OCR Psychology Assignment Essay

The article â€Å"Fashion company’s shock tactics in the fight against size zero† appeared on the Daily Mail’s Website on Tuesday, September 25th 2007.  1. Assumptions  The first psychological assumption is that the use of shock tactics by way of an image portraying a naked anorexic woman will â€Å"jolt the fashion industry into action over the problem of anorexia†. The article suggests that the use of strong fear appeal will be enough to provoke behavioural change and an awareness of the illness. A fear appeal is a technique used to persuade an audience into behaving in a particular way by arousing a fear of the consequences of not following the message given. The effect of fear appeals was studied by Janis and Feshback (1953). The second psychological assumption is that â€Å"the fashion industry and the obsession with stick-thin size zero models† is to blame for the increase in cases of anorexia. The article therefore suggests that people outside of the fashion industry perhaps idolise models who appear to be rewarded with fame and fortune for being stick-thin. It assumes people imitate these models’ behaviour in the hope of being like them. Research into vicarious learning was conducted by Bandura (1965) who consequently formed the social learning theory.  The third psychological assumption relates to the billboard designers’ decision to use a picture of a female anorexic and presumes that the majority, if not all, of anorexic sufferers are female. A study that explored the prevalence of anorexia among males and females was performed by Kjels et al (2003). 2. Evidence  Evidence opposing the first assumption was conducted by Janis and Feshback (1953), who studied the motivational effect of fear arousal in health promotion communication. The entire freshman class of a Connecticut high school was divided into 4 groups, 3 of which were given 15-minute lectures on tooth decay and oral hygiene, while the fourth acted as the control group. Each lecture had a different strength of fear appeal, and results showed that although strong fear resulted in greater immediate anxiety, the minimal fear group showed the largest changes in behaviour. The minimal fear group showed 36% behaviour change, whereas strong fear only showed 8%. This therefore opposes the view of the article that the image of the naked anorexic woman will cause the fashion industry to take action against the illness and, although it will have some effect, a minimal fear approach would be most successful. Evidence that supports the second assumption was provided by Albert Bandura (1965). Bandura showed three groups of children tapes of a man being aggressive towards a doll. The first group saw the man being rewarded for his actions, the second saw him being punished and the third were not shown any consequences. The children were then placed in a room with a similar doll and observed. Results of the study showed that children were significantly more likely to imitate aggressive behaviour when they had observed the model being rewarded. Bandura labelled this imitation â€Å"vicarious leaning.† This forms part of the social learning theory suggesting that behaviour is learnt through observation and imitation. This supports the second assumption as people observing models within the fashion industry witness them being rewarded for being thin with fame and fortune, and subsequently imitate their behaviour in order to gain the same rewards. They try to be as thin as the models by starving themselves and consequently become anorexic, as the article would suggest. The evidence that challenges the third assumption is given by Kjelsà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s et al. They studied 1026 female and 934 male adolescents using DSM-IV and DSM-III-R criteria to establish the prevalence of eating disorders in both genders. Each participant was asked to complete a questionnaire, and results showed that while 17.9% of female participants had suffered anorexia at some point in their lifetime, 6.5% of males had also. The study concludes that although prevalence of anorexia nervosa is higher in females, males are also susceptible to the illness. The image of the female anorexic on the billboard therefore does little to raise awareness of the illness among men and perpetuates the stereotype that eating disorders are a female disease. 3. Applications  In relation to the first assumption, Janis and Feshback would argue that instead of using shock tactics a more effective way of bringing about a change within the industry would be to provide people with information on the disease, and preventative measures. Leaflets and posters containing this information could be distributed to people within the industry itself, and perhaps to the public in order to provide awareness to the majority. This may however have little effect, as there is no guarantee that the information would be listened to by an industry out to gain profit. Bandura’s theory and study suggests that people learn anorexic behaviour from seeing underweight models in the media. Therefore, in relation to the second assumption, the number of anorexic cases could be decreased by ensuring that no model within the fashion industry is below certain measurements; for example, by preventing the use of size zero models. If people are exposed to healthier-looking models, people may develop healthier eating habits. This however assumes that size 0 models are ill, and could be perceived as discrimination against healthy individuals. There may be resistance against this motion from the fashion industry and models themselves. In relation to the third assumption, Kjelsà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s et al’s study suggests that males are also susceptible to anorexia. Therefore people need to be made aware of this to increase the perceived susceptibility, especially in males. Health promotion could include information on male anorexia, and contain pictures of male sufferers who are willing to share their stories. If awareness of anorexia in males is raised and the stereotype of it being a typically female disease scrapped, then the number of males who seek help will increase. However if males do not perceive themselves susceptible they are unlikely to choose to read the health promotion in the first place as they believe it to be a female disease.

Guy Montag Change Essay

Change is a big factor of life, without changes we are like robots. Sometimes we change to adapt, change for a cause, change to be a better person, change for a better living, and some time change for fun. Similarly in the novel Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury changes his main character Guy Montag throughout the novel. He uses other characters to bring changes into Montag’s life. Montag is a fire man, not a fireman who puts fire out rather who works under Captain Beatty to burn books, and houses. In the beginning of the movie he just follows order and burns books but as the novel goes he changes himself to be a better person. Firstly, Clarisse seventeen years old girl, Montag is introduced to in the novel bring several changes in his life. She teaches him how to love and express his thoughts. In the beginning he doesn’t think much to care about anything, but Clarisse teaches him love nature. He never even thinks let alone expressing his thoughts, But Clarisse changes him to look differently and to express them to change him to be a better person. â€Å"It’s just I love to watch people too much†¦ Sometimes I ride the subway all day and look at them and listen to them.† Second is Mildred, Montag’s wife who just watches T.V shows with her friend all the time. She was like the rest of the society, who was bored with life and tried to commit suicide. She sort of holds Montag back from changing, reading books. As his wife she had more effect on him than anyone else in the beginning.

