technique. By continuing my actions to carry on with the meal, I was cutting short the patients need to communicate a problem. I was influenced in this decision because I felt obliged to be seen to reduce his anxieties, knowing my actions would be judged by an audience of other care workers and patients on the ward. I did not respond efficiently to reduce his distress and this pressure led me to deal with the situation inadequately and for that I felt guilty (Nichols 1993). I should have allowed more time to understand what Mr. Comer was thinking and feeling by putting words to his vocal sounds and actions. I could have shown more empathy in the form of my own body language to promote active listening (Egan 2002) and not worried about other peoples views on my decisions and beliefs to act in a way I felt comfortable with and thought was best for my patient. Gould (1990) cited by Chauhan Long (2000) have suggested that â€Å"many of the non verbal behaviours we use to reassure patients, such as close proximity, prolonged eye contact, clarification, validation, touch, a calm and soothing voice, the effective use of questions, paraphrasing and reflecting thoughts and feelings and summarising are all sub skills with the totality of empathy†. There is an abundance of information about communication, especially for nurses because it is considered by many as the core component to all nursing actions and interventions. Lack of effective communication is a problem that still exists because the learning process that leads to a skilled level of ability may take years of experience to develop (Watson and Wilkinson 2001). It has been quite difficult for me to admit my inadequacies in communication, but Rowe (1999) explains that a person must identify their weaknesses as an initiative for becoming self-aware. Only with acceptance of ones self, can a person begin to acknowledge another persons uniqueness and build upon this to provide holistic care.

when sports were just games :: essays research papers

When Sports were just Games   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I grew up in front of the T.V. watching bone-crunching hits and massive home runs in old Cleveland Municipal Stadium. I saw the last game the Browns played there and I started bawling like a blubbering idiot when they left the field. Back then sports were much more simple. The games were played for fun. There were no high-school kids bringing down the quality of NBA games, There weren’t any greedy me-first 19 year olds trying to sue their way into the NFL. Nor were there any teams spending 190 million dollars to buy a World Series like the Yankees. But when the 1995 NFL season ended I was finally introduced to the most horrid part of sports... economics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Economics ruined my favorite game and economics had taken away my favorite team. The Browns weren’t just my team, they were Cleveland’s team. They were taken from us because Art Modell couldn’t force the taxpayers to build him a stadium. He had enough money to help Cleveland build a football stadium we could be proud of, but he’d rather make money. Never mind the rich tradition of football we have in Cleveland. Never mind the fact that we were a playoff team the year before. The new stadium was going to cost him money. That’s when I realized that allegiances and loyalty don’t matter to owners or players. The only thing that matters to guys like Modell is the almighty dollar.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Football is not the only sports that has been ruined by recent economic changes. Baseball has had its own struggles with economics. It starts with the large gaps between large and small market teams. While some small market teams like the Florida Marlins, Oakland A’s and the Kansas City Royals have been able to perform well, most like the Devil Rays and Pirates stink. The most telling statistic that shows this gap is that the Yankees have a 190 million dollar payroll. That is a full 40 million above the team in second. The team with the lowest payroll is the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at 20 million dollars. That is a full 5.2 million dollars less than Alex Rodriguez! One player makes more than 25 players! It is also $170 million dollars lower than the Yankees. So what does baseball’s Commissioner, Bud Selig, do about this problem? He doesn’t propose some sort of salary cap like the NFL, he says that the MLB needs contraction.

