Public Relations Plan for Regents College

Introduction Communication is universally recognized as the cornerstone of all relationships. As such, effective communication is deemed as a necessity for the success of all organization. For an organization that deals with the public, the probability of achieving effective communication, and therefore reaching organizational goals and objectives, is significantly increased by engaging in public relations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Public Relations Plan for Regent’s College specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Public relations is defined as the process of coming up with and managing a strategic communication relationship with a certain target audience. For public relations to be most effective, it is necessary to plan in advance. This plan, which showcases the strategies and tactics to be used to achieve set goals, is of great importance. This is because communication strategy, which is a combination of various communication tools, assists in reaching the intended targets. Statement of the Problem Regent’s College is a London Based institute offering a wide range of programs with an international focus. Although the college boasts of a strong history and has attractive features to offer, it still has low student enrolment rates. Presently, the school has approximately 4,000 students who are from over 130 countries. The school is also perceived as a small private college by the general population. This perception of Regent’s College as nothing more than a small private college, has resulted in declining enrollment and a diminishing reputation for the institute. Regent’s College is not viewed as one of the giant educational institutes in the country. Its popularity is no where near that of the major public universities such as Oxford or Cambridge. As such, there is the possible risk of the College being referenced as a â€Å"small private college† in the news clippings. Regent’s College aims to offset this image and present itself as one of London’s education powerhouses Situation Analysis Despite its low visibility, Regent’s College has a lot to offer, and if its public image is improved, the college can spring to new heights. The current strengths of the college at the present are as follows: Educational Programs Regent’s College comprises of 7 specialist schools which comprise of: â€Å"European Business School London, Regent’s Business School London, Regent’s American College, Webster Graduate School London, London School of Film, Media Performance, School of Psychotherapy Counseling Psychology and Internexus English Language School†. The College offers both British and American degree programmes and has an active student exchange programmes.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Location Advantage Due to its positioning at the center of London’s Regent’s Park, the college is accessible from all parts of the capital therefore making it very convenient for students. The college also has scenic views and offers first class conference facilities. The attractive meeting rooms are complemented by the perfect environment with impressive gardens and extensive lawns. International Focus Regent’s College prides itself in its diversity which is evident both from the number of specialist Schools that Regent’s College houses and the diverse citizenry of its student body. As a matter of fact, the institute was founded with the core purpose of providing a study abroad program. Opportunity Statement The opportunity that has presented itself to Regent’s College is the imminent visit to the institute by the President of the United States, Barack Obama. The visit by the US president is monumental since it is his first state visit to Britain. President Obama is scheduled to deliver a speech at the College. This speech will attract thousands of people including over 400 members of the news media. Planning and Programming A strategy is the specific approach that shall be undertaken to fulfill the goals of the institute. The adoption of a communication strategy is of great importance for Regent’s College for a number of reasons. A strategic public relations program will enable the school to achieve its goals and objectives. By use of public relations strategies, Regent’s College will be able to emerge from obscurity to high visibility as well as increase its credibility. Target Audience An understanding of the major target audience for the Regent’s College is of great importance. This is because it will be necessary for the school to tailor communications to suit the specific needs of the specific audience. The audiences are going to be prioritized into 3 categories. The first category will consist of the primary audience who are the main priority for the program. The second category will consist of secondary audience who are deemed as important. The third category will consist of marginal audience who are seen to be of some value. Primary Audience Potential students to the institute will be among the primary Audience. By reaching this group, the college will grow as a result of increased enrollment. This will result in higher revenue for the college therefore enabling it to improve its facilities even further and expand. The other primary target audience for the program is current students of Regent’s college. The reason for targeting this group is to help increase retention rates as well as maintain a relationship that will extend even after the students have become alumni. The current students are an important facet to the institute since they are responsible for the growth and development of the institute.Advertising We will write a custom essay samp le on Public Relations Plan for Regent’s College specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Parents will be among the primary audience for the program. This is because parents are mostly the ones who finance the education of their children and as such, they have a huge say in the selection of the school for their children. Secondary Audience The education â€Å"industry† will also be included in the Secondary audience category. The members of the education industry consist of teachers to high schools as well as lecturers in institutes of higher learning. This audience is important since the college want to gain peer recognition. Marginal Audience Industry associations will be in the Marginal categories. These people are important since they can help in networking as well as providing opportunities for faculty members. Obtaining of data regarding the views of the key target audience before the event will be necessary to assist quantify the success of the program later on. Key Messages It is important to define the communication objects for this will form the basis of the plan. In Regent’s College case, the primary objective is to increase the visibility of the school to the public, as well as raise the profile of the institute. This plan recognizes that the message aimed at the audience is the core product of the program. With this in mind, a lot of time and effort shall be invested in crafting a powerful message. Specifically, an audience-centric approach shall be adopted when coming up with the message. It will be crucial to imbed relevant and consistent key messages in Regent’s College’s communications. In particular, the key things that the college wants the key target audience (potential students and media) to remember will have to be articulated. Primary Messages:Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Regent’s College is a First Class International college Regent’s College is committed to enriching the lives of the students by offering them with quality education with specific emphasis on development of special skills Regent’s College courses are structured with development of student’s skills and employability at the core. Regent’s College has a strong research orientation and the college organizes conferences and seminar series which attract a number of scholars with common interest. Secondary Message Regent’s College boasts of tranquil surroundings which are ideal for education Regent’s College offers bursaries every year for deserving undergraduate and postgraduate students. Regent has unique facilities including an intra network with new technology infrastructure. Implementation Goal 1: Increase the visibility of Regent’s College through the use of the Mass Media Strategy: Engage in an aggressive publicity campaign Tactic: Develop a media contact list from the huge pull of media personalities who will be in attendance for the president’s speech. Tactic: Create a number of written pieces that will be assembled into a press kit and issued out during Obama’s Visit. This press kit will include: A brief but articulate background of Regent’s College Biography of Regent’s Principal, Professor Aldwyn Cooper and other renowned members of staff. Pitch letter emphasizing on Regent’s College International reach. Distribute brochures containing images of the scenic views of the Regent’s Park to showcase the conducive learning environment present at the school Tactic: Actively share information on the achievements of the school in the past 5 years. Strategy: Update the media personalities on the College’s Current programs and future plans Tactic: Hold an on-campus breakfast for the media personalities who will be covering the event with the school’s principal presiding over the event. Tactic: Issue out press kit and establish a long term working relationship between the schools PR officers and members of the media. Strategy: Pursue broader media exposure Tactic: Issue brochure highlighting Regent’s College’s international studentship as well as the broad curriculum offered by the school Tactic: Goal 2: Brand recognition for Regent’s College as a provider of quality education. Strategy: Capitalize on the past successes of the school by publicizing them. Tactic: Obtain testimonials on the school’s website from leading personalities in finance, government, commerce and the arts who have studied at Regent’s College Tactic: Make use of the star alumni that Regent’s College boasts of. In particular, get TV Chef Anjum Anand and European head of Marketing for Apple, Stephanie Vidal who are alumni of the school to give brief interviews stressing on the role that the school played in propelling t heir careers. Strategy: Establish Regent’s College as home to credible tutors Tactic: Establish the school’s Principal and chief executive, Professor Aldwyn Cooper as an expert in the industry. Tactic: Highlight Professor Cooper’s Credentials including his Fellowship at Stanford and Berkeley to the media Tactic: Submit regular opinion pieces by the principal to newspaper editorials and be highly responsive to higher education issues in the country pitching Professor Cooper as an expert. Tactic: Make Regent’s College Principal and the heads of the respective schools visible at industry levels therefore propelling the schools status. Tactic: On a continuous basis, host conferences and seminars and participate in discussions on current research themes. Also increase publications in relevant journals and publications. Goal 3: Establish a link between Regent’s College and the public Strategy: Establish that Regent’s College is in touch with the c ommunity and its concerns Tactic: Demonstrate the school’s environmental consciousness by highlighting that the college was recipient to the Green 500 Award in 2010 for its commitment to a sustainable environment. Tactic: Regent’s College is committed to ensuring deserving undergraduate and postgraduate students can progress with education despite financial hardships through its bursary programs. Evaluating the Program There have to be specific and measurable goals and objectives so as to underscore the effectiveness of the public relations plan. These measurable entities will help tell if the program achieved what it hoped to. Defining metrics both for tracking and evaluating outcome is important to enable one to access the measure of success achieved by the PR plan. Communications outputs are the short-time or immediate results of the PR plan are the first measure that shall be used to gauge success. These outputs will represent results that are apparent to everyone and will include how well Reagent’s college presented itself to the public. Since this is a media relations effort, the output will be measured in the number of stories concerning Reagent’s College that appear in the media. If there are a significant number of articles and stories in the media, the outputs measure will be favorable. This is because many stories imply that a higher number of people will have been exposed to the story. The institute will therefore have received a fair amount of exposure. However, the total number of â€Å"impressions† will not be the only measure of output. Media content which is the overall content that appeared in the media will have to be analyzed. In this case, favorable content will include a positive and in-depth look at Regent’s college as an educational institute of choice. An even more important measure of success will be the measure of communications outtakes and outcomes. Outcomes are the measure of whether the t arget audience which the PR plan aimed to reach actually received the message and understood it as intended. Outcomes measure whether the communication efforts resulted in favorable response. In this case, a favorable response will include the change in opinion and attitude about Regent’s College. The current view of the college is as a ’small private college’. A successful program will overturn this opinion resulting in people thinking of the institute as a â€Å"One of the Leading Educational Institutes in London†. A behavioral change on the targeted audience would include increased inquiries about the college’s programs as well as a higher enrollment level. Research techniques such as quantitative surveys will be used to measure communications outcomes. Surveys that will be used include face to face, via e-mail and in malls. These surveys will help measure changes in attitudes towards the school. Findings Report The final step shall be an elabor ate report on the findings of the entire project. This is a vital step in communications planning since it will contribute to future improvements. In case mistakes are made, this report shall ensure that future projects do no suffer from the same. The Best Practices and lessons obtained from this plan shall be applied to future activities that may be undertaken by the PR department. This essay on Public Relations Plan for Regent’s College was written and submitted by user Hendr1x to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Bestow Is a Transitive Verb