Flipflops Market in the Philippines Essay

Introduction â€Å"Slip into comfortability, on and off the shore† Offshore entered Philippine flip-flop industry in 2003 as an all Filipino-designed palm beach slippers. Amazed with Philippine beaches, Anton Ng dreamt of building a product that will embody these beautiful beaches and will be shared by every Filipinos and the rest of the world. The Filipino-Chinese businessman wanted to offer a pair of slippers that would define comfortability and durability. He named the slippers Offshore, envisioning that these are the pair of slippers that would be worn on and off the shore. â€Å"Philippines is popular around the world for its beautiful beaches and vacation spots, Offshore flip-flops are the perfect companion when you are taking the time off or when you are offshore,† he said. The designing process is crucial for the company whose aim is to showcase the essence of attractive Philippine beaches and the Filipino spirit in whole. Ng believes in the talent and skills of Filipino graphic artists. Offshore hires nimble young designers who would create lively dynamic flip-flop prints. A rigorous selection process is done from all available designs every season where offshore releases a new set of flip-flop collection. The collection theme and color scheme should match the current season trends and styles. A couple of market tests are done across different Asian countries, before mass producing a new design in throughout Asia. After observing consumer responses to the sample slippers, a final selection of successful flip-flop designs will be done. Offshore prods rigorous quality control process in its production line to minimize the volume of product defects and returns. Given its stern quality inspection, it takes a couple of weeks to produce a batch of slippers. The ultimate goal of the company is to provide comfy and highly durable slippers at an affordable price to every Filipino and to the rest of Asia. The company achieves low costs production by acquiring all raw materials  form China and outsourcing the production in China, as well. Although, the designs and prints are purely Filipino, the flip-flop itself is 100% China-made in terms of materials and labor. By doing so, Offshore has competitive in pricing. In fact, Offshore is one of the cheapest brands in department stores. The products have strong focus in Filipino design for everyday casual wear that would complement current fashion trends. However, the local market has perceived Offshore as low-quality china brand. In addition, the company failed to convey its all-Filipino designed-message to the public. Industry Background â€Å"We have to admit that the imported brands of flip-flops paved the way to the re-entry of flip-flops in the footwear business but it doesn’t mean that a Filipino brand can’t join the race. With Offshore, we are hoping that by creating our own designs and even Filipino-inspired ones, we are not only making quality flip-flops, but we are also giving it back to our country. Our goal is simple and straightforward, a pair of Offshore for every Filipino†, said Ng. The word tsinelas (slippers) originated from the Spanish word chinela, traditional Filipino slippers are made from Abaka. It’s has a simple sole with Y-shaped strap. Slippers are household commodities for Filipinos regardless of economic class. Now it’s no longer called tsinelas or slippers, rather flipflops. It can be made from a wide range of materials such as leather, rubber, plastic and even textile. In the old days the most popular local brands of tsinelas were Spartan, Beach Walk, Rambo, and Islander. Each of them has a strong market positioning. Spartan is the durable brand, Beach Walk is soft and comfortable, Rambo has its very thick sole, while Islander is the classy type. The beginning of 2003 marked the success for Brazilian flipflop brands such as today’s market leader Havaianas followed by Ipanema. These brands revolutionized the way Filipinos wear slippers. The trendy, sleek, chic  designs of these slippers immediately made a buzz, dominating the local slipper industry. On the other hand, local footwear industry has experienced 14% decline in sales last year. The Products Offshore has three sets of collections for each season. These are for kids, teens and men. Kids Sizes range from 30-33 fitting 4-8 year old young toddlers. The kids’ Offshore slippers however are designed for only for boys. Teens Offshore offers three slipper designs for teens 1) Plain colored slippers 2) Pastel colored with stripe and dotted prints 3) Flowery prints Men 1) Single strap rubber soles 2) Traditional Y-strap rubber soles with beach designs 3) Y-strap in sports prints and designs The Competition Havaianas is a renowned global brand of slippers originating from Brazil about 50 years ago. The brand is known for its special rubber formula use for producing high quality, smooth, sleek and durable flipflops. It redefined traditional flipflop appearance by offering a wide range of designs from florals to glow in the dark prints. Through time, Havaianas has built a strong brand image throughout the world. People from different walks of life have been spotted wearing this pair of slippers, from football  superstar David Beckham to the royalties like Queen Silvia of Sweden. Hollywood celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Tom Cruise among others seem fond on havstoo. Havaianas entered the Philippines market in 2003. In its first 3 years, the brand sold one million pairs thereby cementing its place in the hearts and ‘soles’ of the Filipinos. ‘All Flip-Flops’ a store devoted solely to selling Havaianas merchandise opened in the Philippines in 2006. Following the success of the first store, 19 more All Flip-Flops stores were opened. Ipanema entered the Philippine market in 2001. Currently, this is the top two brand in the local market. Like Havaianas, Ipanema is also a Brazilian-made slippers way back 1971. It is perceived as flipflops exclusive for women. Although the brand offers men flipflops, majority of its market are women. The sales of flipflops for women even increased after launching Gisele Bundchen collection this year. Gisele Bundchen is one of the world’s top model known for her socio-civic activities. The collection design redefines rubber flipflops designs similar to sandals. The sophisticated colors and elegant cuts and designs made Ipanema look glamorous. It is second best-selling flipflop brand now, but sales are predicted to increase next year, outnumbering Havaianas sales. Banana Peel is the most successful local flipflop brand in the Philippines. It was established in the year 2002. It is known to be the chic and trendy flip flops with smooth rubber soles like Banana cut in rectangular shapes. It places itself in the market as functional and comfortable flipflop. In 2004, the first Banana Peel concept store opened in SM malls, being the first ever flipflop store in the country. As such Banana Peel has strong distribution chains; it is the country’s largest specialty retailer of flip flops having 23 branches nationwide and still growing. Also, it has strong local marketing campaigns having popular actor John Lloyd Cruz and actress Maja Salvador as its endorsers. Market Share According to managing director of Al Amizade Marketing Inc. the bulk of flipflop market are women buyers, accounting for 70 percent; men buyers at 20 percent and the children market at 10 percent. In addition, the flipflops sales for men have grown by last year by 10%. Market Distribution Some well-known footwear companies set-up their own concept stores and rent a private space inside malls and distribute their products having a bunch of their own sales personnels for the customers’ an exclusive buying experience. Bulk of the middle and lower-middle class brands are concentrated in department stores, battling each over other rent space in large department stores and malls. Also premium slippers brands have their own space in department stores as well with much bigger space desirable positions. Normally, Havaianas, Dupe and Ipanema are placed near the entrance of the department store with more visibility. While low priced brands are usually located at the side racks of the flipflop section. Channels of Distribution of Footwear Manufacturers/Subcontractors/ Wholesalers/Suppliers Manufacturers/Subcontractors/ Wholesalers/Suppliers Department Stores/Boutiques/Special Stores Department Stores/Boutiques/Special Stores Final Consumers/Buyers Final Consumers/Buyers Current Marketing Strategies Department Store Slipper Brand Currently, Offshore is one of the numerous flipflop brands in local department stores. It has no separate walk-in or concept store. It is placed in the footwear section of the department together with slippers of the same prices, ranging from Php60-750. It is definitely one of the cheapest pair of slippers in the corner in these areas: SM Department Stores and SM Hypermarket Robinson’s Department Stores Metro Gaisano Department Stores in Cebu and Market Market Other Leading Department Stores nationwide. E-commerce Utilization Offshore has set-up its own user-friendly website where photos of all available designs and collection are displayed. Aside from the website, Offshore products may also be purchase from numerous e-business website such as alibaba.com and olx.com. Low Pricing The table shows the pricing comparison of numerous flip-flop brands in SM department store: CASE ANALYSIS Problem Statement Offshore entered the Philippine market, at the same time as giant globally successful Brazilian flip-flop brands, trying to capitalize on low pricing strategy to compete in the saturated market of lower middle class, where there is no clear distinction of among brand names. Furthermore, the brand failed to strengthen its image as an all-Filipino-designed flip-flop, lacking marketing efforts and campaigns to do so. Strengths Offshore have young designers who would create lively dynamic flip-flop prints and produce products every season where it releases a new set of flip-flop collection. The collection theme and color scheme match with the current season trends and styles. This ensures that the product is in line  with the current market trend and taste of its potential clients and customers. Offshore has a strong quality control. A couple of market tests are done across different Asian countries, before mass producing a new design. The rigorous quality control process in its production line minimizes the volume of product defects and returns. It also ensures that the products produced are in top condition/quality with regards to its durability and comfort that it will give to its users. Offshore enjoys low costs of production by acquiring all raw materials and outsourcing the production from China but still maintains good quality products. Weaknesses Offshore has low brand equity because the market is dominated by the Brazilian flip-flop brands as they set the trend for a new image for trendy, sleek, chic designs of these slippers. The company hasn’t done any marketing ads in the past. Another factor is that its brand name â€Å"Offshore† is quite difficult to be recalled and is not easily perceived as a slipper/flip-flop. Opportunities Offshore is a product that is all-Filipino designed and advocates beaches here in our country. This may help in promoting their product to showcase the essence of attractive Philippine beaches and the Filipino spirit in whole. The government implements intensive promotion for tourism. This will likely increase the tourist population and beach goers in our country which may be used by Offshore as an opportunity to communicate their product as the perfect companion when you are taking the time off or when you are offshore. Threats Offshore is highly dependent on its import in China and they are subject to price fluctuations in the said country. Other countries have travel advisory/bans to our country which not only affects the number of tourists in our country but also the movement/travel of goods and services. Target Market Offshore has a broad geographic and demographic target market- from kids to  adult male and female who seeks a pair of slippers/flip-flops as an everyday casual wear that would complement their current fashion trends. It tries to capture intermediate market by producing comfortable and high quality products in much lower prices catering to the normal market. This is troublesome for the customers, since low pricing is attributable to low quality products. Offshore must make up its mind by tapping the right market for its products. Market Segmentation Flipflop styles and design vary according its target market. The market segmentation is based on the lifestyle of the customer just like garments industry. Since flipflops nowadays are not just everyday casual footwear but a fashion statement too. Three market segments can be identified in terms of buying behavior and income levels. The elevated market includes the upper class socio-economic class (SEC) from upper A to upper C demographics. The customers in this segment can afford purchasing luxury items and wth their profligate way of living. This group shops for imported shoes ranging from Php1,000 to Php2,500 a pair in the local retail market. Preference leans towards Brazilian slippers like Havaianas and Ipanema and German brands such as Birdenstock. They frequented concept stores and even online stores. The intermediate market consumers are primarily concerned with the price and comfort of flipflops. They are composed of middle C to upper D demographics of the SEC’s. This group is given high regard to the value of money. Slippers produced for this market are normally of good quality if not excellent, and prices range from Php250 to Php500 a pair. This group purchases in big department stores such as SM and Robinsons. Last category would be the normal market; this group opts to forego quality for price. This composed of low income laborers such as lower D to E socio-economic class. The price points of flipflops for this group are around Php 50-100. They usually buy in local market places and from sidewalk vendors. Current Position Offshore wants to be known not only as a Philippine flip-flop brand but also as casual footwear that offers utmost comfortable mobility and durability. It offers its product at a lower price with the goal of a pair of Offshore for every Filipino. The Y-axis is for the price and the X-axis is the degree of being stylish (right side being most stylish). Stylish meaning that a person buys a good/product to look good in the public. The international brands (Havainas, Ipanema, and Grendha) are perceived to be more stylish with higher prices. The design and appearance of the products are also a big factor of the perception of the market. Crocs being a high price but a little indifferent/middle with being stylish is caused by the current trend and acceptance of the market with closed front slippers. Offshore implements new product design every season to reflect market trends and style but the product is perceived as a low cost and at the left side of being stylish. The Y-axis is for the price and the X-axis is the durability (right side being most durable). The international brands are perceived to be durable due to their marketing effort and communicating to the market that they use special rubber that makes their product more durable. Another notable in the graph is the local brand Islander. For a long period of time, it has captured the title of being durable in the market because of its thick base. Offshore produces good quality products and the production process undergo a strict quality control; but, the low price level associates it as a China brand with low quality. Marketing Mix Product Although Offshore brags of its creative talented team of young Filipino designers, the designs and collection failed to capture the spirit of Filipino culture. Offshore has three sets of collection which all lack distinctive designs that will relive the Philippine beaches and Filipino  tradition. As shown in the pictures above, the collection normally focuses on stripes and floral prints which look normal. These are usual designs for slippers. Price Offshore is priced at a 100php for all categories (kids, men and women). Its price is almost at the lower bound of the prices in the department store which is 60php and way too far from the price of the market leaders. Offshore is cheap while at the same of good quality. The current price level is perceived by the local market as low-quality china brand. Place Currently, Offshore is distributed in popular local department stores, SM, Robinson’s and others. It is placed in the footwear section of the department together with slippers of the same prices, ranging from Php60-750. Promotions Offshore has set-up its own user-friendly website where photos of all available designs and collection are displayed. Offshore products may also be purchased from numerous e-business website such as alibaba.com and olx.com. Recommendations Positioning Statement Offshore shall be the most-preferred choice of flipflops in the C and D markets for its perceived quality as well as its ability to complement everyday casual wear with current fashion trends. Details of Proposed Positioning and Justification Proposed Positioning Having a low price is not bad, and actually it can work to Offshore advantage since more customers shall shift to them as long as they can communicate that they can provide quality flipflops. The only problem is this: their  price is so low that they are more or less on par with those of the China brands or other local brands which are perceived of having low quality. That is why they are perceived by the market the same way as they perceive the former. Thus, we propose for Offshore to slightly increase their prices to distinguish it further from the other local brands. Increasing the price level at 180-220php will lead their market position move slightly higher and will increase attention from potential buyers. These buyers seek to buy items at a significant price level that they consider an item to be stylish. Again, increasing the price level at 180-220php will lead their market position move slightly higher and will change the perception about the product. The price change will change the perception about the product and avoid being associated with China brands or other local brands. Proposed Marketing Mix and Implementation Product The company should try to create its own women collection as women accounts for 70 percent of flipflop buyers. This will greatly increase its potential customers and potential market share. Other product collection should be maintained especially that there is an upward trend for the purchasing behavior of men. The company should continue its new seasonal products to reflect current season trends and styles. They should try to focus on communicating their beach and filipino designs in their product. They could also produce couple designs or paired Offshore to increase/improve the buying process and venture on producing boxes or bags with delicate design for these products. These boxes or bags will serve as the flipflop holders for customers who still wants to be fashionable even if not wearing their flipflops. Price The current prices of Offshore fall within the price range of other not so popular local brands which are perceived to have low quality. Offshore shall therefore increase its price to distinguish itself from these brands while maintaining its affordability versus foreign brands. Slightly increasing the  price to180-220php will communicate product quality rooted to its strong quality control. To justify the increase in price, the product shall be packaged with intricate designed flipflop holders as discussed earlier. Place Offshore should maintain its distribution strategy in popular local department stores as these place is where people who have the capability to buy such goods often go. The company should request the footwear section of the department to group together the slippers of the same prices, ranging from Php180-300. This strategy would lessen the shelf competition and Offshore would appear as the lowest price in the section but at the same level with other brands with good quality. It is also a chance to showcase its design level with others. The company also may hire sales personnel to further guide customers on what and how the product is and to communicate the message of casual footwear that offers utmost comfortable mobility and durability. Promotions Offshore should try to tie-up with hotels or tourist destination w/ footwear package. This will be helpful in communicating the beach or Filipino designs of the company and at the same time giving the customer memento of their visit in the place or experience. The company may implement various below-the-line (BTL) marketing strategies like giving fliers and placing posters in places with high foot traffic. The company should maintain and utilize its current site to communicate its current products. They can also maximize other social networking device to increase market awareness and also communicate its message in a bigger market.

How to Use Marketing Strategy to Improve Sunform Supermarket's Dissertation

How to Use Marketing Strategy to Improve Sunform Supermarket's Performance - Dissertation Example This essay stresses that a business should first focus its attention on nurturing, retaining and growing its existing customers before planning to spend more on new customers. Satisfying existing customers is critical in order to enhance its sales. To achieve this objective, it should understand its customer psychology to gain knowledge of what they want and how they want it. only then it will be able to deliver the most value point to its customers. This paper makes a conclusion that Since it is not practical to deliver the same product to all the customers belonging to different groups, it is better to divide the market into different segments, then evaluate each segment’s attractiveness, select target segment having more profit potential, identify positioning concept for each target and then effectively communicate and deliver the chosen positioning concept to target customers. This will create an image for the business in the minds of customers, which in turn will grant it market ownership in the future. After segmenting and targeting the largest customer group, Marketing Mix should be used to improve its performance and customer satisfaction level. By strategically applying the product, place, price and promotion tactics into the business, and by communicating effectively those promotions, it can influence customer’s choice and reach its ultimate goal of increased sales followed by high profits.

