Cataracts Treatment

Prevention & Treatment Wearing UV-protecting sunglasses and regular intake of antioxidants may slow the development of cataracts. N-acetylcarnosine eye drops is topical non-surgical treatment of cataracts, which can improve transmissivity and reduce glare sensitivity. The most common types of surgical treatments include intracapsular cataract extraction (ICCE), Extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) and phacoemulsification (Phaco). Surgical removal is more effective for stopping cataract formation.Progression of cataracts can be slowed by avoiding large amounts of ultraviolet light, not  smoking, and following a healthy diet. Wearing UV-protection sunglasses when exposed to sunlight can be helpful. Non-surgical Topical  treatment (eye drops) with the less well-known antioxidant  N-acetylcarnosine  has been shown in randomized controlled clinical trials to improve transmissivity and reduce glare sensitivity for patients with cataracts. Surgical: Currently, the most effective treatment for cataracts is surgical removal. Medications cannot stop cataract formation.They most common types of surgical treatment include: intracapsular cataract extraction (ICCE) Extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) phacoemulsification (Phaco) intracapsular cataract extraction involved removal of the entire lens and its supporting structures. Extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) and phacoemulsification (Phaco) involves removal of the cataract leaving the posterior capsule intact. The difference between ECCE and Phaco is the size of the incision and the technique of cataract removal. With ECCE, the incision is approximately 6 millimeters.The central nucleus of the cataract is removed by gentle external expression. Then the incision is closed with about 3 sutures. By comparison, a Phaco incision is only approximately 2 millimeters. Ultrasound energy dissolves the nucleus and it is aspirated through a small instrument. The incision may or may not require any sutures to clo se it. Phaco can offers the patient the quickest recovery both techniques (Msics and Phaco)gave similar results, but that manual small-incision surgery is faster, less expensive, and less technology-dependent than phaco- emulsification.Thus manual small-incision surgery appeared more appropriate in low-income countries. 6,7 A systematic review provides evidence from seven RCTs that phacoemulsification gives a better outcome than ECCE with sutures. We also found evidence that ECCE with a posterior chamber lens implant provides better visual outcome than ICCE with aphakic glasses. The long term effect of posterior capsular opacification (PCO) needs to be assessed in larger populations. The data also suggests that ICCE with an anterior chamber lens implant is an effective alternative to ICCE with aphakic glasses, with similar safety.Phacoemulsification provides the best visual outcomes but will only be accessible to the poorer countries if the cost of phacoemulsification and foldable I OLs decrease. Manual small incision cataract surgery provides early visual rehabilitation and comparable visual outcome to PHACO. It has better visual outcomes than ECCE and can be used in any clinic that is currently carrying out ECCE with IOL. Further research from developing regions are needed to compare the cost and longer term outcomes of these procedures e. g. PCO and corneal endothelial cell damage.In more than 95% of cases, a new lens, known as a lens implant or intraocular lens is inserted at the same time as the cataract removal. Although modern techniques have made cataract surgery quite safe, complications can occur with any surgical procedure, including cataract extraction. These include hemorrhage, infection, loss of a portion of the cataract into the eye, displacement of the intraocular lens, glaucoma, and  retinal detachment. Fortunately, all these complications are rare and usually can be managed. Blindness is a rare complication of cataract surgery. http://www. c ataractcare. com. au/

Macroeconomics vs. Microeconomics Essay

hese are two branches or rather methods of exposition of the science of economics. The distinction between them can best be explained by comparing their main features. As the terms suggest, macroeconomics deals with the market on a large-scale and its aggregate problems, while microeconomics concerns markets on a small-scale and individual aspects of the problems. There are six distinct aspects of the two approaches that are shown as in the following table: Microeconomics Macroeconomics (a) Units of the study Individual consumers, producers workers, traders, etc. Aggregate units such as state National or International economy. (b) Activities Optimization and maximization of personal gains and profits. Long term growth, maintenance of high levels of production and employment. (c) Origin Micro activities emerge on the demand side of consumer’s choices. Problems of long-term growth depend upon the supply of productive resources (d) Conditions This approach is functional under static conditions and small time intervals. This approach is functional under dynamic conditions and complex long run changes. (e) Methods It is concerned with small adjustments, for which the application of a marginal method is suitable. It deals with complex, dynamic changes inviting the use of advanced mathematical techniques. (f) Levels Micro adjustments in resource A allocation are made in response to changes in relative prices of goods and services. The aggregate level of income or total economic activities is considered to be constant. Macro approach attempts to find the conditions of long-term expansions in output as a whole, assuming relative prices as constant (or significant). This distinction between micro and macroeconomics as presented above is only a matter of theoretical convenience. The two approaches are complementary and not competitive; one cannot consider these to be watertight compartments

Lowry’s The Giver

Character isolationism and the struggles surrounding solitude are recurring themes in many great pieces of literature. Lowry’s The Giver is an excellent work of contemporary fiction whose main character, Jonas, struggles with such a burden. In order to properly identify character relationships of isolation, I will compare and contrast The Giver with two other well-known pieces of adolescent literature: The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton and Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. Jonas, in The Giver, views his hometown as the perfect place, a utopia that is self-contained and free of ruinous element such as conflict, illness, divorce, and inequality. He comes from a loving, demonstrative family unit: father, mother, one brother, one sister. Everyone in his hometown fits this perfectly balanced poster-family mold. It’s a gift-wrapped location to raise a family, or so we are led to believe. His family, as are all families in this utopia-like society, has good communication methods and are supportive of one another. Lowry creates such a background to impact his theme of a protagonist teetering into the realm of isolationism. The author uses the omniscient point of view of Jonas throughout the story. As the reader envisions the story solely through Jonas, we see his family is supposed shares their feelings and emotions when issues arise. It’s almost too perfect. Yet perfection diminishes when we discover, through foreshadowing, that a certain pilot who was in a plane crash was to be â€Å"released from the community. † The speaker’s voice takes the situation lightly, even with a hint of humor—a marker that something is amiss. One of the main themes in The Giver is individuality verses conformity. This parallels Jonas’s struggles with isolationism. Lowry leads us to believe in this utopia. Yet, as Jonas and other children freely choose jobs to increase their own knowledge base, it becomes apparent that the Elders have another purpose for them. The Elder will be choosing what direction their future will go once they are twelve years-old. Later, Jonas shares a provocative dream he had about Fiona. Jonas is pleased with the pleasure his dream brings to him. Lowry wrote, And the nakedness, too. It was against the rules for children or adults to look at another’s nakedness; but the rule did not apply to newchildren or the Old. (p. 30) This statement speaks volumes about the sexual racism and tensions that were prevalent in the society of The Giver which can be compared to the pressures that revolved around the status of wealth in The Outsiders and Catcher in the Rye. The Giver’s protagonist accepts this rule as Lowry responds to the rule against seeing other people naked. Jonas was glad. It was a nuisance to keep oneself covered while changing for games, and the required apology if one had by mistake glimpsed another’s body was always awkward. (p. 30) The author gives us subtle hints of Jonas’s isolation that is to come. He liked the safety here in this warm and quiet room (p 30) According to the Elders ‘touching’ other people outside of one’s immediate family was deemed rude and inappropriate behavior. His mother informs him that he’ll be taking a pill to help him. This is one more way for the Elders to control their youth. In event, this leads to Jonas into isolationism. Jonas begins to feel sad. When Gabe is actually allowed to live with Jonas’s family, the community sets boundaries. Gabe can stay but they are not allowed to become emotionally attached to him. The communities’ means of controlling its people sinks Jonas further into isolation. Jonas speaks with the Chief Elder in chapter eight, bringing to light the impact of his isolation. The Chief Elder says, â€Å"But you will be faced now,† she explained gently, â€Å"with pain of a magnitude that none of us here can comprehend because it’s beyond our experience†¦. So, because the Elders, hid their true motive, children are torn emotionally from what was to be a perfect life. When we consider the novel, The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton we find many parallels with The Giver. Both have themes centered on isolationism and what sort of grave effects it can have on an individual, a family, or a town. There are also contrasting differences in these two novels. Both of w hich will be discussed in detail. The Outsiders is a story of two teenage gangs: the socs and the greasers. This novel is a classic East versus West scenario in a small Oklahoma town in the 1960’s. The soc’s—which is an abbreviation for socials—is a gang of affluent teenage hoodlums that drive fast cars, get the pretty girls, and have the social markings of upper class due to their family’s economic status. The greasers are the gang of teenage boys that come from the lower class, most being raised in broken homes where mom or dad—or sometimes neither parent—is around to provide guidance. One contrasting difference here is the fact that The Giver opens with families living in a utopia-like geographic area where every single family fits the perfect family unit of a father, mother, and two siblings. This family unit is structured with communication skills as well where issues are discussed on a daily basis. There are no racial tension or inequality issues to speak of in The Giver, either. S. E. Hinton, on the other hand, creates a real-life scenario that parallel’s lifestyles in Oklahoma in the 1960’s—which is when the book was written by an actual teenager. Thus, The Outsiders displays how dysfunctional families operate. There is constant conflict among siblings and taunting between the greasers and the socs. Being in a gang instantly offers the teenage-societies an extended family. They trust one another and wound die for each other. The families within the gang understand one another because they can relate to one another’s pain and suffering. Even when they are faced with such constant emotional struggles, physical entanglements, and trouble with law enforcement, the gang members are on the same wave-length and follow one another. In The Giver, the families live in an apparent pristine environment that directly opposes this. The parents and children form proper communication channels by discussing issues at dinnertime. Some of the characters in the Outsiders are lucky if they get dinner every night. Yet, the path of isolationism for Jonas is the genesis for the character’s circumstances. He cannot free himself of this downward spiral, even when he’s placed in such a positive environment. S. E. Hinton, on the other hand, displays characters coming together in the worst of times. Another parallel, in The Outsiders, ties into the issue of separation from family. Here, teens are often led to see things as only right or wrong. But, as we know, circumstances in life are rarely black and white. Too many intricacies are involved when teens are struggling to survive and discover their way to be viewed as simply all-right or all-wrong. The protagonists in both Hinton’s and Lowry’s novel have underlying subplots of youths trying to discover their place in life. Another comparison is the fact that both authors play into the common-knowledge ideal that says, life isn’t fair. Whether life is fair to the soc’s or the greasers is seen differently. The soc’s desire the glamour and status that goes along with their affluent upbringing. The greasers, on the other hand, desire a different image. They don’t want to be associated with the upper crust of society. According to a greaser, the money, clothes, and cars, are the last thing they’d ever view as a priority in life. In fact, they despise them, mainly for how society treats the lower class. However, both gangs are products of a lifestyle where parental upbringing doesn’t show respect to their children because parents are unwilling to listen to the youth’s ideas, desires, and needs. These are the precise components that led to Jonas’s separation from the family unit. In the novel, Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, we find similar connections in the background of each story. Both novels depict a protagonist coming from an affluent upbringing. Salinger’s novel is set in a post World War II time when the nation was trying to make a financial recovery. Holden goes to a private school and money is of no concern to him, his family, or his immediate peer group. The breadwinner in Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s father, is a corporate attorney that is only interested in money, golf, and fancy toys such as classy cars. Freedom from financial concerns is a comparative attribute for Holden and Jonas. Holden and his father don’t understand one another which can be compared to Jonas and a discussion he has with the Elders in Chapter 20. â€Å"What about you? Do you lie to me, too? † Jonas almost spat the question at The Giver. â€Å"I am empowered to lie. † This grave scene in The Giver brings to light how painful an entire childhood can be. It’s the parents and Elders were not true to their children and thus impacts the life of our protagonist. Holden’s father is also blinded by money and his status as a corporate lawyer. This puts barriers up between him and his son. These barriers are like lying to Holden, causing him harm as he tries to find his place in society. Just as Jonas is the protagonist and narrator, Holden is also the narrator and protagonist of Catcher in the Rye. The impact of the stories theme and character relationships in both stories can be felt on a deeper level when we experience the story solely through the protagonist’s eye. Another contrasting element between the protagonists for S. E. Hinton and J. D. Salinger is how the characters are introduced to the story. It is very clear that Holden is struggling with life. He is 16 years-old with partially gray hair, thin, and out of shape. He smokes cigarettes as well. Jonas, on the other hand, is raised in this Eden-like village where everyone moves through life free of stress and ailments. Furthermore, Holden is an angry teen who is very confused and depressed. He also displays characteristics of bigotry which contrasts Jonas’s lifestyle of equality. Holton, however, is an evil person but he can be kind and even thoughtful which matches the characteristic expectations of the children in The Giver. In fact, almost every person had similar physical features as can be seen in the following citation: Almost every citizen in the community had dark eyes. His parents did, and Lily did, and so did all of his group members and friends (p. 20). Yet a distinction is drawn in Jonas as the author followed the above citation with this: But there are a few exceptions: Jonas, himself, and a female Five who he had noticed the different, lighter eyes. Thus, we are given hints of Jonas’s differences. This contrasts the obvious struggles that are in Holton’s persona. As I looked collectively at the comparisons and contrasting differences between The Giver and the two other novels, I found the likenesses to be more apparent than the differences. Each of the novels under study all had a theme of isolationism. On top of this, the protagonists and most of the minor characters in all the novels were children and young adults who struggled with loss, depression, conflict, and illness. Each story brought the reality of separation and isolationism to light as the youth banded together to overcome obstacles. The stories display how great an impact deceit, control, and lack of compassion can have on individuals growing into adulthood. People can shut down and sink into isolation. The burden of all this can either lead people away from following their dreams—sometimes destroying themselves into a pit of isolation. The strong-willed, however, find a way to learn from these challenging situations and discover ways to help themselves so that they, in turn, can help friends and loved ones.

