Collaboration in the supply chain Free Essays

All in all footings flexibly connection bearing has been depicted by Cox ( 1997 ) as â€Å" a way of believed that is given to distinguishing devices and strategies that accommodate expanded operational effectivity and effectiveness all through the bringing channels that must be made inside and remotely to back up and give bing corporate product and administration contributions to customers † . Flexibly connection heading can other than be characterized as a bearing of at least three organization connected together by at least one of the progression of product, administrations, money and data from a starting to a customer ( Mentzer et al, 2001 ) . So dependent on the above definition gracefully connection heading can be portray as a course of the relationship and exercises among the individual from the organizations inside each piece great as remotely. We will compose a custom exposition test on Joint effort in the gracefully chain or then again any comparative subject just for you Request Now As the worry condition turns out to be increasingly mind boggling, organizations perceive that numerous advantages can be acquired from nearer, long haul relationship in flexibly link ( Ganesan, 1994 ) . The finish of the flexibly connection heading is that each individual from the organization should cooperate right up front and long haul relationship to expand the competitory bit of leeway of the gracefully link bearing all in all which can move as one of the core capability of the organization ( Mentzer et al, 2001 ) . The difficulties for creation organizations are raising, as a â€Å" rising figure stocks are propelled whose imprints market can simply be reached practically through a constrained figure of commercial foundations whose possession is moved in a lessening figure of unified connection † ( Guirdham, 1972, P: nine ) . In any case, there are abundant representations of significant gross incomes and market partition advancement being accomplished by a gracefully connection plot which requires a flexibly link heading. Outer condition in which a house works other than plays a basic capacity in the acknowledgment and execution of flexibly link coordinating. The quick modifying market requests expect organizations to fuse gracefully connection systems so as to be increasingly antiphonal. Clients are requesting stocks which can be efficiently conveyed quicker and all the more reliably, which requires close coordination inside the house and with retail vendors or trade foundations ( Richey et al. , 2009 ) . Be that as it may, A figure of explores are done on the retail organizations and parent organizations however there is a lack in writing between the flexibly connection course of these two organizations. According to OCED ( 2007 ) and Porter and Ketels ( 2003 ) , creating organizations in created financial frameworks needs to go up the worth link and compete on the balance of significant worth rather than on the balance of cost. To strive on the balance of the worth the organization ought to require administrations to the customer. Martinez et Al ( 2009 ) expressed that it is an aspiring endeavor for a creation organization to go an item administration organization ( PSS ) in which stocks and administrations can be given by the retail vendors to the costumiers for some organization. The acknowledgment of another item administration plot requires investings on limit structure, for example, the arrangement of retail traders, new people groups ‘ achievements, capablenesss and engineerings and so on ( Reinartz and Ulaga, 2008 ) . In this manner, in the brief time of clasp it very well may be questioning for organizations to take out massive grosss from another PSS transmutation yet in the more drawn out time of clasp that new PSS plans can pass on massive grosss to the organizations ( Quinn et al. , 1990 ) . Oliva and Kallenberg ( 2003 ) , Davies ( 2003 ) and Araujo and Spring ( 2006 ) contend that during this transmutation to a consolidated item administration offering, organizations are probably going to modify their plans, esteem ironss, tasks, framework incorporating capablenesss, individuals ability and engineerings. In many product administration organizations ( PSS ) ventures administration are given by the retail dealer as the core ability of a retail trader lies in providing administrations to the customer and have the customer perception of that nation. Nonetheless, the way of adjusting transmutation waies from a product manufacture organization to a joined item administration organization are still badly comprehended ( Voss, 2005 ; Johnston, 1995 ; Miller et al. , 2002 ; Tukker, 2004 ) . Blending to Richey et Al, 2009 in PSS there are two drivers in flexibly link incorporating which are inward and outer. A large portion of the organizations hope to build up the inner flexibly link incorporating to chop down expense underway and the others factors then again of creating it generally speaking. It is other than said that executives experience announced numerous difficulties in the methodology of actualizing of complete gracefully link coordinating on the grounds that outside condition is non in charge of any organization so it is hard to actualize total flexibly connection incorporating. A few organizations consider their retail vendor as an inner flexibly connection bearing of the organization and a few says that lies in outside gracefully link course of the organization ( Keller, 2002 ) . Be that as it may, Internal arranging disappointment is because of the lack of a useful arranging that gives the consequence of concern methods and outer observing disappointment alludes to the insufficiency of an inward instrument that adequately screens the outside condition ( Burt and Davies, 2007 ) . So which implies that retail trader organization can a part of outside or inside flexibly connection heading however the disappointment originates from inward of the organization. Then again of trying for basic closures, each useful nation works for its ain contribution to achieve its ain open introduction points. A regular kind of inward arranging disappointment leads distinctive useful nations in various waies. For delineation while the creation segment may by and large focus on reducing the expenses, the gross incomes segment may simply try for greater gross incomes volume, which will do flexibly connection coordinating an unthinkable crucial Christopher, 2005 ) . As expressed by Richey et Al, 2009 outer condition is non in charge of any organization so it is hard to actualize total flexibly connection coordinating however as expressed by Burt and Davies, 2007 observing of outside condition is because of miss of interior disappointment which reasons that an organization can execute a total gracefully link incorporating inside. In today ‘s condition, rivalry is among gracefully ironss rather than among single organizations ( Christopher, 2005 ) . This expects houses to hold a viable data framework to administer outer condition, including their customers, retail vendor, and opponents, to do proper conclusions sing flexibly connection coordinating. Advertising essayists have since a long time ago contended that so as to be showcase arranged, houses must deliver advertise insight about the current and future customer requests, manage the comprehension over all the segments, and react to it through coordination of segments ( Kohli and Jaworski, 1990 ; Slater and Narver, 1995 ) . The cognizance of the current and the great beyond customers can be gathered by the retail dealer as they are near the customers and privately arranged. â€Å" Competing flexibly connection that oversee through coaction to join gracefully and request, present significant improved open introduction, and advantage yet farther from cozy relationship that themselves cultivate progressively chance for more noteworthy advancement † ( Barratt, 2004, p 31 ) . According to Findlay et al. , 1990 retailing condition in creating states is immature and there is no unconventional framework or development for retail advertise. On the off chance that the retailing condition in the advancement states are lacking so how the organization are executing the gracefully connection bearing. Boundaries to give connection incorporating go about as a go-between to debilitate the positive connections between the drivers of gracefully link coordinating and the ardent open introduction. Hoek ( 2000 ) contended that since systems for both inward and outside incorporating can be found in the estimating and control of tasks, it is of import to create integrative strides for the full association. The examination on the impacts of the hindrances to give link coordinating is as yet missing, which constrains the capacity to happen strong answers for these issues. In this manner, it is advantageous to investigate the hindrances and the impacts of these obstructions to give link coordinating. Which outside boundaries are diminishing from building a solid flexibly connection between the parent and retail organization? Accessible writing reappraisal clarifies about the advantages of the gracefully link relationship. Be that as it may, there is an insufficiency in the writing reappraisal which clarifies the outer boundaries and how to improve of with those hindrances for an industry. By making the exploration on the outer boundaries affecting in doing the solid connection between the retail and the parent organization can pass on great answer for the majority of the product administration organization. What occupations the retail and parent organization are going up against inside to create solid flexibly connection? To build a solid relationship in flexibly connection course of product administration organization between the retail vendor and parent organization inward hindrances ought to be recognized. Outer flexibly connection heading falls flat

How to Write a Good Introduction to an Essay

How to Write a Good Introduction to an EssayThe introduction to an essay is a key part of the entire composition. It's usually where you introduce the topic or the writer and introduce your topic and thesis to the reader. It doesn't have to be lengthy, but it should get across the main idea of your paper.The main purpose of the introduction is to get the reader involved, to convince them to take the rest of the paper seriously. It's the reason that the subject matter of your paper will have to be presented in a specific way.Let's say that you're writing about the strong points of a certain topic. Your introduction will have to clearly show the reader what those strong points are, without making it seem like it's just another summary of every other section. This is where the introduction has to differ from a summary.How to write a good introduction is an art that can be learned. It's a skill that can only be acquired through practice and experience. But no matter how skilled a writer you are, it will still be frustrating and time consuming. If you don't like writing papers, then this is the one skill that you must have, and the one skill that you must develop.But learning how to write a decent introduction requires a lot of preparation. You have to make sure that you get all of your ideas down on paper before you begin writing. If you don't have a complete idea of what you want to write, then you'll end up writing something else entirely.A good method for developing your introduction is to think about what exactly it is that you want to say. Then start writing, starting with an outline of your topic and thesis. From there, you can take out the ones that aren't needed for your essay and rewrite as many sections as necessary until you have them all right. Then start writing about those sections that you think would be most effective in showing your audience what you have to say.In the end, I think that the greatest benefit of having a plan in place for how to writ e a good introduction is that it allows you to take your work seriously. You'll realize more clearly what your subject is and how to present it to the audience. If you're unsure of how to take the final product of your writing and structure it so that it flows well, ask someone who is already good at writing to help you. They can give you their own advice and insight.If you want to learn how to write a good introduction to an essay, I hope that this article has been helpful. It's a skill that can be developed through practice and experience, and once you have it, it can make writing any paper that much easier.

