Operation Strategy of Coca Cola free essay sample

Coca Cola manufactures More than 21 different brands of beverages from bottled water to a good old coke, the most popular being coke. The Coca cola’s target market is basically everyone. However, their biggest focus are people who fall between he age group of 18-25 that accounts for 40% of the total age segment. In addition, they manufacture beverage for children like Bibo to beverages for older people like coke and soda water. Coca cola tries to satisfy anyone and everyone with the products they manufacture. Moreover, due to the vast target market, it is evident that they need a very large work force. At the end of the company’s fiscal year 2011, coca cola companies total employees was 149 200. On average the turnover for in 2010 the turnover for 2010 was $35 119 Billion according to the annual review. Not Surprising that Coca cola is sold in more than 200 countries in the world. Although, Coca cola is not manufactured in all the countries in the world, it is sold almost everywhere. We will write a custom essay sample on Operation Strategy of Coca Cola or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Coca cola’s ability to anticipate the needs of customers are how they are able to create value for their customers. In addition, the company tries to work closely with chain retailers and small retailers to help them reduces costs and improve sales.As with each successful company, there needs to be some sort of structure. Coca cola’s process flow for bottling coke is as follows; 1. Ingredients are delivered to the factory 2. New and old bottles are sort into the various sizes 3. The bottles are then washed in a special detergent 4. Afterwards, the bottles are inspected, visually to ensure they are clean 5. All the cracked and chipped bottles are removed and destroyed 6. Each bottle is then electronically inspected to ensure they meet the standard 7. All faulty , cracked, chipped or dirty bottles are removed and destroyed 8.Then the mixing and blending of the syrup takes place 9. Syrup is the mixed with concentrate 10. And then with carbonated water 11. The bottles are then filled with the liquid 12. And are then capped 13. Bottles are only then labeled 14. After the bottles have been labeled, they are coded 15. The final inspection of the products takes place before packaging 16. Then the bottles are packaged according to the size and the bottle 17. After which the products are sent to the warehouse 18. Stock is rotated to ensure freshness 19. The products are then delivered to retailers 20. Lastly, products are sold to consumers. Component 1: Process Flow We have identified that Coca Cola makes of a Continuous Process flow which allows them to produce more standardized products in a high volume. Below we will graph the process flow of the Coca Cola company and then elaborate more on the components which makes up their processes. Component 2: Operations Strategy According to Slack and Lewis, Operations strategy is the total pattern of decisions which shape the long-term capabilities of any type of operations and their contribution to the overall strategy, through the reconciliation of market requirements with operations resources.With the given definition of operations strategy we will also identify the competitive priorities of the Coca Cola company and how it relates to the above mentioned definition. Competitive priorities of an organisation includes a) low cost, b) high quality, c) fast delivery, d) flexibility and e) service. Operations strategy also depend on order qualifiers and winners, which relates to requirements for success in the market place. The above mentioned priorities are not always the same for every company. Coca Cola may have different customer requirements then the next company. Therefore we have spoken to some customers who are buyers of the Coca Cola company as well as interviews with employees to see whether their opinion of customer requirements relates to what the actual customer wants. Coca Cola’s view on customer requirements: Customers and their requirements from the Coca cola company: Based on the research we have done regarding the customers requirements for the Coca Cola company we have find that they are very specific in what they require from the company.When we talk about customers of Coca Cola we don’t just talk about the customer that walks into the retail shop and buy a few quantities of the product. We are more focused on the retailers, the restaurants and the small businesses that buy this product in bulk. So when we are focusing on the customer requirements we look into what it is that they expect from the Coca Cola company. As our findings have showed , these customers are always seeking ways to reduce costs, improve/increase sales as well as provide better quality and more diverse products to the consumers who in the ends decide whether the product meets their needs or not. Coca Cola works together with their customers trying to meet their anticipating demands and interests and to proactively deliver solutions to their businesses. As above stated, one can see that the customers (small business, restaurants and retailers) of the Coca Cola company are demanding in what they want as they also have consumers to satisfy. If the customers demands are not met then the consumer Component 3: Operational Capabilities Location Location is the geographical area where a given business is situated at . Depending on the location, the business may either be successful or unsuccessful.The business is situated in Parow, 57 Industria, Ring Road and the reason for chosen this specific Coca Cola manufacturer as it is close enough for us for interview purposes. I will now discuss the reasons for having the manufacturing business in such an area and whether the location is suitable enough for its given operations. Peninsula Beverages is a franchise Manufacturing company that operates under the name of Coca Cola. As previously stated, they are situated in Parow Industria where the manufacturing takes place.

Courage essays

Courage essays Definition= my definition of courage is a person that has the strengths needed to face their fears We all face difficulties in our lives like loosing some one you love, getting something stolen or having the school bully on your bad side. But what sets courageous people apart from cowards is fortitude. Having the fill to go out there and face those difficulties and diffuse them with passion and strength. Having such qualities is a hard thing to find. Not a lot of people can tell you straight up that they have those qualities because to many people are scared of their difficulties. For me, I think that Ive very courageous. Im extremely courageous let me tell you why. I was at a soccer game in the eighth grade and we were in a tournament. We were playing a team that we had never played against before and knew nothing about. It was the last fifteen minutes of the game and we were wining by a lot. The other team was very irritated and mad. This one huge kid and me were both fighting for the ball and all of the sudden you hear the referrers whistle. There had bin a foul, and out of no were and out of the blue he punched me and knocked me out. Later on the next year we had to play the same team with that same huge guy that hit me and I had the courage to play even though I was scared. I might have bin scared but I played with the same aggression that I did that one-day that he punched me. One of the movies the I thought that a single character showed the most fortitude that Ive ever seen has bin the mane character of Brave Heart. That character shows courage when no one else wanted to. When everyone else wanted to give up he was there the change their minds with his persuasive words. Even though expansively out numbered and a little shy in artillery he faugh for Scout lads freedom from English rule. In the Lord Of The Rings, a young man is fa ...

