Coach Handbag analysis Essay

Company overview Designing and marketing of accessories and gift products for women and men. The company primarily operates in the US and Japan. It is headquartered in New York City, New York and employed 18,000 people as of June 30, 2012. 36% market share as accordance of Marketline In just two years (2003–2005), Coach’s market share has increased from 18 percent to 23 percent. TARGET MARKET DISCRIPTION men and women aged between 20s- 40s who possess mid to high levels of disposable income, seeking distinctive, easily recognizable, accessible luxury products that are relevant, well made, and provide excellent value (2012, 03). Mkt 501 Case Study Module 1 Target Market Coach Handbags. Retrieved 03, 2012, http://coachinc.wordpress.com/assignment-1/brand-positioning/competitor-analysis/ Product Life Cycle Shorten new-product cycle time (releases every four to five weeks, up from twice a year). Learn through multiple new-product variations (12 to 28 per release, up from two to three). http://mmoore.ba.ttu.edu/ValuationReports/Coach.pdf SWOT ANALYSIS – MARKETLINE UNDER COACH 2 STRENGTHS Strong focus on the handbags category Consistent revenue and profit growth Multi-channel distribution strategy WEAKNESSES Dependence on independent manufacturer for procuring merchandise OPPORTUNITIES Expanding presence in China Joint ventures with international partners in Europe Increasing online sales THREATS Counterfeit goods Ban on advertising of luxury products in China Intense competition started MISC INFO: Coach was launched in 1941 in a loft in New York’s Soho district by a leather craftsman named Miles Cahn, who created ladies’ purses designed in elegantly understated black or brown and featuring simple brass turnlocks and little other decoration. The bags were expensive but so well made that they were considered an excellent value. Coach was able to present the brand from head to toe, including products from hats and outerwear to handbags and accessories. One major breakthrough was the â€Å"wristlet,† a zippered rectangular bag just 4 by 6 inches. This new product grew out of Coach’s research into how women were using their purses. Coach spends over $5 million per year on marketplace testing of new products research shows that the best Coach customers visit the store every four to five weeks. This dictates the rhythm at which Coach rolls out its own products and floor-set changes.

Everyone is a traveler, choosing the roads

Everyone is a traveler, choosing the roads to follow on the continuous journey of life; there exists not a path that leaves one with but a sole direction in which to advance. In his poem, â€Å"The Road Not Taken†, Robert Frost exhibits insight and perception in using poetic techniques to communicate this message. The piece depicts a man’s regret at not being able to travel two roads, and having to make a choice between the two. The importance of making decisions is disclosed in the narrator’s assertion that his choice â€Å"has made all the difference.†The first few lines of the poem introduce the elements of Frost’s primary metaphor and symbol, the diverging roads. The use of the road suggests that life is a journey that the narrator is traveling. The â€Å"two roads diverged† symbolize the points in this journey where one must make choices. As the narrator contemplates his decision, wishing that he could take both paths at the same time wh ile knowing there is no possibility in that, the reader is able to glimpse the strength of Frost’s symbolism- every person must make decisions with the knowledge that going back and changing them is impossible, because one has already traveled too far down the chosen path to turn back.The setting, along with imagery, assists in developing the key symbols of the poem. The piece opens with the narrator taking a walk in the woods during the autumn season, when he is suddenly confronted with a diverging path. The central image of â€Å"two roads diverged† helps to convey the theme of having to make choices in life. The â€Å"yellow wood† corresponds to the autumn season, a period that is often related to the end of the annual cycle in flora and foliage. Autumn may be perceived as a state in limbo between the vivacity of summer and the chill of winter.The speaker examines one path to the best of his ability: â€Å". . . and looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth†. His vision, however, is limited because the path bends, and a certain amount of undergrowth obscure the destination of the road. The description of the paths indicates that although the speaker would like to acquire more information, he is prevented from doing so because of the nature of his environment. The road that will be chosen leads to the unknown, as does any choice in life. The concept of â€Å"two roads diverged in a yellow wood† illustrates an interval between two phases in life, and helps convey the theme of one having to inevitably choose between digressing paths.The ironic tone is inescapable: â€Å"I shall be telling this with a sigh / Somewhere ages and ages hence.† The speaker anticipates his own future insincerity. He knows that he will be inaccurate, at best, or hypocritical, at worst, when he holds his life up as an example. In fact, he predicts that his future self will betray this moment of decision as if the bet rayal were inevitable.This realization is ironic and poignantly pathetic. But the â€Å"sigh† is critical. The speaker will not, in his old age, merely gather the youth about him and say, â€Å"Do what I did, kiddies. I stuck to my guns, took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.† Rather, he may say this, but he will sigh first; for he won't believe it himself. Somewhere in the back of his mind will remain the image of yellow woods and two equally leafy paths.Ironic as it is, this is also a poem infused with the anticipation of remorse. Its title is not â€Å"The Road Less Traveled† but â€Å"The Road Not Taken.† Even as he makes a choice (a choice he is forced to make if does not want to stand forever in the woods, one for which he has no real guide or definitive basis for decision-making), the speaker knows that he will second-guess himself somewhere down the line–or at the very least he will wonder at what is irrevocab ly lost: the impossible, unknowable Other Path. But the nature of the decision is such that there is no Right Path–just the chosen path and the other path. What are sighed for ages and ages hence are not so much the wrong decisions as the moments of decision themselves–moments that, one atop the other, mark the passing of a life. This is the more primal strain of remorse.It is observed that the title of the poem, â€Å"The Road Not Taken,† may be intended to serve as a subtle hint, an insinuation of the narrator’s dissatisfaction with the decision he made. What about â€Å"the one less traveled by†? Neither of the roads was less traveled than the other. He less traveled both roads because this was the first time the narrator had come upon these paths. Leaves covered the ground, and since the time they had fallen no one had yet to pass by on this road; both were worn about the same â€Å"in leaves that no step had trodden black.† Nevertheless , the speaker is unhappy that he took the path that he chose, and yearns to go back and take â€Å"The Road Not Taken.† Time, however, does not allow second chances.â€Å"The Road Not Taken† is an ironic commentary on the autonomy of choice in a world governed by instincts, unpredictable contingencies, and limited possibilities. It parodies and demurs from the biblical idea that God is the â€Å"way† that can and should be followed and the American idea that nature provides the path to spiritual enlightenment. The title refers doubly to bravado for choosing a road less traveled but also to regret for a road of lost possibility and the eliminations and changes produced by choice.â€Å"The Road Not Taken † reminds us of the consequences of the principle of selection in al1 aspects of life, namely that al1 choices in knowledge or in action exclude many others and lead to an ironic recognitions of our achievements. At the heart of the poem is the romantic myt hology of flight from a fixed world of limited possibility into a wilderness of many possibilities combined with trials and choices through which the pilgrim progresses to divine perfection.The reader finds, at the literal level, the narrator expressing his regret at his human limitations, at not being able to travel two roads; he must make a choice. The choice is not easy, since it took him a long time to come to a decision: â€Å" . . . long I stood and looked down one as far as I could†. He examines one path â€Å"to where it bent in the undergrowth†, but his vision is limited because the path bends and is covered over. He describes the second path as â€Å"just as fair† as the first rather than more fair, and that the paths are â€Å"really about the same†.This ambiguous evaluation of the paths reveals his search for a clear and logical reason to decide on one path over another– only that reason is unavailable. When the narrator finally makes h is decision, he tries to persuade himself that he will eventually satisfy the desire to travel both paths, while simultaneously admitting that such a hope is unrealistic:  Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.  At the end of the poem, in the future, the narrator will claim that the paths were actually different from each other, and that his choice â€Å"has made all the difference.†The last lines of the poem suggest that life would have been different had the speaker taken the other path: â€Å"I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.† The fact that the speaker says the entire last stanza â€Å"with a sigh† works together with the title to show that the speaker is disappointed with the choice he made. Once the entire poem is read, it may be realized that this is not an inspirational piece about why one should be different from everyone else. Rather, it re minds the reader of the consequences that follow a decision, and the manner in which one choice can shape one’s life.In his poem, Robert Frost conveys his notion of life as a journey that every person must travel, a journey laden with diverging roads, many decisions, and occasional sighs; the piece demonstrates the poet’s belief that it is the road that one chooses that makes him or her the person who he or she is. â€Å"The Road Not Taken† leaves its readers with many different interpretations. In any case, however, it is Frost’s clever use of poetic techniques to express the theme that opens the door for analysis, and allows all readers from different backgrounds to relate to the poem.

