An evaluation of the impact of social policy in relation to childhood poverty since 1997 The WritePass Journal

An evaluation of the impact of social policy in relation to childhood poverty since 1997 Introduction An evaluation of the impact of social policy in relation to childhood poverty since 1997 that the (Social Mobility and) Child Poverty Commission was appointed. This meant that the body could not be consulted prior to the publication of the Child Poverty Strategy for 2011-14. This contravened the government’s statutory commitment and can be seen as evidence that policy has not necessarily been realised, to use Lupton et al.’s (2013) terminology. Importantly, this had concrete implications for the Child Poverty Strategy for 2011-14, which was widely criticised from not laying out in enough detail that actual means by which policy objectives would be achieved (Bradshaw and Bennett 2014). There are other reasons to believe that agenda setting so far has lacked specificity regarding how it will deal with child poverty. This conclusion emerges through a close examination of the policy statements of government publication and the results following from these policies. For example, the Department for Education posts a statement on its website reading: ‘Poverty, as measured by a household’s income relative to the national average, is often a symptom of deeper, more complex problems. Many of these problems are passed on from one generation to the next.’ As Bradshaw and Bennett (2014) note, the ‘background’ section state that one of its primary aims is ‘reducing poverty in all its forms’, and references social injustice, but does little to directly address the issue of child poverty. The website for the Department for work and Pensions does likewise, noting the existence of a child poverty strategy and the Positive for Youth Repo rt (2011) but failing to specify what this entails in terms of policy (Bradshaw and Bennett 2014; Forest and Parton 2009). This shows that to a certain extent there has been a disconnect between the early stages of the policy cycle (agenda and target setting) and the later one (policy formation). It can also be argued that the government’s approach to dealing with child poverty has been inadequate at the level of policy formation. There has tended to be a great deal of emphasis on the idea of encouraging unemployed parents to work in order that they may better support their children. While this is commendable in several obvious respects, it also has shortcomings. Bucci (cited in Forest and Parton 2009), for example, emphasises the importance of internal factors in children’s lives and downplays the external factors that are usually emphasised by officials and practitioners of policy. This suggests, therefore, the inclusion of many more people in the work force might actually worsen poverty of a social and emotional kind by depriving children of their parents for extended periods. Another strategy employed to end child poverty has come in the form of the Sure Start Centres, the stated aim of which is to ‘improve the outcomes for all children’ (Department of Education 2008). However, the attention paid to child poverty specifically was conspicuously lacking. For example, the first brief concentrated on the objective of ‘helping prevent family breakdown and promoting readiness for schools’, which only has an indirect relationship to child poverty and arguably should not have been prioritised over alternatives, such as the provision of financial support. In addition to the educational component, the Sure Start programme is largely geared around encouraging more parents to work. The government places the promotion of employment and education at the centre of its child poverty policy, as revealed in its description of Sure Start as ‘a cornerstone of the Governments drive to tackle child poverty and social exclusion (Department of Edu cation 2008) This is supported by a number of groups, including the Institute for Public Policy Research, which argued that ‘social inclusion is best promoted though enhanced employment opportunity and that ‘‘poverty and deprivation in childrens families and in their neighbourhoods is associated with their performance at school (Oppenheim, 1998: 113, 139). There is also support for this policy direction from the European Commission (2014), which argued that the most important priorities for reducing child poverty are to ‘improve access to affordable early childhood education and care services’ and to ‘support parents access to the labour market and make sure that work pays for them’ (European Commission 2014). It might reasonably be claimed, therefore, that while the policy formulation as regards child poverty is indirect, its efficacy in ameliorating child poverty is supported in the literature. This gives credibility to the Sure Start programme, which represents not just successful policy formulation but also the successful implementation of policy initiatives (Lupton 2013). The noticeable educational improvements among children and young people reflect the efficacy of these policies, and it has been argued that they show the success of child poverty reduction measures. For example, results in national tests at 11 and 16 indicated great improvements and few people were leaving school with no qualifications by 2010 (Lupton 2013). Socio-economic gaps were reduced across all indicators – incrementally at age 11 and then more distinctly at age 16. Larger number remained at school after the age of 16 and more went to higher education. Socio-economic gaps in HE access also closed slightly despite concerns to the contrary (Lupton 2013). On the other hand, it has also been argued (e.g., by the European Commission) that the UK has so far not done enough on these fronts in order to combat child poverty. This suggests that while policy formulation might therefore be on the right track, the implementation has not yet gone far enough (European Commission 2014). On the whole, policy formulation has generally been lauded. Education Maintenance Allowances, for example, have complemented the Sure Start programme discussed above. More important have been the tax and benefit reforms, which Hills and Steward (2005) argue have ‘reduced child poverty quickly enough to give the Government a good chance of hitting its 2004-05 targets.’ This is a dated analysis, but it indicates that in the decade after 1997 policy was relatively successful. The importance of changes in incomes for parents and their children, moreover, is borne out by the Families and Children Survey, as well as other interviews conducted in low-income areas (Hills and Stewart 2005). Nevertheless, while there has been a fall in relative child poverty between 1996-7 and 2002-3, and falls in deprivation and child-related spending by parents, the UK is still some way behind the EU average (Hills and Stewart 2005; also see European Commission 2014) There has been considerable research into the effect of Labour’s efforts to alleviate child poverty, primarily because they have been in office for much of the period and have been the main drivers behind such initiatives. The Labour government’s record has been positive on many fronts. Health is closely related to poverty, and in these terms the life expectancy of children rose, with infant mortality declining and illness declining, between 1997 and 2010 (Vizard and Obolenskaya 2013). This is supported by Stewart (2013), who has noted that for young children in particular outcomes as a result of Labour’s policies improved markedly, with higher employment rates for lone parents and fewer mothers drinking and smoking during