Business Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Report - Essay Example at the inspection exercise is successful, and assists the organization to offer superior products and services which will effectively and efficiently meet the needs of the customers. The rapidly growing population of people in Mount Union University, and surrounding areas, has lead to the increased demand of food services. Even though the demand for the food services is high, stakeholders of Mount Union University have a common agreement that the quality should never be compromised. These stakeholders include; the local authority, the universities administration, ministry in charge of public health and nutrition, local residents association, and the students body. Therefore, there is need to expand the capacity of major food services provider in the region like the AVI Food Systems Inc. There is also need to ensure that the food services providers meet the expected health, safety and quality standards. Meeting these standards will lead to customer satisfaction, in addition to health and nutritional benefits. The purpose of site inspection at AVI Food Systems Inc entails six main areas. Firstly, the capacity of the facility to expand should be described. This will ensure that the facilities accommodate more customers in future. Secondly, the health standards of the site should be enhanced further. This entails putting in place superior waste management facilities and practices. High standards of cleanliness should further be maintained. This will ensure adherence to proper public health requirements. Thirdly, the increased customer number calls for enhanced safety within the premises of AVI Food Systems Inc. This entails provision of safety equipment and programs. Fourth, the quality of food should be improved, to ensure satisfaction of the swelling customer numbers. Fifth, an effective Restaurant information System should be installed to ensure effective communication between customers and the facility’s staffs. Lastly, the staffs of AVI Food System Inc should

Leadership styles (research paper) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leadership styles (research paper) - Essay Example The styles we evaluated were: Transformational leadership Transactional leadership Charismatic leadership Democratic/Participative leadership Lazier-fare leadership Bureaucratic leadership Autocratic leadership Task-oriented leadership The primary research consisted of me scouring for good resources and studies that would allow you guys to be able to make a good decision on what type of company you want to foster. Leadership styles affect so much more than just how we lead but also how our employees are developed and where we choose management from. When we look at it this way we can see that leadership style is one of the most important parts of management. I would be glad to discuss this report at your leisure. I appreciate the opportunity to be able to provide you with such a service and hope that it was as helpful as I wanted it to be. Respect, Research IAA:mef Contents Momo of Transmittal i Contents 0 Introduction/Problem 2 Findings/Leadership styles 2 Transformational leadershi p 3 Transactional leadership 3 Charismatic leadership 4 Democratic/participative leadership 4 Lazier-fare/Delegative leadership 4 Autocratic leadership 5 Bureaucratic leadership 5 Task-oriented leadership 6 Conclusion 6 Recommendation 6 Index 8 Introduction/Problem The performance and decisions made by staff in an organization are partially determined by the characteristics of leadership or those who participate in administration. Numerous studies have shown that the leadership style adopted in an organization affects group work processes, the social climate and the desired end result within the organization. From this perspective, the style of leadership adopted in an organization affects the climate and the climate affects productivity and creativity (Mills, 2007). In some cases, leadership affects productivity directly. This explains the fact that leadership style is critical to all organizations given that it affects their performance and effectiveness. This report briefly evalu ates various kinds of leadership styles described by different scholars. The report recommends that transformational form of leadership is the most effective while working with a diverse population. Findings/Leadership styles Different scholars have identified various forms of leadership that are common in organizations. This paper examines the following leadership styles: Transformational leadership Transactional leadership Charismatic leadership Democratic/Participative leadership Lazier-fare leadership Bureaucratic leadership Autocratic leadership Task-oriented leadership Fig 1: Leadership Styles (Source: Johannsen, 2012) Transformational leadership Transformational leadership is a leadership process in which leaders broaden and elevate the interests of their subordinates, they stimulate the subordinates to look beyond their own self-interest for the good of an organization and generate awareness and acceptance of the mission and purpose of an organization (Mills, 2007). This kin d of leadership helps to minimize employees’ turnover rate and hence, this save costs related to high turnover rate in an organization. Second, it empowers employees in an organization to realize their full potential and to show higher commitments to organizational goals; it can be classified under participative and delagative leadership as shown in fig 1. Third, this style is helpful in fostering organizational

