Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Eymp 1 Context and Principles for Early Years Provision
EYMP 1 ââ¬â Context and Principles for Early Years Provision Part 1 An explanation of the legal status and principles of the EYF and how national and local guidance materials are used in settings The legal status and principles of the Early Years Foundation stage is used with children aged from birth to five years. The Government have outlined three primary and four specific areas and seventeen early learning goals that they think are important to a childââ¬â¢s development and planning is used to meet a childââ¬â¢s individual needs.An explanation of how different approaches to work with children in early years have affected current provision in the UK Over the years many people have made studies of what they believe were the important factors in providing for childrenââ¬â¢s needs. All of these pioneers believed that there should be an integrated approach to the early years provision. One of these pioneers that had the greatest influence was Freidrich Froebel.Froebel foun ded the first kindergarten in 1840 and learned how important it was for children to have real experiences and to be physically active, learning outdoors as well as indoors. He believed that schools should be communities where parents could join their children, and that parents were the first educators of children. Other pioneers were Maria Montessori who devised a structured teaching programme based on watching children with learning difficulties and building on the work of Froebel.She have a different view to him in some areas, for example believing that children should learn to work alone to help them become independent learners and did not see the benefit of play. Rudolf Steiner believed that the first seven years of a childs life were the most important and that they needed a carefully planned environment to develop in a rounded way. Margaret McMillan used many of Froebelââ¬â¢s ideas and thought that play was very important. She believed that nurseries were an extension of th e home and not a replacement for it.In the 1920s she set up nursery schools that were copied across the world, having gardens and welcoming families and not just children. One of her most important achievements was introducing school medical services and school meals. She did this because she believed that children could not learn of they were hungry or sick. All of the work of these and other pioneers had an impact on the way that the current provisions in the UK have developed. Why the early years framework emphasises a personal and ndividual approach to learning and development The early years framework emphasises a personal and individual approach to learning and development because valuing a childââ¬â¢s individuality, ideas and feelings is an important part of developing an individual approach to the learning and development. A child has universal physical needs such as food, drink and shelter and psychological needs such as love, affection, security, friendship which are es sential to maintaining their quality of life.In recognising and trying to meet an individual childââ¬â¢s needs each childââ¬â¢s age, physical maturity, intellectual abilities, emotional development, social skills and past experiences and relationships need to be considered. Part 2 An explanation of the partnership model of working with carers This enables different services and professionals to join together to prevent problems happening. It is used to support children, young people and families to help secure improved outcomes.A review of the potential barriers to participation of cares and an explanation of how these barriers may be overcome There can be barriers to effective partnership working these include problems in sharing information, people not being clear on their roles and concerned that they may make a mistake. An explanation of strategies that can be used to support carers who may react positively or negatively to partnership opportunities Some people may feel th reatened that new approaches are being used which mean that they have to work in different ways to which they have been used to.Some may also not like being managed by someone that has different skills and experience from their own. To overcome these issues team meetings can be used for everyone to help them work together. It will also allow everyone to fully understand the roles and responsibilities of the other services and practitioners. An explanation of how effective multi-agency working operates within early years provision and benefits children and carers The Common Assessment Framework is used to by practitioners to assess the additional needs of and their family and to help identify the services that will be required to meet their needs.The Common Assessment Framework starts with assessment and information sharing of the childs development within the EYFS, the care and support offered, the overall family and environment. Using this information the lead professional will wor k with the team and the parents to put in place a plan to support the childââ¬â¢s development. The Common Assessment Framework has a standard form that is used to record and share with others the details of the assessment. The things that are important are clear and effective communication between the professionals and the agencies, keeping accurate records and maintaining confidentiality.
The Next Hunger Games English Literature Essay
The narrative a subsequence. Its about a miss, Katniss. She lived in District 12 and got picked as testimonial to contend in the one-year Hunger Games, organized by the Capitol, the topographic point that regulations over a state called Panem ( what used to be the United States ) . The 1 who survives the game, wins. Merely one individual could win, but at the terminal they said two people from the same territory could win together. When Katniss and her fellow District 12 testimonial Peeta think they ââ¬Ëve won, they ââ¬Ëre told merely one of them can win. Because they refuse to kill each other, they want to take toxicant berries so they ââ¬Ëll both decease. This is seen as opposition by the Capitol ( the Capitol regulations everything ) , and they are rapidly stopped. So, together with Peeta, Katniss won the Hunger Games. Because of Katniss ââ¬Ë behaviour, people are easy turning against the Capitol. The following Hunger Games, all the old victors had to be in the games once more, even though they would really ne'er have to once more. At the terminal, the staying testimonials are saved by Rebels and they are brought to District 13. Cipher knew District 13 still existed though. In the interim, Katniss has become the symbol of the revolution. She is the ââ¬ËMockingjay ââ¬Ë . She does hold a twosome of demands. So she wants President Coin, the president of District 13, to allow unsusceptibility to all former victors of the Hunger Games. She besides wants to be the 1 who kills President Snow ( President of Panem ) . Peeta was non rescued by the Rebels so the Rebels decide to take action, and free Peeta from the Capitol. If successful, it is non the Peeta that Katniss can retrieve her. But when Peeta is saved, he attacks Katniss because he was brainwashed by the Capitol so he would believe that Katniss is the enemy. The Rebels, with Katniss as their leader, continue runing and they go to the Capitol. Their end is to kill President Snow. During this trip, a figure of Rebels are killed, including Finnick. Finally Katniss goes looking for president Snow by herself. Then parachutes fall down, the same 1s that were used in the Hunger Games to supply things. The kids instantly try to acquire them, but they are bad packages, because there are bombs inside. Many of the kids and the Rebel medical squad are killed because of this. Among these people was Primrose, Katniss ââ¬Ë sister. This has a great impact on Katniss. Finally Katniss gets to President Snow and they talk briefly. He tells her that non he, but President Coin was responsible for the bombs. Katniss does n't cognize what to believe, but if this is true so Gale was cognizant of this program, even though he denies everything. When Katniss gets the opportunity to kill President Snow, she remembers that she had one time made a trade with him ; they would ever state each other the truth. So alternatively of killing him, she shoots an pointer at President Coin. Commotion arises and it seems President Snow is dead, but it is ill-defined how he died precisely. Katniss wants to perpetrate self-destruction, but right when she wants to take the pill, Peeta stops her. Katniss does n't acquire pursued and goes back to District 12 with some others and they want to reconstruct the territory. Katniss eventually sees that it was inevitable to fall in love with Peeta. She did non necessitate Gale. Together with Haymitch, Katniss and Peeta create a book with the narratives of the old testimonials and others during who died during the rebellion. This manner, they would ne'er be forgotten. The book ends with an epilogue. Katniss is an grownup and has two kids, she is married to Peeta. The Hunger Games are history, but Katniss does non look frontward to the minute when she has to state her kids about the Games and the war.SubjectFerociousnessDescription of the chief characterKatniss Everdeen: Katniss is a 17 twelvemonth old miss. She is obstinate and independent. Her small sister Prim means a batch to her. She loves runing with her friend Gale. Because she did n't desire to be bossed around by the Capitol, she gave people hope. So she became ââ¬Ëthe Mockingjay ââ¬Ë .Description of two minor charactersPeeta Mellark: Peeta Mellark was a bakers boy. He ever had a crush on Katniss before they got picked to be testimonials. Peeta is really talented in picture. He is diffident, really sweet and would make anything for Katniss. Gale Hawthorne: Gale is Katniss ââ¬Ë best friend and they ever hunt together. He cares a batch about his household. He is rebellious and lovingness. He is in love with Katniss.Description of the topographic point where the narrative is setDistrict 13. This is the District furthest off from the Capitol. It is under the land, so it looks as if there is nil. But, under the land are populating a batch of people.When does the narrative take topographic point?The narrative takes topographic point in the hereafter. I know this because it is told in the first book of the series. The narrative is told inveterate.Who is the storyteller?The narrative is told from Katniss ââ¬Ë position.Explanation of the rubricWhen Katniss went into the Hunger Games in the first book, she got a pin with a mockingjay on it. That is the combination of a mocker and a jabberjay ( a bird designed by the Capitol to memorise conversations so the Capitol could descry on people. When the jabberjay ââ¬Ës got misu sed by the people being spied on, the jabberjay ââ¬Ës were released in the wild. Alternatively of deceasing, they bred with mockers ) . Katniss becomes ââ¬Ëthe mockingjay ââ¬Ë as a statement.Is the book merely meant as a narrative or is the writer seeking to convey across a message?I do n't believe there ââ¬Ës truly a message behind the narrative. Possibly if you try really difficult to happen some kind of intending behind the narrative you could believe of a message but I think that ââ¬Ës a small far-fetched.My sentiment on the bookI liked the book, because I was really funny about how the narrative would stop.Would I urge the book to my schoolmates?Certain, I would urge the book to my schoolmates. But, they should hold read the other books because this is merely the concluding book. If they have read the other books, I would decidedly urge the book because it is easy to read and it ââ¬Ës non really complicated ( unless you have n't read the other books evidently ) .Which portion I liked bestI liked the stoping best, merely because I wanted to cognize how the narrative ended.Which portion disappointed me mostI guess what disappointed me most was besides the stoping, because even though I loved Peeta, I in secret wanted Katniss to take Gale. She made the right determination though, but it still someway defeated me.How much clip I spent reading the bookI think it took me about a hebdomad to read the book, but I ââ¬Ëm non certain how many hours.
