Research Proposal in Tqm free essay sample

There are increasing number of organisations which are adopting quality measures such as Total Quality Management as their management strategies are not only for meeting increasing demands for quality services from their customers and regulatory bodies but also for a distinct and strategic competitive advantage. This chapter will concentrate on the research design and methodology relevant to identify the Total Quality Management system of Sainsbury’s. It will also focus on the research methods used to fulfil the purpose of the thesis. A description of the problems associated with the research together with an assessment of their implication on this research will also be highlighted in this chapter. â€Å"Research can be defined as something that people undertake in order to find out things in a systematic way, thereby increasing their knowledge†(Saunders et al. , 2002). A research design is a master plan specifying the methods and procedures for collecting and analysing the needed information. We will write a custom essay sample on Research Proposal in Tqm or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is a framework of the research plan of action. The objectives of the study determined at the early stages of the research are included in the design to ensure that the information collected is appropriate to solve the problem. The researcher faces a number of crucial design choices. These can be summarised in a categorisation of research design types. Some major ones are: ? Experiment ? Survey ? Case study ? Grounded theory ? Ethnography ? Action research ? Cross section and longitudinal studies ? Exploratory, descriptive studies. Source- Saunders et al. , 2003 Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill (2003) state that there is no one best research design for all situations. There are no hard and fast rules for good research. It means that the researcher has many alternative methods for solving the research problem. â€Å"There is never a single, standard, correct method of carrying out a piece of research. Do not wait to start your research until you find out the proper approach, because there are many ways to tackle a problem. † Source- Zikmund, 1994. In this research multi method approach will be used for the data collection. This approach and strategy obviously do not exist in isolation, and therefore can be mixed and matched. It is quite useful for a single study to combine and use primary and secondary data. Based on the past study on the research design it can be said that there are two major advantages to employ multi methods in the same study (Saunders et al. , 2003). Firstly, different methods can be used for different purposes in a study. As in this research for example, interviews will be conducted to get a feeling for the key before embarking on the most important issues. The second advantage of using this method is that it enables triangulation to take place. Triangulation refers to the use of different data collection methods in one study in order to ensure that the data is backing up the aims and objectives of the research. For example as in this case the semi structured interviews may be a valuable way of triangulating data collected by questionnaires. 4. 3 DATA COLLECTION Once the research design has been formalised, the process of gathering data from respondents can begin. In this dissertation the multi method research technique will be used. There are four basic methods for data collection namely, observation, focus group and depth interview, survey and experiments (Kotler, 2001). The use of data collection method is dependent on the nature of research topics and there is no absolute answer. Secondary data are data gathered by someone else prior to the current needs of the researcher. These data are usually historic, already assembled and do not require access to respondents or subjects. Secondary data include both qualitative and quantitative data and they can be used in both descriptive and explanatory research (Saunders et al. , 2003). Secondary data can provide a background to primary research. Even if it does not fulfil exactly what is needed, it might help to determine key variables that any subsequent primary research will have to investigate; it may help determine sampling methods or sample sizes. The secondary data is used in this dissertation for a literature survey of published article, newspaper, internet and books discussing theories. Most of the secondary data will be taken from text books, journals, newspaper and internet. Some facts and figures will be extracted from the quality records of Sainsbury’s. 4. 3. 2 PRIMARY DATA Primary data is data that is collected at source. It is collected to fulfil the demands of the current research project. Primary data is collected through experiments, observations, interviews, survey etc. In practice there were various methods, which could have been adopted for gathering the primary data for this particular research. Through careful examination the author decided to use structured questionnaires and personal interview methods to gather primary data. 4. 4 INTERVIEW Interviewing is a method of collecting data in which selected participants are asked questions in order to find out what they do, think or feel. An interview is a powerful discussion between two or more people (Ghauri Gronhaug, 2002). The use of interviews can help to gather valid and reliable data that are relevant to the research objectives. Interviews can be highly formalised and structured, using standardised questions for each respondent or they may be informal and unstructured conversations. Interviews can be classified as following types: †¢ Structured interviews †¢ Semi- structured interviews †¢ Unstructured interviews Source- Saunders et al. , 2003 Structured interviews use questionnaires based on a predetermined and standardised or identical set of questions. Each question will be read out and then the response will be recorded on a standardised schedule. By comparison semi- structured and unstructured interviews are non-standardised. In semi- structured interviews the researcher will have a list of themes and questions to be covered although these may vary from interview to interview. One aspect of semi structured interviews is that the issues discussed, the questions raised, and the maters explored, change from one interview to the next as different aspects of the topic are revealed. This process of open discovery is the strength of such interviews, but it is important to recognise that emphasis and balance of the emerging issues might depend on the order in which interviewer and interviewee participate. The author has selected semi structured interview method because it is the best way to know the view of the managers of Sainsbury’s about TQM. In semi structured interview method the interviewer have the chance to introduce different questions in different situations. As the researcher is not aware about the TQM of Sainsbury’s this type of interview method will help him to evaluate the present situation. 4. 5 QUESTIONNAIRE A questionnaire is a list of carefully structured questions, chosen after considerable testing, with a view to eliciting reliable responses from a chosen sample. ( Hussey Hussey, 1997 ). Typically a questionnaire is only one element of a data collection package that includes fieldwork procedures, such as instructions for selecting, approaching and questioning respondents. The aim of questionnaire is to find out what a selected group of participants do, think or feel. Questionnaires are the most popular data collection method in business research. The majority of the questionnaires are descriptive and analytical. The descriptive questionnaires are used to gather information related to attitude and opinion. This will enable the author to identify and describe the variability in different phenomena. Although questionnaires can be used as only a method of data collection, they are usually linked to other methods. This research questionnaire can be used to discover employee opinion and attitudes, and can be supplemented by in depth interviews to explore and understand those attitudes. In addition questionnaires normally require less skill and sensitivity to administer than semi- structured or in depth interviews (Saunders et al. , 2003). 