American and Chinese economies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

American and Chinese economies - Research Paper Example China and the United States economies are both the strongest economies in the world and despite the major differences they have, the major economic challenges they face are actually similar. Both countries have bifurcated economies with challenges in providing middle-class employment with talent shortage at the top while middle-class workers do not have jobs. China has 40percent unemployment rate while graduates in America are facing tough job markets. Another similarity is in education reforms, in America education programs to meet the high employment rate are not well structured, and China, on the other hand, has many engineers but they lack creative thinkers. The tax reforms in both economies create an imbalance the economy. The United States economy is the best national economy in the world. The United States dollar is the most utilized cash especially for universal exchange. It has an economy that is blended and it has managed to keep the gross domestic product steady for decade s now  (Jorgenson & Wessner, 2014). China, on the other hand, has a socialist market economy and it embraces predominance of an open market economy and a state possessed area. In China, the government possesses all property while in America private individuals own property. China outpaces America in population, while America has a long way to go to the extent of the population. China has the high level of inequality but it is concerned with poverty reduction, while America has worst poverty levels.

CURRENT PROBLEMS OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY Research Paper

CURRENT PROBLEMS OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY - Research Paper Example The problem in question arose out of a much older â€Å"war† being fought by the United States (US) lawmakers and administrators: the war on drugs. The attempts to ensure a drug-free world stretch not only to the prohibition on harder substances like (powder and crack) cocaine and heroin, but also to marijuana, which has proven medicinal qualities as a pain reliever. The Mariana Policy Project (MPP), a D.C. based think-tank, describes marijuana prohibition as a resounding failure, and reports that in the US, â€Å"there are more arrests for marijuana possession each year than for all violent crimes combined† (MPP.org). Frivolous incarcerations for marijuana possession and use not only put increasing pressure on prisons and community jails, but also use up precious resources that could otherwise be diverted to other, more useful, areas of public spending. This paper proposes that the existing marijuana policy be repealed and drug legalization takes its place; the followi ng paragraphs shall attempt to substantiate this suggestion. Marijuana or medical cannabis, as mentioned above, has proven medicinal qualities, mostly as a herbal pain reliever, and this fact is what seems to have taken the issue of drug prohibition into a veritable gray area. Due to the high costs of prescription painkillers, many opt to smoke marijuana instead as a cheap alternative; under the current regulations, however, this is unlawful. The arrest of a Seattle resident in July 2008 for marijuana possession incited one news editor to brand the existing legal framework governing the use of marijuana as â€Å"reefer madness† (Ramsey 2008). What confounds this legal framework is the disparity between the laws in certain states vis-à  -vis other states’ and federal laws on the matter. The Controlled Substances Act, a federal statute, deems cannabis as a Schedule I drug, without any expressly known or accepted medicinal value. Therefore, one cannot have an unfettered access to marijuana,

Role of the Internet on literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Role of the Internet on literature - Essay Example n and the benefits that businesses derive from internet, this paper will argue on the positive role that internet plays in the lives of human beings in enhancing literacy. The UN convention on the Rights of the Child sets out that every child has a right to develop a full potential free from hunger and want, protection from harmful influences, abuse, and be allowed to have a full and harmonious development of his personality (UNHCR, 1997). These principles can become a reality only when the family and school together put in their best efforts in the guidance and protection of the child. Ignorance prompts children to commit cyber crimes and the best way to combat this is through the right education. According to Branigan (2000), technology and computer provide power equally to an adult or a child. If the children be taught the proper behavior of going online, the online crimes can be curbed. Children are taught not to go to someone else’s home and roam about but when it comes to the internet the perceptions are distorted. They have to be made conscious of the similarity. Children do not realize that hacking is a crime and they use the computer a s a weapon (Cybercitizenship, n.d.). The responsibility lies with the parents and the school authorities to insure that the children are taught not just to use technology but to use it productively and wisely. The same internet is used for education and also to download obscene material. The children should be made to understand that this is theft of intellectual property and need guidance at this stage. The only way that such crime rates can be lowered if not eliminated is to educate the children adequately on the consequences. In an organization managers report abuse of the internet by the employees, which leads to time wasted on non-work related email, online chat, online shopping, downloading of games, music, and software, and thereby making the system vulnerable to virus. The efforts of companies in implementing

The importance of human touch (like hugs) in personal health and how Research Paper

The importance of human touch (like hugs) in personal health and how the amount of touch a person receives varies depending on that persons culture - Research Paper Example It has been demonstrated that hormonal reactions take place with hormones such as oxytocin being released leading to production of beneficial effects. One instance of beneficial effects is experienced during emotional support shown by human touch such as by a hug. According to Berkman (1995), lower cardiovascular risk is experienced by emotionally supported patients through hugs. Consequently, the adverse effects of the condition such as related mortalities considerably fall in people experiencing emotional support such as by hugs. Besides human touch, there are other quality practices expressing emotional support that contribute to personal health by producing beneficial effects to the body systems. Such practices include friendly facial expressions, speech and quality of words, hand holding and sitting together. Health benefits experienced through touch can not leave out enhanced oxytocin activity, a hormone with several roles in the body human systems. According to Insel and Young (2001), oxytocin roles in social recognition as well as partner preference are major sources of connectivity between individuals. Stimulation of oxytocin release by mere touch is useful in the mechanism of its operation especially in emotional touches such a hug. The specific benefit of reduction in blood pressure assists in personal health stability especially in healing conditions. In an experiment conducted by Amico et al (2005), it was observed that pre-menopausal women who live with emotional support from their husbands are exposed to lower blood pressure due to high oxytocin levels produced on touch. Emotional support is paramount to healthy existence according to the authors. Keating in her book (1987), lists several beneficial impacts of hugging in relation to personal health which range from easing tension to fighting insomnia. Physical touch among human beings is portrayed as a powerful tool for healing processes, and the author reports that the

Tony Blair and Crime Preventation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Tony Blair and Crime Preventation - Essay Example Blair also supports the creation of an anti-drug czar position in his cabinet and wants a total ban on the ownership of handguns by civilians". (Schmalleger Frank, 1995, p. 241) In my opinion being tough on crime means to handle crime events in such an effective and efficient manner that not only reduce crime rate but also it works in favour of the general citizens of the country. They feel protected and secure in the reign of such Government. This is only possible if crime is handled and eradicated at the grass root level and it is obvious that to handle crime at such elementary level the Government needs to know the real causes and factors behind crime. With respect to UK crime with the Government of Tony Blair, Adele Horin writes in his article of September 7, 2002 "Tough on crime means tough on the causes of crime. If instead of stealing the policies from Tony Blair, Bob Carr had paid half the attention to the causes of crime as he paid to the crackdown on criminals, NSW would be better off". He continues, "We got more jails, more inmates, more police and a higher proportion of convicted offenders sent to jail. And through it all crime continued to rise , according to reports of the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research". (Horin Adele, 7 Sept 2002) In 1994, Tony Blair promised to be tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime but according to Telegraph Speakers "after weeks of criticism on the growing impact of human rights legislation, Tony Blair has admitted that his government has failed to produce a criminal justice system that people can trust". (Telegraph Speakers, 15 May 2006) Now let us examine through various case studies and highlight the factors and causes of crime growth, what are the circumstances, which caused Tony Blair to admit his failure in reducing crime. On Dec 28, 2005 BBC in accordance with the BBC News, "Ian Matthews aged 19 was punished for angering his neighbours by playing football at late night. His offence was that he damaged some property by kicking football, although unintentionally he was ordered to pay the cost of 500 pounds from ASBO along with the ban of playing football at late night for three years". (BBC news, Dec 28 2005) Here I agree with Watson Steve, "After all, today's street footballer could be tomorrow's terrorist". (Watson, Jan 16 2006) This is what is happening in the current era of Blair who promised to "being tough on crime". If this is the outcome of Blair's government, who is going to reveal the real terrorists We can see the daily growing percentage of crime in UK, the false promises have given the citizens nothing but insecurity, the killers and rapists are on the loose, even they enjoy the benefit of real freedom provided under the current scenario of Government. As they are aware of the fact, in pas t they were feared at least to some extent, but today they know they will not be accounted to anyone. They have the real license to commit any crime; after all, the innocent is always blamed and sentenced. Another case followed by ASBO

SWAT analysis about petroulium in the Kingdom of Bahrain Essay - 1

SWAT analysis about petroulium in the Kingdom of Bahrain - Essay Example The Bahrain kingdom has one largest company known as BAPCO (Bahrain Petroleum Company), which is owned by the Bahrain government. BAPCO is an integrated industry, which was instituted, in 1929 by Standard Oil industry. The company involves in oil refining, prospecting, exploration, drilling, production and distribution of gasoline products. It also exports crude oil and refined products as well as sales oil products in the global market. Therefore, the essay focuses on SWOT analysis as an effective tool for analyzing Bahrain petroleum industry, in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The SWOT analysis involves the internal and external factors that may be favorable or unfavorable in an industry. Many companies employ SWOT analysis in order to analyze the strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities and threats for the business venture in order to achieve their stated objectives effectively. Bahrain is one of the economies that have been impacted by the economic crisis and the World War II deteriorated the economy. The kingdom also has little petroleum wealth than other economies in the Persian Gulf neighbors. Therefore, employing SWOT analysis will enable Bahrain Petroleum to improve their business activities; thus increasing their competitive advantage in the global market. Strength is the features of the business venture that provides advantages to the business over others. Therefore, assessing the strength of the company will enable it to achieve the set objectives efficiently (Gupta et al. 123). Bahrain Petroleum industry has enabled the Bahrain economy to diversify because of petroleum products, which is the main resource for Bahrain. The company has considerably improved it is performance rate in the recent because of successful diversification initiatives and abundant oil reserve resources. The higher economic diversification is also among the strengths that can enable the BAPCO Company to achieve effective business performance. The company