New Experience in Learning by Mandy Navasero

Outline Sometimes, a few composed words may turn out to be significant and powerful for human life. The article viable is one of the models, where a couple of words speak to an away from of the present undertakings and mind blowing human accomplishments. The writer of this article portrays the method for how instructing of Vhic Dela Serna impacts one girl’s life and her impression of this world.Advertising We will compose a custom exposition test on New Experience in Learning by Mandy Navasero explicitly for you for just $16.05 $11/page Learn More The educator concedes that the quest for greatness is one of those ideas that are nearly overlooked by individuals these days (Navasero, 2009). The courses of Graphic Design at iAcademy Institute in Ayala, Makati are one of a kind and fascinating as one of the educators incline toward non-customary methodologies and spotlights on nuts and bolts of configuration as well as on human characteristics that must be inborn to any supervisor and maker. He discloses to his understudies the thoughts on how it is important to think, work, and examine. Message In my assessment, one of the most significant messages of the article viable is the possibility that instruction might be of various kinds. The kind of instruction, offered by Dela Serna, is viewed as fruitful, powerful, and accommodating to numerous understudies. At the point when an understudy lauds a guide, it implies a ton. Tutor’s words and thoughts cause understudies to assess their lives and places in this world. It isn't sufficient to introduce the material and request that understudies get the hang of everything. It is critical to interface this material to students’ spirits and brains. Just such methodologies will be worth consideration and acknowledgment. Suggestions The material of this article might be applied in various manners. From a teacher’s point of view, this work might be broke down as one all the more dazzling thought on the most proficient method to improve instruction and draw in the consideration of numerous understudies to work. A few understudies can get high evaluations and be certain that their insight is suitable. In any case, it isn't in every case valid, in light of the fact that strong hypothetical foundation doesn't advance effective practice constantly. Understudies need to have enough factors that elevate them to create and self-improve. An instructing learning procedure might be improved by data of this article also. Numerous mentors attempt to utilize various strategies to begin their exercises and pull in students’ thoughtfulness regarding the material being talked about from the earliest starting point. When in doubt, every one of these techniques are excessively broad or effectively utilized by the others for ordinarily. This new involvement with learning, offered by the educator Dela Serna, might be viewed as rather intriguing and advantageous. When all is said in done, this article might be applied to instruction in a few different ways. To start with, the writer of this article isn't apprehensive about utilizing parental feelings and underlining that daughter’s experience was extensively improved by this instructor and his methods.Advertising Looking for paper on training? We should check whether we can support you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Secondly, the creator makes a superb endeavor to retell quickly the primary thoughts, created by this guide. It isn't anything but difficult to clarify the embodiment of the message in a few words, yet the writer of this article speaks to his impressions in an appropriate manner and shows how fruitful Serna’s thoughts for training are. Thirdly, this data assumes a critical job in training since it demonstrates that any mentor can improve his/her subject, empower understudies by methods for words, and find different students’ capacities. Confidence and influence are mandatory for training and the instructor from the article shows how these ideas really work. Reference List Navasero, M. (2009). New Experience in Learning. Inquirer Lifestyle. Web. This paper on New Experience in Learning by Mandy Navasero was composed and put together by client Natasha Estrada to help you with your own examinations. You are allowed to utilize it for research and reference purposes so as to compose your own paper; be that as it may, you should refer to it appropriately. You can give your paper here.

Fences Essay Topics

Fences Essay TopicsFences essay topics range from the simple to the complex, depending on the skill of the writer. Before you begin any essay you must first choose a topic that you can concentrate on.The first step in deciding on a topic for your essay topic is to consider your writing ability. If you are not quite good at writing, you will want to look for a topic that requires little or no writing skills. Such topics include history, religion, and current events.The next step is to determine the subject matter of your essay. A wide variety of subjects can be found in the different writing programs available. Some subjects that can be pursued in essay topics include elementary education, local news, and sports. Other subjects include employment, politics, and religion.The next step in the selection process of essay topics is to decide on the length of your essay. Many of the online writing programs allow you to select the length of your essay. In most cases you will be able to selec t from three to five paragraph format for your essay. By selecting the length of your essay, you can avoid lengthy essays that will not interest your reader.Another factor that can help you determine your essay topic is to ask yourself if you have any special talents or interests. You can write an essay on many subjects including sport, entertainment, and history, but by choosing a topic that has some interest to you, you can make it easier for you to write the essay. Also, you may find a topic that you enjoy and that you find interesting to write about.The last step in the process of selecting the right essay topic is to choose a topic that is interesting to you. You will want to research your topic, make notes, and review your essay before you begin to work on the writing. The more research you do beforehand, the more likely you are to have an enjoyable and successful essay.Fences essay topics have many aspects. Remember that you must focus on a subject or area of interest when yo u are writing your essay.

Catherine of Aragon - Marriage to Henry VIII

Continued from: Catherine of Aragon: Early Life and First Marriage The Dowager Princess of Wales When her young husband, Arthur, Prince of Wales, died suddenly in 1502, Catherine of Aragon was left with the title of Dowager Princess of Wales. The marriage had been meant to solidify the alliance of the ruling families of Spain and England. The natural next step was to marry Catherine to Arthurs younger brother, Henry, five years younger than Catherine. The political reasons for the marriage remained. Prince Henry had been promised to Eleanor of Austria. But fairly quickly, Henry VII and Ferdinand and Isabella agreed to pursue the marriage of Prince Henry and Catherine. Arranging Marriage and Fighting Over Dowry The next years were marked by acrimonious conflict between the two families over Catherines dowry. Though the marriage had taken place, the last of Catherines dowry had not been paid, and Henry VII demanded that it be paid. Henry reduced his support for Catherine and her household, to put pressure on her parents to pay the dowry, and Ferdinand and Isaella threatened to have Catherine return to Spain. In 1502, a draft of a treaty between the Spanish and English families was ready, and the final version was signed in June 1503, promising a betrothal within two months, and then, after Catherines second dowry payment was made, and after Henry turned fifteen, the marriage would take place. They were formally betrothed on June 25, 1503. To marry, they would need a papal dispensation -- because Catherines first marriage to Arthur was defined in church rules as consanguinity. The papers sent to Rome, and the dispensation which was sent from Rome, assumed that Catherines marriage to Arthur was consummated. The English insisted on adding this clause to cover all possible objections in the dispensation. Catherines duenna wrote at that time to Ferdinand and Isabella protesting this clause, saying that the marriage had not been consummated. This disagreement about the consummation of Catherines first marriage was later to become very important. Changing Alliances? The papal bull with the dispensation arrived in 1505. Meanwhile, in late 1504, Isabella had died, leaving no living sons. Catherines sister, Joanna or Juana, and her husband, Archduke Philip, were named Isabellas heirs to Castile. Ferdinand was still ruler of Aragon; Isabellas will had named him to govern Castile. Ferdinand contended for the right to govern, but Henry VII allied himself with Philip, and this led to Ferdinands acceptance of Philips rule. But then Philip died. Joanna, known as Juana the Mad, was not thought fit to rule herself, and Ferdinand stepped in for his mentally incompetent daughter. All this contention in Spain made alliance with Spain no longer quite as valuable to Henry VII and England. He continued to press Ferdinand for payment of Catherines dowry. Catherine, who had after Arthur died lived mostly apart from the royal court with her mostly Spanish household, still barely spoke English, and was often ill during those years. In 1505, with the confusion in Spain, Henry VII saw his chance to have Catherine moved to court, and to reduce his financial support of Catherine and her household. Catherine sold some of her property including jewels in order to raise funds for her expenses. Because Catherines dowry was still not fully paid, Henry VII began planning to end the betrothal and send Catherine home. In 1508, Ferdinand offered to pay the remaining dowry, at last -- but he and Henry VII still disagreed on how much was to be paid. Catherine asked to go back to Spain and become a nun. Henry VIIs Death The situation changed suddenly when Henry VII died on April 21, 1509, and Prince Henry became King Henry VIII. Henry VIII announced to the Spanish ambassador that he wanted to marry Catherine quickly, claiming that it was his fathers deathbed wish. Many doubt that Henry VII said any such thing, given his long resistance to the marriage. Catherine the Queen Catherine and Henry were married on June 11, 1509, at Greenwich. Catherine was 24 years old and Henry was 19. They had, in an unusual move, a joint coronation ceremony -- more often, queens were crowned after giving birth to the first heir. Catherine became somewhat involved in politics that first year. She was responsible in 1509 for the Spanish ambassador being recalled. When Ferdinand failed to follow through on a promised joint military action to conquer Guyenne for England, and instead conquered Navarre for himself, Catherine helped to calm the relationship between her father and husband. But when Ferdinand made similar choices to abandon agreements with Henry in 1513 and 1514, Catherine decided to forget Spain and everything Spanish. Pregnancies and Births In January, 1510, Catherine miscarried a daughter. She and Henry quickly conceived again, and with great rejoicing, their son, Prince Henry, was born on January 1 of the next year. He was made prince of Wales -- and died on February 22. In 1513, Catherine was again pregnant. Henry went to France with his army from June to October, and made Catherine Queen Regent during his absence. On August 22, the forces of James IV of Scotland invaded England; the English defeated the Scots at Flodden, killing James and many others. Catherine had the bloody coat of the Scottish king sent to her husband in France. That Catherine spoke to the English troops to rally them to battle is likely apocryphal. That September or October, Catherine either miscarried or a child was born who died very soon after birth. Sometime between November 1514 and February 1515 (sources differ on the dates), Catherine had another stillborn son. There was a rumor in 1514 that Henry was going to repudiate Catherine, as they still had no living children, but they remained together with no actual moves to separate legally at that time. Changing Alliances -- and Finally, an Heir In 1515, Henry again allied England with Spain and Ferdinand. The next February, on the 18th, Catherine gave birth to a healthy daughter who they named Mary, who would later rule England as Mary I. Catherines father, Ferdinand, had died on January 23, but that news was kept from Catherine to protect her pregnancy. With Ferdinands death, his grandson, Charles, son of Joanna (Juana) and thus nephew of Catherine, became the ruler of both Castile and Aragon. In 1518, Catherine, 32 years old, was again pregnant. But on the night of November 9-10, she gave birth to a stillborn daughter. She was not to become pregnant again. This left Henry VIII with a daughter as his only direct heir. Henry himself had become king only when his brother, Arthur, died, and so he knew how risky it was to have only a single heir. He also knew that the last time a daughter was the heir to the throne of England, Matilda daughter of Henry I, a civil war ensued when much of the nobility did not support a womans rule. Because his own father had come to power only after the long unstable time of family contention over the crown with the War of the Roses, Henry had good reason to be worried about the future of the Tudor dynasty. Some historians have suggested that the failure of so many of Catherines pregnancies was because Henry was infected with syphilis. Today, thats usually thought to be unlikely. In 1519, Henrys mistress, Elizabeth or Bessie Blount, gave birth to a son. Henry acknowledged the boy as his own, to be called Lord Henry FitzRoy (son of the king). For Catherine, this meant that Henry knew that he could produce a healthy male heir -- with another woman. In 1518, Henry arranged to have their daughter, Mary, betrothed to the French Dauphin, which was not to the liking of Catherine, who wanted Mary to marry her nephew and Marys first cousin, Charles. In 1519, Charles was elected Holy Roman Emperor, making him considerably more powerful than he was as just the ruler of Castile and Aragon. Catherine promoted Henrys alliance with Charles when she saw that Henry seemed to be leaning towards the French. The Princess Mary, at age 5, was betrothed to Charles in 1521. But then Charles married someone else, ending that possibility for marriage. Catherines Married Life By most accounts, Henry and Catherines marriage was generally a happy or at least peaceful one, through most of their years together, aside from the tragedies of miscarriage, stillbirth and infant death. There were many indications of their devotion to each other. Catherine kept a separate household, with some 140 people in it -- but separate households was the norm for royal couples. Despite that, Catherine was noted for personally ironing her husbands shirts. Catherine tended to prefer to associate with scholars over participating in the social life of the court. She was known as a generous supporter of learning and also generous to the poor. Among the institutions she supported were Queens College and St. Johns College. Erasmus, who visited England in 1514, praised Catherine highly. Catherine commissioned Juan Luis Vives to come to England to complete one book and then write another which made recommendations for the education of women. Vives became a tutor for the Princess Mary. As her mother had overseen her education, Catherine saw to it that her daughter, Mary, was educated well. Among her religious projects, she supported the Observant Franciscans. That Henry valued Catherine and the marriage in their early years is attested to by the many love knots made up of their initials which decorate several of their homes and were even used to decorate his armor. The Beginning of the End Henry later said that hed stopped having marital relations with Catherine about 1524. On June 18, 1525, Henry made his son by Bessie Blount, Henry FitzRoy, the Duke of Richmond and Somerset and declared him second in line for succession after Mary. There were some rumors later that hed be named King of Ireland. But having an heir born out of wedlock was also risky for the future of the Tudors. In 1525, the French and English signed a peace treaty, and by 1528, Henry and England were at war with Catherines nephew, Charles. Next: The Kings Great Matter About Catherine of Aragon: Catherine of Aragon Facts | Early Life and First Marriage | Marriage to Henry VIII | The Kings Great Matter | Catherine of Aragon Books | Mary I | Anne Boleyn | Women in the Tudor Dynasty