pregnancies (the tangible impact of this is reflected in a fall in low birth weights among infants); moreover, the improvements here were concentrated among the lower socio-economic groups, which suggests relative poverty declined (Stewart 2013 ). For older children and young people, results in national tests at 11and 16 showed substantial improvements and hardly anyone was leaving school with no qualifications by 2010. Socio-economic gaps closed on all indicators –gradually at age 11 and more dramatically at age 16. Greater proportions stayed on at school after 16 and went to higher education, and socio-economic gaps in HE access closed slightly despite concerns to the contrary (Lupton and Obolenskaya 2013). Some particular shortcomings of policy have been highlighted by the research, however. For example, research into child poverty arising from neglect and abuse has revealed policy failure at all levels of the policy cycle. The neglect, abuse and eventual death of Victoria Climbe in 2000 is a good example of a policy failure in the period under consideration (Forest and Parton 2009; Laming 2003). Older children have often been classified as ‘hard to help’ and failed by agencies, while long-term neglect cases have on occasion not been properly contextualised in terms of past events in children’s lives. Additionally, there has tended to be an overreliance on universal or adult social service for physically injured children rather than the more appropriate children social care. As Brandon (2008) notes, these are reflective of policy failures in this particular area at the levels of formation, implementation, and post-policy evaluation. At the final level of the policy cycle, evaluation, there has been some criticism of policy. In particular, March and Fisher (2005: 4) highlight ‘strong arguments for the development of the evidence base, and for shifting social services towards an evidence-based approach, instead of its historic reliance on an ‘authority-based’ approach. These arguments run similarly to those suggesting that healthcare needs more of an evidence-based approach (for example, the 1997 report for the DH on RD in primary care) (Forest and Parton 2009). In this respect, it could be argued that policy has been less effective than it might have been because the research driving it has been conducted in the wrong way. It might even be said that improvements in this area required looking to the past: As Marsh and Fisher (2005: 5) put it: ‘Despite this lack of strategy, social work research has occasionally made a significant impact’. They point to the example of the childcare r esearch programme that was shaped by the DH during the 1980s. This led to a cogent set of policies on many critical issues and helped to make policy more focused on relevance and practical matters.. Nevertheless, this ‘did not address the question of the infrastructure for research relevant to social care’ (Marsh and Fisher 2005: 5). In a sense, these failures of policy at the final stage bring the argument full circle back to the level of agenda setting and policy formation. Marsh and Fisher (2005) and Morrin et al. (2011) see the issue as a lack of a strategic framework, which impedes agenda setting from the outset and prevents re-evaluative improvement at the end. The fact that no publicly funded research body is in place makes this more difficult, ‘and the plethora of relevant bodies has not so far offered a unified voice that could command widespread support. Unclear academic roots complicate the process’ (Marsh and Fisher 2005: 15). It might be argued that this comes down to the problem that social care does not exist as an independent academic discipline (Morrin et al. 2011; Forest and Parton 2009). In conclusion, it can be said that the impact of government policy on child poverty has been mixed. On the one hand, many important and varied issues, ranging from education to financial hardship and psychological trauma, have been brought under the government remit. This represents a success in terms of agenda setting. A large number of influential programmes have taken form across the spectrum, and these have been implemented with reasonable success in many cases, as indicated by the fact that child poverty has declined since 1997 by nearly 10 percent (Forest and Parton 2009). To a certain degree, it is too early to tell whether evaluation has been successful. There have, of course, been various shortcomings such as the inability of policy to adequately protect abused children. Detractors have also claimed that policy, despite being relatively successful, has not been based on evidence. In the end, the record of government policy is generally good, although there is clearly scope f or improvement going forwards. References: Bradshaw, J. and Bennett, F. (2014) Investing in Children: Breaking the cycle of disadvantage: A Study of National Policies: The United Kingdom, European Commission york.ac.uk/inst/spru/research/pdf/Naps2013Investing.pdf [Retrieved 22/06/2014] Brandon, M. (2008) Analysing child deaths and serious injury through abuse and neglect, Centre for Research on Children and Families uea.ac.uk/centre-research-child-family/child-protection-and-family-support/analysing-child-deaths [Retrieved 22/06/2014] Cleaver, H. and Walker, S. (2004) Assessing Childrens Needs and Circumstances: The Impact of the Assessment Framework, London: Jessica Kingsley Department for Education (2008) Sure Start Childrens Centres good for your child and good for you http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130401151715/education.gov.uk/publications/standard/Surestart/Page1/DCSF-00787-2008 [Retrieved 22/06/2014] Department of Health (1997) RD in primary care, London: The Stationery Office European Commission (2014) Investing in children http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1060langId=en [Retrieved 22/06/2014] Eisenstadt, N.  (2011),  Providing a Sure Start: How Government Discovered Early Childhood. Bristol: Policy Press Forest, N. and Parton, N. (2009) Understanding childrens social care: politics, policy and practice London: SAGE Hills, J. and Stewart, K. (2005) POLICIES TOWARDS POVERTY, INEQUALITY AND EXCLUSION SINCE 1997, Joseph Rowntree Foundation jrf.org.uk/publications/policies-towards-poverty-inequality-and-exclusion-1997 [Retrieved 22/06/2014] HM Government (2006) Working Together to Safeguard Children: A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, Nottingham: Department for Education and Skills justice.gov.uk/downloads/youth-justice/improving-practice/WT2006-Working-together.pdf [Retrieved 22/06/2014] HM Government (2004) Every Child Matters: Change for Children Programme. Nottingham: Department for Education and Skills www.everychildmatters.gov.uk [Retrieved 22/03/2014] Laming, H. (2003) The Victoria Climbie Inquiry https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/273183/5730.pdf [Retrieved 22/06/2014] Lupton, R., Burchardt, T, Hills, J. Stewart, K. and Vizard, P. (2013) A Framework for Analysing the Effects of Social Policy, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion http://sticerd.lse.ac.uk/dps/case/spcc/rn001.pdf [Retrieved 22/06/2014] Lupton, R. (2013) Labour’s Social Policy Record: Policy, Spending and Outcomes 1997-2010, Centre for Analysis and Social Exclusion http://sticerd.lse.ac.uk/dps/case/spcc/RR01.pdf [Retrieved 22/06/2014] Marsh, P. and Fisher, M. (2005) Developing the evidence base for social work and social care practice, Social Care Institute for Excellence scie.org.uk/publications/reports/report10.pdf [Retrieved 22/06/2014] Morrin, M., Johnson, S., Heron, L. and Roberts, E. (2011) CONCEPTUAL IMPACT OF ESRC RESEARCH: CASE STUDY OF UK CHILD POVERTY POLICY, Final Report to Economic and Social Research Council esrc.ac.uk/_images/Conceptual_impact_study_report_tcm8-18146.pdf [Retrieved 22/06/2014] Stewart, K. (2013) Labour’s Record on the Under-Fives: Policy Spending and Outcomes 1997-2010. Social Policy in a Cold Climate Working Paper. London: CASE Vizard, P. and Obolenskaya, P. (2013) Labour’s Record on Health: Policy Spending and Outcomes 1997-2010. Social Policy in a Cold Climate Working Paper WP02. London: CASE