Punishments in Primitive Soceity Essay Example for Free

Punishments in Primitive Soceity Essay Introduction: The most usual criteria for punishment in primitive societies is the principle of Eye for an eye. According to this principle if a person has taken the eye of another the chief orders that the eye of the criminal should be taken.Blood for blood is the ancient principle of retribution in primitive societies. Thus punishment is based on retributive principle. This is so since most of the tribal people believe that crime is a violation of divine system or rules. Hence it is believed that the criminal is evil and should be given suitable punishment so that he may become free from evil.The evil souls must be punished. Besides retribution, another basis for punishment is compensation of the loss. Punishment in the form of fine is usually based on this principle. A fine is imposed since it compensates the loss.But the most important principle in the primitive system of punishment is the principle of collective responsibility.According to this principle punishment is not necessarily awarded to the individual who has committed the crime but his family, clan and local group may also be punished. For example, punishment of death is given for a murder, but this punishment may not be awarded to him who has murdered.In his place some other member of his family, group or clan may be killed since the group is collectively responsible for the criminal act of each member. CHARACTERISTICS OF PRIMITIVE LAWS It is a part of natural and supernatural principles. It is based on kinship types. It is originated from the moral and ethical notions and public opinion. In primitive law there is no difference between civil law and criminal law. Primitive law doesnt distinguishes between crimes and torts, public and private issues. It gives importance to sin and supernatural punishments. In here kinship group looks after law, therefore, there is collective responsibility for protecting the law. Kinds of Evidence (a) Oath. The offender has to take an oath and then he is asked to state whether he has committed the offence or not. It is generally believed that, if the offender tells a lie, he falls a prey to the supernatural anger for taking a false oath. (b) Ordeal. Sometimes the persons accused are put to torture in primitive societies before the declaration of judgment in criminal cases. If the accused persons escape without injury, they are acquitted as they are supposed to be not guilty. Kinds of Punishment 1. Different types of punishment are prevalent in different primitive societies. While in some societies compensation and social extermination are the more usual punishments, in other societies different types of physical injuries are inflicted as punishment. Similarly, in some societies fines are imposed and community feast is demanded to wipe off the crime. 2. Capital sentence is generally given in a case of homicide; but sometimes the death penalty is given to one of his family members or to one of his kins instead of inflicting it up to the person who has actually committed homicide. 3. They-believe that it is not the individual who is regarded to have been wronged but the whole kin-group to which he belonged and his kin-group, therefore avenges itself on the kin- group of the accused and not necessarily on the accused himself. 4. In some other societies the criminal is publicly insulted by blackening his face and carrying him through the entire village seated on a donkey. In America, in a tribe an unfaithful wife is given the punishment of death by drowning in water. In an Uganda tribe there is provision of jail for the criminal. The criminal, however, can be set free for a night. 5. If the crime is very serious the criminal is fixed to a pole till he dies. Murder is usually punished by capital punishment but most of the tribes do not have the provision for hanging till death. The provision for jail, however, is very exceptional. Usually, one does not find prison houses in tribal societies. 6. The misbehavior done to an ordinary individual is lightly punished, when the same misbehavior done to a chieftain is punished severely. For example, adultery with the wife of a king or chieftain is a capital crime and punished with death whereas adultery with some ordinary individual is not punished so severely. 7. The punishment of imposing a fine is not found among the punishments for crimes in primitive societies. Where fines are charged in a primitive society, they are paid by way of compensation to the aggrieved party. 8. The accused, very often, has to give a feast to the whole village in compensation for his crime. Even in case where fines are paid by way of compensation for the wrong done, attention is paid to the person who has done the wrong as well as to the person who has been wronged, if a person of a low standard offends a person of a high status, the find imposed is very heavy. But, if a person of a high status offends an ordinary person, the amount of compensation is very small.

The Home Depot, Inc. Essay Example for Free

The Home Depot, Inc. Essay The Home Depot sells a wide assortment of building materials and home-improvement and lawn and garden products, and they provide a number of services such as design and installation. The stores serve three different types of customers: (1) Do-It-Yourself(D-I-Y) customer, (2) Do-It-For-Me (D-I-F-M) customer and (3) the professional customer, such as home improvement contractors, building maintenance professionals, interior designers, and other professionals. The Home Depot has expanded its business by acquisitions in the same and other markets. Legally, the company consists of a set of companies: Home Depot, EXPO Design Center, Home Depot Floor Store, Home Depot Landscape Supply, Home Depot Supply, Home Depot Mexico, and Home Depot Canada. In December 2000 Bob Nardelli was appointed to be CEO of the Home Depot. The founders were hoping that with the new CEO the company could continue to grow. However he succeeded in doing so, there were also some negative changes within the company. Among the negative changes, since the appointment of Nardelli, was the change of the corporate culture. The orange-blooded culture made room for a culture of fear. The orange-blooded cultureemphasized individuality, informality, nonconformity, growth, and pride. The new culture under the management of CEO Nardelli emphasized on building a disciplined manager corps, one predisposed to following orders, operating in high-pressure environments, and executing with high standards. This resulted in a decrease in moral among the employees and thus a lower customer service index. Other negative changes were the Human Resource management, the Agency Problem and the store location. The work staff changed from 90% full-time employees to only 68% and employee turnover was extremely high. Nardelli’s new format at the annual shareholder’s meeting was strongly criticized as well as the drop in the stock price tied with the change in his earnings metrics. The many new stores that were opened sometimes cannibalized sales of other stores owned by the Home Depot. In this report we will create a thorough internal analysis by looking at the strengths and weaknesses of the Home Depot and with this information we will create an IFAS Table. IFAS Table We as a team discussed our findings in the case on the Home Depot and listed the strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, we made an IFAS Table to measure its performance. We do this through weighting, rating and scoring each factor. The last column states a description of why this is a strength or weakness. Internal Factors| Weight| Rating| Score| Description| Strengths| | | | | Price amp; Supply| 0,25| 5| 1,25| Low price, no middle man cost, great sale results| Acquisitions| 0,15| 5| 0,75| Improve supply chain| CSR| 0,10| 4| 0,40| Environmentally aware and contribute to society| | | | | | Weaknesses| | | | | Agency Problem| 0,10| 2| 0,20| Changed earning metrics, new format meeting| Corporate Culture| 0,20| 2| 0,40| Orange-blooded culture turned into culture of fear| HRM| 0,10| 3| 0,30| Less full-time employees less experience employee turnover much too high| Store location| 0,10| 3| 0,30| Too suburban, 3 stores in 1 market area, cannibalization| | | | | | Total| 1,00| | 3,60| | As we can conclude from the table the company scores reasonably well with a total score of 3,60. This score is above company average standard, which is between 1 and 5 meaning 3. Even though, the Home Depot has some weaknesses and some negative changes have occurred since 2000, the company is performing reasonably well. Throughout the entire case we can see this in the high financial returns and the goals that are met. Weakness Agency Problem Earning Metrics Nardelli had changed the metrics of his compensation from according to the change in stock price to being based on the sales results. As we all know, a corporation’s prime goal is to maximize shareholders’ equity not sales, even profits. Nardelli was hired to work in the interests of the shareholders and should get compensations based on how well the share price went. After the change in the metrics, what did Nardelli work for? Who knows? The construction companies that built new Home Depot stores maybe. Under the new metric of earning, any manager could simply borrow money from the banks and build new stores and make acquisitions to enlarge sales volume which would not be necessarily good for the long-term growth of the company because getting bigger so rapidly leads to not only increasing revenue but also increasing costs in management and control, less centralization, more uncertainty, cannibalization, more complicated organizational structure that could cause problems in internal control and management and other negative effects of being big. However, under the new metrics, Nardelli didn’t have to think about those effects at all. That being so, who is still surprised about Home Depot’s sales performance going so well resulting in its stock price going down? Corporate Governance In such a big company like The Home Depot, there is usually a committee formed by independent directors to decide how much the CEO should be paid and more importantly how to calculate his bonus. Having 9 independent directors of 11 directors in the board, Home Depot didn’t have such a committee, or had one but didn’t take its responsibilities. More ridiculously, the CEO could decide how he was paid in this own wishes. At the annual shareholder’s meeting on May 2006, it happened so many strange things including Nardelli being the only director present, the time limit that each shareholder proposal was allow to be spoken and Nardelli’s refusal of answering questions. These were all evidences of poor corporate governance that made Nardelli able to work on his own interests much more than the interests of shareholders. Those non-management directors seemed not doing anything and receiving quite a good amount of compensation. Some even had been criticized being not independent enough. Corporate Culture The old culture and the new one were like two extremes. The old culture made employees working happily but too relax, which means not enough focus. The new military culture was even worse, making employees working with fear and hence declining their morale of working, eventually resulting in customer satisfactory going down. Lowe’s at the same time had grown a culture being demanding but low-profile, collaborative and collegial, which made their customers and employee very comfortable. Home Depot could have lost a number of customers to Lowe’s for this reason. Poor morale resulting from the new culture would also lead to more errors and mistakes in working hours. Like a former Home Depot stated which we agree, â€Å"Nardelli’s effort to measure customer service, instead of inspiring it, was to blame. † Store Location From 2000 and 2005, Home Depot opened more than 900 stores. During the fiscal 2005, the company opened 140 new Home Depot stores, including four relocations in the United States. Most of the U. S. Store opened in existing markets as the managements clustering strategy. However, the new store locations cased some problems. The management intentionally cannibalized sales of existing stores by opening two other stores in a single market area. According to management, approximately 20% of its stores were cannibalized by new stores in 2005. The older stores were being gradually replaced with new ones to add room for new merchandise, to increase selling space, and more parking areas. Since the company opened so many new stores, the store layout, appearance, and store productivity remains weak. Moreover, the new stores were located in suburban areas populated by members of the Home Depot target market. In a certain sense, the company will lose some potential customers, due to the location of the stores. Human Resource Management Human Resource Management could also be a weakness for Home Depot. The companys career development was formally addressed during semiannual performance reviews, with goals and development plans mutually set by employees and managers. Vacancy lists were prepared at the regional level and distributed to the stores. However, under Nardellis tenure, the employees were evaluated on the basis of four performance metrics: financial, operational, customer, and people skills. The employee population varied among stores, depending on size, sales volume, and the season of the year. Full-time employees had filled about 90% of the positions, but in 2005 filled only 68% of the positions. The decrease of full-employee employees lead to an increase of the employee turnover. In the first year of new stores operations, turnover could run 60% to 70% which was extremely high. The major causes of turnover were too many part-time employees who terminated for poor performance, and tradespeople who considered Home Depot an interim position, and students who returned to school. Recommendations Agency Problem For a big company that is included in Dow Jones Index such as The Home Depot, a well functioned compensation committee must not be missed in the system of corporate governance. We strongly recommend Home Depot organizing a compensation committee composed of independent directors that does its job seriously. As all the independent directors seemed not doing anything useful and some of them even had independence issues, we suggest shareholders propose a shareholders’ meeting and fire some of the independent shareholders that are possibly not sufficiently independent to the top management. The compensation included too much straight pays, too little for each meeting attended. We suggest the straight compensation dropping to $100,000 annually for each of the non-management directors, $50,000 cash and $50,000 stock units, and increasing payments for attending meetings to $5,000 for board meetings and $4,000 for committee meetings. If the above changes don’t work any reasons we could not foresee by now and the stock price of the company continues bearish, we suggest the shareholders fire Mr. Nardelli and change a CEO who has a record of working for the shareholders’ interests seriously. Corporate Culture Since the old also had obvious drawbacks, we would not recommend the culture going back to where it used to be. It would also be impossible since Nardelli had been such a military fan. Military culture does have its merits, building discipline and leading people working in good order. The suggestion here would be to hire more people that are military fans, either from schools, the society or from those retired soldiers. Moreover, solving such a number of retired soldiers’ employment, this would result in a good relationship with the government or even some government grants. The salary of the employees could be slightly higher than those who work in Lowe’s and other competitors. Although managing internally in a military way, it is not suggested to show a military atmosphere to customers because few people like to shop in an army. We cannot assure this would work because we don’t any examples of doing so in such a big firm. However, if it works, the outcomes could be surprisingly good, better customer service, a cool place to work at and good relationship with the government which is valuable in every country. Another piece of advice as an alternative is to combine the discipline of the military culture with the individuality, informality, nonconformity, growth, and pride that were emphasized in the old culture. Store Location Since Home Depot opened a large number of new stores, the store layout, appearance, and store productivity remains weak. The company should focus on the improvement of the store productivity by positioning well-trained employees and store managers into the new stores. Furthermore, the stores were placed in suburban areas which is not that convenient for a group of customers. We recommend the company to improve the online shopping service. Human Resource Management Since the employees changed from 90% full-time employees to only 68% and the employee turnover was extremely high. The high employee turnover hurts a companys bottom line. It will costs upwards of twice an employees salary to find and train a replacement, and it will damage morale among remaining employees. The company should embarked on decreasing turnover and increasing retention. We could recommend the following steps: * Hire the right people and concentrated on effective caress development. The company should have an ongoing career development program which is a continuing cycle. Always hiring the people that really fit wit the organization- the companys value, culture, goals, etc. Moreover, skill training program is also important, training is a necessary part that will ensuring employee loyalty and retention. * Level the percent of full-time and part-time employees. The company should hire less part-time employees to decrease the turnover. Part-time employees often leave if offered full-time employment by another company, and possibly creating turnover problem. However, full-time employees are more likely to develop company loyalty and improve the performance of the corporation. Conclusion After analyzing the case, we can see that The Home Depot, Inc. was a company with high net sales and extremely well ranking among the world. After Bob Nardelli appoint to be the CEO of the Home Depot, he has brought the company keep going well, even with some negative changes, as corporation culture modified and the change of human resource management. We believe that it is very necessary to reform the problems of the management. Especially about decrease the governance power of Bob Nardelli and organize a board of independent directors. Meanwhile, change the structure of employees is also should on the company’s plan list. However, the defects don’t outweigh the merits. We clearly see that the company remains a lot of strengths. Strong brand awareness and conscientious social responsibility help Home Depot to keep its good reputation; meanwhile, wise international strategy and low price make the company to maintain good revenue. We are not doubt the Home Depot will keep maintain its current strengths and with a bright future, but with these necessary changes will definitely make the company better.