The significance of credit rating on Chinese auto industry Literature review

The significance of credit rating on Chinese auto industry - Literature review Example This study will mainly concentrate on the importance of credit rating of Chinese auto companies and how credit rating affects auto industry in China. The reason of focusing on Chinese auto industry is that auto industry in China has less influences of Chinese government policies, which could combine more experiences and academic results from western countries into this study. This study will also explore the significance of credit rating to the sustainable development of Chinese auto industry. In order to solve the problems about asymmetry information between lenders and investors and existence of credit risks, credit rating agency appears in the market. Focusing on the Chinese auto industry, this project will demonstrate the specified risk factors in the auto industry and how the ratings are determined by studying the features of Chinese credit rating market and comparing with the western countries’ experiences. The mathematical modelling can be applied in this part to show the ratings clearly and also case study will be used here. Moreover, this project will also introduce the impact to the large auto enterprises in China. This can be illustrated from two points: on one side, the significance of credit rating on developed corporate bonds of the auto companies will be studied; on the other side, the role of credit ratings on new products of asset securitisation of Chinese auto firms will be analysed. Furthermore, based on the studies, this project will discuss the sustainable development strategies for Chinese auto industry. 4. The impact of credit ratings to Chinese auto corporate bonds which are already in the market need to be discussed; the important role of credit ratings on new financial products of Chinese auto asset securitisation will be analysed. Credit risk in the financial market can be defined as the uncertain ability of an obligor to repay the money owing. Adams et al. (1999) mentions thatCredit rating started back in 1837 by Mercantille

Human Resource Management and Performance Essay

Human Resource Management and Performance - Essay Example   Human resource management employs the concepts of strategic management in order to derive maximum productivity from the human resources. Human resource management (HRM) is a function whose main objective is to integrate the organizations policy with all the HRM practices. These HRM practices are staffing, performance appraisal, remuneration management, and dismissal (Price, 1997, p. 72). It is imperative to note that the top management is highly involved in this system. This approach enhances employee attitudes and behavior which should be in line with the overall goals of the organization. The conventional Human resource practices have arisen due to constant improvements in the area of management from early schools of thought. The earliest school of thought on management was the Classical management theory. This theory was advanced in the period of the industrial revolution. This theory was developed amidst studies done to ascertain the best way to execute and manage tasks. Impo rtant to note is that the classical management theory was broken down into two fundamental concepts. These are the classical scientific approach and classical administrative approach (Boxall, 1992, p. 19) The classical scientific theory was developed in order to capitalize on productivity and effectiveness in the organization. The approach was based on analyzing the work processes and evaluation of the competency of the available workforce. The main objective was to determine the most efficient way to complete tasks.   

Seven Top Competencies of a Project Manager Essay

Seven Top Competencies of a Project Manager - Essay Example Role of the Project Manager The project manager has a significant role of ensuring execution of the project in different areas including planning, operation, monitoring, and control, as well as ending the project per se. Project managers coordinate activities of project team members to achieve the proposed objectives and the vision of the project. In their day-to-day functions, the projects managers have to focus on short and long-term activities. Conventionally, project managers focused on larger, more comprehensive projects. However, contemporary organizations give project managers the mandate to work with even smaller, less technical projects. The Project Management concept has received a lot of attention in the past few decades and has become a highly desired area in most of institutions and organizations. According to Muller and Turner (2010), one goal of a good project manager is to know how he/she is going to manage his/her project, know what to do if the implementation plan f ails, to accomplish the project objectives and ensure integration of the inputs of all of the project stakeholders. Further, the role of project managers is diverse. Turner and Muller (2005) highlight that they determine how the project should set off. By good Integrated Management they help in determining, developing and managing the direction of the project, as well as the scope of the project. A good and well defined project must include best scope management practices that include planning, defining and managing the scope of the project. Another issue is on-time and cost management. Managers should develop budget and a good time plan such as developing a schedule, allocating resources and managing funds for the project for effective results. A good process gives good output due to quality management. There must be a task force to take care of the quality of the process in question such that it meets or even exceeds various quality parameters set but the laid down standards (Camp us, 2002). Human Resource Management is vital and is the responsibility of the project manager. He/she needs to take care of his/her team, encourage and motivate members and make sure the team is on a pathway to success, which helps to ensure that the project implementation process moves in the right direction (Campus, 2002). Communication allows good information flow and hence communication management should be one of the critical aspects that project managers should strive to accomplish among senior and junior staff. The project manager needs to prepare a communication plan, communication technique and make sure that there is healthy communication, both internally and externally (Crawford, 2000). The manager is evaluated successfully against each of the factors affecting his/her communication skills. Risk and hazards are inevitable and, hence, there is need for project managers to establish strong risk management strategies. Various risks which exist in a project should be identif ied and a mitigation plan needs to be developed and implemented to ensure that the project is not affected at any point. A project manager determines success or failure of the project based on the work and procurement plans developed before ground breaking. The project manager has a role of ensuring that procurement plans are strategically positioned to enhance the accomplishment of the project objectives. Various materials needed during the project need to be procured and