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Procurement process in small or Micro Enterprises. Essay
1. Introduction This assignment entails the information of procurement processes and the comparison of three different organizations that we have chosen ââ¬â the Minimart, Online shop and Pet item industries. Although they are all micro organisations and retailers in the supply chain, they encompass individual requirements and selection criteria of their procurement processes. In this assignment, we will identify what are the similarities and differences in their Procurement-to-Pay process, their ââ¬ËWhat ifâ⬠risk factors and the mitigation approach in overcoming the risks. 2. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ORGANISATIONS The three micro organisations selected are namely the Mini-mart, Online Apparel Shop and the Pet Shop. Firstly, the mini-mart act as a ââ¬Å"convenient storeâ⬠located around housing estates. It takes advantage of the proximity and locality and targets the morning rush hour crowd such as the students and working adults. The mini-mart offers products like canned food, drinks,à tidbits, newspapers, ready-to-go foods like packed rice, finger food and desserts. As the mini-mart deals with highly perishable goods, the procurement procedure will be special to the industry, as they have limited shelf lives. Next, a recent trend in the fashion industry is the online shop. The online shop sells apparels and accessories that the owner source from around the world leeching on bulk discounts. The online shop targets female consumers that enjoy the convenience of online shopping. Lastly, the pet shop sells pets and their related items such as cages, food and treats, grooming kits and toys. The main consumers will be the people who are looking for pets and existing pet owners who will need to purchase the petââ¬â¢s necessities frequently. 3. POSITION OF ORGANISATIONS AND TWO MAJOR PRODUCTS IDENTIFIED All three organisations act as retailers where consumers purchase products from them directly. They directly import the products themselves from overseas or purchase from local wholesalers who import them in bulk. The focus for these three micro organisations chosen in their procurement process will be on the strategies that they make due to the limited space operating in Singapore. In addition, the mini-mart and pet shop have limited shelf life for some of the products that they carry. The two major products we identified for minimart are the newspapers and the ready-packed food. As mentioned, the consumers are mainly working adults and students that patronize during rush hour. Items like local newspapers and ready-packed food are in high demand. The shelf life of these products are short, thus once unsold will deem the newspaper obsolete and food stale. Next, the two major products for the online shop are clothing and accessories. The online shop needs to bring in new apparels constantly. They need to catch up with the growing demands and changing taste of the customers. A factor that contributes to these is the seasonal fashion that changes every time. Thus, seasonal demand should be included into forecasting for inventories as this would keep the company competitive. Finally, pet item consumers would mainly look forward to daily requirement such as pet canned foods and grooming products. They are two major products that petshop need to constantly keep them in sufficient amount of inventory required when they affect the sale rates. As mentioned earlier, they are imported overseas. 4. PROCURE TO PAY PROCESS COMPARISON Appendix A The three organisations that we have chose have all followed this Procure to Pay process, however they have their differences in determining these processes. For forecasting, the online shop and the pet shop has less frequent level of forecasting their requirements due to its irregularity sales of goods which depends on seasonal demand. However, the mini-mart actually requires daily forecasting and is more volatile in their forecast. The shopkeeper take into considerations like public and school holidays before he actually consider how much to procure for the day worth of food and newspapers to sell. For example, during weekends in the morning, crowds tend to be lesser and thus, lower in demand. For the clarification/requisition and supplier selection process, the online shop had done their clarifications virtually through online e-mails and phone calls as most of their suppliers are all overseas. The mini-mart and the pet shop actually do face-to-face meet up with suppliers to look at the real products, whether they can match their requirements before confirming the order and delivery. The approval and contract process is quite similar for both the mini-mart and the pet shop as it is done locally. After identifying a supplier, they will send purchase order according to demand. The online shop process is slightly different as the suppliers are mainly from overseas. Once the proprietor has identified their supplier, she will travel to the country to visit the supplier to determine the productââ¬â¢s quality, and to establish a rapport with the supplier before giving the approval. After discussing with these three organisations, we have discovered that price is one of the key factors on how these three organisations measures the performance of their suppliers. They will not want to see a sudden increase of their cost of products. However, there is a difference in their selection criteria. The mini-mart factors in the timeliness of goods, the petshop factors in the brand of products that consumers prefer, and the online shop focuses in the design, quality and bulk purchase discounts. 5. SUPPLIER IDENTIFICATION AND SELECTION The similarity in requirement for selecting suppliers is the timely delivery. All three organisations, especially the mini-mart requires punctual delivery of newspapers and ready-packed food daily. They rely on the supplierââ¬â¢s punctuality to stock up right inventories to make items available at the right time and place for consumers. With the Fedex Strategic sourcing process (Annex B), we are able to show their differences in identification and selection of suppliers. Minimart Online shop Pet Shop Profile the Sourcing Group ââ¬â Requires volatile changes of good supplies depending on the daily requirement. Thus, while setting the profile, the owner will prioritise familiarity and reliability with the supplier. ââ¬â Requires volume discount. ââ¬â Timely delivery affects forecast for seasonal demands and thus, will affect their sales. ââ¬â Requires volumes discounts for pets related item. ââ¬â Requires credibility and reputation of the supplier. Select Sourcing Strategy ââ¬â Has no bargaining power over the products from the current suppliers. ââ¬â Have little alternatives over suppliers as suppliers are niche and limited. ââ¬â Has bargaining power when ordering goods in bulk. ââ¬â An alternative way when current supplier is unable to meet the needs, online shop owners in Singapore can go for overseas hunts to look for direct suppliers instead of normal wholesalers in Singapore. For example, Bangkok is one of neighbouring countries who is the direct supplier for apparels sold locally. ââ¬â Has bargaining power due to bulk purchase ability and due to the large supplier base, it is easy to find alternative sources that can provide similar/better services. Generate Supplier Portfolio ââ¬â Has only one source for getting the newspapers due to the limited publisher in Singapore. ââ¬â However, for the food supplies, the owner will look intoà the value added services such as packaging of the food items. This helps to save the time of re-packaging and selling to the customers. ââ¬â Every piece of apparel is packed neatly in packaging and owners do not have to re-package themselves again. They are also delivered to ownerââ¬â¢s doorstep from overseas. This adds value to the supplierââ¬â¢s service. ââ¬â Selects and identify suppliers with no value added capabilities. However, main selection criteria are bulk discount and price. Select implementation path ââ¬â Very little adjustment to be done on the sourcing due to the basic business model. ââ¬â Many online shops sells similar items so they look for suppliers who can provide self-manufacture services and also bulk discounts. For example, suppliers follow designs as given from online shopââ¬â¢s purchase order. ââ¬â Increase bulk discount criteria to shrink the list qualified supplier. Major product like canned foods can be stored longer, thus, storage will not pose as a problem. Negotiate and select suppliers ââ¬â Due to the only existing publisher in Singapore, negotiating power is very limited. However, for the food supplies, reduction of price and efficiency is viable with increase in order quantity. ââ¬â Base on shortlisted suppliers, they will look into the one who can compromise the most and satisfy their requirements. ââ¬â With the sourcing strategy established, they will try to bargain for more bulk discount with the suppliers. Operationalize supplier integration ââ¬â Link their suppliers as a part of their operating process as timeliness is an issue for sales of goods for the mini-mart. ââ¬â Long-term collaboration ensures quality and efficiency when there is mutual trust. ââ¬â Will establish relationship with the supplier and also promise loyalty if the supplier maintains their quality service and discounts. However, they do not link the suppliers to their key processes. Benchmark the supply market ââ¬â Mini-marts tend to prioritise in bulk discounts and timely delivery in selection of suppliers. ââ¬â By comparing selected suppliers, they will narrowà down the suppliers who can provide the most efficient services and bulk discounts. ââ¬â Does market comparison with other pet shops and also suppliers. They look out for cheaper suppliers and latest pet products. 6. STRESS TESTING AND RISKS MITIGATION APPROACHES 6.1 Four categories of risks identified in each organization A) Minimart Supplier-Related Customer-Related Risk Mitigation Approach Disruptions ââ¬â Supplier who delivers ready-to-go food abruptly stops their supply. ââ¬â Excess inventory due to forecast error, seasonal demand, wastage in food. ââ¬â Lose potential consumers who prefer food produce by original supplier. ââ¬â Sudden increase or decrease in demand. ââ¬â Acquire alternate source of supplier. ââ¬â Proper forecast to keep the right inventory level required. Delays ââ¬â Traffic jam delays the delivery of morning orders. ââ¬â Supplier delivers to wrong address. ââ¬â Miss and disappoints the morning crowds. ââ¬â Delay in displaying all the ready-food to sell. ââ¬â Increase responsiveness of Supplier. ââ¬â Look for wholesaler who can supply last minute. Procurement ââ¬â Supplier is forced to increase the price of raw materials. ââ¬â Increase in Transport costs. ââ¬â Force to increase price due the spike of cost of goods or transport cost. ââ¬â Having a redundant pool of suppliers to benchmark. Systems ââ¬â Supplierââ¬â¢s order tracking system breaks down. -Suppliers food processing machine breakdown ââ¬â Telephone line break down and customers cannot order via phone. ââ¬â Increase flexibility in other means of contact. For example, e-mails, mobile phones, telecommunicating for urgent orders. ââ¬â Alternate source of supplier. For the Minimart, we have identified two key mitigation strategies to acquire alternate/redundant source of suppliers and increase responsiveness. Acquiring redundant suppliers helps to reduce disruptions, procurement and inventory risk. However, as we discuss further, the mini-mart might face the risk that alternate supplier capacity might not be sufficient to meet their needs. This will in turn, pose as a risk to their inventory. To reduce the risk of delay, we have proposed to increase the responsiveness of the supplier due to short life cycle of food products. It also helps to reduce both forecast and inventory risk. B) Online shops Supplier-Related Customer- Related Risk Mitigation Approach Disruptions ââ¬â Natural