ASDA Human Resource Management

ASDA Human Resource Management The objectives of this report are to stimulate the Human Resource Management, Human Resource Planning and Development, and Performance of ASDA. Furthermore, it explains the human resource management activities, models of human resource management, effectiveness of organisational objectives, performance monitoring of ASDA. Additionally, it also address, the importance of staffing, performance appraisals, compensation and benefits, training and development, employee and labour relations, safety and health, and human resource research. It discusses how the Human resource management works to ensure that employees are able to meet the organizations goals. A brief introduction of ASDA: ASDA group of company operates as one of the largest food retailers in the United Kingdom. The companys stores sell a wide variety of merchandise including food and apparel, along with house wares, music videos, and books. ASDA has approximately 259 stores in its arsenal-each avenging nearly 42000 square feet with some as large as 100000 square feet. The company, once known as a dairy conglomerate, was acquired by Wal-Mart stores Inc. in 1999. TESCO has 31.1 per cent of the UK grocery market while ASDAs share is 16.4 percent. My familiar organisation is ASDA and I will answer these tasks using ASDA. Human Resource Management (HRM) Human Resource Management activities: HRM activities designed to enhance the effectiveness of an organisations work-force in achieving organisational goals. HRM consists of numerous activities, including: Equal employment opportunity (EEO) compliance. Employee recruitment, selection, motivation and orientation. Performance evaluation and compensation. Training and develop skills. Development and evaluation. Safety, health and wellness, etc. Recruitment and selection: The success of an organisation depends on having the right number of staff, with the right skills and abilities.Recruitment involves the utilization of organizational practices to influence the number and types of individuals who are willing to apply for job vacancies (Rynes, 1991; Rynes Cable, 2003). ASDA has always tried to keep it as simple as possible but theyre a big company and want to be sure that application is seen by the right person. Step one: At First ASDA score submitted application. ASDA has a specific jobs advertisement on their website. Step two: The application process of online will usually include some verbal, numerical and personality tests, as well as an application form. Step three: ASDAs employer may ask applicant to attend an interview. Objectives Of recruitment and selection: The objectives of the recruitment and selection process of human resource management are given below: To acquire, retain and develop the best talent and skills. Keep the expenditure of selection down. Make certain that the applicant selected will desire the job and stick at ASDA. To obtain the number and quality of employees that can be selected in order to help ASDA to achieve its goals and objectives. To identify the most appropriate candidate to fill each post. Achievement of recruitment and selection: ASDA always look for a candidate with solid experience and new ideas and a fresh perspective. Applications may be completed online or visiting an ASDA store and getting an application form. ASDA is determining for present and future manpower requirements to coordinate with planning and job analysis activities. Training and developing skills: Training is a planned process to modify attitude, knowledge or skill behavior through learning experience to achieve effective performance. Training is to develop the abilities of the individuals and to satisfy the current and future needs of the organization. A company like ASDA if an employee lacks training is risky for fire, chemical and other health hazards. Induction: ASDA have Award Winning Best Welcome induction is the best way to get up to speed with their business and find to feet as quickly as possible. Store Appreciation Day: A new comer will have the opportunity to attend a store appreciation day after his Best Welcome induction to understand how their stores operate. Growing career: ASDA will work to help grow talent to build up career with them. The new training programme is divided into two parts the first is the service day, the second day is devoted to selling skills. Objectives of training and developing skills: The objectives of the training and develop skills of HRM are given below: To staying competitive, training is the key to sustainability. Reduce wastage and accident rates. To keep staff motivated and up-to-date with industry trends and new technologies is essential to achieving that goal. Increase job satisfaction and motivate workers. Establish the most effective and efficient working methods. Achievement of training and development: ASDA follow an ideal step by step process to train and develop their human power. They hire attitude and train for skill and practical experience. ASDA have created some innovative and effective ways for staffs to learn. Their training and development programs have been designed to reach a senior role within five years. Benefits and rewards: Benefit and Reward may cost a lot but it is important for further achievement. It promote employee to give high performance. Likewise, holyday payment, Colleague discount voucher, Pension etc influence people to give their 100% effort where they works. Colleague discount: After 12 weeks, ASDA provide Colleague Discount Card. Bonus: Their bonus scheme is designed to recognize and reward colleagues for their valued contribution. Flexible working: ASDA offers the opportunity to do everything from swapping a shift.Pension: ASDA Pension Plan is a great addition for retirement. Night Manager Allowance: Night Managers receive an extra allowance of either  £3000 or  £5000 per year depending on the responsibility of their role.Voluntary benefits: ASDA gives colleague benefits, like recognition, Long service awards etc. [Source: http://www.asda.jobs/all-about/index.html] Objectives of benefits and rewards: The aims of benefits and rewards of HRM are to: Achieve high performance from the staffs of an organisation. Make better life and certain future for staffs to get total output. Ensure workers concentrate 100% on their work. Encourage employees to think and better plan for the success of the company. Achievement of benefits and rewards: To achieve organisational success, a company must have to maintain the benefit, reward and compensation scheme. In 2008, ASDA paid out nearly  £38 million to 17,000 colleagues who planned to spend their cash on anything from horses, to shark dives to laser eye treatment! Voluntary benefits, Safety, Compensation, Wellness, Rewards, etc encourage employee to work or give 100% for the organization. Theoretical models of human resource management: Human Resource Management is generally performance or behaviour based. There are different types of theoretical Models of Human Resource Management. Among them two models are explained as below: Guests model of HRM: David Guests (1989, 1997) adapted the Harvard model to develop his model based upon four outcomes. These are: 1. Strategy integration, 2.Commitment, 3. Flexibility, 4.Quality. The guest model has 6 components: HRM strategy HRM practices HRM outcomes Behaviour outcomes Performance outcomes Financial outcomes Following Guest model ASDA takes some HRM strategies and practices to achieve some outcomes. It also tries its best to encourage employees through different activities for obtaining behaviour outcomes. Along with Handy, there are four types of culture; Power, Role, Task and Person. ASDA culture combines two of these. Top management of ASDA reveals power culture that makes the overall decisions. Other one is the task culture. In ASDA the overall aim of the organisation is task orientated and focussing on team customs, and powerful message between all levels of staff. ASDA has integrated the contingency approach by considering the environment culture. The Harvard model of HRM: The Harvard model was produced by Beer, Spector, Lawrence, Mills, and Walton in 1984, which is consists of six components 1. Stakeholders interests 2. Situational factors 3. Human Resource Management policy 4. Human Resource outcomes 5. Long term consequences 6. A feedback loop through which the outputs flow directly into the organisation and to the stakeholders The Harvard Model is emphasised as the soft approach to HRM, employees like stakeholders of the company. In this model has discussed four areas such as, reward system, employee influences, human resource flow, and work systems, there are also included situational factors such as influence of trade unions, labour market, and laws. According to the Harvard theory, employees are an asset rather than a cost. In ASDA, the line managers are in charge for people and store managers are in charge for the day to day running as a combination of both the hard and soft approach. In Task-2: Human resource planning and development Introduction: Organizations must be highly selective in identifying talented employees and developing and enhancing their skills to reach their full potential. HR planning: identifying human resource needs, career building, succession planning, and the development and implementation of a career development program. Human Resource Planning is systematic continuing process of analysing an organisations human resource needs under changing conditions and integrating this analysis with the development of HR policies appropriate to meet those needs. [Stephen P Marjorie C, Peoples Resourcing Contemporary HRM in practice, Chapter 4, Page-90 (3rd edition)] Human Resource Planning (HRP): HRP is not just the production of manpower plans and futuristic scenario planning, but needs to be seen as an important dimension of almost all aspects of HR. The planning of human resources becomes a search for those individuals who now and in the future will contribute most to the success of the organization. Employers have not only to acquire appropriate people to resource it, but they also need to train and develop them, for the following reasons as illustrated by Dressler, G (2003). Human Resource Development (HRD): Human Resource Development (HRD) is about develop people to improving recruitment and retention, improving competitiveness, implementing competitiveness, implementing new technology, improving customer service for enhance the organisations ability to compete with globalisation or competitive business world effectively. For worker development, human resource development (HRD) is the structure. By which, workforce can develop their personal and organizational skills, knowledge, and abilities. (Source: RDI DMS course material of HRM) Three HR Planning and development models: There are various human resources planning or development models. We look at three models which given below: Open new product line Open new Store and distribution system Develop staffing for new installation: -production workers -Supervisors -Technical staff -Other managers Recruit skilled workers Develop technical training programs Transfer managers from other facilities Recruiting and training programs feasible Transfers infeasible because of lack of managers with right skills Basic Human resource planning model and its effectiveness in ASDA: Too costly to hire from outside Develop new objectives and plans Recruit managers from outside Human Resource models are made according to the organizational objectives and plan requirement for attaining human resource goals. Furthermore, human resource objectives are straight related to the organizational objective and planning. To open a new branch of any company, Human Resource department need to think about production staffs, line managers, business manager, technical staffs and etc. Workforces are valuable for implementing the new product line, factory, distribution system, and achieving organizational goads. HR department of ASDA recruit skilled workers, develop technical training programs, and transfer managers from other facilities with right skills. ASDA involves forecasting outcome of various HR programs for employee flowing into, all the way through and out a variety of job classifications. They develop training programs regularly and broadly which are reflected in their activities. Attwoods Human Resource planning model and its effectiveness in ASDA: Human resource planning attempts to analyse likely influences on the supply of and demand for people, with a view to maximising the organizations future performance, Attwood (1989) Attwood decorated the planning for people in organizations that involves trying to obtain the right people, in the right numbers, with the right knowledge, skills and experience, in the right jobs, in the right place, at the right time, at the right cost. Following the Attwoods Human Resource Planning model, ASDA tries to do actions of supplying and making demand for the people to maximizing its future performance. ASDA also makes projects of future availability of key staff. This model adjusts and matches between current staff and future plan for its staffing terms. Then it makes evaluation of substitute approaches of dealing with these. Then ASDA selects the best substitute to reach its better HR planning. Following the Attwoods Human Resource Planning model, ASDA does analysing of current staff in organization and personal trends from personal records. Workforce planning model and its effectiveness in ASDA: Workforce planning is the system of analysing an organisations probable prospect needs for people in terms of data, skills and locations. This model allowed the company to diagram how those requirements can be met through recruitment and training. The main policy of this model is to make a right proportion of recruitment which is suitable for the organisation. It is very significant for a company like ASDA to plan ahead by following this model for better performance of workforce. ASDA is applying a workers planning diagram to set up the possible require for new workforce. This one considers executive and non- executive positions. In 2009/2010, for instance, ASDA estimate that to maintain their trade development there will be a demand for approximately 1,800 new managers. So, ASDA can adjust employment levels and recruit where needed. ASDA is looking to fill many vacancies within the company following this model. Task-3: Performance Introduction: Performance management is a process for sharing an understanding about needs to be achieved and then managing and developing people in a way that enables such shared objectives to be achieved. It is always important for managers and supervisors to get the best performance from their workforce in terms of levels of production and quality of output. Armstrong and Baron (2005) define performance management as a process which; contributes to the effective management of individuals and terms in order to achieve high levels of organisational performance. As such, it establishes shared understanding about what is to be achieved and an approach to leading and developing people which will ensure it is achieved. The purpose of performance appraisal is to enable employees to gain a clear picture of how they are performing in the organisation and to identify areas where they need additional support and training. Performance management is the method of making a work environment or setting in whic h people are enabled to perform to the best of their abilities. The five key elements of the performance appraisal are: Measurement Feedback Positive reinforcement Exchange of views and contract. Monitored HR Performance in ASDA: In ASDA, performance development reviews throughout the year and also formal appraisal interviews at regular intervals. ASDA can improve Benchmarking but they have to set standards and monitor the progress of themselves and competitors. For instance, setting goals, monitoring the employees accomplishment of those goads, contributing feedback with the employees, evaluating the employees performance, rewarding performance or firing the employee. ASDA is a huge organisation and they know that the secret to being successful and reliable is to provide good Customer Service. ASDA monitor the customer service progression via Benchmarking. This method in used by many organisations and is helped to show the performance of Customer service with other supermarket outlets. ASDA believe that the best approach to accomplish value for money is to monitor the performance levels of staff and want to reduce wasteful actions. Effectiveness of Performance in ASDA: By monitoring improvement, departmental managers or business managers can assess the efficiency of employees and determine which ones are meeting the terms of their agreement and contributing to ASDAs success. ASDA monitoring is the quality of work being produced that is one of the features and the efficiency levels within departments. 1. Assurance that the right people are in the right place at the right time. 2.  The improvement in the short-term outcomes such as attracting applicants, maximizing performance, and minimizing dissatisfaction and stress is made in order to retain valued employees. 3. HR planning will serve as a thread that ties together all other human resource activities and integrates these with the rest of the organization. 4.  Balancing present needs-of organizations and their employees for the future. Balance score card (BSC): The balanced scorecard (BSC) is the most widely applied performance management system today. The BSC was originally developed as a performance measurement system in 1992 by Dr. Robert Kaplan and Dr. David Norton at the Harvard Business School. Unlike earlier performance measurement systems, the BSC measures performance across a number of different perspectives-a financial perspective, a customer perspective, an internal business process perspective, and an innovation and learning perspective. Through the use of the various perspectives, the BSC captures both leading and lagging performance measures, thereby providing a more balanced view of company performance. Leading indicators include measures, such as customer satisfaction, new product development, on-time delivery, employee competency development, etc. ASDA balanced Scorecard: Total Management commitment IT solutions for results reporting SMART Target setting how does this Work? Linking reward and recognition to scorecard performance Cascading the BSC throughout the business Transferring ownership of the target measures to individuals Business planning the BSC way. Suggest ways to make Improvements: Sometimes, we see that poor performance lead to dismissal. Without checking, if wastefulness is allowed to continue, staff will lose interest, motivation will be concentrated and no encouragement to produce good quality products or services. Extra information on how to make improvement in the HR of ASDA is summarized as a suggestion as follows: 1) Choose the composition of the audit team: There has to be a representative from the HR function and from among senior line managers. 2) Recognize the functions main customers: The key decision is to clarify who makes the final decision to buy the services provided by the function. 3) Reconsider the HR functions mission statement: This statement describes the reason for the HR functions existence. 4) Reconsider the HR functions role in developing relevant HR policies and practices 5) Make internal comparisons to establish best practice: The organization need to build and constantly update a unique database of HR practices that gives an overview. Recommendations: They should to do constant reviewing of their Human Resource Development, and make adjustment are necessary. They should do demonstrate a model implementation of HRP. They should improve their HR sector to reach an ultimate goal. Suggested improvements: ASDA should- reduce employee turn over give confidence to long-term employment support training allowing employees progression to superior job opportunities increase their employees wages make recruitment strategy efficient let the employee enjoy more wealth of benefit include bonus keep continue environmental improvement