Cmplaint letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cmplaint letter - Essay Example I then went to my home country to start my process of applying for a graduate school scholarship from the government. In addition, my application to be a non-business degree student in Business school for one semester was approved. Moreover, I was planning to start my GMAT course as full student in Bridge English center as I waited for my official transcript and completion letter to get the scholarship considering the fact that my non-degree course as well as my GMAT course would be catered for. On 11 August 2010, I checked smart system and to my surprise , I learnt that I got an â€Å" I † in Organizational Design, MGMT 4370. This was because my instructor had no grade recorded for the three case studies. However, I had done all the three case studies, two of which she marked and gave back to me. In fact, I have them with me. As for the third case study, we were supposed to have completed and handed it in on the last day of the class, which I did. Unfortunately, I did not make my own copy – I just printed it and handed it in. Attached are all emails, the two case studies that she marked and the transcript. I am aware that she changed the grade later, but she did it so late that I lost the aforementioned opportunities. I now cannot get acceptance in graduate school next spring, owing to a fault that I never committed. I am extremely disappointed! I would greatly appreciate if you would kindly address this

Tesco in Chinese Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Tesco in Chinese Market - Essay Example Question 2: To consider the risk and additional difficulties involved when a UK based retail supermarket expands its outlet to include wider Europe and Central Asia. The aim of the question is to get suitable answers that will aid in the reduction of some particular risks. The discussion will flow in the direction by first providing evidence of research which inform regarding the implications of expanding business in the said geographies and especially expanding in foreign markets. An analysis of the possible risks and steps involved to mitigate such risks will also be mentioned. Question 1: The proceedings of the RICS foundation construction and building research conference stated the following with regards to the client and stake holder briefing during the pre design phase of construction. "Client briefing is considered to be one of the most important stages in the life of a project .. Research in the UK has identified the need for the clients and advisers to be aware of the importance of what can be commonly termed, the strategic level of decision making."(Smith 2002) The research resulted in indicating that client briefing at the strategic level had the most potential for cost savings in the project. The outcome of the briefing can be maximized positively if client advisers at the time of meeting place high priority on: 1. Understanding the project priorities and business objectives 2. Providing advice which assist clients to gain competitive advantage. 3. Being client oriented rather than focusing too much on the details of the project to the detriment of the broader issues and objectives. (Hapanova et. al 2005) The briefing at the pre design stage should no doubt be one that is wholesome and involve all the participants in an active manner. This can be achieved only if the needs and concerns of everyone are addressed. Eventually there arises a need for the development of a process that will systematically solve issues and clarify doubts raised. The process must be useful well organized and sensitive to client and stakeholder needs. Thus any briefing process designed must have the following essentials in order to improve outcomes for the client, the stake holder and the members in the design team. 1. Create various strategic options for the future direction of the organization 2. Actively involve a range and number if different types of stake holder; 3. adopt fair and rigorous means of decision making 4. To allow each participant (the client, stakeholder and the members in the design team) to contribute to the decision making process irrespective of their position and their role in the organizational hierarchy. 5. Involve external stakeholders so that they can contribute to the development of a strategic decision. 6. Provide commitment to decisions made to improve their chances of implementation. 7. be supported by senior management in the process and through the decision makin

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT - Essay Example This is how a need for vertical integration springs in some businesses. The idea of vertical integration was made famous by Henry Ford. He wanted to make everything on his own without relying on any foreign trade. Vertical integration gives a firm monopoly power over other firms. A vertically integrated company has a flexible supply chain and therefore can afford to hold fewer inventories. Lowered costs and greater control are major advantages of vertical integration. The problem associated with vertical integration is that it is very hard and expensive to implement. It is also not easy to reverse vertical integration in a particular firm (The Economist, 2009). Horizontal integration, on the other hand, refers to a kind of ownership in which a firm merges or buys another company which is in the same business. For example an automobile company buying another automobile company will be an example of horizontal integration. It is the expansion or growth of the firm at the same level of the value chain. This means that an automobile company buying an investment firm will not come under horizontal integration. The merger should be between two firms involved in the same business activity. Horizontal integration also offers many advantages for a firm. It allows a firm to gain more market share by catering to more customers. It helps a company expand into newer markets. It also helps a company gain economies of scale and in turn increases the market power of the firm. The process of horizontal integration is also not easy to manage because there may be many differences between two firms that can cause problems. For example there can be a gap in technological expertise of firms or culture of the two firms can be different. These differences make... The intention of this study is Toyota as a good example of vertical integration as it works closely with its supplier to assist them in their production of raw materials that are eventually used by Toyota in its cars. Toyota is not a fully vertically integrated firm but it applies the concept to a great extent. The company owns shares and stakes in its suppliers business and by doing so Toyota can exert its influence on its suppliers which is the main aspect of vertical integration. The main focus of the company is to develop a supply chain that can eventually add value to the end users and at the same time can reduce costs related to inventory and supplies. Horizontal integration involves owning another business in the same industry. In the automobile industry, again, horizontal integration cannot work by the books. Toyota cannot buy other automobile companies because it is not feasible for Toyota. Instead horizontal integration works when firms in the similar business collaborate f or a joint venture. This gives the two companies opportunity to work together but at the same time does not take toll on the management system. Handling two companies especially in the automobile sector can be a cumbersome tasks therefore joint ventures and collaborations work well instead. Toyota owns equity stakes in its supplier which allows the firm to control its supply side. Toyota is also holding equity in electric car manufacturer Tesla and this is an example of horizontal integration.

Portfolio Analysis Essay Example for Free

Portfolio Analysis Essay In the investment world there are many investment options to choose from, one of there investment option is the mutual fund .a mutual fund is an investment where the investors pool resources together which are then invested in securities, fixed interest stocks and money market instruments like derivatives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The mutual funds is a professionally managed by fund managed whose sole purpose is to ensure that the returns on the invested assets are maximized to the benefits of the individual investors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The performance of the mutual fund can be calculated by fund managers whose sole purpose is to ensure that the returns on the invested assets are maximized to the benefit of the individual investors   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The performance of the mutual fund can be calculated on a daily basis by taking the current market value of the fund and dividing it with the number of securities in the fund1 Mutual funds are usually open end company governed by the investments company act (1940) in the U. S.A Mutual funds are suitable for those high net worth individuals who are either too busy to deal personally with their investments or those investors who don’t have the investment know-how. Investors in mutual funds should have investment objectives for the mid term to long term so as to reap maximum benefits.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some of the mutual finds include stock money market funds, hybrid funds and bond funds In the following discussion we are going to discuss dominion funds which are registered in the Guernsey   in the channel islands which is an off share country.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The dominion funds are divided in to 2 the chic fund and the x-fund. Dominion funds The company Domination Company is an investment fund management firm that is registered in the Guernsey in the Channel Islands with branch a in Switzerland.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The dominion brand is a sophisticated innovative and elegant. These attributes are in line with the business principles of the company.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The dominion fund is developed to meet the ever changing demands of the intelligent investors of today who include professional investors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   These investors demand extra performance and excellent service from the fund manager and that is why the dominion brand was created to deliver excellent service and returns.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To achieve this level of standards the company has companies two dominion distribution management limited branches in Guernsey and a dominion risk management S.A based in Switzerland. Funds traded The funds managed by dominion company are the x funds and chic funds Chic funds The structure of this fund is that it has the currency class of 3 major currencies (US $ EURO â‚ ¬ GBP  £) which are combined to form the fund. The fund itself is an 80% index portfolio and 20% active port folio.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   These funds managed by dominion chic fund limited which invests in diversified stock of luxury goods and services companies recognized the world over.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Apart from being available in 3 currencies an investing in luxury goods companies the funds also offer weekly prices and redemptions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The objective of this fund is the long-term capital appreciation. This is achieved by the division of the fund in to 2 passive investment –range between 80-100% of all assets invested depending on the stylish structure developed by the investment manager(blackrock merill lynch investment manager) and dominion company. The investment manager is required to manage the basic index in this investment as prescribed. Active investment- forms up to 20% and its objective is to increase the returns and volatility reduction. The active investment is also used to invest in those newly listed companies and in new luxury goods. Assets invested There is no single definition of luxury goods and service and hence the company has luxury to mean.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Those strong market brands with high innovativeness ability to chart price and supply easily forecasted growth and top class. It can also mean products and service of those companies with management, with track records.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The assets in chic fund are in the following sectors with the following geographical distribution Sector distribution  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   geographical distribution Beverages and food- 17.38%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Europe-45.95% Accessories- 9.35%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   asia-13.55% Apparel- 7%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   USA -40.53% Watch, jewellery and optics- 8.04% Transport- 1% Leisure and hotels- 5.56% Sports 9.27% Retail- 3.52% Tech-18.76% Cosmetic-9.33% (http://www.dominion-funds.com/english/chic/investorsentassets.aspx) x- funds were created to utilize the returns generated by the available market based securities over the cost of sourcing funds e.g. through bank loans. The x fund have been designed to minimize the risk assonated with return of based securities and specifically for the risk and professional investors keen on getting a risk hedged investment well above average in the log term. Fund structure The fund is managed by dominion PCC limited which is a protected call company, formed in Guernsey and regulated by Guernsey financial service. Commission. It is an open ended in investment fund.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The fund is a 2 currency (euroâ‚ ¬ and US $) each containing 6 fund. The fund has 3 leveraged options. (Low to medium risk x 0) (medium risk x1) (and aggressive higher risk x 2) with 2 types of assets prudential and Norwich union with- profits funds. It also is priced weekly with monthly redemptions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   X-funds innovative investments combines with profit funds with complex credit lending thus minimizing debt usage risks in the market and at the some time the market and at the same time maximizing returns over the long term. Nature of assets Dominion x-funds are invested in the best and extensive with –profits funds. The reason why dominion has invested in there funds is that of proven unsurpassed. Past performance and their consistency which makes them reliable. In any case anyway there with profits are provided by the blue chip financial institutions in Europe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The with profits fund that dominion x- fund invests in has the following characteristics which makes them depend able for maximum returns to the investors. with profit funds are accessed only through an insurane e policy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the lalyout out features of an with profit fund is that its well founded with a long investment account that even go beyond a century. They usually involve a relatively stable portfolio that includes stocks bonds property and cash. This means that with profit funds give a level of return that barely flutualesover time. It stable level of return means that the risk involved with this port folio is low.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The other reason why dominion x-fund invests in the with profit funds only over the medium to long term is because when invested only in the short periods they are usually affected by the risk of market value reduction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   They should only be invested in the medium to long-term in order to achieve maximum capacity gains and ensure stable returns.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The assets that the dominion x- fund invests in are the generic with profits, prudential international and Norwich union international funds PCC Protected cell company – open end company- that falls under the Guernsey’s companies law ( 1994) amended and protected cell companies ordinance 1997 amended. PCC as benefits which are; Funds assets fuly utilized by fund investors alone.

