Business Goals

Background of study The quick development in rivalry among firms of different kinds has represented a few difficulties for them with respect to keeping up their customers and accomplishing business goals. Because of that, firms have moved from customary ways of marketing towards social trading methods with customers that could return more prominent business benefits on the long haul. Consequently, concentrating on retention of customers has turned out to be vital for enhancing the competitiveness and performance of the organizations. Keeping in mind the end goal to accomplish the retention of customers, it must be noticed that customers have a tendency to assess their purchasing experiences regarding the perceived value that is followed by the measure of cash spent to receive an item or benefit and the advantages got in return. Along these lines, a positive experience of a customer significantly affects the purchasing behavior and retention of the customer. (Bapat and Thanigan, 2016). To manage customer relations and guarantee firm efficacy, it has happened to be very necessary to comprehend what leads to retention of the customers. (Afzali and Ahmed, 2016). Customer retention is defined as â€Å"the process of building customer loyalty towards a particular brand, thus resulting in repurchasing its products or services over time† (Cannie, 1994; Danish, Ahmad, Ateeq, Ali, and Humayon, 2015). Customer retention is the primary objective for the organizations that aides in keeping up their business (Coviello, 2002). There are an extensive number of firms that are associated with the retention of their customers. In order to achieve the maximum profitability, firms tend to focus on the retention of the customers (Kotler, 2003). Retention of the customers underlines on backing which is for the most part connected with repurchase conduct and brand devotion of the customers (Buttle, 2004). At the end of the day, retention of the customers involves a durable responsibility of a customer towards a brand and keeping up such relationship because of positive observations and past encounters (Boohene, 2013; Mohamed and Borhan, 2014). Customers who cheerfully make the majority of their buys from a specific brand for the most part have higher extent of fulfillment towards it than the individuals who indicate less loyalty. Anderson and Sullivan (1990) likewise represented that client maintenance gives monetary ramifications to firms on the grounds that increasing new customers is more exorbitant than keeping up existing ones because of the costs that they spend on publicizing and advancement to impact their purchase intention. Retention of the customers happens when the customers are completely happy with the benefits given by the inns (Grà ¸nhaug and Gilly,2001). On the other hand, the customers are particularly faithful towards their brands (inn) and it brings about the retention of the customers of that brand (Buttle, 2004). In order to achieve the maximum benefits and advantages, the firms tend to focus on retention of their customers. (Dawkins and Reichheld, 2009). There are few examinations that clarify the impact of the diverse variables that impact the client maintenance in inns. This is especially simple for the clients to get disappointed with the offers administrations to them (Colgate and Lang, 2001; Colgate and Norris, 2001) 1.2 Purpose of The Study The main and premier reason for this research is to discover the impact of the distinctive factors on the retention of the customers.Research ObjectivesThe fundamental goals for this article are as per the following:To find the impacts of the distinctive factors such as service quality, ambience, customer satisfaction and loyalty on retention of the customers.Significance of the studyThe significance of the study is that retention of the customers is the essential activity for any business for the most extreme yield. This investigation is done to clarify the connection between ambience, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, service quality and retention of the customers.Scope of the study This examination will assist the entrepreneurs with working on these elements in light of the fact that these variables are the fundamental need of each customer. What's more, with the assistance of this analysis, the entrepreneurs can thrive their business. This exploration is additionally valuable for similar firms who are confronting the issues in keeping up the customers.Research QuestionThe research question of this study is to find out what is the impact of ambience, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and service quality on the retention of the customers.