Capitalism versus Socialism Essay Example for Free

Capitalism versus Socialism Essay Budget deficit is just one of the many factors that negatively affect the provision of most of the government projects in the society. Without the sufficient amount of government funds, building of infrastructures and other public goods would be delayed or underprovided. As we can remember, there are some goods and services that can only be provided efficiently if the government is the one who supply it instead of the private firms to protect the rights and welfare of the consumer group. If there exist under provision of these public goods, the societal welfare would negatively be affected. In this regard, there is a question on whether what should prevail in our economy, capitalism or socialism? One may say that this debate between capitalism and socialism is already a cliche, but we cannot set aside the arguments and points of each side which could give us guide us in understanding what is happening in the real world. Let me discuss first capitalism. Capitalism promotes the concentration of the government in the provision of security in the society and not to intervene in the business world. Some capitalists say that, with the intervention of the government, person who wants to establish a business enterprise is being deprived due to the policies that are being implemented by the government. For instance, legal monopoly that was given by the government to some companies hinders other people from starting their own water/electric company. This failure of other people to start their own utility business, as capitalists believe, is a violation to their freedom. Socialism, on the other hand, is extremely the opposite of the capitalists thinking. Here, government intervention is very much welcome and the society is recognizing the ability of the government to efficiently handle companies and to equally distribute whatever the goods or service that they produce to their citizens. One good example to this is the provision of government of medical services and education. Since not all individuals can afford the costs of schooling provided by private firms, what the government does is they establish public schools charging at a minimum amount. As for the medical services, the government establishes public hospitals and clinics that would provide its citizens cheaper medical services and medicines for less capable people. With this, the basic right of human, to have education and access to medical services, is being fulfilled by the government. The reason why government provides efficient goods and services is due to the fact that they are providing the said goods and services at a reasonable price unlike private firms, especially monopolists, that charges above what is socially acceptable price. Now, based from the points of these two ideologies, therefore, it depends on the situation if whether a certain government intervention is good to the society. If the government interferes in the market in order to protect the welfare of its citizens, then, there is no room for capitalists to say that they are being deprived by the government to put their own business. In addition to that, establishing another utility business, like electric company, would be very costly due to the high fixed costs that they must face. This is the reason why it would be efficient if only one would continue ‘monopolize’ the production of electricity in the country. In this regard, if there would be an under provision of public goods like education, electricity, medical services and security due to budget deficit of the government; societal welfare would surely be greatly devastated. More people would be deprived with their basic human rights and might suffer to private firm’s abusing power. Only during instances wherein the private firms abuses their power and charge high to their customer by providing inelastic goods the government initiate actions to regulate the situation. Good Economics versus Good Politics One could say that an act promotes good economics if it aims for the maximization of the satisfaction of the society or market (Sharma, 2007). On the other hand, one could say that an act promotes good politics if it is backed up by a good policy for the welfare of the majority. Most of the analysts say that good economics leads to good politics and vice versa. Others believe that it’s the other way around. The point of the latter is that, making policies that promotes the no personal interest would lead to good economics since promoting the interest of the majority is tantamount to saying that they are maximizing the satisfaction of the society or they are after for the optimal level of societal welfare (Gittins, 2004). In order for each of the said ideals to exists, it must ensure the survival of one another. It seems hard for the politicians to set aside their personal political interest for the public interest but it should be done in order to attain what is really best for the economy and for the country. One way to promote the public interest is to lessen the burdens being imposed to the public like- tax (Gruen, 2007). Minimizing the tax rate would require a long battle and endless debate but the thing is, if all of the politicians would set aside their personal interest everything is possible for the government and they could act efficiently for the betterment of the economy. In this regard, there is no point arguing what is the best for the society- good economics or good politics, since one is needed for the existence of the other. Invisible Hand Principle Advocated by Adam Smith, invisible hand supports capitalist’s view. According to Adam Smith, the government must not intervene in the market and focus only on providing security and justice system to the society. They also believe that government lessens the societal welfare with their imposition of taxes. Taxes just add up to the operational costs of the businesses that in turn being passed to the consumers. In short, the burden of the taxes that are being imposed by the government goes to the end consumers. Adam Smith believes that market systems has its own mechanism to ‘heal’ itself and move back again towards the equilibrium condition even without the intervention of the government. By satisfying the ‘selfish’ motives of producers and consumers, they are unconsciously helping each other. Therefore, increasing the taxes rate collection of the government to cover the budget deficit would be an unwise idea since it would only add up to the burden of the consumers or the public. Government intervention must have the right timing and, as much as possible, impose less burden to the consumers. As what have been cited a while ago, government intervention depends on the situation and the condition between the private firms and the consumer group. Government intervention would only be sufficient if it uplifts the welfare of the consumer group with less negative effects on the private firms. But as for the increasing tax rate scenario, it seems that, although unintentionally, the government negatively affects the welfare of the consumer group while leaving the private firms unharmed since they only pass the taxes to the consumers. In this case, it would be better if the government let the ‘invisible hand’ or the free market system to put back into order the economy. Production Possibilities Curve There are some instances wherein private firms are being restricted in passing the added costs of government intervention to their consumers. Like for instance, the imposition of tariff on importers, tariff is another income generating activities of the government aside from taxation. With the extra expenses of the importers on every unit of goods that they are importing to the country, they can now only afford to buy less of the said imported goods depending on their allotted budget. In this scenario, the business would be producing below its production possibilities curve or PPF. This means that with the existence of higher tariffs on imported goods needed by local industries, the companies could only buy fewer imported raw materials and, therefore, producing fewer number of finished products than with the optimal level of production. This situation is treated to be inefficient, but since tariff is a form of income generation of the government, the only thing that the government could do is to find the efficient level of tariff rate wherein businesses could still produce closely to their PPF. With this, the value of the efficiency that is lost from the private firms would be justified and would return to them in a form of infrastructures in a form of roads and bridges which could alleviate the efficiency of their operation. In reality, it is pretty hard to produce within the PPF due to the existence of various intervening variables and tariff is one of them. The least thing that businesses could do is to produce closer to their PPF or their optimal level of production based on their capacity and capability. Opportunity Costs With the possibility of under provision of important government services, the government cannot afford to make it happen due to the high opportunity costs involved in the case. The government might forego the value of the welfare of its citizens in exchange of the improvement of the welfare of the corporations. If the welfare of the corporations and consumer group is to be calculated, the welfare of the consumer group is surely larger than with the welfare of the corporations in the market; and in the first place, it is the duty of the government to protect and prioritize the safety and welfare of the majority- citizens of their country. Just imagine the number of students that might stop schooling with the cutting of the budget for education; the number of sick and less capable citizens that only relies on the help of the government for cheaper medical services and/or medicines from public hospitals and clinics. To make the situation worst, the government prioritizes the welfare of Iraqis than with its own citizen. It was aired in the news that the government raised the amount of budget for the ‘peace keeping role’ of the government to Iraqi people. It is not bad to help other people, but ‘think first about the welfare of your own people before the others’ since that is the right thing to do. The point here is that, the reason why the government suffers to budget deficit is due to their wrong priorities. The government must not set aside the welfare of its citizen since it would bail them higher opportunity costs.