Economic factors that affect the colgate brand

Economic factors that affect the colgate brand The overall economy of the country is showing a stable growth. Therefore this industry is also showing a growth of 10%. But the inflation is growing rapidly which is not a good sign for the new entrants. Change in the interest rate also affects the industry. Hence the new entrants are also threatened by the increasing interest rates. Economic factors do influence the bargaining power of buyers as inflation is the major factor that is affecting the consumers hard. Economic factors do not affect the availability of substitutes. But since inflation is growing, so it is hard for the poor people to switch to more modern products like washing powder, tooth paste. They would rather prefer oil to clean their clothes and use miswak to brush their teeth. Economic factors do have an affect on the bargaining power of suppliers as inflation is rising fast. Suppliers demand that they would provide the necessary raw material at a higher price. Exchange rate fluctuations also affect the cost of raw material. Economic factors do affect the rivalry among the competitors as all the players in the industry want to have cost leadership. The economic factors are favoring intense competition from the last five years. People have more money at their disposal. Also Pakistan is a consumption oriented society (Hiatt, Jeff.). Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM) STRATEGY 1 STRATEGY 2 Weights AS TAS AS TAS STRENGTHS Market leader in surface care with 90% market share 0.15 Good Leadership 0.06 Employee commitment 0.12 3 0.36 2 0.24 Cooling crystal patent 0.1 Accurate forecast with respect to demand 0.07 4 0.28 2 0.14 High EPS 0.08 3 0.24 2 0.16 Strong advertisement and promotional campaign 0.08 2 0.16 3 0.24 WEAKNESSES IT not used optimally 0.13 4 0.52 2 0.26 No ecommerce 0.1 3 0.3 2 0.26 No proper use of forward integration 0.05 2 0.1 3 0.15 They are not exporting their products to other countries 0.06 1 OPPORTUNITIES Exploring into new categories like shampoo, hand wash , body wash, shower gel 0.14 2 0.28 4 0.56 Rural population switching from miswak to toothpaste 0.06 Gap in tooth brush market 0.08 2 0.16 3 0.24 Implementation of ERP(SAP) 0.14 4 0.56 2 0.28 People becoming hygiene and beauty conscious 0.1 2 0.2 3 0.3 No layoffs 0.07 THREATS(T) Raw material and energy prices are increasing 0.12 3 0.36 2 0.24 Inflation in the country 0.07 3 0.21 2 0.14 Competitors re launching their products 0.1 2 0.2 3 0.3 Competitors increasing their marketing budgets 0.06 2 0.12 3 0.18 Unstable law and order conditions. 0.06 1 TOTAL 4.05 3.69 Rivalry among existing competitors Yes (+) No (-) The industry is growing rapidly. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ The industry is not cyclical with intermittent overcapacity. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ The fixed costs of the business are relatively low portion of total costs. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ There are significant product differences and brand identities between the competitors. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ The competitors are diversified rather than specialized. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ It would not be hard to get out of this business because there are no specialized skills and facilities or long-term contract commitments etc. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ My customers would incur significant costs in switching to a competitor. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ My product is complex and requires a detailed understanding on the part of my customer. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ My competitors are all of approximately the same size as I am. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ INTERPRETATION: Threat of competitors is high because the product is not unique as there are no product differences. Same products are available with all competitors like Unilever, Procter and Gamble, Shield, Oral B. Therefore rivalry is also increasing as demand in the economy has also increased for the last 5 to years. Majority of the competitors are MNCs which means that they have the necessary resource and skill (Hiatt, Jeff). Government Factors: Government regulations do have an affect on the rivalry among the competitors. Political factors: Political factors do not affect the rivalry among the competitors Economic factors Economic factors do affect the rivalry among the competitors as all the players in the industry want to have cost leadership. The economic factors are favoring intense competition from the last five years. People have more money at their disposal. Also Pakistan is a consumption oriented society (Hiatt, Jeff). Social trends Social trends have changed, buyer are more aware of their purchases. So the players in the industry are always trying hard to increase their market share (Hiatt, Jeff). Technological change Technology is helping the companies to gain a competitive advantage over their rivals. Also research and development plays an important role in this (Hiatt, Jeff). KEY SUCCESS ACTORS FOR COMPETIVE SUCCESS Low cost production efficiency. CP has plants installed that take only 30 minutes for the plant to shift from the production of one product to the other. High quality manufacturing of products with very few defects. A strong network of wholesale distributors. Gaining ample space on retailer shelves. (Examples Naheed, Aghas, Makro and other small shops.) Attractive packaging and styling. Good length of product lines. Attractive commercials and advertising. Good reputation in the industry along with favorable reputation with buyers. Market penetration Colgate can do market penetration by increasing its advertising, people always associate Colgate with tooth paste and have no awareness that it produces personal and surface care products as well. They should show their logo on all its products so that people know the producers and this will increase customer loyalty and also when people will come to know that Colgate is the producer then new customers will also buy the product (Hiatt, Jeff). They should also increase their promotion efforts by going to school and doing health awareness programs, also they should go to residential areas and make women aware of their surface care and fabric care products such as max, bonus and express etc Product development: Colgate can also do product development by introducing new features in their already existing brands. They can improve their tooth brush quality and features by introducing flexi tooth brushes for special oral care. Also they can introduce whitening features in their feature in their tooth paste; different colors of tooth paste can also be introduced to attract the kinds market. In their fabric care they can introduce in special features of protecting the color of the cloth while washing and also whitening enhancing surfs to give a good shine to while clothes (Hiatt, Jeff). develop systems to involve appropriate stakeholders in the introduction of change SIX THINGS REQUIRED TO EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENTING A STRATEGY According to Porter, to implement a strategy effectively six things should be followed: Create a formal plan: Distributor Quantity Item Price Negotiation, Inventory Reporting, Stock Details, Payment Terms HR Module Inventory / Store Create a multifunctional team: To effectively implement ERP, Colgate must first hire an independent resource firm. Acquire licensing for SAP Implementation. Establish an independent IT unit for the monitoring of ERP. This department will coordinate with all the other departments (Robbins S, Mukerji). Communication of strategy: inside and outside: All employees in the company should be made aware of the new automated system. Each employee must be provided a minimal insight of SAP but those employees who have to work on SAP the most should ofcourse be provided with proper training course of SAP. These include: Factory Manager Manager accounts Warehouse Manager Distribution team Consumer insight department Outside the company the strategy to implement ERP should be communicated properly to all the local and foreign suppliers of Colgate Palmolive (Hagberg). Consistency over time: As Information Technology is progressing day by day, new changes in ERP are expected after certain time periods. Therefore it would become very important for Colgate to cope up with the changes in the software. For this purpose it would need to update it employees by providing training whenever any change takes place in SAP (Hagberg). Use proper measurements: Other measures, not just financial measures would be required to test whether the system is working properly. These measures include: Whether the system is accurately forecasting demand, sales, price changes Whether or not there are any deviations in the actual versus projected sales Effectiveness of the internal processes after the strategy implementation (Robbins S, Mukerji). Test the strategy: Ask employees and senior management in all departments whether they are satisfied with the new system of working. Talk to suppliers and distributors whether they want any more improvements in the new system of working (Hagberg). KEY DRIVING FORCES Industry growth: Now most of the people have knowledge about the different products and its advantages. The intense competition in industry and high demand enables the new entrants to compete in this market (Hagberg). Product innovation: Innovation in product, as Colgate has just introduced Max fresh in which the coolant crystals are present which none of the competitors has adopted yet. There is also room in innovation in washing detergents (Hagberg). Changing societal concerns, attitudes and lifestyle: Since social issues are really effecting the use of product just like the use of Miswak which is the Islamic mode of cleaning the teeth (Hagberg). Use of E-commerce and Internet: Usage of online ordering and maintaining the stock level through e-commerce can be driving force in the industry. By using that they can provide products to customer which is value addition for them (Hagberg). This report is purely based on the finding from the Colgate expert and the secondary data analysis, and the reason for writing the whole report is to find the obstacle / hindrance a business men face and how the organization can minimize it through implementing the different strategies and analysis. The whole report research draws attention to  the fact that any problem can be eliminate if proper investigation and consideration can be observed the success is easy to get, Pakistan market is mature market and the competition is tough here because most of the customer is price conscious and act like butterflies, so targeting this kind of customer is quite difficult, but on the other hand it can be managed if the you can understand the market effectively and efficiently (Robbins S, Mukerji). Hiatt, Jeff. HYPERLINK http://www.change-management.com/tutorial-definition-history.htmThe definition and history of change managementHYPERLINK http://www.change-management.com/tutorial-definition-history.htm. http://www.change-management.com/tutorial-definition-history.htm. Filicetti, John (August 20, 2007). HYPERLINK http://www.pmhut.com/pmo-and-project-management-dictionaryProject Management DictionaryHYPERLINK http://www.pmhut.com/pmo-and-project-management-dictionary Moore, E.R., (accessed 1 April, 2001), Creating Organizational Cultures: An Ethnographic Study, Eastern Academy of Management Virtual Proceedings, Moore, E.R., (accessed 1 April, 2001), Creating Organizational Cultures: An Ethnographic Study, Eastern Academy of Management Virtual Proceedings, , R. Ph.D. Heifetz, D.Ph., 2000 (accessed 4 April, 2001), Corporate HagbergCulture/Organisational Culture: UnderJerryding and Assessment, Robbins S, Mukerji D (1994). Managing organisations. Prentice Hall of Australia, McPhersons Printing Group, Australia. Sergiovanni, T.J. (1984) Educational Leadership, Leadership and excellence in schooling, Volume 41, Number 5, United States of America, page 4-13 Kent State University 2000 (accessed 28thMarch, 2001), Kent State University Cultural Self-Study Internal Communication of Change By Dagmar Recklies Circling the Pyramid Building Lasting Commitment to Change  Ã‚   (pdf-file) by Edmond Mellina What Makes a Good Change Agent? by Dagmar Recklies The Role of the Change Master From Change Agent to HYPERLINK http://www.themanager.org/Strategy/Change Master.htmHYPERLINK http://www.themanager.org/Strategy/Change Master.htmChange MasterHYPERLINK http://www.themanager.org/Strategy/Change Master.htm By Ruth Tearle Managing Change Definition and Phases in Change Processes by Oliver Recklies Problems in Managing Change by Oliver Recklies AuditNet.org provides a downloadable PDF of change management best practices. Fred Nickols wrote HYPERLINK http://home.att.net/~nickols/change.htmHYPERLINK http://home.att.net/~nickols/change.htmChange Management 101: A Primer.HYPERLINK http://home.att.net/~nickols/change.htm SearchCRM.com provides resources on handling change management following a CRM upgrade. Neglecting your change control process can kill an IT disaster recovery plan.