Intrinsic Motivation Essay

Second Language Acquisition (SLA) is learning development in which people acquire a new language – more commonly known as â€Å"second language† in addition to their native tongue. The second language is often referred as â€Å"target language† or â€Å"L2†. In addition, second language denotes any new language learned after early childhood years. This means subsequently languages learned – i. e. third or fourth language is still referred to as second language. A number of personal and environmental factors may affect the decision to learn a second language. Examples of such factors include family influences, social groups or peers, teachers, school, age, and self-concept. An individual may pursue a study on acquiring a second language skill for various reasons and motivations. In a study of UK and European students, it has been stated that the reasons a student pursues a study a foreign language are the following: 1) to be able to develop a career advantage for opportunities in the future; 2) a student’s personal inclination to learn the language; 3) to be able to learn and appreciate to cultural differences; 4) for an enhanced comprehension of the culture where the language is used; 5) and to be able to reside in nations where the language is used. The current teacher booklet aims to help the SLA teacher increase the intrinsic motivation of SLA learners by presenting sundry topics, including attitudes and motivation in second language learning; clarifying erroneous beliefs about language learning; what the SLA teacher ought to focus on: sources of language anxiety; the learning environment as source of language anxiety; variables of self-confidence; socio-psychological issues of language anxiety and self-confidence; instructor-learner interaction and classroom procedures; and interpretation of educator beliefs on language learning. Attitudes and Motivation in Second Language Learning In the book Attitudes and motivation in second language learning, Gardner and Lambert (1972) have identified Integrative Motivation and Instrumental Motivation as the common reason for a student’s desire to study a second language. In the context of language learning, a learner may pursue the study of English such as a second language because of one’s desire to work in abroad as well as for travel purposes. The learner’s practical rationale for acquiring a second language is referred to as instrumental motivation. On the other hand, a person may pursue the study of English language in order to successfully integrate within the community where one is currently living. The learner’s purpose can be referred to as integrative motivation. Following a learner’s utilitarian purpose, the clear benefit of acquiring English as second language is to have a competitive edge in the labor market. Such skills are very valuable as businesses are increasingly becoming global. In fact, professionals who are fluent bilingual speakers have the competitive edge compared to monolingual speakers. In addition, travel and migration of people has becoming a growing trend in recent years prompting a necessity to understand and integrate within the society which one lives in. Given that there a significant number of SLA learners, it is worthwhile to examine how the teacher may be able to increase the confidence and intrinsic motivation and lessen the anxiety of the SLA learner. Clarifying Erroneous Beliefs about Language Learning Horwitz, Horwitz & Cope (1986) believe that the problem of anxiety and the accompanying erroneous beliefs about language learning, as discussed in their literature focusing on classroom anxiety, represent serious impediments to the development of second language fluency as well as to performance. In their discussion of clinical experience with anxiety as a barrier to second language development, they categorize this personality factor as that of apprehension, worry and even dread and anxious language learners often have difficulty concentrating, become forgetful, sweat, and have palpitations. Further, Chang, Horwitz, and Schallert (1999) report that there are generally two types or constructs of anxiety, which are related to second language learning in both speaking and writing. The report suggests that second language classroom anxiety refers to the anxiety felt by students in interacting with native-speaking students. It is the more general type of anxiety felt by most school students. On the other hand, second language writing anxiety refers to language-skill-specific anxiety felt by students. Chang, Horwitz, and Schallert (1999) suggest that these are two separate constructs and that anxiety levels in speaking or writing may be felt differently. Nevertheless, the report asserts that level of self-esteem is an important component for both constructs. In a research on English as Second Language, Huang (2004) reports that foreign students (i. e. Chinese) studying at North American universities have faired very well in TOEFL. While Chinese students have obtained very high marks, many still have difficulties in understanding academic lectures, taking notes, writing assignments and giving presentations. Further, this report would also illustrate that the two independent constructs reported by Chang, Horwitz, and Schallert (1999). Huang (2004) reports that the students in the study have proficiency in reading ability and grammar, and that listening and the speaking were the weakest. Moreover, the study also reports low level of confidence of foreign students in participation and interaction in classes due to this difficulty; thus, limiting their overall performance. Cummins (2000) supports that even though many have excellent English language skills in terms of social proficiency, many are still struggling with the type of cognitive academic language necessary for the success in the mainstream classroom. The Learner’s Willingness to Communicate Skehan (1989) further suggests that a learner’s willingness to communicate has also been related to anxiety. His research points toward some language learners attempting to avoid communicating in a second language due to fear of embarrassment over their current skill level in speaking the second language. Perhaps this is part of the reason why many second language learners, who study overseas, tend to remain connected to other foreign second language learners and avoid prolonged social contact with native-speaking peers. Though the reasoning behind each individual’s level of willingness to communicate will likely vary based on the number of people present, the topic of conversation and the formality of the circumstances, avoiding discussion using the second language is a common anxiety among language learners. While many studies have shown the level of anxiety of second language learners increases because of erroneous personal beliefs of the students, most of studies assert that self-confidence is an important component in overcoming of both in classroom and writing anxieties. What the SLA Teacher Ought to Focus On: Sources of Language Anxiety Furthermore, Young (1991) provides a list of potential sources of language anxiety. In her review of the literature on language anxiety, Young asserts that language anxiety can have a variety of sources – that is, anxiety can be associated with the learner’s perceptions, teacher’s beliefs, as well as the instructional practice to second language learning. She argues that language can come from the following: a. personal and interpersonal anxieties, learner beliefs about language learning, instructor beliefs about language teaching, instructor-learner actions, and language testing. Personal perceptions and beliefs can have a great effect on the progress of language learning. These perceptions have been well-documented in the studies related to age and language learning. Hyltenstam (1992) asserts that age in relation to language learning is an important factor in achieving native-like fluency for second language learners. That is, younger students tend to learn the second language faster than their mature counterparts. On the other, self-perception of more mature learners tends to hinder in the development of second language skills, which can more appropriately termed as trait anxiety. For example, adults, who are pursuing study of a second language, may have a clear mission why they are pursuing such course and far more determination to persevere than their younger counterparts. However, a number of mature students, who enter a foreign language class, were victimized by various prejudices about second language learning. â€Å"I’m too old to learn† or â€Å"I’m linguistically challenged† are common erroneous beliefs that adult learners often succumb to. Ehrman et al (2003) suggest that the feelings of uneasiness, such as late start or a belief that one needs a special predisposition for learning learning, can be attributed to the barriers created by the student’s ego as one matures. Adult learners may perceive their performance in a foreign language classroom as unnatural or ridiculous in comparison to their experience in the first language acquisition process. Therefore, these factors often contribute to the apprehension and tension felt by adult learners in the context of second language learning, more specifically in the aspect of speaking, writing, and learning. In short, adult learners suffer language anxiety more as compared to their younger counterparts. Certainly, not all adult learners become paralyzed by negative emotions the moment they step into a foreign language classroom. However, it is a common perception of educators, who have lectured to a group of adults, that some non-native speaking students may be reluctant to participate, more especially when they realize or assume that other students are more fluent. Nonetheless, it is important to emphasize that this emotion is not alien to younger learners, but in the studies it have been well-documented that with age the tension and anxiety associated with learning a new language is stronger and more difficult to overcome. The Learning Environment as Source of Language Anxiety Furthermore, the learning environment can also be a source of language anxiety. MacIntyre and Gardner (1994) would denote this as situational anxiety. Hadfield (1992) has introduced the concept of classroom dynamics to describe everything that happens in and between the participants, both the teacher and the students. Heron further elaborates on the existential anxiety of students in a classroom setting. Moreover, Heron also lists three aspects of existential anxiety in relation to classroom dynamics: 1) acceptance anxiety, 2) orientation anxiety, and 3) performance anxiety. Acceptance anxiety would relate to apprehension of being judged in a foreign class. Often times, students as well as teachers may show approval and disapproval behaviors to others. Fellow students may show impatience or mock another as a sign of their approval or disapproval to their fellow students. This often manifest as a sign of competition for teacher’s approval among students in the classroom. Teachers may also exhibit judgmental attitude in their criticisms as well as their bodily movements to their students. The teachers may open criticize or mock a student in a class. A more subtle criticism can be observed when a teacher would correct an error of a student. Whether the teacher corrects the error explicitly, by providing the correction, or implicitly, by indicating the kind of error and giving the student the opportunity for self-correction, can make a difference in the student’s self-confidence. Orientation anxiety would relate to the personal understanding of the situational contexts of the discussion or what is going on. Teacher’s role in facilitating learning is undermined by the failure to manage classroom discourse. This leads for students to at times feel of being deprived of control. In a discussion, when turn stealing overrules turn taking, such feelings can occur. The student may feel the lack of control over his role in classroom interaction when he is late to answer a general question or the question is directed to another person. More often, students would find the teacher’s unclear or unsatisfactory explanation as frustrating and leaving a feeling of no control over the language as a system. Finally, the anxiety is further instilled with domineering and controlling teachers, who leaves students feeling they have no influence over what is going on in the classroom. Lastly, performance anxiety would relate to the apprehension or feeling of isolation in a class. The feeling of isolation may also express itself as a feeling of disregarded. The feeling of being alone among one’s peers is not uncommon in highly territorial classrooms in which students never want to change their seats or switch conversation partners. Moreover, this would relate to student’s anxiety to talk using the target language with fellow students in fear of being appearing stupid and judge as well. Hence, research reports would suggest that foreign students will tend to group with fellow non-native speakers and exhibit behavioral avoidance when studying in the mainstream English classes. Variables of Self-Confidence Self-confidence is a positive image yet realistic view of one-self and the situation. A confident person is someone who trust his own abilities, have a general sense of control in their lives, and believe that, within reason, they will be able to do what they wish, plan, and expect. According to Skehan (1989), available research does not show a single clearly-defined relationship between personality traits (such as self-confidence) and second language. He further points out that a major difficulty in investigating personality variables is that of identification and measurement, pointing toward a relatively new area of potential research needing attention. However, existing literature suggests that language anxiety can be correlated with students’ negative concepts of themselves as language learners, and negative expectations for language learning. With this in consideration, self-confidence levels can be viewed not only as a personality trait with complex factors affecting high or low confidence, but also as an outcome of high anxiety levels. This assumption is of considerable interest as anxiety tends to create negative self-perceptions about language performance and can then be tied directly to an increase in negative attitudes towards second language learning and a decrease in risk-taking and sociability. In different respect, overly high levels of confidence in language learning can have similar negative effects on language learning, hindering advancement in language proficiency as over-confidence, due to self-perceptions of high degrees of performance in oral/written communication or in positive socialization, can lead a language learner to believe that he or she has learned all there is to know about a language and lose sight of mastering higher complex linguistic skill in the SL. For example, an individual who sees that his or her skill level in the second language is superior to other SL learners who struggle with the SL, he or she might make substantial mistakes in grammar or comprehension, but remain completely unaware of their errors and thus not improve in the acquisition of the second language. Horwitz (1986) brings up an interesting concept regarding self-confidence by citing that language learning is a profoundly unsettling psychological proposition because it directly threatens an individual’s self-concept and worldview. A bold statement, but it does indicate that language learning, as a whole, can be a major contributor to variable self-confidence levels based on how each individual interprets their learning in terms of culture, grammar, or any other related language learning aspect. Variable self-confidence levels in second language learners are profoundly impacted by a complex set of individualised variables that it would be difficult to label each and every possible contributor to self-confidence levels. Simply recognising self-confidence levels in SL learners as a result of language learning and of anxiety opens a variety of potential research methods to begin measuring cause and effect of variable self-confidence. Instructor-Learner Interaction and Classroom Procedures Young (1991) asserts that a learner’s beliefs about language learning can contribute to the psychological anxiety in students. Skills such as proper pronunciation, depth of vocabulary, and fluency may vary in importance for learners in relation to second language learning. Similarly, Horwitz also studied the effect of various learners’ perceptions to language learning. In fact, Horwitz reports that a number of foreign language students in his study may have unachievable personal goals and misconceptions about language learning. For example, a few respondents expressed their optimism in achieving native-like fluency in the second language in two years of study, while others expressed their belief that language learning is tantamount to learning how to translate. Clearly, these idealistic beliefs contribute to language anxiety, more evidently when their beliefs and reality clash. A very good example would be the overly optimistic goal of beginners to achieve native-like fluency in the target language in two years. Over time, the students would naturally tend to get frustrated to find the reality of their imperfect pronunciation even after a lot of practice. On the other hand, an instructor’s beliefs about language teaching can also be a source of anxiety among second language learners. The manifestations of instructor’s belief can more clearly be seen in the methodology or approach in which an instructor conducts the second language class. For example, most instructors, who employ the Grammar Translation Method to teach English, will undoubtedly argue that the most fundamental reason for learning the language is to give learners access to English literature, develop their minds through second language learning, and to build in students the kinds of grammar, reading, vocabulary, and translation skills requisite to pass any one of the variety of compulsory tests necessitated in educational institutions. These instructors often emphasize on the strict rules of grammar syntax and proper form in sentence construction. While the teacher believes that his role in class is to constantly test and correct student’s errors, some of the students might develop anxiety over their class performance. On the other hand, some instructors may choose to employ a different methodology in language teaching. Some instructors may choose to use Total Physical Response method for learners to enjoy the sessions and create a less stressful environment for the students. Practitioners argue that recreating the natural process for children first learning their native language will facilitate the learning of the second language in the same way. More importantly, it asserts that language learning method involves a substantial amount of listening and comprehension with a mixture of various physical response such as smiling, reaching, and grabbing. Thus, the aim was to lower the affective filter in order to accelerate language learning among students. Taking into account the beliefs of both learners and instructors as well as the sources of language anxieties felt by students in a classroom setting, it is also important to look into the dynamics of the learning environment. Hadfield (1992) has identified seven traits of a good classroom dynamics as shown in Table 1. Table 1: Traits of Good Classroom Dynamics 1. Student groups are cohesive and have a positive, supportive atmosphere. Group members are interested in each other and feel they have something in common. 2. The members of the group are able to compromise. They have a sense of direction as a group and are able to define their goals in group as well as individual terms. 3. Group members are not cliquey or territorial but interact happily with all members of the group. Members of the group listen to each other and take turns. 4. Individuals in the group are not competitive and do not seek individual attention at the expense of others. Members cooperate in completing tasks and are able to work together productively. 5. Group members are able to empathize with each other and understand each other’s points of view even if they do not share them. The members of the group trust each other. 6. The group has a sense of fun. 7. Group members have a positive attitude to themselves as learners, to the language and culture being studied, and to the learning experience. Interpretation of Educator Beliefs on Language Learning Many paradigms and principles in mentioned in existing literature in teacher cognition are generally by nature unobservable and researchers have defined such principles differently. Freeman defines the categories in teacher education as â€Å"knowledge, beliefs and perceptions that shape what the teachers know, and therefore what they do in their teaching. † The keywords in Freeman’s categorization would be knowledge, beliefs and perceptions. These keywords would therefore define the scope of the teacher’s competency in relation to language teaching. Ellis (2006) would further refine the three words to discuss the teacher’s biographical experience and how it contributes to their professional knowledge. Ellis (2006) proposes â€Å"knowledge, beliefs, and insights† as refinement of the Freeman’s categorization. Knowledge (cited after Woods by Ellis) would be related to facts and the â€Å"things we know†. Beliefs refers to the instructor’s â€Å"acceptance of a proposition †¦ for which there is an accepted disagreement. † Ellis further elaborates on this irony as â€Å"ESL students need explicit focus on grammar as well as communicative practice. † Lastly, insight would relate to the instructor’s â€Å"personal practical knowledge: knowledge which is experiential, embodied, and reconstructed out of the narratives of a teacher’s life†. Ellis (2006) further elaborates insight as â€Å"an understanding gained from personal experience that allows us to see how previously understood realities could be different. It illuminates something previously unseen, makes sense of something previously incomprehensible, or lends a new perspective on something taken for granted. † Conclusion Different language experiences will result to rich and diverse insights, which can be very useful to second language teachers. However, there is yet to be a methodical study of a knowledge database of the learning experiences of English second language teachers. Formal education would require and ensure teachers are equip with the knowledge about phonology, grammar syntax, bilingualism, and motivation and methodology, etc. In addition, beliefs about the theories within language learning are also formed in the process as teachers develop a technique or approach in second language teaching. More importantly, teachers gain insights from the personal experiences, particularly in teaching second language. These insights are gained from reflection and recognition the complex, interwoven, rich, and diverse nature of what teachers â€Å"know†. The contents of this teacher booklet all aim to give the SLA teacher some insight into the areas in which he exerts significant impact. If taken to heart, he will indeed be able to make a dent in language learning by lessening the anxiety of his students and increasing their self-confidence. References Chang, Y. S. , Horwitz, E. K. and Schallert, D. L. (1999). Language Anxiety: Differentiating Writing and Speaking Components. Language Learning, 49 (3), 417-446. Cummins, J. (2000). Immersion education for the millennium: What we have learned from 30 years of research on second language immersion. Retrieved on October 23, 2007 from www. iteachilearn. com/cummins/immersion2000. html Ehrman, M. E. , Leaver, B. L. & Oxford, R. L. (2003). A brief overview of individual differences in second language learning. System, 31 (3), 313-330. Ellis, E. M. (2006). Language learning experience as a contributor to ESOL teacher cognition. Teaching English as Second Language or Foreign Language, 10 (1). Gardner, R. C. & Lambert, W. E. (1972). Attitudes and motivation in second language learning. Rowley, Mass: Newbury House. Hadfield, J. (1992). Classroom dynamics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Horwitz, E. K. (1986). Student effective reactions and the teaching and learning of foreign languages. College of Education: The University of Texas at Austin, Texas. Horwitz, E. K. , Horwitz, M. B. & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70 (2). Huang, J. (2004). Voices from Chinese students: Professor’s use of English affects academic listening. College Student Journal, 38(2), 212-223. Hyltenstam, K. (1992). Non-native features of near-native speakers: on the ultimate attainment of childhood L2 learners. In R. J. Harris (ed. ) Cognitive processing in bilinguals, 351 367. Amsterdam: North-Holland. MacIntyre, P. D. & Gardner, D. (1994). How does anxiety affect second language learning? A reply to Sparks and Ganschow. The Modern Language Journal, 79 (1). Skehan, P. (1989). Individual differences in second-language learning. London: Edward Arnold Young, D. J. (1991). Creating a low-anxiety classroom environment: What does language anxiety research suggest? The Modern Language Journal, 75 (4).