Essay on The Brown-Forman Corporation - 1386 Words

The Brown-Forman Corporation is one of America’s largest producers and distributors of spirits and wines; selling to state governments, retailers, and wholesalers. Founded in 1870 in Louisville, Kentucky by George Garvin Brown, the company provides comprehensive industry services that span the expanse of manufacturing, marketing, bottling, importing and exporting, and sales of alcoholic beverages. The majority of their brands are globally recognized such as Jack Daniels, Southern Comfort, Finlandia Vodka, Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Canadian Mist, Korbel champagne, Chambord and more. Brown-Forman is recognized for its superior products and have traditionally catered to the high-end beverage market. Recent industry statistics regarding†¦show more content†¦To that end they have adopted a two prong approach beginning with renewed marketing approaches to increasing their market presence in the United States while growing the international business at a much more rapid pace. In addition they intend to increase their distribution centers across the globe while increasing their product lines. A recent business analysis pointed to the need for the latter as sales were showing signs of stagnation. Also, Brown-Forman is aggressively pursuing an online presence as another avenue for improving their bottom line. Their updated mission statement and slogan reflects a renewed outlook for potential sales – building forever. Brown-Forman considers every adult of drinking age to be a possible and probable customer. This mindset underscores the forward-thinking embraced by company principles. As well, Brown-Forman has recently purchased four breweries across the country to support another expansion strategy. The company intends to expand their presence in the ‘beer’ market and will piggyback their promotions on other ‘made in America’ campaigns that have been successful for a plethora of other products in the United States. Finally, certainly one of their most strategic plans is to be in front of the concern for problem drinking by promotion the idea of ‘drinking responsibly’ in all their ads. Ownership and general financial information The specific financials ofShow MoreRelatedEssay on Brown-Forman Distillers Corporation1546 Words   |  7 PagesQuestion 1 As a leading producer, marketer and importer of wines and distilled spirits, Brown-Forman was the fifth-largest distiller in the United States. But the company spent huge amount of money advertising premium brands and significantly less on low profit brands. In the late 1970’s, the whiskey market declined and this presented Brown Foreman with growth challenges in a mature market. Brown-Foreman’s response to market pressures and competition was to aggressively move into other fasterRead MoreCase 51: Brown-Forman Distillers Corporation Essay1023 Words   |  5 PagesCase Study 4: Corporate Valuation Case 51: Brown-Forman Distillers Corporation 1. Why is Brown Forman considering buying Southern Comfort? In your answer consider the strategic motives of Brown and the arguments in favour of and against the acquisition. Producing and selling high-quality products is the company’s marketing philosophy. Although Brown-Forman was the fifth-largest distiller in the United States, it spent a lot of money in advertising support in order to build best brandsRead MoreProposed Acquisition of Southern Comfort2267 Words   |  10 Pagesfind out if there is value from a qualitative perspective. Methods such as SWOT analysis have been utilized to check if there would be a ‘perfect fit’. A perfect fit is basically an analysis that the acquisition will bring synergy between the two corporations. Key success factors were also looked at, as these can point out the viability of the acquisition by highlighting what will be key to the success of the new venture. Evaluation of Private Company The evaluation criteria will de done using theRead MoreQuestions on Southern Comfort868 Words   |  3 PagesWhy is Brown Forman considering buying Southern Comfort? In your answer consider the strategic motives of Brown and the arguments in favor of and against the acquisition (7 marks / total 20 marks). Brown-Forman Distillers Corporation is by analysis in a generally more favorable financial position relative to its major competitors. In the FY1978, the company held a relatively higher profit margin, higher anticipated return on investment as well as higher profit margin. The FY1978 financial reportRead MoreQuestions on Brown Formans Takeover of Southern Comfort Corporation1583 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Brown Forman Case 1. Perform analysis on the historical financial statements of Brown Forman. Evaluate the financial health of Brown Forman. Here you should perform ratio and trend analysis, along with creating common-sized financial statements. Assess the overall financial health of Brown Forman prior to the proposed purchase of Southern Comfort. Brown-Forman is a leading producer, marketer and importer of wines and distilled spirits. The company was the fifth-largest distiller in the UnitedRead MoreHistory Of Woodford Reserve1265 Words   |  6 Pagestrend. However, it has officially began. The Brown-Forman Corporation, owners of Woodford Reserve and Jack Daniels, are stationed right inside Louisville and have started to address the racist narrative that plays such a pivotal role in the history of bourbon. Selling the business as one that was built off the backs of slaves is not a good look, and Brown-Forman has set out to change that. Tracy Johnson, one of many multicultural managers for Brown-Forman, has watched the companies head executivesRead MoreBrown4242 Words   |  17 PagesBusiness Administration Version 1.5 University of Virginia BROWN-FORMAN DISTILLERS CORPORATION Do In early July 1978, Mr. W. L. Lyons Brown, Jr., president and chief executive officer of Brown-Forman Distillers Corporation, faced an important acquisition decision. The principal owners of Southern Comfort Corporation had approached Mr. Brown in May with an offer to sell the company at a price of $94.6 million. In preparing his response, Mr. Brown was evaluating the reasonableness of the asking priceRead MoreBrown Forman Financial Analysis8181 Words   |  33 PagesBrown-Forman Corporation Case Analysis The Company George Garvin Brown, a pharmaceutical salesman who had the idea to serve bourbon in sealable glass bottles, originally founded company in 1870. The brand that George started was originally known as Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, which became America’s first bottled bourbons, remains one of the best selling brands 140 years later. The company has expanded however; the Brown’s have stayed with the firm for five generationsRead MoreMarketing Mix Strategies : Brown Foreman Corporation2589 Words   |  11 Pages BROWN-FOREMAN CORPORATION: JACK DANIEL’S EXISITING MARKETING MIX STRATEGIES Aseem Bharat MBA 651 7:15 PM Group # 3 Existing Marketing Mix Strategies. With a large market to cover in terms of wide variety of products within the Jack Daniel’s range, Brown Foreman consistently covers all four elements of the marketing mix- Price, Product, Place and Promotion. The three most prevalent attributes of the Jack Daniel’s Brand all across these four elements are cultureRead MoreCase Study : The Market Failure Of Alcohol1303 Words   |  6 PagesAlcohol is one of the most popular forms of socializing in America. On average about 66% of Americans say they consume alcohol and with most drinkers admitting to consuming just over four alcoholic drinks per week. According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, in 2014, alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, and spirits, make up about 20% of the US beverage market. Beer continues to be Americans favored drink, with wine being second, and liquor being another beloved form of alcohol. The American