Philosophy of Language Senior Course Paper Essay

Philosophy of Language Senior Course Paper - Essay Example When a mathematician is presented with the equation, 38 + 16, instinctively, the mathematician would respond by adding the two terms while computing for its sum. Thus, the mathematician would reply, claiming that the sum of 38 and 16 is equal to 54. Given this example, what does ‘+’ mean? Does the mathematician really know what was meant by ‘+’ in the equation? Does it pertain to the computational procedure for adding two values, or does it pertain to something else? How can one tell what the mathematician meant? This paper will attempt to formulate a sufficient theory of meaning with regards to the use of ‘+.’ In doing so, I will argue that an intensional framework must be taken into account as opposed to a purely extensional framework. From a general perspective, the issue revolves around the relation between two fundamental concepts, truth and meaning. Truth, from a logical point of view, has traditionally been thought of as extensional. So t he truth of a given expression is associated with it’s meaning in terms of logical structure, reference, and truth-value. This move of neglecting meaning in relation to that of the sense of a given expression is what this paper shall argue against by using ‘+’ as its test case throughout the paper. For herein, to say that 36 + 16 = 54 could mean two things: ‘36 plus 16,’ and ‘36 quus 16,’ with both referring to 54. It is in this regard that a theory of intensions must be taken into account. For, if a person is presented with an equation involving ‘+’, how can one know as to whether that person meant ‘+’ as plus or ‘+’ as quus? What makes the interlocutor assume what is being referred to by the use of ‘+’? Herein is where the problem of rule following comes into light, for if what we are after is semantics, then it seems paradoxical that we refer to general rules from which a class parti cipates in. Rule following applies in the level of syntax, for verifying what the individual knows privately is not required in such cases. Indeed, the problem with ‘+’, as explicated by Kripke is that ‘+’ is understood to represent a semantic rule rather than a syntactical rule, and a semantic rule following leads to several problems with regards to the meaning and truth of ‘+’ statements. Thus, Kripke argues that â€Å"it is possible to construct an unlimited range of related but non-equivalent semantic rules, incorporating the potential truth conditions C1, C2, †¦ Cn respectively, such that there are simply no facts at all about the speaker’s use of ‘+’ that determines which, if any, of these possible rules the speaker has actually adopted† (Wilson, 2006, p.155). Therefore, this points towards the problem of indeterminacy, since according to Kripke, discovering the truth conditions of the speaker’s use of + is not possible, since there is no specific semantic rule that underlies one’s use of ‘+’, regardless of its truth function. However, this creates a problem with regards to the use of ‘+’ in language, for if ‘+’ could mean several things at the same time and in the same respect, then that would lead to the ambiguity of ‘+’ which cannot be, for it is used in disciplines such as mathematics and logic. It is a common thing

Write a description of who you are Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Write a description of who you are - Essay Example A person’s essence of being could come outstandingly or could just be ignored depending on how a person values it and how he lives his own life. Maybe the best questions to ask would be: Are you going to live only for yourself and your family? Or are you bound to go out and outreach for many to become their leader or a role model for a good cause? Or do both? If I choose from any of these goals, then I must cut out a plan and have a mindset gradually moving my life towards the chosen direction. So is one’s essence of being important in knowing a person? To know someone deeply may not come easily. It may take years or ages of conjoined common experiences to know somebody. Hence, whatever approach or how much information you need to know about me or any individual, will depend on how much you want to know or learn about the person. In my opinion, how you live your life will already manifest the character and personality or the person you are now. This goes to say know the person by the way he lives his life. So at this point in time, it is my concern at my age to do the best I can make out of my life, grabbing all the experiences and opportunities that may come my way to enrich and have a fulfilling life later. It does not have to be living in silver platter, a struggle for survival or do a heroic political struggle. Personally, I would say if you are presently happy and you made a lot of other people happy, then that is already a good sign that you are curbing a positive path of your life. Knowing someone usually starts with a conversation. But when conversation is not an option, writing can be a good alternative. So here imagine that I am virtually in front of you smiling and looking at you directly in the eye, showing confidence that what I have written here will interest you more to read on further about my being an encapsulated person. â€Å"Hello, I am

Globalization and Its Impact on Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Globalization and Its Impact on Business - Essay Example Globalization can be therefore called international integration (Noam Chomsky, 2006) and can be explained as a practice by means of which the world community are unified into a distinct social order and operate collectively in a process which merges financial, technical, socio-cultural and political forces. (Sheila L. Croucher, 2004) The Driving factors of Globalization are reduction in travel costs at a global level, liberalization in trade policies, and the high rate of growth in Information technology. Globalization originates with the discovery and migration of the New World which is elucidated by Thomas L. Friedman, in his book, 'The World Is Flat', where he "examines the impact of the 'flattening' of the globe", or an international 'flattening' of competition in businesses facilitated by escalating global inter-connectedness. Friedman debates that globalized business and trade practices including outsourcing, off-shoring, supply-chaining, and economic, technological, and political forces have misused the face of the business world eternally (Friedman T. L., 2008). Business globalization refers to a company's undertaking of sales and assets across international borders and the resulting flow of capital, goods, services, and labor. Coca-Cola is a good example of a company that has successfully cultivated its international business, with more than 70 percent of its income originating from non-U.S. sources. The various tactics that Coca-Coca uses to achieve this include developing a global consumer market, establishing transnational corporations to reduce production costs, product branding and positioning, competition-based pricing, and more. Effects of globalization on business Cheap offshore production Offshore Production entails the... The Driving factors of Globalization are reduction in travel costs at a global level, liberalization in trade policies, and the high rate of growth in Information technology.Globalization originates with the discovery and migration of the New World which is elucidated by Thomas L. Friedman, in his book, ‘The World Is Flat’, where he â€Å"examines the impact of the ‘flattening’ of the globe†, or an international ‘flattening’ of competition in businesses facilitated by escalating global inter-connectedness. Friedman debates that globalized business and trade practices including outsourcing, off-shoring, supply-chaining, and economic, technological, and political forces have misused the face of the business world eternally (Friedman T. L., 2008).Business globalization refers to a company’s undertaking of sales and assets across international borders and the resulting flow of capital, goods, services, and labor. Coca-Cola is a good ex ample of a company that has successfully cultivated its international business, with more than 70 percent of its income originating from non-U.S. sources. The various tactics that Coca-Coca uses to achieve this include developing a global consumer market, establishing transnational corporations to reduce production costs, product branding and positioning, competition-based pricing, and more.  Offshore Production entails the fabrication of goods in a foreign country for import to the domestic market. One of the major effects of globalization is the cheap offshore production.

Future of Comuper Networking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Future of Comuper Networking - Essay Example Although the current version of IP has worked well for many years, exponential growth of the Internet means that the 32-bit address space will be exhausted within 20 years. The IETF has designed a new version of IP that uses 128 bits to represent each address. The new address space is so large that it will not be exhausted for many decades to come. To distinguish the new version of IP from the current version, the two protocols are named using their version number. The current version of IP is IPv4 and the new expected version is IPv6. IPv6 retains many of the concepts from IPv4, but changes all the details. For example like IPv4, IPv6 provides a connectionless service in which two computers exchange short messages called datagrams. However, unlike an IPv4 datagram in which the header contains fields for each function, IPv6 defines separate headers for each function. Each IPv6 datagram consists of a base header followed by zero or more extension headers, followed by data. Like IPv4, IPv6 defines an address for each network connection. Thus, as in IPv4, a computer that connects to multiple physical networks (e.g., a router) has multiple addresses. However special addresses are completely changed in IPv6. Instead of IPv4's notion of network broadcast, IPv6 defines multicast and anycast (cluster) addresses, both of which correspond to a set of computers. A multicast address corresponds to a set of computers at multiple sites that are treated as single entity; each computer in that set will receive a copy of any datagram sent to the set. A cluster permits replication of services; a datagram sent to a cluster address will be delivered to exactly one member of the cluster. To make IPv6 addresses easier for people to use, the designers propose using colon hexadecimal notation, which expresses groups of 16 bits in hexadecimal, with a colon separating groups. The resulting notation is more compact than the dotted decimal form used in IPv4. Today about 6 billion people inhabit the earth. They own an estimated 350 million computers and 480 million mobile phones. The number of mobile phones and PDAs is expected to reach one billion by 2003. The reason we are quickly moving beyond the capabilities of the current protocol has a lot to do with the propagation of wireless devices and new services, as well as the subsequent of massive demand for more addressees. The very concept of computers is changing rapidly as cars, vending machines and even house hold applications follow the lead of the PC and become connected to the Internet. Each one will require its own unique address. It is estimated that within seven to ten years a single user will manage an average of 10 addresses and this number could grow higher in future. Wireless gambling, music on demand, video content and video conferencing are becoming a reality. With IPv6 every person on earth could have a million uniquely addressees and the individually locatable IP devices. With this kind of capability we could create the potential for virtually unlimited access to the Internet for variety of devises. (Techiwarehouse) Some of the benefits of IPv6 seem obvious: greater addressing space, built-in QoS, and better routing performance and services. However, a number of barriers

Audit of School Community Resources and Supports Assignment

Audit of School Community Resources and Supports - Assignment Example This makes the school administration to document the resources that it has and identify the gaps and weaknesses. Using this information, it can devise viable ways through which it can source for important resources. It is against this background that this paper provides an audit of the school in light of the community services and supports. To ensure a coherent consideration, it analyses the relative strengths and gaps in a bid to underscore the extent of these inconsistencies to the performance of the school and improvement of student behavior. Activities Conducted During the Audit The researcher spoke to about 50 individuals to determine the type of resources and support systems that were in place as well as their importance to the school. This also sought to determine the resources that were missing and what would be done to ensure that they are sourced. Further, the researcher interviewed the students to determine the manner in which they benefit from the available resources. The interviews were aimed at establishing whether the students are comfortable with the available resources and what they think should be done to improve performance. The researcher then spoke with the key stakeholders in the industry and specifically, those that were directly involved in the support system. These ranged from the school administrators such as the superintendants, teachers, chief academic officers, parents and a host of other education officials. Further, the researcher conducted a survey of the fifth grade students to determine whether they feel both physically and emotionally supported, safe, challenged or connected. Underlying efforts in this regard were also geared towards underscoring the nature of the learning environment and to what extent it encourages, inhibits or and supports social responsibility. Finally, the researcher reviewed the reports that had been previously made regarding the current support systems, their impacts on the behavioral wellbeing of the s tudents as well as their contribution to the academic performance of the students. The preceding activities had insightful views about the state of the support system and its contribution and influence on the overall performance of the students. They identified the support systems and services currently available and those that are missing. Most importantly, the findings underscored the strengths and weaknesses of each. At this point, it is worth noting that the preceding information is vitally important. Essentially, Scott and Hunter (2001) assert that it would act as a basement upon which critical decisions would be made. In particular, it would be important to positively emphasize the strength and eliminate or discourage the weaknesses. This way, the support systems and services would yield desirable outcomes. Critique of Strengths and Gaps One of the strengths that the institution has pertains to the active parent involvement in the education of the students. In this regard, the parents are well informed about their roles in the learning process. They attend all the meetings that are geared towards addressing the challenges that the students face. In addition, there is a cordial relationship between the teachers and the parents. In this respect, Lawson and Sailor (2000) assert that active involvement of the parent in the life of the student enables the former to understand the challenges being faced by the