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Critical Evaluation Of The Operations Management The essay is about to critical evaluate the operations management strategy of Hard Rock Cafà © as described in the case materials, and discuss the operations management challenges as well as the opportunities when Hard Rock Cafà © considering expand their business in Hanoi-Vietnam. In the essay, textbook, internet, academic researches will be mentioned to support the critical evaluates operations management, challenges and opportunities issues. According to Heizer el at., (2011), Operations management is defined as any activities that relate to the creation of goods and services through the transformation of inputs and outputs, while operation managers play an important role in the management process. The management process contains planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling. (Heizer el at., 2011). In the case materials provided, we will evaluate 10 critical decisions of Operations managements which are goods and service design, managing quality, process and capacity design, location strategy, layout strategy, HR and job design, supply-chain management, inventory, scheduling and last decision is maintenance to see whether how well Hard Rock cafà © applied these decisions in their operation management (Heizer el at., 2011). We will evaluate few decisions amongst those 10 decisions to let people have a broad view of how Hard Rock Cafà © applies these decisions to operate their business. For goods and service design, what services/products should Cafà © give to customers? That is very important issue to Hard Rock Management. As weve known, Hard Rock is in hospitality industry. If they provide products/services wrongly, it would lead the company to bankrupt. Follow the Hard Rock case study, due to the global economic changes, differences in business law, a lot of risk factors that make Hard Rock Cafà © changes from global Strategy into multi-domestic strategy. Multi-domestic strategy is a strategy that companies in each market makes their operating decisions independently of others oversea markets (http://tutor2u.net). In here, company decided to franchise a large number of their cafes by joining with opened cafà © such as in Manchester and Birmingham, which try to attract local residents involve in their business due to this place is not a common place for tourist, where people in here are quite conservative. This decision would make them to redesign their goods and services to meet with the local taste. Differences country would have different cultural, languages, business practices. For example: Hard Rock cafà © in Kuwait would need to change their menus because they cant eat pork. All products are related to pork are prohibited as well as alcohol while in US where people can eat pork, drink alcohol with no restriction due to difference religions and law as well ( Muslim in Kuwait and mainly Catholic, Protestant, Buddhism in US). (http://www.hardrock.com) Another issue is managing quality. Base on Rose el at., (2005), management quality is looked at 4 issues: quality planning, quality control, quality assurance and quality improvement. Hard Rock Cafà © has been focused on quality control and improvement by survey. It has been done regularly with rate from 1 to 7. If the score is not reached score 7 that mean the foods and services will be reviewed. The company has changed their menus to match with local taste as well as upgrade their menu. They are not only focus on their traditional food such as hamburgers and beefs but also look for high class of food like fishes, lobsters. Although customers go to Hard Rock Cafà © because they love music, atmosphere, environment, that is the main reason but high quality of food which show in menus would be value-added to Hard Rock Cafà © reputation and make customers come again. Cianfrani el at., (2009) told that: Quality management could change some of the management principles. This can help t op level management to increase the companys performance as well as satisfy the customers need. This issue is very important for the company which they are strongly focused on customer because most of the Hard Rock Cafà © customers are tourists while a minority is a local resident (Heizer el at., 2011). When the company changes their services/products, they also need to think of their existing supply chain management. Mentzer et al., (2001) stated that: Supply chain management is seen as a mechanism to maintain competition in domestic markets, in light of increasing global competition. The company chooses to upgrade their menu that would restructure their supply chain management because they will need new suppliers as well as maybe eliminate some old suppliers. Hard Rock Cafà © does not want too much on beefs and hamburgers; they want to add more expensive stuff such as fishes and lobsters which would attract a wider range of customers as well as lift the level of Hard Rock Cafà © one step higher. Top level managements also need to consider on the distribution network of new suppliers. Where are their warehouses, distribution centers, number of networking, who are their customers? What are payment terms? Can they deliver goods then we play later or we need to play upfront before they delivery goods? All those things need to consider very careful because it will affect to the cost of the meal later on. If the warehouse of new supplier is too far, it would create a big problem when we run out of food to prepare meal for customers. Moreover, if the company has to make full payment before they deliver goods, it would be an issue to management level to consider because if we can pay them later in a certain day after we receive goods, that is so much better, we can use that money to do something else to make more money and pay the supplier later. Location for Hard Rock Cafà © would a big issue to consider when select the location. A lot of things would affect such as political risk, currency risk, social norms, brand fit, and business practices (Heizer el at., 2011). Political risk is defined as Probability of loss due to political instability in the buyers country that may result in cancellation of a license or otherwise affect the buyers ability to make payments. Political risks are insurable risks, and overlap with the political component of force majeure risks (http://www.businessdictionary.com). It is the main concern when choosing location. Thailand will be a good example. Recently, Thailand has a lot of strikes which would make investors worry. It will also affect tourist industry due to a lot of cancellation tour to Thailand during strike (http://www.thaipro.com). While business practice is another issue Hard Rock Cafà © need to concern. The regulatory framework in Thailand is quite good but whether it is put into p ractice is a different issue (http://www.reuters.com). The business environment in Thailand recently is going down. Corruption is increasing badly. If company wants to expand business in Thailand, this issue would be considering carefully while most of the businesses try to avoid bribing, they