disasters like haze, tsunami happen and cause shipment delay. ââ¬â Sudden shortage production of cotton fabric and raw material for making apparels. ââ¬â Excess inventory due to wrong stock count. ââ¬â Demand increases. ââ¬â Increase in prices when demand is high and low in productivity. ââ¬â Have alternate redundant source of suppliers to rely on. ââ¬â Increasing inventory level. ââ¬â Better forecast inventory due to seasonal demands. Delays ââ¬â Stock delays that resulted from shortage of important raw material e.g. fabric etc. ââ¬â Distribution takes longer when delay from shipping companies. ââ¬â Customer order fulfillment gets delayed ââ¬â Stocking up more predictable and lower cost product. ââ¬â Look for direct alternate suppliers overseas, shortens waiting time for shipping and save cost. Procurement ââ¬â Increase in production costs from supplier due to shortage in raw materials or labors. ââ¬â Shipping costs increases that was incurred from transportation companies. ââ¬â Need to increase selling price while unable to reduce waiting time required, or even higher waiting forecast. ââ¬â Customer orders gets mixed up and resulted in poor customer service. ââ¬â Acquire redundant suppliers for benchmark. ââ¬â Increasing responsiveness approach to meet customer demand. Systems ââ¬â System breakdown at overseas supplier side. ââ¬â Online shopping website breakdown locally and technical repair takes some time ââ¬â Website gets infected and not able to receive customers order. ââ¬â Increase inventory level to mitigate supplier system risk. ââ¬â Increase in flexibility of point of contact. For Online shop, the main focus was to get supplies ready when needed. Having alternate suppliers is necessary when there is delay or failure in the potential supplier. Accurate forecast is important when consumer demand is different every season. Leftover items from excess inventory could have difficulty in meeting buyers and cause wastage. C) Pet Shop Supplier-Related Customer- Related Risk Mitigation Approach Disruptions ââ¬â Local supplier has stopped supplying a hot selling product. ââ¬â Health production examined a major pet canned food product contains chemical that is not suitable for consumption. ââ¬â Consumers forced to go for other alternative supplies. ââ¬â Retailers forced to absorb losses for existing inventories. ââ¬â Increase in inventory. ââ¬â Have redundant suppliers. Delays ââ¬â Supplier delay delivery of promotional item by a day. ââ¬â Supplier deliver wrong type of items and causes re-delivery delays. ââ¬â Inadequate supplies to meet expected demand. ââ¬â Severe shortage on particular items affected. ââ¬â Increase in inventory level. Procurement ââ¬â Supplier refuses the bulk discount of a certain product due to drop in purchasing volume. ââ¬â Supplier increase in price when production cannot catch up with demand. ââ¬â Forced to increase price due to lesser sales of a product. ââ¬â Consumer still enjoys usual selling rates due to competitiveness at retailer side. ââ¬â Having redundant supplier so that they can benchmark their suppliers to get the best competitive price. Systems ââ¬â E-order system broke down. ââ¬â Overseas supplier lose track of all orders due to system breakdown ââ¬â Online web page is down and customers are not able to get information and order online. ââ¬â Increase flexibility in having other source of communication like telephone or backup copy of customerââ¬â¢s orders. As for the pet shop, we concluded that to gain competitiveness in pricing, they require the suppliers to issue bulk discount. Thus, they will have a few redundant suppliers to allow them to manipulate the prices between the suppliers, giving them a lower price. In doing so, it also mitigates on problems like disruption and delays as if any of the suppliers will fail on such a secondary will take the job mitigating these issues. We must understand that when they engage any supplier, they will stock in more than enough stock setting buffer and leeching on the bulk discount. 6.2 Risks Mitigation For the above different categories of risk, there are a few similar mitigation strategies for each risk for the three organizations studied. For the risk of disruption, the key strategy for the organizations is to acquire alternative/redundant suppliers. This strategy will help to mitigate the risk of sudden stoppage of supplies. Also, it helps to reduce the procurement and delay risk. However, we have also concluded that as these organisations are retailers, which are subjected to the supplier capacity toà provide the inventory needed. As such, if disruption from supplier were to happen, the organisations might face inventory risk. Coming to risk of delay, the pet shop and online shop are able to eliminate this risk by increasing inventory level as canned food and clothes can be stored. This will also help to lower disruptions and procurement risks to the organisation. However, for the mini-mart, the approach is different due to the short life cycle of food products and the timely delivery requirement due to daily demand. As such, it requires an increase in the responsiveness of the suppliers to ensure quality of products. For risk of procurement, we are able to conclude that all three organisations require having redundant suppliers. Mostly, for these organisations faces risk in an increase of the cost of goods and transportation cost. As such, they require different suppliers so that they are able to benchmark their suppliers against others to get an overall competitive edge in cost saving. Lastly, for the risk of system, the organisations are facing mostly on issues like purchasing system breakdown or the organization system failure. Thus, they need to increase their flexibility in having other source of communication like telephone, mobile phones or backup copy of their own orders. 7. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the above analysis on the three organisations helps us better understand the procurement process and the importance of considering such processes when it comes to reducing costs, risks and selection of suppliers. It is also concluded that all the three organisations rely in a way or another procurement strategies to ensure normal business function in serving targeted consumer demands, making them available in the right time, right place and location. In addition, the suppliers and the three organisationââ¬â¢s relationship in the existing market play an important role in terms that affects the delivery to end consumers. Also, we have concluded that for micro organisations, the three most important mitigation strategies is in having redundant suppliers, and keeping and forecasting the right inventory level and having flexibility in their organisations. This will help in the organisations smooth operating process. 8. Reference 1. Chopra, S., Shodhi, M.S. (2004). Managing Risks to avoid Supply-Chain Breakdown MIT Sloan Management Review, 46, 1. 2. Monczka, R., Trent, R., and Handfield, R. (2005). Purchasing and Supply Chain Management, Thomson-South-Western, Third/Fourth Edition 3. Interview: Junction 168 Minimart ââ¬â Mr. Tan, C.T. (2013) ââ¬â Understanding the Organisation and its Procurement processes. 4. Interview: Kwong Fatt Pet Centre ââ¬â Mr. Wong, K.F. (2013) ââ¬â Understanding the Organisation and its Procurement processes.
Monday, July 29, 2019
The future of a business and why it depends on sustainable approaches Essay
The future of a business and why it depends on sustainable approaches that it adopts - Essay Example Survival of a company largely, depends on strategies that it develops. Sustainable business approach does not only address how the firm will increase its profit margin, but also addresses planet and people. The only viable future for business is to become a sustainable business in a sustainable society. The future of a business depends on sustainable approaches that it adopts. This concept is quite broad thereby necessitating critical structures that would handle the business towards achieving its goals. This paper will address the following core concepts. The first section will address economic viability of a business that focuses on modalities of creating profit. Ethical viability will focus on the business and its influence in the environment. Social viability will address manageability, system viability, and sustainability. The second section of the paper will address the concept of business sustainability. Sustainability has broad concept that include resource consumption, socia l mandate, political support, environmental impact, and image. Analysts contend that the definition of viability with respect to business is the ability to survive (Sarkis, et.al. 2010:104). Many entrepreneurs peg viability to profit margin. The projection within the working environment should indicate that the organization would be able to make some profit. Entrepreneurââ¬â¢s expectation is that their businesses will be able to pick up and justify their investment by generating profit. When the business projects its viability into the future the situation would create sustainability. Sustainability means the ability of the business to remain viable into the future. Sustainable activities of the business would not only look at economic viability, but also the environment. Economic viability A business that intends to be viable in the future has to operate within ethical and socially acceptable manner. The idea behind such operations looks at the interest of the consumer with resp ect to company products. Consumer behaviors influence the profit margin of a firm. It means that the business must produce products that address needs of the consumers without harm or exploitation. When a form engages in a business that depletes the resources with the environment, the survival of the business would be at stake because it would not be able to generate products in the market (Richards, 2009:175). A firm that does not demonstrate sustainable methods of operation does not respect the ethical measures within the society. For instance, business operation has to create a room for the consumers to buy similar product in the future. What would be the condition of the market condition in an event of product depletion? The outcome of the market condition would be economically dead. Thus, economic viability of the business addresses the issues of continuity. Business, which gets huge profit margin for a short term, would not be economically viable because it does not have the c apacity to survive in the future. Entrepreneurs evaluate conditions of market or the environment where they intend to create their enterprises. Economic viability as a consideration would address the following factors accessibility of raw materials, costs associated with business operation, government policies, effects to the environment and future development among other factors (Richards, 2009:174). Practices, which influence the
Sunday, July 28, 2019
The effectiveness of Hong Kong Law on antipirate relating to Essay