Murderous Monsters Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Murderous Monsters - Research Paper Example The media’s extensive coverage of the atrocious crimes exacerbates the public’s preoccupation with the perpetrators, as the former struggles to understand the character deficiencies or motives that drove the latter to perpetrate such crimes. Consequentially, this alters people’s perception of perpetrators’ guilt before and after the court issues a verdict. Charles Sobhraj, infamously known as â€Å"the serpent† was a half-Vietnamese and half-Indian serial killer credited for allegedly killing Western tourists who he befriended while hiking along the Hippie trail in Asia. Finally arrested after his plan to murder sixty French tourists backfired, Sobhraj was arrested and convicted to serve an eleven-year sentence in India. The short prison term was because authorities lacked sufficient evidence to tie him to the homicides. Sobhraj completed his prison term in 1997 and went on to sell the rights to his life story to a movie producing company in 2003. Excited to live out the rest of his life in luxury with his newly acquired fortune, Sobhraj’s murderous instincts got the better of him whereby, he was arrested in 2004 and convicted for the murder of two North-American tourists. He continues to serve his life-long prison sentence in Nepal where he continually plans his escape. In all the cases, it is apparent that the media showed heightened interest in chasing the story despite the atrocious crimes perpetrated by the serial killers. The ultimate goal of the entertainment companies was to satiate the public’s exaggerated thirst for drama-filled television content. They do so at the expense of the victims who lost their lives to these inhumane criminals, and the family and friends of those victims. The fancy pseudo-names given to these criminals by the media have also functioned to glamorize and sensationalize their actions while peaking the public’s interest. The cases featured in the essay are from different

Arizona Tewa Kiva Speech as a Manifestation of Linguistic Ideology Essay

Arizona Tewa Kiva Speech as a Manifestation of Linguistic Ideology - Essay Example (298) He reports that Tewa were a Pueblo Indian group â€Å"which removed itself from Spanish influence in 1700 by migrating to the eastern most of the Hope Mesas† (298) In order to maintain their distinct culture they 1) resisted linguistic borrowing from other languages and 2) were the only out migrating group to retain its’ language into the present. The language preservation has been achieved through the Tewa control of â€Å"kiva† speech which is the religious ceremonial speech common to all Pueblo societies. The instruments of control are 1) regulation by convention 2) indigenous purity 3) strict compartmentalization and 4) linguistic indexing of identity. Regulation by Convention Ritual performances rely on fixed prayer and song texts with no tolerance for innovation. This is also manifested in everyday speech preferences, for example by greeting formulae. Also in traditional stories â€Å"audience members and performers alike have a tradition which emplo ys stylized non-verbal accompaniment and uses familiar story telling conventions,† for example the repeated use of â€Å"ba† as a genre making equivalent to our â€Å"so they say†. Such conventions must be followed even if narrators chose to contextualize their stories for specific audiences, or the content and narrator are non traditional in order for audience acceptance Indigenous Purity and Strict Compartmentalization. The author reports that the Tewa have a strict prohibition against the inclusion of foreign words and non kiva Tewa words in kiva ceremonies. This he contends is prompted by the â€Å"need for stylized consistency â€Å" in a conventional liturgical speech level, rather than indicating xenophobia against foreign languages. (302) By a trickle down effect the prohibition against foreign words prevails in everyday speech patterns as well. There is also a strict compartmentalization in Tewa linguistic ideology with â€Å"kiva talk† strictly segregated from both foreign influence and everyday Tewa language in order to preserve its’ sanctity. While examination of linguistic data supports the conclusion that few foreign words have been incorporated into Tewa language, there is evidence of grammatical convergence. Linguistic Indexing of Identity The author states that in Tewa society â€Å"a person’s speech behavior expresses important information the speaker’s identity†. This relates to his or her positional rather than personal identity. For example, â€Å"a conventional component of public announcements is the explicit announcement by the chanter of his mediating status as spokesman.† (306) Conclusion Kroskrity concludes by claiming â€Å"linguistic ideology presents an account which captures the cultural unity of otherwise disparate linguistic norms† and justifies the opening quote of this summary.(311) Since in Tewa society both religious and political leadership is concentra ted in kiva ceremonies, their linguistic ideology provides an insight into how power and social control are exercised. The â€Å"Father Knows Best† Dynamic in Dinnertime Narratives Introduction This article â€Å"addresses gender asymmetry in middle class European American families through an examination of a simple social activity narrating ( a story or a report) over family dinner† on the basis of the Father Knows Best dynamic where father is typically set up to be primary audience, judge, and center of family members actions, conditions, thoughts, and feelings as was the case for this well known 1950s ( 101 )TV sitcom. In spite of more recent feminist ideology, this family power dynamic appears to still prevail. Methodology The author’s study focuses on dinnertime communication patterns of 7 two-parent families earning under $40.000 per annum between 1987 and 1989.( 102 ) Each family had a 5 year old child who

Altered Hematology & Cardiovascular System Case Study

Altered Hematology & Cardiovascular System - Case Study Example Hypoxia of central nervous system causes faintness and headaches while myocardial hypoxia results in palpitations and increased heart rates (Kumar et al 2005). She has a history of chronic blood loss which is due to menorrhagia. Other causes of chronic blood loss include gastrointestinal bleeding, malignant diseases and urinary bleeding. Chronic blood loss anemia results from blood loss in small amounts, which occurs over a long period of time and it results in iron deficiency anemia because the iron stores of the body are depleted. Consequently, the oxygen-carrying capacity of the red blood cells is reduced and the patient presents with signs and symptoms of anemia. The clinical features of the chronic blood loss anemia are not severe until the hemoglobin levels of the blood are extremely low (Emmanuel et al 2001). The shortness of breath of the patient is explained by the decreased oxygen content of the blood cell which is exacerbated due to exertion (Kumar et al 2005). As mentione d in the case she presented with severity of symptoms while playing golf at a high course which induced exertion. Chronic blood loss is a very important and common cause of iron deficiency anemia which is caused when all iron stores are depleted due to external hemorrhage over a long period of time. Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) presents with a peripheral blood film of microcytic and hypochromic red blood cells. The serum reserves of ferritin and hemosiderin are utilized in the initial stages of blood loss, however, when these stores have also been consumed, the symptoms of anemia manifest. Serum iron, ferritin and transferring levels are also reduced (Kumar et al 2005). Another... The paper tells that proper amount of rest and limitation of the daily activities to a certain extent will help the patient to control the signs and symptoms of CHF. The restriction of daily physical exertion will put less amount of workload on the heart and hence, improve the condition of the patient. The second step in managing the case is a proper diet plan. The patient should be advised to reduce the sodium content in his food items as this will reduce water retention in his body lowering the cardiac workload. The sodium content should be limited to 1.5 to 2g per day. Alcohol consumption should also be lowered down to only one drink per day which plays an important role in lowering the systolic blood pressure by 2-4 points. Chronic alcoholism is a very important cause of cardiomyopathy and if the patient shows a positive history of alcoholism he should be advised to consume a low to moderate amount of alcohol. Weight control and a dietary calorie limitation are recommended in the obese patients. They are advised to a body mass index of 18.5 to 24.9 and eat a healthy balanced diet comprising of green vegetables, fruits, and low-fat food items. Exercise including aerobic and strength training in CHF patients in an adequate amount also helps in improving the patient’s condition. The patient should be advised to exercise for 30 minutes five to six times a week and increase his physical activity. However, if he complains of angina pain, shows symptoms of respiratory distress, CNS symptoms or increased fatigue exercise should be stopped.