Bestow Is a Transitive Verb Bestow Is a Transitive Verb Bestow Is a Transitive Verb By Maeve Maddox The following use of the verb bestow in an article about Harper Lee in The Washington Post caught my attention: But for Christmas 1956, a wealthy couple who doted on the struggling young writer bestowed her with enough money to take a year off and write. The verb bestow has been in the language since Chaucer’s day. It derives from an Old English verb meaning â€Å"to place† or â€Å"to put.† The meaning that survives in modern speech is â€Å"to confer as a gift or as an honor.† The thing being conferred will be the direct object of bestow. Here is the Harper Lee quotation rewritten: But for Christmas 1956, a wealthy couple who doted on the struggling young writer bestowed enough money on her to take a year off and write. Here are two more examples that demonstrate the correct use of bestow: In 1938, Harvard  bestowed an honorary degree  on Walt Disney.   The object of bestowed is â€Å"an honorary degree.† The prior year, the Belgian  government bestowed a  set of six medals on the pair for their work with undernourished children. The object of bestowed is â€Å"a set of six medals.† One source of error is in the use of bestow is to treat it as if it were an exact synonym for give: The village has also  bestowed her a  new clinic The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce  bestowed her a  star on the Walk of Fame. Each of these sentences uses her as if it were the indirect object of bestow, but bestow does not take an indirect object. Note: An indirect object stands between a transitive verb and its direct object. Either the preposition to or for is â€Å"understood† when an indirect object follows a transitive verb: She sent me a letter. She sent [to] me a letter. He built the child a tree house. He built [for] the child a tree house. The preposition that goes with bestow is on. The previous sentences may be rewritten in one of two ways: The village has given her a new clinic. or The village has bestowed a new clinic on her. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce gave her a star on the Walk of Fame. or The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce bestowed a Hollywood Walk of Fame star on her. Another error with bestow may result from confusing it with endow: Incorrect: Johnny Carson  bestowed him with  the nickname â€Å"Excitement.† Correct : Johnny Carson endowed him with the nickname â€Å"Excitement.† Incorrect: And this genetic trait  bestowed him with  a gorgeous, spicy-colored ginger coat and big, bright sapphire eyes. Correct : And this genetic trait  endowed him with  a gorgeous, spicy-colored ginger coat and big, bright sapphire eyes. I can’t think of any explanation for this example I found on LinkedIn: Her experience has  bestowed her a  notable leader as a seasoned Real Estate Professional. The intended meaning seems to be â€Å"Her experience has  transformed her into a notable leader as a seasoned Real Estate Professional.†Ã‚   Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Punctuating â€Å"So† at the Beginning of a SentenceThe Four Sounds of the Spelling OUGlimpse and Glance: Same or Different?