Greek Colonization in the Archaic Period

Greek Colonization in the Archaic Period Identify and Discuss the Main Elements Stimulating the Spread of  Greek Colonies During the Archaic Period Introduction Between around 800 and 500[1] the Greek states embarked upon a widespread colonisation movement; by the 6th century Greek colonies were scattered throughout the Mediterranean and Black Sea. It was as a direct result of this colonisation movement that Greek culture was disseminated to Africa, Asia and Southern Europe, it was a movement that changed the economic and cultural history of the whole region (Bradley, 1988, 20). Motivation for Colonisation It is often assumed, based upon the original claim of Thucydides, and recently exemplified by Sealey (1976, 31), that colonisation was a direct result of land hunger[2] caused by overpopulation of the mother city and a lack of local resources to feed burgeoning numbers. He claims support for this idea can be found in the foundation of Cyrene (Herodotus 4.150-158). The colonists were sent out by Thera after a period of famine, but this does not at all support the idea that colonists were sent out by overpopulated cities, but that some colonies wee the result of natural disaster. The theory of exploding population as a direct cause for much of the colonisation movement can easily be defeated; the assumption of increasing numbers comes from the archaeological evidence for greater numbers of graves in places like Attica and the Argolid (Cawkwell, 1992, 57). Athens, however, sent out no colonies before the end of the 7th century and Argos none at all. The archaeological evidence also suggests that the number of burials declined in the 7th century implying a population decrease, if the logic is followed through, during the period when Athens sent out here colony. It would be unsafe to assume one without the other. What the archaeology is most likely giving us evidence of is a change in fashion through the archaic period. Alleviating pressure on the available lad was almost certainly one motivation, but this would have been as a result of some natural disaster, such as the drought on Thera mentioned above (Herodotus 4.150-158; cf. Sealey, 1976, 31). Towards the beginning of the last century, it was believed that at most sites in the west, notably in Sicily, Greek pottery had been imported by natives before the colonists arrived. From this it was reasonable to infer that trade was an important and perhaps decisive factor in the colonising movement (Bury Meiggs, 1994, 70): this assumption has long been disputed, however. The current balance of archaeological opinion is that there is no certain evidence of trade with Sicily before the colonists arrived (Bury Meiggs, 1994, 70). There is little doubt, however, that trade was a very significant factor in the colonisation of the Mediterranean, as exemplified by the foundation of Naucratis in Egypt (Herodotus 2.178); it was traders who knew of the most advantageous places to settle and trading links were maintained with the mother city (Sealey, 1976, 31; cf. Murray, 1980, 107). Who were the colonists? As noted above, traders often formed part of the population of many of the colonies, or at the very least colonists would have been relying heavily on information supplied by traders (Murray, 1980, 107). It should further be noted that the two earliest known colonies, Al Mina and Pithecusae,[3] were both established as trading posts (Bury Meiggs, 1994, 70). Murray argues (Murray, 1980, 108), however, that in general terms trade tended to be a consequence of colonial activity and not its main driving force and thus the main constituents of a colony were almost always farmers and craftsmen looking for what can only be described as a better like. The colonies always were intended to be self sufficient and so members of a colonising expedition were made up of all classis and trades (Hammond, 1959, 114). In the larger colonies, settlers tended to come in several waves, the latter settlers tending to be of lower status in the colony and being known as epoikoi (Hammond, 1959, 114). Which cities colonised? Many Greek city states and islands participated in the colonising movement, including Chalcis in Euboea, Corinth (for colonisation of Corcyra, Strabo 6.2.4), Megara, Rhodes, Crete most of whom founded colonies in Sicily. Southern Italy was colonised largely by the Achaen states of the northern Peloponnese such as Sybaris and Croton (Sealey, 1976, 32). In the Northen Aegean area, the three pronged peninsula that became known as the Chalcidide was so called because of the many foundations from Chalcis, some in that region were also from Andros. The Bosphorus area was colonised by Megara and many colonies in the Black Sea came from the Ionian Greek states such as Miletus (Sealey, 1976, 33). It is perhaps more notable as to which states did not participate in the colonisation movement In any significant way, Sparta only founded one colony at Tarentum (Sealey, 1976, 32-3). in Southern Italy, and Athens likewise only founded o single colony whilst Argos founded none at all. A comprehensive list of all Greek foundations in the Archaic period can be found in Hammond, 1959, 657-660. Which areas were colonised? The first wave of Greek colonisation was felt most strongly in Sicily (Thucydides 6.1ff) and slightly later, southern Italy. After this initial burst of activity, the islands and promontories of the northern Aegean and along the coast of Macedon and Thrace were settled. The entrance to the Black Sea was colonised in the early 7th century and the Black Sea region probably at some point after that, although the dating for this is far from certain. North Africa seems to have been the focus of settlement activity in the mid 7th century with Cyrene being founded around 630. Around 600 the Phoenicians established a number of colonies in southern France,[4] and in Spain[5] (Murray, 1980, 104). The colonisation movement essentially ended in 580, geographically the best sites had all been occupies by then and the only significant remaining area in the Adriatic was had a barren and inhospitable coastline (Murray, 1980, 104). What was the relationship to the mother city? When the primary colony of a city state itself founded a subsidiary colony, it was common to invite a citizen from the mother state as oikistes and transplanted the same institutions: for example, the Corcyreans founded Epidamnus under the leadership of a Corinthian. We also know that Sparta’s foundation, Taras, had a college of ephors; and Euesperides, a colony of Cyrene, both ephors and a gerousia (Hammond, 1959, 112). The sense of kinship with the founding colony was, therefore, exceptionally strong. The attachment was no doubt because of a sense of debt and gratitude felt by the colonists towards the mother city for organising the settlers in the first place. As noted above, however, colonies were intended to by self sufficient and once they were firmly established the cord was cut. It was a symbol of the independence of the colony that it worshipped not its founding city, but its oikistes, even if he was of alien origin as at Epidamnus (Hammond, 1959, 112). Some privilege s were occasionally extended to the foundress, such as a request to arbitrate a dispute, but they were also frequently offered to other cities also. The relationship between founder and colony did not always remain friendly after the colony essentially became independent, the best possible example of this being the complex dispute between Corinth, Corcyra and Epidamnus that led to the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War (Rhodes, 2006, 82ff). Conclusion The Greek colonisation movement had no single individual cause, it was partly the result of land hunger caused by natural disaster in some city states, almost certainly the result of expansion in some states, the result of a desire for trade revenues by some. Colonies were always intended to be independent and not simply an extension of the home city so the motivation of colonisation is hard to fathom unless we realise that it was usually not the city that was the driving force behind the desire to settle abroad but probably the main driving force came from citizens rather than it states. Individual citizens largely drove colonisation no doubt seeking a tract of land for themselves and their children, something they may never have been able to achieve in their home state. Most city states took part in the colonisation movement, but a number of the most powerful, Athens, Sparta and Argos, did not; so we can reasonably assume that colonisation did not add greatly, if at all, to the military or economic strength, or perhaps even prestige of the founding city again supporting the view that the movement was largely from citizens rather than states. Bibliography P. Bradley, Ancient Greece: Using Evidence (London 1988) J. B. Bury R. Meiggs, A History of Greece (London 1994) G. Cawkwell, Early Colonisation, CQ 1992 N. G. L. Hammond, A History of Greece to 322 BC (Oxford, 1959) O. Murray, Early Greece (Glasgow 1980) P. J. Rhodes, A History of the Classical Greek World, 478-323BC (Oxford 2006) R. Sealey, A History of the Greek City States: 700-338 BC (London 1976) 1 Footnotes [1] All dates are BC unless otherwise stated. [2] Argument of Thucydides in Bury Meiggs, 1994, 70. [3] Both established before 750. [4] e.g. Massalia. [5] e.g. Emporion.