The History and Politics of Charter Schools in Indiana Research Paper - 1

The History and Politics of Charter Schools in Indiana - Research Paper Example Undoubtedly, the numbers of charter schools are increasing rapidly. It has been estimated that there are nearly 4900 charter schools in the United States with an average of 400 charter schools opening on yearly basis (Lake, 2010). On an account, it has been estimated that till 2011, there are total of 36 charter schools that have been authorized in Indiana with 22 schools already functioning while 10 schools were set to start their operations in future. Two schools were shut downed even before opening of their academic operations due to lack of resources while just one school had been shut down officially due to inadequate and unsatisfactory results and governance. These charter schools have increased in number throughout in the state of Indiana with the highest number of charter schools operating in the main city of Indianapolis, where they account for 11 charter schools out of the overall 22 charter schools in the state (Plucker et.al, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The concept of charter schools was coined in late 1980s. Ever since this concept has come into force, it raised a thought that charter schools would help in increasing the quality of education. The historical movement for charter schools began in 1991. This movement was aimed to achieve a new milestone in offering high-quality education through the establishment of wee-defined public schools for both children and their parents (Source: Mayor Sponsored Charter Schools: 2010). Charter school funding is complex to understand and has gone through many phases of development. Many political camps have appreciated the implementation of charter schools as it would influence the process for improving the standard of education all around the United States (Butryomowicyz, 2011). The state of Indiana has played a key role in the national charter school movement. This law was signed in May 2001 by the Governor

Interpersonal Communication Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Interpersonal Communication - Term Paper Example Schuler in 1979 â€Å"took a major step forward in the area of research on organizational communication with his role-perception transaction-process model of organization communication, which describes the relationship among communication, role perceptions, and two outcome variables-satisfaction and performance† (Penley 309). It is evident that effective interpersonal communication enhances the satisfaction of employees and this would in turn result in better performance and subsequent easy accomplishment of the organizational goals. Today’s employees need to interact with consumers, coworkers and the management constantly and no employee would like to engage in work in isolation. These factors have increased the role of effective interpersonal communication skills in the business scenario. The positive outcomes of maintaining effective interpersonal communication skills within the organizational setting are many and varied. These may vary from increased productivity, g reater commitment to a very conducive work environment where each one can strive towards achieving the organizational goals. Researchers have emphasized that interpersonal skills help enhancing organizational commitment within the organizational culture. ... The researches resorted to a descriptive survey for the purpose of the study. The survey was administered on two public organizations in Qom city and the participants of the study were consisted of 106 individuals who were randomly selected from these two public organizations. It has been identified that â€Å"poor communication skills can cause irrevocable damage to relationships; affecting productivity, satisfaction, performance, morale, trust, respect, self confidence, and even physical health† (Matin Jandaghi and Karimi 387). It is, therefore, imperative that effective interpersonal skills are maintained and fostered in the workplace so as to endure healthy, positive and result oriented organizational behavior. There are many definitions of interpersonal communication. However, in the management and business scenario Avkiran’s definition is of great significance. For the author, â€Å"interpersonal communication skills are ability to respond to staff's needs positi vely, fostering a non-discriminatory work environment where staff can develop to their full personal potentials, and delegating authority† (Matin Jandaghi and Karimi 388). Managers and leaders needs to be advocates of interpersonal communication skills. Effective leaders can make use of their interpersonal communication skills to inspire and motivate their employees and in handling conflicts, developing team building and in promoting desirable organizational change as and when necessary. As efficient leader, through his/her interpersonal skills, can very easily motivate, persuade and empower his/her followers or employees. It is also worthwhile to unearth the relationship between organizational behavior and interpersonal communication in an organizational setting. One should always

Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 130

Discussion - Essay Example The 2014 advertisement presents chicken & shrimp asApplebees’s major selling product. Bourbon street is mentioned as the place and the price is set at $20 for 2. The restaurant promotes the use of its delicacies as birthday specials and appeals to the middle-age group of people. The motto â€Å"Where fans know the best† is also used as a promotion strategy. The restaurant should consider establishing an exterior environment to connect more with the an audience (Lamb, Hair, & McDaniel, 2012). Both advertisements expose the products and services that California offers to its visitors. Some of the services include yoga, surfing, skateboards, and wineries. The California place is also established expansively to cater for the different services. Price estimates are not defined, but the advertisements target a group of visitors interested in enjoying these services in Calfornia. The motto â€Å"Find yourself here† is a promotion strategy that has been consistent. Both advertisements expose the products and services which constitute the events of the Olympics. But, the 2016 advert shows more events including athletics, karate, golf, volleyball, swimming, tennis and gymnastics among other games. The advertisement also establishes the place in Rio de Janeiro Brazil by showing an overview of the landscape. Also, the Rio 2016 Olympics logo is used for promotion purposes. However, the Portugese language used in the 2016 advert segments the market as compared to the 2008 advert that uses