H&M in Fast Fashion: Continued Success Essay

Q1) Evaluate the external environment in which H&M operates in. External environment refers to the challenging and complexity in which the firm operates. It is important to highlight the factors of the external environment because it is very critical to the success of the firm. PESTEL model and Porter’s 5 Forces (P5F) models will be used to evaluate the external environment of H&M. These models will determine how challenging and attractive the environment is for H&M. 1. PESTEL PESTEL highlights 6 environmental forces namely political, economic, social, technological, ecological and legal (Johnson, et al. 2014). This model analyses the general environment that influences the industry and the organisations in it as well as how challenging the environment is to operate. 1.1 POLITICAL H&M is subjected to political pressures from the labour rights movement especially in low-wage countries. H&M has outsourced its manufacturing line to low-cost countries. H&M has no or little control over the operation in those countries. Hence, the firm would be closely scrutinised by the labour rights movement to spot any abuse in the rights of employee e.g. poor working condition. Government expansion and international trade policies would greatly impact the growth of the industry and increases competition. Threat 1.2 ECONOMIC H&M will not be spared from the increase in cotton prices and rising product cost in Asia. Economic downturn will have an impact on all the stakeholders in the environment especially the customers. Demand for luxury goods would decline for customers who are price-sensitive. They would then consider H&M competitors that offers similar goods which is are much cheaper than H&M or  go for substitutes. Threat 1.3 SOCIAL Due to the ‘fast fashion’ business, customers taste in high fashion is constantly evolving. Customers are now more educated and their demand for good quality products at low prices have increased. H&M could meet the needs of the customer as it has the advantage of being a first mover in the fast fashion business. Opportunity 1.4 TECHNOLOGICAL The emergence of technologies such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube allows organisations to reach out to its customers more quickly and effectively. H&M uses these online social platforms as a way to be closer to their customers as well as sharing and updating its activities to its fanbase. Opportunity 1.5 ECOLOGICAL Due to education and high awareness of the importance of conserving and going ‘green’, H&M has created a special collection of clothing line using sustainable or eco-friendly materials. Opportunity 1.6 LEGAL Legal refers to the restriction or liberalisation of legislative and regulatory constraints or changes. Organisation in the environment would not be able to avoid this particular external environment factor therefore organisation has to embrace this legal aspect. Liberalisation of the international trade has resulted in an increase of the number of suppliers globally and hence intensifying the competition among manufacturers in low-wage countries Threat From the PESTEL analysis, H&M is in a moderately competitive environment where both threats and opportunities factors are in equal balance. Therefore, H&M has to exploit the opportunities available in social, technological and ecological factors. As for the threats, H&M has to embrace them and develop strategies to overcome or steer away from them too. 2. Porter’s 5 Forces (P5F) P5F helps to identify the attractiveness of an industry in terms of 5 competitive forces namely; threat of entry, threat of substitute, power of buyers, power of suppliers and the extent of rivalry between competitors (Johnson, et al. 2014). 2.1 THREAT OF ENTRY Factor H L Case evidence Effect (High/low) Scale of experience Needs large capital to compete with the incumbents in the environment. Low Access to supply /distribution channels Plenty of suppliers available to choose from. High Expected retaliation Costly to compete with incumbent as they have the economies of scale. Low Legislation or government action Liberalisation of international trade has resulted in the increase of number of suppliers. High Differentiation There is differentiation in style and concept of the apparel industry. High High threat of new entries would indicate that the industry is attractive and and could decrease the profit margin of H&M e.g.UNIQLO. However, these competitors must have sufficient financial resources to compete with the current incumbent in the industry. These new entries would have to build up experience over time in order to be on par with existing competitors. The competitive rivalry is moderately high because the market is fragmented and there are few major incumbents in the industry. With intense rivalry e.g. Zara, each competitor is vigorously competing against the rest in order to have a market share in this apparel industry. From the P5F analysis, H&M is operating is a highly attractive market where the threats of entry is high, threats of substitute is low, power of buyer is high, power of supplier is low and high rivalry. Overall, H&M is operating in a highly competitive and attractive external environment. Therefore H&M must take steps to look into its resources and identify its strategic capabilities in order to stay ahead of the competition. Q2a) Identify and discuss the strategic capabilities of H&M. Strategic capabilities refer to the capabilities of an organisation that contributes to its long-term survival