Effect of Environment in There Are No Children Here Essay -- There are

Effect of Environment in There Are No Children Here In There are No Children Here, by Alex Kotlowitz, the way of life in Chicago's Henry Horner projects has a profound effect on all the residents who live there. The children become desensitized by the constant violence that they are forced to witness every day. Children are forced to walk home from school through the urban war zone of these housing projects. It is not unusual for the children to run home from school to avoid becoming casualties of the ongoing battle between rival gangs. The violence has affected Lafeyette and Pharaoh as much as anyone in the projects. The two children are affected by the environment in completely different ways. Pharaoh, the youngest, takes his surroundings very seriously. Any time that Pharaoh can get a chance, he goes to secret places in order to be alone with his thoughts. The more violence, death, and hardship that Pharaoh is forced to witness, the more deeply he is affected. Through the two years about which Kotlowitz writes in his book, Pharaoh develops a stutter. This stutter be... Effect of Environment in There Are No Children Here Essay -- There are Effect of Environment in There Are No Children Here In There are No Children Here, by Alex Kotlowitz, the way of life in Chicago's Henry Horner projects has a profound effect on all the residents who live there. The children become desensitized by the constant violence that they are forced to witness every day. Children are forced to walk home from school through the urban war zone of these housing projects. It is not unusual for the children to run home from school to avoid becoming casualties of the ongoing battle between rival gangs. The violence has affected Lafeyette and Pharaoh as much as anyone in the projects. The two children are affected by the environment in completely different ways. Pharaoh, the youngest, takes his surroundings very seriously. Any time that Pharaoh can get a chance, he goes to secret places in order to be alone with his thoughts. The more violence, death, and hardship that Pharaoh is forced to witness, the more deeply he is affected. Through the two years about which Kotlowitz writes in his book, Pharaoh develops a stutter. This stutter be...

And God said, ?Let there be light? :: essays research papers

All I can see is white. Clean, pristine, sterile white. I hear beeping. It almost drives me insane. I stare at the ceiling. Mottled white tiles interrupted by the glow of fluorescent lights. I listen to their voices, but they are muffled. Like there is a curtain between us. I only hear snatches of the conversation. â€Å"What happened to him? What is wrong with my husband? â€Å"I am sorry, Ma’am We are still running tests. We don’t know what is wrong. He was like this when the chopper air lifted him in† â€Å"But he was with his brother. Bush walking. Where is his brother? Is he here too, Doctor?† â€Å"No. They found him alone in the national park. Crawling on all fours. He was muttering incoherently. It is lucky they found him.† The voices fade again into the recesses of my mind. â€Å"Come on mate. Hurry up! Get a move on!† Joe calls back down the mountain. I call for my brother to wait for me, but as usual, he charges ahead. I struggle up the rock face, searching for footholds. I scrape my knee. It stings. I reach up and grasp a fern dangling down, inviting me to grab hold. I heave myself up and finally reach the top. Joe is there sitting on a fallen log, just waiting for me to catch up. Damn Asthma. It always makes me slower. â€Å"Glad you could join me,† he laughs, teasingly. I take a seat next to him and stare out across the valley, trying to catch my breath. The brochures were right. This truly is one of the most amazing views I have ever seen. It is perfect. Dense, green huddles of trees, broken only by the occasional sparkling river or camping clearing. The sounds are magnificent as well. Birds twittering tunefully, not squawking like they seemed to in the city. Absolute peace and tranquillity. The doctor shines his tiny torch in my eyes. A nurse comes over and adjusts my head. I try to say something but my tongue is stuck. She smiles at me as if I’m a child and pats me on the head. Then she says something in that sing-song voice that people tend to use around little babies. I lash out. Kicking, punching, screaming, crying, all at the same time. I fight with the sheets. Let me out! I try to get up but I feel claws pushing me back down.

Responsibilities of an Educated Person

In the world that we live in today, education plays an enormous role in cultivating societies and granting younger generations the tools and mindset required to increase their standards of living and contribute to the greater good. However, the term â€Å"educated† is a rather loose concept which differs from culture to culture. Having grown up in Western society following an international upbringing, I am naturally biased to attribute certain qualities to an â€Å"educated† person that another person from a different culture might not recognize. These various attributes affect the direct but also the suggested responsibilities that an educated person might hold, the latter being implied and not related to any concrete school of thought (utilitarianism for example. ) That being said, the main responsibilities of an educated person are: to contribute to the development of the global society, impart their knowledge on to the next generation, and to achieve personal success in whatever way suits their own personal desire. For the sake of brevity and to provide a context for the question, the term â€Å"educated† will be used acknowledging the following qualities: those who find themselves educated generally have the ability to think critically and provide commentary on the world around them; educated people are literate and have pursued an area of study that they can regularly practice; educated people are aware of the presence of other cultures and are open-minded and tolerant towards the idea of multiculturalism and globalization. These are the main qualities that define an educated person in my opinion. There are other admirable qualities such as pragmatism and leadership-skills that would fit nicely into the equation, but it has been proven throughout history that one does not necessarily need to be educated in order to be a good leader or pragmatic. It should also be noted that one does not necessarily need to be in possession of all these traits in order to be considered educated. Contributing to the development of the global society is, from a utilitarian perspective, quite possibly the most substantial responsibility of an educated person. This is explained in a variety of ways. For one, those who are educated are generally in possession of some type of knowledge or skill that society needs. Whether it be medical knowledge, the ability to fix a toilet, or even the poise required to write a speech, the world requires educated persons to fulfill their niches and at least attempt to make the world a more stable place. Happiness in the utilitarian sense is present when the masses are happy. So if educated persons can assure a better living standard for others, than they should make the effort to do so in consideration for the greater good. It is also essential that the chain of knowledge be imparted from one generation to the next. The demand for specialists and educators would always remain present because of a common acceptance that education leads to a better life. Educated persons generally have some way of proving their worth to society through a degree or a certificate that represents their acquisition of skills related to their topic, but it is often said that once a person can impart their knowledge to another, they've truly grasped the principals of their education. This statement functions as a duality. On one hand, it allows the educated person to obtain a sense of self-satisfaction in that he or she has fully grasped their education, and on the other hand, it spreads knowledge. Articles such as the First Amendment to the United States constitution stress the ability to obtain knowledge freely and the grave importance of knowledge. The fundamental principal of education exists throughout all cultures; the passing of some type of knowledge to the next generation. Undoubtedly the most subjective and arguably selfish responsibility of an educated person is to achieve success in whichever way they desire. This could be the acquisition of wealth, fame, happiness, a family, spiritual enlightenment, et cetera. Due to the subjective nature of this responsibility it is impossible to determine a universally agreeable importance, however, there lies a hint of truth which ties back to the previous responsibilities. One's hopes and dreams are usually reliant on some type of education, and the work spent on getting educated should eventually pay off in a profession or career of some sort. What this implies is that the more one studies, the more their education should pay off. This is reflected in the increasing demand for Master's degrees in most well paying jobs. However, this phenomenon also occurs due to an â€Å"inflation† of education where the presence of bachelor's degrees is so common that it is worth less than when a smaller percentage of people owned bachelor's degrees. In any case however, the main principal of this concept is that one must not waste one's education. When looking at education from a purely objective perspective, it would be hard to say that there are concrete responsibilities that all educated persons must fulfill. Due of the subjective nature of both education and responsibility, one can only offer opinions morally justified by particular instances in history and accepted ways of thinking. Based on the context that this essay has set for the ‘role-model' educated person, the three main responsibilities of an educated person are to contribute to the global society, to ensure that the chain of knowledge continues, and to use their education to guarantee their own success in whichever way they desire, ensuring that their education had not been wasted.