4. 5. 1 Questionnaire design For this research the researcher has decided to prepare two sets of questionnaire: one for the employees of the Sainsbury’s and the other for the customers. The questionnaire for the employees will target to assess the awareness of the employees towards TQM, job satisfaction, and understanding of their duties and responsibilities. The questionnaire of the customer will concentrate on the expectation of the customer, their experience about shopping at Sainsbury’s and the quality of service they get. The questions will be designed in such a way that every respondent will understand it properly as it is very important to get a reliable data. The questions will not be open ended and there will be multiple choice of answers which will enable the respondents to select the answer close to their opinion. . 5. 2 REASONS OF CHOOSING QUESTIONNAIRE As per Jill Hussey and Roger Hussey (1997) state, a questionnaire survey is cheaper and less time consuming than conducting interviews, and large samples can be taken (Hussey Hussey, 1997). Open ended questions offer the advantage that the respondents are able to give their opinions as precisely a s possible in their own words but they can be difficult to analyse. Open questions may deter busy people from responding to the questionnaire. Closed questions are very convenient for collecting factual data and are usually easy to analyse, as the range of answers is limited. The drawback of multiple choice answer questionnaires is that it does not reflect the opinion of the respondents in their own words. So the researcher cannot be certain about how closely it matches their opinion. However it can sometimes be useful for dealing with sensitive issues, since it identifies different responses. It can also be useful as a means of cross checking other questions by presenting the situation in a different way. 4. 6 DATA ANALYSIS This research will contain both qualitative and quantitative data. Once data collection has been completed the phase of data analysis begins. All the quantitative data will be analyzed by using tabulation and statistical analysis. For this all the data need to be coded and entered into a standard form. Coding involves the assigning of numerical codes to responses so that they can be stored in the data field, interpreted and manipulated for statistical and tabular purpose (Wilson, 2003). After coding and data entry frequency of each question will be calculated. Frequency distribution shows the number of respondents who gave each possible answer to each question. The author will use cross tabulations as well to analyze the data as it examines the responses of one question relative to the responses of one or more questions. The qualitative data will be analyzed by using the annotation method. The annotation method involves the researcher reading through the transcripts and annotating the margins with codes or comments to categorise the points being made by respondents (Wilson, 2003). 4. 7 VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY Validity is the extent to which the research findings, accurately represents what is really happening in the situation (Ghauri Gronhaug, 2002). An effect or test is valid if it demonstrates or measures what the researcher thinks or claims it does. Research errors, such as faulty research procedure, poor samples and inaccurate or misleading measurement can undermine validity. There are a number of different ways in which the validity of research can be assessed. The most common is face validity which simply involves ensuring that the test or measures used by the researcher do actually measure or represent what they are supposed to measure (Hussey Hussey, 1997). Another form of validity, which is important in business research, is internal and external validity. Internal validity refers to the extent to which the researcher can infer that a casual relationship exits between two or more variables (Ghauri Gronhaug, 2002). External validity relates to what extent the findings can be generalized to particular persons, settings and times, as well as across types of persons, settings and times (Ghauri Gronhaug, 2002). For example when conducting an election poll, external validity is usually used as a basis for generalizing the number of voters. In this research questionnaire will be sent to those employees who work in Sainsbury’s. Precautions will be taken during the preparation of the questions so that everybody understands the questions clearly. To get a valid data following precautions will be taken: †¢ Interview will be carried out by the researcher himself. †¢ Those people who meet the requirement of the survey will be interviewed. †¢ The interview will be conducted in correct location and manner as these factors might affect the response. †¢ All the questions will be asked to the interviewee. †¢ Precaution will be taken to find out if the respondent is unhappy about anything. Reliability refers to the consistency in reaching the same results when the measurement is made over and over again (Proctor, 2000). On the contrary, validity is the extent to which any measuring instrument measures what it intends to measure. In this dissertation no tests or experiments were taken. Hence reliability of the measurement employed to collect the data is irrelevant. Since the dissertation is of descriptive nature, the data that has been collected from secondary source need to be accurate and valid. In accordance with this principle all data will be taken from recent publications. 4. 8 CONCLUSION This chapter has given an idea about the research methodology the researcher is going to adopt in this thesis. It also critically analyses the reasons of selecting any particular method for collecting data. The researcher has decided to carry out two types of questionnaires; one for the customers and one for the employees of Sainsbury’s to collect primary data. The author will conduct semi-structured interviews with the managers of Sainsbury’s to gather primary data about the management policy of the organization. The next chapter will analyse the collected data and concentrate on individual consequence. CHAPTER FIVE DATA ANALYSIS 5. 1 INTRODUCTION Previous chapter analysed the research design and the reasons of choosing questionnaire and semi structured interview for this research. This chapter will contain an intensive analysis of the acquired data. This chapter will be divided into three parts. In the first part there is an analysis based on staff questionnaire, each questionnaire findings will be analysed in this part based on previous related theory of literature review. In the second part findings of customer questionnaire will be analysed in the same process and finally the interviews will be evaluated based on recent academic theory . . 2 ANALYSIS OF QUESTIONNAIRES Data analysis is the process of bringing order, structure and meaning to the mass of collected data (Ghauri Gronhaug, 2002). Descriptive statistics is used to analyse the data because it helps to summarise the characteristics of large sets of data using only a few numbers and it is also useful in analysing data with more than one variable (Wilson, 2003). Frequency distribution is used to show the number of respondents. In addition to frequency distribution the author has calculated the percentage of those responding who selected each response. Cross tabulations are another powerful analysis technique as they examine the responses to one question relative to the responses to one or more other questions (Wilson, 2003). In addition to cross tabulation (Refer to appendix-1 2 for details) the researcher has presented the data in a variety of graphical formats using pie charts, bar charts, these can help in the communication of results and patterns in data. Two software are used to complete this analysis, firstly Microsoft XL, secondly Microsoft word. |Sample type |Total no. of questionnaires sent |No. f responses |Response rate | |Customer |100 |65 |65% | |Employee |75 |60 |80% | Table: 2. Response of questionnaires 5. 