Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Concept of examination malpractice Essay

Examination malpractice has been defined variously by many authors; some ten (10) definitions/views are presented here: (i) Chukwuemeka (1982) referred to examination malpractice as violation of examination rules and regulations by candidates. (ii) Aliyu (1996) looked at examination malpractice as any irregular behaviour related to the examination exhibited by candidates or any body charged with the conduct of examination in or outside the examination hall before, during and after the examination. (iii) Argungu (1997) defined examination malpractice as any irregularity which is premeditated and perpetrated by candidates or their agents with the intention of gaining undue advantage over others in an examination. (iv) Jega (2006) saw examination malpractice as any form of misbehaviour that leads to the alteration of or a tempering with the prescribed ways of conducting examination in any given system. (v) Examination Malpractice is a punishable offence which is committed during the process of normal and recognized examination (Saye, 2003 in Jega 2006). (vi) Olagungu; (1994) in Jega (2006), defined examination malpractice as the absence of the adherence to the rules and regulations guiding the conduct of examination. (vii) Any wrong doing, misconduct, dishonesty or improper practice for personal gains, or violation of set rules of conduct during examinations. (Jegede, 1996 in Jega, 2006). (viii) Any act of omission or commission which compromises the validity, reliability and integrity of any assessment or evaluation system (i.e. the violation of, or disregard for examination ethics (Obo, 2008). (ix) Obot (1997) defined examination malpractice as wrong (illegal/immoral) doing in terms of acts of commission or omission during the construction, custodianship, administration, marking and release of results of examination before, during or after such examinations. (x) Joshua (2008) synthesized many definitions of examination malpractice by defining the concept as any unauthorized or unapproved action, inaction, activity, behaviour or practice that is associated with the preparation, conduct and processing of examination and other forms of assessment, and carried out by any person  involved in preparing for, giving, taking and processing that examination at any level (p. I). From these various definitions presented, and many other ones in the literature, examination malpractice is noted as fraud within the school system, and does occur at all levels of education, right from nursery/primary, through secondary to tertiary levels of education in Nigeria. Infact, examination malpractice is a peculiar ‘corrupt practice’ within the educational system. This practice is thriving strongly in our system, irrespective of religious affiliations of the various stakeholders in the school system, thus making it a real â€Å"monster†. This concept is a real monster because the culture of hard work, academic excellence, honesty, decency are fast eroding the present generation of youths in different institutions of learning. This Monster, Examination Malpractice, tends to weaken the validity of any examination, and to make examination results worthless and unreliable. Actually Examination Malpractice produces â€Å"error scores† in examinations, where students earn marks/scores above/below their abilities, and the long terms effect is wrong placement in schools and employment of unskilled workers into various sectors of the economy. USE OF THEORY OF MEASUREMENT ERROR TO EXPLAIN THE MENACE OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE The harm perpetuated by EM can be properly understood using a popular Educational Measurement Equation, which is: X = T + E Where X = observed score (one given by examiner to any student in a given examination as representing the student’s ability) T = True score (one representing the actual or true ability of the student devoid of all mistakes/errors). E = Error score (one representing the errors/mistakes purposely or inadvertently introduced into the measurement process to either inflate or deplete the students’ score in a given examination) It is to be noted that the undeserved or strange score brought about by examination malpractice is embedded in error score (E). A cursory look at the equation shows that: i) The difference between X and T is the Error Score (E); ii) It is our noble desire that as much as possible, X is close to, if not equal to, T; iii) The smaller the value of E, the closer is X to  T (in fact, if E is zero, X = T). Conversely, the bigger the value of E (courtesy of EM), the farther is X from T. iv) If E is very large, T diminishes, and X approaches E. This implies that the higher the value of error score occasioned by examination malpractice, the more the school and public examination scores deviate or diminish from true abilities of those who make or own those scores. Those scores essentially but embarrassingly represent/reflect errors and intangibles, and everything else apart from the actual/true abilities of their owners. Little wonder then that some owners of high scores in our school/public examinations