Child and Young Person Development Essay

Learning outcome 1.1 Describe the expected pattern of children and young people’s development from birth to 19 years, to include:  ·Physical development  ·Communication and intellectual development  ·Social, emotional and behavioural development Birth to 3 years The expected pattern starts at 0-3 years where a child is expected to develop the most. They have little control over their bodies at 0-1 years and are dependent on their natural instincts eg: sucking, grasping. Newborn New Born babies use their senses from the moment they are born, they can already recognise their mothers voice and smell and they have natural reflexes for example the Walking and standing reflex which occurs when babies are held upright with their feet on a firm surface, they usually make stepping movements. Physical Development Swallowing and sucking reflexes – These ensure that the baby can feed and swallow milk Rooting reflex – The baby will move its head to look for a nipple or teat. Grasp reflex – The baby will automatically put her fingers around an object that has touched the palm of her hand. Startle reflex – When babies hear a sudden sound or bright light, they will react by moving their arms outwards and clenching their fists Walking and standing reflex – When babies are held upright with their feet on a firm surface, they usually make stepping movements Falling reflex – This is known as the Moro reflex. Babies will stretch out their arms suddenly and then clasp inwards in any situations in which they feel that they are falling. Communication and Intellectual development Babies at birth cry in order to communicate their needs, they may cry when they are hungry, in pain, need feeding, changing or just cuddling. They also start to look around and react to sounds. Social, Emotional and Behavioural Development Babies and their primary carers, usually their mothers, begin to develop a strong, close bond from very early on. You might see that the baby at times stares at the mother and the mother is very aware of her baby. One month In a short month, babies have changed already. They might appear less curled up and more relaxed. Babies at one month have usually started to settle into a sleeping pattern. They sleep quite a lot of the time, but will gradually start to spend longer times awake. They cry to communicate their needs and their parents may be starting to understand the different types of cries. Babies too are learning about their parents or carers. They may stop crying when they hear soothing voices. They also try hard to focus on the face of whoever is holding them. Physical development Reflexes are not as strong although the baby will be growing stronger and may be able to lift their heads for a short while, whilst held upright. Babies can see more clearly than at birth. He enjoys looking at bold patterns and human faces, and can track an object with his eyes He begins to uncurl his hands, and may wave his arms and kick when excited. Communication and intellectual development At one month babies may stop crying because they hear a familiar voice, they are also becoming more expressive and may start to coo and gurgle when they see you. Babies may mimic the mouth movements and facial expressions of adults. Social, emotional and behavioural development Babies may stop crying as they are picked up, but start crying when they are put down. Babies will start to relax during bath time or when their nappies are changed. Three to six months Babies in three months have grown in height and weight. They are wearing new sets of clothes and have changed in many ways. Some babies have learned the difference between day and night and are able to sleep through the night, which is a great help to parents. Babies are also crying less and most parents are getting more familiar with what their cries mean. They may start to sleep a little less and are far more alert Babies at six months have learnt many skills. They are very alert and turn their heads to see what is happening. They enjoy playing and show it by smiling and squealing with delight. They are able to focus on an object and explore it if it seems interesting. Babies also start to show us that they understand a little of what we are saying and try to communicate with us. Physical Development Babies will start to lift and turn their heads, using their arms to support their upper body when lying on their stomach. Babies will start to take an Interest in playing with fingers and opening and closing hands. Exploring toys and objects in the mouth as well as with fingers Babies will be able to Sit up with support and later, without support They will start Rolling over from back to front They will stretch their legs out and kick when lying on stomach or back Pushes down on legs when feet are placed on a firm surface# Babies will bring their hands together intentionally and soon after will try to bat at objects or grasp things Communication and intellectual development Babies may get excitement when it is time to be fed Babies will start to notice mobiles and objects around them They show Enjoyment when simple games such as pat-a-cake are repeated Curiosity as babies look to see what is happening around them Babies will begin Babbling, laughing and squealing and imitate some sounds They will respond to their name Follows moving objects with eyes Watches faces closely and recognizes familiar objects and people at a distance Starts using hands and eyes in coordination Babies will start to respond to music, turn head toward sound and smiles at the sound of your voice Social, emotional and behavioural development Babies will start to enjoy Bath time They will smile back when they see a smiling face. Babies are learning to recognize familiar faces and will display smiles of delight when they are playing with their primary carers. They will lift their arms up to show a parent that they want to be picked up. They enjoy playing with others and may cry when playing stops Become more expressive and communicates more with face and body Babies will be drawn to their image in mirrors Learn how to comfort themselves Nine Months Babies’ physical development is now very noticeable. Many babies will be crawling or finding ways of being mobile. They are also able to sit up without any support. These movements mean that babies can explore more and also spend a little time sitting and playing. When they are mobile they can move quite fast, so this is a period in which adults really need to think about safety. As well as large movements, babies are also picking up objects and handling them, and becoming more skilled at touching things. Things still get popped into the mouth, so, again, adults need to be aware of what is around. Babies’ language is also coming along. Babbling has become more tuneful and longer strings of sound are put together. Babies are also learning what some key words mean. They may start to get excited when they hear words such as drink or dinner. Babies are also starting to show us who they enjoy being with and may start to cry when they are being left with a stranger. Physical development Babies will now sit up without any support They will practice using fingers to feed Crawls forward on belly and rolls over Pulls himself up to stand May walk two or three steps without support and Walk holding on to furniture Takes objects out of containers Pokes with index finger Communication and intellectual development Tuneful strings of babbling Exploring objects using hands and also mouth Responds to â€Å"no† although may not have full understanding of meaning Imitate sounds and may say â€Å"mama† and â€Å"dada† Begins to use objects correctly: drinks from cups, listens in a phone Explores object in different ways: banging, shaking, throwing, etc. Social, emotional and behavioural development Baby appears shy or anxious with strangers and will try to stay nearby parents or carer Babies may cry when caregiver leaves the room Enjoys imitation and repeats sounds or gestures Tests parental responses to her behaviour Twelve to eighteen months The first birthday of a child is for many families a special event and a cause of celebration. This in part dates back to times when not all babies survived their first year. By twelve months the baby has come a long way in  development, they are now more mobile and are able to crawl very quickly and may be on the verge of walking. As well as gaining mobility, babies are also becoming quite skilled at using their hands. Objects are touched, moved and organised and they enjoy putting things in and out of containers, or dropping things and looking to see what happens to them. A strong feature of their play is the way in which they enjoy doing something over and over again. At one year, babies are now able to sit up and feed themselves using their fingers. Most one year olds know what they do and don’t like. Food that they enjoy gets eaten, while food that they are not hungry for may be thrown onto the floor. Babies will now be aware of who their parents and main carers are. They are keen to stay near their parents and carers and will stop playing to see what they are doing. Babies are also able to understand more of what is happening around them. They not only notice what other people are doing, but understand more and more of what is being said. Long strings of babbling are still the way in which babies try to communicate, but hidden in the babbling are the beginning of babies’ first words. Parents and carers usually notice these from around 13 months. Physical Development Standing up and holding onto furniture alone Enjoys picking up and handling small objects Crawls confidently and quickly Likes to push, pull, and drop things Will pull off hat, socks, and mittens Is able to turn pages in a book and stack 2 building blocks Enjoys carrying small objects while walking, often one in each hand Holds crayon and scribbles, but with little control Waves bye-bye and claps hands Enjoys holding spoon when eating, but experiences difficulty in getting spoon into mouth Rolls a ball to adult on request Walking up and down stairs with adult help Sitting and pushing off with legs on sit-and-ride toys. Able to feed self with spoon Communication and intellectual development Waving bye-bye Will point fingers at objects to draw an adult’s attention to them Tuneful babbling that sounds like talking progressing to speak 8 -20 words you can understand Looks at person talking to him or her Says â€Å"Hi† or â€Å"Bye† if reminded Uses expressions like â€Å"Oh-oh† Plays peek-a-boo Understands and follows simple one-step directions Likes to take things apart Social, emotional and behavioural development Repetitive play as the baby enjoys doing something over and over again. Becomes upset when separated from or cannot see their parent or carer Likes to hand objects to others Play independently on floor with toys Recognizes self in mirror or pictures Imitates others especially by coughing, sneezing, or making animal sounds Signs of temper and frustration Eagerness for independence – trying to feed themselves with a spoon Will show interest in other children and what they are doing Children at two years old By two years old, children are very much showing their individuality. They know what they want to do, touch and hold. They can now move confidently and are enjoying walking, being able to pick up things and playing with them. They enjoy doing things for themselves and are keen to do more – and get frustrated when they are not able to. Sometimes this is because adults realise that what they want is dangerous, while at other times it is because their level of skill is not yet matching what they want to do. Their frustration can lead to temper tantrums and emotional outbursts. This is often a toddler’s way of communication how they are feeling and is why this  period is sometimes known as the ‘terrible twos’. While toddlers do get frustrated and angry, they are also emotional in other ways. They smile, laugh and squeal with enjoyment. They notice other children and enjoy being near them, even though they may not actively play together. Favourite toys and games are played over and over again. Children are also starting to enjoy pretend play. Two-year-olds are often starting to chat aloud. They are likely to have around two hundred words, pointing out objects and naming them.