3 ANALYSIS OF STAFF QUESTIONNAIRES (Refer to appendix- 1) Question no. 1- Sex [pic] Fig. 10- Male/ female ratio The sample is biased towards male with 59. 5% response. It is very difficult to make any conclusion based on sex, because sample size is very small. But there are some significant changes found between men and women analyzed the question 4 and question 12. (Please see appendix). From there it is clear that men do change frequently for example, they are using Sainsbury as their platform of experience, so after one or two years they are switching to a new job, on the other hand women are not very frequent to change their existing job. After analysing question 12 it can be said that women like to choose easy method but men mostly prefer difficult than women to use TQM as a system. Question no. 2- Age [pic] Fig. 1- Age group/ employees percentage chart The respond to this question shows a clear skew towards younger people with 25% aged less than 25 years, 50% between 25 to 35 years, 15. 5% between 36 to 45 years and 9. 5% more than 45 years. There is a higher level of support for TQM in younger staffs but the older age group are against any technical change. Question no. 3- Work category The graph shows that higher number of people r esponded this question were from shop floor replenishment and customer service. The reason could be that there are more employees in these two categories compared to others. The trend identified in this group, are as follows- †¢ Management and office worker show higher level of acceptance to TQM than shop floor replenishment and customer service employees. †¢ In respond to question no. 12 shop floor replenishment and customer service employees have selected the method which is easy to use but the other two groups were biased in their respond. †¢ Management and office employees showed their acceptance towards higher level of communication. [pic] Fig. 12- Work category/ employee percentage Question no. 4- Service duration This graph is showing that after six months experience most of the employee want to switch their job. Before six months they are very much efficient but if they get any opportunities they want to quite the job, even when they are quite matured they want to leave the job but percentage is lower than previous three levels. So it is very important for Sainsbury’s to find the reason why employees tend to leave, as senior employees are motivated and participate fully in different programmes lead by the management. It is expensive for an organisation to train up an employee (Refer to appendix- 1). pic] Fig. 13- Service duration/ percentage of employee Question no. 5- Part time/fulltime [pic] Fig. 14- Part time/ full time Among the employees 64. 2% are part time workers, where about 29. 8% are full time workers. From the research it has revealed that part time employees are less motivated to work than full time employees, but there is a time provision for part time workers when they are really motivated. Question 4 is showing that most of the workers want to leave the job after six months or one year job experience. There could be some reasons behind taking their decision. . Part time employees also don’t participate fully in different programmes introduced by top management to increase customer satisfaction. 2. They feel less motivated as they know they cannot take any decision for the company. 3. They don’t have any stability, they know at any time they can lose their jobs. In respond to question number six about understanding of responsibility they show a skew from ignorant to confident. They also tend to work properly if supervised; this is revealed in the answer to question number seven (Refer to appendix- 1). Question no. 6- Understanding of responsibility [pic] Fig. 15- Understanding of responsibility The answer to this question is very important in the understanding of the responsibilities of employees. Sainsbury’s will have to make sure that all the employees understand their basic responsibilities, which will help them to perform their duties properly. Question no. 7- Dedication to responsibility From the graph it is clear that most of the employees are dedicated to their responsibilities. 35. 30% employees perform their duties properly if they are supervised. But half of the employees do believe that they can do better in their field they get freedom to do their into their own ways. People do not like supervision especially if they are matured in the job. But good performance only came from high level of supervision so Sainsbury will get a good customer service if employees are dedicated enough and be supervised. [pic] Fig. 16- Dedication to duty Question no. 8- Attitude towards change. Change is the key factor to get competitive advantages than other super markets. People don’t like changes especially those are old aged. Research showing that men are accepting changes better than women. From this survey it can be said that employees from Sainsbury are enthusiastic about changes and they are not hostile. [pic] Fig. 17- Attitude towards change Question no. 9- Attitude to TQM 80. 80% employee do believe that TQM system is an effective and planned way to improve customer service so need to use them for increasing job efficiency. In respond to question number 9. b. 90. 20% of the employees believe that training can help them to do better job. So training will enable them to understand their responsibility and enjoy their job. So this attitude surely help Sainsbury to make any changes into their TQM. On the response of the question no 9. c. 77. 9% employees strongly believe that TQM system will make their job easier and 74. 60% employees believe that introduction of new TQM system might change the organizational structure and may provide more opportunities for them. So after analysing question no. 9 it can be said that employees of Sainsbury will warmly accept any changes because they are enthusiastic enough to accept any changes as a result new TQM can be really effective from the employees point of view. pic] 9. a Fig. 18- Attitude towards TQM [pic] 9. b Fig. 18- Attitude towards TQM [pic] 9. c Fig. 19- Attitude towards TQM [pic] 9. d Fig. 20- Attitude towards TQM Question no. 10- Resistance to TQM This question aimed to identify how the employees will express their resistance if they are not satisfied with the TQM system of the company. The graph shows that most of the employees do not tend to express t heir resistance openly. In this situation it will be difficult for the management to know the view of the employees about any changes introduced by them. For this type of attitude the employees will not participate fully with changes and the organisation will not achieve its target. [pic] Fig. 21- Resistance to TQM Question no. 11- Change in work [pic] Fig. 22- Change in work The aim of this question was to find out the extent of changes the employees will accept in their work place regarding their responsibility and mobility. In the graph 1 represents a little change and 5 for lot of changes. From the graph it is clear that most of the employees do not expect lots of changes in the way they work. The answer to this question will help the management to decide the extent of changes they can introduce in the organisation. Question no. 12- Expectation from TQM From the research carried by the author it is revealed that about 60. 2% of the employees expect TQM method to be easy and which will fulfil their basic needs. Mainly part time workers and women are against any technical change, they always prefer the method which is easy to use. But young employees and full time employees have chosen the method which fulfils every need (Refer to appendix- 1). pic] Fig. 23 – Expectation from TQM Question no.