can hardly perform or exhibit behaviours that are consistent with the high scores; and how some school graduates can hardly perform to the expectation of the society/employers. That is the harm by EM. Implications of Examination Malpractices on Nigerian Youths This unfortunate development in our educational system represents a high sophistication to which examination malpractices had risen in recent times. Sadly too, some parents have been found to encourage the perpetuation of this ugly act by their children/wards either directly or indirectly. Not only has this contributed to the diminishing standard of our education, but it has also helped to cast aspersion on individual candidates’ certificates, which many often claimed, have not always been a true reflection of their academic standing. Due to this weak background, it is not surprising therefore that many candidates who secured admission into higher institutions with such results have been much of a disappointment. They simply could not leave up to their billings in all ramifications. Attendant frustration often result in sundry other malpractices in examinations to such an extent that they are sooner or later certified as academically unfit and marked for withdrawal on academic ground. Desperate ones among them would want to do all things possible to hang on. This often take them to all kinds of anti-social vices, prominent among which is cultism. The individual, which is the bedrock of the society, is by this token, being malformed and deformed for the future. There is no doubt therefore, that all kinds of examination malpractices stand condemnable by all the stakeholders in the education sector. This is for the simple fact that to compromise academic standards is one sure way to mortgage, if not the  present, certainly the future of a people. Our today, and whatever it stands for, represents the foundations of our tomorrow. Prevalence of examination malpractices, especially the mercenary syndrome, indicates the weak foundations upon which we are to build our tomorrow therefore. Yet, our credible and lasting tomorrow is already being endangered with this ever-increasing wave of academic frauds and immoral dispositions (Issa, 2003). Although many of such students end up with brilliant results, especially at external examinations, they often find it difficult to live up to those results after securing admission into institutions of higher learning. Their apparent inability to cope well in their studies, quite often, leads to frustration thereby encouraging their environment into cultism and other related social vices. The bulk of them end up badly in their academic pursuits while the remaining few who would have crookedly sailed through to the end become social misfits. For one, they are hardly good at their jobs even as the anti-social tendencies remain with them throughout life. Yet, human resources have been considered the most vital of all resources needed for both individual and societal developments. Incidentally, the education system represents the most veritable instrument with which human resources could be created and developed. It therefore goes without saying that the individual and society’s success in ensuring the laying of a good foundation for our tomorrow lies in our ability to rise above the challenges posed by this trend in examination malpractices and cultism. The Way Forward Hope is not lost yet once we are alive to the rescue mission. With respect to cultism, one cannot but agree with Odili (2004) on his 7-point agenda for a way forward, which are: 1 Moral Upbringing of Children. 2 Public Enlightenment Advocacy by the Media. 3 Re-orientation in our Tertiary Institutions and Better Funding. 4 Integrity Watch for Business, Community and Political Leaders. 5 Anti-cult Law 6 Law Enforcement 7 Job Creation and Good Governance Beyond enforcing the relevant laws on campuses, the government should step out to improved the university environment, which tends to be a fertile ground for breeding cultists. Given the uncongenial condition of the universities, bereft of teaching and learning materials, teachers’ incessant strikes, examination malpractices and school shut downs, students have found cult activities quite appealing. Their utmost goals of vain glory and supremacy are cheaply attainable through enlistment in cults. If universities are meant to impart knowledge and mould character, while their degrees and diplomas are awarded only to people found worthy in leaning and character, then any student identified as a cultist, murderer, or robber should be punished accordingly. They must not be allowed to remain hit-squads and agent of destruction of lives and property. Only the full weight of the law can warn them that cultism is evil, and pays no dividends. As for the case of examination malpractices, there would be the need to change our orientation and value system, which seemed to emphasize the erroneous at all cost and by all means belief, which are not only negative but also counter-productive. It is high time we begin to have a sound realization of the fact that it is not only by having a degree that one can succeed or excel in life. It is much more beyond