Risk Management and the Supply Chain Research Paper

Risk Management and the Supply Chain - Research Paper Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that improbability in an occurrence of unknown-unknown risk is considered a damaging factor to supply chain of organizations. For instance, these occurrences are attributed various natural disasters, which include earthquakes and hurricanes. A significant aspect of unknown risk is consequences that cannot be predetermined; through they have adverse effects on the supply chain of an organization. For example, the earthquake is a type of unknown risk, which occurred in Japan on March 11, 2010, leading to the devastation of infrastructures that supported supply chain in the country. In this case, this unknown risk interrupted the power systems and destroyed infrastructures by dumping debris on roads, which interfered with the transport system. Seemingly, this earthquake led to a significant interruption of a supply chain, which is associated with numerous Japanese companies. Evidently, there were interruptions caused by this disaster such as halting production in companies operating from the north and east of Japan; in fact, they were forced to evacuate. Therefore, these firms were subjected to this unknown risk of consequences such as closing the plant due to shock caused by the earthquake were not anticipated. On the companies affected by this disaster was Renesas, which is a manufacturer of microcontrollers, whereby they were subjected to this unknown risk that led to the closure of six facilities. Damages resulting from this disaster have a negative impact on other components that support supply chains such as ports, railway lines, and roads. Therefore, goods are neither transported to local nor international markets. For instance, an occurrence of the earth in Japan led to an interference of operations in various organizations that are market-based such as Sony, whose supply chain was significantly affected. Apparently, the impact of this earthquake was also transmitted to the global market since other countries experience a reduction of the automotive parts and electronics that are offered by Japanese marketers to international markets. How to Mitigate the Risk Unknown risk is mitigated by investing in capacity and sourcing redundancy in order to develop resiliency in a supply chain. In this case, the effectiveness of supply chain offers a way of mitigating risk, which is caused by occurrences such as earthquakes. Nevertheless, increasing the effectiveness of the supply chain requires a scrutinizing analysis of trade-offs involved. Investing in redundancy can allow a company to increase its flexibility in terms of supply chain, whereby it is integrated with dual sourcing and redundant manufacturing capacity, which can be based on offshore countries. Therefore, increasing flexibility can facilitate decreasing cost of transporting products from one location to another. Investing in redundancy can assist a company in solving the problems associated by supply chain such as inte rruptions of the transport system caused by earthquakes. Alternatively, this risk can be mitigated through an increase of velocity in sensing and responding to the earthquake disasters and this requires a company to have the capacity to respond to these unexpected problems in a timely and adequate manner.

How Children Learn Mathematics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

How Children Learn Mathematics - Essay Example To help the students with such problems, teachers and parents should provide various representations with meaning and be positive in their approach to discussing mathematical issues. There are strategies in teaching mathematics that may reduce some of the problems. All authors believe that teachers should use a variety of representations and even some relatively unconventional tools. Mental mathematics, linking cubes, drawings, mental images, concrete materials, equations, base-ten blocks, computer programs can all be used with the goal of students to find the representations they personally can manipulate (physically and or mentally) with most ease and meaning. By choosing the representation that represents how they personally think, students can attach meaning to the situation and it becomes more accessible (Fennell, 2001, 288). Parents should also learn their childrens learning style even if it differs from their own. Parents are also encouraged to "pretend" they enjoy mathematics and can do them "as well and anybody" (Dedyna, 2002, Press). For Thompson, one of the simplest ways of teaching vocabulary is to explain the concepts first, and then attach the term to it. This strategy can be used in conjunction with etymologies (word origins) because when students know these roots, they can make connections between common English words with which they are familiar and mathematics terms. Many students from elementary to high school have the same problems with understanding mathematics. One of students biggest problems is the inability to represent their thinking. Representations can be oral, numeric, drawn, concrete, on a computer, etc. A student may understand a problem in its oral form, for example, but the written version of the same problem may stump the student because they incorrectly make the transition from the words and symbols on the paper to their mind when they attempt to