or competitive advantage (Johnson, et al. 2014). The components of strategic capabilities are resources (what the firm has) and competences (what they do well). The table below lists down all the resources and competences of H&M. This table also identifies the type of capabilities for each competences namely threshold and distinctive capabilities. Threshold capabilities refer to competences that are needed for the organisation to meet the necessary requirements to compete in a given market; and distinctive capabilities look into competences that are required to achieve competitive advantage (Johnson, et al. 2014). Resources Competences Type of capabilities Organisational resources Competent leader who has a good business acumen Distinctive Physical resources Stores position in the best location Threshold Rapid expansion into other countries and new markets Threshold Has 2206 stores in 43 countries Distinctive Ability to deliver collection within a month of initial design Distinctive Efficient integrated logistic team Distinctive Technological resources Owns its own clothing line and trends Distinctive Human resources 200 talented designers and pattern makers Distinctive Empowerment of store managers with autonomy Threshold Collaboration with famous designers to produce new collection Distinctive Innovation resources Building creative window and store displays Distinctive Created a special collection using sustainable materials (CSR) Threshold Reputational resources Pioneered in ‘fast-fashion’ business Distinctive Emphasize ‘cheap and chic’ business model Distinctive Strong branding Distinctive Culture Instils the importance of core values in employees Threshold Strong corporate culture (spirit of H&M) – Encourages experimentation, trial and error learning, decision making, initiatives, try new ideas Distinctive Information technology (IT) Efficient reporting of sales Threshold Establishment of strong social media presence Threshold Effective information sharing software Threshold Based on the table above, H&M has more distinctive capabilities than threshold. H&M now could recognise the different types of capabilities and which are the ones the organisation should focus on and turn them into sustainable competitive advantage generating above average returns. H&M has to put more effort in the distinctive capabilities such as competent leadership, physical assets such as stores, its ever-changing collection of designer clothes, integrated logistics function, its talented employees, successful collaborations, creative window display, its fast-fashion business model, strong branding and lastly its strong corporate culture. With the SWOT analysis, H&M has to continue its efforts strengthening its strength so that it would give the organisation an advantage over its rivals. As for its weaknesses, H&M could either eliminate or work on weaknesses by turning them into strengths. H&M should seize the opportunities when the time is right. Lastly, threats should be avoided or steer away from them. Identify the key issues, challenges and opportunities facing H&M. The key issues of H&M are whether their existing resources, capabilities, practices and knowledge are sufficient to keep up with competition. Another key issue is the threat of new and vigorous entrants. The answer to these is yes, H&M could keep up with the competition due to substantial resources, strategic distinctive capabilities, strong value creating activities, strong practices and knowledge. H&M challenges would be revitalising and redefining its strategic capabilities in order to be sustainable in this apparel industry. H&M has to keep up with the latest fashion trends and continue to explore other avenues to create value to its value chain activities. Another challenge is to stay ahead of its competitors especially the threats by new and vigorous new entrants, by moving fast and reaching large market based by applying a simple business model – ‘cheap and chic’. The opportunities would be v enturing into new areas where H&M has yet to explore e.g. online shopping, opening the largest store in the world on Fifth Avenue, New York. H&M has to evaluate if these opportunities could give them the competitive edge against its competitors and generating an above average returns. Based on preceding analysis, formulate and discuss appropriate strategies that you would recommend to H&M in order for it to achieve above-average returns in the future. H&M is now operating a cost leadership strategy. This strategy involves becoming the lowest-cost organisation in the industry (Johnson, et al. 2014). Cost leadership strategy is an integrated set of actions taken to produce goods or services with features that are acceptable to customers at the lowest cost (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt 2013) Based on preceding analysis, it is timely for H&M to review its business level strategy. Cost leadership strategy is not always the best strategy for H&M as there will always be the risk of being undercut on price especially during the economic downturn. Secondly, low cost has always been associated with cheap quality goods where products barely meet the market standard. H&M should be considering using the lock-in business strategy. This strategy is where customers become dependen t on H&M and are unable to use another supplier without substantial switching cost. With this lock-in strategy, copycats and substitutes of H&M products would have a hard time attracting customers. With customers securely locked in, H&M could charge