that, because there are still a score of people who, in spite of not having a degree, actually succeeded and excelled in their chosen careers. The point must also be made that it is far better to be a self-reliant, successful artisan than an unemployed, jobless and street-roaming degree holder. If we succeed in this orientation bid, hopes are that majority of those that would remain will be those who interested in pursuing serious active studies would match the requirement and demands of a standard educational system. Finally, students must be made to understand and appreciate hard work, dedication and commitment to studies. This is where the teachers and the entire school authority need to be highly responsible and responsive. Students must be treated and dealt so as to encourage others to even better performance thereby looking up to them as source of inspirations. At that point in time, when the majority would have come to appreciate hard work, examination malpractices in general, the mercenary syndrome as well as cultism, would have been relegated to the status of an abnormality, as against the prestigious status they currently enjoy. REFERENCES Aje S.A. (2001) Problems of Cultism in Nigerian School, Ilorin. Afri – Focus Investment Daily Champion, Nigeria (2004) â€Å"Alarming Rise in Cultism†. An Editorial Opinion in Daily Champion, Nigeria. August 30th (Available at: http://championnewspapers.com/) Edeki, E. (2004) â€Å"Personal View: Curbing Cultism in our Educational System†. Vanguard on line Edition January 05. (Available at: http:www.Vanguardonline.com/) Fafunwa A.B. (1974) History of Education in Nigeria London: George Allen. P. 20. The Guardian Newspaper (2005) â€Å"Editorial on the Upsurge in Cultist Activities† March 16 (Available at: http://www/.guardiansnewspapernigeria.com/) Issa, A.O. (2003) ‘Examination Mercenary Syndrome and the Future of Nigerian Educational System’. A Speech Delivered at the First Book Fair â€Å"FEDPOFFA 2003†. Organized by FEDPOFFA Consult (1981) Federal Ministry of Education: Lagos. Rev.ed. P.45.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Starbucks Case Study

Starbucks in 2004: Driving for Global Dominance Strategic Management STRA 703 Assignment Prepared by: Sherif Hendi (M1100758) Presented to: Dr. Gamal Shehata Questions Q. NO. 1 What are the key elements of Starbucks strategy as of 2004? (What is the store concept, the customer offerings and differentiators? The expansion strategy? The financial strategy? The personnel management and social responsibilities? Conduct a five forces analysis? ) Q. No. 02 What was the original strategic vision and objectives and how did they evolve? What is your opinion of Starbucks’ mission statement? What grade would you give Howard Schultz for his job as the CEO Starbucks and why? Q. No. 3 What is your assessment of Starbucks financial performance during years 1998-2003? (Growth rates, profitability, control of major cost categories, financing, ROE, and P/E ratio? ) Q. No. 04 What were the key issues faced by Starbucks in 2004? Q. No. 05 What recommendations would you make to Howard Schultz to sustain the company growth and support strong financial performance in the years ahead? Q. NO. 1 What are the key elements of Starbucks strategy as of 2004? ANS: Key Elements of Starbucks’ Strategy Starbucks adopted a lot of innovative strategies throughout its journey from 1971 to 2004. These strategies in brief are as follows:- * The restaurant/store concept * The offering of Innovative product line * Differentiation from competition * National and international expansion * Distribution channels (Pepsi partnership/online store/Dreyer partnership) * Efficient Financial management (Centralized Information Systems) * Capitalizing on enhancing the people element * Engaging in social responsibility programs (CARE). Competitive Advantages or Differentiators Their differentiating elements are as follows:- They were the pioneers to introduce espresso bar idea in USA * Mail order sales * Word of mouth marketing * Employee motivation strategies to attain improved employee commitment * Convenient distribution channels * Introducing chemical free cultivation process. Q. No. 02 What grade would you give Howard Schultz for the job he has done as CEO of Starbucks? Be prepared to support you r answer based on how well (or not so well) he has performed the five tasks of strategic management discussed in Chapter 2. ANS: Howard Shultz gets a grade of 95% in his Strategic Management approach. In my opinion Howard Shultz just didn’t do perfect in the area of marketing as he did not spend adequate budgets on advertising and product innovation. Last but not the least is that he did not attempt to study the environment properly while entering into new geographical areas e. g. he opened a store down street in Chicago which was not a good idea due to cold weather conditions. Other than that, he made a great task of performing all the five tasks of Strategic Management Q. No. 3 What was Howard Schultz’s original strategic vision for Starbucks? Is his present strategic vision for Starbucks different from the one he had in the 1980s? How many times has his strategic vision changed? Is his