American Adam Myth

American Adam Myth The term American Adam generally refers to a mythic concept considered by some critics and scholars to be the central element of American literature. Its assumption is based on the view of European colonists who saw America, the New World, not only as a haven from religious persecution, but also as a new Garden of Eden. This concept of the second garden offered a new beginning, free of the collective error that had pervaded the world since the failure of the first spiritual experiment in that original garden, where Adam had fallen to evil and lost his innocence. By the late 18th century, the religious premise of the adamic myth has changed and now referred to a rather heroic being which was believed to be the core of the American character. Despite these parallels between the adamic myth and the perceptions that some settlers had of themselves, the myth of the American Adam did not substantially enter the cultural discourse until the 19th century and by that time it had lost many of the other elements associated with the biblical version. The American Adam in the 19th Century Literature Instead, the 19th century version of the adamic myth emphasizes on the isolated figure of Adam himself. He, at this stage, demonstrates a figure of immense possibilities that is, at least in certain readings, made vulnerable by his own spiritual virtues. Unlike his biblical prototype, the American Adam is less the product of Gods handiwork but more a creature of his own making. The image of Adam in all his ambition and optimism is perhaps best represented in the pages of Ralph Waldo Emersons Nature. Emerson described this person as an authentic man who is free of the constraints of the past and of the limitations imposed by centuries of tradition. Moreover, this Adam stands for a man that is centered on the future and the promise inherent in the very newness of America. At the same time, however, the innocence of this American Adam is inevitably shaped and altered by experience. Emerson expressed this innocence or experience duality in what he termed the Party of Hope and the Party of Memory. The party of hope, on the one hand, believed that the individual conscience was clear because it was unpolluted by the past. In this context, America had no past, only a present and a future. The key term in the moral vocabulary consequently was innocence. The most prominent representatives of this view of the American Adam are Emerson, Thoreau and Whitman. The party of memory, on the other hand, believed in sin and corruption to be the central element of Adams character. Therefore, Adam remains part of the heritage of humanity. Furthermore, a third concept of the American Adam was developed by the scholar R. W. B. Lewis. He called it the party of Irony. This third party believed in the paradox that a unique spiritual strength can arise from the inevitable clash of innocence with experience. This element is apparent in texts of Melville and Hawthorne. Thoreau: The Recovery of Innocence For followers of the party of Hope, experience remained only the gray shadow of reality. If this Adam could keep his perspective fresh and new, free of the traditional and conventional morals, he would come into full possession of authentic existence. Noone followed this course with greater commitment than Henry David Thoreau. In the experiment that became Walden, Thoreaus masterpiece, the author became a literal Adam himself, leaving the town of Concord to enter the more edenic surroundings of Walden Pond. There, in solitude, he was determined to confront only the essentials of life. From Emerson, Thoreau had learnt to reject tradition and historical Christianity. Moreover, he was to look at natural surroundings instead- to the nature of things that had not yet been encroached upon by civilization. In this sense, Thoreau effectively distanced himself from the corrupting influences that he believed characterized 19th century New England. His purpose was not to ignore them, but to rep lace them with rediscovered values of greater importance. In establishing his own Eden in proximity to the conventional civilization of Concord, Thoreau suggested that the essential innocence of the new American Adam can be both recovered and maintained by the discovery and examination of the essentials of life that is inherent in human nature as well as in the nature of wilderness. Walden, which begins with the limitations imposed on personal freedom by such conventions as property and the responsibilities of ownership, ends with the coming of spring, marking the new dawn that awaits the enlightened Adam. Whitman: An adamic Archetype Walt Whitman, who was also a strong representative of Emersons party of Hope, continued where Thoreau left off. He did not only feel a sense of approval with the American myth, he lived it. Where Thoreau recognized that some people might not respond to his call for an awakening, Whitmans subjective view seemed to allow for no such consideration. All negatives became positives for this personification of the American Adam who moved with total confidence through a world in which the new dawn of promise became an unending sunny day. In poems such as Song of Myself, which is part of the Leaves of Grass series, Whitman celebrates innocent, natural, and seemingly unlimited virtue. This state is not a recovery of natural perfection, since in Whitmans world there is no fall to recover from. A man, in his view, is self-created in the present and exists in the perfection of his innocent, confident creation. Song of Myself Trippers and askers surround me, People I meet, the effect upon me of my early life or the ward and city I live in, or the nation, The latest dates, discoveries, inventions, societies, authors old and new, My dinner, dress, associates, looks, compliments, dues, The real or fancied indifference of some man or woman I love, The sickness of one of my folks or of myself, or ill-doing or loss or lack of money, or depressions or exaltations, Battles, the horrors of fratricidal war, the fever of doubtful news, the fitful events; These come to me days and nights and go from me again, But they are not the Me myself. Apart from the pulling and hauling stands what I am, Stands amused, complacent, compassionating, idle, unitary, Looks down, is erect, or bends an arm on an impalpable certain rest, Looking with side-curved head curious what will come next, Both in and out of the game and watching and wondering at it. In this part of Whitmans poem, he clearly shows Emersons individual: The new Adam who is a man that contends that nothing, not even God, is greater than oneself. If we want a profile of this new Adam then we could start with the adjectives Whitman himself provides: amused, complacent, compassionating, idle and unitary. Finally, Whitman not only presented the dream of the new Adam, he also created the world in which the American Adam was to live. Melville: Damned in the Midst of Paradise Not all writers agreed with Thoreaus and Whitmans overly optimistic view. What provoked such a disagreement was the realization by writers like Herman Melville that the static moral innocence of the Adam could prove a spiritual liability in a fallen world, and could even become spiritually destructive. A good example of such a tragic Adam is Captain Ahab in Melvilles Masterpiece Moby Dick: I feel deadly faint, and bowed, and humped, as though I were Adam staggering beneath the piled centuries since Paradise. (Melville, Moby Dick, Chapter 11) No turbaned Turk, no hired Venetian or Malay, could have smote him with more seeming malice. Small reason was there to doubt, then, that ever since that almost fatal encounter, Ahab had cherished a wild vindictiveness against the whale, all the more fell for that in his frantic morbidness he at last came to identify with him, not only all his bodily woes, but all his intellectual and spiritual exasperations. The White Whale swam before him as the monomaniac incarnation of all those malicious agencies which some deep men feel eating in them, till they are left living on with half a heart and half a lung. That intangible malignity which has been from the beginning; to whose dominion even the modern Christians ascribe one-half of the worlds; which the ancient Ophites of the east reverenced in their statue devil; Ahab did not fall down and worship it like them; but deliriously transferring its idea to the abhorred White Whale, he pitted himself, all mutilated, against it. All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of things; all truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in Moby Dick. He piled upon the whales white hump the sum of all the general rage and hate felt by his whole race from Adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot hearts shell upon it (Ch. 41) Ahab, in Moby Dick, almost functions as the antagonist to Emersons plain old Adam He is characterized as a being that is somehow damned in the midst of paradise. Personally, he is motivated by a kind of metaphysical sense of revenge. Most strikingly, he has lost his leg to the White Whale. Ahab not only intends to strike out against it and against whatever power that stands behind it, he also wants to strike at the thing that permits evil in the world. Regarding this goal, his quest is titanic, but ultimately doomed. Moby Dick lures Ahab to his death. As a symbol of American arrogance, he is aiming to establish an American Eden, freed from the curse of original sin. And Melvilles message, through Ishmael, the only survivor, is that this quest is doomed and can only lead to death. Conclusion: The American Adam in Modern Works In every of the three cases presented, the adamic theme is apparent in many works of 19th century American Literature. However, the precise interpretation of the adamic being is not unitary but versatile and complex. Finally, the idea of the American Adam did not end with the American Renaissance, but continued to be a major theme in more modern works such as Scott Fitzgeralds Great Gatsby.