Comparison of a leader and a manager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Comparison of a leader and a manager - Essay Example In addition to that, there is difference in the motivation level and control between a leader and a manager. According to (Nielson), a leader sets new and unique direction. Therefore, he should be able to justify the changes he suggests and show the validity of his approach. A manager helps in the application of ideas suggested by a leader and is responsible to make sure that the assigned tasks are completed by employees in time. In spite of these differences, a leader and a manager apparently share several important responsibilities. Both make heads of a team and coordinate teams to reach a goal. A final similarity between the two is that both exchange information in order to plan and direct. To sum up, leader and manager are much different, and yet alike. Although they differ in many areas such as people out look and motivation, they have several points in common. Furthermore, it can be said that both seek success.

Improving Job Quality in the UK Labour Market

Improving Job Quality in the UK Labour Market The prospects for improving job quality at the lower end of the labour market in the UK pay Introduction Frederick Engels once wrote that labour is the prime basic condition for all human existence, and this to such an extent that, in a sense, we have to say that labour created man himself (1934). A person’s job helps define who they are. The level of income, time spent working, and the quality of the job, highly influence a person’s life. As Sweet and Meiksins say: â€Å"work occupies most of our waking hours; it is a crucial part of identities and influences life chances.† (2008, p. 1) As it has always been, employers are mostly looking for hardworking, well-educated people with particular sets of skills. These days education has become the Alpha and Omega of employment as Daniel Bell puts it: â€Å"If capital and labour are the major structural features of industrial society, information and knowledge are those of post-industrial society.† (1973, p. 211) With the rise in the number of people with higher education, one would expect a rise in higher, well-paid jobs. But in the UK, the situation is quite different. Not only is there a lot of low skilled service sector jobs with low wages, which result in poverty, but there is also growing pay inequality. The worst off are those on the lower end of the labour market who receive a pay of the bottom 20-25% and hold low-skilled jobs which are routine and semi-routine, and require no qualification. The most common job among these is that of the sales assistant. The number of these kind of low-wage workers in the UK is a staggering 20.6% (OECD 2011). This kind of inequality brings health and social problems. Studies show that more unequal countries have worse health and social problems such as lower life expectancy, higher mental illness and obesity, more teenage births and infant mortality, more homicides, etc. (Wilkinson and Pickett, 2009). This is quite a logical deduction to make, since a big part of an individual’s life is his/her job, and dissatisfaction with one’s job – which is directly linked to the dissatisfaction with one’s income – greatly influences the physical and psychological health of the said individual. Changes in the new economy In recent years, there has been a shift from the old economy to the new. These terms were thought up and are used by Sweet and Meiksins in their work – Changing countours of work. There they state that the old economy represents the various ways of assigning and structuring work that developed in the wake of the Industrial Revolution through to the mid-20th century. It included systems which were built around mass production, gendered divisions of labour, unionized labour, etc. The new economy brought about changes. For one, good jobs that require a limited education are disappearing, which forces a big group of people to take on menial, low-paid jobs with little prospects for future advancement. This system partially stems from Frederick Winslow Taylor who introduced his philosophy at the beginning of the 20th century. He argued for the separation of ‘thought’ from ‘execution’, which resulted in the creation of legions of deskilled jobs and the decli ne in the individual worker’s ability to control the conditions and rewards of work. (2008, p. 10). This fit perfectly into the abiding cultural belief that some should be owners and others workers. This popularized the idea that inequality in the workplace is actually desirable in a capitalistic system. (Sweet and Meiksins, 2008, p. 11) The belief that workers are indolent and cannot be trusted is directly responsible for the creation of the so-called McJobs – a.k.a. jobs on the very low end of the labour market. Wikipedia defines a McJob as a low-paying, low-prestige dead-end job that requires few skills and offers very little chance of intercompany advancement. The quality of these types of jobs is extremely low. The deliberations of the European Commission show that there is a propensity for the representatives of governments to assert that all parties would gain from job quality improvements. Francis Green states that wage rate is a key indication of a job’s quality, and claims that for the pay to be fair, it should be related to a worker’s contribution to the performance of the organization. (2006, p. 111) Green claims that there are no specifically economic reasons to look forward to long-term improvements or any other trend in the perceived fairness of material rewards. In the mid-20th century countries in transition would experience rising inequality, followed by a later equalizing trend. A lot of countries experienced declining income inequality for most of the 20th century, which started to rise again after the 1970s. (2006, pp. 119-20). This could be construed as a realistic standpoint, but it could also be called unnecessarily pessimistic. Although trends are not promising, this issue is one yet to be tackled. Concerns over wage inequality Public debates and policy discussions are brimming with concerns over inequality of wages. Despite the increased importance of tax credits as a source of household income growth over the past decade, pay still remains central to maintaining adequate living standards for most low to middle income households. (Pennycook and Whittaker; 2012, p. 4) It has widely been agreed that by far the best single measure of income inequality is the Gini coefficient of concentration. (Chen, Tsaur and Rhai; 1982, p. 473). With the Gini coefficient, 0 marks that everyone has the same income, and 1 that the richest person has all the income. In the UK this number is 4 which is well below what one would hope for. OECD shows that the gap between the rich and the poor has widened in the past decades. The incomes of top earners in the UK have risen much faster than for everyone else. The richest people have an income of about 10 times that of the poorest. Since the 1990s there has been a rise in people reporting high incomes, and also, high income taxes dropped. (2014) Groups that are most likely to hold low paid jobs are women, part-time or temporary workers, young workers, and workers in relatively low-skilled occupational groups such as Elementary Occupations (cleaners, security guards, catering assistants, leisure workers) and Sales Customer services (Pennycook and Whittaker; 2012, p. 5) What causes wage disparities? Over the past few decades, the UK, as well as other countries, has gone through significant changes. It underwent rapid technological progress and was more closely integrated into the global economy. When talking about the issue of income inequality, a lot of people tend to recognize globalization and technological advancement as the main culprits. They affected the job market by bringing high skilled workers greater rewards than the low-skilled ones, thus widening the gap between their respective earnings. Technological progress also penalized those who did not have the necessary skills to adapt and use technology effectively. (OECD; 