The effectiveness of Hong Kong Law on antipirate relating to Information technology - Essay Example In the 1990s, Hong Kong was the piracy capital of Asia, if not even the world. Compared to literature, music and movies, computer software is a comparatively new type of intellectual property. It is universally accepted that information technology piracy is protected by patent, trademarks and copyright laws, therefore the relevant legislation are to be studied to determine if there are any shortcomings, and also the other underlying factors which contribute to this phenomenon of piracy in Hong Kong are investigated before any conclusions are to be drawn. However, software is protected under the very similar legislations that administer music, literature, movies and other copyrighted content. Copying software illegally is not any different than illegally copying any of these forms of intellectual property - and the punishments for doing so are equally harsh (Anti-Piracy). Pirated software could be bought openly, cheaply and safely everywhere from the Golden Shopping Arcade (GSA) and Computer 33 Plaza in Shumshuipo to the "Internet Zone" at Whampoa Gardens and the Sinoplaza in the Mong Kok section of Kowloon (Wong, 2005). Hong Kong retail information technology and computer software piracy was also found in cyberspace. In August of 1996, the Business Software Alliance (BSA), working closely with the Alliance Against CD-ROM Theft (AACT), closed down an Internet site called Sammy Game Center, which offered illegal CD-ROM products for sale and export to the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden and Canada, via the net. Over the past several years, advances in computer software have brought us time-saving business programs, educational software that teaches basic skills and sophisticated subjects, graphics programs that have revolutionized the design industry, Internet applications that help connect us with other computer users, and an increasingly compl ex variety of computer games to entertain us (Pramog). As the software industry grows, everyone stands to benefit (Anti-Piracy). The areas of the law which specifically applies to information technology and computer software are closely looked into, and the types of legal remedies on offer are mentioned. The various other factors which affect information technology and software piracy are also discussed. It is noted that the various areas which affects the efficient enforcement of the legislation and explores the reasons why policing of anti-piracy laws are so problematic are also elaborately identified. It is attempts to provide solutions to tackling this problem of information technology related piracy. The purpose of this research paper is to examine the various factors which affect different kinds piracy related to the information technology in Hong Kong, with the aim of hoping to understand the reasons behind such activities, and attempts to suggest ways of tackling the problem. Generally speaking, a piracy in IT dector is someone who copies a program that is normally sold for a price but without paying f or using it. There are different existing piracy scales which been mainly used for examination the effectiveness of anti-pirate
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Reflection journal about study abroad Assignment
Reflection journal about study abroad - Assignment Example It is likely that the language spoken will be foreign and the local culture will almost definitely feel alien to them. Students who are unprepared for these challenges or are unwilling to adjust will find themselves constantly getting into trouble. One of the most obvious signs is in studentsââ¬â¢ behaviors. While it is good to make new friends, if those friends are not focused on their schoolwork then they may lead a foreign student astray. Excessive partying and drinking can have a detrimental effect on a foreign studentââ¬â¢s grades and can result in them being sent home. Generally students who are focused more on the social side of things will be less attentive in class or may not even attend regularly at all. Students who have no interest in learning are usually forced into higher education by their parents, who feel proud of their child studying abroad. Thus, the problem is not so much the student but rather their parents. The students who make the most of a study abroad experience are those who obviously want to be there and keep an open mind at all times. It can be a difficult thing to be away from oneââ¬â¢s family and friends for a few months, but if a student has already developed good habits then this shouldnââ¬â¢t be much of an obstacle. Of course it will take a few weeks or even a month or two to adjust to the local customs and cultural habits, but if a student has the right attitude then they are far more likely to succeed because of their positive mindset. In fact, for some students who regularly struggle to study in their home countries, going on a study abroad experience may actually be a good thing because it naturally forces them to change their habits because they are in a foreign environment. However, instances like this are rare, and students who are not high achievers already will likely find the going tough in another country. A
Friday, July 26, 2019
Revised proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Revised proposal - Essay Example Environmental conservationists, however, argue that the coastline is heavily populated and, therefore, any oil or gas spill would cause immense destruction to the environment and would negatively affect the individuals residing on the shores of the state. Sustaining the governments move for exploration, the US secretary of the interior supported the governments efforts, claiming that the expansion plan took into account a balanced perspective towards gas and oil exploration and development. He lamented that the governments approach would protect areas that were too delicate to explore. In the recent past, the US government has come under immense pressure to stabilize the ever growing demand of oil and stabilizing oil prices and at the same time balancing the governments aspiration to fight climatic changes and protect the environment against pollution. Environmental analysts feel that more exploration in Georgia and other areas will open up the region to unhealthy and dirty fuels. They feel that these explorations will expose American coastlines to dirty fuel development practices, and such practices will pollute the coastlines and negatively affect American civilians. Stressing the governments intention to further increase oil and gas supply, the White House lamented that it would preserve more land, approximately 10 million acres of land for additional oil explorations in Alaska in the near future. Arctic drilling would still carry on while also expanding additional explorations in the most resourceful Gulf of Mexico region. The oil and gas policies as proposed by the US government shows a bigger effort by the US administration to maintain the current Americas energy demand while also replicating down on legislations purposed to give protection to the environment and the unique ecosystems. Adding the gas and oil permits in the eastern side of the country, the governments proposes an enlarged lease in the densely
Thursday, July 25, 2019
BUS303 MODULE 4 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
BUS303 MODULE 4 - Coursework Example straight forward, and does not give a good idea of the historical background and reason of introducing STP and what role it has played in companyââ¬â¢s growth and achievements. In addition to this, point of educating employees about customer relation is not justified properly as customers vary with each other and it is not possible to learn to deal with all of them, just by attending a program. It requires experience and meeting and talking with customers practically. Another thing that can be criticized is the audience which is addressed in the presentation. It is largely focused on the impact and benefits of STP on general employees of the company. Its overall impact on the company and performances of managers and executives are not dealt in detail. If STP is eliminated, than managing strategy and tactics will be changed, which can bring either good or bad results to the sales and reputation of the company. This futuristic aspect of eliminating STP was left untouched. Using examples of companies and organizations, to portray the importance of such trainings, could have made the presentation more lively and captivating. It would have also helped in magnifying the need of sales training programs in a sport goods company. Moreover, the argument that it will push employees from being customer oriented to sales oriented cannot be justified as these programs are also focused on increasing company sales and thinking solutions which can earn more profit for the company. Recommendations of using less company resources in conducting such programs and implementing the technology of online learning to educate new hires about companyââ¬â¢s structure and objective could have been included in the presentation. Baldwin, D. (2012). Creating an Environment for Innovation. Retrieved December 26, 2012, from Centre for Simplified Strategic Planning: http://www.cssp.com/CD0902/CreatingInnovativeEnvironment/default.php National Sales Center. (2011). The Overlooked Benefits Of Sales
Market Risk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1
Market Risk - Essay Example The purpose of risk management is to reduce the impact of different risks related to a purpose. It may be caused by risks posed by the environment, technology, organization or politics. But in financial management, risks can be managed using traded financial instruments and therefore there is a need to understand the importance of fundamentals in risk management. Governor Randal S. Kroszner, speaking before the American Bankers Association, Spring Summit Meeting in Washington, D. C. held on March 11, 2008, spelled out the importance of fundamentals in risk management. He stressed that there are fundamental issues that must be addressed by financial institutions in the light of economic disruptions and points out to sound risk management practices. Governor Kroszner cited an example as one of failures of bankââ¬â¢s policy is risk concentration, and cited an example of ââ¬Å"putting all eggs in one basketâ⬠, and that by concentration, he said, ââ¬Å"losses could occur at one time.â⬠Gov. Kroszner noted that as concentration of banks to its functions of basic lending, holding of securities, trading of complex instruments, providing liquidity instruments, engaging in off-balance sheet transactions and other financial activities, banks are treading on a new market where there are information and unidentified data which form hidden risks, and manifests its presence only during times of problems. An example, Gov. Krozzner said, is the market- wide demand for liquidity experienced by US recently. (Governorà Randall S. Kroszner, 2008) In governance, information is the key for control and this lies in the hands of senior management who are entrusted to do this function. Gov. Kroszner stated why information is important link taking into consideration recent events in the US.. He said that when information is kept ââ¬Å"in siloâ⬠and not distributed ââ¬Å"vertically and horizontally within firmsâ⬠a segregation prevents managers from
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Do You Believe that Our Sex and Gender Rules are Social Constructions Term Paper
Do You Believe that Our Sex and Gender Rules are Social Constructions - Term Paper Example This essay declares that the gender of newborn had to be identified based on the genitalia, and in cases of ââ¬Å"ambiguousâ⬠genitalia, babies had to undergo reparative surgery, whereas the clinical staff assigned a corresponding gender to a child. After the gender was surgically assigned to the baby, it was socially reinforced through various identifications such as clothing, bringing up process, etc. The cases of surgical procedures on reparation childrenââ¬â¢s genitalia, defined by clinicians as Disorders of Sexual Development perfectly illustrate how people are trying to ââ¬Å"adapt biological diversity to socially constructed sex-gender binaryâ⬠. This project stresses that nowadays, variation in genders is a more acceptable issue in society and has increased interest in the medical community. Comparing the two articles written by Fausto-Sterling in 7-years interval it is possible to see that during a quite small period of time human perception of intersexuals as full-fledged unit of society has increased significantly. Whether the other three sexes will be soon recognized fully by the society or not, providing those individuals with absolutely equal conditions and treatment, is not known. The only thing that is definitely clear is that scientific research and time do change social perception of the human body. The things perceived a century ago as nonsense, nowadays are viewed as absolutely common and understandable.