Reflective thinking essay Essay

Early this week we where given a assessment to complete. I found the concept to be very interesting and I began to think about how the honest opinions of my peers would effect me. In an attempt to maintain an open mind and to maintain the effectiveness of the exercise, I tried to rate my peers based on where they actually stand. This is more difficult than one would think, I tended to want to rate some one else based off of how they would in my mind rate me. A couple days later it was time to reveal the results of the peer assessment, and admittedly, I was pretty nervous. I usually like to feel as though I am liked by every one and to know that I would for sure have some negative things brought to my attention was a bit nerve racking. We sat down and discussed where we all stand as a class is concerned and much to my surprise most of my feedback was good. The negative things that where brought up I was distinctly aware of already so I feel as though I took that well. I will try to continue in my efforts to resolve these issues and focus on self improvement. I think over all My perception of my self was confirmed. I would also say that this was the case for the majority of the class. Most people where aware of there flaws. I also think that we grew as a class, knowing the true feelings of your peers and can help to resolve differences between class mates. Over all the entire exercise was a great success in my eyes.

Prevention of Teenage Pregnancy Policy in the UK

Introduction This essay will discuss the current policies in place to prevent teenage pregnancy in the United Kingdom. Firstly, it will introduce the key concept of teenage pregnancy and discuss it against the context of the problems it creates. The current teenage pregnancy policy will then be presented and critiqued. Finally, a number of recommendations and conclusion will be drawn. Definition and Background According to the World Health Organization (WHO), teenage pregnancy is defined as pregnancy in a woman aged 10 – 19, whilst Unicef (2008) define it as conception occurring in a woman aged 13 – 19 (Unicef, 2008). On the basis of this definition, Unicef calculated that the teenage pregnancy rate in the UK is the highest in Western Europe (Unicef, 2001), and aside from a slight decrease in the birth rate to teenage mothers during the 1970’s it has remained relatively constant since 1969 (DoH, 2003). In 1999, the Labour Government’s Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) presented its report to parliament acknowledging the scope and seriousness of the problem, particularly with reference to damage to the mother’s academic and career progression, and the health of the child. The National Teenage Pregnancy Strategy The SEU implored the Government to commit to reducing teenage conceptions by 50% by 2010, and to address the social exclusion of young mothers. To meet the first aim, the SEU championed improved sexual education, both inside and outside school and better access to contraceptives. To achieve the second, it recommended the implementation of multi-agency government programmes designed to provide support in housing, education and training. To implement the recommendations of the report, the Government set up the Teenage Pregnancy Unit (TPU), which was located in the Department of Health, but required local authorities (LA) to produce their own strategies to reduce teenage conception by 50% by 2010, with an interim target of 15% by 2004. The majority of prevention strategies focused on four key areas; the use of mass media to increase awareness of sexual health, sex and relationship education (SRE) in schools and community settings, easily available services and information on sexual health and better-quality support for young parents to drop social exclusion (DCFS 2009). In 2000, the Department for Children, Schools and Family (DCSF) issued directives to all schools to ensure that SRE in schools aimed to enable young people to make responsible and well-informed choices about their sexual lives and desist from risky behaviours which influence unintended pregnancy (DCSF 2009c). LA gave their strong backing to ensure incl usion of complete SRE programmes into personal and social education lessons in all schools (DfES 2006). The methods of administering SRE differed across LAs. For example, the services of sexual health specialists were stretched outside clinical environment to encompass schools and community settings. Programmes outside of the school environment were implemented to expose teenagers to the realities of parenting and the advantages of sensible sexual choices, and included Choose your Life, Body Tool Kit, Teens and Tots, and the Virtual Doll Plan. The varying needs of culturally diverse communities were measured, and programmes were tailored to meet them. In LA containing the most at-risk teenagers, advanced SRE plans involving parents, teachers, school nurses, teachers and vanguard staff were made. Southwark LA for example, sought to improve the information of young people on early gestations, direct them to making reliable choices and in turn decrease the rate of teenage pregnancies ((NHS Southwark 2007; Fullerton et al 1997). The actions taken were in line with the goals and purposes of the agenda; studies have demonstrated that teenagers value a forum to discuss sex and relationship issues, and such forums are beneficial as they decrease the chances of earlier sexual contact (Allen et al. 2007; Fullerton et al. 1997). Nevertheless, local differences occurred that hampered with the distribution of SRE in the schools in some areas. Not all schools embraced SRE in their teaching syllabus, some of the teachers were uncertain of the degree to teach and were either uncomfortable or awkward about young people’s sexual matters. Some schools had a syllabus that excluded social or emotional topics, which play an important role (Chambers, 2002). Some areas included mixed sex classes; these were less successful as some teenagers, particularly females, felt inhibited (Stephenson et al. 2004). Additionally, some parents refused to support the policy and withdrew their children from SRE classes (Lanek, 2005). I n reaction to these difficulties, the Health & Social Care Scrutiny Sub-Committee (2004) made further recommendations, emphasising the responsibility of schools (particularly faith schools) to include SRE in the curriculum. Post 2010, the policy aims and objectives were to build on the existing strategy, and enable young people to receive the knowledge, advice and support they need from parents, teachers and other specialist to deal with the pressure to have sex, enjoy positive and caring relationships and have good sexual health. Policy Type Birkland (1984) and Lowi et al. (1964) have argued that knowing the type of policy one is dealing with will enable one to predict what may arise after the policy has been implemented. However, Wilson (1973) has criticized categorising policies, as some are too complex to be so simply defined. This is a criticism that can be fiarly levelled at the policy under discussion, which is both preventive and self-regulatory. It aims to reduce and prevent pregancies to bridging health and education inequality gaps that teenage mothers face, reducing child poverty and reducing the cost of teenage pregnancy on public funds. It is both distributive and pragmatic; distributive in that it permits benefit to a particular group (Birkland, 1984), and pragmatic in that it was designed to be practical and workable (Maclure, 2009). The Political Context According to Leichter (1979) contextual factors that can affect policy production can be political, social, economic, cultural, national and international, with some factors becoming major contributors to the policy. Taking the example of international factors, Levine (2003) states that interdependency of nations with the same social problem can affect the policy of the adopting nation takes to solve their problem. In the UK, international influences such as the European Union, WHO and countries facing the same high teenage pregnancy rate have all impacted UK policy on the same issue (Baggott, 2007). As a member state of European Union, the regulation of our national law by the Union takes priority in informing and sharpening our policies (Mclean, 2006). Politically in Britain, the ‘teenage mother’ has come to symbolise social decline. This began with the Conservative government in the 1990’s, who first politicised the single mother by describing her as typifying the prevalent moral standards (particularly amongst the lower social classes) that threatened society (Macvarish, XX). Following the election of the Labour party in 1997, this political perception was altered in line with the New Labour vision; a more optimistic national mood teamed with traditional Labour views on social equality. Under this perspective, issues such as poverty and unemployment were viewed as symptoms of ‘social exclusion’ whereby individuals were unfairly excluded from participating fully in society. Such communities were to be viewed sympathetically instead of being blamed, and it was within this context that the strategy evolved: reducing teenage pregnancy was one way of making the excluded included (Macvarish XX). Against this backdrop of poitical ideology, the UK has a democratic system of government whereby decisions and policies are made based on the influence of the stakeholders. The teenage pregnancy strategy had pluralist influences including the director of public health, consultants in public health, the director of social services, specialist midwifes and parents of teenagers. These contributions were multi-level; nationally, regionally and locally. At a national level, financial support and endorsement was provided by senior ministers, guidance and monitoring was provided at