prices which are well above cost. Lock-in strategies can be achieved in two ways mainly controlling complementary products/services and creating a proprietary industry standard (Johnson, et al. 2014). Another strategy which H&M could consider is differentiation strategies. Differentiation involves uniqueness along some dimensions that are sufficiently valued by customers to allow a price premium. Based on H&M’s strategic capabilities, one of its competitive advantage competences is having its own clothing line and trends. The fashion house could use this competency to carry out the differentiation strategy. With H&M’s large pool of over 200 talented designers and collaboration with famous top designers, customers would be willing to pay more for the latest style and fashion. With the unpredictability of the fashion industry, H&M has to be able to stay well ahead of its major competitors by reviewing its strategic capab ilities from time to time. Capabilities need to change and evolved into dynamic capabilities. Only dynamic capabilities have what it takes to be the key driver towards strategic change. Like what fashion model, Heidi Klum, from the fashion industry always said, â€Å"Today you are in but tomorrow, you might be out!† The same goes to the chosen strategy of H&M, cost leadership might  work today, but it won’t be the correct strategy tomorrow. Bibliography Ireland, R. Duane, Robert E. Hoskisson, and Michael A. Hitt. The Management of Strategy. Australia: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2013. Johnson, Gerry, Richard Whittington, Kevan Scholes, Duncan Angwin , and Patrick Regner. Exploring Strategy. Harlow: Pearson, 2014.

Poverty In United States Essay

United States of America being among   Ã‚  the richest and most developed nations one would expect poverty to be a vocabulary that only exist in the national policies of third world countries.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By comparison Americans can be described as wealthy but there are some pockets of poverty in this vast and rich nation This paper attempts to explore poverty situation in United States highlighting its causes and characteristics, digging deeper to understand which group of people consist the poor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A report released in 2002 shows that there were 35 million poor Americans, this represented roughly 10% of the population, and this figure has been rising Presently 12% of Americans are living below the poverty line.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By definition poverty is described as that condition where one is unable to meet the basic need in life, that’s one, can not afford a well balanced meal, decent housing and clothing. Poverty in United States is somehow different from the one experienced in least developed nations where living on less than a dollar qualifies one as poor. The poor in America constitute people who depend on state welfare since they are unable to provide for themselves, every year people fall in and out of poverty.   In a period of 10 years 40% of American fall in and out of poverty, this is attributed to fall of their income, when one of the family member moves out, among other situations (Fisher, G.M., 2003)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some groups of people are more prone to poverty than others. This depends on their economic social or cultural position they occupy in the society. There are those who are unemployed meaning they do not engage in any income generating activity. Crime on one hand is a result of poverty or it can breed poverty. Poor tend to engage into criminal activity or they are driven into it by poverty. Apprehended criminals in correction centers rarely engage in economic activity while victims of crime e.g. thefts have to replace the stolen property eating on their savings. (Zweig, Michael, 2004)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Households headed by women on average tend to be poor in comparison to those with both spouses. In this type of a family woman is the sole bread winner. Most of her income goes towards provision of basic needs with less or no savings therefore making it difficult for this family to rise beyond poverty line (Martin N.,2008).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The size of the family affects family income, large families have more mouths to feed, more household bills to clear, huge spending in insurance, education and healthcare. If this type of family income is not enough they will for ever be trapped in poverty cycle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Other groups that are likely to be poor are the unskilled, the less educated substance abusers immigrants and children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Causes of poverty in America are several they range from economical, cultural, and geographical to social. . Distribution of resources largely affects people ability to produce. This also determines employment opportunities available which by and large dictates people incomes. States endowed with resources will have low poverty rates than those with little or unexploited resources. (Adams, J.Q, Pearlie S.A, 2001)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Economic condition which is not favorable will result to increased poverty rate, recessions leads to rise in inflation which means people pay more for the same goods they were buying but their income remains constant, and this means savings are curtailed. For example recession