want to do clean business especially some companies come from developed countries such as United State, Australia. Maintenance would get involve as the strategy of Hard Rock Cafà © has changed to franchise with opened restaurant or cafà ©. This mean they need to redesign the current cafà ©/restaurant so that will fit local cultural but it will not lose the Hard Rocks visual appearance. Securency Company is an example for bribing. Securency is a joint company between Reserve Bank Australia and British company call Innovia Films. Several former and serving Securency executives engaged in bribery to win deals in Vietnam, Nigeria, Malaysia and Indonesia. Securency Company has been investigated and bribery for some middle-men in order to win the deals oversea has been probed. If Hard Rock Cafà © gets involve in this kind of bribery, this will destroy all the reputation that Hard Rock Cafà © has tried to build up decades ago as well as it will lead to closing down a lot of business if the bribery is proved. Human resource management is also an important matter for company. Armstrong (2006) stated that: Human resource management is the strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organizations most valued assets: the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of the objectives. Nowadays, most of the company is really pay attention about human resource. It can help the company win over their competitors. For restaurant industry, products are important but services could be an extra point to attract customer come back. How Hard Rock could do it? The company needs to provide the better services, cheaper price and faster response to compete with their competitors (Blackwell et al., 2001). Staff turnover is another issue especially in restaurant industry due to very high turnover of employees, around 80% to 100% per year (Heizer el at., 2011). Hard Rock Cafà © is successfully in keep very low percentage of staff turnover by let employees fill in each day schedule what day/shift they would like to work base on their level and how important they are at each shift. The purpose is to balance work and normal life of staff as well as will not let over-employee between two shifts. This method works very well as Hard Rock staffs love that method and it helps to reduce the staff turnover which is percentage of staff turnover in restaurant industry is very high. Although staffs at Hard Rock Cafà © are music lover, happy with the working environment but for normal living life, they cannot live without money. So company should have reasonable salary system in order to help their staffs afford to normal living cost. There is an accusing of an anonymous waiter staff in of the Hard Rock Cafà © in United Kingdom that he/she was getting paid under the national minimum wages which is 2.06 pound per hour while national minimum wages is around 5.73 pound per hour (http://news.bbc.co.uk). Employees in Hard Rock Cafà © in London are relying on tips of customer to push their wages to national minimum wages. These tips could come from cash, credit card tips but we do not know all those tip will be distributed fairly to staffs or the company will keep them and give part of it staffs only. This matter is very important. Salary would a tool to stimulus the performance of employees which could make them work harder, dynamic and enthusiasm. If this matter i s proven, the company will be fined and leads to competitors get gain more market share which is belong to company. In order to expand business in Ha Noi, Vietnam, Hard Rock needs to look at challenges and opportunities before make final decision. These challenges and opportunities are mention below: Based on General Statistics Office of Vietnam, Ha noi is about 3345 km2 with more than 6.5 millions of people which is around 1935 person/km2 (http://www.gso.gov.vn). We can see in here, will small area with a lot of people live in, so it is very hard to find location to open a new business in here. Location is a main concern of company which is easy to access; locate around Central Business District where a lot of traveler and people can see their logo. Moreover, real estate price in Ha Noi is very high compare to other cities so that company would need to consider lease or buy it out (http://vietbao.vn). That would be added to the cost of meal which would be an issue in competitive with other competitors. Another challenge is cultural differences. Cultural differences could cause a lot of problem which Hard Rock needs to find out when planning to do business in Vietnam. Eye contact is an important to tell whether we respect opposite person or not. For Western cultural, when people are talking, it is impolite if we do not look at each others eyes. But in many Asian countries such as Japan and Vietnam, they cannot look at their superiors eyes otherwise it means you have no respect for them. If you do that so, that mean you show your respect to them (Moran el at., 2007). Posture/Gesture can make misunderstanding as well if two business men from difference countries with difference cultural. In Vietnam, it would be friendly if two people stand close, remain little gap between two people but in western way, it should be a gap (at least one meter) when they are talking to each other, it is consider polite. On the other hand, handshake would differences between Asian cultural and Western cultural. Western people prefer firm handshake, that show their respect to business partner as well as trustworthy while in Asia, especially in Vietnam, firm handshake should be avoided while people think it is rude, un-educated, not being friendly to guess. Those things are very important because if they do not understand Vietnamese cultural, it might create problems between level management of Hard Rock towards their employees. This is not good for business as it will create the gap between level management and employees, poor performances, people might want to quit du e to disappointed, do not like working environment. Currency risk is another risk factor. At the moment, the exchange rate between US dollar and Vietnamese dong is very high which is 1 US dollar can change to 19500 VND (www.eximbank.com). If Hard Rock would like to bring their goods over from US to keep original taste, it would make the price of each meal increase due to value of VND is decrease plus no shipping cost from US to Hanoi if they buy those products in Vietnam. The rise and fall of exchange rate could make company have more competitive advantage to competitor but it would be a disaster later on so that advantage would turn to disadvantage as Hard Rock Cafà © strategy wants local residents get involve along with tourists. In Vietnam legal framework is quite good but it is not applied. Intellectual property right is an example. It is not protected even Vietnam has signed a lot agreement which promised to protect the copyright but it does not put it in practice (http://www.vietnam-ustrade.org). The percentage of copyright infringement is still high at 85%, same at year 2007, 2008 (http://phapluattp.vn). Hard Rock Cafà © can be set up today but next few weeks, another Cafà © might be open and all the meals, layout, styles, music would be similar or slightly differences. It will affect the brand name of Hard Rock if customers come in, still though that is Hard Rock Cafà © and they have bad serves or food poisoning. Disregard those challenges above, Ha Noi is still a potential place for investor to consider when open business in here. Firstly, Hanoi is capital of Vietnam with labor force 1.6 million of people while 43% of them are under age of 35; it means 400.000 people enter