Diplomatic Mission for the Issue of the U.S.-China Naval Affairs Essay

Diplomatic Mission for the Issue of the U.S.-China Naval Affairs - Essay Example There is the need for a good foreign diplomatic professional to build good relationship between the U.S. and Chinese navies. There is a greater need for an office that will oversee the ticklish problems created by the continued U.S. presence in the region where China is already claiming lot of islands from her neighbors. The presence of the U.S. navy in the region is creating heartburn for the Chinese (Bill Powell). While it would be too much to assume that the U.S. will oblige the Chinese and remove their ships from performing surveillance in the region, the situation certainly warrants greater discretion on the part of the U.S. to start doing exactly what the Chinese are saying. Go away from here and do not come within 200 mile of the Exclusive Economic Zone. The United States has not ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea that is responsible for the Exclusive Economic Zone law (Peter Symonds). It is difficult to perceive what a good foreign diplomatic professional or a diplomatic office can achieve given the potential for hostilities in the U.S. actions. However, the issue is messy enough to need diplomatic interventions 24x7. At least it will act as a cooling agent on an affair that has all the elements for conflagration. The aims of the diplomatic mission will undoubtedly be to avoid full-scale confrontation. The U.S. appears to be banking on its vast superiority in the naval department when compared to the present Chinese naval strength. However, it is only a matter of time before the Chinese have built enough fire power in naval terms to physically evict what it sees as hostile presence in its vicinity. One can only hope that such situation does not arise now or in the future. Conclusion With a diplomatic mission specifically designed for the issue of the U.S.-China naval affairs, there is a fair chance that temperatures will continue to remain cool even in the face of provocations by the U.S. navy. However, the best course of action would be for the U.S. to pull back to a location that can be counted as not lying within the 200 miles Exclusive Economic Zone. The Chinese are known to strike without warning. It is good to not continue testing their patience. Sources: Beth, USNS Impeccable: Chinese Vessels Harass US Navy Ship, http://military.rightpundits.com/2009/03/09/usns-impeccable-chinese-vessels-harass-us-navy-ship/ Bill Powell, The Chinese Navy: How Big a Threat to the U.S. 21 April 2009, http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1892954,00.html Eric A. McVadon, The Case for U.S.-China Naval Cooperation, 30 November 2007, http://www.feer.com/politics/2008/february/The-Case-for-U.S.-China-Naval-Cooperation Obama Calls for Improved Military Dialogue Between the U.S. and China After Naval Confrontation, 12 March 2009, http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03/12/obama-meet-chinese-foreign-minister-ship-confrontation/ Peter Symonds, U.S. navy reinforces spying operations in South China Sea, 17 March 2009, http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.phpcontext=va&aid=12766 Press conference of U.S.

Music Listening Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Music Listening - Personal Statement Example Specifically, these include two pieces which I really like and rates high on my "exciting discovery" meter: Tswana Dance and Shizhane'e. As I am required to do so, I have also chosen the Navajo Sacred Prayer, which from the very start is unappealing and even boring to me. These three compositions are analyzed by looking at two musical elements forms, rhythm, and music culture which are especially salient in highlighting my musical preference. In terms of form, Shizhane'e can be described as having a reverting form because the piece goes back to the original phrase after a digression. Analyzing closely, it becomes apparent that the piece follows an "a-a-b-b-a-a-b-b-c-c-a-a-b-b" form. The first portion (a-a-b-b) is repeated twice before the introduction of a new melody (c-c). However, the piece reverts to the original a-a-b-b theme. I believe that having a distinct pattern enhances my listening experience than having deal with a composition with ambiguous or no form at all. On the other hand, Tswana Dance in terms of form can be musically described as iterative. It should be noted that this piece follows one melodic formula which is repeated throughout. Even though it is quite different from the form used in Shizhane'e, this form appeals to me because of the phrase used is interesting. The continuous repetition of the phrase augments its musical value because it highlights the theme of musical piece. On the other hand, the Navajo Sacred Prayer follows no distinct form. Whenever I hear it playing, it appears to be solely comprised of mutters which are sung at random without any consideration to the listener. Compared to the forms of the two selections, this highly turns me off and degrades the aesthetic value of the piece. The second musical element which highlights my musical preference is rhythm. In my selection of musical pieces, rhythm appears to be a high determinant of my musical appreciation. Shizhane'e's rhythm is characterized as isometric as emphasized by its regular rhythm. It should be noted that throughout the piece, the application of equal rhythm in the interval which makes it more orderly and organized. The presence of regular rhythm is appealing to me because it sounds more relaxing. I am apparently distracted by irregular rhythm because it tends to build up tension. Furthermore, the overall mood of the piece is upbeat as emphasized by the relatively lively tempo. Tswana Dance is also isometric having a 4/4 meter throughout the piece. Compared to Shizhane'e, Tswana Dance's is more festive because of the faster tempo. The regularity of the rhythm coupled with the lively tempo makes the pieces very interesting and appealing. In contrast, the Navajo Sacred Prayer is heterometric, giving it irregular rhythm which I find very distracting. Even though the tempo can be comparable to Tswana Dance, it does not communicate a festive nor lively atmosphere but creates a heavy and dismal feeling to the listener. My musical preference is also highly influenced by music culture. It should be noted that the two selections that I really appreciate, Shizhane'e and Tswana Dance, are both used as accompaniments for dances during festivities. On the other hand, Navajo Sacred Prayer as implied by its name is an appeal or supplication to a divine being. When discussed in the view of current

The representation of women in magazines through the decades till Essay

The representation of women in magazines through the decades till today - Essay Example Many of the texts based on the portrayal of women have discussed that women in the media have been routinely subject to symbolic annihilation. The media stereotyped women roles. Social scientists like Tuchman et al were of the opinion that media like advertisement, films, news and all other media content focus on the traditional domestic roles of women and treat women as objects of sexual pleasure. Margaret Gallagher in a study funded by the UNESCO had explained the reason why women have remained concerned about the image of women in the media. In this context it may be said that, â€Å"The†¦..media are potentially powerful agents of socialization and social change- presenting models, conferring status, suggesting appropriate behaviors, encouraging stereotypes† (Byerly and Ross, 2006, p. 17). Thus one can understand why the media portrayal of women have become subjects of concern for the feminists and has continued till the present day of post modernism. Rather it can be said that these issues have contributed to both the academic and popular feminist struggles. In fact feminists believe that media has more power in the present age and as a result has more influence on the image of women (Byerly and Ross, 2006, pp. 17-18; Chambers, Steiner, & Fleming 2004). The first wave of feminism centered on traditional movements for civil rights. With the publication of The Feminine Mystique Betty Friedan broke the traditional role of women and the cherished role of the timid housewife, which was the dream, and envy of the American young women (Kemp & Squires, 1998, p.3). The 50s brought about a discontent in this image of women amongst the women themselves. There was a rising dissatisfaction, which was inexplicable by the women. The stay-at-home role of women has been criticized under the influence of the second wave of feminism during the 70s and 80s (Bradley, 2007, p.1). At this time of publication the world of media comprised of essentially three categories – television, radio and morning newspapers, which launched women’s pages, engaged in homemaking and care giving. Other forms of media include Time, a weekly news magazine, Life, a weekly issued picture magazine and other magazines like Ladies’ Home Journal and Good Housekeeping, which essentially made the women their target audience (Poindexter and Meraz, 2008, p.3). The names themselves suggest the traditional concepts of gender roles. With time however, the concepts of ‘gender gap’ (related to differences in educational performance and pay between men and women) and ‘gender-bending’ have been explored by journalists to analyze the relationships between men and women (Bradley, 2007, p.2). The paper analyses the representation of women in magazines with respect to the way it affects their social identity When the First World War began in 1914, women witnessed a fall in the stereotyped traditional differences between the economic enviro nment and private sentiments. Men found an escape route from the social financial and sexual duties subjugated within the feminine household and found solace in more typically masculine areas of work like navy and army. The spaces assigned to women during this time were mainly domestic or home based. The war somehow curtailed the women’s movements for suffrage and other campaigns though these formed the backdrop for the activities of women during this wartime. The article â€Å"