in 1982 led to rise in poverty rates from 12% to 15%   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Education equips Americans with skills that enable them to gain employment or venture into business. On average Americans with a college diploma have access to high paying jobs compared to the less educated. To a greater extent educational level determine ones income, less educated are likely to earn less making it impossible for them to afford a decent living. On the same line education level dictates opportunities available to an individual. Unskilled labor attracts low pay making unskilled laborers more prone to poverty than their skilled counterparts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rural and urban settings provide greater disparities as far as living standards are concerned. Americans living in urban areas have higher incomes when compared to their rural countrymen. There are more opportunities in urban areas due to high population with disposable income and better infrastructure. In rural areas opportunities are few and are limited to primary production e.g. agriculture, mining e.t.c.This means income generation activities and employment opportunities are fewer and only attract the less skilled   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Regionally, most of the southern states have higher poverty rates especially the rural areas .This is due to few employment opportunities and historical background.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Children are more prone to be poor than any other age group. According to the information released from population survey by census bureau in 2004, 21% 0f children were considered as poor. A greater disparity is seen when it comes to racial lines, almost half of African Americans and 40% of Latino kids are trapped in poverty circles. (Harrington, M.,1962).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Immigrants are great victims of poverty .Those with low education earn their living in low paying jobs. Illegal immigrants are even more disadvantaged as they can not gain any meaningful employment, therefore remaining in poverty circles for a long time   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In conclusion, poverty in United States is dynamic, one may be in and out of poverty throughout their lives. Though there are conflicts as to who is poor, there is a common understanding that those who live on an income that is below what an average American earn is living below poverty . What constitutes poverty in United States may be middle class in some parts of the world especially in least developed nations. Poverty is a limiting factor in the society as it denies some Americans decent lives curtailing their freedom to enjoy lives. Policies need to be implemented to lower the poverty rates so as to rid United States of poverty. Reference Adams, J.Q.; Pearlie Strother-Adams, 2001. Dealing with Diversity. Chicago, IL: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. . Harrington, Michael ,1962 The Other America. Macmillan. Fisher, G.M. ,2003 The Development of the Orshansky Poverty Thresholds. Macmillan Zweig, Michael ,2004 What’s Class Got to do With It, American Society in the Twenty-first Century. ILR Press. Martin N. ,2008. Social Inequality: Patterns and Processes, 4th ed.. Boston: McGraw-Hill

American healthcare system Essay Example

American healthcare system Essay Example American healthcare system Paper American healthcare system Paper American healthcare system is the most expensive in the world. Sad, but true. Average expenditures for health care is about $5,540 per capita – much more than in other countries. Two different groups of Americans has different attitude to these money: sick persons want pay less and health care providers want earn more. A recent WHO survey ranked the United States as th 37th in overall health system performance. USA has honorous place between Costa Rica and Slovenia. Why? Everebody knows that the United States spends more on health care (13.7% of GDP) than any another nation. But Americans are the most dissatisfied with the quality of health care. Only 40% of Americans think that their national health care system is good. 80% Americans say the health care system needs major changes or a complete rebuilding. At the beginning of the new millenium there were more than 38 million uninsured adult Americans. In addition to the lack of health insurance among nearly 15% of the population of the United States, there are major economic and racial and ethnic disparities among uncovered persons. Nearly two thirds of the uninsured come from low-income families, and nearly three quarters of these individuals are from families with at least one full-time worker. The worse situation we have with accessibilty of health care for Hispanics. Official commentary from White House: â€Å"Many Americans enjoy access to good choices in employer-sponsored health care plans, but many others do not have good coverage options or are in danger of losing them.