the market every day (http://industrialzone.vn). Moreover, GDP per capital of Vietnam is around $1156 USD/year which is very low compares to US. It means, company has more option in selecting staffs but pay less money than in US market (http://www.dfat.gov.au). That would save a lot money for company while in US huge money has been paid off for HR and singers. This is an advantage when open business in Hanoi. Secondly, supply chain management would not be a problem because people can come to Hanoi by three main ways: railway, roadway and airway. Hanoi is also a starting point of a lot national highway such as Number 1A national highway, Number 3, 5 national road and NoiBai airport is around 40km away only as well as close to 5 big industry zones which they can supply most of the needs for Hard Rock (http://industrialzone.vn). It is easy to deliver goods for company regularly and on time so company will not be run out of stock even in peak period. Thirdly, since 1990, economics of Vietnam is growing very fast. GDP of Vietnam is around 7% growing continuously while GDP per capital is at $725 USD in 2006 goes up to $1156 USD in 2010 which is nearly double in 4 years time. We can see bright economy, growing very fast which is a potential market with around 90 millions of people (http://www.dfat.gov.au). That could open for Hard Rock a lot of chances while invest in Vietnam as a lot of US companies did it long time ago such as IBM, Intel and many more US companies. Intel is good example in investment. They just announced to decided to make the $1 billion investment in a relative newcomer to the high-tech game Vietnam (http://www.usatoday.com). This decision is good news for Vietnam which could create a hundred thousand jobs in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as well as could bring back huge profits for Intel in the future as labor cost in Vietnam is quite cheap but highly educated. In conclusion, ten operation management decisions play an important role in doing business of company. Those decisions mentioned above are not all of ten decisions but it would show out how important ten operation management decisions in managing quality, improve performance of employees, create new goods/services in order to adapt to the fast changing of global economic. If Hard Rock Cafà © can continue to perform as they are doing right now, it would be the strength and a competitive edge toward their competitors.

Is Communication Doomed? :: essays research papers

It is essential that everyone is capable of reading, writing, and communicating in an articulate and organized manner. Unfortunately, many American students lack the necessary skills needed for effective communication. It is contradictory that there are so many illiterate students in this current age that many define as 'the age of the information superhighway.' It seems as though many of America's students are unaware of the importance of communication and literacy. Clear and effective language use is a most important and practical utility; it is the vehicle we use to convey information. An 'information superhighway' without vehicles is futile. Without effective language utilization, it is impossible to convey thoughts, emotions, and feelings. Students must have the capacity to absorb and convey information to, at least a minimal level. The meters of literacy magnitude are standardized tests Diane Ravitch writes of "poor verbal scores" and "de-emphasis on careful reading and writing" in Forbes magazine. Standardized test scores are not showing strong enough verbal skills. The latter is an indicator that more emphasis should be placed on language skill development at an earlier period in the education process. Language is the basis of any education. Whether one wishes to pursue a study in literature or science, language arts are indispensable. It is impossible for one to present a lab report or to comprehend a calculus text if he/she is unable to achieve literary discipline. Those who are able to dynamically utilize their literary skills have a plethora of information available to them. They can employ such resources as libraries and the Internet. Therefore, it is essential that, to take advantage of all available resources, one must have a solid foundation consisting of literary knowledge.The most fundamental form of communication is speech. After one's methods of speech are developed, it is then possible to migrate to more sophisticated areas of communication. It is relatively easy to communicate in America. Many people live in countries where there are dozens of dialects. Communication can be chaotic in countries such as China. Americans who are My communication skills are articulate. In my essays, I practice careful grammar and syntax. To achieve dynamic communication skills, I devote much time and patience to reading as much as I possibly can. Exposure to as much literature as possible can only amplify ones literary skills. Many students consider reading a novel or analyzing a literary work as a tedious and monotonous task. Is Communication Doomed? :: essays research papers It is essential that everyone is capable of reading, writing, and communicating in an articulate and organized manner. Unfortunately, many American students lack the necessary skills needed for effective communication. It is contradictory that there are so many illiterate students in this current age that many define as 'the age of the information superhighway.' It seems as though many of America's students are unaware of the importance of communication and literacy. Clear and effective language use is a most important and practical utility; it is the vehicle we use to convey information. An 'information superhighway' without vehicles is futile. Without effective language utilization, it is impossible to convey thoughts, emotions, and feelings. Students must have the capacity to absorb and convey information to, at least a minimal level. The meters of literacy magnitude are standardized tests Diane Ravitch writes of "poor verbal scores" and "de-emphasis on careful reading and writing" in Forbes magazine. Standardized test scores are not showing strong enough verbal skills. The latter is an indicator that more emphasis should be placed on language skill development at an earlier period in the education process. Language is the basis of any education. Whether one wishes to pursue a study in literature or science, language arts are indispensable. It is impossible for one to present a lab report or to comprehend a calculus text if he/she is unable to achieve literary discipline. Those who are able to dynamically utilize their literary skills have a plethora of information available to them. They can employ such resources as libraries and the Internet. Therefore, it is essential that, to take advantage of all available resources, one must have a solid foundation consisting of literary knowledge.The most fundamental form of communication is speech. After one's methods of speech are developed, it is then possible to migrate to more sophisticated areas of communication. It is relatively easy to communicate in America. Many people live in countries where there are dozens of dialects. Communication can be chaotic in countries such as China. Americans who are My communication skills are articulate. In my essays, I practice careful grammar and syntax. To achieve dynamic communication skills, I devote much time and patience to reading as much as I possibly can. Exposure to as much literature as possible can only amplify ones literary skills. Many students consider reading a novel or analyzing a literary work as a tedious and monotonous task.