Engage In Personal Development Essay Example for Free

Engage In Personal Development Essay 1.1 Describe the duties and responsibilities of own work role Job description 1.2 And 3.1 Explain expectations about own work role as expressed in relevant standards. Evaluate own knowledge, performance and understanding against relevant standards. A day in the life at my setting. Arriving at my setting each day I am required to sign in and note down the time. I put my bag in a safe and secure place so children cannot access. I check the message board and liaise with other staff members for any important updates. We have a child with a food intolerance so I informed the cook to make them aware the child was catered for at all meals during the day. My 1st hour was spent upstairs with the toddlers aged between 2 and 3 years. I then checked the planner to see what activities we had for that day. Today I set up the drawing table ensuring there was enough paper, crayons and chairs available for all the children present. I sat with the children whilst they joined in with the activity. Talking to the children about what they were doing and describing all the different colours, sizes, shapes etc. This was promoting their speech and language development and using creative skills too. Whilst supervising this activity I decided to complete a short observation on one of the children as she began to count and sing. I was interacting with all of the children trying to maintain interest. After a short while it was then time to tidy away all the equipment from the actives in which we encourage the children to help too. Once the room was tidy we decided to take the children outside in to the garden. Most of our toddlers are able to collect and put on their coats which we also encourage to do but some children are unable to achieve this at the moment. I helped to escort the children safely down the stairs ensuring they hold on to the rail and do a head count to make sure all children were present. I performed the outdoor risk assessment using the  daily check list. The children then are supervised using the toilet and washing their hands ready for lunch. I seat the children down at the tables ensuring they have cleaned their hands and they have adequate space to eat. I supply them all with a drink and we sing songs whilst the food is being dished out. I have prepared the child’s food separately who has the food intolerance ensuring they receive the correct meal . The child is also supervised eating to ensure they do not mix foods with the other children. Some children have not developed the skills to cut their own food so I will assist with helping them to do that. Ensuring the meals are cool enough I then give each child a meal and always remind them of good manners by saying â€Å"please† and â€Å"thank you†. If children do not like the meal or try to refuse it I will always encourage them to try it. If I am working alongside the babies the above applies except some of the babies are too young to feed themselves and have not yet developed those skills. Babies will also need help with bottle feeding. I would also prepare the bottle feeds following the nursery policy. Ensuring correct formula is mixed and all bottles have been sterilised. Back in the toddler room, a child was struggling with their food and looked like they was choking. I immediately helped the child by taking the food out of their mouth with my little finger. The child became distressed so I comforted them until they were able to return to their meal. Meal times are always supervised by all members of staff to help with any incidents like this. All meal times are recorded in the daily chart. This is where we write down what the child has eaten so we can relay this back to the parents/carers. When the children have finished their meal I help to clean the children up and get them ready for their afternoon sleep. I assist with the toileting and other members of staff will go through the nappy change routine. The children in the toddler room go to find their own sleep mats with the aid of their name and picture tag. Most children will remove their own footwear but again some have not yet developed those skills, so I will help. Some children have their own comforters which I put out for them and I help to get them off to sleep with gentle patting. Once the children are asleep, I ensure the room monitors are on and working, make sure the room temperature is ok and all the children have their own blankets and they are safe. I then record each child in the daily sleep chart. This chart is for ours and parents benefits. We record when they sleep and when they wake up. As some children are only allowed a certain amount of sleep, this will help us to know when we have to wake them up. I then check on the children in the sleep room every 10 minutes with the aid of a timer. When children wake from their afternoon sleep they are always asked to use the toilet. Some children are upset when they awake so I will always comfort them. The afternoon usually consists of taking the children outside for free play. I get all their coats bags etc together and help to put their coats on. On this occasion it was a nice sunny day so I applied their own sun cream following the nursery sun cream policy. I ensure they have sun hats and the sun cream is applied liberally. Before we go outside I take 4 children at a time down the stair and reiterate the importance of holding the hand rail. A head count is once again recorded and an outdoor check is done following the outdoor risk assessment. The toddlers are escorted outsi de counting each child as they go. They are shortly followed by the children/babies from the tiny room downstairs and they all play in the same garden. The children are supervised with in ratio. As its free play time, I leave the children to play but some children like me to join in with what they are playing with. Child A is playing with a dolls pram and child B is trying to take that away from them. I intervene and explain to child B â€Å"we do not take toys from our friends when they are playing with them, it’s not very kind†. Child B is upset so I took the child away and provided them with another toy to distract them from child A. This works very well and child B goes off playing happily alone with the other toy. Child A is also happy and also continues to play. Shortly after another incident happened where a child has fallen and bumped their head. As I comfort the child I asked another staff member to get a cold compress. This is applied to the child for 10 minutes whilst still trying to comfort the child. The head bump is not too bad and the child soon calms down and returns playing. I then completed an accident form following nursery policy. This is then signed by the parent when the child is collected. During the afternoon, parents/carers come to collect their children. I greet the parents and explain what their child has been doing throughout the day, taking the information off the daily record sheet. We usually have a short chat with the parents/carers about the child’s day and will also take interest in their day too. We have a good  relationship with our parents/carers and this also helps us to get to know the parents/carers and children too. After all the children have gone home, we tidy round and ensure the nursery is ready for the next day ahead. 2.1 Explain the importance of reflective practice in continuously improving the quality of service provided. The nursery setting is always changing is so many different ways. We have new children being welcomed in to the setting and then we have children going through different types of transitions. The service we provide must reflect the needs of the children and by constantly improving our services we can better meet the need of the children and support their development. By constantly reflecting on out practice we can assess where we may be lacking in skills or knowledge and we can update these regularly to keep our services up to date and as supportive to the children as possible. A good example on reflective practice is, we have a child that has developed an intolerance to milk, dairy products etc. We have briefed all staff members with information regarding lactose free diet for this child. We have a couple of children who have turned 2 years and have completed the transition u pstairs to the toddler room. This meant we have more babies downstairs in our tiny room and the room has been slightly equipped with more age relevant toys and equipment. If we did not reflect on this, it could hinder the development of the younger babies. Everyone makes mistakes – they are one way of learning. It is important not to waste your mistakes, so if something has gone wrong, make sure you learn from it. Discuss problems and mistakes with your supervisor, and work out how to do things differently next time. You can use reflective skills in order to learn from situations that have not worked out the way you planned. It is important that you consider carefully why things turned out the way they did and think about how you will ensure that they go according to plan next time. Talking to colleagues and supervisors is equally useful when things work out really well, as it is important to reflect on success as well as failure. If you reflect on why something worked, this will make it more likely that you can repeat it. Information taken from http://www.pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk/ 2.3 Describe how own values, belief systems and experiences may affect  working practices What we believe in, what we see as important and what we see as acceptable or desirable is an essential part of who we are. The way in which we respond to people is linked to what we believe in, what we consider important and what interests us. We may find we react positively to people who share our values and less warmly to people who have different priorities. As a professionals, we are required to provide the same quality of support for all, not just for those who share our views and beliefs. The key term here is Diversity – being different; people are unique according to their own background, culture, personality, race, any disability, gender, religion/belief, sexual orientation and age. 4.1 Identify sources of support for planning and reviewing own development. Personal development is to do with developing the personal qualities and skills that everyone needs in order to live and work with others, such as understanding, empathy, patience, communication and relationship-building. It is also to do with the development of self-confidence, self-esteem and self-respect. In my setting there is always support for planning and reviewing my own development. I have already opted to improve my skills and development with a couple of course due to start in December 2014. You need to have these goals in mind; †¢ What you are trying to achieve? †¢ How you are you going to achieve it? †¢ How you will be able to tell when you have achieved it? It’s also helpful to further your development by asking other team members, duty manager and managers. We have a fantastic team who are very helpful and are ready to give any help and advice to anyone who needs it. At my setting there are many text books, magazines and brochures with vital information I can look through if I feel need some extra information in a certain topic of interest to further my development. We also have regular appraisals to guide and encourage further development and to also discuss current work practice. I feel this is extremely important. This not only boosts self-esteem but also gives management a chance to reflect on your work practice and if there is any further development training needed. Ref: http://www.pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk

Profit and Loss Essay Example for Free

Profit and Loss Essay Profit and loss accounts, balance sheets Profit and loss accounts, balance sheets Two of the most important financial statements for a business are the Profit and Loss Account, and the Balance Sheet. The Profit and Loss Account shows the profit or loss of a business over a given period of time e. g. 3 months, 1 year, etc. In contrast, the Balance Sheet is like a photograph taken at an instant in time giving a picture of what the business owns and what the business owes at that moment in time. As we shall see it will always balance because what the business owns is financed by what the business owes. The Profit and Loss (PL account) Net profit takes account of other sources of income and expenditure that are not involved in normal operations e. g. interest paid on loans and interest received on having a positive balance in a bank account. Turnover is the value of sales made in a trading period. It is some eferred to as sale revenue and is calculated by the average price of items sold x the number sold. Cost of sales calculates the direct costs of manufacturing items, or buying in items to sell them on. Expenses are the overhead costs of running a business. These overheads cant be tied down to particular cost units. For example, it would be very difficult to calculate what fraction of the heating cost of a pen factory can be allocated to just one pen. The Balance Sheet is a statement showing the assets, liabilities and owners capital of a business at a particular Downloaded from The 100 Edition http://www. he100. co. uk moment in time, for example the year end. The Balance Sheet balances because the assets t hat a business possesses at a specific time have been financed either through the provision of capital by the owners or by the creation of external liabilities: Value of assets = Value of Liabilities Value of Owners capital. There are a number of things that we can see from looking at a balance sheet, for example: 1. The Net Assets of the business, i. e. the difference between the value of the assets and the value of the liabilities. A growth in net assets tends to indicate a growing business. 2. How solvent the business is. In other words, does it have enough assets that are short term, and hence easily converted into cash, to pay any pressing short-term liabilities. Case Example: A typical balance sheet will be set out in the following way (note that we use two columns. The first column is for minor calculations, the second column is for grand totals): Balance Sheet of Superior Traders, as at 31st December 2004 Fixed assets consist of those items that are kept within the business to create wealth over a period of time e. . machinery, equipment, vehicles, computers, etc. Current assets are used in the short period to generate income for a business. For example, in a manufacturing company like Kraft, stocks would represent products that have already been made and are waiting to be sold onto retailers. Typically stocks will be sold on credit for periods of one month, two months, or three months. Retailers buying s tocks on credit from Kraft would become Krafts debtors. At the end of the credit period they will pay up in the form of cash, enabling Kraft to buy more raw materials to create further stocks. Creditors due within one year are the sums that a business owes money to in the short period otherwise known as current liabilities. Net current assets is a measure of how solvent or liquid a business is. Many businesses need to have working capital. Working capital is calculated by subtracting current liabilities from current assets: Working capital = Current assets Current liabilities Note that the figure for net current assets appear almost in the centre of a balance sheet, and is a figure that many people will look at first to check on the solvency of a business. Total assets current liabilities is a sum that appears in the balance sheet simply doing what the title suggests. Creditors due after more than one year shows the longer term liabilities of the bsiness. Total net assets is calculated by taking away all the liabilities (both current and long term) from all of the assets (both current and long term). Shareholders funds shows the value of the shareholders capital in the business. It will always be the same value as the total net assets and it balances the account. Downloaded from The 100 Profit and loss accounts, balance sheets Profit and loss accounts, balance sheets Two of the most important financial statements for a business are the Profit and Loss Account, and the Balance Sheet. The Profit and Loss Account shows the profit or loss of a business over a given period of time e. g. 3 months, 1 year, etc. In contrast, the Balance Sheet is like a photograph taken at an instant in time giving a picture of what the business owns and what the business owes at that moment in time. As we shall see it will always balance because what the business owns is financed by what the business owes. The Profit and Loss (PL account) One of the most important objectives of a business is to make a profit. The PL account shows the extent to which it has been successful in achieving this objective. Companies are expected to keep their PL accounts in certain formats. Typically the PL account will show the revenues received by a business and the costs involved in generating that revenue. In simple terms: Revenues Costs = Profits. A typical PL account will look like the following: Case Study: PL Account for Superior Traders as at 31/12/2004 You can find out the gross profit of a business by deducting cost of sales from turnover: ? 100,000 ? 50,000 = ? 0,000 You can find out the operating profit by deducting the expenses from the gross profit: ? 50,000 ? 30,000 = ? 20,000 You may also come across the term net profit. Operating profit is earned from carrying out a businesses normal operations e. g. producing confectionery, or selling Christmas cards. Net profit takes account of other sources of income and expenditure that are not involved in normal operations e. g. interest paid on loans and interest received on having a positive balance in a bank account. Turnover is the value of sales made in a trading period. It is sometimes referred to as sale revenue and is calculated by the average price of items sold x the number sold. Cost of sales calculates the direct costs of manufacturing items, or buying in items to sell them on. Expenses are the overhead costs of running a business. These overheads cant be tied down to particular cost units. For example, it would be very difficult to calculate what fraction of the heating cost of a pen factory can be allocated to just one pen. The Balance Sheet is a statement showing the assets, liabilities and owners capital of a business at a particular Downloaded from The Times 100 Edition oment in time, for example the year end. The Balance Sheet balances because the assets that a business possesses at a specific time have been financed either through the provision of capital by the owners or by the creation of external liabilities: Value of assets = Value of Liabilities Value of Owners capital. There are a number of things that we can see from looking a t a balance sheet, for example: 1. The Net Assets of the business, i. e. the difference between the value of the assets and the value of the liabilities. A growth in net assets tends to indicate a growing business. Creditors due within one year are the sums that a business owes money to in the short period otherwise known as current liabilities. Net current assets is a measure of how solvent or liquid a business is. Many businesses need to have working capital. Working capital is calculated by subtracting current liabilities from current assets: Working capital = Current assets Current liabilities Note that the figure for net current assets appear almost in the centre of a balance sheet, and is a figure that many people will look at first to check on the solvency of a business. Total assets current liabilities is a sum that appears in the balance sheet simply doing what the title suggests. Creditors due after more than one year shows the longer term liabilities of the bsiness. Total net assets is calculated by taking away all the liabilities (both current and long term) from all of the assets (both current and long term). Shareholders funds shows the value of the shareholders capital in the business. It will always be the same value as the total net assets and it balances the account. Downloaded from The Times 100 Edition.