† President team proposed some approaches to the reform: â€Å"patient-centered health care through coverage thet you choose†, â€Å"improving the health care system by creating an environmnet thet encourages and rewards quality† and â€Å"effective support to strengthen the health care safety net and increase biomedical research†. Commentary â€Å"from the streets† (David Baron’s homepage): â€Å"I consider our current health care system to be a restricted market. By this I mean that the insurance industry is a group of profit-seeking firms, but consumers do not have free choice to switch between the market alternatives. Many of the people who defend the current system claim that a free market is best. However our current system is not a free market. Many of the problems in our current health care system are a result of the restrictions in this market. Consumers cannot register their discontent with their insurance plans because it is difficult to switch plans. Because of this difficulty, plans can fail to provide quick resolution of claims, good information, or consistent policy because customers are tied in to their current plans through their employers and through the difficulty of switching plans. Considering our current system of a restricted market, one of the simplest solutions to this problem would be to have a free market for health insurance, so that people could â€Å"vote with their feet.† Citation from Insurance Journal â€Å"The poll found that 84 percent of likely Illinois voters characterize the current state of Illinois medical liability system as a crisis or major problem, and more than three-quarters (77 percent) think the system needs major changes or a complete overhaul. More than two-thirds (68 percent) of those surveyed rate dealing with the impact of high medical liability insurance rates on health care as an extremely important issue for the Governor and state legislature to address. And 62 percent reportedly say they would be more likely to support their state legislator in this falls elections if their lawmaker voted for comprehensive reform†. So the problems on the federal and state level are the same. There are several problems in the medical insurance, inluding increase of the number of uninsured people, aging of population which will put enormous stresses on the pension and Medicare system. American insurance system need to evolve into a more sensible strategy over time†. Americans are very inpatient nation. Were very keen on new technology and procedures, and we dont have to want to wait for them or have to travel long distances. Probably, we will always spend substantially more relative to our Gross National Product than other countries. We have inequality in access to health care. There is the different attitude toward government that exists around the country. Some of the lower middle class probably are at the most risk. They may not have insurance or their insurance may not be as complete and theyre not easily eligible for assistance. Thats probably the biggest problem, the lower-middle income working uninsured population or maybe even underinsured population. An administrator of Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services, Thomas A. Scully used more strong words: â€Å"We spend billions of dollars, and we have no idea where its going. We make multi-billion-dollar mistakes.† He says â€Å"I had three goals coming into the job. One was to shake up HCFA for the better and make it much more transparent and more consumer-responsive. Secondly, I want to make the program more understandable and responsive to seniors. I think the whole health care system is much more responsive when beneficiaries know what theyre getting and they have information about quality.Third, I really want to get Medicare reform done, and Id also like to do something about the uninsured†. In his article published in the American Journal of Public Health (2003) Dr. Mohammad Akhter wrote   about advocacy of the development of universal health care system. Their approach is based on a single-payer mechanism. But Akhter considers â€Å"that a good alternative to the single-payer system that is based on incremental extension of existing coverage mechanisms, accompanied by fundamental reform of the health care delivery system. This approach is in keeping with the traditional methods of policy development in the United States, and I urge APHA to assume leadership in advocating it.† Another professional, professor Dennis G. Shea speak about three different approah in health care reform. The first one â€Å"would advocate using resources to develop systems, both public and private, for coordinating and organizing care†. Its goal to avoid errors that compromise the quality of care, duplication of efforts and espenditures, to increase responsiveness. Another approach â€Å"puts patients more at the center of their care, making them partners, as much as patients†. It means that people should be personally responsible for their health. The third approach â€Å"emphasizes that a basic commitment to care for all should be the primary value in our health system†. â€Å"This would require a redistribution of funds from those who are well-off to others to accomplish the goal. The increased governmental involvement could actually increase costs, create shortages and waiting lists, and reduce quality†. The President of National Coalition on Health Care, Henry Simmons, a physician, said: The main point I want to leave with you is that the crisis we face cannot be resolved by our present strategies or with the patchwork efforts of the past. Neither can it be resolved by dealing with only one or several of the problems we face. Resolution will require comprehensive health system reform. Health providers consider Medicaid and Medicare to be the most efficient health plans today. And they tell that the private sector insurance BIG BUSINESSES are inefficient, and charge outrageous premiums to their customers while decreasing benefits and reimbursements. CIGNA, United Healthcare, BC/BS, Medcost, Aetna and other