Macbeth: A King in Name Only Essay

â€Å"I am, indeed, a king, because I know how to rule myself† (Pietro Aretino). Effective kings know how to rule themselves and their people. Throughout William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the protagonist shows that he lacks verity, or the ability to be truthful. Similarly, Macbeth is in need of stability. Finally, Macbeth shows that he lacks patience. The characteristics that Macbeth demonstrates in the play suggest that he is an ineffective ruler due to his lack of verity, stability, and patience, several qualities which Malcolm describes as required of an effective ruler. Being truthful is a necessary and important characteristic for a ruler to be effective. A ruler who lacks verity will be challenged and others will not trust him. A ruler needs the support of his people and can gain their respect by being truthful. Throughout the play, Macbeth shows a lack of truthfulness to many people, including himself. When Macbeth finishes discussing the details of how he and Lady Macbeth will murder King Duncan, he leaves her by saying, â€Å"[Go], and mock the time with the fairest show: / False face must hide what the false heart doth know† (Mac. 1.7.82-83). Macbeth is telling Lady Macbeth to act like a welcoming and friendly hostess for their special guest, Duncan, while hiding her dark desires to kill him and take his rule over Scotland. Early in the play, this shows that Macbeth is very untruthful and wants other people to think the opposite of what he is thinking. This parallels the theme of appearance versus reality because Macbeth wants his wife to look like she is friendly and warm, but in her heart know her intentions of killing the king. After killing Duncan, Macbeth regrets his bad choice, but then lies when he is talking to Banquo about the witches’ prophecies by saying, â€Å"I think not of them† (2.1.22). This demonstrates Macbeth’s lack of verity because he tells Banquo that he is not thinking about the witches’ prophecies, but he certainly is. Macbeth’s over-ambitious nature causes him to be untruthful in his thoughts and his actions. His thoughts are now starting to take control of his actions. Not only does Macbeth lack the truthfulness required of an effective ruler, but his stability is also questionable. To be effective, a ruler must exhibit stability. He must be calm and be able to control his emotions. He cannot  make careless or irrational decisions and must act in the best interest of others, rather than focusing on himself. Demonstration of this quality through these actions is important in winning trust and respect from those under his rule. Macbeth’s mental stability starts to deteriorate and this leads to impure and insane behaviour. Macbeth is still contemplating killing Duncan, when he has a hallucination and says: Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible To feeling, as to sight? or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation, Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain? (2.1.33-39) Macbeth sees a dagger with drops of blood all over it, the blade pointing to Duncan and the handle to him. This suggests that fate is telling Macbeth to kill Duncan. This shows Macbeth’s mental instability because he is imagining the image of a bloody dagger, which indeed suggests that he is unstable and not fit to be an effective king. Macbeth’s mental deterioration starts to show even more when he sees Banquo’s ghost at a banquet he holds for his lords. Macbeth appears to get angry at the ghost of Banquo when he slams his cup down saying, â€Å"Avaunt! and quit my sight! let the earth hide thee! / Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold; / Thou hast no speculation in those eyes / Which thou dost glare with† (3.4.93-96). At this point, even Macbeth’s guests start to question him and Lady Macbeth tries to calm him down. This suggests he is feeling guilty from all of the evil deeds he has committed, especially the murder of his dear friend, Banqu o. Throughout the play, Macbeth’s instability causes him to commit selfish and illogical deeds, which leads to great chaos in Scotland. An unstable ruler will cause chaos in his land and will therefore be an ineffective ruler. Since Macbeth’s mental state is quickly deteriorating, he is being forced to make quick decisions which he does not think through. Finally, in order to deal with people effectively, a strong ruler needs patience. People have different opinions and needs and a ruler must react to challenges calmly,  taking time to consider all facts to make decisions in the best interest of the country. A ruler who shows patience becomes more approachable to his subjects who trust the ruler to make good decisions. Macbeth does not demonstrate this quality and his lack of patience leads him to make irrational decisions and to overthink things, thus contributing to his downfall. Macbeth’s great ambition controls his actions and makes him more impatient. Macbeth shows his ambition early in the play, after he and Banquo receive their prophecies from the â€Å"weird† sisters. At first, they question the prophecies they receive, but then Macbeth becomes impatient and wants to be king as quickly as possible and against all odds. At the king’s palace, he proves his impatience by saying, â€Å"The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step,/ On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap† (1.4.48-49). Macbeth means that he must either stay where he is right now, or he must commit evil deeds to get what he wants, which is to become king. This shows he is impatient because the prophecies could have meant that Macbeth was going to become king by fate, but instead he took it into his own hands to become king. He did not want to wait for fate to take its course. It is