2011, p. 28). This tended to have the worst effect on the people in low social positions which caused the gap between the well-off, who could afford the time and money to tackle the changing demands, and those who got stuck doing work that was becoming less and less appreciated. Alongside these changes, minimum wage also declined across many countries, as did the share of union members among workers. A lot of policies and institutions also made significant changes which contributed to higher employment, but also wage disparities. (OECD; 2011, p. 30). A lot of people found employment in factories, the service department and other low-skilled jobs which were in abundance, but had low wages and no prospects for the future. Some other things that encourage inequality are: privatization, subcontracting, deregulation, welfare to work policies, and neo-liberal policies. Possible solutions Britain’s reliance on an extensive pool of low-skilled, low-paid labour is not predetermined. The particular incidence and composition of low-paid work in any given country is the result of unique patterns of production and employment and these patterns are influenced, in part, by policy choices. Reducing the share of workers who are low paid is not a political objective that can be easily addressed by legislative levers. It is therefore not surprising that many policymakers have been justifiably reluctant to intervene in the market, preferring instead to correct market inequities through remedial redistribution (Pennycook and Whittaker; 2012, p. 39). But the redistribution systems in reality did little to reduce inequality. (OEDC; 2011, p. 92) Reforming tax and benefit policies would help soften the problem of inequality, by getting more people into the labour force, while making sure they stay in jobs paying good wages is essential. (OEDC; 2014). Government help and transfers also have an important role of making sure that low-level income households don’t fall further down into poverty. The reform of the tax policies for high-income individuals, whose job and income is generally more stable, would also help the redistribution of wealth and social mobility. However, these reforms would have to be thoroughly examined, and well thought up. The key would be ensuring that the poorly represented groups, such as young people, women and immigrants, have access to jobs with prospects for advancement. Another key point would be to allow low-paid individuals additional job-related education and skill-acquirement by incentivising companies to invest in their ‘human capital’. Due to the high demand for high-skilled individuals, especially in the newer fields of technology, marketing, and such, in the long haul, one of the possible solutions would be better government-supported education in these deficit fields for children of low-income families. This would create better social mobility, and at least a small boost in economy. The Welfare Reform Act 2012 introduced a wide range of reforms to the benefit and tax credit system (Universal Credit). Under the current system a working-age individual with low earnings and no disabilities may be entitled to receive payments from one or more of three main benefit groups; unemployment benefits and social assistance; the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit and Tax Credits. Different benefits within each of these three groups are internally coordinated and roughly based on the same framework, while there is close to no coordination across the three benefit groups, leading to a rather erratic incentive structure. Under Universal Credit, the main means-tested benefits, except the Council Tax Benefit will be pooled into one single benefit with generous earnings disregards and one single rate of benefit withdrawal against income (taper rate). At the same time, support for childcare through the benefit system is made accessible for parents regardless of how many hours a week they work. Stated goals of the Universal Credit reform include giving people incentives to work, diminishing complexity, reducing relative poverty and containing the rising cost of welfare dependency (Andrà ©, C.et al. 2013). This act is important for this discussion because, what is hoped to be achieved in the long run is giving people incentives to work. Combined with some of the measures mentioned before, this would also allow people, who are now in a vicious circle of not having enough money for up-skilling, and not enough skills to make money, to break free and start climbing the proverbial social ladder – better jobs and better pays. Some say that the greatest priority is bound to be employment security. Macroeconomic and financial stability is the prime job quality policy at the moment. It is the job of government to try to ensure stable macroeconomic conditions, which, despite efforts, has not worked out recently. This recession has hit the lower end of the working class the hardest, but recessions have in the past always ended and, despite climate change we can expect a renewal of growth over the next few years, which will gradually reduce job insecurity again. Francis Green’s analysis of recent trends in Britain implies that the three urgent ongoing issues for policymakers to address are skills, autonomy and effort. (2009. pp. 28-29.) Conclusion Jobs are a very important part of who a person is. It is one of the ways we define ourselves. Job satisfaction is one of the principal issues in the overall life satisfaction of an individual. The quality of a job is directly linked to wages. In recent decades, due to various reasons which include globalisation and technological advancement, there has emerged a trend of rising disparity of wages in the UK. The incomes of top earners in the UK have risen much faster than for those receiving low wages. The demand for high-skilled workers is rising, but 20% of people still work in low-paid jobs with no intercompany prospects. This wage inequality is the object of much public and political debate. Although every part of the government asserts that solving this inequality and improving job quality would be better for everyone, this is not a political objective that can be easily tackled by legislature. This is why many policymakers have been justifiably reluctant to intervene in the marke t, preferring instead to correct market inequities through remedial redistribution. Some of the ways in which the inequality could be softened are the reformation of tax policies for high-income individuals and households, benefit policies for low-income households, better education and skill acquiring opportunities, ensuring employment security and stabilizing macroeconomics and finances. These changes will have to be made gradually and carefully, but nothing in the economic research suggests that this wage disparity is necessary and cannot be avoided. References Andrà ©, C.et al. 2013. Labour Market, Welfare Reform and Inequality in the United Kingdom. OECD Economics, Department Working Papers, No. 1034, OECD Publishing Bell, D. 1973. The Coming of Post-Industrial Society. New York: Basic Books. Chen, C.N., Tsaur, T.W. and Rhai, T.S. 1982. The Gini Coefficient and Negative Income; Oxford Economic Papers, New Series, (34/3) pp. 473-492. New York: Oxford University Press Engels, F. 1934. The Part played by Labour in the Transition from Ape to Man. Moscow: Progress Publishers. Green F. 2006. Demanding work: The Paradox of Job Quality and Affluent Economy. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Green, F. 2009. Job Quality in Britain. Praxis, issue 1, November, London: UK Commission for Employment and Skills. OECD, Jan. 2013, Income Distribution and Poverty at the OECD [Online] Available at: http://www.oecd.org/social/inequality.htm [Accessed: 18 January 2014] OECD. 2011. Divided we stand: Why inequality Keeps Rising, OECD Publishing. Pennycook M., Whittaker M. 2012. Low Pay Britain. London: Resolution Foundation. Sweet S. and Meiksins P. 2008. Changing countours of work. Newbury Park: Pine Forge Press. Wilkinson, R.G. and Pickett K. 2009. The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better. London: Allen Lane