Pharmaceutical Industry In India Economics Essay

Pharmaceutical Industry In India Economics Essay India pharmaceutical industry is one of the worlds largest and it has been ranked 4th in the world in terms of production volume and 13th in domestic consumption value. The worth of Indias pharmacetical industry is $4.5 billion and it has been growing at the rate of 8% to 9% annually. Over the last 30 years india pharmacetical industry has evolved from almost nonexistent to a world leader in the production of high quality generic drugs. There are 20,000 registered units so, this show that indian pharmaceutical industry is highly fragmented. 70% of the pharmacetical market has been controlled by the leading 250 companies. The government has control over the price and there is severe price competition. 70% of the countrys demand has been met by the pharmaceutical industry. 1.PORTERS 5 FORCE MODEL Indian pharmaceutical business environment is extremely competitive and where perfect competition exits, the profits of the firms operating in that industry will become zero, but however this is not possible because, firstly no company is a price taker this means that no company will operate where the profit is zero every company needs some profit to sustain themselves in the market. Secondly they strive to create a competitive advantage to thrive in the competitive scenario. Here, we apply this model for the Indian pharmaceutical industry. Industry competition Indian pharmaceutical industry is highly competitive with as many as 10,000 different players fights within themselves. The rivalry in the industry can be judged from the fact that the top players in the industry has roughly around 6% market share and the top players in the market has roughly around 18% market share this shows that the market is highly competitive. The industry is very attractive for new players to enter, so the growth prospects is quit high. Another factor that adds to the industry rivalry is the fact that the entry barriers to the industry are very low this factor also attracts new players in the market. Product differentiation also differentiate the companys product and gives a competitive advantage to the firm in the industry. Companies like Pfizer and glaxo have emerged as a big company over the years, which act as a product differentiation tools. So as product patents have come into play from 2005, product differentiation will enhance over the long time. Bargaining power of buyers The end user of the product is different from the influencer in pharmaceutical industry and thats the doctor. What ever the doctor say the consumer has to buy that only the consumer has no option but to buy what the doctor says. But when we look at the buyers power, we look at the influence they have on the products price. The buyer in this situation does not have much power in the pricing of the products price. But the government through its policies plays an important role in regulating the price through NPPA (National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority). Bargaining Power Of Suppliers The pharmaceutical industry depends upon many organic factors. Then again the chemical industry is very competitive and fragmented. The chemicals that are used in pharmaceutical industry are mainly a commodity. The bargaining power of the suppliers is very low and a company can switch suppliers without incurring a very high cost. But however, suppliers can go forward integration to become a pharmaceutical company. Companys like orchid chemicals and sashun chemicals were basically a chemical companies which later become into pharmaceutical companys. Barriers To Entry Indian pharmaceutical industry is one of the most easily accessible industry in the country. It requires very low capital and the point of sale is restricted, as regional distribution network can be created easily. However the key for long term survival is the company has crate brand awareness and franchisee amongst doctor. In establishing new manufacturing operations, there might be some problem due to quality regulations by the government. Going forward the impending new patents regime will raise the barriers to entry. But market for generics is huge, so it wont discourage new entrance. Threat Of Substitutes Pharmaceutical industry has an infinite future. This is one of the greatest advantage of pharmaceutical industry. This is also one of the reason for high competition in the industry. The biggest advantage is that whatever happens the demand for pharmaceutical products would always be there. PESTEL ANALYSIS Political Factors The Government is controlling the price of the pharmaceutical goods through NPPA , that too on the basis of approved costs. From January 2005, there was Patent Act imposed in India. The patented drug is now manufactured using the same chemical route and is manufactured by the inventor or licentiates by using the chemicals in same specifications. So there is no difference in purity or impurities among all the brands having same active ingredient. The competition among different brands is now based on input-related innovations like packaging, colour etc. This is the biggest change that environment has imposed on the industry. The marketing effort is now more focused on innovation, operations, logistics and communications. After January 2005, the finished pharmaceutical goods became more expensive as the government started charging Excise Duty on the MRP instead of the cost of manufacturing. Due to which many a life savings drugs have become unaffordable to the poor. The minister in charge of the pharmaceutical industry in India is threatening to impose strict price control. Due to which many investment plans are going stagnant Economic Factors A very small portion of the GDP is spent on healthcare. This has stunted the demand. The expenditure on healthcare is a very low priority because per capita income of an average Indian is very low. When there is an emergency then only an Indian would visit a doctor. Due to which many unqualified doctors have started to come up and non-standardized medication have started to spread. In India there are lot of taxes. There is excise duty (State and Central), Custom Duty, Profession Tax, Service Tax, Income Tax, Royalty, License Fees, Hazardous Substance handling and other charges to be paid. This amounts to not less than 40-45% of the costs. The availability of pharmaceuticals is affected as there are few registered medical practitioners. The distribution of medicines is also affected as there are few medical shops. As a result the distribution costs also increases. The interest rate is high in India. As a result the cost of funds is double than that in America. This adds to the cost of goods. There is lack of storage and transportation facilities for special drugs. The quality of the drugs administered is affected and this adds to the costs. The network of transport (road and rail) is poor. So it takes longer time to transport. As a result the inventory carrying costs are higher and the delivery time is also very long. But now good quality highways have been constructed. Social Factors The eradicated and preventable diseases like Malaria, chicken pox and TB still prevail in India due to poverty and malnutrition. Around 1 million children under the age of 5 die each year in India due to poor sanitation n health care. People prefer using household treatments for common ailments. This tradition has been handed down for generations. The increase in pollution is also causing lot of health problems in India. Due to early child bearing the health standards of women and children are affected. Technological Factors There are being discovery for newer medications, molecules and active ingredients. Lot of advancement have been made in Stem-cell research and Bio-technology. As a result, India has moved ahead. Efficiency has also increased with computerization and advanced automated machines, increasing the output and reducing the cost factor. Ayurveda has become a well recognized science and it is providing the industry an extra competitive advantage. AIDS drugs, Insulin and Hepatitis vaccines have given the industry a pioneer status. Development of Over the Counter Drugs and Outsourcing(Pharmaceutical Industry). Â  Environmental Factors India is still ill equipped to deal with spread of Air-Borne and Water-Borne Diseases like Swine Flu, chicken gonia due to which many people is infected and many people have died. Proper treatment and disposal of bio-wastes like syringes. Proper treatment and disposal of chemical wastes produced during the manufacturing of drugs and pharmaceuticals. Pollution and hygienic conditions like poor sanitation causes diseases. Legal Factors In March 2005, a new Patent Law was passed. According to that Indias pharmaceutical sector is no longer protected by the patent law. Hence the companies have started focusing on innovation rather than imitation. The government controls the pricing of the drugs through NPPA. Key Drivers For Change 1.Growing Population And Improving Income-: the earning capacity of people have increased in the past couple of years and the proportion of middleclass in india population has also increased. As the earning capacity of people has increased there is a greater demand for medical facilities and pharmaceutical products. 2. Changing Life Style-: Rise in income and as more and more people are getting educated this has resulted in change in life style. Changing life style however is leading to a change in disease profile especially in urban areas. 3. Research And Development-: Indian companies are largely focused on chemical synthesis of molecules and their cost effective production thereof. As medical science has improve with the help of new technology Indian scientists have develop a high degree of chemical synthesis skills. This skills has help Indian company to provide quality products not only to domestic market but also has helped them to go abroad. 4. Insurance Sector Giving A Lift-: Indian insurance sector has also been one of the reason in the change in the attitude of the people towards health care. As large section of Indian population are covered by health insurance schemes people are more willing to spend on their health. Industry Life Cycle The various stages of industry life cycle are : The Indian pharmaceutical industry is in the growing stage with lot of promising increase due to the increased economic presence of Indian economy. The Indian economy is expected to grow at the rate of 7-8% per annum and the pharmaceutical industry is also expected to grow at the 14-15% per annum. Foreign companies are also now finding Indian pharmaceutical industry as a very good and profitable investment. The government of india has also been promoting and helping the pharmaceutical industry to grow in many ways. Future Scenarios One of the scenario can be as india is one of the most populated country in the world the demand for health care products and pharmaceutical products will never come down. India is the second largest populated country in the world with a large number of patients and the fourth largest pool of medical professionals in the world. As Indian economic is also improving the earning capacity of a person has also increased in couple of years this has also increased the demand for quality health care products and pharmaceutical products. With the help of rapidly improving technology and support industries such as labs and hospitals and with the help of IT industries with is supporting the RD process and clinical trials are further advantage. Big pharma companies are also been attracted because of the population of the country and the fact that the country offers 700,000 specialty hospitals,221 medical college and skilled English speaking medical personnel Another scenario can be that india can produce better quality health care products and pharmaceutical products at lesser price as compare to other country. A number of foreign companies are trying to set up there RD centers in india. From the last couple of years around 25 contract research organization and almost all the multinational companies have started there research full fledged this shows that india can become one of the largest producer of health care products and pharmaceutical products in the coming years. Reputed institutions has also been established over the last decade to train physicians in ICH-GCP guidelines. In india, big companies are spend more in india as compare to other country in the FY year 2003-04 companies have spend round about USD 59.4 where as in the previous year companies have spend only USD 29.16 million a growth of 104% when we compare it with the previous year and it is projected to grow 8-10 times every year at this rate india can become one of the largest producer of health care products and pharmaceutical products. Another scenario can be as india is a developing country there is more opportunity for the pharmaceutical industry to grow this is also one of the factor that is attracting new investors to invest in pharmaceutical industry. As India is a developing country there are less competitors in the market and the demand for the product is very high as compared to developed nations and as compared to other develop nations the margin level is also very high because the cost of production in india is very low. Company can create a good brand image about their product in the minds of the customer as there are only some competitors in the market.