Lady Macbeth who persuades Macbeth to kill the king and she fuels Macbeth’s ambition by calling him a coward and unmanly. He feels that he has to prove himself to Lady Macbeth, so he follows through and kills the king rather than taking time to think through the consequences. Macbeth again proves his blind ambition and shows his impatient nature when he prepares to kill the king. Macbeth recognizes his blind ambition because â€Å"[he has] no spur/ To prick the sides of [his] intent, but only/ Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself,/ And falls on the other† (1.7.25-28). Macbeth admits his ambition and says that this is the only reason he can give for wanting to kill the king so quickly. Macbeth’s impatience and ambition later lead him to kill Banquo and Macduff’s family in order to quickly remove obstacles he perceives are in the way of him becoming king. Macbeth’s impatience to become king continues as he becomes an ineffective ruler and disrupts the order of the once happy Scotland. The protagonist, Macbeth, brings chaos to Scotland because of his lack of verity, stability, and patience, all qualities which Malcolm states are necessary for a good king. Macbeth shows he lacks truth through his many lies. That he also lacks stability is proven in his many hallucinations. Finally, Macbeth’s impatience is proven through  his blindly ambitious murders. Macbeth is clearly an in effective ruler, but if you were king, would you know how to rule yourself? Works Cited Shakespeare, W. Macbeth. Toronto: Canadian School Book Exchange, 1996. Print.

Anne Hutchinson Quotes

Anne Hutchinson Quotes Anne Hutchinsons  religious ideas and leadership of others who held them threatened to create a schism in Massachusetts colony in 1635-1638. She was accused by her opponents of antinomianism (anti-law), undermining authority, and overemphasizing salvation by grace. She in turn accused them of Legalism - overemphasizing salvation by works and rules over individual conscience. Selected Anne Hutchinson Quotations As I do understand it, laws, commands, rules and edicts are for those who have not the light which makes plain the pathway. He who has Gods grace in his heart cannot go astray. The power of the Holy Spirit dwelleth perfectly in every believer, and the inward revelations of her own spirit, and the conscious judgment of her own mind are of authority paramount to any word of God. I conceive there lies a clear rule in Titus that the elder women should instruct the younger and then I must have a time wherein I must do it. If any come to my house to be instructed in the ways of God what rule have I to put them away? Do you think it not lawful for me to teach women and why do you call me to teach the court? When I first came to this land because I did not go to such meetings as those were, it was presently reported that I did not allow of such meetings but held them unlawful and therefore in that regard they said I was proud and did despise all ordinances. Upon that a friend came unto me and told me of it and I to prevent such aspersions took it up, but it was in practice before I came. Therefore I was not the first. I am called here to answer before you, but I hear no things laid to my charge. I desire to know wherefore I am banished? Will it please you to answer me this and to give me a rule for then I will willingly submit to any truth. I do here speak it before the court. I look that the Lord should deliver me by his providence. If you please to give me leave I shall give you the ground of what I know to be true. The Lord judges not as man judges. Better to be cast out of the church than to deny Christ. A Christian is not bound to the law. But now having seen him which is invisible I fear not what man can do unto me. What from the Church at Boston? I know no such church, neither will I own it. Call it the whore and strumpet of Boston, no Church of Christ! You have power over my body but the Lord Jesus hath power over my body and soul; and assure yourselves thus much, you do as much as in you lies to put the Lord Jesus Christ from you, and if you go on in this course you begin, you will bring a curse upon you and your posterity, and the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. He that denies the testament denies the testator, and in this did open unto me and give me to see that those which did not teach the new covenant had the spirit of antichrist, and upon this he did discover the ministry unto me; and ever since, I bless the Lord, he hath let me see which was the clear ministry and which the wrong. For you see this scripture fulfilled this day and therefore I desire you as you tender the Lord and the church and commonwealth to consider and look what you do. But after he was pleased to reveal himself to me I did presently, like Abraham, run to Hagar. And after that he did let me see the atheism of my own heart, for which I begged of the Lord that it might not remain in my heart. I have been guilty of wrong thinking. They thought that I did conceive there was a difference between them and Mr. Cotton... I might say they might preach a covenant of works as did the apostles, but to preach a covenant of works and to be under a covenant of works is another business. One may preach a covenant of grace more clearly than another... But when they preach a covenant of works for salvation, that is not truth. I pray, Sir, prove it that I said they preached nothing but a covenant of works. Thomas Weld, on hearing of the death of the Hutchinsons: Thus the Lord heard our groans to heaven and freed us from this great and sore affliction. From the sentence at her trial read by Governor Winthrop: Mrs. Hutchinson, the sentence of the court you hear is that you are banished from out of our jurisdiction as being a woman not fit for our society.