System Analysis and Design Toolkit

System Analysis and Design Toolkit Free Online Research Papers System Analysis and Design Toolkit Part 4 Questions/Answers Information Systems Research (300 Level Course) 1. What is project management, and what are its main objectives? Answer: Project Management is the process of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling the development of an information system. The goal of project management is to deliver an information system that is acceptable to users and is developed on time and within budget. Acceptability, deadline, and budget criteria all must be met for a project to be considered successful. 2. What is the relationship between tasks, and events, or milestones? Answer: Project planning takes place at the beginning and end of each SDLC phase to develop a plan and schedule for the phases that follow. This process begins with a list of tasks or activities. Tasks are defined as any work that has a beginning and an end and requires the use of company resources. Examples of tasks are conducting interviews, designing reports, and selecting software. An event or milestone on the other hand is a recognizable reference point that can be used to monitor progress and manage the project. Examples of events are: start of user training, conversion of system data. 3. If Project A has twice as many resources as Project B, will Project A be twice as complex as Project B? Why or why not? Answer: Project A might actually require considerably more than twice as many resources as Project B. As team sizes increase the number of interactions also increases and thus as many relationships can mean more delay, misunderstandings, and difficulty in coordinating tasks. Also the scope of the project could vary greatly between the projects. If one project has more deliverables regardless of the team size the complexity is effected. 4. What is the difference between sequential and concurrent tasks? Answer: Sequential tasks are considered dependent tasks because they cannot be started until one or more other tasks are completed. 5. Compare the characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of a Gantt chart to a PERT/CPM chart? Answer: Gantt charts are horizontal bar charts that represent a series of tasks. Time is generally on the horizontal axis and the activities are arranged vertically, from top to bottom, in the order of their start dates. Gantt charts are used to report progress because they present an overview of the project’s status. However, they are not an ideal tool for controlling a complex project because they do not provide enough detailed information. The U.S. Navy developed PERT(Program Evaluation Review Technique) charts to manage very complex projects such as the construction of a submarine. At the same time a private firm developed CPM (Critical Path Method) to meet similar demands. The differences in each method have disappeared over time, and today they are synonymous. PERT/CPM is a bottom-up technique, because it analyzes a large, complex project as a series of individual tasks, called project tasks. First you identify all tasks and assign a time value to them. Next you determine the logical order for those tasks and if some tasks can be performed at the same time. Once you know the tasks, their times, and their order you know the approximate length of the project. 6. Define the following terms: Best Case Estimate – this would be the optimistic time for a task completion. Probable Case Estimate – most realistic time for task completion. Worst Case Estimate – pessimistic time for a task to be completed. How can a project manager use these concepts to estimate task duration? Traditional PERT techniques use a weighted formula for calculating the estimated duration of each task. The PM first makes three estimates for each task: best case (b), probable (p), and worst case (w). The manager then assigns a weight to each estimate. The weight can vary, but a common approach is to use a ratio of B = 1, P = 4, and W = 1. The expected task duration is calculated as follows: (B + 4P + W) / 6 7. How does a project manager calculate EF, ES, LS, and LF? Answer: EF – (earliest finish) – is the earliest time that a task can be completed. To calculate the EF, you add the task durations (T) to the ES for that task. For example, if a task has an ES of 15, and the duration (T) for the task is 3 days, then the EF will be 18. ES – (earliest start) – The first task can begin at zero time. The next task, however, cannot begin until the first task is completed, so the ES for the following task is the EF of the preceding task. LS – (latest start) – is the latest time that a task can begin without delaying the overall project. You must first know the LF then you subtract T (task duration) from LF in order to know when the task must start. LF – (latest finish) – is the latest time that a task can be completed without delaying the overall project. The LF for the final task is the same as as the EF for that task, because it also represents the project’s final completion date. As you work your way left, the LS for a following task becomes the LF for the preceding task. 8. What is the critical path and why is it important to project managers? Answer: A critical path is a series of tasks with no slack time. Slack time is the difference between a tasks EF and LF. This is important for project managers because they have the ability to find a particular task that could be days late before it would impact the overall project completion date. However, if any project on the critical path falls behind then the entire project is behind. 9. What are some project reporting and communication techniques? Answer: The project manager first collects, verifies, organizes, and evaluates the information he or she receives from the team. Then the PM decides which information needs to be passed along, prepares a summary that can be understood easily, adds comments and explanations if needed, and submits it to management and users. Project Status Meetings – regularly scheduled meetings with the entire project team. Each member updates the group and identifies any problems or delays. Project Status Reports – Although progress reports might be given verbally to an immediate supervisor, reports to management and users are usually written. Gantt charts are often included in progress reports to show a graphical representation of the status. 10. What is software change control, and what are the four steps typically involved? Answer: Software change control is the process of managing and controlling changes requested after the system requirements document has been submitted and accepted. A procedure for processing requests for changes to an information system’s requirements consists of four steps: a. Complete a change request form by the person requesting the change. b. Take initial action on the request form. Coordinator enters a sequential control number and the date on the change request form, reviews the specific change, and then determines if the change should be deferred or rejected. A copy of the form is sent back to the requestor. c. Analyze the impact of the requested change. PM or a systems analyst must review the request and determine the impact of incorporating the change into the requirements. d. Determine the disposition of the requested change. Based on the prior three conditions the change might be accepted, deferred, or rejected. In each of the cases, the project coordinator informs the requestor of the action taken. 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The Meaning of Other in Sociology