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
PepsiCo Restaurants Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
PepsiCo Restaurants - Case Study Example Secondly, both businesses have the capabilities of growing as COC has invested in technology, which might end up being cost effective while CPK has replaced advertising with store openings, which is more profitable. In addition, COC has many clients around the globe, therefore this will benefit PepsiCo by enabling it to enter the new competitive market and supply its products to big entities in the globe. Concurrently, acquiring CPK will be beneficial to PepsiCo because CPK has committed employees, which will increase PepsiCoââ¬â¢s task force (Harvard business school 13). PepsiCo adds value to all its restaurant business because before it purchases any restaurant or launches a product, it formulates a strategic plan to direct it. In the restaurant industry, the strategic plan that guides PepsiCo believes that fast food restaurants will be on demand for the coming decades; therefore, it is a preferable business for investment (Harvard business school 6). To gauge the value that PepsiCo adds to these restaurants, one can consider the situation in Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC. The cooperate resources and core skills that PepsiCo apply in its business include the marketing strategies, finance, operations, human resources and information systems (Harvard business school 3). ââ¬Å"Let us say that PepsiCo makes the acquisition of the two aforementioned companies, how should PepsiCo structure the reporting relationship of its newly acquired units with the rest of the company?â⬠After acquiring CPK and COC, PepsiCo CEO will structure his reporting so that he explains to the rest of the company that each of the acquired restaurants operates on its own, but they just collaborated to share their views. The COE will insist that they conduct their business transparently; concurrently, they are helping other businesses to grow (Harvard business school 10). The current organization of PepsiCo restaurants makes long-term sense because it is a great business operating at a fair
Monday, July 22, 2019
Of mice and men - What u think happened in Weed Essay Example for Free
Of mice and men What u think happened in Weed Essay It was getting dark; the hot humid winds blew from the starless sky over the heads of exhausted ranch workers in the quiet town of Weed. George, along with the rest of his team headed towards the cabin as Lennie, the friendly giant followed behind. Today had been a long day; every worker had been on the field for over twelve hours. Working overtime was the only way to make an extra few dollars which was crucial to many of the men. As they arrived to the cabin, one by one the men washed and prepared for the next day. The clock hit nine and the cabin went silent, the sounds of George snoring echoed as the others slept in peace. The limited hours of sleep ticked by and were soon over. The next morning arrived as the alarms went off, the sounds of tired men yawning whizzed from bed to bed as the men got up for a hard day of labour. Once again one by one they lined up for a wash and set of for the fields. As usual Lennie was last to wash and so once again George had to wait as George and Lennie were as one force. George stuck by Lennie throughout his life as he was the only form of family he had. Lennies lacks of knowledge lead to him being Georges responsibility and so George stuck by him throughout everything. However both men left the cabin and set of for the fields. The sun was blazing down, droplets of sweat poured down their faces as they arrived to the fields. Both men had arrived late for the third time this week; they got straight to work as the boss walked by inspecting how everyone was getting onYou late again georgy boy, carry on this way and ull be hitting the road and that goes for the big one too pointing his short crooked fingers to the direction of Lennie Wont happen again boss replied George hesitantly. The ranch workers were terrified of the boss, he was a mysterious guy, no one actually knew anything about him let alone his actual name. He would spend his whole day walking through the fields looking for someone in the wrong for him to pick on. George just kept out his way as he didnt want no trouble just wanted to make the money and head off to buy a little farm house and live the American dream. The day finally came to an end, and on top of everything it was a Friday, looking forward to the two days off George and the boys decided to go into town. As the men headed of for the cabin Lennie followed walking half a mile behind the rest as usual singing to him self. Go straight back to the cabin and go to bed, me and the boys gonna hit inta town so dont stay awake instructed George to LennieOk George replied the big fellow, repeating quietly the instruction from George. Lennie made his way back towards the cabin strolling through the muddy fields all alone denting gigantic footprints behind him. As he arrived back to the cabin all alone, he watched George and the other men making their way for a night out. Although Lennie never asked to join them he felt left out, he felt different and less important as he was the only man left behind. Feeling sympathatic towards himself he decided to go off for a walk instead of going back to an empty cabin. He started walking through the dark muddy fields, his boots covered with large bulks of mud making it hard for him to lift of the ground to take the next step, lost in his own thoughts he carried on walking until his leg finally got stuck so deep in the mud he dropped, his large figure fell to the ground with an impact leaving the ground surface all uneven. He layed motionless on the ground for a few second before deciding to get up. Finally he made an effort to get back to his feet when to his shock he realised a young women standing above him looking down at him offering her hand to pull him up. He gazed into her eyes, his head started spinning her beauty was undescribable her red lipstick shone aginst the moonlight as her long silky hair ran down her back. Shocked by her beauty Lennie just carried on looking into her eyes, she looked back into his with a confused smile flashing off her face you ok there? the women asked politely you want a hand getting up big man, didnt you see th ea sign no walking through the fields at night! its there for a reason! Lennie was lost in her beauty, not listening to nothing she said he put out his hand to accept help from the women, she grabbed on to his enormous rough hand trying to pull him up using both her soft hands. She tried to pull the big man off the ground who made no effort to try get up himself, he just gazed into her eyes as if he was lost in them. She used all her strength to help him up but Lennie didnt move an inch. As she released the power, tired of pulling, Lennie gave a slight pull on her left hand. The women came flying down directly ontop of him but hitting her head against the mud. The women layed directly above him, Lennies heart beat increased as the women didnt move, he gently turned her of him to his left. While moving her body of himself he realised droplets of blood on her forehead. Lennies heart rate increased, he started to take long deep breathes and got to his feet instantly. He stood above her to realise she had hit her head onto a rock which layed on the mud. Lennies panic began to increas now that he figured out the women was dead, he was now going to get into trouble once again and let George down. Feeling terrified and confused, Lennie made a run, he ran through the fields falling after every few steps as he realised a light being shone in his direction, it was his boss. What you doing out here at this time big man shouted the boss curiously with his voice echoeing through the fields, however Lennies fear forced him to ignore the boss and carry on running. He ran and ran untill he finaly made it to the cabin. Lennie entered the cabin and went straight to his bunk where he sat up waiting for George. Hours went past and the men were not back, Lennie left the cabin and stood outside.The winds blew with force and a few minutes later Lennie saw George and the men walking back in the distance, George saw Lennie outside the cabin from a far distance and ran towards him. What you doing up awake at this time, I told u I was going to be latesaid George in a dim and tired voice and suddenly Lennie bursted into tears as he explained himself to George about what happened. After hearing the news George also began to panic we have to leave Lennie now both men packed their bags as the other men fell into their deep sleep and left as they had no other choice. Although Lennie had meant no harm on th women Lennies life would be at risk, he would be blamed for murder and with no evidence to prove his innocence he would most likely be killed. The only way to avoid this was to go on the run so both men set off for the woods to get as far away from the town of weed as possible.
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Strategies to Detect Neutrinos
Strategies to Detect Neutrinos Thomas Kayll What are Neutrinos and how do we detect them A neutrino (à ½) is a subatomic particle from the lepton family with a lepton number of +1, a charge of 0 and a spin of à ½. There are three flavours of neutrino the Muon Neutrino, Tau Neutrino and the Electron Neutrino1. Neutrinos rarely interact with matter because they are so small and have no charge and are also not affected by the strong nuclear force. So the only way a neutrino can interact with matter is through the weak nuclear force. Neutrinos are about 100,000 times smaller than electrons but there are so many neutrinos being emitted into the universe that even with their incredibly small mass they outweigh the amount of matter in the universe9. Figure 1 Neutrinos were hypothesised in 1930 by Wolfgang Pauli8, he theorised that another particle must be emitted in beta decay other than the electron as not all the energy from the decay carried by the electron so Pauli suggested that another particle was emitted and was carrying the rest of the energy given off. It was expected that the electron would carry all the energy but this is not what was found. The law of conservation of energy states that Energy canââ¬â¢t be created or destroyed, but it can be changed into a different form, also that in a closed system it cannot be lost. The red line represents the energy the electron should have if none was shared from the beta decay of carbon 14 and the blue line represents the actual energy of the electrons. The first people to detect the neutrino were Reines and Cowan. They did this by using the prediction the nuclear reactors were meant to produce high amounts of neutrino fluxes. When one of the antineutrinos collides with a proton a neutron and a positron are given off6. These positrons then collide with electrons and annihilate via pair-annihilation. When this happens two gamma rays are produced as radiation in opposite direction. Figure 8 Reines and Cowan soon realized that detecting the gamma bursts wasnââ¬â¢t enough evidence to categorically say they had found neutrinos. So they aimed to detect the neutron given off as well. Reines and Cowan set up a new experiment where they constructed a tank of water and lined it with a scintillating material to detect the gamma radiation. A scintillating material is a material that fluoresces when hit by a photon or a charged particle. This is then picked up and amplified by photomultiplier tubes. They also put cadmium into the tank; cadmium absorbed the neutrons given off in the reaction between the antineutrino and the proton and becomes an exited form of cadmium witch give off gamma radiation1.1. Figure 9 The gamma rays form the exited cadmium were detected 5X10-6 seconds after the positron electron annihilation. This gave enough evidence to prove that neutrinos did exist. Reines and Cowan repeated the experiment in a different location with better cosmic ray shielding. Cosmic rays comprise of very high energy particles such as high energy photons, these particles can interfere with very sensitive electronics used in the experiments and can create false readings. Form this they got more reliable results1.1. In a reaction the baryon number, lepton number and the strangeness must stay the same. So in beta decay where an electron is given off an anti lepton must be released to make the lepton number 0 again. I am going to be looking at how the Super-Kamiokandeis able to detect neutrinos. The Super-Kamiokandeis a large experiment where 50,000 tonnes2 of ultra pure water is held in a stainless steel spherical tank covered in 11,146 photomultiplier tubes all of this is located in a old mine 1,000 meters underground to stop cosmic ray interference. To be detected, a neutrino would interact with a H2O molecule and would cause an Electron to be discharged and this