Knights And Chivalry Essay -- essays research papers fc

KNIGHTS AND CHIVALRY Knights were a large part of the Middle Ages. A lot people think that knights are soldiers who were covered in metal, and fought dragons and evil people. Although they were warriors, or soldiers, knights never fought dragons. Knights fought for their king or lord because land was promised to them. To become a knight you had to be born a noble boy and start training at age seven. The boys didn't go to school because he was sent to live with another noble family as a page. A page learned to work with horses and weapons. He also learned manners and to be polite. He ran errands for the noble family. At age 14 a page became a squire to a knight. As a squire you had to serve the knight. By watching the knight the squire learned how to fight and use the weapons to strengthen his body. The squire had to do many things with the knight. If the knight had to go into battle the squire had to go too. When the knight got wounded the squire fixed his wounds. If the knight was in danger the squire rescued him, and if the knight died the squire would setup a proper burial. A squire learned to make and serve meals and was the knight's personal servant. On the squire's 21st birthday his skills would make him a knight. His skills were tested during tournaments. There was a ceremony for the squire when he was ready to become a knight. On the night before the ceremony the squire bathed and put on special clothes. He prayed alone in a church with his weapons. The next day t...

Leadership at Amazon.com Essay

Amazon.com is an internet giant in terms of e-commerce. It was incorporated by Jeff Bezos in 1994 under the name Cadabra. In 1995 he changed the name to Amazon because he decided the former sounded too similar to â€Å"cadaver† and because he wanted a name beginning with â€Å"A† so it would potentially be at the top of any search results returned in alphabetical order. Amazon.com has headquarters in Seattle, Washington but has retail websites across the globe. It is the world’s largest internet company. Jeff Bezos has a solid reputation that is appreciated by colleagues, employees, and customers alike. Forbes magazine touts his status as â€Å"our greatest living CEO† while his employees perhaps know him best for leaving an empty seat open at conference meeting tables. The empty chair is symbolic of the customer at Amazon.com and Bezos often refers to it as â€Å"the most important person in the room† (Hartung 2013). While many leaders in retail recognize the importance of customer satisfaction, by making the customer an active presence at meetings Jeff Bezos sends a powerful message to his constituents. Some of the characteristics of Jeff Bezos leadership style are that he always challenges idle thinking, he makes customer service a main priority, and he continuously renovates his approach. Bezos does not accept that there is one truth about the way things should be done, even if that way has proven to be successful previously. An example of how Bezos challenges idle thinking also illustrates his stark belief that failure is an opportunity to progress: Years ago, when the bulk of product was written and spoken language the company hired editors to write book and music reviews then decided to use customers critiques instead (Anders, 2012). That relatively small decision speaks volumes of Jeff’s commitment to truth and to customer satisfaction. A hallmark of Jeff Bezo’s leadership style is his innovative reinventing of any process, idea, or task regardless of how big or small it is. Bezo has a critical eye for improvement, and the intestinal fortitude to make changes where and whenever he sees fit. An example of this is Bezo’s solution to shipping fees. Instead of the expected shipping and handling fee added to  each item at checkout, he invented a unique solution. He implemented Amazon Prime, a service that charges an annual fee for unlimited 2 day shipping on eligible items, of which there are thousands. This has significantly reduced the hassle of checkout for several reasons. Subscribing to Amazon Prime eliminates calculating extra fees based on distance and the timeframe for delivery of items. It also promotes a positive customer experience by not seeing totals continue to increase as tax and shipping fees are tacked on during the last few clicks of checkout. Lastly, it speeds the checkout process by offering one click ordering using previously saved information such as address and payment info. A simple solution to the sometimes painful fees associated with product delivery has made a huge impact on the customers Amazon.com shopping experience! My own individual leadership styles and characteristics are similar to Jeff’s in regards to reinventing. Though I have never used that word to describe my approach it is in line with how I tackle and solve problems. I am never satisfied with one way to do things, and I abjure routine. At the forefront of my leadership style I am always considering my resources whether it be an innovative new process or lesson, considering the ideas my partner or team presents, and utilizing help in any fashion to carry out effective leadership. To be an effective leader, all of the leadership styles commonly associated with powerful leadership abilities would apply and they include Directing, Coaching, Supporting, and Delegating. The challenge for the leader is the flexibility to recognize the dynamics of the situation and be versatile in the application of the different styles. Consider a Mass Casualty Incident, or â€Å"MCI† such as the recent tragedy in Boston, the marathon bombing. MCI leadership would first be responsible for establishing command and Delegating others to oversee patient triaging, which is the sorting of victims by severity of injury or illness. As Emergency vehicles and personnel respond to the scene, MCI leadership would Direct resources to the appropriate locations. Because there may be so many different levels of personnel at the scene of an MCI, leadership may have to Coach lesser trained personnel to effectively carry out necessary tasks involved in scene management. Finally, an effective leader in this scenario would recognize where Supportive care, resources, and needs of the team should be addressed. Some of the leadership characteristics I share in common with Jeff Bezos are  passion, fearlessness, and confidence. Environmental or Societal factors that might influence my approach to leadership at this organization would be politics and inexperience. Even as I feel as though my leadership characteristics are similar to the CEO of Amazon’s, it would be a challenge to understand how they apply in a business model. In contrast, I have achieved efficiency and success with similar styles in a healthcare setting which can somewhat be comparable to business in the interest of organization, responsibility, and professionalism. Even if I were in a different organization I do not feel as though my style or characteristics would alter. I may adjust them to meet the demands of the current situation, organization or environment but I would always be functioning on a core set of values that would adapt to my needs, versus my needs adapting to my values. Economic conditions would influence my approach to leadership affecting budget and finances. Like Jeff Bezos, I support spending a significant amount of resources dedicated to customer service and evaluations of what the customer wants. In times of a strong economy I would want to expand the Amazon product and consider a restaurant line to the online retail chain as a means of satisfying 2 venues: a retail storefront, and a new experience for fine dining. Diners would be able to experience the Amazon style of purchasing by specifically choosing what ingredients, cooking methods, and dinging decor they want by placing orders through the website at tableside mounte d computers. Amazon Prime members would receive a discount or some type of special privilege, and orders would be delivered in a timely manner to the customer. References Amazon.com. (2014, February 9). Retrieved September 2, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon.com Anders, G. (2012, April 23). Jeff Bezos’s Top 10 Leadership Lessons. Retrieved September 5, 2014, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/georgeanders/2012/04/04/bezos-tips/ Hartung, A. (2013, January 8). Why Jeff Bezos is Our Greatest Living CEO. Retrieved September 5, 2014. McGinn, D. (2013, October 18). How Jeff Bezos Makes Decisions. Retrieved September 5, 2014, from http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/10/how-jeff-bezos-makes-decisions/