My Team Success Essay -- essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Team B was a small group of people with interchangeable skills who found themselves responsible for a common purpose and goal. Learning Teams can get more complicated projects done at a more rapid pace than an individual assigned project because decision-making is more effective in a team environment. Our team was some what complex. We were a successful group of people who were cooperating, critiquing, communicating and reporting to a forum.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Our team did not just happen. We were formed then molded. (Kreitner, Kinicki, 2004) states:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So what is this first and most important step for creating   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  effective teams? It’s called â€Å"Chartering.† Chartering is the process   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  by which the team is formed, its mission or task described, its   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  resources allocated, its goals set, its membership committed, and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  its plans made. (p. 410)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The formation developed in four stages. The first was the Forming stage otherwise known as the â€Å"Ice Breaking Stage† in which we were uncertain about our roles and who to trust (Stewart, Manz, 1999). During this stage we had a group discussion and a member became prominent to take the leader position. The following stage was Storming which is a time when members learn about ground rules discussed then confirmed by the leader. This is the stage where I learned that I was responsible for writing Example #1 and the date my part had to be turned in. The third stage of our development was Norming, a stage of working together to reach our goals. In this stage Team B moved their individual turn in dates back a day and team members picked up additional tasks as the project had clear dead line dates. We became more aware that we were going to have less time for editing than we normally planned for. Lastly, the Performing stage is focused on solving any problems that arise. This stage is critical for getting the project done on time and completing the goal. Our team had a few problems toward the end. One problem that aro... ... we used two of them. The first, Collaborative is â€Å"Trying to find a solution in which the needs of both or all parties are completely met.† Secondly, Compromise definition is â€Å"Trying to find a middle position in which all parties give a little to gain something.† Through these two strategies the conflicts turned out to be a positive addition. Our team was not afraid of it; therefore more ideas and thoughts were able to reach out for a group decision.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We were a group of people with a vision working towards a common goal. The building of our team was complicated. We negotiated roles and tasks according to our strengths and interests. We worked well together, but far from perfect. Through varies conflicts ideas were exchanged and meaningful productivity resulted (Porter, 2003). Good communication resulted from trust and respect. All members shared an equal participation which made it easier for each individual to contribute to the success of Week 3.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Cited

language in presidential debates :: essays research papers

Language was a very important tool in the 2004 presidential campaign. The way that both John Kerry and President George W. Bush used language was extremely important in this election. The way a candidate uses language can make people feel connected if used effectively and aloof is used ineffectively. There are many components of language such as word choice, vocabulary, repetition of words, and dialect used in political discourse. Each candidate used several of these components in their campaigns. I will analyze a speech from each candidate and focus on how effectively or ineffectively each candidate used language in the 2004 presidential election.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to best analyze political discourse in the 2004 presidential campaign it is important to look at the different uses of language in each candidate’s campaign. John Kerry used several components of language throughout his campaign. In his speech given at the Democratic National Convention many of these components were displayed. Kerry delivered the speech in Boston on the 29th of July 2004. Kerry opened his speech by giving his audience a positive message about America and its future, saying, â€Å"We are here tonight because we love our country. We are proud of what America is and what it can become† (Command). This opening is very common in political discourse, it conveys a very positive message filled with hope and also unites his audience using the pronoun â€Å"we†. Kerry also uses other language components to connect with his audience and their ideologies. Speaking about his mother, Kerry says: She was my den mother when I was a Cub Scout and she was so proud of her fifty year pin as a Girl Scout leader. She gave me her passion for the environment. She taught me to see trees as the cathedrals of nature. And by the power of her example, she showed me that we can and must finish the march towards full equality for women in this country. (Command) Kerry uses a powerful simile when he refers to trees as cathedrals of nature. Kerry uses word choice and vocabulary to convey his passion for the environment but by using the word cathedral he also shows his connection with religion. Kerry’s word choice is very important because it helps present to his audience a candidate who is concerned with both religion and the environment. Religion and the environment were important issues in this year’s election.

Positive Outcome for Children Essay

Outcome 2: Understand how practitioners can make a positive difference in outcomes for children and young people. Question 1: Identify the positive outcomes for children and young people that practitioners should be striving to achieve. As we already discussed this in one of the five outcomes in Every Child Matters. As a qualified child care worker I should be aware and make positive contribution in the entire are of child development and support and improve them to achieve all across the five ECM outcomes. Be healthy Stay safe Enjoy and achieve Make a positive contribution Achieve economic well-being. All the children Trust have a board of representatives to ensure that children have accessible and develop plan in a comprehensive and simple manner. A Trust is a partnership which brings the entire organisation together for example schools, police, Family Doctors, Social Workers, and so on. Their aim is to take responsibility for services for children and young people with their families’ to share information, protect and committing to improving children and young people’s lives and each one of them will plan and show how to meet these five outcomes in their area. Every Child Matter is cover from birth to 19 years old. This was highlighted by the tragic death of Victoria Climbie at the hands of her cares, resulting in a independent inquiry into her death. The Laming Report in 2003, in common with other inquiries into child deaths over years, criticised the approach to protecting children on our society. The Laming Report resulted in a green paper, Every Child Matters, which in turn led to the Children Act 2004 in England and other four countries in the UK. 1.To achieve positive outcome in Early Years Foundation Stage whatever their religion or background the government introduce free health meal at school with milk and five a day to all children in which help to reduce obesity in some way because there are most children who don’t have chance to eat at least two or three variety of  fruit a day also it help the parents to achieve the healthy way of living for the seek for the wellbeing for their children. 2. We must comply with law for the safeguarding for children to be safe at all times and we can encourage them, doesn’t matter of age of child that any point they make is valuable to us and must be considerable. We must let them know that they have the voice and they must be heard if they feel any dough or danger. We can make positive difference by keeping children safe from accidents, crime and bullying, forced marriages, missing children, safe environments, FGM, and many more. At Early Years Foundation Stage by the ag e of five a child must achieve 90% of success in school in all area that needed of child development. 3. Every child have right to enjoy and achieve in their study. We are requiring following a child holistic development to observe children doing rather than assuming that you know what are interested in and become familiar with their needs. By the age of Eleven (secondary school) children are expected to achieve a very height expectation in English and Maths skill for adult life at least 90% and in most of the subjects at the age of 15. When the children are well supportive at school their achievement are high expectable by the age of 15, 90% must achieve 5 equivalent GCSEs and at age 19 at least 80% will achieve two to three equivalent A Levels. 4. Making positive contribution for children and young people which include create environment for the children that will help them to develop self-confidence. In my setting we encourage the children to make their own choices and for them to know that us as practitioners are there to support them if they so need it. Making positive contribution which could lead children and young people to participating in positive activities for skills for their lives which motivate their emotion, behaviour, personalise, socialise and promote their well-being I which will reduce the risk of young people getting involved in crime. 5. Achieve economical well being for children and young people we must ensure that all the children’s activities and play areas encourages them to develop their own independent skills that meet with curriculum which will help and lead them to achieve all the learning outcome in their lives for the better future or career for them to be Doctor, Scientist, Pilot and so on. The better achievement economic we plan, the better it will be for children and young people to exceed in their education which will help us beat poverty and many more. BIBLIOGRAPHY Textbook: Children And Young People’s Workforce Early Learning & Childcare Level 3 Author names: Penny Tassoni, Kate Beith, Kath Bulma and Sue Griffin Series Consultant: Maureen Smith Publisher’s name: Heinemann Work-Based Learning. Published on 2010.