Homeschooling Kindergarten - Tips and Suggestions

Homeschooling Kindergarten - Tips and Suggestions When I think of kindergarten, I think of painting, cutting, pasting, snacks, and nap time. I remember my experience as a kindergarten student, playing in the little wooden kitchen with the play food and dishes. Kindergarten should be a fun, memorable time for both the parent and the child. For my oldest child, I used a full-on curriculum from a Christian publisher for kindergarten. (It made the  cost of homeschooling  much more than it had to be.) And,  we did everything in the curriculum. My poor child. It seems that your first   child usually suffers the most while you learn what youre doing as a new homeschooling parent. Homeschool Curriculum for Kindergarten For my next two children I used the following curriculum and programs that I put together myself. Language Arts: Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons We tried Sing, Spell, Read Write first, but the songs were too fast for my daughter and she didnt want to sing and play games. She wanted to read like her big sister did. So I sold Sing, Spell, Read Write and purchased Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. I liked this book because it was relaxed and easy to use. You just snuggle up in the easy chair together for about 15 minutes a day, and kids are reading at a second grade level when youre finished. Teach Your Child to Read is an inexpensive book, too. I  loved it so much that I have a copy saved for future grandchildren in case it goes out of print! I always followed  up Teach Your Child to Read with the Abeka 1st grade phonics book, Letters and Sounds 1, to ensure that my children retained what they learned. I had them reading in easy readers as soon as they were able. I found it best to have them read books that were a little easy for them so they would enjoy reading. Math: MCP Mathematics K  by Modern Curriculum Press I liked this book because it was cute and efficient. I didnt stay with Modern Curriculum Press, but for Kindergarten, this was my favorite book. I always added whatever hands-on items were necessary to help my children grasp a concept or just to make the lessons more fun. Fine Arts: Art Projects K by Abeka Books I liked this book because most everything is right there for the teaching parent. There is no photocopying to do and the projects are appealing and colorful. Science and history were covered using library books and other resources I had around the house. Gardening and cooking are great science and math projects for young ones. There are many other programs and curriculum options  out there. This is just an example of what I found that I liked and worked for me. I was able to teach kindergarten for about $35 for the year and only $15 for the second child. Do You Need Curriculum When Homeschooling Kindergarten? You may be wondering if you even need curriculum for homeschooling kindergarten. Not necessarily! Some parents and their children like having the guidance of formal lessons. Other families prefer a more interest-led approach for the younger years. For these families, providing children with a learning-rich environment, reading every day, and exploring the world around them through everyday learning experiences is plenty. Continuing with the same concepts for teaching preschool at home is sufficient  for most kindergarten children - read, explore, ask questions, answer questions, and play. Young children learn so much through play! More Tips for Homeschooling Kindergarten Teaching kindergarten should be fun and engaging for parent and child. Keep these tips in mind to ensure that it is: Dont be a slave to the curriculum. Let it work for you. If its not working, its okay to change curriculum.Little  ones can only sit for about 15 minutes at a time. Try scattering your teaching times throughout the day.Keep it fun. If your child isnt having a good day, put school off until later or even the next day.Use play dough, paints, bubbles.Have your child  write his letters with his fingers in pudding, shaving cream, or sand. Kids also love using the white board. Dont limit them to the lines on paper this early. Just concentrate on forming the letters properly. As homeschoolers, we dont have to leave behind the days of cutting, pasting, playing, and painting for kindergarten. Those are perfectly acceptable activities to engage the minds of curious youngsters! Updated by Kris Bales

Administration and Procurement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Administration and Procurement - Essay Example Procurement systems can be categorized as: Project management is excluded as it is considered that a project manager could be applied to any procurement method. In other words, to dispel a common misconception, project management is not a procurement method (Bennett, 1986, p. 5).The following criteria can be used to examine client requirements and 'experts' preferences for the performance of each procurement method. NEDO (1985), Skitmore and Marsden (1988) and Singh (1990) suggest employing the following criteria to establish a profile of the clients' requirements:NEDO (1985) relates the characteristics of the most popular procurement methods used to a list of nine client priorities or needs. This technique, while useful as a guide in terms of eliminating unsuitable procurement methods from the available alternatives, is insufficiently sophisticated to enable a final decision to be taken as to the method appropriate for a building project (Masterman, 1992). Franks (1990) uses a rating system based on the ability of each procu rement system to meet seven common satisfying criteria. A scale of 1-5 is used, where 1 is the minimum and 5 is the maximum. Masterman (1992) states that the use of this technique in determining clients' needs is valid but is flawed with subjectivity. Skitmore and Marsden (1988) and Singh (1990) used the multi-attribute approach, which is a technique applied to measure a degree of objectivity to subjective areas. Both studies adapted the procurement path decision chart from NEDO (1985) to aid the decision-making process. Bennett and Grice (1990) have undertaken similar work. Furthermore, Skitmore and Marsden (1988) applied concordance analysis and discriminant analysis to their theoretical framework. Concordance analysis is used to measure the consistency of experts' ranking for each procurement against a set predetermined criterion. Discriminant analysis examined data collected under a set of criteria that are characteristics on

Staff Training Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Staff Training Strategy - Essay Example The essay "Staff Training Strategy" talks about the problems of making the employees work as a team by analyzing the strategy of pairing young people with old employees in order to make sure that they learn from each other as Generation Gap plays an important role in determining the relationship of the teams. Gen Yers are found to be attention seeking and more technology-oriented people, whereas older people tend to be technology avert who try to do things manually. A disagreement was caused by an older employee’s reluctance to use the new payroll system. However, in the end, the dispute was resolved, but what we can learn from the situation is that by pairing up older and young people, there are chances of disputes which are more dangerous than the one which occurred over the new technology. Hence, the company should look into its policy of pairing the different employees. The strategy that the company can use to solve this problem is by conducting personality interview. They can assess the personality types and preferences of its different employees and then can make teams of people who seem similarly, All though there will still be some disputes and disagreements, they would not be as grave as the one in the case. The company can also take an initiative of the teaching of teaching new technology to the older staff. This would bridge the gap between the older and younger population in the organization. By becoming more technology aware, the older people in the organization would also be more productive.