Of Mice and Men: A Novel by John Steinbeck

In the novel of mice and men,Steinbeck never gives Curley’s Wife a name. This is done to show that she does not have any identity or position on the ranch. As Curley’s Wife is a representation of all women in the 1930s I feel Steinbeck uses her to show that she does not have any identity or position on the ranch. As Curley’s Wife is a representation of all women in the 1930s I feel Steinbeck uses her to show that most women back then had no identity or position in the working world. No characters in the novella care for Curley’s Wife and very little attention is given to her. However many of the men only see her as an object. I think Steinbeck conveys that idea by his description of her. When we and George and Lennie are first introduced to her, Steinbeck takes a long time to describe her. ‘She had full rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her finger nails were red. Her hair hung in little clusters, like sausages†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ This I feel Steinbeck uses to present Curley’s Wife as an object to the men and society. It is to show that Curley’s wife is worth as much as she is wearing. But Steinbeck doesn’t only use the description of what she is wearing, he also fully describes her actions. This is to show the physical awareness the men have towards her. ‘She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward’ Steinbeck’s description of Curley’s Wife’s actions, I think, is to not only describe the men’s physical awareness, but to show the desperation of Curley’s Wife and the women in the 1930s. Steinbeck presents the men’s reactions towards her as hostile through the use of language. When George first meets her he responds to her ‘brusquely’. I think this is to show the hesitance men have towards Curley’s Wife. I feel Steinbeck not only does this to make us feel sympathy towards Curley’s Wife and women in the 1930s, but also towards men in the 1930s as they have to be extremely careful and hostile so they can keep their jobs. This I think is the contrast Steinbeck is trying to make towards Lennie’s reaction. As Lennie does not understand normal social behaviour he is in awe of Curley’s Wife. I think Steinbeck does this to show that two people who don’t fit into society are maybe the ones that do. John Steinbeck uses different methods to present Curley’s Wife and women in the 1930s. I fell Steinbeck uses Curley’s Wife as a representation of injustice in the 1930s. Steinbeck presents the character of Curley’s Wife as manipulative; however I feel he only does this to make us feel sympathy to Curley’s Wife and women in the 1930s. The fact that Curley’s wife has to be manipulative to get attention which she is so starved for does not kill any sympathy that the reader could have for her but drives it so that the reader is more sympathetic. I also feel that Steinbeck uses Curley’s wife as a reflection on men in the 1930s as they are manipulative yet despise Curley’s wife because she is manipulative; they do not realise that it is them that made her so in the first place. I feel that ‘Of Mice and Men’ is a perfect representation of the treatment of human beings in the 1920s.