Factors Affect Supply and Demand of Acuvue Essay Example for Free

Factors Affect Supply and Demand of Acuvue Essay This report’s focus is on analyzing the factors that affect the supply and demand of the products. There are several variables that can affect the supply and demand of a product, including consumers’ income, prices of substitute products, costs of inputs and so on. The product discussed for this report is Acuvue, I will analysis how the factors affect the supply and demand of Acuvue. Acuvue is Johnson Johnson’s Vision Care Product. It is one of the most popular eye contact lenses products for nearsighted correction and eye color alteration. Acuvue has a serial of products that depend on different replacement schedule, such as daily disposable, two weeks disposable, colors and so on. All ranges of the lenses of Johnson Johnson’s are regarded as comfortable, convenient and good eye health product. (Johnson Johnson, 2008 )1 In 2007, as a leader and pioneer of eye contact lens producer, there was a sales increase by 17. 6% prior to 2006. The annual expense for normal glasses is $200 dollars but the Acuvue daily disposable is about $480. Take China for example, the GDP of 2007 increased 11. 4% (Wiki, 2008)1, people earned more than before. When people’s income increased, those who could not afford to buy the Acuvue in the past can had enough money to afford it. Moreover, as income increased, people tend to replace their contact lenses much more frequently than before, and the demand of Acuvue increased accordingly. Also, nearsighted people may have much higher requirement for their life quality; so, for those who are tired of wearing glasses or who seek convenience by wearing eye contacts may try to change to use eye contact lenses, therefore, demand for the eye contact lenses will increase. Consumer Preferences Consumer preference is a significant factor which affects the demand of the Acuvue. People have different preference for lenses for nearsightedness correction, such as replacement schedule, material (hard/ soft), and safety. Some people prefer Acuvue Daily for its convenience, and it has no daily maintenance like other types of contact; the user can just throw it away after one day. (Bausch Lomb, 2008) For some people, they prefer soft contact lenses to hard lenses. In addition, many people care about the safety of eye contact lenses, and daily contact lenses are regarded as the safest and healthiest way, so those people may choose the Acuvue Daily, and thus, the demand of the Acuvue increases. On the contrary, people who are afraid of getting keratitis (wiki, 2008)2 by wearing contacts will buy the glass, and then the demand of the Acuvue will decrease. Moreover, if the nearsightedness’ preference is more favorable to Acuvue, which probably means they have more loyalty to the products, so the existing consumers will seldom change to alternatives and more and more people will buy Acuvue. Price of Substitutes The Substitutes of Acuvue eye contact lenses are glasses and surgery. As compared before, wearing glasses is a more economical way to correct nearsightedness, and there will be lower risk of being involved in keratitis(wiki,2008)2 or other eye problems. Moreover, in the recent years, correcting nearsightedness by taking an eye operation became more popular in many countries. The costs for the surgery are high, and the average for getting the LASIK nearsightedness correction surgery is $2105 in 2008. (All about Vision, 2008) If the price of the surgery decreases, there will be more people choosing eye surgery instead of wearing inconvenient glasses or eye contact lenses; so, there will be less demand of Acuvue. Price of Complementary Goods If the complementary goods of Acuvue increase, the price of the Acuvue will increase accordingly. Complementary goods for Acuvue are the solution of the eye contact lenses or drops for eyes. For the past two years, with the rapid economic growth in China, people have more money to purchase eye contact lens, but if the average prices of the solutions increased dramatically, people who could afford to buy the lenses felt burdened to buy the solution. Advertising Promotion Advertising is a way of communication, Johnson Johnson get more advertising is to try to persuade potential customers and consumer to purchase more Acuvue(wiki, 2008)3. Johnson Johnson has released a series of advisements and promotions for Acuvue. They provide free trial pairs of eye contact lens for the potential consumers who can just fill a Free Trial Pair Certificate (Vision Care Inc. , 2008) from the Acuvue official website. In addition, when the â€Å"Acuvue 2 colours† entered the mainland China market, they chose an unknown model to perform the advertisement first, and the sales for the Acuvue 2 was unfavourable. However, then the Johnson Johnson invite Chinese pop singer Angela Zhang for promotion on TV, then, this product became familiar with lots of youth in China, and more and more people known about the Acuvue and bought it. Consumer Expectations Johnson Johnson is a well known and trusted company by millions of consumers all around the world. It pays much attention to the safety of their products. So consumers are confident with the Acuvue and more and more people buy it. When the AMO Complete Moisture Plus Muti-Purpose Solution (Anapol Schwartz, 2008) was recalled in May, 2007, people were concerned about the eye safety. From that time, people tented to buy less and use less eye contact lens in order to avoid infection. Number of Buyers If there are more and more potential consumers of Acuvue, demand for Acuvue will increase. For recent years, more and more people in the world have access the computer, and they use computers much more frequently and longer than the past. People are more prone to get nearsightedness. From Johnson Johnson’s research, there are about 3 million new eye contact wearers in the US every year (Vision Care Inc. )2, so the number of potential buyers is increasing for consuming eye contact lenses year by year. In addition, with the development of technology, the material of contact lenses is getting better and safer, so more people will be confident with the eye-contact lenses so more potential buyers will buy the Acuvue, then the demand for buyers will increase. But if there is new technology that can take place of eye contacts lenses, the nearsighted may give up wearing contacts, so the number of potential buyers decrease which indicates the demand of Acuvue will decrease. Variables of Supply Costs of Inputs The world economy was very unstable since last year, and the price of raw materials kept on rising. Fortunately, there is no news about the raw material price fluctuation for eye contact lenses. If the price of storing contact lenses increases, the Acuvue’s producer Johnson Johnson must find ways to control the production costs. The company may choose to reduce the production volume of the product and wait for producing that good when the price goes down, therefore the supply of Acuvue will decrease. However when the materials for making the eye contact lenses decreases, Johnson Johnson will have more capacity to produce more eye contact lenses to increase its supply. Number of competitors The more competitors there are, the less the supply. Due to the property of the vision care industry, the requirement for entering this business field is fairly high. For the current market, there are four main producers and other several smaller producers which produce eye contact lenses. Johnson Johnson is the largest eye contact lens producer in the world, making sales of $2. billion around the world (Johnson Johnson, 2008) 3. In China, eye contact lens manufactures are increasing in the market, competition became fierce, raw material for making the contact lenses increased, and the market share became dilute, so although sales of Acuvue increase in China very year, the growth is not as large as expected. New Technology As we know Johnson Johnson Vision Care first introduced the soft dis posable eye contact lens for the world (Wiki, 2008), and this revolutionary product helped the Johnson Johnson opened a new product field and access to expand their market to over 50 countries in the world. If there is new cheaper material for producing Acuvue, Johnson and Johnson will be capable of producing more Acuvue by the same investment as in the past, which means the supply of the Acuvue will increase. However, in the future, with the development in technology, some existing materials for making eye contact lensse may have potential risks for our eyes. When the Johnson Johnson found that potential risks really do exist, in order to guarantee the product safety, they had to pay more for preventing the risks harmful to contacts wearer, or even reduce the supply of those products. Suppliers Expect that Future Sales Prices In recently years, there is a trend that more and more reports show that wearing daily disposable eye contact lens is much more comfortable, healthier and safer, because daily replacement lenses are healthier than other replacement schedule. With the expectation, the market for the Acuvue Daily disposable has much more potential than other Acuvue disposable lenses, and Johnson Johnson will decide to produce more Acuvue Daily in according with the potential increase of the demand for Acuvue. Conclusion To sum up, those variables discussed above with the supply and demand of Acuvue finally affect the price of the Acuvue. As we know, the market price is the equivalent of the supply and demand. It is determined by an â€Å"invisible hand’ of both supply and demand. Therefore, it is impossible for those factors discussed before to singly handedly affect the supply and demand, because the market is complex, all those variables together contributed to our market price.

Total Quality Management; bringing forth the change required to obtain competitive advantage