a regional level, and participation by young people and their parents provided the local input. Policy implementation Implementation is the process of turning policy into practice (Buse, 2005). The implementation of the teenage pregnancy policy was two phase: the first launched in 1999 and depended on ‘better’ sex education both in and out of schools, and improved access to contraception. The second phase came 10 years later in 2008 and relied upon different government programs designed to assist teenage mothers with returning to education or training, gaining employment or providing support with other social factors such as housing. The implementation of teenage pregnancy policy was also top-down. The purpose of the policy was to reduce and prevent teenagers from becoming early parents through support and increasing implementation of preventative guidance by the government and to combat social exclusion of teenage mothers. The policy can be seen to be self-regulatory because it was behavioral and aimed to provide the individual with the skills to make informed decisons regarding their sexual health (Bartle & Vass, 1998). There are additional factors that help to facilitate the implementation of policy; actors in policy, and experts in the agenda. Actors generally are individuals with power that can be excercised through influencing policy. They may be lobby or pressure groups and can include politicians, civil servants, and members of an interest group (Buse, 2005). The involvement of experts in the agenda setting was clear from the outset. The National guidance allowed the local areas to enlarge the scope of the policy using guidance. The involvement of local actors and the use of data from the local areas helped to motivate local action. Taking advantage of local knowledge or information facilitates matching policy to the specific needs of the teenagers. Analysis of policy successStrategy implementation related successFollowing the publication of the policy, the earliest the strategy could begin to be implemented was early 2000, but this was highly dependent on the employment of local teenage pregnancy co-ordinators. By the third quarter of 2000, 75% of these posts were staffed, rising to virtually 100% in 2001 (TPSE, 2005). With regards the communication strategy, the percentage of local areas that used media campaigns to reinforce the messages of the national campaign grew steadily from 2% in 2000 to 40% in 2001 (TPSE, 2005). The number of areas with at least one sexual health service dedicated to young people increased consistently from 68% in 2000 to 84% in 2001, while support for young parents with emphasis on reintegration into work and training rose to 70% according to TPSE (2005). Over the course of the strategy, 10,000 teachers, support staff and nurses were trained to deliver Personal, Social and Health Education in schools (TPAIG, 2010).Prevention related successThe original ambition of the teenage pregnancy strategy was to achieve a 15% reduction in under-18 conception by 2004 and 50% reduction by 2010, accompanied by a downward trend in the under-16 conception rate (TPSE 2005). The first phase of the strategy came to an end after a period of ten years without achieving its entire target. In the early part of tits implementation, the policy appeared to have moderate success. By 2002, the conception rate for under-18s had fallen by 9%, reversing the upward trend seen prior to the strategy implementation, and contrary to the relatively static rates observed over the past 30 years (TPSE, 2005). Success varied across the UK, but a steeper decline in conception rates in socio-economically deprived areas suggested that it had targeted the most ‘at-risk’ areas. For example, Hackney council reported a decrease in the rates of repeated abortion from 49% to 27% in under-18s, and they report that the majority of under-16s report not having sex due to understanding of abstinence. How successful the policy had been depended greatly on how robustly it was implemented across various local areas. In general, there was a reduction in areas that have carried out proper implementation, with some areas able to report a 45% decline, while other areas performed poorly due to poor implementation, with no reduction, or in some cases, an increase (TPAIG, 2010). However, the follow-up report ‘Teenage Pregnancy Strategy: Beyond 2010 found that the overall conception rate had fallen by 13.3% since 1998, falling well short of the projected 50% reduction. However the DoH add that births to under-18s had fallen by 25% over this period (DoH, 2010).They also point to the increase in access to sexual health services, information and advice as an additional indicator of success. The new phase goes beyond the original 10-year target, adding more content added to the policy, following an incremental process according to TPSE (2005). Incrementalpolicy according to Lindblom (1993) is a major achievement that is attained as a result of small steps taken which guarded against policy disaster. However, the new phase exists within a climate of austerity. The current downtrend of conception rates in the under-18 age group will be difficult to maintain against a backdrop of disinvestment, which has already led to widespread closure of specialist sexual h ealth services for under-18s.Gaps in the policyIn applying teenage pregnancy policy to the present situation, it can be said that the policy did not really look inward into the situation that the country was facing. It looked at the success rate of other countries without tailoring their measures to curb the problems specific to Britain. The policy is a social policy and as such it focussed on the social aspect of the problem without looking at the health issues that come with teenage pregnancy. Addiitonally, the time frame given to meet its target of a 50% was too short. Teenage pregancy is inextricably linked to both poverty, a social issue too wide to tackle in one decade. It is also strongly related to culture, and specifically the need to foster a culture of openess regarding sexual behaviour and health. This again is too complex to challenge in 10 years. Recommendations In the first instance, the coalition Government must address the shortcomings currently seen in sexual relation education (SRE). The former Government elected to not make SRE part of the compulsory curriculum, and as a result provision of SRE across the country is patchy. The Government should pass legislation ensure good practice such as SRE becomes compulsory. Additionally, refinements to existing SRE need to be made. In particular this should include devising ethnic and faith-based SRE programmes, which will better address the diversity of beliefs held in a modern multi-cultural Britain. Also, the deliberation of same-sex SRE classes should be completed and implemented (Fullerton et al 2001). More use should be made of robust team-working within communities, health sectors and schools in encouraging SRE, and the creative use and further training of more peer-educators to deliver the strategy within schools should be considered. Secondly, an approach which combines measures to prevent teenage conception and support teenage mothers must be in tandem to wider measures to address poverty and social exclusion. The loss of the Education Maintenance Allowance and the closure of many Sure Start centres disproportionately disadvantage the socio-economically deprived, and widen the gap in attainment between the rich and poor. Thirdly, the coalition government must be invested in making reductions to teenage pregnancy rates a priority. Ring-fencing of funds for specialist sexual health services and training in SRE must be guaranteed in order to not lose the small, but significant reductions in teenage pregnancy rates seen to date. Relatedly, strategies to address teenage pregnancy should be integrated into all future policies. Finally, the patchy nature of strategy deliverance across local authorities must be addressed. Areas that neglect to implement the strategy effectively should be identified, and supported according. Sharing of good practice across local authorities should be made routine. Conclusions In conclusion, this essay has outlined the teenage pregnancy strategy devised in 1998, its background and political context. It went on to discuss the outcomes of the first ten-year phase. At this point, it is still too early to say whether the second phase will meet its overall target, especially in the current economic climate, although the strategy focused attention on the problem and provided materials to help local, regional and national implementation of the strategy. As Britain remains a culturally diverse country, addressing this with regards teenage sexual health should remain a priority. 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SCOTT-SAMUEL, A., BIRLEY, M., ARDERN, K., (2001). The Merseyside Guidelines for Health Impact Assessment. Second Edition, May 2001. SEAMARK, C.J. and LINGS, P, (2004). Positive experiences of teenage motherhood: a qualitative study. The British journal of general practice: the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 54(508), 813-818. Sexual health charity, FPA. (2010) Teenage pregnancy factsheet: [Online]. Available at: http://www.fpa.org.uk/professionals/Factsheets/teenagepreggnancy (Accessed on 30 May 2012). STEPHENSON, J.M., STRANGE, V., FORREST, S., OAKLEY, A., COPAS, A., ALLEN, E., BABIKER, A., BLACK, S., ALI, M., MONTEIRO, H., JOHNSON, A.M. and RIPPLE STUDY TEAM, (2004). Pupil-led sex education in England (RIPPLE study): cluster-randomized intervention trial. Lancet, 364(9431): 338-346 Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group (2010). Teenage Pregnancy: Past Successes – Future Challenges. [Online]. 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An Introduction to the Bell Curve