The Meaning of Other in Sociology In classical sociology, other is a concept in the study of social life through which we define relationships. We encounter two distinct types of others in relation to ourselves. Significant Other A â€Å"significant other† is someone about whom we have some degree of specific knowledge and thus we pay attention to what we perceive to be his or her personal thoughts, feelings or expectations. In this case, significant does not mean that the person is important, and it doesnt refer to the common parlance of a romantic relationship. Archie O. Haller, Edward L. Fink, and Joseph Woelfel of the University of Wisconsin performed the first scientific research and measurements of the influence of significant others on individuals. Haller, Fink, and Woelfel surveyed 100 adolescents in Wisconsin and measured their educational and occupational aspirations while also identifying the group of other individuals who interacted with the students and were mentors for them. Then they measured the impact of the significant others and their expectations for the teens educational possibilities. The results found that the expectations of the significant had the single most powerful influence on the students own aspirations. Generalized Other The second type of other is the â€Å"generalized other,† which we experience primarily as an abstract social status and the role that goes with it. It was developed by George Herbert Mead as a core concept in his discussion of the social genesis of the self. According to Mead, the self lives in an individuals ability to account for himself as a social being. This also requires a person to account for the role of the other as well as how his or her actions could affect a group. The generalized other represents the collection of roles and attitudes that people use as a reference to figure out how to behave in any particular situation. According to Mead: Selves develop in social contexts as people learn to take the roles of their consociates such that they can with a fair degree of accuracy predict how one set of actions is likely to generate fairly predictable responses. People develop these capacities in the process of interacting with one another, sharing meaningful symbols, and developing and using language to create, refine, and assign meanings to social objects (including themselves). For people to engage in complex and intricate social processes, they have to develop a sense of expectationsthe rules, roles, norms, and understanding that make responses predictable and understandable. When you learn these rules as distinct from others, the aggregate comprises a generalized other. Examples of the Other A significant other: We might know that the corner grocery store clerk likes children or does not like it when people ask to use the restroom. As an â€Å"other,† this person is significant in that we pay attention not only to what grocers are generally like, but also what we know about this particular grocer. A generalized other: When we enter a grocery store without any knowledge of the grocer, our expectations are based only on knowledge of grocers and customers in general and what is usually supposed to take place when they interact. Thus when we interact with this grocer, our only basis for knowledge is the generalized other.

Karl Marx's Philosophical Views Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Karl Marx's Philosophical Views - Essay Example Finally, I shall give my own reflection on whether communism would work or not.   Affluence by Marx According to Karl Marx, affluence refers to a situation when the working class in the society ends up being more economically stable. This relates to them having an opportunity to mortgage houses, invest in the stock market, amongst other businesses. In the long run, class struggles were witnessed in the society, and as Galbraith (pp.63) indicates, the rich had a lot to lose in this struggle. The society saw a reduction in the cottage factories, due to the increasing service provision industries, which saw a huge employment of the persons in the middle class society. It is apparent that the number of persons employed to perform manual jobs greatly reduced; thus, an increase in the bourgeoisie jobs. This gave a lot of people meaning to the kind of life they were living in the society, as all upheld the fact that they had to work to survive in the economic times. There was an increase in the rush to production and consumption means, an elucidation of the fact that all humans wanted to fulfill their potential. At this time, it is vital to note that the society was industrializing by the day. The society was slowly shifting into being an affluent one, with the rush of the classes, especially persons of the low classes taking part in the revolution towards attaining a higher status. However, one would argue that Marx was wrong in his thoughts that the society would not attain socialism with then rush to affluence and the advent of new technologies in the society. Galbraith would instead argue that the society would otherwise attain socialism if the foundations of the society are upheld keenly, even with most humble societies (63). Marx- ‘religion is the opium of the masses’ This remains one of the most remembered phrases by Karl Marx. In relation to the workers party, Marx aimed at bringing pout the view that religion is simply a tool that is used to su bdue some groups of people from others. In the research carried out by Marx & Marx et al, (pp.89), Marx indicates that religion has been vocal in silencing the working class, in an endeavor to defend the bourgeois from any form of exploitation and competition. In this case, the rich always avoided a situation whereby religion would die down. Marx & Marx et al state categorically that religion is the best instrument to get to the people with (90). In the layman point of view, religion is the source of hope for all, food for the hungry, home to the destitute, amongst others. Through this notion the poor have been oppressed in terms of the economic ability; thus, injustices in the social order. Religion can in this case be described as the source of all the predicaments in the society, by virtue of the oppressors using this tool to oppress the inexperienced and poor. In light to the interpretation of this statement, it is palpable that it holds much deeper meaning than it is perceived by the layman. It would be of great benefit if the whole theme of religion would be banned to reduce the endless streams of tears among the societal members (Marx & Marx et al, pp.89).   Marx- ‘workers of the world unite’ In his work, Hallas attempts to scrutinize Karl Marx’s viewpoints on the unity by workers (11). Marx was fully concerned with the progress of capitalism in the society, which according to him was the source of a myriad of production forces in

Arrested for Murder in Dublin Ireland Research Paper

Arrested for Murder in Dublin Ireland - Research Paper Example Murders in most countries attract different punishments and this is mostly influenced by the circumstance under which the murder was actually committed. Most regions use capital punishments for intentional murders even though current human rights bodies have advocated for the abolition of this punishment. The constitution of the republic of Ireland prohibits the death penalty and this has been in force since 2002 when constitutional amendments were undertaken. The legal processes involved in handling murder suspects in Dublin Ireland and the United States will be compared to highlight some of the legal differences that exist. Suspects have legal liberties and freedoms provided by the constitution of different countries including that of Dublin Ireland. As a murder suspect arrested in Dublin, Ireland, the legal procedure in the country exposes me to various processes which are considered under the due process law of the country. Due process rights are legal protections which are developed by law to protect suspects against unfair treatments and abuses during the arresting, interrogation and sentencing process. The due process rights differ depending on country in question and the process I will face in Ireland differs with that which I may be subjected to in the United States. Despite being accused of murder, the Dublin law demands that I be subjected to a fair process with fair treatment before being presented before a court of law. As an accused, the law does not require me to prove my innocence and may therefore maintain my silence during the initial phases of the trial (King, 2004). As an accused whose crime is still under investigation, the due process law in Dublin Ireland protects from self-incrimination and allows me the right to be represented by an attorney before the court of law. Before being arrested, the law enforcer has to read out the charges to me before I can be taken into police custody. The witnesses