Discussion on Global Local Image

Question: Discuss about the Global Local Image. Answer: Global-local Image An image is a visual representation of an object, an animal or a person. Images can be in the form of sculptures, paintings, photographs. They depict, give an impression, and create ideas on how things or people are. Images can be produced or made into copies and stored in electronic forms. In the reproduction of art, two general types of printable images are used: half-tone images and line art images. Solid lines describe a line art on a page that is white. Half -tone images can also be termed as photographs and are quite complicated to reproduce due to their characteristics including gray tones. Images have two major types of descriptions, global descriptions, and local depictions. It has resulted in the minting of the terminology global-local image. Images are objects and their recognition in the past recent years has been developed rapidly because of improvements in technologies like machine learning. In the modern world, new approaches have been prepared like feature extraction techniques and more image databases being available. According to Susan (2015), an images global description describes the image as a whole; they have the ability to characterize the entire objects using a single vector. The global description is defined by its texture and color (Raoui et al. 2014). The global description can also be used for classification of images. Numerous object recognition systems and machines utilize the characteristics of global features that explicitly describe a whole picture. The shape, color, and texture of a picture make them very appealing to the eye because they create very sophisticated representations of an image. These characteristics of an image are sensitive to occlusion and clutter. As a result, its speculated that an enhanced fragmentation of the picture from the background is present or an image only contains one object (Larsin, 2015). Images local description is also termed as local features of a picture. Some of the features include position which is the pixel location, scale, and orientation. In the picture below, its features can be extracted. Fig: Showing local image features An image is encoded as shown below before indicating global or local features of an image. (image from D. Lowe, CVPR03 tutorial). Advantages of encoding an image a) Locality: There is less sensitivity to the images deformations in small partial neighborhoods. Occlusion of other parts of the image can be done. b) Distinctiveness: A small false matching possibility (for example 10-3) with a 0.7 0.9 detection rate can be achieved by encoding image neighborhoods. c) Applicability: One perspective of a textured object is sufficient for training so as to identify an object from a nearby 3D viewing directions (but possibly different image locations, image orientations and different scales. Among the common key challenges in computer vision research is object recognition. The majority of image recognition systems use either of the two approaches global or local approach. This is partly because of the problems which arise when one tries to integrate a single global vector within a set of local features. In scenarios where there is rough segmentation, combining local and global features is of benefit in any application (Larsin, 2015). There are two primary methods of combining global and local elements of an image. The classical method is by stacking and the second method is using classification hierarchy. In stacking, the output of multiple component classifiers is taken into account. Using various methods for classifying has been proved to have more precise results than the component classifiers if the classifiers are accurate and diverse in nature. Classification hierarchy uses a two-tier hierarchical classification method which utilizes both local and global features in succession. At the top most position the, classes which are not separable by global characteristics are grouped together into master classes. The global feature classifier is then trained on these master classes. A local feature classifier is then trained to distinguish between the original levels contained in each super-class. When a query image is categorized to belong to the super-class, it is authorized to the local characteristic classifier, that in later ascertains to which of the categories the image will fall. The reasoning behind this is that at the top level the images are categorized into broader, more separable, groups, and at the bottom. Visual text Every image contains within it a story to be covered. The optical (visual) text refers to text in which an object performs an important function in the audiences response (Health Direct, 2014). Words and images are always combined in creative ways to create meaning and make sense. Unique features of visual language provide aid in determining the kind of message that is being conveyed by a visual text. These features include layout (color, size, shape and position), image (symbols, graphic) and writing (message, position, and font). There are many different types of visual texts namely cartoons, paintings, photographs, brochures, picture books, posters, CD covers, web pages, postcards, advertisements and film posters. Visual texts like logos, emblems, symbols and insignia communicate a meaning to us. An example of a visual text is shown below (NSW Government health. 2015). In the widely used no smoking image. Image: No smoking sign (Source: NSW Government health. 2015). The images context is in places which are designated to be no smoking zones. The image was created with the purpose of creating awareness and informs people that smoking is not allowed in those particular places. The intended audience for this particular image is individuals who smoke cigarettes and might not be aware that people are not authorized to smoke cigarettes in the marked area. The image has the intention of deterring smokers from smoking in the smoke banned zone. The symbol in the picture is that of a lit cigarette inside a red circle with a bold red backslash symbol to signify not allowed. The global factors of this image are the red color, the lit cigarette in black, the backslash sign, the smoke emanating from the cigarette, and the color white inside the circle where the cigarette is. The local factors of this picture include the color combination is red, white and black, the size of the cigarette. Others are the boldness of the backslash no smoking symbol and the fact that the image is bold red a color that is easily seen making the image stand out and be clearly even from far. Most people associate with the red color as a sign of danger and in this case scenario smokers who see the image will know that it is not allowed to smoke in the particular area (Susan, 2015). Combining images with words and other forms of communication has proved to be most effective in passing messages. The image above could be accompanied with words stating that smoking is not allowed but it is sufficient on its own to convey the message clearly without necessitating the need to use text to accompany it (Kleinberg, 2014). Apart from serving as a warning to smokers, the image above will undoubtedly act as compliance with governing laws and regulations regarding nonsmoking facilities. These pictures also convey a message to the general public notifying them that a particular location in an environment is smoke-free and conducive for the non-smokers. It is, therefore, common to find these signs and images in public recreational parks, learning institutions, bus stations, vehicles, trains, planes, offices and workplace facilities, and even in private homes and properties (Sturken, Douglas Cartwright, 2012). Health organizations also use the symbol to create and promote awareness on the hazardous effects of cigarette smoking. They do this so as to reduce the incidences of smoking as this is a predisposing factor for chronic diseases like certain types of cancer (NSW Government health. 2015.) In the onset of fast changing technology and competitive businesses, the combination of the global and local aspects of imagery will reduce errors as both provide different information about the object. If used effectively, can propel businesses and enterprises to unrivaled heights (Jensen, 2015). References Health Direct. 2014. Smoke Free England. [ONLINE] Available at:https://www.smokefreeengland.co.uk/resources/guidance-and-signage/. [Accessed 12 August 2016]. Jensen, A., 2014. Local image features. Retrieved from ftp://ftp.cs.utoronto.ca/pub/jepson/teaching/vision/2503/localFeature.pdf Kleinberg, D. 2014.Modernity and the hegemony of vision. Berkeley u.a, Univ. of California Press Larsin, D., 2015. Combining local and global image features for object class recognition. Combining local and global image features for object class recognition, [Online]. Amherst, MA 01003 USA, 1-8. Available at: https://www.google.com/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=13cad=rjauact=8ved=0ahUKEwjA48_r37rOAhWHXBQKHZxBCP0QFghAMAwurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvis-www.cs.umass.edu%2Fpapers%2Flocal_global_workshop.pdfusg=AFQjCNFYcFFppYTl8pbgc9wtjYFN8O3qqwsig2=vfYhIRtU4XoIfKII6MIr8Q [Accessed 12 August 2016]. Margaret R., 2016. Image. [ONLINE] Available at: https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/image. [Accessed 11 August 2016]. Moriarty Mitchell Wells Crawford Brennan Spence-stone, S. N. D. W. D. R. L. R., 2015. Advertising: Principles and practice. 3rd ed. pg. 502: Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd. Marita S. Lisa C., 2013. Practices of looking: an introduction to visual culture. NSW Government health. 2015. Smoke-free signage and resources. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/tobacco/Pages/smoke-free-resources.aspx. [Accessed 11 August 2016]. Raoui, Bouyakhf, Devy, Regragui, Y. E. M. F., 2014. Global and local image descriptors for content based image retrieval and object recognition. Applied mathematical sciences, vol. 5, 2011, no. 42, 2109 - 2136. Susan, M. 2015. Seeing Global. From: https://susanbuckmorss.info/constellation/seeing-global/ Sturken, M., Douglas, S. J., Cartwright, L. (2012).Practices of looking: an introduction to visual culture. Don Mills, Ont, Oxford.