An Introduction to the Bell Curve A normal distribution is more commonly known as a bell curve.   This type of curve shows up throughout statistics and the real world.   For example, after I give a test in any of my classes, one thing that I like to do is to make a graph of all the scores. I typically write down 10 point ranges such as 60-69, 70-79, and 80-89, then put a tally mark for each test score in that range. Almost every time I do this, a familiar shape emerges. A few  students do very well and a few do very poorly. A bunch of scores end up clumped around the mean score. Different tests may result in different means and standard deviations, but the shape of the graph is nearly always the same. This shape is commonly called the bell curve. Why call it a bell curve? The bell curve gets its name quite simply because its shape resembles that of a bell. These curves appear throughout the study of statistics, and their importance cannot be overemphasized. What Is a Bell Curve? To be technical, the kinds of bell curves that we care about the most in statistics are actually called normal probability distributions. For what follows we’ll just assume the bell curves we’re talking about are normal probability distributions. Despite the name â€Å"bell curve,† these curves are not defined by their shape. Instead, an intimidating looking formula is used as the formal definition for bell curves. But we really don’t need to worry too much about the formula. The only two numbers that we care about in it are the mean and standard deviation. The bell curve for a given set of data has the center located at the mean. This is where the highest point of the curve or â€Å"top of the bellâ€Å" is located. A data set‘s standard deviation determines how spread out our bell curve is. The larger the standard deviation, the more spread out the curve. Important Features of a Bell Curve There are several features of bell curves that are important and distinguishes them from other curves in statistics: A bell curve has one mode, which coincides with the mean and median. This is the center of the curve where it is at its highest.A bell curve is symmetric. If it were folded along a vertical line at the mean, both halves would match perfectly because they are mirror images of each other.A bell curve follows the 68-95-99.7 rule, which provides a convenient way to carry out estimated calculations:Approximately 68% of all of the data lies within one standard deviation of the mean.Approximately 95% of all the data is within two standard deviations of the mean.Approximately 99.7% of the data is within three standard deviations of the mean. An Example If we know that a bell curve models our data, we can use the above features of the bell curve to say quite a bit. Going back to the test example, suppose we have 100 students who took a statistics test with a mean score of 70 and standard deviation of 10. The standard deviation is 10. Subtract and add 10 to the mean. This gives us 60 and 80. By the 68-95-99.7 rule we would expect about 68% of 100, or 68 students to score between 60 and 80 on the test. Two times the standard deviation is 20. If we subtract and add 20 to the mean we have 50 and 90. We would expect about 95% of 100, or 95 students to score between 50 and 90 on the test. A similar calculation tells us that effectively everyone scored between 40 and 100 on the test. Uses of the Bell Curve There are many applications for bell curves. They are important in statistics because they model a wide variety of real-world data. As mentioned above, test results are one place where they pop up. Here are some others: Repeated measurements of a piece of equipmentMeasurements of characteristics in biologyApproximating chance events such as flipping a coin several timesHeights of students at a particular grade level in a school district When Not to Use the Bell Curve Even though there are countless applications of bell curves, it is not appropriate to use in all situations. Some statistical data sets, such as equipment failure or income distributions, have different shapes and are not symmetric. Other times there can be two or more modes, such as when several students do very well and several do very poorly on a test. These applications require the use of other curves that are defined differently than the bell curve. Knowledge about how the set of data in question was obtained can help to determine if a bell curve should be used to represent the data or not.