Mother To Son Essay Example for Free

Mother To Son Essay The author, Langston Husthes, vividly showed how the African-Americans struggled and managed to live. The efforts they made to change and how much they changed their appearances were very evident in the three poems, â€Å"I am too†, â€Å"Mother to Son†, and â€Å"Negro†. The writer started the poem using a conversational tone, which easily showed its viewers that he was talking to somebody. In his poem, â€Å"Mother To Son†, the author told the story of how the African-Americans struggled to survive the harsh realities of living in a society dominated by the white people. The text included: â€Å"Life for me aint been no crystal stair. Its had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor Bare. † This specific part of the poem showed how much the African-Americans suffered from living in a society dominated by white people. The author used a lot of metaphors in the poem to illustrate his points. The â€Å"crystal stair† mentioned in the poem, contained several meanings. The crystal may be considered to be attractive, but very fragile. The use of the crystal in the poem was somehow successful in connecting a creative story with that of reality-that the crystal stair may be used as a symbol for the way of living white people had. The poem was also told from a mothers point of view. From the text, it can be perceived that the mother was a slave at the white house, serving white people. The reader is given contrasting images of how the African-Americans suffered, while the white and rich Americans ruled over society. Throughout the entire poem, the mother tried to show the readers the uneven treatment given to both races. Words, such as â€Å"and† were repeatedly used to emphasize the hardships endured during that time. The line, â€Å"And places with no carpet on the floor –Bare,† was also used to demonstrate how the white people unfairly treated the black people.

Nazi Olympics Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Nazi Olympics The 1936 Olympics in Berlin, also known as the â€Å"Nazi Olympics†, was a milestone in the history of the world. All of the attention of the Olympics that year was focused on Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. In 1933, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler became leader of Germany and quickly turned the nation's democracy into a one-party dictatorship. He took thousands of political opponents, holding them without trial in concentration camps. The Nazis also set up a program to strengthen the Germanic Aryan population. They began to exclude all one-half million Jews from the population, and German life. As part of the drive to "purify" and strengthen the German population, a 1933 law permitted physicians to perform forced sterilizations of psychiatric patients and congenitally handicapped persons, Gypsies, and Blacks (Encarta Encyclopedia 1996 [CD-ROM]). The 1936 Olympics in Berlin caused many worries, problems, and questions for America and other countries throughout the world. On 13 May 1931, the International Olympic Committee awarded the 1936 Summer Olympics to Berlin. The choice seemed to signal Germany's return to the world community after defeat in World War I. Berlin had forty-three votes, and Barcelona, Spain, the other option, had sixteen. The choice showed that Germany was being included once more in the world community. It also showed the International Olympic committee’s respect for Dr. Theodor Lewald, and Carl Diem, German sports leaders. Both men had been the planners for the 1916 Olympics that was scheduled, but was cancelled. Since then, they have been urging the Olympics to attempt to go back to Germany. Both Lewald and Diem were very pleased with the results (Mandell The Nazi Olympics 39). On 30 January 1933, the German president, Paul von Hindenburg, selected Adolf Hitler to be the head of the government. This was very unexpected. Hitler was the leader of an extreme right-wing political party, the National Socialist German Workers (Nazi) Party. Hitler sought to expand Germany with new territories and boundaries. Hitler also focused on rebuilding Germany’s military strength. In many speeches Hitler made, he spoke often about the value of â€Å"racial purity† and the dominance of the Aryan master race. The Nazi’s spread their racist beliefs in schools through textbooks, radios, new... ...oft Encarta The 1936 Olympics [CD-ROM] Microsoft, 1996 Sirracose, Constantine. History of the Olympic Games Seaburn Books, 15 March 2000 Swaddling, Judith. The Ancient Olympic Games HRH The Princess Royal, January 2000 Bibliography Bachrach, Susan D. The Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936 Boston, MA : Little, Brown and Company, 2000 Green, Robert. â€Å"Berlin Olympics exhibition opens in Washington† Dateline: WASHINGTON 19 July 1996 Hoadley, Johanna. â€Å"’36 Olympic Hopefuls Remember Nazi Past† Scripps Howard News Service,as provided by SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE 19 July 1996 Kastor, Elisabeth. â€Å"Olympic History† The Washington Post 19 September 2000 : C15 Kindersly, Dorling. The Olympic Games: Athens 1896-Sydney 2000 Chronicle of the Games, 1 July 2000 Mandell, Richard. The Nazi Olympics Illinois : Sports and Society, 1987 Martin, David. The Olympic Marathon Human Kinetics, May 2000 Microsoft Encarta 1996 The 1936 Olympics [CD-ROM] Microsoft, 1996 Microsoft Encarta 2001 The 1936 Olympics (The Nazi Olympics) [CD-ROM] Microsoft, 2001 Sirracose, Constantine. History of the Olympic Games Seaburn Books, 15 March 2000 Swaddling, Judith. The Ancient Olympic Games HRH The Princess Royal, January 2000