The Effect of Ph and Temperature for Amylase on Starch free essay sample

In biology lab we conducted an experiment in order to understand the effects of temperature and ph on enzyme activity. For this experiment you will need a spectrophotometer, a timer, starch solution, Erlenmeyer flasks, beakers, graduated cylinders, thermometers, distilled water, several cuvettes, ice, iodine solution, pipette, notepad, and pen/ pencil for recording data. Methods The lab manuel provided the basic procedures needed for the experiment. First all materials were gathered. We poured 35ml of starch solution in a beaker and added 35ml of a buffer. This flask was the reaction flask. Then we proceeded to zero the spectrophotometer by using a blank cuvette. The blank cuvette consisted of 5ml of pH and 5 ml of distilled water. Once the spectrophotometer was zeroed 1ml of amylase was added to the reaction flask. This indicated the beginning of the reaction. After every two minutes iodine would be added to stop the reaction, and someone would immediately record the absorbancy from the spectrophotometer. We will write a custom essay sample on The Effect of Ph and Temperature for Amylase on Starch or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This was repeated in two-minute increments until twenty minutes passed. The data was recorded in a table. The same basic process was used when recording the effects of temperature. But this time the reaction flask consisted of 35ml of distilled water and 35ml of starch solution. The beaker was then placed in a heated compartment of about seventy degrees Celsius. Once the amylase was added the same process used with the first experiment was repeated and the data was recorded in a table. Introduction Enzyme kinetics is the study of rates of chemical reactions. In this experiment we set out to observe how ph and temperature would effect the reaction rate for amylase on starch. By recording the findings in the data we hope to establish an optimum ph and temperature for this reaction. Enzymes are catalytic proteins that speed up chemical reactions. They do this by lowering the activation energy of a reaction. Because proteins have three- dimensional structures they are sensitive to their environment. Temperature and pH are environmental factors that effect enzyme activity. Each enzyme has an optimum pH and temperature at which the reaction rate is greatest and the enzyme is most active. Amylase is an enzyme that can be found in the saliva of ones mouth. It plays a key role in human ingestion by acting on the starch found in the foods that humans consume. Because starch is insoluble amylase from the saliva is used to break it down into simpler form such as maltose. This allows human to absorb the starch. The optimum temperature for this reaction would be close to forty degrees Celsius which is very close to the body temperature of humans. The optimum ph for this reaction would be 7(neutral) because it is in your mouth. Different amylase enzymes are produced by other organisms. The amylase used in this experiment is actually one from barely seeds. This enzyme is harvested commercially from germinating barely seeds. The purpose of this experiment is to find the optimum temperature and ph for the reaction of this amylase on starch. This will be done by collecting data and calculating the reaction rates at different temperatures and pHs. The calculations will then be displayed on graphs where the optimum temperature and pH can be noticed. With no prior knowledge with the enzymes used in this experiment I predict that the optimum temperature will be forty five degrees Celsius and the optimum pH will be six. Based on my research the optimum temperature is about forty degrees Celsius so I am assuming that forty five degrees Celsius will be optimum. I also assume that six will be the optimum pH because it is not as acidic as the other pHs. The alternative hypotheses might be that the optimum temperature is greater than forty five degrees Celsius and the optimum pH is 4, which is the most acidic. This experiment is designed to give students first hand experience in defining optimum temperatures and pHs for enzymes. It is known that the optimal temperatures and pHs vary between enzymes. Now we must use data and calculate the optimal pH and temperatures of enzymes ourselves. The will undoubtedly be errors due to limited accuracy but the overall outcome of the experiments should be the same. These basic concepts of gathering data and expressing them in tables and charts are essential to many of the basic concepts used in biology for displaying data. It is also important that we become familiar with enzymatic activity because it has so much to with the everyday world that we live in from the food that we eat, to medicines that we take, and even in nature. Most of the processes that occur in humans are endothermic, and without enzymes lowering the activation energy t would be difficult for life to exist. Enzymatic activity is a microscopic process that effects our lives everyday. Results The data in the experiment show that the optimum pH for amylase on starch is 5 and the optimum temperature is forty-five degrees Celsius. The greatest change in delta A occurred at forty five degrees Celsius and fifty five degrees Celsius. These two values also had the highest reaction rates. However, the greatest change in delta A occurred at ph of 4. 5 and that was not the optimum pH. There was probably an error that occurred in the experiment that can explain this. Discussion The results of the experiment disproved part of my hypothesis. The results for temperature were consistent and supported my hypotheses. Although, I was correct in assuming that the optimum temperature would be forty-five degrees Celsius, I was wrong about the optimum pH. The experiment showed that the optimum pH was five and not six. This shows that the amylase works better in a slightly more acidic pH than I thought. As the amylase was breaking down the starch the outside physical environment was affecting the reaction rate. Heat causes the reaction rate to speed up and more substrates and enzymes can bind. But this is only to a certain extent. The optimal heat of a reaction is limited. After the optimum heat the enzymes will get overheated, change shape, and denature as can be observed from the graphs. The same applies for the optimal pH. After the enzyme has reached the optimal pH it will begin to denature as well. The only difference is that the reaction rates for enzymes are much more limited by pH that by temperature. At very low temperature enzymes are inactive. Heat increases enzymatic activity to its optimum point. However, pH has little or no activity until it is near the optimal ph. One can observe this by the differences of the two curves that are drawn. There some miscalculations found while graphing the data which were probably due to human error. But graphing a line of best fit helped to solve the problem. Bibliography Vliet,K. A. (ed). 1996. A laboratory Manuel for Integrated principles of Biology; Part One-BSC2010L, Ginn Press, Needham Heights, Massachusetts, Campbell, Reece. 2005. Biology, 7th edition. Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Co. , Redwood City California The Effect of Ph and Temperature for Amylase on Starch free essay sample In biology lab we conducted an experiment in order to understand the effects of temperature and ph on enzyme activity. For this experiment you will need a spectrophotometer, a timer, starch solution, Erlenmeyer flasks, beakers, graduated cylinders, thermometers, distilled water, several cuvettes, ice, iodine solution, pipette, notepad, and pen/ pencil for recording data. Methods The lab manuel provided the basic procedures needed for the experiment. First all materials were gathered. We poured 35ml of starch solution in a beaker and added 35ml of a buffer. This flask was the reaction flask. Then we proceeded to zero the spectrophotometer by using a blank cuvette. The blank cuvette consisted of 5ml of pH and 5 ml of distilled water. Once the spectrophotometer was zeroed 1ml of amylase was added to the reaction flask. This indicated the beginning of the reaction. After every two minutes iodine would be added to stop the reaction, and someone would immediately record the absorbancy from the spectrophotometer. We will write a custom essay sample on The Effect of Ph and Temperature for Amylase on Starch or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This was repeated in two-minute increments until twenty minutes passed. The data was recorded in a table. The same basic process was used when recording the effects of temperature. But this time the reaction flask consisted of 35ml of distilled water and 35ml of starch solution. The beaker was then placed in a heated compartment of about seventy degrees Celsius. Once the amylase was added the same process used with the first experiment was repeated and the data was recorded in a table. Introduction Enzyme kinetics is the study of rates of chemical reactions. In this experiment we set out to observe how ph and temperature would effect the reaction rate for amylase on starch. By recording the findings in the data we hope to establish an optimum ph and temperature for this reaction. Enzymes are catalytic proteins that speed up chemical reactions. They do this by lowering the activation energy of a reaction. Because proteins have three- dimensional structures they are sensitive to their environment. Temperature and pH are environmental factors that effect enzyme activity. Each enzyme has an optimum pH and temperature at which the reaction rate is greatest and the enzyme is most active. Amylase is an enzyme that can be found in the saliva of ones mouth. It plays a key role in human ingestion by acting on the starch found in the foods that humans consume. Because starch is insoluble amylase from the saliva is used to break it down into simpler form such as maltose. This allows human to absorb the starch. The optimum temperature for this reaction would be close to forty degrees Celsius which is very close to the body temperature of humans. The optimum ph for this reaction would be 7(neutral) because it is in your mouth. Different amylase enzymes are produced by other organisms. The amylase used in this experiment is actually one from barely seeds. This enzyme is harvested commercially from germinating barely seeds. The purpose of this experiment is to find the optimum temperature and ph for the reaction of this amylase on starch. This will be done by collecting data and calculating the reaction rates at different temperatures and pHs. The calculations will then be displayed on graphs where the optimum temperature and pH can be noticed. With no prior knowledge with the enzymes used in this experiment I predict that the optimum temperature will be forty five degrees Celsius and the optimum pH will be six. Based on my research the optimum temperature is about forty degrees Celsius so I am assuming that forty five degrees Celsius will be optimum. I also assume that six will be the optimum pH because it is not as acidic as the other pHs. The alternative hypotheses might be that the optimum temperature is greater than forty five degrees Celsius and the optimum pH is 4, which is the most acidic. This experiment is designed to give students first hand experience in defining optimum temperatures and pHs for enzymes. It is known that the optimal temperatures and pHs vary between enzymes. Now we must use data and calculate the optimal pH and temperatures of enzymes ourselves. The will undoubtedly be errors due to limited accuracy but the overall outcome of the experiments should be the same. These basic concepts of gathering data and expressing them in tables and charts are essential to many of the basic concepts used in biology for displaying data. It is also important that we become familiar with enzymatic activity because it has so much to with the everyday world that we live in from the food that we eat, to medicines that we take, and even in nature. Most of the processes that occur in humans are endothermic, and without enzymes lowering the activation energy t would be difficult for life to exist. Enzymatic activity is a microscopic process that effects our lives everyday. Results The data in the experiment show that the optimum pH for amylase on starch is 5 and the optimum temperature is forty-five degrees Celsius. The greatest change in delta A occurred at forty five degrees Celsius and fifty five degrees Celsius. These two values also had the highest reaction rates. However, the greatest change in delta A occurred at ph of 4. 5 and that was not the optimum pH. There was probably an error that occurred in the experiment that can explain this. Discussion The results of the experiment disproved part of my hypothesis. The results for temperature were consistent and supported my hypotheses. Although, I was correct in assuming that the optimum temperature would be forty-five degrees Celsius, I was wrong about the optimum pH. The experiment showed that the optimum pH was five and not six. This shows that the amylase works better in a slightly more acidic pH than I thought. As the amylase was breaking down the starch the outside physical environment was affecting the reaction rate. Heat causes the reaction rate to speed up and more substrates and enzymes can bind. But this is only to a certain extent. The optimal heat of a reaction is limited. After the optimum heat the enzymes will get overheated, change shape, and denature as can be observed from the graphs. The same applies for the optimal pH. After the enzyme has reached the optimal pH it will begin to denature as well. The only difference is that the reaction rates for enzymes are much more limited by pH that by temperature. At very low temperature enzymes are inactive. Heat increases enzymatic activity to its optimum point. However, pH has little or no activity until it is near the optimal ph. One can observe this by the differences of the two curves that are drawn. There some miscalculations found while graphing the data which were probably due to human error. But graphing a line of best fit helped to solve the problem. Bibliography Vliet,K. A. (ed). 1996. A laboratory Manuel for Integrated principles of Biology; Part One-BSC2010L, Ginn Press, Needham Heights, Massachusetts, Campbell, Reece. 2005. Biology, 7th edition. Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Co. , Redwood City California

Human Resource Management Training and Development

Human Resource Management Training and Development Introduction Every business enterprise aims at making profits by minimising operational costs. Although expenditure is inevitable, every business enterprise, regardless of its size, applies every possible strategy available to ensure maximum returns. Employee training and development is one of the key aspects that most companies factor into their expenditure in the determination of their priority expenses and long-term business development.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Human Resource Management: Training and Development specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although the choice of strategy mainly depends on the available resources to a company, it may also be a result of the choice of human resource management models. Some companies prefer to hire individuals with the skills that suit the job description while others choose to employ individuals with basic knowledge of the job and conduct private training in order to cu stomise the employees’ skill set to suit their purpose. While both methods work, they possess different advantages and disadvantages, as well as impacts on the companies and employees. This paper explores a case study of two different companies and provides a concise analysis of their choice of managerial models. It also includes a discussion on some of the lessons that managers can learn from the case study mainly with regard to inter-related human resource policies and practices. Case study analysis Total Customer Services (TCS), an outsourced group of housing benefits caseworkers, applies the use of contracts that encourage and enforce specialisation among workers. In essence, the management format involves the distribution of specific duties for each worker. The company strictly stipulates the duties in a contract, which means that workers lack any mandate beyond their stipulated duties and only apply the use of specific skills in the accomplishment of such duties. The co ntracts also require employees to exercise a huge degree of disclosure to management regarding their actions. The main advantage this arrangement has for the workers is that they can perfect the skill they apply at work, which makes their work easier with time (Leitch 2006). Another advantage is that the disclosure policies allow the management team to detect problems as soon as they arise, thus solving them before they do damage to the business. However, this management model has several disadvantages. First, the restrictive manner in which the management governs the employees means that the employees lose their autonomy and are unable to make critical decisions in time, as they have to consult the management as the contract stipulates (Goleman 1998). Subsequently, the company suffers undue delays in solving trivial problems that would be better suited to the employees in charge. For instance, one of the caseworkers mentions that one of their obligations as caseworkers under TCSâ⠂¬â„¢s management was to fill out paper work and pass the forms to the local authority for approval instead of providing approval when necessary. A logical assessment of such a situation would indicate that the council lost a lot of valuable time that it would otherwise apply in improving its operations and raising its performance levels.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another disadvantage related to lack of autonomy is the lack of innovative solutions to problems. By providing that the employees should not operate outside their contractual duties, the contract and in extension the company, bars the employees from providing different perspectives on issues, which is an advantage they possess owing to their extensive experience dealing with one particular issue. In the case study, a worker in the company indicates that caseworkers have the advantage of dealing with the same case over a long period and thus know their clients’ names, addresses, and their needs. This aspect is a taxing oversight for the company as it fails to exploit its work force to its full potential. The second major disadvantage of the TCS contract system is that it fosters the decline of valuable skill among the employees (Keep Mayhew 2010). By giving specific tasks to specific people, the company hinders the improvement of other skills that employees may possess that would benefit the company. Looking at the issue from a financial perspective, the company fails to make potential savings on expenditure available through encouraging the application of multiple skills by its workers. It would take fewer workers to accomplish numerous tasks if each worker had the ability to perform two or more different tasks at the company. It would also solve problems that result from understaffing from time to time. In turn, the company would benefit from savings in salaries and w ages providing funding other projects (Evans Lindsay 2004). The local authority applied the use of TCS to outsource employees as a measure to counter its underperformance in the housing benefit department. However, substandard training of recruits is one of the vices caseworkers state to hinder the improvement of the company’s performance. It would thus benefit the company to save more money through employment of fewer workers use of savings from salaries and wages to improve training standards. The second company in the case study that serves comparative purposes is Scotchem, a large pigment manufacturing company in London. Scotchem’s management takes a different and liberal approach to employee management. Although the company also applies the use of contracts as part of the employment requirement, it strives at maintaining the autonomy of its employees, thus creating a friendlier environment conducive for innovation and overall development for the company. Unlike T CS, Scotchem has created a system under which employees interact with suppliers and consumers on a personal level. In essence, the company thrives on relationships and their resultant loyalty. The system at Scotchem forms the definition of a collaborative organisation (Morgan 2012).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Human Resource Management: Training and Development specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of the main advantages with this model is that the employees retain some degree of autonomy. Autonomy is an important ingredient in providing innovative solutions for the company as well as improvement of products and ensuring that the company retains its competitive edge. Lack of excessive restrictions on employees enables them to explore numerous options, thus providing objective insight on the accomplishment of their roles. Allowing employees to interact with customers ensures that the company produces products that offer consumer satisfaction without compromising the company’s need to keep expenditure levels low. Secondly, fostering relationships within and outside the company enables easy flow of useful information that would otherwise not be accessible for the company (Buckingham Coffman 1999). For instance, by using one supplier over a long period, the company has built trust, which has in turn enabled the supplier recommend the use of quality material at reasonable prices. Not only does such a relationship ensure that the company produces quality products through financially sound means, it is a great contributor to consumer satisfaction and builds the company’s reputation. The third advantage of the liberal nature of Scotchem’s management system is that the management enjoys a time advantage, which provides more room for the company improvement (Covey, Roger Merill 1994). By reducing the company’s human resource management role to supervision, the system all ows the management more time to deal with, solve company problems, and strategise on any necessary improvements. The fact that TSC’s model requires managers and supervisors to play an active role everyday denies them the opportunity to observe keenly and correct errors in service delivery and consumer satisfaction issues. Scotchem’s human resource management department plays a supportive role by enabling workers to feel a sense of ownership in the overall success of the business. Another advantage worth noting is that Scotchem provides its workers with more permanent contracts, thus creating a sense of job security, which is a crucial component in the determination of employees’ behaviour at work. Employees with better job security tend to work harder resulting in improved productivity for the company (Carre et al. 2012).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Permanence also enables employees to improve their skills and learn from others, hence improving the overall quality of their work (Porter Tanner, 2011). It also ensures that the company benefits from its employee-training program as workers get to apply their skills to the company’s benefit, which is a vital factor in determining the quality of training that companies give employees. It is very probable for Scotchem to give better quality training than TCS considering TCS’s employee turnover. Lastly, the collaborative nature of Scotchem’s model allows for teamwork, which is essential in the achievement of the company’s goals. By working as a team, the employees consolidate their efforts towards a common goal, thus reducing instances of rivalry among employees that usually results from unhealthy competition among co-workers (Mintzberg 2008). It also ensures that both the management and employees maintain their focus on attaining the company’s goal s regardless of whether the means to that end appear in their employment contracts. The only possible foreseeable disadvantage with the liberal method is that empowering employees enough to explore solutions outside the company may lead to leakage of information such as trade secrets, especially in cases where the employee feels short-changed. However, the model’s advantages far outweigh its disadvantages, thus making it a better option in comparison to the TSC’s model. Lessons from case study The main lesson that the case study imparts is that the application of a liberal approach to governance such as the one by the Scotchem Company ensures some level of employee autonomy, which has more advantages than disadvantages to the overall development of the company. Employee autonomy fosters the formation of networks, innovation, and teamwork. Secondly, although training employees makes them better suited to their tasks in a company, high employee turnover erodes the benefi ts employees have to offer the company through the application of their skills. In the end, the company suffers loses both in finances and skills. In addition, multi-skilled employees provide better value to the company as it reduces the need to employ numerous individuals to perform even the most trivial tasks. This aspect saves the company money for other projects such as improvement of training programs. Thirdly, the supportive management method that comes with collaborative managements provides time for company managers to observe the company and make diagnostic strategies for the improvement of a company’s gain. Human resource managers should also implement policies that provide practicality, such as allowing employees the opportunity to make emergency decisions that relate to their duties as long as they do not jeopardise a company’s success in achieving its goals. Conclusion Every company has a right to select a management method suitable to the achievement of i ts overall goals. However, it is important for the management to consider the welfare of the employees, especially with regard to training and retention of autonomy in the performance of duties. Reference List Buckingham, M Coffman, C 1999, First, break all the rules: what the world’s greatest managers do differently, Simon and Schuster, New York. Carre, F, Findlay, P, Tilly, C Warhurst, C 2012, Are bad jobs inevitable?, Palgrave, London. Covey, S, Roger, A Merill, R 1994, First things first, Free Press, New York. Evans, J Lindsay, M 2004, The Management and control of quality, South-western Cengage Learning, Mason. Goleman, D 1998, Working with emotional intelligence, Jossey Bass, San Francisco. Keep, E Mayhew, K 2010, ‘Moving beyond skills as a social and economic panacea’, Work, Employment and Society, vol. 24 no.3, pp.565-577. Leitch, S 2006, Prosperity for all in the global economy- world-class skills, The Stationery Office, London. Mintzberg, H 2008, M intzberg on management, Simon and Schuster, New York. Morgan, J 2012, The collaborative organisation: A strategic guide to solving your Internal business challenges using emerging social and collaborative tools, McGraw Hill, New York. Porter, L Tanner, J 2011, Assessing business excellence, Taylor Francis, London.