Five Important Nataraja Shrines of Tamil Nadu Essay

There are lots of temples in Tamil Nadu where Siva is worshipped as Nataraja. Lord Siva, as the god of dance is known as Nataraja. There are lots of temples in India and especially in Tamil Nadu where Siva is worshipped as Nataraja. But, there are mainly five places in Tamil Nadu where the cult of Nataraja is worshipped with gaiety and pomp. The dancing deity Nataraja can be seen in these Pancha sabbas or five halls of Tamil Nadu. The five temples – Chidhambaram, Maduarai, Thiruvilankadu, Tirunelveli and Kutralam, are very revered and is known as the five sabhas. It is said Lord Shiva has danced at these five places as Nataraja – the dancing form of Shiva, to benefit different devotees. Kanaka Sabha: The most important shrine for Nataraja is the Kanaka Sabha or golden hall at Chidambaram. The Nataraja dances here in the Ananda Tandava or the dance of bliss form and he is called Kanaka Sabhapati or the Lord of the Golden Hall. This temple has been sung in a lot of Dhevaram and Thiruvasakam. Here Lord Shiva is worshipped in all the three forms, namely, arupa – which is called chitambara rahasyam, aruparupa – shiva lingam and rupa – nataraja. Nataraja was the favourite deity of the Chola kings of Tanjavur and hence they kept idol of Nataraja in all the Siva temples built by them in various places in their empire in Tamil Nadu and all over in South India. Chidambaram marks an important stage of evolution of southern Indian architecture. Rajatha Sabha: Rajatha Sabha or silver hall (velli ambalam) at the Minakshi Sundareshwarar temple in Madurai is another important Natarja shrine of Tamil Nadu. Nataraja is shown in a very rare posture here. He is shown his right leg raised and dancing on the dwarf (apasmara purusha) with his left foot. Both the main image of stone (moolavar) and the processional image (utsava murti) in this shrine are in unusual posture. The usual posture of Nataraja is dancing with his right leg placed on the dwarf with his left leg upraised. The change in posture of Nataraja here is linked with the legend (sthala-purana) of this place. It is said that the Pandyan king of Madurai was a devotee of Nataraja and under pressure from a rival Chola king, tried to master dance. But while trying to do so, he realised the difficulty of the task. He was filled with agony to see his favourite deity dancing with his right foot always as he did feel while doing himself. So, he prayed Lord Nataraja to change his posture so that he does not get tired in a same posture. The Lord listened to his request and changed his posture. So, Nataraja is seen dancing on his left foot here. One of the five important shrines of Nataraja can be seen at Madurai in Tamil Nadu. Here the dancing posture of Ambalavanan (Lord Siva) with ten hands can be seen only in the Velli ambalam at Madurai. Here the dance performed by Nataraja is known as Paramananda Thandavam and also as Chokka Thandavam. It is also known as Sundara Tandavam. Tamra Sabha: Another important Nataraja shrine of Tamil Nadu is situated at the Nellaiappar temple in Tirunelveli. The Tamra Sabha or the hall of copper is found here in the vast campus. Here the icon of Lord Siva is made of Bronze and is encircled by a prabha or aura of very attractive workmanship. It is said that the Nataraja image here was originally in the temple of Agnishwaram. Once a fire out broke here and then it was kept on the bed of a river. Later, it was brought to the Nellaiappar temple and worshipped here. Ratna Sabha: The Ratna Sabha or the hall of rubies in Tiruvalangadu is another important Nataraja shrine of Tamil Nadu. It takes approximately two hours from Chennai by road to reach Tiruvalangadu. The Lord here is called Ratna Sabhapati or the Lord of the Hall of rubies. There is a mythical story related to this place and the shrine. It is said that once Siva and Kali had a dance contest. At that time Kali was in a very angry mood and could not be pacified easily. Initially, Kali gave a better performance than Siva. But, later Nataraja (Siva) performed the Tandava dance also known as the Chanda (terrific) tandava and lifted his leg up above his head. Then, Kali out of modesty accepted her defeat. Lord Nataraja won the contest but he also declared that Kali was second to none than himself in dance. There is a very stunning metal image of eight-armed Siva dancing in the Urdlwa Tandava can be seen in this temple. There is also a small shrine nearby and there is another metal image of Kali who is also eight-armed can be seen. Chitra Sabha: The last among the five Nataraja shrines in Tamil Nadu is situated at Kuttralam. The Chitra Sabha or the hall of paintings is found here in Kuttralam, which is famous for its waterfalls. Here the lord Siva is known as the Kuttralanathan. But, all the rituals conducted here are first offered for Nataraja and then for Kuttralanathan. Here, Nataraja is known as Ananda Nata-rajeshwarar or the God of Blissful Dance. Kuttralam has nine Water Falls: 1. Main falls 2. Chitaruvi 3.Shenpagadevi falls 4. Thenaruvi 5. Five falls 6. Orchard falls 7. New falls 8. Tiger falls 9. Old Courtallam falls. Legends on Chitrasabhai goes like – The wedding of Shiva and Parvathi attracted huge celestial crowd at Himalaya that Shiva requested Saint Agastyar to proced southwards to balance the earth, and Agastyar is said to have created the Shivalingam here by shrinking an image of Vishnu, hence the name Kutralam. The Chitra Sabha is located outside the areas of the main temple. It is actually a huge hall built in a typical Kerala style. A huge painting of Nataraja in Tanjavur style can be seen here.

Life Style Inventory Essay

As I look at my results from the Life Style Inventory my primary thinking style that I scored the highest in was the affiliative style at 83%. As I looked deeper at this style it fit me to a tee. I have always been warm and sincere because I always try to see the best in other people. My interpersonal relations with peers and subordinates alike have allowed me to be trusted and liked by others. This has helped me to be both diplomatic and tactful in my decisions as a manager. My genuine concern for people and ability to accept change easily has placed me in a leadership position many times just because I am able to listen and feel that people are more important than things. Next we will be looking at my backup personal thinking style and I had a two way tie between Self- Actualization and Humanistic- Encouraging at 75%. In the Humanistic-Encouragement thinking style I love to teach and enjoy sharing knowledge with others. I am very supportive of others and encourage others to strive for excellence and to think for themselves. As a good listener I am supportive of others and always willing to take time with people. Now with Self-Actualization I am a creative thinker and can communicate easily and very aware of my own feelings. I tend to be optimistic and realistic with my judgments and I have a high level of personal integrity. As I look at these three thinking styles I completely agree with them as my strengths. I have always been the equalizer and the manager called upon to best deal with conflict. I value my employees, focus upon perceptions, and know their needs. Honor and Integrity direct my morale fiber and I hold respect as being the most important element that people need in their lives. These styles are all important for training and developing a strong working team and have made me valued as a good leader and well thought of by my peers. When I at look at any of these thinking styles that may be limiting me I would have to turn towards Approval. I feel that I can be overly trusting too fast and too agreeable with others opinions. Whether you are overly seeking approval or accepting others values too much this style can work against you and be called being too generous to a fault. I feel that I would like to have better control upon being overly sympathetic with people. I have the ability to give people too many chances to improve or correct their behavior when in all actuality it would have been better to have cut our losses after the first counseling session failed. Giving an employee a fair chance is fine but when I go too far it can appear like favoritism or special treatment. If the employees know that you are overly sympathetic they will also play to this weakness to get out of the hot seat. The team likes you and shows approval on the surface but really they do not respect you and view you as a push over. I sometimes fight this behavior because there is a fine line between the perception of not caring and being not sympathetic enough and being overly sympathetic to a fault. I always know that you cannot please everyone as a good leader and some may even oppose you, but if upper management sees you as being too soft and overly sympathetic then you are not taking care of the business. Impact on Management Style: Planning When I think of my primary and back up styles of thinking I can see the affiliative style having me motivate my team through using praise and friendliness. This can help me in the planning phase by getting valuable input from my team through building trust and meaningful relationships that are reciprocated. This helps us to feel like a team and make informed decisions from data collected by our team and helps us to build a sound plan of action. Through self-actualization I would use my sound judgment and optimistic and realistic nature to set solid goals. When making company plans my humanistic-encouragement style would have me utilize my knowledge of the company’s needs and the teams needs to make good plans. Being a good listener also makes planning a lot easier. Organizing With my ability to develop and teach others and listening to my team while easily adapting to change I am able to better organize my team by setting SMART goals and using my communication skills to keep my team well informed. By thinking outside of the box and using my creative and original thinking skills I will be able to keep all of my team on the same page with our eye on the target of success. Leading My primary and backup styles give me an excellent leadership skillset in that I listen and set own goals, but I also understand how people feel and make sound judgments. My genuine concern for others and communication skills not only give me great leadership skills but my ability to use my intuition to read people allows for proactive decisions to be made. Perhaps it is my ability to be diplomatic and tactful and see the best in others that allows for me to be respected and well thought of as a leader. Controlling Some people use intimidation and threats to control their team but giving them respect and a sense of ownership of their job allows my coaching and development style to allow peer pressure to control our team. The ability to set common goals and encourage our team to think for themselves, gives ownership and control through respect, honor, and integrity. Never asking my team to do what I am not willing to do myself and giving them the resources and tools needed to be successful keeps the respect and lines of communication open. Genesis of Personal Style: If I was to critically evaluate what has contributed the most to my personal styles it would have to be my family and growing up in the restaurant business. Always being in the public eye and dealing with guests face to face gave me a comfort at an early age of being in front of people and taking the time to listen and enjoy people. I was in the entertainment business and learned how to set goals and run a business by watching the controllable costs and giving quality service so that our guests would return. I developed understanding, humility, confidence, and personal integrity from my family. Growing up in my community and having great friends and families really made a big difference with being sincere, warm, and open. It was sports and Boy Scouts that offered discipline, commitment, and goals to my life. From my relationships built in high school and the Navy to the relationships built in business I continue to learn and strive to improve my styles to compliment my ability to lea d. Conclusion and Reflection: As I look at my Constructive skills I see how my developments of Affiliative, Humanistic-Encouragement, and Self-Actualization styles have all contributed to my ability to be a good leader. My intuitive ability to read behavior and develop teams is second nature to me and my ability to listen and be real to my team has earned me their respect. Now my Passive and Defensive styles show me that dependent and conventional may be an area to watch out for but I felt that approval was the area that concerned me the most. Specifically it may be too easy to become overly sympathetic and this could lead to being overly generous to a fault. Looking at my Aggressive and Defensive Styles I look at oppositional and competitive styles and giving me the ability to question everything and always inspect everything before making a decision, be the best at what we do, and set the benchmark of our industry. I feel that the LSI shows us our strengths and opportunities and while we are always striving to improve our behaviors we must look at our beliefs in why we find our behavior acceptable and seek to make changes here, because in order to improve one’s behavior we must change our beliefs first. I feel that I would like to improve upon being less sympathetic and watch my procrastination by setting clear boundaries a staying to the specific rules. It is important for me not to put things off for tomorrow if I can do it today. I also would like to not get overly involved in team members personal issues that are affecting their work. This exercise helped me to look closely at how other styles can overshadow the positives of other styles and be counterproductive. This has helped me because as I see that several of my styles help me to be a good leader but now I have a better understanding on what other styles can limit my constructive styles ie, if I have a high affiliative and a high power style then I would desire to have close friendships but try to control and dominate these friendships which will result in a negative relationship. Overall this has been a great tool for my future in management and beter understanding my thinking and behavior process.