The 4,000 Year Old History of Locks

The 4,000 Year Old History of Locks Archeologists found the oldest known lock in the Khorsabad palace ruins near Nineveh. The lock was estimated to be 4,000 years old. It was a forerunner to a pin tumbler type of lock, and a common Egyptian lock for the time. This lock worked using a large wooden bolt to secure a door, which had a slot with several holes in its upper surface. The holes were filled with wooden pegs that prevented the bolt from being opened. The  warded lock  was also present from early times and remains the most recognizable lock and key design in the Western world. The first all-metal locks appeared between the years 870 and 900, and are attributed to the English. Affluent Romans often kept their valuables in secure boxes within their households and wore the keys as rings on their fingers.   During the period of the 18th and 19th centuries - in part to the onset of the Industrial Revolution - many technical developments were made in the locking mechanisms that added to the security of common locking devices. It was during this period that America changed from importing door hardware to manufacturing and even exporting some. The earliest patent for a double-acting pin tumbler  lock  was granted to American physician Abraham O. Stansbury in England in 1805, but the modern version, still in use today, was invented by American Linus Yale, Sr. in 1848. But, other famous locksmiths patented their lock designed before and after Linus. Robert Barron   The first serious attempt to improve the security of the lock was made in 1778 in England. Robert Barron  patented a double-acting tumbler lock. Joseph Bramah   Joseph Bramah patented the safety lock in 1784. Bramahs lock was considered unpickable. The inventor went on to create a Hydrostatic Machine, a beer-pump, the four-cock, a quill-sharpener, a working planer, and more. James Sargent   In 1857, James Sargent invented the worlds first successful key-changeable combination lock. His lock became popular with safe manufacturers and the United States Treasury Department. In 1873, Sargent patented a time lock mechanism that became the prototype of those being used in contemporary bank vaults. Samuel Segal   Mr. Samuel Segal (former New York City policeman) invented the first jimmy proof locks in 1916. Segal holds over twenty-five patents. Harry Soref   Soref founded the Master Lock Company in 1921 and patented an improved padlock. In April 1924, he received a patent (U.S #1,490,987) for his new lock casing. Soref made a padlock that was both strong and cheap using a case constructed out of layers of metal, like the doors of a bank vault. He designed his padlock using laminated steel. Linus Yale Sr.   Linus Yale invented a pin-tumbler lock in 1848. His son improved upon his lock using a smaller, flat key with serrated edges that is the basis of ​the  modern pin-tumbler locks. Linus Yale Jr. (1821-1868)   American, Linus Yale Jr. was a mechanical engineer and lock manufacturer who patented a cylinder pin-tumbler lock in 1861. Yale invented the modern combination lock in 1862.

Advantages and disadvantages of presumptive test Essay

Advantages and disadvantages of presumptive test - Essay Example Presumptive test yields immediate results to the testing staff. The staff therefore acquires instant snapshots of results and consequently decides on whether to issue a normal remedy or not (Paik 2011 p. 78). It is imperative that the test enables forensic drug tests to identify the possibility of a particular drug substance. Presumptive test applies principles of gas chromatography in isolating suspected drug from a given sample of blood. The second advantage that comes with presumptive test is that it helps forensic drug test technicians to narrow down possibilities in the suspected substance (Grine & Rackley 2010, p.14). After narrowing down the number of possible tests, technicians can easily decide on which particular test to conduct rather than use of many unguided trial and error experiments. Limiting number of possible test is beneficial to an organization in terms of resource allocation and time. Similarly, presumptive tests help to minimize the amount of materials and test reagents that trial and error tests would have absorbed.Forensic drug test technicians benefits from ability of presumptive tests to identify evidences that naked eyes may fail to see. Ability to reveal chemical properties of sample analyte results from use of various chemicals such as barium chloride reagent, potassium hydroxide and silver nitrate reagent (Paik 2011, p. 78). These reagents give technicians specific observable results that enable them to observe what naked eyes cannot observe.

Unique Properties of Money Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unique Properties of Money - Case Study Example Pouches of mackerel acted as money in prisons after cigarettes were banned by the prison authorities Pouches of mackerel were easily transferable from one place to another meaning they were portable. Cans were banned by wardens as a means of exchange, so prisoners turned to plastic pouches of mackerel. These were easily transferable around prison walls. Just like ideal money, the pouches of mackerel, plastic or can, were durable. They could be used for a long period without diminishing in value and quality. The pouches of mackerel cost about $ 1 at the commissary. Rather than, eat them, prisoners preferred to use them as money for trade. This means that their opportunity cost is low just like ideal money. Instead of eating them, prisoners derived a greater satisfaction in using them as a means, to trade for goods and services they needed much more. Their uniform value also made them as the preferred means of exchange in prison where ideal money was not available (McEachern, 2012). Money is characterized by almost non-existent fluctuation in value. The pouches of mackerel acted simil arly as their value remained uniform over a length of time. Similar to ideal money, the pouches of mackerel did not wear out quickly, were easy to carry and move around. They could be exchanged easily to support a range of prices and had uniform quality. There were few resources tied in creating the pouches and people were willing to accept them in believe that they would hold their  value.