Financial Statement Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Financial Statement Analysis - Essay Example The apperal industry is a generated $276 billion in sales in the year 2005 (Plunkett Research). Competition in this industry is fierce and the production of low end products is being cannibilized by the Asian markets which includes India, The People’s Republic of China and Pakistan among other nations. In order to apperal companies to suceed in develop nation they must use a branding strategy to differentiate their products. The two apperal companies analyzed in this report are Wolverine World Wide Inc. and The Timberland Company. Wolverine World Wide Inc (WWW) is company with a rich history dating back to the year 1883 when it was founded by G.A Krause. The company is dedicated to producing and selling branded footwear, apperal and accessories products. Some of the licenced brands the company owns include Bates, Cat Footwear, Harley-Davidson Footwear, Hush Puppies, Merrell, Pantagonia Footwear, Sebago, and Wolverine; a portfolio of product which help generate 47 million pairs of shoe sales in 2006 (Annual Report: Wolverine 2006). The company is a global player with a physical precense in over 180 countries worldwide. The company’s target market is North America which represents the majority of the company sales (43%). Emerging markets such as Europe were growth drivers in 2006, the European region had a 10% sales growth during that fiscal year. The company has expanded its product offerign to move beyond being a shoe manufacturer. The firm offerrs many apperal and accessories products, a strategy that takes advantage of the branded image recognition of lines such as Sebago which are known for their quality, great designs and durability. In 2006 Wolverine generated $1141.9 in revenues. Appendix A shows the 2006 Income Statement of Wolverine. The year’s total sales was a significant improvement over the results of the last few years. The 2006 sales total represent an 8% sales

Assessing the Performance of the U.S. Economy Essay

Assessing the Performance of the U.S. Economy - Essay Example The report is started with the overview of the current state of the economy of the United States of America. This is followed by an identification of the most relevant economic theories and principles that can be applied to evaluate the performances of the US economy over a specific time period. The report is suitably concluded by highlighting the findings from the analysis and prescribing the macroeconomic policies that should be formulated for analyzing the economic performance of the nation. The macro economic performance of any economy can be estimated through the use of different economic metrics that represent and mirror the economic performance of a nation as estimated from different dimensions and perspectives. For this purpose, multiple theories and principles of economics are implemented in the analysis. The six main economic metrics that are used for the analysis with their application in the US economic scenarios are given as follows and heir correlations are given in Appendix 1. The gross domestic product is an important economic metric which is an aggregate measure of the monetary value of all finished goods and services that are produced by all residents and institutional units within the national border of a country (Mankiw, 2007). The Gross Domestic Product can be used as a key economic indicator for gauging the health of the US economy. The GDP of US has contracted by 0.7% in the first quarter of 2015 as compared to the last quarter of 2014. The average GDP growth rate of US from 1970 to 2015 is 3.26% (Appendix 1). Since the US economy is one the most advanced and diverse economies of the world, therefore it has been able to manage its GDP fluctuations through the proportions of production from different sectors. However, the contraction noted in the first quarter of 2015 was a reflection of the higher accumulation of inventory and widening trade deficit in the economic constructs (Bade and Parkin, 2002). The purchasing power parity is a

Chocolate Outline Essay Example for Free

Chocolate Outline Essay Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the health benefits of chocolate Central Idea: Chocolate is one of the oldest treats around; that has some beneficial health factors to it. Introduction I. Attention-Getting a. When I was younger I would sneak a piece of dark chocolate in right before dinner†¦ Made me feel a little naughty! Of course my dad would always catch me and ask â€Å"where’s my piece? † and we’d eat it together. It was our little secret. How many of you have ever done this? To this day I still get that feeling! II. Credibility a. Chocolate has been my favorite ever since I was little and have enjoyed the different tastes, textures and health benefits behind it. III. Preview a. History of Chocolate b. Different Types of Chocolate c. Health Benefits of Chocolate Body I. History of Chocolate a. 1500 BC -400 BC Olmec Indians were first to from Cocoa Beans as Domestic Crop. Civilization only lasted 300 B. C. b. 600 AD Mayans migrate Central South America establish cocoa plantation c. 14th Century: Aztecs upper classes who usurped the Mayan drink taxed the beans drank chocolate drink, because it supposedly healed the soul. d. Aztecs restricted the drink to priests, nobles, kings, queens, officials and worriers. (showed of sign of higher class) e. 1502 Columbus entered Mayan trading channel and bring back cocoa beans to King Ferdinand ? (4th visit to New World) as it was over looked to the other treasures. f. 1519-1570 Heran Cortes a Spanish, went to Vera Cruz, Mexico and was mistaken for the god (the god who gave the Aztecs the cocoa beans and taught how to cultivate it) he conquered Aztec empire returned to King Charles V. g. Cortes kept Aztec tradition and heavily taxed the chocolate so only rich can afford it ? the chocolate drink was told to heal the soul and to keep you healthy from bad diseases. From then on chocolate became a profitable industry. II. Types of Chocolate a. White Chocolate: made of cocoa butter, sugar, milk, emulsifier, vanilla, and some other extras. No non-fat ingredients causing to have off-white shade. b. Dark Chocolate: high in cocoa solids-0% milk-12% c. Semi-Sweet Chocolate: the original dark chocolate, used for baking, 40-62 % cocoa solids, (diff is 35-45% cocoa solids) d. Bitter Sweet Chocolate: 35% cocoa solids, other varieties of it have 60-85% cocoa solids, high in cocoas, low in sugar. e. Milk Chocolate: 10% cocoa liquor/ butter/ sugar/ 12% milk, cream. III. Health Benefits of Chocolate a. California Academy of Science: Did studies on chocolate! i. Chocolate elevates your mood ii. Chocolate prevents/delays damage to cells tissues. Compounds from cacao plant (red wine, tea, fruits, and veg. ) had antioxidants that believe to prevent any damage to the body. b. USA TODAY: Reports Chocolate reduced your risk of heart attack and stroke. i. Dr. Oscar Franco’s research says chocolate reduced risk by 37 % and lowers risk of diabetes by 31% and stroke by 29% . Eat in Moderation. c. A study was done by West Virginia researcher Whelling Jesuit found that chocolate simulates the brain and can improve cognitive performance. IV. Health Risks of Chocolate a. According to the New York Times, Chocolate can disrupt sleep if you eat it right before bed-contains nine or more milligrams of caffeine. Chocolate is a stimulant and increases your heart rate. b. Can cause acne and obesity if not eating in moderation! Conclusion I. Review a. Now that your practically waiting to get your hand on chocolate- i. You’ve learned it’s sweet history. ii. The Different Types of Chocolate There Are iii. The Health Benefits Risks of Eating Chocolate II. Closing a. Dark Chocolate or Milk Chocolate b. What is your favorite kind of chocolate? Works Cited California Academy of Science. Terrence M. Gosliner, n. d. Web. 2013. . Facts About Chocolate. LaShelle, n. d. Web. 2013. . The Nibble. Ellen Cooper Edelman, n. d. Web. 2013. . OCONNOR, ANAHAD. Chocolate can be disruptive to sleep. The New York Times, sec. D: 5. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 2 Oct. 2013. . USA Today. Steven Reinberg, 29 Aug. 2011. Web.