A Separate Peace :: Free Essays

A Separate Peace A Separate Peace is a novel about two boy's lives and how they evolve during the course of WWII. The story was written by John Knowles, who also left home to attend a school at the age of 15. The story involves many instances in which the barriers between friendship and rivalry are cited. One of the main characters of the story, Phineas, often demonstrates that it is important to be yourself and try to make the best out of a situation whenever confronted by one. Phineas is athletic, friendly, and competitive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Phineas is a very athletic person. He seems to be good at any sport he tries and all of it comes without practice or post-effort. During the course of his stay at Devon, Phineas wins several awards in all the sports he plays in. One day while the others are away, Phineas and Gene go to the gym and Phineas breaks the school time trial record for swimming. If Gene was not injured by his fall out of the tree then he would be able to compete in the Olympics. Phineas is a friendly and outgoing kind of person. Finny was always friendly and respectful towards other people and whenever one of his classmates such as Leper was being isolated from the rest of group, Finny would take up for him. Even though Gene made Finny break his leg, Finny still didn't hold anything against him and refused to believe what happened. Finny has always been friendly to others due to his outgoing personality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Finny is a competitive sportsman like person. Whenever Finny sees a challenge that has never been achieved he will try to do what the others could not. During the summer when there was nothing else to do, Finny decides to make a club. When the club meets, all the members have to jump out of the tree to be

Rosenbergs Use of Words to Communicate Themes in his Poem :: The Wasps Nest Poetry Poems Essays

Rosenberg's Use of Words to Communicate Themes in his Poem The Wasp’s Nest Conceptualize a world full of people that isolate and alienate you-a place where you don’t count or make a difference. This is one of the major concerns in the Wasp’s Nest. Rosenberg appeals to our intellect utilizing technical literary ingredients to spice up and flavour the poem. My project is an analysis of his use of words and phrases to communicate themes in his poem and to see how the poem has been made memorable. To me, the poem on its own is a metaphor portraying life and its elements of uncertainty and others. In line 1’’ Two aerial tigers†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, the wasps are being referred to as ‘’aerial tigers’’ because they do all their activities in the air (aerial). They are referred to as ‘’tigers’ for two reasons. The main one being that they are ragingly ferocious and much undomesticated. The second one is describes their physical outward appearance as they are yellow with black stripes just like the tiger. The use of language here is very descriptive and this line being a metaphor aids the picture to be conceived on the mental canvas. Line 1 is memorable because it is quite unique the way one can find such descriptive to perfectly describe the scenario. â€Å"Striped in ebony and gold†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. The use of sophisticated and exclusive adjectives which are (‘ebony’ and ‘gold’) to illustrate the wasp’s appearance shows how fascinated and beguiled Rosenberg is by the wasps. This line contributes to the memorability of the poem. This is through the adoption of classy words to leave the words echoing in our minds and it is savoured and relished by the reader. Line 3-5 describes the state in which the wasps are in and how they went about their preparation of their home. Here, we assume that the two wasps are of the opposite sex thus, probably married or are living their lives together. Therefore, another rational assumption is that these two wasps are building a home, an investment that they can share together and reside within. These lines are made memorable because they unfailingly apply and relate to our daily lives. Line 7-9 depicts how worthless and valueless this ‘’huge’’ investment is to Rosenberg or the persona and then again, I find these lines ringing in my head because it is indeed an example of life’s bad sides- when one takes their time to put something together and he worships it with every fibre of his being but before others, it is insignificant. Line 10-14, is about how the persona has endeavored and made an attempt to exonerate and get rid of the wasps.

Poes Fall of The House of Usher Essay: Beyond Empiricism and Transcend

Beyond Empiricism and Transcendentalism in House of Usher      Ã‚   When Edgar Allan Poe wrote "The Fall of the House of Usher," two factors greatly influenced his writing. A first influence was John Locke's idea of Empiricism, which was the idea that all knowledge was gained by experiences, exclusively through the senses. A second vital influence was Transcendentalism, which was a reaction to Empiricism.   While John Locke believed that reality or truth was constituted by the material world and by the senses, Transcendentalists believed that reality and truth exist within the spiritual or ideal world. They believed that the external world was dependent solely on the conscious. Beverly Voloshin suggests that "Poe presents transcendental projects which threaten to proceed downward rather than upward" (19). Here it becomes obvious that there is a strong connection between John Locke's Empiricism and the resulting ideas of Transcendence, and the powerful effect that they had on Poe and other emerging Romantic writers of that time. In "The Fal l of the House of Usher," Poe establishes a new type of literature, one that emphasizes aspects of Empiricism as well as the idea of Transcendence. Poe uses this unique literature to introduce the Usher mansion and its intriguing and very troubled inhabitants.    Locke wrote the "Essay Concerning Human Understanding," which was published in 1690, and is credited with opening up the period of Enlightenment in Europe.   Its strongest connection to Poe was that it had a   "late popularity in New England"(Voloshin 18). With this popularity in New England, many of the writers of the time either voiced their approval of Empiricism, or took an opposite stance in their literature. Locke believed th... ...an upward. "The tales have a paradoxical structure in which transcendence is figured as an outward or downward movement, as the method for going beyond the universe of Lockean empiricism is to go through it" (Voloshin 19).   Poe brings this out with the narrator's "depression" and the "unredeemed dreariness of thought."   The language that is used in "The Fall of the House of Usher" presents a connection between the mental and the physical world, which then correlates with the debate between Transcendentalists and the empiricism presented nearly two centuries before.       Works Cited Koster, Donald N. Transcendentalism in America. Boston:   Twayne, 1975. Sahakian, Mabel Lewis and William S. John Locke. Boston:   Twayne, 1975.   Voloshin, Beverly. "Transcendence Downward: An Essay on 'Usher' and 'Ligeia.'" Modern Language Studies 18 (1988): 18-29.