Reaction Paper on Revolution Open Source Essays

Reaction Paper on Revolution Open Source Essays Reaction Paper on Revolution Open Source Paper Reaction Paper on Revolution Open Source Paper A really great movie and very approachable. It helped me in understanding the real meaning of open source. Before I thought that Open Source means that the software is for free and it kept me wondering how software companies would benefit from it. After watching the movie I clearly understand that Open Source software Is not purely for free. Open Source means that the source code will be available for users where they can modify or correct a bug that they can share to others. With these Open Source quickly releases numerous version modified and personalized by the rogrammers community. It doesnt matter if youve never heard of Richard Stallman or dont know what a kernel Is. Certainly the filmmakers didnt entirely know the history before starting the movie, it doesnt take itself too seriously, and it did not focus only in the open source movements success or failure. What I like the most in the movie Is the story of the founding father of the Free Software Association/ GNU movement Richard Stallman on what he believe and how he conceptualized and eventually succeeded in his GNU movement. His idea Is about having free software nd forming a community where people can share what they learn from playing with the free software is the main reason why Open Source is having its success. He somewhat stated that it Is human nature to share, Meanwhile Linus Torvalds and other people who have believed in the idea of Richard Stallman it also human nature to gain profits for what they are doing. To me this documentary somewhat inspire me to work harder in school because if these little people contributed huge ideas about Open Source so I am. I dont want to be just another Information Technology graduate.

TEDDY BOYS (YOUTH SUBCULTURE) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

TEDDY BOYS (YOUTH SUBCULTURE) - Essay Example They take symbolic meanings and become stigmata for those who hate it and a token of identification and acceptance into the brotherhood for those who are part of that group. The Teddy Boys subculture emerged in the 1950s in England (Hazlehurst & Hazlehurst, 1998). Primarily it was a reaction to the confining space and declining status that the middle class English people were given. Developing a subculture is inevitable, as Dick Hebdige writes in his book Subculture: The Meaning of Style (1979), that â€Å"modes† and â€Å"categories† inherited from the old folks no longer serve the needs of a new generation. The Teddy Boy subculture gained roots during post-world war Britain (Hazlehurst & Hazlehurst, 1998), to raise a voice against the social injustice that was plaguing Britain. It rose from the working middle class and strived to get them better social status (Hazlehurst & Hazlehurst, 1998). The Teds were originally called the Cosh Boys later Daily Express termed the Edwardian looking teenagers as Teddy Boys (Robertson, 2007). The ‘Teddy Boys’ was the first one with identifiable gangs that wore similar clothing. The classic Teddy Boy look would be the drake jacket and ‘brothel creepers’ for footwear. In the beginning there were drapes and drainpipe trousers for the Teds (Marko, 2007). Later this look was upgraded to drapes with collar, cuff and pocket trimmings. The trousers got narrower with crepe soled shoes (also known as the beetle crushers). The hairstyle was heavily gelled (greased) with a quiff shaped into a DA, more popularly known as the ‘duck’s arse’ (Marko, 2007). The ‘Edwardian’ style adopted by the Teds was a ‘take’ on the kind of clothes worn by a certain section of the British army (the Guards) after WW2, with deliberate references back to a time when the upper class were ‘in charge’. Worn by the guards the style had strong

MacroEconomics in Virginia Beach Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MacroEconomics in Virginia Beach - Essay Example Economist and financial analyst determine inflation by finding the difference between the current consumer price index and the previous consumer’s price index (Mankiw, p471). Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impacts and causes of hyper inflation in Virginia area. Impacts of Hyperinflation in Virginia Beach Area The impacts of inflation are numerous whereby, its effects are not only felt by individuals but are also felt by the overall economy. Therefore, hyper-inflation refers to an inflation rate that is above 50 percent, this kind of inflation may be attributed to government actions of printing money in order to finance its expenditure. The act of pritinting money by the Federal government causes an increase in the amount of money in circulation. This may consequently leads to an increase in commodity prices (Mankiw, p382-387). Hyper inflation was first experienced in Germany after the First World War when the German government printed money to reconstructs its e conomy. Additionally, hyper-inflation was first witnessed in Zimbabwe between the year 2004 and 2009 (Smith, paras1-6). In above connection, the United State reported a hyper-inflation after the Federal government tried print money with an aim of suppressing the negative impacts of world war one. However, the U.S government has taken measures to mitigate as well as prevent the occurrence of hyper-inflation. Among the measures employed include; setting a federal reserve system (Kimberly, paras4-6). In above connection, Virginia anticipated economic and political down turn as a result of hyper-inflation. Legislators in Virginia were wondering whether the establishment of a common currency across the commonwealth could have acted as a perfect substitute for currencies supplied by the Federal government (Kimberly, paras3-5).Some of the substitute that were to be utilized as money include; Gold and Silver. However, the United States Federal government was against the idea because most of their wealth was tied up in foreign debts. On the other hand, the Virginia commonwealth believed that both political and economic problems were attributed to the impacts of hyper-inflation. The Legislators asserted that the problems of hyper-inflation could have been addressed into two major ways namely; motivating people to buy legal tender attached on silver and gold (Kimberly, paras5-6). In above connection, citizens could be motivated to carry out capital investment. This could have been done by government through reduction of tax burdens attached on to such investment. Additionally, it was recommended that Virginia could set a side some intangible assets in order to hedge risk associated with hyperinflation (Kimberly, para6). Causes of Inflation There are two major cause of inflation namely demand pull inflation and cost push inflation. Demand pull inflation involves persistent increase prices of commodities due to higher demand (Tucker, p284). Several factors may be attribute d to be the causes of demand push inflation, among the factors include; economic growth, anticipation of inflation in the future, government policies such as fiscal policies, advancement in technology. Whereby, economic growth may leads to an increase in demand for goods and services (Kimberly, paras1-3). On the other han