Song Of Solomon :: essays research papers

From Beginning to End Toni Morrison begins her novel Song of Solomon in a very unconventional way. Instead of introducing a setting or characters, she retells an incident that without further reading is for the most part incomprehensible. As readers we notice later on in the story the references made throughout the book that relate back to the introductory pages. Some of the main themes such as oral traditions, naming, and especially flight are introduced in the first six pages and are further developed in a very similar format throughout the book. One of the outstanding themes, oral tradition, is used to retell events throughout the book in a manner consistent with the beginning. On the first page we are introduced to an insurance agent by the name of Robert Smith. We shortly thereafter learn that he will "fly" form the top of Mercy Hospital. On the Wednesday of his flight a group of fifty people gather around the building to witness this event. While waiting for his "flight" or jump a woman in a contralto voice begins to sing the words "O Sugarman done fly away/ Sugarman done gone/ Sugarman cut across the sky/ Sugarman gone home…"(6) This lady simply describes Robert Smith's flight "home" which we later learn is really him committing suicide. Much later on in the book Milkman is listening to a group of children singing "O Solomon done fly away/ Solomon done gone/ Solomon cut across the sky/ Solomon gone home."(3) In this song Sugarman, or Robert Smith, is replac ed by Solomon, or the Great Grandfather of Milkman. The song describes his "flight" from Shalimar, his home town, and the events that happened after his "flight." In general, oral traditions are used in this book to retell past events for both our understanding and for the characters. They take the form of song, story, and fairy tale and are very important to the meaning of the story because they are a major medium of narration. Naming is utilized throughout the book for the purpose of creating identification and symbolism for the characters and places. On page four a brief description is given about the history of Mains Ave., or Not Doctor Street., as called by the Southside community. It is called Not Doctor Street. because a prominent black doctor had once lived there, and the people living there always referred to it as Doctor Street.

Factors Contributing to Disproportionate Minority Representation in Special Education