present strategic vision likely to undergo further evolution? ANS: Howard Shultz original Strategic Vision â€Å"To establish Starbucks as the most recognized and respected brand in the world. † Strategic Objectives * They wanted to have 15,000 stores by the year-end 2005. * They aimed to provide a great work environment and treat each other with respect and dignity. * They believed in taking on diversity as an essential component in the way they do business. * To apply the highest standards of excellence to the purchasing, roasting and fresh delivery of coffee. To develop loyal and satisfied customers all of the time. * To contribute positively to their communities and environment, and recognize that profitability is essential to future success of business. How did they evolve? At the earlier stages they promised themselves that they will not leave even a single stone unturned to make Starbucks the most recognized and re spected brand in the world. Therefore, they thought that this could only be possible if they will develop these strategic objectives because these are basis to earn the respect and fame for any business. Q. No. 3 What is your assessment of Starbucks financial performance during years 1998-2003? (Growth rates, profitability, control of major cost categories, financing, ROE, and P/E ratio? ) Growth Rate| Years| 1998| 1999| 2000| 2001| 2002| 2003| Growth rate| 0| 0. 2889| 0. 29095| 0. 2164| 0. 2415| 0. 2391| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Profitability| Years| 1998| 1999| 2000| 2001| 2002| 2003| Operating profit margin | 8. 34| 9. 29| 9. 4| 10. 57| 9. 6183| 10. 42| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ROE| Years| 1998| 1999| 2000| 2001| 2002| 2003| Return on equity| 8. 6| 1. 58| 8. 23| 13. 1| 18. 35| 12| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Price Per Earning Share| Years| 1998| 1999| 2000| 2001| 2002| 2003| Price Per Earning Share| 0. 19| 0. 27| 0. 24| 0. 46| 0. 54| 0. 67| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Control of Major Cost Categories In this portion we have analyzed that how Starbucks controlled its fixed cost. If we talk about the locations, it was very expensive to purchase land and then develop it as a store, so to overcome this problem Starbucks started leasing the land for long term periods. In our opinion, it was a quit impressive move to cut down its fixed cost. Secondly they observed that to get the license was too costly for them, so they made contracts with the partners who had license with them. Financing For the financing, Starbucks instead of taking loans preferred raising the equity. It was a better idea to generate capital because they did not have to pay any short term and long term interests against the borrowings. Q. No. 04 What were the key issues faced by Starbucks in 2004? Every company faces major challenges, even companies that are as successful as Starbucks. Although they have an outstanding reputation, have won many awards like top sustainable retail store award and most ethical company award etc, and even give back to their community, they are still facing challenges like any other company. Following are the most obvious challenges that Starbucks is dealing with:- * Schultz was overflowing with the ideas for the company, early on he noticed that first-time customers sometimes felt uneasy in the stores because of their lack of knowledge about fine coffees and because store employees sometimes came across as a little arrogant or superior to coffee beginner. Howard Schultz when came back from Italy shared his ideas for modifying the format of Starbucks’ store with Baldwin and Gordon Bowker. But instead of winning approval for trying out some of his ideas, Schultz encountered strong resistance but after a year Schultz succeeded in winning the approval from Baldwin and Bowker. * After sometime Baldwin and Bowker again went against th e ideas of Schultz so he became so frustrated and left Starbucks in late 1985 to open his own separate Espresso Bars in high-traffic down town locations. Schultz acquired Starbucks in 1987 and after the 20 months of acquiring, some employees felt unappreciated that there was a feeling of prior management had abandoned them. So, Schultz decided to make building a new relationship of mutual respect between employees and management. * Starbucks lost its money when it expanded market to Chicago because in Chicago that was the first downtown store opened on to the street rather than into the lobby of the building where it was located; in the winter months, customers were hesitant to go out in the wind and cold to acquire a cup of coffee. It was expensive to supply fresh coffee to the Chicago stores from Seattle warehouse. * The challenge to Starbucks, in Schultz view, was how to attract, motivate, and reward store employees in a manner that would make Starbucks a company that people would want to work for and that would generate enthusiastic commitment and higher level of customer service. * A values and principles â€Å"crisis† arose at Starbucks in 1989 when customers starting requesting nonfat milk in making Cappuccinos and lattes (an espresso coffee with frothy steamed milk) So, Starbucks started selling