Linguistics and Chomsky S Theory Essay

Chomsky believes that children are born with an inherited ability to learn any of the human languages. He thinks that certain linguistic structures that children use so accurately, must have already stuck in their mind. Chomsky believes that every child has a ‘language acquisition device’ or LAD. LAD encodes the major principles of a language and its grammatical structures into the child’s brain. Then the children only have to learn new vocabulary and apply the syntactic structures form the LAD to form sentences. He pointed out that a child could not possibly learn a new language through imitation alone simply because the language spoken around them is of a higher form. Adult’s speech is often broken up and even sometime ungrammatical. His theory applies to all languages as they all contain; nouns, verbs, consonants and vowels. Every language is extremely complex, often with subtle distinctions which even native speakers are unaware of. However, all children, regardless of their intellectual ability, become fluent in their native language within five or six years. Evidence to support Chomsky’s theory †¢Children learning to speak never make grammatical errors such as getting their subjects, verbs and objects in the wrong order. †¢If an adult deliberately said a grammatically incorrect sentence, the child would notice. †¢Children often say things that are ungrammatical such as ‘mama ball’, which they cannot have learnt passively. †¢Mistakes such as ‘I drawed’ instead of ‘I drew’ show they are not learning through imitation alone. †¢Chomsky used the sentence ‘colourless green ideas sleep furiously’, which is grammatical although it doesn’t make sense, to prove his theory: he said it shows that sentences can be grammatical without having any meaning, that we can tell the difference between a grammatical and an ungrammatical sentence without ever having heard the sentence before, and that we can produce and understand brand new sentences that no one has ever said before. Evidence against Chomsky’s theory †¢Critics of Chomsky’s theory say that although it is clear that children don’t learn language through imitation alone, this does not prove that they must have an LAD – language learning could merely be through general learning and understanding abilities and interactions with other people.

High School Should Offer Vocational Education Essay

The vocational education that high schools offer means that students can have vocational classes like academic classes. In the vocational classes, students can learn about how to fix cars, how to cook, or how to make furniture. Students can have these classes three or even more times a week. In my view, high schools should offer vocational education because it benefits the youth a lot. First of all, the vocational education can teach students some useful skills that can take to their adulthood, even though they won’t become the professionals. Imagine that your car is broken, what will you do? You could pay the repair shop and wait for weeks to get your car back, or you could fix it by yourself if you had the vocational education in high school. Some people say that there is no need to learn the skills like those if you don’t want to be a professional. However, life will be more convenient if you can do this stuff. For example, you can fix your car by yourself, for which you can save money and time, or you can cook Chinese food for your family at home instead of going to restaurants. Those things are daily occurrences. Also, vocational education can develop the individualism of high school students. With the developing of the society, increasingly the youth tend to rely on the technology like computers or Internet. On the other hand, the physical skills of the youth are declining. They have to ask for help when they meet the problems like the light is broken. But the vocational education can develop individualism of students by teaching them the skills they need and they can do them by themselves vocational education lets them think independently and have more confidence. Finally, it maybe true that having vocational education will distract the force of students on academic studying. Nevertheless, vocational education can let students find their potential and interests. There is a saying that the most happy thing in the world is doing what you are interested in as the job. By taking the vocational education, the youth can find what they really like to do and what their potential is. Maybe some students who are not good at math are good with their hands. Youth have a yearning for what they really like and are good at. Any enlightened and progressive high schools  should embrace the conflict of vocational education and academic education as a call for change. In sum, vocational education benefits the students a lot. It will teach youth the useful skill, develop individualism, and let students find their potential and interests. I think the most important objective of high schools is to guide students and offer them the education to become who they want to be, which is exactly what vocational school can do. For these reasons, I think high school should offer vocational education.

STANISLAVSKI essays

STANISLAVSKI essays In the 19th century Russian Theatre was very unreal and the monopoly of the imperil theatres had been abolished in 1882. So after the abolishment plays were put on to make quick profits. The theatre Stanislavski came to was in a state and he ne he had to do something about it. The rehearsal process did not last that long. It only took 7 days from start to finish which is totally different from now a days. The first rehearsal consists of the actors reading their parts book in hand and the prompter was silent. The director gave actors moves for Act 1 and 2. These moves would barley relate to the script and what the character would be doing at the time. They would be told to pace up and down to show nervous state while wringing their hands If an actor asked to sit because their character would do that they were told how can you possibly sit down when you are supposed to be nervous? Day two and this continued for Acts 3 and 4. Day three and day four was the actors rehearsed their line and moves they had been tote the days before. They spoke in half voice for this. Day five and the line should be learnt but usually never were. Day six, the actors play without the script but still in half voice. The prompter would be in full voice so he was heard. Day seven, the actors play in full voice with make-up, costume and set. That night would be the performance. Often the actors took over and ignored the director thinking they new better. Actor would move to the front to deliver their lines to the audience and never the other character they were meant to talking to, as this was the style at the time. The script would be ignored and sometimes actors made their lines up and never learned them. Actors that couldn't be bothered to learn their lines moved DSC to the prompter's box and were spoon-fed their lines. The sets were set up so the actors could deliver their line straight out front. Set...