would be travelling faster than the speed of light in water causing Cherenkov radiation to be emitted. Cherenkov radiation is emitted when a particle travels faster than the maximum velocity of a photon in that medium. This radiation produces a ring of light which is detected by the photomultiplier tubes witch amplify the signal, using this we can calculate where the neutrino interacted and what flavour of neutrino it was3. Photomultiplier tubes are needed as they are able to amplify the signal by around 100 million times. When a photon from the Cherenkov radiation hits the photocathode then a photoelectron is released vie the photoelectric effect , this is then attracted to the first dynode with a pd of approximately 100V this electron gains kinetic energy and then hits the dynode liberating more electrons (typically 3-4) then these are attracted to the next electrode with a pd of 100V and a charge of 200eV and the same happens again until there is a strong enough signal and the electrons hit the anode and then the detected signal is sent off to the computer4. For each electron liberated on the dynodes the energy is The 100eV the electron carries is enough to liberate around 4 new electrons on the next dynode. With some electrons not hitting the dynodes and some not liberating exactly 4 new electrons then the figure that the signal is amplified by 100 million times and that (3-4) electrons are liberated by on electron make are correct. From research it seems that the dynodes have a work function (ÃË) of around 5eV this means that about 80eV is lost when the electron hits the surface of the material. Figure 5 This Is the Super-Kamiokande form the inside. Each dot is a photomultiplier tube, and there are two people checking them on the surface of the water in a dingy. The first recorded instance of an observation of a neutrino was in 1970 on the 13 of November. The event was observed when a neutrino collided with a proton and created a mu-meson (muon) and a pi+-meson (pion). A pi+-meson is a particle which consists of a quark and an anti-quark. A pi+-meson consists of an up quark and an anti down quark. A muon is a member of the lepton family in the standard model. This all occurred in a hydrogen bubble chamber. A bubble chamber is a vessel that holds super heated liquid (in this case hydrogen); it is used to detect charged particles that enter it. It is able to crate observations of these particles as when a charged particle passes through the chamber it causes an ionisation path which causes the surrounding liquid to vaporise and form bubbles which size are proportional to the specific particles energy loss. This is all captured by cameras which can produce a picture of the event5. Figure 6 This is the original picture of the collision This is an annotated picture showing the paths of the colliding particles. Muon (à ¼), proton (p), neutrino (à ½Ã ¼) and the pion (Ãâ¬+). When the neutrino and the proton collide the proton moves to the left. The neutrino is turned into a muon which keeps going forwards and the pion is created from the collision5. The annotation to the right shows what is happening at the sub atomic level with quarks. In 2011 the OPERA experiment conducted which came across the odd results that neutrinos were travelling faster than the speed of light. The results were declared as anomalous as anything going faster than the speed of light in a vacuum is considered to go against special relativity. The scientists conducting the experiment set investigations into why they got the results they did. From these investigations it was found the there were two faults in how the experiment was set up. One was that a fibre optic cable was improperly connected and that a clock oscillator was set to fast. Taking both of these errors into account meant the reading were not actually faster than the speed of light. In 2012 it was reported that the speeds of neutrinos are the same as the speed of light. This information was gathered by numerous different scientific groups including OPERA. There are many different sources of neutrinos such gamma ray bursts, supernovas, neutron stars, nuclear fission and cosmic rays. Neutrinos are defiantly not rare with potentially about 100,000 billion passing through your body every second. All of these sources are some of the most energetic/violent processes in the universe. The main source of our neutrinos that are detected by places like ice cube and Super-Kamiokande is the sun through its nuclear fission which gives off many neutrinos. Here you can so that a neutrino and a positron are emitted when two H1 atoms collide and coalesce to form a H2 atom. Ice cube is another neutrino detector in the South Pole that uses the same idea as the super-Kamiokande in that it detects the gamma rays from when a neutrino collides with a water molecule. Ice cube is a hexagon that is around 2,450 meters deep and has 86 lines of sensors with 60 sensors on each line so a total of 5,160 sensors. Conclusion From my research into what neutrinos are and how we can detect them I have found out the fundamental nature of neutrinos and how we are able to detect something that rarely interacts with matter. I have learnt that neutrinos are harder to detect than I had imagined and that there are different methods such as detecting the Cherenkov radiation from the neutrinos colliding with water molecules or by seeing their ionising path in a bubble chamber. I have also found out some of the reasons behind why neutrinos are so hard to detect in the first place, for example that neutrinos are extremely small, have very low mass, are not charged and only really interact through the weak nuclear force. Over all, neutrinos are very elusive and one of the weirder particles that we have discovered and there is still a lot we do not know about them. Bibliography Date accessed: 23/11/2014 1 URL: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/particles/lepton.html URL: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/particles/cowan.html Hyper physics is a reliable website source because it is hosted by the physics and astronomy department at Georgia state university and has professors who teach the subjects input also it should be non biased as there is no gain for it providing false information. Hyper physics states that their second experiment at Savannah River Plantwas 12 meters underground and states the cross-section of the reaction to be 6X10-44 and the same figures are stated http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowan%E2%80%93Reines_neutrino_experiment Date accessed: 23/11/2014 URL: http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/1998/jun/05/super-kamiokande-finds-neutrino-mass Physics world is a website that publishes the new and old physics topics and has many different topics that it has published. It is a reliable source as it is backed by some very credible companies, such as Angstrom Sciences and Moxtek Inc. It also has scientist informing and righting as well which further proves the reliability of the website. Date accessed: 21/11/2014 URL: http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Super-Kamiokande.html Princeton.edu states that the page is sourced from Wikipedia URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super-Kamiokande. it is reliable as Princeton university would not be publishing wrong information on their site as that would be bad for them so that gives this information some credibility. Also physics world URL:http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/1998/jun/05/super-kamiokande-finds-neutrino-mass states that the super-Kamiokande is 1000m underground and holds 50,000 tonnes of water which is the same as on the Princeton page this back up the reliability of the data. Date accessed: 23/11/2014 URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photomultiplier The data that I found on Wikipedia on photomultiplier tubes was backed up from the equations I used to try and estimate the number of electrons hitting the anode, which gave similar figures to my calculations. Also the theory behind how photomultipliers work was the same as explained in http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/digitalimaging/concepts/photomultipliers.html this website also stated gains around 100 million which is my calculated and Wikipediaââ¬â¢s stated value. All this shows that it is a reliable source. Date accessed: 26/11/2014 URL: http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/ast123/lectures/lec22.html This is an educational site from the University of Oregon who should not be biased as they have no reason to put incorrect information on their website as it would have a negative effect on them and they wouldnââ¬â¢t gain anything. It is reliable as it is written by scientists. The date stated on the page November the 13th 1970 is the same as stated on http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FirstNeutrinoEventAnnotated.jpg. Date accessed: 26/11/2014 URL: http://t2k-experiment.org/neutrinos/a-brief-history/ T2k is a website dedicated to neutrinos. The website is primarily about news in the field and the t2k experiment of neutrino oscillation. It is a reliable source as it is written by professionals.â⬠the positron annihilates with an electron to create two gamma raysâ⬠this statement says the same thing as http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/particles/lepton.html says on the topic. Date accessed: 30/11/2014 URL: http://icecube.wisc.edu/science/depth Ice cube is a website dedicated to the ice cube particle detector in the south-pole that is trying to detect neutrinos and more. Its primary funding source is the national science foundation, this is a US government organisation that funds and conducts many different projects. Their aim is to keep US science at the forefront of the world in discovery. The web site ice cube should be reliable as it has major government input and would not gain anything from false publication. On ice cube it states that the detector has 5,160 detectors this is the same at http://phys.org/news/2013-11-world-largest-particle-detector-icecube.html. Phys is a large physics news blog with articles written by universities and scientists so it is a reliable website as it is written by people who have extensive knowledge in what they write. ââ¬Å"Advanced Physicsâ⬠, Steve Adams, Jonathan Allday/oxford university press/November 2nd 2000, p416 Advanced physics is a book published by oxford university press. It is reliable because Oxford University is a highly regarded university that would get a negative publicity if what they published was incorrect. Oxford should not be biased as it doesnââ¬â¢t have any large Companies or influential people pressuring them to publish false information. ââ¬Å"Neutrinoâ⬠, Frank Close/oxford university press/ February 23rd 2012, p2 The book neutrino talks about what neutrinos are and how we detect them, their history, their discovery, their sources and many different topics related to them. The point of the book is to inform and educate people on neutrinos. Professor Frank Close the author is a professor at Oxford University this shows he knows what he is talking about and that the book is reliable as he is a regarded physicist. Oxford press is a reliable publisher as I have stated in reference 8. Figures Date accessed: 23/11/2014 URL:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Standard_Model_of_Elementary_Particles.svg/2000px-Standard_Model_of_Elementary_Particles.svg.png Date accessed: 26/11/2014 URL: http://t2k-experiment.org/neutrinos/a-brief-history/ Date accessed: 23/11/2014 URL: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/particles/lepton.html Date accessed: 23/11/2014 URL: http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/165501-unit-g495-advance-notice-june-2014.pdf Date accessed: 21/11/2014 URL:https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=irct=jq=esrc=ssource=imagescd=cad=rjauact=8ved=0CAUQjhwurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpprc.qmul.ac.uk%2F~still%2Fwordpress%2F%3Fpage_id%3D138ei=iSBnVK2IG5XWaqubgfAJbvm=bv.79142246,d.d2spsig=AFQjCNH_tc4ZUVMJfiVeSgUvb3ba_uDsqA Date accessed: 26/11/2014 URL:https://www.windows2universe.org/sun/Solar_interior/Nuclear_Reactions/Neutrinos/neutrino_picture_big.gif Date accessed: 26/11/2014 URL:http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/ast123/lectures/lec22.html Date accessed: 23/11/2014 URL:http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/particles/cowan.html Date accessed: 23/11/2014 URL:http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/particles/cowan.html
Economic Downturn Effects On The Uk Hotel Industry Economics Essay