both fat milk and nonfat milk Cappuccinos and lattes. They were facing the issue of Wi-Fi (wireless internet service) in 2002, the number of accesses was in the millions by T-Mobile; internal research showed that the average connection last approximately 45 minutes So, in October 2003, Starbucks announced that they will expand Wi-Fi capability to additional locations and would have 2700 stores equipped wit h wireless Internet access by year end. * They were also facing challenges from their competitors. In 2003 there were an estimated 14000 specialty coffee outlets in the United States but they were not competent enough to exert pressure at Starbucks. Q. No. 05 What recommendations would you make to Howard Schultz to sustain the company growth and support strong financial performance in the years ahead? Recommendations After analyzing the whole case study, we became able to give few suggestions to Howard Schultz which can be handy to sustain the growth and support strong financial performance in the forthcoming years:- * He should spend more budgets on advertisement of products. He should bring innovations in his products because we saw in this case study that he was inspired by espresso bars so he imitated the whole theme of Italian espresso bars and the idea of dark roasted bean was an older one as well. * Before entering to any new geographical region he should study the market environment of that particular region as we saw that at Chicago there was an issue of cold weather and his store was at down-town-street. Furthermore, the labor rates and rents of building were higher as well. * At the stores Starbucks’ technique to teach customers about how to make coffee was not a good idea ecause it does not support their business model. Therefore, it should be avoided in future. Above elaborated things were having details about the strategies of Starbucks which drove it for the Global dominance till 2004. Starbucks is in fact the recognized and respected brand in the world and if it can overcome the shortcomings which we identified then nobody can create bother for it to be successful and there will be no point left as a mistake on its part. Reference www. starbucks. com Case Study â€Å"Starbucks in 2004: Driving for Global Dominance† written by Arthur A. Thompson, Amit J. Shah and Thomas F. Hawk. Starbucks Case Study Conner A Intro to Business 3/26/2013 Case Study Consumer Behavior in the Coffee Industry Did you know one franchise alone dominated an entire payment-processing market in just one year? You might have heard of this giant company by the name Starbucks. Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, had a significant role in the company’s growth. Starbucks has steadily dominated the coffee market and has even extended to being a 3rd home for many of its consumers. Based in Seattle, Starbucks had significant competition when it opened its first store in the Pike Place market in Seattle, yet still managed to become superior.Starbucks used new advertising tactics and presented a unique experience for its customers, all of which was a game changer in the business world. Starbucks was created when three friends opened a small store to sell coffee beans and roast in 1971[1]. Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowler and Zev Siegl opened their store in the heart of the unique open air market in downtown Seattle . Located just off the harbor, Pike place market was the optimal location and attracted many residents and tourists.After ten years of incredible growth, Jerry Baldwin hired Howard Schultz as head of management. When Schultz first started, he slowly learned the coffee industry and helped made subtle but significant changes. For example, Schultz noticed that â€Å"first-time customers sometimes felt uneasy in the stores†[2] so he developed â€Å"customer-friendly sales skills and produced brochures that made it easy for customers to learn about fine coffees†2 Schultz had the vision of making Starbucks a coffee lounge versus a bar after being inspired by eastern traditions.Even though he did not agree with the new direction, Baldwin allowed Schultz to open one espresso bar and in 2 years, Schultz was able to buy out Baldwin and equity owners with the help of investors in 19921. Howard Schultz initially saw the power of consumer behavior early on when he realized Starbuck s began to be a social gathering mecca for people instead of just an espresso stand. When Schultz first noticed the ‘seismic change in consumer behavior,’ he adopted a free-Wi-Fi service and mobile payment service and noticed that Starbucks began to attract people as if it was a third home for coffee enthusiasts.Although he jokes about not getting rent from consumers, it allowed Starbucks to create an online-experience in their ‘3rd home’ which was unique to the coffee scene in the United States. With scheduled deliveries and privatized ad networking, Starbucks was maximizing its profits and allowing an experience for coffee enthusiasts that did not make them feel locked-into paying. This shift in consumer behavior was in response to the cultural need for a place between home and work. As social beings, humans thrive for an excuse to hang out and