Apple Business Strategy Analysis

Samsung is on the second place with 7,5%. Resources of Apple. Potential for scale, experience and scope economies Strong know-how, RFS, RMS, new Product Development Programme, together with skilled human resources represents well integrated resources of the company. Diversified product line and high quality software and hardware allow sharing the resources of the company among existing businesses. This may create economies of scope, which saves costs. The size of the company, level of innovations, design and strong brand name gives to Apple competitive advantage. Company uses economies of scale, having achieved multi channel marketing and mostly cut the middleman and this is decreases the costs and increases the margin to Apple and consequently lower costs for the customers. Strengths of Apple. Core competencies Due to financial strength and inherited hardware and software company was able to extend product line and created a new market instead of displacing existing one. Apple relies on a new Product Development Program of Kaizen in the product offer keeping in this way high loyalty of the customers and meeting their needs. Core competence consists of constant innovations and creating added value for customers in terms of innovative design and technology Strategic fit of Apple Key success factors Core pompetence| Style| Size| Software| Download facility| Design| 5| 5| 5| 5| Quality| 5|   | 5|   | Capacity|   |   |   | 5| We observe strong fit between company’s core competencies and key success factors. Apple develops the program of constant improvement of the product as well as use experience which is resulted is extremely high performance and flourishing of the company. SWOT analysis for Apple | Opportunities;Time| | Short-medium term| Medium-long term| Strengths| Innovative Design | Strong brand Leading market position of digital market| Weaknesses| Simple immitation| Cannibalisation| Vision ; Mission Vision: * Keep leading position at the worldwide market * Focused on the future * Penetrate the markets where company can make big contribution to society Mission: * Design best personal computers * Innovations in digital music with (iPod, iTunes online stores) * Innovation of iPhone and iPad in terms of favorable market conditions * Design and develop own operating system, hardware, application software * Design new customer products with superior easy-of-use R;D Apple’s objectives Objectives: In a line with company’s mission presumably Apple is mostly focused on non-financial objectives such as constant improving of the product offer and quality of the devices, expanding of distribution network to reach more targeted customers * Innovation: shorten the innovation cycle to 12 months * Quality: Keizer mantra Apple Strate gy overview | Products-markets| Vertical Integration| Internationalization| Diversification| International Development| Expansion of distribution hannels creat best pc, portable digital music, mobile communication, iPad3| Vertical integration into retail combined with online store and iTunes Store| Growth shift outside US because of global demand for iPhone, iPads mainly to Asia Pacific, Europe, Japan Apple Stores expansion aimed internationally| increasing number of iOS devices – iPhones Macs iPads iPods| Mergers;Acquizition  | Security hardware and software for PCs and mobile devicesFlash memory| AuthenTecAnobit (Israel) |   -|   -| Strategic Alliances  | Market alliances in the supply chain and designn development|   -|   -|   -| In terms of Mergers ; Acquisitions company tends to have conservative trends. Company leaves to be more focused on innovative technologies to make their product unique. Apple Business Strategy Analysis Samsung is on the second place with 7,5%. Resources of Apple. Potential for scale, experience and scope economies Strong know-how, RFS, RMS, new Product Development Programme, together with skilled human resources represents well integrated resources of the company. Diversified product line and high quality software and hardware allow sharing the resources of the company among existing businesses. This may create economies of scope, which saves costs. The size of the company, level of innovations, design and strong brand name gives to Apple competitive advantage. Company uses economies of scale, having achieved multi channel marketing and mostly cut the middleman and this is decreases the costs and increases the margin to Apple and consequently lower costs for the customers. Strengths of Apple. Core competencies Due to financial strength and inherited hardware and software company was able to extend product line and created a new market instead of displacing existing one. Apple relies on a new Product Development Program of Kaizen in the product offer keeping in this way high loyalty of the customers and meeting their needs. Core competence consists of constant innovations and creating added value for customers in terms of innovative design and technology Strategic fit of Apple Key success factors Core pompetence| Style| Size| Software| Download facility| Design| 5| 5| 5| 5| Quality| 5|   | 5|   | Capacity|   |   |   | 5| We observe strong fit between company’s core competencies and key success factors. Apple develops the program of constant improvement of the product as well as use experience which is resulted is extremely high performance and flourishing of the company. SWOT analysis for Apple | Opportunities;Time| | Short-medium term| Medium-long term| Strengths| Innovative Design | Strong brand Leading market position of digital market| Weaknesses| Simple immitation| Cannibalisation| Vision ; Mission Vision: * Keep leading position at the worldwide market * Focused on the future * Penetrate the markets where company can make big contribution to society Mission: * Design best personal computers * Innovations in digital music with (iPod, iTunes online stores) * Innovation of iPhone and iPad in terms of favorable market conditions * Design and develop own operating system, hardware, application software * Design new customer products with superior easy-of-use R;D Apple’s objectives Objectives: In a line with company’s mission presumably Apple is mostly focused on non-financial objectives such as constant improving of the product offer and quality of the devices, expanding of distribution network to reach more targeted customers * Innovation: shorten the innovation cycle to 12 months * Quality: Keizer mantra Apple Strate gy overview | Products-markets| Vertical Integration| Internationalization| Diversification| International Development| Expansion of distribution hannels creat best pc, portable digital music, mobile communication, iPad3| Vertical integration into retail combined with online store and iTunes Store| Growth shift outside US because of global demand for iPhone, iPads mainly to Asia Pacific, Europe, Japan Apple Stores expansion aimed internationally| increasing number of iOS devices – iPhones Macs iPads iPods| Mergers;Acquizition  | Security hardware and software for PCs and mobile devicesFlash memory| AuthenTecAnobit (Israel) |   -|   -| Strategic Alliances  | Market alliances in the supply chain and designn development|   -|   -|   -| In terms of Mergers ; Acquisitions company tends to have conservative trends. Company leaves to be more focused on innovative technologies to make their product unique.

International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words - 1

International Marketing - Essay Example This essay stresses that along with these strategies, the report also presents a comprehensive description of the human resource strategies along with the suggested mode of entry for the brand. Various macro-environmental and micro-environmental factors have also been addressed in this report, which were identified as relevant to the proposed international marketing plan. Concerning the challenges likely to be witnessed when implementing this plan along with the opportunities and the benefits to be obtained, it can be affirmed that high growth prospects persists within the Indian consumer technology industry owing to the flexible Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policies and lesser competition. Furthermore, the analyses presented through this report also reveal that an increasing consumer demand is also identifiable within the Indian market which further strengthens the marketing proposal. This paper makes a conclusion that with reference to the above discussion, it can be apparently observed that the proposed marketing plan can be effective subjected to certain aspects. The most crucial aspect which needs to be taken into concern when applying the proposed marketing plan is the uncertainty witnessed currently in the technology consumer market in India as well as that in the global industrial context. In this regard, it becomes quite vital for the company to make continuous evaluation and projection of its operations as well as strategic implications in order to ensure long-run profitability and sustainability in the targeted market.