Total Quality Management; bringing forth the change required to obtain competitive advantage The world economy has undergone rapid changes during the past two decades with the advent of global competition to an extent that almost every company (large or small) is touch by it in some ways. As creativity and innovation are necessary for bringing forth the change required to obtain competitive advantage, quality is the most effective factor a company can use in the battle for customers/clients. To be competitive, the customers must be satisfied and to satisfy customers we must focus on quality. Total Quality Management (TQM) provides the philosophy and driving force for designing quality in order to delight the customers by focusing on best value of a companys products or services. The above summation agreed with Zikmund (1994), who opined that Total Quality Management is a business philosophy that embodies the belief that management process must focus on integrating the idea of Customer drives quality throughout an organization. It is in line with the above that this chapter will discuss:  ¨ An overview of Total Quality Management  ¨ Basic principles and concepts of Total Quality Management  ¨ Tools and techniques of Total Quality Management  ¨ Total Quality Management as a business strategy and implementation  ¨ Review and evaluation of TQM on organisational performance and productivity This is however to ensure that management, scholars, researchers and others fully grasp TQM principles, tools, techniques and methodology as a way of contributing to quality improvement process and enhancing corporate performance and productivity. Therefore, the objective of Total Quality Management practice is to improve the corporate performance of organization. 2.1 OVERVIEW OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT 2.1.1What is Total Quality Management? Total Quality Management is an American perception of managing quality. Since TQM deals with quality, it seems evident that the first step towards understanding the meaning of the phrase would require an understanding of the word â€Å"quality.† The word which means different thing to different people, is often used to describe goods and services. Although, Quality as a concept is subjective, but in general, it can be defined as a measure of the degree to which a particular product satisfies customers expectations with respect to certain tangible and intangible features of the product. However, Robert Kotler (1994), view a products quality as the ability to perform its functions. It includes the products overall durability, reliability, precision, ease of operation and repairs and other valued attributes. Although some of these attributes can be measured objectively from marketing point of view, but quality should be measured in terms of buyers perception. Sullivan (1986), showed evidence on this issue when he defined seven stages of quality in Japan in order of increasing level of quality to include: product oriented, process oriented, systems oriented, humanistic, society, cost oriented, and quality function deployment (QFD). Deming (1986), saw quality as aiming at the needs of the customers (present and future). Juran sees quality as fitness for purpose while Crosby (1979), saw quality primarily as conformance to requirements. Rao, et.al (1996) also approached the scope on quality when they cited Garvin (1988) as the first to categorize the numerous definitions on quality existing in the literature in an effort to create a common understanding. Five approaches were identified to defining quality: the transcendent, product-based, user-based, manufacturing-based, and value-based approach. a. The transcendent approach is typified by Barbara Tuchmans (1980), definition: â€Å"a condition of excellence implying fine quality as distinct from poor quality. Quality is achieving or reaching for the highest standard as against being satisfied with the sloppy or fraudulent.† Examples of fine quality that meet this definition are present in fine arts and literature. However, these items may not represent quality to everyone and its lack of objectivity also create problem for companies in business environment who are striving for quality. b. The product-based approach identifies features or attributes that can be measured to indicate higher quality. This approach provides objective measures of quality compared to the first. c. The user-based approach determines the quality of the goods. The product or service that best satisfies the user is the higher quality product. This approach equates customers satisfaction with quality. d. The manufacturing-based approach was described by Crosby (1979), as conformance to requirements. e. The value-based approach introduces the element of price. Broh (1982), provided one expression of this approach: â€Å"Quality is the degree of excellence at an acceptable price and control of variability at an acceptable cost.† Unfortunately, like as said earlier, most of these definitions are subjective. Although the manufacturing-base and product-based approaches are objective, quality has to be defined by the organisation concerned. Having come to term that quality is a necessary pre-requisite for any company operating in todays highly competitive business environment, it is therefore implied that as quality varies from one company to another, it also dependent on their mission, policy, and other elements that guide the company in the realisation of its corporate goals. It is therefore common that in the manufacturing sector, quality in both product and service is a compelling competitive differentiator, while for service business, quality is everything-essentially, it is the product. From an institutional point of view, Total Quality Management is maintaining an environment in which all employees are empowered to participate as a team in determining, measuring, and improving quality of a company. It includes the use of facts and data to implement a management philosophy with the overall aim of increasing customers satisfaction, profitability, and job satisfaction. It is from this perspective that Akpeiyi (1995), defined TQM as â€Å"a business strategy for ensuring that organization delivers quality goods and services to both its external and internal customers so that the organization can continuously remain in a profitably rewarding business.† Besterfields, et.al (1995) on the other hand, defines TQM as â€Å"both a philosophy and a set of guiding principles that represent the foundation of a continuously improving organization.† According to Arene (1995), TQM stands for customer satisfaction at the lowest cost involving all the people in the organization. She further stated that the three key elements of TQM (Customer satisfaction, low cost, people involvement and empowerment) call for a total cultural change in leadership and management style, values for effectiveness and deficiency. Quality according to her stands for the highest standards and the best of the best. Speaking in the same vein, Juran (1995) said that following World War II, the Japanese embarked on a course of reaching national goals by trade rather than by military means. And that the major manufacturers who had been involved extensively in military production were faced with converting to civilian production but a major obstacle to selling their products in the international markets was a national reputation for shoddy goods created by export of poor quality goods prior to world war II. He then went on to say that to solve this problem, the Japanese undertook to learn how other countries achieve high quality. To this end, the Japanese carried out in-depth research and study from which they devised some unprecedented strategies for creating a revolutionary pace. The Japanese experience confirms the fact that giving the growing competition in world, a competition which not only put one country against another and ultimately one race against another, it is only those organizations or countries and races that can compete on the quality of their products and services will survive. Carlos Cordon (1996) postulated that a fundamental basis of TQM is a culture for countinuous improvement. He pointed out that workers are the experts because they have the detailed knowledge of how the work is done and they are the best to improve the process. Cordon further noted that while top management should endorse and initiate the change, it is at the bottom of the organization that the responsibility for improving process lays. Under this philosophy, work is done in teams. These teams are responsible for the individual operations and also improving the process. He argued further that the role of the supervisors and managers changes in which they become the team coaches, making sure that the team has the resources needed to fulfill their mission. Cordon maintained that to implement this TQM cultural change, a company should train its workers to equip them with tools for process improvement and typically, such training includes techniques about effective team work, problem solv ing, process analysis, project management, statistical tools etc. Once trained in the use of these tools, the teams generate ideas for improvement and thereby implement the ideas. With this spirit, mistakes are considered as opportunities for improvement and the objectives is to obtain improvement is a continuous process. It is noteworthy to point out that training in TQM is a continuous process for all employees and not an â€Å"on-off† investment for a year, because if this â€Å"on-off† approach is adopted, then the TQM training will be seen as a program not as a process. Festus Iyayi (1994), also instructively noted that â€Å"TQM is both a routine and philosophy of excellence in an organizational means for providing products and services that have good qualities to a high degree.† According to him, as a route to excellence, TQM is a conscious, formalized and systematic process of seeking, achieving a sustaining improvement in the quality of all activities, structures and processes for the purpose of satisfying the organizations customers which in turn improves the overall performance of the organization. Miller (1994), also did an exploration on TQM and found out that only those companies that apply the techniques of TQM can survive the competition in future. Such companies according to Miller, will increase greatly in competitiveness and performance due to the effect of TQM. From the foregoing definitions, TQM can be described as the most important management methodology available today to achieve and maintain a competitive edge against worldwide competition. It can be tailored for a particular environment and there are many ways for implementation, which will be discussed later. Due to high and growing tension, which leads to feelings of blame, mistrust, lack of common vision of the future, coupled with low morale, many organizations are gradually turning to TQM. It is therefore essential at this point to identify the leading sages in TQM in order to understand its principles and concepts to be discussed later. 2.1.2 The Deming Philosophy: Dr. W. Edwards Deming was the first American to introduce quality principles to the Japanese on a large scale. He is credited with providing the foundation of the Japanese quality †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ and resurgence as an economic power. Over the years, Deming condensed his philosophy into 14 points, which became action items for top management to adopt. He also outlines seven deadly diseases that can prevent the successful introduction of TQM. Below are the 14 points he developed as a theory for management for improvement of quality, productivity and competitive position:  § Create constancy of purpose toward improvement of product and service.  § Learn the new philosophy  § Cease dependence on inspection of the product to achieve quality. But require statistical evidence of process control along with incoming critical parts.  § Buy materials only if the supplier has a quality process. End the practice of awarding business on the basis of the price tag alone.  § Use statistical methods to find troubleshoots and constantly improve the system.  § Institute modern aids to training on the job  § Institute modern methods of supervision.  § Drive out fear  § Break down barriers between departments  § Eliminate numeral goals  § Review work standards to account for quality  § Remove barriers that rob people of their pride of workmanship  § Institute a vigorous program for training people in new skills  § Create a structure in top management that will push the above 13 points every day. 2.1.3 Juran Juran is regarded as one of the prime architects of the quality revolution in Japan. After graduating as an engineer, in 1924 he joined the Western Electric Hawthorne Works where he was assigned to the inspection function. In 1951 he published the Quality Control Handbook, which later became a seminal work in the area. He arrived in Japan four years after Deming. He founded the Juran Institute in 1979. Juran expresses his approach to quality in the form of the Quality Trilogy. Managing for quality, he stated, involved three basic processes:  § Quality planning.  § Quality control  § Quality improvement 2.1.4 Crosby In 1965 Crosby joined ITT as a corporate vice president of quality, the first one in the United States. In 1979 he launched a consulting practice focused on quality. Crosby described quality as â€Å"free† and argued that zero defects were a desirable and achievable goal. He defined quality as conformance to requirements. Accordingly, a Pinto meeting the requirements for a Pinto were a quality product just as much as was a Cadillac conforming to Cadillac requirements. Recognising that improving quality by increasing the level of inspection would raise costs, he insisted that the way to achieve zero defects was to improve prevention techniques. Conformance costs include appraisal and prevention costs. The traditional view, as expressed by Juran, is that the cost of appraisal must increase if quality is to increase. Crosbys contribution was that, by improving prevention approaches, the cost would decline since the entire quality-appraisal trade-off curve would move in the direction shown. He articulated his view of quality as the four absolutes of quality management:  § Quality means conformance to requirements. Requirements needed to be clearly specified so that everyone knew what was expected of them  § Quality comes from prevention. And prevention was a result of training, discipline, example, leadership, and more.  § Quality performance standard is zero defects. Errors should not be tolerated.  § Quality measurement is the price of nonconformance. In order to improve quality, Crosby proposed a 14-point program:  § Demonstrate management commitment by being convinced that quality improvement is needed and subscribing to a written quality policy. This policy should specify clearly that each person be expected to perform exactly as specified or cause the specifications to be changes to match the needs of the company or the customer.  § Form quality improvement teams. These should be cross -functional and include department heads to oversee the quality improvement process. The team of department heads should be responsible for promoting quality through the entire company.  § Establish measurements for quality in all activities. Although many of these measures could be error rates, he also included some others. As examples, he suggested that accounting could use the percentage of late reports; plant engineering could use time lost because of equipment failures.  § Evaluate the cost of quality and use it to identify where quality improvements could be profitably made.  § Raise the awareness of quality through the organization. Get employees involved by making them aware of costs.  § Take corrective action to improve quality in areas identified in the previous steps.  § Plan for zero defects. Using members of the quality improvement team, plan a zero defects program that fits the company and its culture.  § Train all employees to carry out their part of the quality improvement program.  § Hold a Zero Defects Day to signal to all employees that the company has established a new performance standard.  § Encourage people to set goals for themselves and their groups. These goals should be specific and measurable, and progress should be measured against them.  § Remove obstacles that prevent employees from achieving these goals by encouraging them to report these obstacles to management  § Provide recognition for those who participate. This should be public and non-financial  § Establish quality councils consisting of team chairpersons and quality professionals. They should meet regularly, share experiences, and generate ideas.  § Do it all over again to stress that quality improvement is a continuous process. 2.1.5 Feigenbaum Armand Feigenbaum joined General Electric in Schenectady, New York, in 1944. While working on the jet engines he found that statistical techniques helped him improve their performance, and, as a result, GE put him in charge of its quality programs. Later, at MIT he developed the concepts of Total Quality Control. In 1968 he founded his own consulting company, General Systems. Throughout his career he promoted the concept of Total Quality Control. Feigenbaum defines total quality as an excellence-driven rather than a defect-driven concept. In his view quality is defined by the customer, and in this regard he is similar to Juran. He also feels that the quality philosophy extends beyond the factory floor to include all of the functions in an organisation. This is similar to Crosbys view of a broader scope for TQM. In order to persuade management to adopt a quality strategy, he also used the Cost-of -Quality approach. 2.1.6 Ishikawa Kaoru Ishikawa graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1939 with a degree in applied chemistry. His life was totally committed to the promotion of Total Quality through Japan. Ishikawa believed that all divisions and all employees in the organization should be involved in studying and promoting quality control by learning seven statistical tools. He created one of these tools, the cause-and-effect diagram, which is also known as the Ishikawa diagram. Ishikawas second concept was that of the customer as primary in defining quality. He defined the customer as the next person in the line, the person who gets your work or anybody who relies on you. 2.1.6 Taguchi Genichi Taguchi formerly an employee of Nippon Telephone and Telegraph has had significant influence on the quality movement in Japan. His prime focus was in making statistics practical. For this endeavor he won the Deming Prize in 1960, and since then he has won the prize again on three separate occasions. His ideas are promoted in the United States through the American Supplier Institute. Taguchi viewed quality as an issue for the entire company and focused on the use of statistical methods to improve quality, particularly in the area of product design. Two of his concepts are particularly significant:  § The loss function  § Design characteristics and â€Å"noise† Although Deming, Juran and Crosby are the most well-known TQM gurus in the United States, it could be argued that Feignenbaum, Ishikama, Taguchi have been as influential as they in defining the scope of TQM. In broad terms, they all agree with each other. Accordingly, they all agreed that TQM seeks to improve productivity, and it does so by focusing on satisfying the customer and by involving employees in the process. TQM they further agreed, has the practical goal of improving the bottom line and at the same time raising employee morale. 2.2 BASIC PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS OF TQM With such strong evidence that TQM integrates fundamental management techniques, existing improvement efforts, and technical tools under a disciplined approach, it is there important to highlight some of its underlying basic principles and concepts. The principles of TQM are a set of commonsense beliefs that determine the individuals action in everyday life not just at work. According to Colin Burns, (1995) experience has shown over and over again that for TQM culture to be entrenched in any organization, the individual in that organization must undergo personal change. This is because the ability of an organization to imbibe in TQM culture is considerably enhanced when the individuals within such organizations first believe in and apply with passion the principles of TQM in their lives and interactions with people. He further maintained that the innovative principles that have been known to transform the individual â€Å"inside-out† and provide the glue for holding together the entire TQM process include: * Personal vision * Personal leadership * Personal management * Interpersonal leadership * Emphatic communication * Creative co-operation * Balanced self renewal He opined further that without observing and applying the above principles of good management in our individual lives, methods and techniques of TQM alone would rarely produce good quality products and services. The bottom-line according to him is that quality and excellence can only be built on a foundation of sound management principles. Aluko, et.al (1997) states that each TQM is a unique initiative that acts as a framework for morality in business. According to them, TQM consider the efforts of those directly involved, both inside and outside the organization. It is no coincidence therefore that successful TQM models all tends to embody concepts of integrity, honesty, commitment, participation and ownership. Indeed, they value and respect the contributions from each individual as the driving force within TQM organization. Although the principles of TQM may differ from one authority to another, they were able to summarize sixteen principles of TQM that should guide management as given by Choppins (1995) to include the following: Highest priority: Total quality must overtly be the highest priority of the organization / company / individual.. Quality definition: Any definition of quality must include meeting / satisfying /conforming to agreed/negotiated customer needs / requirements / wants / expectations. Customer definition: The concept of customers include investors / employees / stakeholders / suppliers / the community and even interpersonal relationship. Customer satisfaction: Long-term satisfaction of customer needs will be an aim of any total quality organization. Aim: A total quality organization will have a clearly stated, widely understood and generally accepted direction/aim. Communication: A total quality organization will communicated openly and clearly its principles / beliefs / values / mission statement/policy for quality. Ethos: Total quality management embodies the values / beliefs / ethos of the organization, and thus total quality is intrinsic to every activity, decision and action. Values: The highest levels of integrity, honesty, trust and openness is essential ingredients of total quality management. Mutual respect and benefit: There is an implicit mutual respect of all stakeholders involved with a total quality organization, which assumes that long term business is intended to be mutually beneficial to all concerned. Health and safety: Health, safety and environmental issues have a high priority within a total quality organization since the welfare of all investors / employees / suppliers / the community as stakeholders in the enterprise is intrinsic to the future well being of the organization. Commitment: Leadership of total quality management stems from the top of the organization and enlists individual and team commitment throughout. Participation and ownership: Total quality offers each individual the opportunity to participate in, and to feel ownership of his/her activities, and jointly to share a sense of ownership for the success of the entire company. Continuous improvement: TQM involves continuous and measurable improvement at all levels of the organization, ranging from organizational performance to individual staff performance, such that continuous process improvement becomes a salient aspect of success. Performance: TQM requires consistent, predictable, accurate, and precise performance to high standards in all areas of the organization. Therefore, measurement, assessment and auditing are common TQM activities. Resources: One major aim of every total quality organization is to use resources better, and to achieve greater success (financial and / or otherwise). Investment: TQM will always require sufficient/ appropriate investment to ensure that planned activities can occur. Speaking in a similar vein, Onanusi (1998), remarked that every organization which want to unite her work force and provide horizons for thoughts and action amongst them require the following values to compliment the above listed principles. Quality service focusing on clients in order to deliver quality service that exceeds expectation is an essential value. Quality people: This stems from recruiting the best people and training them to be the best of the best. Meritocracy: Connotes providing employees with challenging opportunities for career development, based on their effectiveness in serving the client. The fourth value: Concerns the approach of employing the same methodologies and sharing resources to ensure that each employee delivers high quality services consistently. Integrity: Which expects that everybody adhere to personal and professional standards. Innovation Referring to delivering unique solution to each clients need And the last value stewardship Concerns a commitment to investigating in the future order to bequeath a stronger and more effective organization to future generation of people in the work place. From the above, it follows logically, that organizations will not begin the transformation of TQM until it is aware, recognized the importance and necessity of the principles of TQM towards quality improvement if they are to survive domestic and global competition. Robert Helter (1995) in â€Å"The Leadership Imperative† defines the concepts of TQM as a practical methodology for continuously improving all business process†. But the Besterfields believe that TQM requires six basic concepts in order to integrate fundamental management techniques, existing improvement efforts, and technical tools under a disciplined approach. These concepts as highlighted by them include the following:  § A committed and involved management to provide long-term top-to-bottom organizational support.  § An unwavering focus on the customer, both internally and externally.  § Effective involvement and utilization of the entire work force.  § Continuous improvement of the business and production process.  § Treating supplies as partners  § Establishing performance measures for the process. These concepts outline an excellent way to run a business. Organizations in Nigeria that practice TQM are therefore seriously advised to internalize the above concepts into their activities and continuously defend the concepts from dilution by carrying out quality audits periodically to ensure that established systems are maintained. As TQM concepts work when it is completely integrated into the culture of the organization and it becomes a way of life and an endless journey practiced by all. 2.3.1 TQM AS A BUSINESS STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENTATION As Rao et.al (1996) remarked, most corporate leaders today would agree that the only constant in business life is change. This change can be large or small, rapid or slow, planned or unplanned, controllable or uncontrollable and it occurs in all aspects of organizational life. One of the tasks of TQM is the successful utilization of the tools and techniques. And above all, the ability to change the organizational culture so that paying attention to quality is a normal part of the behavior of the organization. However, sustaining the method of organizational change necessary to transform an organization so that quality becomes a way of life is the hardest part of TQM process. It is important to recognize that TQM is not a program that can be implemented and completed; rather TQM is an ongoing effort. This rationale was instructively noted in Crosbys work when he says, â€Å"Do it all over again†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and Deming when he says, â€Å"†¦push the above thirteen points every day.† 2.4.1 TQM Implementation Without implementation, there is absolutely no point in a company adopting TQM as a business strategy for whatever purpose. Because from all indications, implementing TQM is a forever process, with no finite end. It is a never-ending journey of quality improvement process. This conclusively brings to us that, all in an organization need to work together to meet the challenges of implementing TQM. Even though there may be a major difference in the degree of implementation, the relevant literatures of TQM focus largely on management and management techniques on TQM implementation. In implementing TQM in an organization, implementation plans need to be established in order to accomplish the organizational desired goals. Implementation plans in this context refers to sequence of events, programs, meetings, and activities designed to help employees learn new perspectives, skills, attitudes, behaviors in the TQM process. This means that the process of introducing TQM is one that requires changing various elements of the existing culture in the organization. The process must be planned and managed from the top. This is why Besterfields, et.al noted that, TQM implementation process begins with senior management and most important, the CEOs commitment, hence, the importance of the role of senior management. It is critically important that senior management take time to fully understand TQM and what it can achieve for the organization and develop and agreed (at board level) plan for implementation before attempting to implement the plan. The attitude of senior managem ent to TQM must be positively demonstrated everyday and in every action as indifference and lack of involvement are frequently cited as the principal reasons for the failure of quality improvement efforts. Delegation and rhetoric is insufficient involvement is required. As a general rule, the senior management starts implementation with clear statement of â€Å"quality policy† which entails the ethics, mission and value of the organization and of course its philosophy. This can be regarded as the planning phase (where the decision to implement TQM is taken, the planning, implementing and monitoring processes are established as well as the organizational structures to be used in the implementation process). The next line of action under implementation process is organizational change phase. H