socialize or participate in a community environment.This amazing experience that Starbucks supplied needed to be fine-tuned like any business plan. Like any business, Starbucks had challenges, such as their management of spending. In an interview entitled Business Brilliant, Schultz said that too much was focused on the customer instead of the infrastructure. To improve this, Schultz developed a unique experience in the store with the paired pastry-drinks and released free Wi-Fi for customers. In addition to free-Wi-Fi, mobile payments allowed consumers to avoid lines and continue their private work in the confines of the lounge.Soon Starbucks was thriving and announced that â€Å"the opening of 150 new stores in five years significantly exceeded the 1987 business plan’s objective of 125†[3]. Like every company, Starbucks faced unique issues in their business which slowed down growth initially which in effect slowed down growth in the long run. Schultz attributed the biggest hold-back in the long run to not investing in the supply chain, technology or manufacturing. Although Sta rbucks was marketing their franchise extremely well, they did not invest ahead of the growth curve and the infrastructures became under-par.In the Business Brilliant, Schultz candidly admitted that Starbucks â€Å"solely accelerated growth of the company. † Moreover, Schultz said the issue was that Starbucks â€Å"needed competency well beyond the size of the company and needed the kind of capability they didn’t have. † Since their infrastructure’s efficiency in the short run was hindered by technological limitations coupled with access to capital, the entire store chains needed to be shut down. Schultz defined the event as a need to redesign their image and retrain their employees.Starbucks was losing grip on the customers and their loyalty because the experience of Starbucks was losing its unique features. All of these internal and external issues that Starbucks was facing were all connected with values and company image according to Schultz. Schultz wa s so specific with the Starbucks experience that when he smelt burning cheese in a store he decided to ask the workers and they told him â€Å"So what, profits are up! † Soon after this, Schultz decided to close down and retrain all stores and employees. He sent out a press release admitting that Starbucks was misrepresenting itself.Although no one had accused or criticized Starbuck’s prior to his declaration, it was a bold move which negatively impacted the financial strength of the Company. However, the action proved loyal to the consumer and enhanced brand loyalty for Starbuck-addicts. This root issue of misrepresentation in the Starbuck’s experience and the company vision was so significant to Schultz that he needed rework his company from the ground up. This road block of ‘conserving the core businesses’ and ‘pushing for relevant innovation’ made Schultz tweak and adjust the Starbucks experience constantly but effectively.While Sch ultz attributes the root issue for Starbucks to be company image and adapting core values, could it be possible that the vision and image were not correctly portrayed because of unwise funding? Schultz does admit the funding issues contributed to the core issue of misrepresentation of company image and values, but he does not see the two issues in separate environments. Schultz assigns the core issue to misrepresentation and the surface symptoms to be funding. However, more funding or a different funding plan with more focus in infrastructure would have changed the outcome.The core issue was funding and the symptoms of the core issues were misrepresentation because of resource allocation. While their short term fixed costs of infrastructure and labor were solved, their reserved and recurring allocation towards the upgrades of their infrastructure lacked significantly. If properly funded before and seen ahead of the curve, their growth could have been anticipated. This is evident thr ough the need to shut down and retrain employees. It’s clear that the total fixed and variable costs exceeded their revenue initially.Like all companies, there was a start-up curve but when the curve was dealt with, resource allocation was not the focus. The best plan of action ideally would start with addressing resource allocation. Starbucks was able to stay in business and have great growth so it’s clear the management was able to properly allocate their average variable costs and fixed costs for the most part. Nevertheless, it would have been best if the costs were optimized and revenue was set aside for changes in infrastructure. Funding should have been directed at things which would have produced stability in the long run.This would have lowered their total costs and properly funded their infrastructures for the long run and short run. Schultz should have looked at the management immediately after buying out the company and properly hired people with skills that would be able to guide Starbucks through significant growth. Investment in infrastructure to avoid long-term costs would have saved Starbucks from funding issues at later times. In addition to optimizing their infrastructure for the long