Economic Downturn Effects On The Uk Hotel Industry Economics Essay The UK hotel industry, as well as the hotel industry world wide, has been hit hard by the recession which started at the end of 2007 and is predicted by many to last until at least 2010. In the course of a few months the UKs economy has gone from boom to crisis and by early 2009 the attitudes and beliefs of consumers and businesses in the marketplace had altered radically from previous optimism (Mintel Reforecasts 2009 [online]). Prior to the credit crunch which commenced in August 2007 when the European Central Bank and the US Federal Reserve put à £45bn into the financial markets (Elliott 2008 [online]), Europe, the USA and the UK were enjoying an economic boom with rising house prices and high consumer confidence (Budworth 2008 [online]). Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose to à £381,565 Million in 2007, and household disposable income per capita to à £14,321 in the same year (Key Note 2008, p. 18). During these boom years, lending was high and borrowers able to raise large sums of money due to relaxed lending restrictions by banks. Individuals whose circumstances would have at one time barred them from borrowing were allowed to access many times their salary (Budworth 2008 [online]). Debts secured upon property were sold on to investors. Property prices thus became vastly inflated creating a bubble which burst when borrowers started to default on their loans and the value of the investments therefore fel l heavily. The huge losses by the banks leading to the collapse of Lehman Brothers in the US and the near collapse of Northern Rock in the UK meant that lending became much more difficult and banks stricter about who they lend money to. (Budworth 2008 [online]). The resulting shortage of funds due to fears about lending and lack of loans has led to a downturn in the economy, falling house prices and increasing unemployment with many firms going out of business altogether and many more making drastic savings (Budworth 2008 [online]). Further consequences include a vast increase in public spending which is predicted to take years to pay off, a predicted rise in unemployment (by the British Chamber of Commerce) to 3.2 million, wage freezes or cuts and massive job losses (The Economy News 2009 [online]). The collapse in available credit started in the USA but in these days of global trading the implications were soon felt around the world with the UK quickly facing problems. Germany, Fr ance and Italy the three largest economies in the Eurozone were officially in recession by late 2008, and others rapidly followed suit. Both Spain and Ireland have witnessed a housing bubble burst and contraction in wider economic activity (Foresight 2008, p. 7). 2.2 The Pound Against the Euro and Dollar One factor that complicates the situation somewhat is the pounds weak status against the Euro and Dollar. Sterling has lost value rapidly over the last year or so. In July 2008, one pound would still buy $2, but by November 2008 it was worth only $1.48, the lowest point for 6 years. Similarly at one point à £1 was almost equal in value to 1 Euro. While this is bad news for people buying goods or traveling outside the UK, it also means that UK goods and services become more attractively priced from the point of view of Eurozone or USA travellers (OGrady 2008 [Online]). Specifically, hotels in the UK will appear relatively cheaper since this fall in the value of sterling, and hence more attractive to inbound travellers and tourists. At the same time, it means it is less attractive for the UK holidaymaker to travel to the Eurzone or USA, and more attractive to stay at home. 3. Hotel Industry Background 3.1 Introduction The Growth Years to 2007 Hotel operators in the UK cater both to the corporate sector and consumer sector. Both are significant parts of their operations and both includes not just accommodation but also facilities such as meeting and conference rooms in the case of the corporate sector and add-on services like food and beverages for both sectors. The UK has been historically an important business destination with the growing importance of the London stock market and financial sector (Key Note 2008, p. 11). In the consumer sector most activity is accounted for by holidays and short breaks with a significant minority for wedding or party venues. The UK hotel market grew in 2008 to a value of à £11.5 billion, which is an increase of nearly 20% since 2002. This growth took place against the backdrop of a healthy worldwide economy with the global travel market recovering after the 2001 terrorist attacks (BMRC 2009, p.1). Factors influencing this growth were varied and included an increase in the number of tourists coming in to the UK in the years since 2002 and a diversification in the hotel market with increases in the budget sector as well as luxury brands. There was an increased call for upmarket brands as London in particular saw an increase in the ultra wealthy market sector for which money was no object (BMRC 2009, p.1). Other factors driving growth include the growth in internationalisation and global business, rises in disposable income, and the development of tourism from emerging economies such as former East Europe and India. The growth of the internet and online booking also paid a part as well as increased marketi ng by hoteliers (Key Note 2008 pp. 19-21). During 2008 this boom came to an end. The hotel industry was hit relatively late by the depression, and even during 2008 industry experts were proclaiming that the previous 12 months had been a time of overall growth (Cater Hotelkeeper 2009, p. 6). Occupancy rates were static in the first part of 2008, but then hotel transactions started to decline and during September 2008 occupancy fell steeply as did revenue per room (Cater Hotelkeeper 2009, p. 6). Further, developments for new hotels and improvements were cancelled and budgets reduced. 3.2 Strengths and Weaknesses of the UK Hotel Market A Key Note report identifies aspects of the UK hotel market influencing the vulnerablity or resilience to recession. On a positive note, the UK hotel market is a strong and sophisticated one with a wide range of different options to appeal to a range of different types of customer and including internationally recognised brands as well as smaller individual operators. Developments in technology and the increase of internet use over the last 10 years mean selecting and booking a trip is easier than ever before. The fact that most UK residents do not use hotels further offers an opportunity for growth, as does the potential for further increase in internet use. Restaurants attached to hotels and other such add on services provide further expansion potential. Finally, the UK is experiencing a growth in its older population, who have more time to travel. On the negative side, the hotel market is particularly vulnerable to an economic downturn as travel and trips are often seen as an area in which spending can be cut back. (Key Note 2008, pp. 48-50). Research also suggests that despite the apparently rosy outlook of the years immediately prior to 2008, the market had other issues to contend with even without recession. The long-stay leisure market (defined as those travellers staying away for five nights or more) has been in decline since 2004: the number of long-stay hotel rooms booked in 2008 was half that in 2006, at 11 million (BMRC 2009, p. 1). 4 The Impact of the Recession on the Hotel Industry in the UK: Specific Factors 4.1 Introduction This section looks at some of the factors which impact upon the Hotel industry, and why they are important. The messages are mixed. Some of the factors are detrimental to the industry while others have more positive impact. 4.1 Air Travel in Decline Although long-term growth in demand for air transport is projected, growth rates in the short to medium-term are likely to be affected by the general slowdown in the economy and by the rising cost of air travel. A market-wide study indicates that although long-term growth in demand for travel by air is expected, short to medium term projections are for negative growth in 2009 with the beginnings of recovery in 2010 (Key Note 2009, p. 10). This will have an impact upon the UK hotel market as there will be fewer travellers into the country. However, it should be bourne in mind that fewer UK holiday makers will want to holiday abroad due to financial considerations, thus boosting demand for hotels. 4.2 Collapse of the Property Market One of the hardest-hit sectors of the economy in the recession has been building as house prices have crashed and loans to finance building projects have dried up together with the market for the finished product. The UK enjoyed some of the highest periods of growth of house and other building prices, and the construction industry has been particularly badly hit by the latest recession. Developers are unable to access credit to fund large scale building schemes, so many hotel projects have been stalled (Blitz 2009 [online]). Aside from new developments, hotel owners who are unable to access further credit are also finding things more difficult. While larger operators and branded chains are able to look to the medium and long-term, over which a boom for hotel and travel are predicted due to emerging markets, smaller operators have less access to the resources which will see them through the next couple of years (Blitz 2009 [online]). The domestic travel area offers some possible positives for the industry as a whole. It is arguably the case that tourism and the hotel industry in the UK are better placed to withstand the results of a recession than either other industries or other holiday destinations. The reputation of the UK as a whole is very strong as a destination, as is that of England in particular.A 2008 survey by Visit Britain of 614 respondents based in the UK who regularly take short breaks reported that 9 out of 10 people consider England when choosing a short break. The branding of England has improved over the course of this tracker study, 58% of respondents say it is their favourite holiday destination considered. It is considered easy to get around and seen as having beautiful scenery (Visit Britain 2008, p.2). Short breaks account for almost 2/3 of breaks taken in the UK, so these findings are significant for the industry as a whole. (Bainbridge 2009, p. 1). Another consideration is the rising concern with being green and the impact of frequent air travel on the environment (Bainbridge 2009, p. 1). Consumers who want to reduce their carbon footprint and impact upon the environment are increasingly opting to stay within the UK (Bainbridge 2009, p. 1). What Bainbridge does not highlight, however, is that the new concern for green issues is not completely beneficial. Tourists from overseas will be equally concerned to cut their travel abroad, so this could also reduce inbound tourism into the UK. Research is conflicting with some showing that interest in saving the environment is fairly low priority for the majority of consumers and other studies confirming the idea that green issues will become increasingly important (Key Note 2009, p. 49). Hoseasons, the self-catering leader, also take this view, claiming that more people are choosing to holiday in the UK because of a demand for a green and alternative to flying abroad. Similarly, the fer ry lines entered 2008 assuming that demand would increase for their services as a greener alternative (Key Note 2009, p. 49). The UK has the most expensive rates for hotels in Europe, and average prices rose by 12% in 2007 to an average of just over à £100 per night. Londons exceptionally expensive rates influence this figure (Key Note 2009, p. 50). Against this background, and bearing in mind the recession, a move towards increasing the number of budget hotels seems inevitable. Previous expansion in the hotel industry has concentrated on the luxury end of the market with the growth of boutique hotels and the interest in catering to the super-rich. While this seems unfortunate given the recession, it is not obviously a bad strategy as historically the luxury market has been shown to reflect the economy more slowly than the rest of the market. (Key Note 2009, p. 92) In October 2007, Marriott estimated the growth in revenue per available room at between 5% and 7% in 2008; however, by May 2008, this had been revised to between 3% and 5%. As clients reduce their spending, it is likely that over-supply will be seen in the market and this will lead to some brand rationalisation (Key Note 2009, p. 92). One predicable result of the recession is to increase interest in budget holidays and cheaper hotels. The Visit Britain survey of UK residents who take short breaks reported in March 2008 that price had now overtaken other factors in choosing where to stay (Visit Britain 2008, p.2). This is likely to increase as the UK moves deeper into recession. The budget hotel market was under development even before the recession set in. Established brands such as Travelodge and Premier Inn expanded their operations, and they were joined by the Purple Hotels from the Real Hotel Group. Hilton also developed plans for a budget hotel chain, and CitizenM, a design-led brand, was developed. Other brands include Nitenite and Yotel, built at low cost using prefabrication techniques. The growth in the market has led to further segmentation in the sector with introduction of upmarket tiers to the budget range (for example Holiday Inns Express brand (Key Note 2008, p. 16) A Key Note report written at the beginning of the recession predicted that the mid-range hotels would be the main casualty of shrinking demand. The problems with the economy were exacerbated in the hotel industry by the recent increase in energy and food costs ( Key Note 2008, p. 11) 5.4.2 Business Budget Hotels As Bainbridge points out, budget hotels have benefited by both business and holiday customers downgrading in the recession. Some budget hotels have increased the range of facilities they offer to includes free wi-fi, breakfast and similar to accommodate a new business clientele. Whitbreads budget chain, Premier Inn, for example (the UKs biggest hotel brand) is upgrading its rooms with flat screen TV, air-conditioning and Freeview, and has seen sales for its business account scheme increase 36% over the previous year to February 2008. (Bainbridge, 2009, p. 1). This increase in the number of business travellers using budget hotels since the start of the recession in 2008 is corroborated by research by BDRC in 2009. They report that budget brands are consciously aiming to compete with mid-market brands by strategies such as the ones mentioned above. This drive has been rewarded by better standing in business advertising awareness for the budget hotel brands. (BDRC 2009 [online]) Key Note also report that mid-market business hotels are likely to suffer as they are positioned between the value and luxury hotel options, and what they call tiering, or introducing of levels in to the budget range, will also affect the mid-market brands (Key Note 2009, p. 92). 