What Is the Difference Between Sequence of Development and Rate of Development? Essay

To begin to answer the question of what is the difference between development and rate of development it is vital that we completely understand the meaning of the words. A sequence of development is the order in which the development of t6he child would happen; for example a child will sit before crawling and would then go on to walk. The rate of the development is the speed in which it would happen, for instance; by four to six months the child will have control of their head and arm movements, and by seven to nine months they should be able to sit without support and may have begun crawling. It is extremely important to remember that all children develop at different rates and that the sources or information that we receive or are told are only guidelines of the developmental rates. We are able to use these as a reference to monitor what children can or cannot do at specific stages in their lives. Although they aren’t one hundred percent accurate for each child they are stil l effective tools to help us plan to ensure they get the attention they need for areas they find challenging. The development of the physical skills of the child follows a definite sequence; to show an example would be that of a baby; when they would firstly have to learn to hold their head and upper body up before they are able to sit with only the lower back supported. However, whilst the sequences are common amongst most children, the rate in which they develop these skills are often different. It is vital to monitor a child’s sequence and rate of the development in order to determine what type of help they may or may not need in the future and to ensure they are referred to the correct people to aid in development were possible so they don’t fall too far behind. Often the child’s developmental sequence can differ between children, for example one baby’s physical development may begin with rolling over, followed by sitting up, then crawling, walking and finally running, whilst another may sit up, walk, and then running missing out rolling over and crawling. Although elements are missed from the development process, it still proceeds in what is viewed as an unexpected pattern. The rate can often differ like this too, one child being able to walk at ten months and another at sixteen, all children are different which is wh y the rate differs so frequently. With so many factors in a child’s life affecting their development, the rate and sequence of their develop it’s not surprising that the variance between each child can be so big. Everything from a childs health status to their family background can affect various stages of their development.

Recession in American economy Essay

The economic meaning of the term recession is, â€Å"A period of economic decline in a Country, characterized by reduced trade and industrial activity, production decline and increased levels of unemployment. It normally lasts between one and two quarters consecutively†, (Tremblay; 2007). In the US, incidences of recession have occurred since 1854. This paper, seeks address the reasons for recession in the US, with reference to the principles of consumer behavior and the firm as a whole. Observers were not expecting an incidence of recession this time round. Most observers have been persuaded to expect moderate economic growth rates in the US, of about 2 to 3 percent and a moderate inflation of around 2 percent (George. S, 2008). This is due to the fact that the US economy has proved to be the most resilient in the world. They however (the observers), have good reasons to back their predictions; 1. They have placed their hopes on relatively stimulative monetary policy to keep consumption and investment spending up and expect the worst of the housing decline to be over. 2. With stock prices making new highs, some point out that presidential and stock market cycles are favorable to higher stock prices since investing during 27 months before a US presidential election has proved in the past to be more Profitable than investing during 21 months after elections. In the October 16th issue of Headwinds, 2007 for the US economy, it is explained that macro-economic conditions make it a matter of months before the US economy and the dollar begun to experience some downward pressure (recession). This is probably the time for this recession. The US is the country with the highest gross domestic product (GDP) in the world, with a GDP of $13 trillion . This has however reduced in the recent past. Employment levels have also declined. Production levels have gone down owing to cut-throat competition from emerging world producers like China and other Asian Countries. An attempt by the households to save more from a given income led to the decrease in actual amount they succeeded to save-paradox of thrift, (Lachman, 2008). Different reasons can however be put forward to explain the causes of this recession; 1) The outgoing administration’s short term reaction that they gave the economy before the 2004 and 2006 elections through a combination of large tax cuts and large increase in military spending. This ended up being a waste as billions of dollars were spent on a futile war (Trembley, 2007) 2) Record budgetary and current account deficits have severely neutralized the federal monetary policy attitude, because interest rates cannot be reduced substantially for fear of a collapse of the US dollar from the federal budgetary deficits as they are being reigned on. (Lachman, 2008) 3) With all this taking place at the same time that the construction industry is in disarray and housing prices have tapered off or are declining. Be that as it may, it is important to note that home ownership is more widespread than stock ownership; slightly more than two thirds of Americans own their homes, while less than half own equities. The objective of the households is to maximize utility. By spending more on home ownership than on stocks, utility is attained quickly and it is within the consumers budget space (Ingdahl, 2008). 4) This rules the question of how long the American consumer will keep up the high pace of spending in such a context. During the years of the housing boom, consumer spending was driven by the accumulation of wealth and record consumer indebtedness, most of it in the form of mortgages as the price of houses increased. Now that the reverse is occurring and banks and other loaners are reclaiming property for unpaid debts, a retrenchment in consumer spending cannot be ruled out (Trembley, 2007). 5) Protectionist push from the Democrat controlled congress, risks putting in jeopardy the flow of capital of about $2 billion a day that the US economy is borrowing from abroad (mainly from China and Japan). Trade frictions between the US and China could force banks to raise interest rates and not lower them. In any case, the banks would not lower the interest rates as expected to make up for the housing crisis (Trembley, 2007). 6) Collapse of one and possibly several major financial institutions under the pressure of bad loans and record foreclosures (take possession of somebody’s property usually because they have not paid back an agreed part of the loan). Particularly at risk is the sum $2. 5 trillion mountain debt concentrated in sub primes and loans. One major sub prime lender, (New Century Financial) filed for bankruptcy protection. Others are likely to follow suite because 2007 was the year when a large number of sub prime real estate locus had to be renegotiated at higher interest rates. Foreclosures rate is bound to shoot upwards. This will culminate in the next few years into a financial hurricane (Trembley, 2007). 7) The seventh and final reason is a geopolitical factor. The outgoing US administration has created some tension between the US and some countries in the Middle East. The Middle East, is the world’s largest oil producing region. In the coming years, the world economy will have to adjust to a peak in oil production and higher prices after the current lull. Geoplitical mistakes made by the outgoing administration have turned the richest oil producing region into a hot war zone making the US economic situation disastrous (Lachman,2008). The above listed reasons shed some light on why the US economy could be undergoing some kind of recession. They however do not provide a conclusive explanation or reasons as to why the American economy could be in recession. Unlike other forecasts, one can only tell when recession started and ended after it has ended. The determination of recession is left to the National Bureau of Research (Campbell. R. M & Stanley. L. B, 2005). However, it is possible to tell whether or not the economy is in recession by looking at past cases of recession. The great depression was the worst economic slump ever in the U. S history. It began in 1929 and lasted for close to a decade. Just like a recession, many factors led to the great depression; however, the main cause for the great depression was a combination of the greatly unequal distribution of wealth throughout the 1920’s and the extensive stock market speculation that took place during the latter part of the same decade. Money was distributed disparately between the rich and the middle-class, between industry and agriculture within the United States, and between the U. S and Europe. This imbalance of wealth created an unstable economy. The excessive speculation in the late 1920’s kept the stock market artificially high, but eventually lead to large market crashes, (Gusmorino, 1996). Almost eighty years later, the U. S might be facing the same situation though not as severe as it was then. Wealth disparities are all over the world today. Although the worst cases are not experienced in America, cases of unequal distribution of wealth are still in America. As mentioned earlier, the American household does not invest much on stocks but in acquisition of homes. Speculations in the stock market are relatively high though not as high as it was then. It is not easy to conclude that the American economy is in recession. Whether or not there is a recession, depends on both on actual economic activity and economic analysis in the future. The facts as they are right now, show that the American economy is in recession. REFERENCES. Campbell, R. M. & Stanley, L. B. (2005). Economics: Principles, Problems, and Policies. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional. Gusmorino, P. A. (1996). Main causes of the Great Depression. Washington: Planet Press George, S. (2008). The New Paradigm for Financial Markets: The Credit Crisis of 2008 and What It Means. Chicago: Public Affairs. Furchgott, D. (2007). The Great Recession of 2008. New York: An over view of the US economy, (22) 9:31-35 Ingdahl, W. (2008). Global Financial Markets Want an Immediate, Bold, and Coordinated Policy Response. New York: London Press Lachman, D. (2008). What can global policymakers learn from the Swedish financial crisis of the early 1990s? Washington: US economic crisis, (31) 11:67-90. Trembley, R. (2007). A Slowdown or a Recession in the U. S. in 2008? Carlifonia: Global financial crisis, (14)6:101-143.