Coach-Athlete Relationship Model

Coach-Athlete Relationship Model Introduction The coach-athlete relationship is widely recognised as one of the most important interpersonal relationships in sport (Jowett and Cockerill, 2002; Lyle, 1999). In the past, coaching focused largely on improving the physical and technical skills of the athlete; however, more recently, the importance of developing the athlete’s psychosocial skills has also been acknowledged (Miller and Kerr, 2002). It is now accepted that the behaviours, thoughts and emotions of the coach and athlete are interconnected, with both individuals having a mutual appreciation and respect for each other (Jowett and Meek, 2000; Philippe and Seiler, 2006). The main goal of the coach-athlete dyad is to produce an outcome of improved, high performance from the athlete, and the quality of this relationship can impact significantly on whether successful outcomes are achieved. The aim of this paper is to review published evidence on the nature and dynamics of the coach-athlete relationship and the potential i nfluence of significant others on this dyad. Conceptual models to investigate the dynamics of the coach-athlete relationship Traditionally, the dynamics between coach and athlete have been studied from the perspective of coaching leadership (Jowett, 2005). The earlier models which provided a conceptual framework for this research include the Mediational model (Smoll and Smith, 1989), the Multidimensional model (Chelladurai, 1993) and the Coaching model (Cà ´tà ©, Salmela, Trudel, Baria, Russell, 1995). These models focus on the behaviours of the coach, perceptions of these behaviours, and the impact of such behaviours on outcome variables such as performance and satisfaction. A number of newer conceptual models have been developed which also largely have a behavioural focus (Jowett and Cockerill, 2002; Mageau and Vallerand, 2003; Poczwardowski, Barott, Peregoy, 2002; Wylleman, 2000). Worthy of note is the Motivational model proposed by Mageau and Vallerand (2003), which may be of value in the study of inspirational motivation, a recent focus of leadership research. This considers whether an individual sh ows an exceptional ability to lead others to higher performance levels and/or provide inspiration through the use of clear principles and goals, and has been shown to be a strongly associated with athletes’ level of satisfaction with their coach (Gomes, Sousa, Cruz, 2006). It can be argued that a major limitation of all these models is that they fail to consider the non-behavioural aspects of the coach-athlete relationship (e.g. thoughts and emotions) which may also be importance influencers of the effectiveness and success of this relationship. The 3Cs and Co-orientation models The Closeness, Commitment and Complementarity (3Cs) conceptual model developed by Jowett and colleagues incorporates both behavioural and non-behavioural components of the coach-athlete dyad, and reflects the relational aspects of emotions, cognitions and behaviours, respectively (Jowett, 2002; Jowett, 2003; Jowett and Cockerill, 2002; Jowett and Meek, 2000). An additional interpersonal construct, co-orientation, has also been evaluated and is included in the Co-orientation model (Jowett, 2006; Jowett and Clark-Carter, 2006). This adds another dimension by considering coaches’ and athletes’ perceptions about each other from three different aspects: actual similarity, assumed similarity and empathic understanding (Jowett, 2005). Both the 3Cs and Co-orientation models have been pivotal in recent research investigating the nature of the coach-athlete dyad from the perspective of the athlete in individual sports including swimming (Philippe and Seiler, 2006; Poczwardowski, Barott, Jowett, 2006). Analysing the nature of the coach-athlete relationship In addition to their own perspective on the coach-athlete relationship, both members of the dyad will also form perceptions of how the other member views the relationship. Laing and colleagues (1966) first proposed the terms ‘direct perspective’ (i.e. the individual’s own perspective) and ‘meta-perspective’ (the individual’s perception of the other dyad member’s perspective). More recently, Kenny and Acitelli (2001) developed a method of measuring the accuracy of these perceptions (Kenny and Acitelli, 2001). A study using this methodology has investigated empathic accuracy and assumed similarity in perceptions of closeness, commitment and complementarity in the coach-athlete relationship (Jowett and Clark-Carter, 2006). Findings showed that empathic accuracy and assumed similarity were evident in both coach and athlete perceptions; however, athletes were more accurate in identifying their coaches feelings in terms of closeness, while in newer relationships, both members showed higher levels of empathic accuracy. Communication is another important component of the coach-athlete dyad (Jowett, 2003; Phillipe and Seiler, 2006). Studies have demonstrated that effective communication promotes a shared understanding of the importance of key issues between both dyad members and may therefore reduce the likelihood of problems or conflict occurring within the relationship The Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q) is a self-report instrument developed to explore the nature of the coach-athlete relationship by examining closeness, commitment and complementarity from a meta-perspective (Jowett and Ntoumanis, 2004). The validity, internal consistency and reliability of this questionnaire were demonstrated in two independent samples of British coaches-athlete dyads. More recently, a Greek language version of the questionnaire (GrCART-Q) has been developed, together with a modified version incorporating co-orientation (Jowett, 2006). The validity and reliability of both versions of this questionnaire were confirmed in a sample of coach-athlete dyads from individual sports (Jowett, 2006). Effective versus successful coach-athlete relationships When considering the nature of the coach-athlete dyad, it is important to distinguish between effective and successful relationships. Effective relationships are underpinned by values such as empathy, support, acceptance, respect and responsiveness (Jowett and Cockerill, 2003; Jowett and Meek, 2000). While these undoubtedly provide positive psychosocial benefits for the athlete, they will not necessarily improve performance. In contrast, successful relationships are ones in which a measure of performance success has been achieved, although these may not always be effective in nature (Jowett, 2005). The influence of significant others on the coach-athlete relationship It has been suggested that the coach-athlete relationship should not be considered solely as two members of the dyad working together, but also should also take account of the influence of significant others. For example, some believe that coach leadership may be a shared function rather than a role taken on by the coach alone (Jowett, 2005; Jowett and Chaundy, 2004) while in the case of children, parents and other family members may play an important role in the development and success of the athlete (Cheng, Marsh, Dowson, Martin, n.d.). To conclude, there is a considerable body of literature investigating the nature and dynamics of the coach-athlete dyad and those factors which may influence the development, effectiveness and success of this important relationship. References Chelladurai, P. (1993). Leadership. In R. N. Singer, M. Murphy, L. K. Tennant (Eds.) Handbook on research on sport psychology. New York: MacMillan. Cheng, J. H. S., Marsh, H. W., Dowson, M. Martin, A. J. (n.d.) Exploring the effect of relationship dynamics of support on gymnasts’ and figure skaters’ self-concept, education and psychological resilience: a research proposal. Retrieved 5 July, 2008 from http://www.aare.edu.au/05pap/che05309.pdf Cà ´tà ©, J., Salmela, J. H., Trudel, P., Baria, A. Russell, S. (1995). The coaching model: A grounded assessment of expert gymnastic coaches knowledge. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 17, 1–17. Gomes, A. R., Sousa, S. A. Cruz, J. F. (2006). Charismatic, trnasformational and visionary dimensions in sport leadership: towards new paths for the study of coach-athletes relationships. In N. S. Huber M. Harvey (Eds.). Leadership at the crossroads. University of Maryland: The James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership. Jowett, S. Cockerill, I. M. (2002). Incompatibility in the coach-athlete relationship. In I. M. Cockerill (Ed.) Solutions in Sport Psychology. London: Thomson Learning. Jowett, S. Cockerill, I. M. (2003). Olympic medallists perspective of the athlete-coach relationship. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 4, 313–31. Jowett, S. Chaundy, V. (2004). An investigation into the impact of coach leadership and coach-athlete relationship on group adhesion. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research and Practice, 8, 302–11. Jowett, S. Clark-Carter, D. (2006). Perceptions of empathic accuracy and assumed similarity in the coach-athlete relationship’, British Journal of Social Psychology, 45, 617-37. Jowett, S. Ntoumanis, N. (2004). The Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q): development and initial validation. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine Science in Sports, 14, 245–57. Jowett, S. (2002). The coach-athlete questionnaire and dyad maps (Research Monograph No. 1). Staffordshire: School of Health, Staffordshire University. Jowett, S. (2003). When the ‘honeymoon’ is over: a case study of a coach–athlete dyad in crisis. The Sport Psychologist, 17, 444–60. Jowett, S. (2005). The coach-athlete partnership. The Psychologist, 18, 412–5. Jowett, S. (2006,). Interpersonal and structural features of Greek coach–athlete dyads performing in individual sports. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 18, 69–81. Jowett, S. Cockerill, I. M. (2002). Incompatibility in the coach-athlete relationship. In I. M. Cockerill (Ed.) Solutions in sport psychology. London: Thomson Learning. Jowett, S. Meek, G. A. (2000). The coach-athlete relationship: an exploratory content analysis. The Sport Psychologist, 14, 157–75. Kenny, D. A. Acitelli, L. K. (2001). Accuracy and bias in perceptions of the partner in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 439–48. Laing, R. D., Phillipson, H. Lee, A.R. (1966). Interpersonal Perception. Baltimore: Perennial Library. Lyle, J. (1999). Coaching philosophy and coaching behaviour’. In N. Cross J. Lyle (eds.) The coaching process: principles and practice for sport. Oxford: Butterworth-Heineman. Mageau, G. A. Vallerand, R. J. (2003). The coach-athlete relationship: a motivational model. Journal of Sports Sciences, 21, 883–904. Miller, P. S. Kerr, G. A. (2002). Conceptualising evidence: past, present and future. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 14, 140–53. Philippe, R. A. Seiler, R. (2006). Closeness, co-orientation and complementarity in coach-athlete relationships: What male swimmers say about their male coaches. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 7, 159–71. Poczwardowski, A., Barott, J. E. Peregoy, J. J. (2002). The athlete and coach: their relationships and its meaning – methodological concerns and research process. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 33, 98–115. Poczwardowski, A., Barott, J. E. Jowett, S. (2006). Diversifying approaches to research on athlete coach relationships. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 7, 125–42. Smoll, F. L. Smith, R. E. (1989). Leadership behaviours in sport: a theoretical model and research paradigm. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 19, 1522–51. Wylleman, P. (2000). Interpersonal relationships in sport: uncharted territory in sport psychology. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 31, 555–72.