Briefly comment on the communication research report Essay

With rapid advancement of new communication technologies, people currently can freely and actively express their own opinions in the new media. For example, the Internet has dramatically changed the ways in which some individuals receive news and information, this is very big different from the traditional forms of communication. However, there are some correlation links between traditional mass communication ways and modern new technology ways(Kotcher,1992;Rubin, 1994). Roberts M, Wanta, W and Dzwo, T (2002) examined one aspect of the Internet: electronic bulletin boards (EBBs). The objective of this study is to investigate if traditional news media sources have an agenda-setting impact on the discussions taking place on the EBBs. In other words, the purpose of the study is to examine the agenda-setting process and the role it may play on the Internet. The report’s dominant methodology is quantitative. As we know, it is a critical issue that appropriate methodology should be taken depending on different research topic. Quantitative approach and qualitative approach have their respective advantages and disadvantages (Fowler, 1993). Quantitative research, through surveys, gathers data about people’s knowledge, opinions, attitudes and behavior. Quantitative research approach is used to generate new knowledge for evidence-based practice. Attention will be given to the advantages and disadvantages of Quantitative research designs for large group research, the principles of reliability and validity, the value of descriptive and inferential statistics and the importance of ethical research conduct. For the topic, it belongs to sociology category, so I think the researchers have used appropriate research approach (quantitative research approach) even though the approach has some disadvantages. This is because quantitative research approach for this topic has the following advantages: Large members of people can be studies; the method is relatively quick and relatively cheap; the results are reliable, and representative of a much wider population than that directly investigated, the personal influence of the research on the results is slight and the data can easily be expressed in statistical form. This enables comparisons to be made between different groups and populations. For this study, the researchers use Internet, its main advantages are low/moderate cost to design; low cost to send; quick to analyse data; easy for respondent to complete and can attach brochures, images, etc. However, Every survey methodology has its weaknesses, and online surveys are no exception. – Not sure who is answering the survey. Like mail studies, it is difficult to insure the desired person actually answers the survey. – Not representative of the population. The Internet population has a slight bias towards younger, more computer literate users, though this is changing all the time and becoming more representative of the population. – Long surveys are more difficult. The personalities of today’s online users makes it difficult to coerce respondents into completing long surveys. – Not a â€Å"mainstream† research methodology, yet. With more experience and comparative analyses of online surveys versus mail and telephone results, online surveys should reach the same level of acceptance as other methodologies. For this research, the researchers use EBBs which has the above weaknesses too. For the research’s method, the researchers use five steps (Roberts, 2002, P456-458): The first step imperative examines whether traditional news media sources have an agenda-setting impact on the discussions taking place on the EBBs. They ask † Do individuals take issue information gained from news media and pass information about this issue online to other electronic bulletin board users? † The second step is selecting the sample. The third step deals with defining categories, time frames, coding units, and context units. The fourth step is content analysis and the final and fifth step of content analysis process is to analyze and interpret the data. The five steps are typical research method that is used by many researchers (McMillan, 2000) and they are very similar with the quantities analysis approach (the Scientific Method) which includes seven steps: Defining the problem; Developing a Model; Acquiring Input Data; Developing a Solution; Testing the Solution; Analyzing the Results and Implementing the Results (Render, 1982). The researchers use an ARIMA model cross-correlational test showed EBB discussions of three issues—immigration, health care, and taxes-correlated with news media coverage, with time lags varying from 1 day to 7 days. In my opinion, the method is appropriate method for the topic. This investigation looks for a more powerful effect than previous agenda-setting researchers. Because of the Internet’s dynamic characteristic of transmitting information from senders to receivers, researchers currently assume that our traditional theories of mass communication can directly apply to online communication (Wimmer, 1994). The researches have an accurate research questions or hypothesis that are: how will the new online communication forms affect the agenda-setting process? Can we assume that the transfer of salience still follows the original hypothesis? How does the condensed and compressed environment of online communication affect what we know about time frame effects? All these questions are explored in their study. By quantitative research, the researchers concluded: † The results demonstrate the usefulness of examining the rule the Internet plays in the agenda-setting process. Media coverage apparently can provide individuals with information to use in their Internet discussions. As the Internet continues to become an important source of information, it also will become an important area for mass communication researchers. † (Roberts, 2002, P464). The report also recommended† future research should link other mass communication theoretical approaches with Internet usage†. Despite the research has some definite problems; online research has many more advantages than disadvantages. When surveying populations, which mimic the demographics of online users, online research can be a primary means of information collection. With other populations, online research can be effective as a supplement to more traditional survey approaches or as a quick impression of your customers (much like qualitative approaches are used). For outlook, as the Internet continues to grow in popularity, investigations of the content of information being sent online similarly will increase in importance. The study takes an important step in linking the Internet to a mainstream mass communication theory. References Kotcher, R. L. (1992). The technological revolution has transformed crisis communication. Public Relations Quarterly, 37(3), 19-21. Rubin, R. , P. Palmgreen, and H. Sypher (1994 eds. ), Communication Research Measures: A Sourcebook, New York: Guilford. Roberts, et al (2002), Agenda setting and issue salience online. Communication Research, Vol. 29 No. 4, August 452-465. Fowler, Floyd J. , Jr (1993). Survey Research Methods, 2nd ed. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. McMillan, S. J. (2000). The microscope and the moving target: The challenge of applying content analysis to the World Wide Web. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 77, 80-98. Render, B and Stair, R. M (1982). Quantitative Analysis for Management ( The Second Edition). New York: Library of congress Cataloging in Publication Data. Wimmer, R. D. and J. R. Dominick (1994), Mass Media Research: An Introduction, 4th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Steel Design