The disproportionate representation of minority students in special education has been a constant and consistent concern for nearly four decades (Klingner et al. , 2005). Currently, there are disproportionate numbers of minority students who are referred, assessed, identified, classified, and placed in programs for students with disabilities. The issue of disproportionate representation for minority students has been and continues to be an incessant dilemma that has detrimental effects on the educational opportunities and outcomes for this specific group of students.Concerns about disproportionate representation are focused on the â€Å"judgmental† categories of special education (learning disabilities, emotional disturbance, and mental retardation), those disabilities usually identified after the child starts school and by school personnel rather than a medical professional. Children identified with these disabilities usually do not exhibit any obvious discernible features, y et they are still considered to have internal deficits that affect their learning and/ or behavior (Klingner, et al. , 2005).One of the earlier discussions on disproportionality (Heller, Holtzman, & Messick, 1982) noted that it cannot be assumed that ethnic disproportionality in special education is a problem, since it could be that certain groups of students require special education services in greater amounts than those from other ethnic categories. The panel declared that â€Å"the adequacy and appropriateness† of all phases of the special education process as well as the outcome had to be determined before recognizing disproportionality as a problem.The existence of bias or inappropriate practice at any phase of the process was the feature that would determine that disproportionality was indeed problematic. In its 26th Annual Report to Congress, the U. S. Department of Education (2005) presented the percentage of students ages 6 through 21 who were served under IDEA by d isability and race/ethnicity. Specific learning disability was the largest disability category for all racial/ethnic groups.Hispanic/Latino children represented the largest racial/ethnic group (58. 3%) diagnosed with a specific learning disability. American Indian/Alaskan Native students were the next highest group (55. 3%) identified with a specific learning disability. The highest percentage of minority students served under IDEA for mental retardation was African American/Black (16. 8%). Mental retardation can be defined as sub-average intellectual functioning that concurrently exists with deficits in adaptive behavior.Similarly, African American/Black students also represented the highest percentage of children served under the category of emotionally disturbed students (11. 3%) (U. S. Department of Education, 2005). It is critical to note that the existence of this problem has been repeatedly documented by the U. S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR), in th at it has confirmed the overrepresentation of minority students in special education programs with data for the past thirty years.In addition, the issue of determining whether students of different racial or ethnic groups are disproportionately identified for special education has been a longstanding public and professional concern; however, the causes of disproportionality and factors contributing to this problem are not clearly understood (Donovan & Cross, 2002). Thus, this paper aims to examine factors contributing to disproportionality of minority in special education. Firstly, the paper examines historical background of disproportionality problem. Finally, some conclusive remarks are presented.History of the Disproportionality Problem The problem of overrepresentation of minority students in special education is not a new phenomenon and has been a serious concern for the last 40 years. Dunn (1968) cited statistics from the U. S. Office of Education and concluded â€Å"about 60 % to 80% of students in mild mental retardation classes were from low status backgrounds, including African Americans, American Indians, Mexicans, and Puerto Rican Americans; those from nonstandard English speaking, disorganized and inadequate homes; and children from nonmiddle class environments† (p.6). Mercer (1973) documented disproportionate representation of minority students in special education classes in Riverside, California. She concluded that the percentage of African Americans placed in special classes for students diagnosed with mental retardation was three times their percentage in the population. In a similar manner, the percentage of Mexican American students placed in classes for mentally retarded children was four times their percentage in the population (Mercer, 1973). The overrepresentation problem has also been documented over time through court cases.Two notable cases, Diana v. State Board of Education (1970) and Larry P. v. Riles (1971) dealt with issues related to assessment bias, disproportionate placement, and the long-term consequences of special education placement (Donovan & Cross, 2002). Larry P. v. Riles (1979) was a class action suit on behalf of African American/Black students in the San Francisco Public School System who were placed in mildly mentally retarded education programs. At that time African American/Black students represented 28.5% of the district's student enrollment, but 67% of the students in mildly mentally retarded programs were African American/Black. The plaintiffs argued that intelligence tests were culturally biased. The court ruled that intelligence tests were culturally biased against African American/Black students and that reliance on biased instruments was related to the overrepresentation problem. Overrepresentation of certain ethnic minority groups, such as African Americans/Blacks or Hispanics/Latinos, in certain special education environments is a serious problem for a number of reasons.Heller , Holtzman, and Messick (1982) stated that disproportionality is a problem if children are invalidly placed in programs for mentally retarded children, if they are unduly exposed to the likelihood of such placement by virtue of having received poor regular education, or if the quality and academic relevance of the special instruction blocks students' educational progress, including decreasing the likelihood of their return to the regular education classroom. In their review of the literature, Hosp and Reschly (2003) discussed three main reasons why disproportionate representation in special education is problematic.Such reasons include negative effects of labeling, segregation of placement, and presumed ineffectiveness of special education (Hosp & Reschly, 2003). For example, labeling a child handicapped has been found to reduce teachers' expectancy for the child to succeed (Dunn, 1968). Furthermore, removing a child from regular education to special education may contribute signifi cantly to feelings of inferiority and problems with acceptance by peers (Dunn, 1968). Factors Contributing to Disproportionate RepresentationSeveral variables related to the disproportionate representation of some students in special education have been documented in the literature. Specifically, research has examined possible reasons that might explain the overrepresentation of minorities in special education including bias in the referral process, bias in assessment tools, English Language Proficiency of a child, poverty, gender, race, and poor academic achievement (Hosp & Reschly, 2004). Referral process One factor that may contribute to disproportionality involves the referral process for special education.Referral for assessment has been cited as an important predictor of subsequent special education placement (Ysseldyke, Vanderwood, & Shriner, 1997). Ysseldyke et al. (1997) found that 90% to 92% of referred students are tested and 70% to 74% of tested students were then declar ed eligible for special education placement. Thus, if a child is referred to a multidisciplinary team for special education eligibility consideration, there is a high probability that the student will be identified with a disability and be placed in a special education program.One possible explanation for overidentification of students for special education may be due to the information processing strategies of multidisciplinary team decision makers, which can cause the presence of a confirmatory bias (O'Reilly et al. , 1989). Confirmatory bias can occur when the multidisciplinary team decision makers have a tendency to gather information that confirms a hypothesis that is being tested and ignores contradictory information. This can result in special education decisions that are not based on objective evidence and lead to inappropriate placements.Thus, if teachers are biased in their referral decisions, psychologists may confirm already flawed judgments (Podwell & Soodak, 1993). In terms of demographics, research has shown that teachers over refer African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaskan Native males to programs for students with learning disabilities, emotional/behavioral problems, speech and language disorders, and mild cognitive disorders in comparison to female and White middle class students (Grossman, 1995).The majority of teachers nationwide are White; therefore cultural misunderstanding of expectations may affect referral rates of non-White students (Hosp & Reschly, 2003). For example, differences between students and teachers in learning style, verbal style, social style, and cultural information has been suggested to account for some proportion of minority students poor school performance which may lead to referral and subsequent placement in special education (Harry, 1994). Assessment procedures Overrepresentation could also be a result of bias in the assessment procedures used to identify students for special education.Assessm ent procedures that are not suited to the diverse characteristics of the students evaluated may result in misleading and biased information about their academic abilities (Grossman, 1995). For example, unfamiliarity with the assessment process may invalidate results. Grossman (1995) cited research that African American/Black and Hispanic/Latino children may be more anxious during assessments to the point that the anxiety interferes with performance because they are not familiar with the assessment process.Today, more minority children continue to be placed into special education on the basis of intelligence tests, even though it has been suggested that intelligence instruments as a basis for placement are imperfect and unfair (Agbenyega & Jiggetts, 1999). The validity and reliability of intelligence tests has been discussed when such measures are used with minority students (Reschly & Grimes, 2002). Intelligence tests are valid only if they measure a student's ability to learn and t o predict how the student will function in specific learning situations (Grossman, 1995).Furthermore, since the reliability of many assessments is established by studying their use with White students, they may be unreliable when used with non-White students (Grossman, 1995). It has been asserted that intelligence tests reflect the cultural knowledge base and cognitive and linguistic orientations of their creators (Harry, Klinger, Sturges, & Moore, 2002). Intelligence tests have been criticized as being culturally, socially, and racially biased because they reflect White, middle class values and experiences and therefore, are not applicable to minority children (Agbenyega & Jiggetts, 1999).It has been suggested that traditional measures of intelligence are not biased if certain standards are met. For example, standards should require a rigorous implementation of procedural safeguards in the referral, classification, and placement process; implementation of multifactored assessments designed to identify specific educational needs by a group of professionals; and programming and placement decisions made by a team that included professionals and parents (Reschly & Grimes, 2002).Nevertheless, there are concerns about using intelligence measures like the Wechsler scales in making identification decisions. Such concerns include that different environments provide different preparation for the test, the narrow item content of the test, and negative outcomes associated with the use of intelligence tests (Reschly & Grimes, 2002). Therefore, the use of more culturally fair measures of cognitive processing, such as the CAS, may be an important step in addressing the disproportionality problem in special education.English Language Proficiency Since most standardized tests are administered in English and normed on proficient English speakers, a linguistic bias may also invalidate the results of an evaluation if the assessment is conducted in a language that the student is not proficient in. For example, English Language Learners have been found to perform lower than proficient English speakers on standardized assessments in reading, science, and mathematics (Abedi, 2002).However, the performance gap between English Language Learners and proficient English speakers was greatest in content areas that required a higher language demand (i. e. , reading) and less or almost non-existent in content areas that required less language demand (i. e. , mathematic computation). The linguistic complexity of the actual test items, unrelated to the content being assessed, may be a reason for poorer performance for English Language Learners on standardized tests.Thus, these tests may function more as an English proficiency test than a test of ability or achievement (Abedi, 2002). This problem can impact special education identification and placement because there are very few school psychologists who are bilingual and are able to provide linguistically appropriate as sessment services in the school (Grossman, 1995). The consideration of English Language Proficiency is important since it is estimated that more than 3. 5 million children in U. S. schools have Limited English Proficiency (U.S. Census Bureau, 2003). However, there has been limited research on the representation of English Language Learners in special education programs since state departments of education often do not gather data about language proficiency of students in special education. Artiles et al. (2005) assessed the magnitude of disproportionate representation of English Language Learners in 11 urban California school districts. Placement patterns at the elementary level indicated an absence of overrepresentation in special education.However, overrepresentation of English Language Learners was detected at the end of elementary school (4th grade) and continued through the high school years. Children who demonstrated limited proficiency in their native language as well as in E nglish had the highest rate of identification in high incidence special education categories (i. e. , learning disability). Impact of gender Other variables have also been examined to evaluate their influence on the disproportionate representation of minority students in special education.For example, recent research has looked at gender as a predictor of special education placement (Coutinho & Oswald, 2005; Coutinho et al. , 2002). In general, gender disproportionality has been found to exist in special education with male students more likely to be overrepresented in special education. Boys are about twice as likely as girls to be identified with a learning disability and almost three and half times more likely to be identified with a serious emotional disturbance (Coutinho & Oswald, 2005). Coutinho et al.(2002) investigated the extent of disproportionality among students with a learning disability and described the relationship between ethnicity, gender, and socio-demographic var iables (i. e. , poverty indicators, Limited English Proficiency status, parent education, etc. ). The findings showed an association between ethnicity, gender and the odds of being identified as a student with a learning disability. White, African American/Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Hispanic/Latino males were all at least twice as likely as White females to receive special education.African American/Black and Hispanic/Latino females were essentially as likely as White females to receive special education. American Indian/Alaskan Native females were more likely than White females to receive special education. Asian males and females were both less likely than White females to receive special education services (Coutinho et al. , 2002). In addition to student characteristics, results indicated that socio-demographic characteristics were important in determining the likelihood of being identified as learning disabled.However, the impact of the socio-demographic characte ristics was found to be different for each gender-ethnicity group. For example, increased poverty was associated with increased identification of a learning disability for African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, and male Asian students. For White and American Indian/Alaskan Native students, increased poverty was associated with lower identification rates (Coutinho et al. , 2002). Economic, demographic, and achievement factors Oswald et al.(1999) examined the influence of economic and demographic variables on the identification of minority students for special education. The study examined the extent U. S. school districts displayed patterns of disproportionate presentation in the identification of minority students as mildly mentally retarded (MMR) and serious emotional disturbance (SED). It also analyzed the extent disproportionate representation at the district level is predicted by other district characteristics including school characteristics and demographic and economic facto rs (Oswald et al. , 1999).Oswald et al. (1999) used predictor variables that included median housing value, median income, percentage of children below the poverty level, percentage of adults in the community with a 12th grade education or less, percentage of children enrolled in school who are considered â€Å"at risk† (i. e. , from a single parent home, below the poverty level, and where the mother does not have a high school diploma or GED); and percentage of children who were Limited English Proficient. Race of the student was classified as African American/Black or non-African American/non-Black.Results indicated that African American/Black students were 2. 4 times more likely to be identified as MMR and approximately 1. 5 times more likely to be identified as SED than non-African American/Black students. Additionally, environmental and demographic variables were found to be significant predictors of identification of students as MMR or SED. For example, as poverty and d rop-out levels increased, more African Americans/Blacks were identified as MMR, but less were classified as SED.Furthermore, there was a disproportionate number of African American/Black students classified as SED in wealthier communities. It was suggested that these results may indicate that wealthier communities are more tolerant of cognitive impairments and less tolerant of emotionally challenging behaviors of African Americans/Blacks (Oswald et al. , 1999). Poor academic achievement is often a reason for referral and eventual placement in special education.Hosp and Reschly (2004) hypothesized that differences in academic achievement between racial and ethnic groups may lead to differences in referral and subsequent placement rates for special education. These researchers expanded on findings of Oswald et al. (1999) and included achievement variables with demographic and economic predictor variables of White, African American, Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/A laskan Native ethnic/racial groups in an effort to better understand disproportionate representation of minorities in special education.In their study, demographic predictors included the base rates of various ethnic backgrounds (base rate of White students, base rate of African American/Black students, base rate of Hispanic/Latino students, base rate of Asian/Pacific Islander students, base rate of American Indian/Alaskan Native students) in the district, percentage of students in the community who were Limited English Proficient, and base rate of students in the district identified who had a disability.Economic predictors included median house value of the community, median household income, percentage of adults in community who have a 12th grade education or less, and percentage of children who are considered at risk. Academic predictors included percentage of each ethnic group who achieved mastery in criterion reading and criterion math. Results indicated that economic, demograp hic and academic blocks of variables contributed to the prediction of disproportionate representation.Specifically, Hosp and Reschly (2004) found that the block of economic variables was the strongest predictor for mental retardation diagnosis, the demographic block of variables was the strongest predictor for emotional disturbance, and the academic block of variables was a strong predictor for a learning disability diagnosis. For African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaskan Native students, the demographic variables were the strongest predictors for emotional disturbance and learning disability.It is not possible to comment on the influence of each individual variable in its ability to predict special education eligibility since related variables were grouped together as broader blocks of variables. An ecological framework How bias in the referral process, bias in assessment techniques, English Language Proficiency, gender, socioeconomic status, and demograp hics contribute to the disproportionate representation of minority students in special education may be better understood by considering an ecological developmental framework.According to Bronfenbrenner (1992), understanding human development requires a consideration of the interaction of diverse characteristics of a child and of the environment in which the child is embedded. Bronfenbrenner (1992) suggests a hierarchy of ecological contexts that effect human development that move from the most proximal to the most remote. The first of these contexts is the microsystem, which has the most power to influence the course of development for the child (Bronfenbrenner & Crouter, 1983).Bronfenbrenner (1992) defined a microsystem as â€Å"a pattern of activities, roles, and interpersonal relations experienced by the developing person in a given setting with particular physical and material features, and containing other persons with distinctive characteristics of temperament, personality, and systems of belief' (p. 227). Such settings include the home, school, or peer group. The microsystem considers the immediate environment a child develops in, as well as the characteristics of all other people (i. e. , parents, teachers, siblings, etc. ) also in that environment.The characteristics of other people in the child's environment might include demographic features (age, race/ethnicity, and sex), cognitive abilities and skills, or temperaments/personalities. For example, a child whose parents only speak a language other than English may have difficulty acquiring English, which may put them at risk for lower achievement scores and a higher probability of being referred for special education services. Children interact with their teachers daily. Personalities and belief systems of the teacher may impact how he/she views the child and therefore, influences how the teacher interacts with the child.A teacher who lacks cultural awareness may inappropriately refer a child to th e multidisciplinary team. Thus, the microsystem may be the most important ecological level to consider when analyzing factors that relate to the overrepresentation of specific racial/ethnic groups because it considers not only the characteristics of the environment a child develops in, but the characteristics of those who interact with that child. The most distal ecological system is the macrosystem. The macrosystem is the largest ecological level and is typically defined by region, societies, cultural values, and governmental and economic institutions.The macrosystem involves the belief systems prevailing in the world. At this level, the individual has little control over the factors related to disproportionality, but it is important to understand the intent of the laws governing special education programs and the national goal to decrease the overrepresentation of minority groups in special education. Conclusion Disproportionate representation is a complex phenomenon without a def inite etiology or solution. As a result of this complexity, consensus has yet to be reached regarding the actual causes of this persistent dilemma.What is clear is that a variety of educational, sociocultural, socioeconomic, and teacher and school-related factors appear to contribute to the disproportionate representation of minority students in special education programs. Current literature on overrepresentation of certain students in special education focuses more on the general patterns of disproportionality rather than examining if there are specific variables related to special education representation (Donovan & Cross, 2002). Thus, the causes of the disproportionate representation of minorities in special education are not clearly understood.Therefore, it is important to consider structural and community level variables to provide a framework for analyzing the problem. Indirectly these variables affect the prescribed evaluation procedures, parental involvement in the special e ducation process, and the availability of alternative programs (Turnbull & Turabull, 2001). Bronfenbrenner's (1992) expanded ecological paradigm provides a conceptual framework for examining and understanding the factors that influence disproportionate representation of minorities in special education.An ecological approach considers the context within which individuals function and that influence individuals. In using Bronfenbrenner's framework, the larger issue of disproportionality should consider the combined influences of various contexts a child is a member, including the locality (type of neighborhood and resources), the organization (school factors such as performance, racial/ethnicity composition, teacher:student ratios, or discipline), the microsystem (family characteristics such as size, socioeconomic status, and education level), and the individual (unique characteristics of the child)