Thomas Kuhns Structure of Scientific Revolutions Essays -- Book Revie

The aim of this essay is to provide a summary and critique of Thomas S. Kuhn’s groundbreaking thesis ‘The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.’ This will be done by analyzing his concepts of ‘paradigm’, ‘normal science’ and ‘scientific revolutions.’ Following the overview I will present the example of ‘The Copernican Revolution’ to empirically show a paradigm shift. The rest of the essay is concerned specifically with critically examining Kuhn’s notion of a paradigm and the incommensurability between them. I will show that to define paradigm is a never ending task however this should not hinder the usefulness of the concept itself. Before Kuhn’s book was written, the commonly held position by scientists and philosophers of science, such as Mach and Otswald , about the structure of science; was that it involved linear progression as a result of an incremental accumulation of knowledge from the activities undertaken by members of the scientific community. They thought that as generations of scientists observed more and more, their understanding of a particular scientific fact would become better refined through an ever growing stockpile of facts, theories and methods. The aim of the historian of science would be to pin point the man and the moment in time a further discovery was made; whilst also describing the obstacles that inhibited scientific progression. Then in 1962, Kuhn’s revolutionary book challenged the prevailing model of the history of science and argued for an episodic structure in which periods of conceptual continuity in normal science are interrupted by periods of revolutionary science. I will begin by outlining the core concepts that Kuhn presents at the beginning of his thesis. The backbone of Kuh... ... with its easy and friendly applicability means that it fulfils the aims of which Kuhn wanted. To tell the story of how science was structured. Bibliography Bonini, C. P. (1963). Simulation of information and decision systems in the firm. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall. Kuhn, T. S. (1962. Second Edition, enlarged, 1970). The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Chicago: The University of Chicago. Masterman, M. (1970). The Nature of a Paradigm. In I. Lakatos, & A. Musgrave (Eds.), Criticism and The Growth of Knowledge (pp. 59-90). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Shapere, D. (1964). Review: The structure of Scientific Revolutions. The Philosophical Review , 73 (3), 383-394. Shapere, D. (1971, May). The Paradigm Concept. Science , 172 (3984), pp. 706-709. Weinberg, S. (1998). Scientific Revolutions. New York Review of Books , XLV (15).

The Effects of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies on Humans Essa

The Effects of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies on Humans Abstract Humans have to deal with many different diseases and the ones most disliked are the ones with no cures. Like cancer, transmissible spongiform encephalopathies have no cure, but they are more rare. These diseases are prion diseases which cause the brain to deteriorate. Prions are proteins that sometimes behave like viruses, which mean that they should have some form of nucleic acid, but since they don’t, they cause abnormalities. The nervous system contains many normal prions, but when an abnormal prion comes along, it transforms all the normal prions into abnormal ones. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy is found in cattle, but it can be transmitted to humans. The Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease affects the elderly for reasons unknown, while Kuru affects those who practice cannibalism. Scrapie is found only in sheep and the Chronic Wasting Disease is found in deer and elk. As of right now, Kuru and Scrapie are not known to infect humans. Prion diseases affect many animals, such as cattle, sheep, deer, elk and humans. All mammals have prions, which are proteins that are found abundantly in the nervous system. The brain contains the most prions and is therefore dominantly affected by disease. The prion disease found in cattle is called bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease. Humans contract this disease by eating infected cows. The elderly usually contract the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease for reasons unknown, and Kuru, which is extremely rare nowadays, is contracted by cannibalism. Scrapie infects sheep and the Chronic Wasting Disease infects deer and elk. Though there is no link to either Scrapie or Chronic Wasting Disease infecting humans, it is ... ...missible Spongiform Encephalopathies 6 References †¢ American Veterinary Medical Association. (2002, May). About Scrapie. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 7/25/05: http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/may02/s050102i.asp †¢ Australian Academy of Science. (1997, February). Mad Cow Disease-A Human Problem? Science. 7/25/05: http://www.science.org.au/nova/003/003key.htm †¢ CBC. (2003, December). Science and Symptoms. CBC News. 7/26/05: http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/madcow/science.html †¢ University of Toronto. (2003, June). Researchers Discover Possible Diagnosis, Treatment, Vaccine for Mad Cow, Prion Diseases. Science Daily. 7/26/05: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/06/030602025719.htm †¢ U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2005, February). Prion Disease. Genetics Home Reference. 7/26/05: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=priondisease

Total Quality Management (TQM) :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Total Quality Management Total Quality Management is a structured system for satisfying internal and external customers and suppliers by integrating the business environment, continuous improvement, and breakthroughs with development, improvement, and maintenance cycles while changing organizational culture. A remarkable thing is happening as we see the awakening of the individual and the collaboration of empowered people in the team effort of total quality management. It is a renewing, a reinforcing and a building of a bridge of trust among the individuals responsible for accomplishing a common goal (The Total Quality Review; May 1994). One of the goals is to build an organizational environment conducive to job redesign and cross training in order to facilitate job flexibility. TQM initiatives in areas of common concern provide an opportunity to form and better control the relationship with a company's external vital customers and suppliers. TQM is essential for companies seeking to provide quality goods and services to their customers. The end result is that they will enjoy prosperity and long-term growth. "In order to compete in a global economy, our products, systems and services must be of a higher quality than our competition. Increasing Total Quality is our number on priority here at Hewlett-Packard. -John Young, President of Hewlett-Packard" (www.dmu.ac.uk.htm). Often companies find themselves faced with a dilemma that is rooted to a lack of TQM. This was the case with Apple Computers. They were unable to conceive a working, productive relationship between their managers and engineers. Apple found themselves unable to alleviate this problem, which ultimately hindered it from responding to environmental changes. The positive effects of TQM has transcended down through the ranks. Non-profit organizations have begun to embrace TQM throughout their organization, relying on the positive results found throughout the business world. Even the Health care industry has initiated TQM to promote excellence in nursing, urging nurses to apply quality improvement.

A Man That Holds My Heart Essay

Many people have ways of influencing others. Most people use words to affect other people. An amount of individuals would utilize their gift of persuasion to convince others of their causes or maybe arguments, while some use authority to force people to do as they are told. These several differences can apply to fathers as well. Not all fathers are similar when it comes to educating their children. Many are gentle, while some are more dominant. Randy T Caldwell, a somewhat young spirited middle aged man. Dark skinned with black Gucci frames to accommodate his big brown eyes. Standing 5’11, board shoulders, happy, loving, man of Christ and always seen with a look upon his face that means business falls under those descriptions of a father. My father is a man of many words. He is a very talkative man, somewhat quiet but only when listening to someone of when needed. He is not a very persuasive person like others, nor does he use authority to get his message across. All the lessons I’ve learned from my father were never taught in lectures or by long stories. Instead, he gave me real life examples for me to follow. I learned everything I needed to know from my father, through his own life. It was the way he lived his poverty stricken and fearful life which taught me how to live a more effective, goal reaching, non-poverty stricken live. Indeed, my father was a man of many words and was a man of many words but yet he had a soft heart. My father has simple interests. He is very fond of watching college football, and often watches when he can. When he has time he would go hiking occasionally. However, his favorite thing to do is go fishing. At such a young age, I was very fascinated with the fact that he would bring home huge, 10 foot long, stinky fish but I always loved it. Aside from being an outdoor, outgoing , talkative man ; my father was a man of Christ. Just like on the man that are always, dressed up , Stay Adams , the best pen striped suit, at the front of the church serving communion on first Sundays . That’s My Father! Even though he had a horrible, poverty stricken, gangster life as a child he is a firm believer in Christ. He has not preached about his faith even though he is very talkative; he has never given lessons on religious and mortality. He just simply lived by example. Whenever faced with difficulty, he simply thinks about what Christ would do in a situation as such. It was one the most remarkable things I find remember able about him. In one instance, I went fishing with my father. I’m not really fond of the outdoors like he was, but I loved spending time with him. It had been raining earlier that morning, so the fishing area was wet. He insisted we go to is regular spot so we did. It was under an old rugged beat down bridge that was covered with green algae. By the time we were done fishing we both were hungry. We proceeded to the nearest fast food place, which happened to be McDonald’s. As I ate my lunch it began to rain very badly; I than begin to look out the window at an old man whose clothes torn with the look of death in his eyes, standing in the middle of the parking lot. As my father made his way to the table where I was dining he caught my gaze. He immediately re packed his Big Mac fully made all the way everything on it , his supersized fry, and even his drink and went right out the door. Just as hungry as he was he gave the old man his meal. On the way home my father said nothing. Again, he taught me a lesson through his own example. My father can be described as many things talkative, outgoing, loving, caring, and firm believer in Christ. But one thing he will always be described as to me would be the man that has taught me to be the best I can be. My father is a good father, he is rather different than other fathers; but that’s what makes him the best.