STEEL BEAM DESIGN Laterally Unrestrained Beam Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 1 Non-dimensional slenderness Beam behaviour analogous to yielding/buckling of columns. M Wyfy Material yielding (in-plane bending) MEd MEd Elastic member buckling Mcr Lcr 1. 0 Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Non-dimensional slenderness Unrestrained Beam ? LT 2 Lateral torsional buckling Lateral torsional buckling Lateral torsional buckling is the member buckling mode associated with slender beams loaded about their major axis, without continuous lateral restraint.If continuous lateral restraint is provided to the beam, then lateral torsional buckling will be prevented and failure will occur in another mode, generally in-plane bending (and/or shear). Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 3 Eurocode 3 Eurocode 3 states, as with BS 5950, that both crosssectional and member bending resistance must be verified: MEd ? Mc ,Rd Cross-section check (In-plane bending) MEd ? Mb,Rd Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unr estrained Beam Member buckling check 4 Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 5 Laterally Unrestrained BeamThe design of beam in this Lecture 3 is considering beams in which either no lateral restraint or only intermittent lateral restraint is provided to the compression flange Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 6 Lateral Torsional Buckling Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 7 Lateral Torsional Buckling Figure 3-1 shows an unrestrained beam subjected to load increment. The compression flange unrestrained and beam is not stiff enough. There is a tendency for the beam to deform sideways and twist about the longitudinal axis. The failure mode which may occur to the beam is called lateral torsional buckling.Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 8 ?Involves both deflection and twisting rotation ?Out-of plane buckling. Bending Resistance M c, Rd ? M pl ? W pl f y ?M0 Due to the effect of LTB, the bending resistance of cross section become less. Failure may occurs earlier then expected Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 9 Examples of Laterally Unrestrained Beam Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 10 Restrained Beam Comparsion Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 11 Intermittent Lateral Restrained Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 12Torsional restraint Usually both flanges are held in their relative positions by external members during bending. May be provided by load bearing stiffeners or provision of adequate end connection details. See Figure 3-4. Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 13 Beam without torsional restraint Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 14 Can be discounted when: †¢ Minor axis bending †¢ CHS, SHS, circular or square bar †¢ Fully laterally restrained beams †¢ ? LT< 0. 2 (or 0. 4 in some cases) – Unrestrained length Cross-sectional shape End restrained condition The moment along the beam Loading – tension or compression Unrestrained Beam 16Dr. A Azi z Saim 2010 EC3 Lateral torsional buckling resistance Checks should be carried out on all unrestrained segments of beams (between the points where lateral restraint exists). Lateral restraint Lateral restraint Lcr = 1. 0 L Lateral restraint Beam on plan Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 17 Three methods to check LTB in EC3: †¢ The primary method adopts the lateral torsional buckling curves given by equations 6. 56 and 6. 57, and is set out in clause 6. 3. 2. 2 (general case) and clause 6. 3. 2. 3 (for rolled sections and equivalent welded sections). The second is a simplified assessment method for beams with restraints in buildings, and is set out in clause 6. 3. 2. 4. †¢ The third is a general method for lateral and lateral torsional buckling of structural components, given in clause 6. 3. 4. Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 18 Eurocode 3 states, as with BS 5950, that both cross-sectional and member bending resistance must be verified: MEd ? Mc ,Rd Cros s-section check (In-plane bending) MEd ? Mb,Rd Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam Member buckling check 19 Lateral-torsional buckling Eurocode 3 design approach for lateral torsional buckling is analogous to the olumn buckling treatment. The design buckling resistance Mb,Rd of a laterally unrestrained beam (or segment of beam) should be taken as: Mb,Rd ? ?LT Wy fy ? M1 Reduction factor for LTB Lateral torsional buckling resistance: Mb,Rd = ?LT Wy fy ? M1 Equation (6. 55) Wy will be Wpl,y or Wel,y ?LT Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 is the reduction factor for lateral torsional buckling Unrestrained Beam 21 Buckling curves – general case (Cl 6. 3. 2. 2) Lateral torsional buckling curves for the general case are given below : (as in Eq (6. 56)) ?LT ? 1 2 ? LT ? ?LT ? ?2 LT but ? LT ? 1. 0 ?LT ? 0. 5 [ 1 ? ?LT (? LT ? 0. ) ? ?2 ] LT Plateau length Imperfection factor from Table 6. 3 Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 22 Imperfection factor ? LT Imperfection factors ? LT for 4 buckling curves: (refer Table 6. 3) Buckling curve Imperfection factor ? LT a 0. 21 b 0. 34 c 0. 49 d 0. 76 Buckling curve selection For the general case, refer to Table 6. 4: Cross-section Rolled I-sections Welded Isections Limits h/b ? 2 h/b > 2 h/b ? 2 h/b > 2 – Buckling curve a b c d d Other crosssections Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 24 LTB curves 4 buckling curves for LTB (a, b, c and d) 1. 2 Reduction factor ? LT . 0 0. 8 0. 6 0. 4 0. 2 0. 0 0 0. 5 1 1. 5 Curve a Curve b Curve c Curve d 2 2. 5 0. 2 Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Non-dimensional slenderness Unrestrained Beam ?LT 25 Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 26 lateral torsional buckling slenderness ? LT Mcr ? Wy f y Mcr Elastic critical buckling moment Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 27 Non-dimensional slenderness †¢ Calculate lateral torsional buckling slenderness: ? LT ? Wy f y Mcr †¢ Buckling curves as for compression (except curve a0) †¢ Wy depends on section classification †¢ Mcr is the elastic critical LTB moment Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3Unrestrained Beam 28 BS EN 1993-1-1 does not give a method for determining the elastic critical moment for lateraltorsional buckling Mcr !!!!!!!! May use ‘LTBeam’ software (can be downloaded from CTICM website) Or may use method presented by L. Gardner †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 29 Mcr under uniform moment For typical end conditions, and under uniform moment the elastic critical lateral torsional buckling moment Mcr is: Mcr ,0 G IT Iw Iz Lcr ? EIz ? 2 Lcr 2 ? Iw Lcr GIT ? ? ? 2 ? ? EIz ? ? Iz 2 0. 5 is the shear modulus is the torsion constant is the warping constant is the inor axis second moment of area is the buckling length of the beam Unrestrained Beam 30 Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Mcr under non-uniform moment Numerical solutions have been calculated for a number of other loading conditions. For uniform doubly-symmetric cross-sections, loaded through the shear centre at the level of the centroidal axis, and with the standard conditions of restraint described, Mcr may be calculated by: ? EIz Mcr ? C1 2 Lcr 2 Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam ? Iw Lcr GIT ? ? ? 2 ? ? EIz ? ? Iz 2 0. 5 31 C1 factor – end momentsFor end moment loading C1 may be approximated by the equation below, though other approximations also exist. C1= 1. 88 – 1. 40y + 0. 52y2 but C1 ? 2. 70 where y is the ratio of the end moments (defined in the following table). Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 32 C1 factor – transverse loading Loading and support conditions Bending moment diagram Value of C1 1. 132 1. 285 1. 365 1. 565 1. 046 Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 33 Design procedure for LTB Design procedure for LTB: 1. Determine BMD and SFD from design loads 2. Select section and determine geometry 3. Classify cross-section (Class 1, 2, 3 or 4) 4.Determine effective (buckling) length Lcr – depends on bounda ry conditions and load level 5. Calculate Mcr and Wyfy Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 34 Design procedure for LTB 6. Non-dimensional slenderness ? LT ? Wy fy Mcr 7. Determine imperfection factor ? LT 8. Calculate buckling reduction factor ? LT 9. Design buckling resistance 10. Check Mb,Rd ? ?LT Wy fy ? M1 MEd ? 1. 0 Mb,Rd for each unrestrained portion Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 35 LTB Example General arrangement Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 36 LTB Example Design loading is as follows: 425. 1 kN A B C 319. 6 kN D 2. 5 m 3. 2 m 5. 1 mLoading Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 37 LTB Example 267. 1 kN A B D 52. 5 kN SF C 477. 6 kN Shear force diagram B A C D BM 1194 kNm 1362 kNm Bending moment diagram Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 38 LTB Example For the purposes of this example, lateral torsional buckling curves for the general case will be utilised. Lateral torsional buckling checks to be carried out on segments BC and CD. By inspection, segment AB is not critical. Try 762? 267? 173 UB in grade S 275 steel. Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 39 LTB Example b z tw h d y y r z tf h = 762. 2 mm b = 266. 7 mm tw = 14. 3 mm tf = 21. 6 mm r = 16. mm A = 22000 mm2 Wy,pl = 6198? 103 mm3 Iz = 68. 50? 106 mm4 It = 2670? 103 mm4 Iw = 9390? 109 mm6 Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 40 LTB Example For a nominal material thickness (tf = 21. 6 mm and tw = 14. 3 mm) of between 16 mm and 40 mm the nominal values of yield strength fy for grade S 275 steel (to EN 10025-2) is 265 N/mm2. From clause 3. 2. 6: N/mm2. E = 210000 N/mm2 and G ? 81000 Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 41 LTB Example Cross-section classification (clause 5. 5. 2): e ? 235 / fy ? 235 / 265 ? 0. 94 Outstand flanges (Table 5. 2, sheet 2) cf = (b – tw – 2r) / 2 = 109. 7 mm cf / tf = 109. 7 / 21. 6 = 5. 8 Limit for Class 1 flange = 9e = 8. 48 > 5. 08 ? Flange is Class 1 Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Bea m 42 LTB Example Web – internal part in bending (Table 5. 2, sheet 1) cw = h – 2tf – 2r = 686. 0 mm cw / tw= 686. 0 / 14. 3 = 48. 0 Limit for Class 1 web = 72 e = 67. 8 > 48. 0 ? Web is Class 1 Overall cross-section classification is therefore Class 1. Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 43 LTB Example Bending resistance of cross-section (clause 6. 2. 5): Mc ,y,Rd ? Wpl,y fy ? M0 for Class 1 and 2 sec tions 6198 ? 103 ? 265 ? ? 1642 ? 106 Nmm 1. 0 ? 1642 kNm ? 1362 kNm ? Cross-section resistance in bending is OK.Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 44 LTB Example Lateral torsional buckling check (clause 6. 3. 2. 2) – Segment BC: MEd ? 1362 kNm Mb ,Rd ? ? LT Wy fy ? M1 where Wy = Wpl,y for Class 1 and 2 sections Determine Mcr for segment BC (Lcr = 3200 mm) Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 ? EIz Mcr ? C1 2 Lcr 2 ? Iw Lcr GIT ? ? ? 2 ? ? EIz ? ? Iz Unrestrained Beam 2 0. 5 45 LTB Example For end moment loading C1 may be approximated from: C1 = 1. 88 â⠂¬â€œ 1. 40y + 0. 52y2 but C1 ? 2. 70 1194 y is the ratio of the end moments ? ? 0. 88 1362 ? C1 ? 1. 05 ? 2 ? 210000 ? 68. 5 ? 106 Mcr ? 1. 05 ? 32002 ? 9390 ? 109 32002 ? 81000 ? 2670 ? 103 ? ? ? 68. 5 ? 106 ? 2 ? 210000 ? 68. 5 ? 106 ? ? 0. 5 = 5699Ãâ€"106 Nmm = 5699 kNm Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 46 LTB Example Non-dimensional lateral torsional slenderness for segment BC: ? LT ? Wy fy Mcr 6198 ? 103 ? 265 ? ? 0. 54 6 5699 ? 10 Select buckling curve and imperfection factor ? LT: From Table 6. 4: h/b = 762. 2/266. 7 = 2. 85 For a rolled I-section with h/b > 2, use buckling curve b Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 47 LTB Example From Table 6. 3 of EN 1993-1-1: For buckling curve b, ? LT = 0. 34 Calculate reduction factor for lateral torsional buckling, ? LT – Segment BC: ?LT ? 1 ? LT ? ? 2 LT LT but ? LT ? 1. 0 where ? LT ? 0. 5 [ 1 ? ?LT (? LT ? 0. 2) ? ?2 ] LT Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 48 LTB Example ?LT = 0. 5[1+0. 34(0. 54-0. 2) + 0. 542] = 0. 70 ? ? LT ? 1 0. 70 ? 0. 70 ? 0. 54 2 2 ? 0. 87 Lateral torsional buckling resistance Mb,Rd – Segment BC : Mb,Rd ? ? LT Wy fy ? M1 265 ? 0. 87 ? 6198 ? 10 ? 1 . 0 3 ? 1425 ? 106 Nmm ? 1425 kNm Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 49 LTB Example MEd 1362 ? ? 0. 96 ? 1. 0 ? Segment BC is OK Mb,Rd 1425 Lateral torsional buckling check (clause 6. 3. 2. 2) – Segment CD: MEd ? 1362 kNm Mb ,Rd ? ? LT Wy fy ? M1 where Wy = Wpl,y for Class 1 and 2 sectionsDetermine Mcr for segment CD (Lcr = 5100 mm) Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 50 LTB Example ? EIz Mcr ? C1 2 Lcr 2 ? Iw Lcr GIT ? ? ? 2 ? Iz ? EIz ? ? 2 0. 5 Determine y from Table: 0 y is the ratio of the end moments ? ?0 1362 ? C1 ? 1. 88 ? 2 ? 210000 ? 68. 5 ? 106 Mcr ? 1. 88 51002 ? 9390 ? 109 51002 ? 81000 ? 2670 ? 103 ? ? ? ? 68. 5 ? 106 ? 2 ? 210000 ? 68. 5 ? 106 ? ? 0. 5 = 4311? 106 Nmm = 4311 kNm Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 51 LTB Example Non-dimensional lateral torsio nal slenderness for segment CD: ? LT ? Wy fy Mcr 6198 ? 103 ? 265 ? ? 0. 62 6 4311? 10 The buckling curve and imperfection factor ?LT are as for segment BC. Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 52 LTB Example Calculate reduction factor for lateral torsional buckling, ? LT – Segment CD: ?LT ? 1 ? LT ? ? 2 LT 2 LT but ? LT ? 1. 0 where ? LT ? 0. 5 [ 1 ? ?LT (? LT ? 0. 2) ? ?2 ] LT = 0. 5[1+0. 34(0. 62-0. 2) + 0. 622] = 0. 76 ? ? LT Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 ? 1 0. 76 ? 0. 76 ? 0. 62 2 Unrestrained Beam 2 ? 0. 83 53 LTB Example Lateral torsional buckling resistance Mb,Rd – Segment CD : Mb,Rd ? ?LT Wy fy ? M1 265 ? 0. 83 ? 6198 ? 10 ? 1. 0 3 ? 1360 ? 106 Nmm ? 1360 kNm MEd 1362 ? ? 1. 00 Mb,Rd 1360 Segment CD is critical and marginally fails LTB check.Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 54 Blank Page Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 55 Simplified assessment of ? LT For hot-rolled doubly symmetric I and H sections without destabilising loads,? may be conservatively simplified to: LT ? LT ? 1 0. 9 ? z ? C1 ?z 1 0. 9 ? 1 C1 E ? z ? L / iz ; ? 1 ? ? fy As a further simplification, C1 may also be conservatively taken = 1. 0. Simplified assessment of ? LT Substituting in numerical values for simplified expressions result. ? 1 , the following S235 ? LT ? 1 L / iz C1 104 S275 ? LT ? 1 L / iz C1 96 S355 ? LT ? 1 L / iz C1 85 C1 may be conservatively taken = 1. , though the level of conservatism increases the more the actual bending moment diagram differs from uniform moment. Simplified method (Cl. 6. 3. 2. 4) Simplified method for beams with restraints in buildings (Clause 6. 3. 2. 4) This method treats the compression flange of the beam and part of the web as a strut: b b Compression h Tension Compression flange + 1/3 of the compressed area of web Strut Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Beam Unrestrained Beam 58 General method (Cl. 6. 3. 4) General method for lateral and lateral torsional buckling of structural components †¢ May be applied to single members, plane frames etc. Requires determination of plastic and elastic (buckling) resistance of structure, which subsequently defines global slenderness †¢ Generally requires FE Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 59 Blank Page Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 60 Important Notes: (End Connections) When full torsional restraint exist: -both the compression and tension flanges are fully restrained against rotation on plan -both flanges are partially restrained against rotation on plan – both flanges are free to rotate on plan Unrestrained Beam 61 Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Connection DetailDr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 62 Important Notes: (End Connections) Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 63 Important Notes: (End Connections) When both flanges are free to rotate on plan and the compression flange is unrestrained: i. torsional restraint is provided solely by connection of the tension flange to the supports, ii. torsional re straint is provided solely by dead bearing of the tension flange on support. Unrestrained Beam 64 Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 65 Dr. A Aziz Saim 2010 EC3 Unrestrained Beam 66