companies are the major cause for our health care crisis. They should be eliminated and replaced with one universal plan. How was that perception shaped by the purchasers of health care? Customer hopes for better. They see that Americans who cant afford to pay huge medical bills usually get treatment anyway, through a mixture of private and public charity. But this happens only after treatments are delayed, families are driven into bankruptcy and insurers spend billions trying not to provide care. People think that we need an universal health paln for all Americans. Health coverage should be a right, not a privilege. References: http://dbaron.org/views/health.html http://forum.johnkerry.com/lofiversion/index.php/t43005.html ajph.org/cgi/content/full/93/1/99 insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2004/07/23/44355.htm whitehouse.gov/infocus/medicare/health-care/

Composition Essay

Composition Essay Composition Essay Composition Essay: Write It Easily Writing a composition essay proves to be challenging enough in ones first language, not to mention in a foreign language. Here you will find some tips and strategies on how to organize your writing easily and quickly, in order to get full marks in the organization aspect of your composition essay short. Composition Essay Types Narrative. In the introduction restate the composition essay topic in your own words and briefly introduce the person or incident you will be writing about. In the main body establish the background to what you are about to describe. Narrate what happened. Break this portion into 2-3 paragraphs: the introduction to the key moment, especially the key moment and the aftermath. Write all in the separate paragraphs. Use time links where possible. In the conclusion, discuss the influence a person or incident had on you and what you learned. Problem or solution. In the introduction, restate the situation in your own words. State simply that the situation involves problems, but solutions do exist. In the main body write a separate paragraph about each problem. Start with a good topic sentence describing the problem, than analyze it with the series of examples, reasons, and results. Using a clear transition statement, present one or more solutions. Use links and elaborate with reasons, examples, and results. In the conclusion of your composition essay, summarize by the restating of introduction. For and against. In the introduction, briefly restate the issue of the topic. State simply that the issue has advantages and disadvantages. In the main body write a separate paragraph about each side of the argument. Start with the clear topic sentence describing one side of the argument. Develop with 2-3 aspects. End the conclusion by weighing up both sides and expressing your opinion. Opinion. In the introduction briefly restate your topic and your opinion. In the body of composition essay, write a separate paragraph about each choice, side or key aspect. Start with topic sentence announcing your choice. Develop with several reasons and examples to justify your choice, using linking words. End your essay by restating your opinion and leaving the reader with a thought-provoking idea: After you finish writing your essay, give it a rest and turn your attention to some other task, such as writing or proofreading your summary essay. While proofreading clarifies all phrases and points, add in words that you have omitted and change words that you have mistakenly put, erase unnecessary apostrophes, add in needed. Proofread also your spelling errors, capitalization errors and comma use errors. Need Help? We Can Assist You With All Aspects of Essay Writing! If you need help with your essay writing, you are welcome to become our client and receive a professional help overnight. Read more: 250 Words per Page Term Paper Communism Paper Philosophy Term Business Ethics Paper Term Argumentative Term Paper Analysis Term Paper

The Role of the Colonies in the British Mercantilist System Essay - 1

The Role of the Colonies in the British Mercantilist System - Essay Example With King James II, British colonies turned into a source of profit and power for the British Empire. King James II attempted to create a centrally managed Atlantic Empire (Henretta & Brody 93). Though the Glorious Revolution weakened royal grip on power, King James II put forth the foundations of mercantilism, such as the need to expand economically in order to be a glorious empire. British colonies thus served to improve British economic status among other monarchies and independent states and towns in Europe. Mercantilism was a policy promoting self sufficiency among countries of the day (Nettels 105). According to Nettels, â€Å"[t]he policy aimed to gain for the nation a high degree of security or self-sufficiency, especially as regards food supply, raw materials needed for essential industries, and the sinews of war† (105). With this goal in mind, the British aristocracy pursued colonies which could produce sugar, tobacco and other food products. In exchange, they were r equired to buy English manufactured goods, or use the English merchants as intermediaries (Henretta & Brody 69). This practice was prescribed by the Staple Act of 1663, according to which colonial planters bought most of the needed manufactured goods from England (Nettels 109). England prohibited trade with other European countries, as it could not impose favorable terms of trade (Nettels 105). English government designed laws that would keep colonies dependent upon English economy (108).