5.4.3 Consumer Budget Hotels For the non-business traveller, accommodation quality is very important in UK breaks. While travellers abroad endure less than perfect accommodation because costs are low and the weather good, within the UK they demand better quality. One issue is that bed-and-breakfasts and guest houses are notoriously prone to poorly-run individual establishments, leading to calls for the market to be tightened. However the budget hotel sector has grown and has mopped up some of the non-business market as well. The fact that there are many chains available in this sector means travellers can be reassured regarding expectations and quality as they are buying into a brand name. This is particularly true in London a popular choice for consumer short breaks where hotels are notoriously expensive (Key Note 2009, p. 50). 5.5 Staff and Recruitment Impact The recession has had a severe impact on the hotel recruitment market, and it is unlikely to recover before 2010. Job cuts look set to reach 600,000 as businesses and consumers cut spending. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development warned of the toughest year in more than 2 decades, and their predictions were backed up by a survey of 150+ senior management in the hotel industry carried out by the recruitment specialists Admiral Group which revealed that over 2/3rds of those surveyed were going to delay recruitment decisions, and put fast-track graduate programmes had on hold (Sharkey 2009, p. 7). These findings are reiterated by the results of a study by Deloitte in 2008 which predicted that the downturn could cut new jobs in the sector by 100,000 with a corresponding dramatic shrink in the UK tourism industry. A recession could see a à £11b reduction in the economic input by visitors to the UK, currently worth à £114b or 8.2% of the UKs GDP. The British Hospitality Ass ociation also criticised the lack of help from the Government (Thomas 2008, p. 9) One less gloomy prediction is that the recession will have less impact as the hospitality market in general and the hotel market in particular is more diverse than in the past, with some opportunities actually being created particularly in the casual and budget dining and contract catering sectors. This is reinforced by a survey carried out by the British Hospitality Association which shows that the contract catering sector has grown and will continue to do so in the recession (Druce 2009, p. 7) 5.6 Room Occupancy and Prices Room occupancy rates the percentage of nights that hotel rooms are in active use have been increasing since 2005. This is good for hotel operators as it allows them to repay investments and reap more return for their money. In 2007 there was a 1% point rise in domestic occupancy (61% in 2006, with the 2003 rate being 59%). This pre-dated the recession and was a result of the strength of sterling at this time (Key Note 2008, p. 14) Returns in terms of paid accommodation in the UK show a surprising result. Gains were still made in 2008, and a report by Deloitte showed that in the early part of the year revenue per room grew strongly (Caterer Hotelkeeper 2009, p. 6), which is unusual as the recession started to set in during this year for most parts of the UK economy. However, this seems to be a function of gains made at either end of the booking season. Early bookings would have been made before worries about the economy set in, and late bookings made might have been as a result of last-minute demand and hence prices paid were higher (Key Note 2008, p. 15) 5.7. Smaller and Specialist Sectors The result of the recession can also be traced in the smaller and specialist areas of the UK hotel market. For hotel operators, boom areas in these sectors are not necessarily a good thing, as will be shown. 5.7.1 Activity Holidays Activity holidays overseas were enjoying a boom in recent years, however for the next few years the market is predicted to grow less rapidly, whereas activity holidays in the UK are predicted to rise. In 2010 for example the total no of activity holidays in Millions taken by UK residents was predicted before the recession at 11.5; this was revised to 10.8, with 2011, originally predicted to total 12 million was revised to 11.4. By contrast, predictions about UK activity holidays have been revised upwards: the 2011 level was predicted at 5.0 million, and this was revised to 5.3 million. (Mintel Market Reforecasts 2009 [online]). The impact for hoteliers is mixed. If the holiday involves hotel stay, then the news is good; however if the accommodation is self-catering the hotel operator will lose out. 5.7.2 All-Inclusive Holidays All inclusive holidays, a sector which has been in decline in recent years due apparently to the increasing ease of online booking and ease of finding information, are now predicted to rise over the short-term as they allow all holiday costs to be known in advance and paid for up front. Both Thomas Cook and TUI are aiming to increase their all-inclusive capacity (Mintel Market Reforecasts 2009 [online]) 5.7.3 Camping and Caravaning Holidays This sector enjoyed a boom in the 1960s and early 1970s but with the advent of cheap overseas package holidays has been in decline. However, Mintel predict that these holidays are an attractive option for the budget conscious consumer, and will benefit from the increase of families who elect to stay in the UK in 2009 and 2010 for financial reasons. They point out that the Camping and Caravanning club had their best ever year for recruitment of new members in 2008 (Mintel Market Reforecast, 2009 [online]). Domestic camping holidays are predicted to do rather better over the next couple of years before the long-term trend towards decline reinstates itself. The growth in this area is not good news for the hotelier, as by definition a stay in a hotel is ruled out for this holiday type. 5.7.4 Others Other sectors, for example boating holidays, have also been affected. Even where the market remains buoyant boating and luxury holidays growth prediction has been downgraded and is expected to occur at a slower rate than predicted (Mintel Market Reforecasts 2009 [online]). Sectors of the UK market which are predicted to do well include coach holidays within the UK which are seen as a budget option and so are fairly resilient to an economic downturn, and heritage tourism as well as holiday centres like Centre Parcs. Mintel see the latter as particularly resilient as they are both percieved as a budget option and are attractive to the UK consumer as they offer pay in advance all-in-one packages. An increase in coach holidays is also good to some extent for the hotelier, although the bulk of coach holiday operators chose low-cost hotels where price margins are cut very low, as the coach holiday is seen as a price-conscious alternative to the consumer. 6. Lessons Learned from Previous Economic Downturns The last time a recession occurred in the hotel industry was in the wake of the 2001 September 11th terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York. The Sept 11th attacks and anthrax scare which followed caused uncertainty about the short and medium-term economic futures and had an impact upon travel and tourism plans leading to a reduction in hotel use and travel. In the US these areas, along with airlines were significantly affected in the aftermath of the terrorist attack. (Mintel Market Reforecasts, 2009 [online]). In the recession of the early years of the 21st century, the response to the challenge was to discount room rates heavily, however this strategy was of questionable use. The heavy discounting was intended to boost occupancy level, however this necessarily led to less profitability and income; it took years to recover from this as consumers became used to the lower prices. As Bloss (2009) points out, the tactic is also very easy to copy by competitors and hence a risky one. 7. Conclusion. The UK hotel market has certainly been affected by the economic downturn. The above looked at the background to the recession and how it has affected the corporate and consumer sector. While the sector has certainly been impacted with job cuts, slower, stagnating or declining predictions and less building projects, there are some positives for the UK market as holiday makers elect to stay at home rather than travel abroad.
Saturday, July 20, 2019
The Smart Classroom Essay -- Education Technology Smart Technolgies Es
The Smart Classroom The classroom is a place that is constantly trying to be improved for the betterment of studentsââ¬â¢ education. New teaching methods and improvement in environment are all constantly being researched; however, recently, research on technology in the classroom has flourished. The Smart Classroom contains these technological advances and triggers them toward in-hancing student learning. Classrooms in the past never really took into consideration that all students learned differently, so one method of teaching was used. This method being, oral lectures that students were expected to take notes on, followed by long winded exams. It wasnââ¬â¢t until later down the line that educators realized that not all students are capable of learning and understanding lessons in this way, and researched different ways to improve teaching. For example, Howard Gardner came to the conclusion that each person is one of seven intelligences. : If a student enjoys reading or writing stories and doing puzzles, then they have the intelligence of Linguistic. Students who are drawn to more strategy type games and logic kind of games are said to be of the Logical-Mathematical Intelligence. Students who are very active whether it be in a sport or art activity, such as dance, are said to be of the Body-Kinesthic Intelligence. Spatial students learn with pictures, they need to see things to un derstand, they are drawn toward drawing and building with blocks. Musical Intelligences are students who are drawn to music, they have the ability to learn by listening and can many times hear things that others are not able to. Students who thrive at being the leader and being in charge of their peers have the Intelligence of Interpersonal, these types o... ...Retrieved April 10, 2005, from http://www.classrooms.com/ Smart Classrooms Instructional Media Services. (April 3rd, 2003). Retrieved April 10, 2005, from http://www.humboldt.edu/~ims/smart/smartrms.htm Smart Classrooms. (2002). Retrieved April 10, 2005, from http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/its/smart_classrooms.htm Smart Classrooms, Huntingdon College. (2003). Retrieved April 11, 2005, from, http://www.huntingdon.edu/academics/smart_classrooms Domermuth, David. (2005). Creating a Smart Classroom. Tech Directions, 64(6), 21-22. Retrieved April 12, 2005, from Teacher Reference Center/EBSCO database. Carlson, Scott. (2002). Wired to the Hilt. Chronicle of Higher Education, 48, A33-A35. Retrieved April 12, 2005, from ERIC/EBSCO database. Human Intelligence, Howard Gardner. (2004). Retrieved May 3, 2005, from www.indiana.edu/~intell/gardner.shtml
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