run, Starbucks needed to invest more in manufacturing and supply chain for the success in the long run.For example, Starbucks should have initially allocated more funding towards small upgrades in their infrastructure such as ovens versus microwaves to avoid unpleasant scents in the customer’s experience. This also connects to Schultz’s emphasis on hiring employees and affiliates based on similar values. If the decision to hire those employees would have initially been more focused on similar values in addition to management skills, the variable costs to upgrade the infrastructure in the long run would have been lower because the management would have been more motivated to deal with the issue before the CEO had to see the symptoms.Fi nally, the management of Starbucks needed to choose their employee’s more wisely from the start. If Schultz would have chosen his employee’s based on the similarity of their values and the company vision, little issues such as smell in the customer’s experience would have been dealt with more efficiently. This connects to optimizing their infrastructure but focuses on the employees instead of the technology. It’s important to treat both with separate solutions because Schultz reminded us that the employees can only work with the assets they are provided with.This small change in the focus of the start-up of the company could benefit the image of Starbucks very efficiently and in a cost-productive way. Schultz jokes about not getting rent from Starbucks admirers yet he also notes that the potential to plug into the social media of the internet and create the environment was more beneficial than the issue of customers hanging out inside the store. The evolv ing Starbucks experience caused consumers to have incredible brand loyalty over alternatives such as Pete’s Coffee and Tea and Tullies.Yet the quick and agile response of technology was exactly what Starbucks needed to put it ahead of the ‘growth curve’ in social media while its competitors struggled behind. Schultz’s solutions were effective in the short run but he still realized his long run potential was limited by resource allocation. The problem with Starbucks and consumers was not the shift in demand for coffee consumers but it was resource allocation and initial planning. Howard Schultz’s plan of action was headed in the right direction apart from the minor mix-up between the surface symptoms and the core issue.In addition to new work practices, Schultz integrated new management and had to let go many of the people he knew were limited to the knowledge of the short-term. This new resource allocation towards what Schultz called ‘the back side’ of the company, allowed the company to finally resolve its funding and allocation issues. The new plan of action consisted of hiring new employees and investing in infrastructure to anticipate growth and new forms of technology; the poor management habits of the past from would not hinder Starbucks in the future.Similar to my suggested plan of action, Schultz’s initiative consisted of new employee’s, new technology and investing in the short term. If Schultz’s would have put more funding towards infrastructure to bring stability in the long run, he would have been able to manage the shift in consumer behavior and maintain profit without the need to close down the stores for retraining. The issue for Starbucks is not losing customers but how to accurately represent the company’s values. Moreover, if the employees were chosen correctly and the infrastructure was properly optimized, Schultz plan would have worked perfectly.All in all, every comp any in any industry is going to face challenges and have limited resources to meet them in an efficient manner. Howard Schultz used the resources he had to best manage Starbucks and handled the big issues he had efficiently and creatively. The future of Starbucks all depends on its management and commitment to adhering to the company vision and values. After experiencing the 2000-2008 period, one can see that the values will inevitably shift with changes in management. 4] The future of Starbucks is highly dependent on how long Howard Schultz continues to be an active part of the company and in shaping its vision. If affiliates and employees are chosen intelligently and have values matched properly with the company’s mission, Starbucks’s vision should be passed down effectively through each generation of new management. Nevertheless, the rise and fall of competitors in a market is inevitable and time will tell if Starbucks will eventually be surpassed by a competitor. S tarbucks will be a primary educational focus for many business programs.It is one of the best managed franchises in history and will remain one of the most successful for a long period of time. Like any business, Schultz received criticism for extreme responses yet these responses excelled the growth of the company. Much like my suggestions, Schultz acted quickly and made extreme changes which were crucial to repairing the infrastructure. Unlike most companies, Starbucks’s major focus is promoting the company image and values instead of putting profits first. Works Cited I. Schiff, Lewis. â€Å"Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz Coming to NYC. Inc. com. INC, 18 Mar. 2011. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. II. â€Å"Starbucks Corporation History. † History of Starbucks Corporation – FundingUniverse. Funding Universe, n. d. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. III. McGraw Hill. â€Å"Starbucks Corporation. † Starbucks Case Study. MHHE. com, n. d. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. ———†”———– [1] Funding Universe, Starbucks Corporate History [2] McGraw Hill, Starbucks Case Study, Starbucks Corporate History [3] McGraw Hill, Starbucks Case Study, Starbucks Corporate History [4] Funding Universe, Starbucks Corporation History Starbucks Case Study Starbucks in 2004: Driving for Global Dominance Strategic Management STRA 703 Assignment Prepared by: Sherif Hendi (M1100758) Presented to: Dr. Gamal Shehata Questions Q. NO. 1 What are the key elements of Starbucks strategy as of 2004? (What is the store concept, the customer offerings and differentiators? The expansion strategy? The financial strategy? The personnel management and social responsibilities? Conduct a five forces analysis? ) Q. No. 02 What was the original strategic vision and objectives and how did they evolve? What is your opinion of Starbucks’ mission statement? What grade would you give Howard Schultz for his job as the CEO Starbucks and why? Q. No. 3 What is your assessment of Starbucks financial performance during years 1998-2003? (Growth rates, profitability, control of major cost categories, financing, ROE, and P/E ratio? ) Q. No. 04 What were the key issues faced by Starbucks in 2004? Q. No. 05 What recommendations would you make to Howard Schultz to sustain the company growth and support strong financial performance in the years ahead? Q. NO. 1 What are the key elements of Starbucks strategy as of 2004? ANS: Key Elements of Starbucks’ Strategy Starbucks adopted a lot of innovative strategies throughout its journey from 1971 to 2004. These strategies in brief are as follows:- * The restaurant/store concept * The offering of Innovative product line * Differentiation from competition * National and international expansion * Distribution channels (Pepsi partnership/online store/Dreyer partnership) * Efficient Financial management (Centralized Information Systems) * Capitalizing on enhancing the people element * Engaging in social responsibility programs (CARE). Competitive Advantages or Differentiators Their differentiating elements are as follows:- They were the pioneers to introduce espresso bar idea in USA * Mail order sales * Word of mouth marketing * Employee motivation strategies to attain improved employee commitment * Convenient distribution channels * Introducing chemical free cultivation process. Q. No. 02 What grade would you give Howard Schultz for the job he has done as CEO of Starbucks? Be prepared to support you r answer based on how well (or not so well) he has performed the five tasks of strategic management discussed in Chapter 2. ANS: Howard Shultz gets a grade of 95% in his Strategic Management approach. In my opinion Howard Shultz just didn’t do perfect in the area of marketing as he did not spend adequate budgets on advertising and product innovation. Last but not the least is that he did not attempt to study the environment properly while entering into new geographical areas e. g. he opened a store down street in Chicago which was not a good idea due to cold weather conditions. Other than that, he made a great task of performing all the five tasks of Strategic Management Q. No. 3 What was Howard Schultz’s original strategic vision for Starbucks? Is his present strategic vision for Starbucks different from the one he had in the 1980s? How many times has his strategic vision changed? Is his present strategic vision likely to undergo further evolution? ANS: Howard Shultz original Strategic Vision â€Å"To establish Starbucks as the most recognized and respected brand in the world. † Strategic Objectives * They wanted to have 15,000 stores by the year-end 2005. * They aimed to provide a great work environment and treat each other with respect and dignity. * They believed in taking on diversity as an essential component in the way they do business. * To apply the highest standards of excellence to the purchasing, roasting and fresh delivery of coffee. To develop loyal and satisfied customers all of the time. * To contribute positively to their communities and environment, and recognize that profitability is essential to future success of business. How did they evolve? At the earlier stages they promised themselves that they will not leave even a single stone unturned to make Starbucks the most recognized and re spected brand in the world. Therefore, they thought that this could only be possible if they will develop these strategic objectives because these are basis to earn the respect and fame for any business. Q. No. 3 What is your assessment of Starbucks financial performance during years 1998-2003? (Growth rates, profitability, control of major cost categories, financing, ROE, and P/E ratio? ) Growth Rate| Years| 1998| 1999| 2000| 2001| 2002| 2003| Growth rate| 0| 0. 2889| 0. 29095| 0. 2164| 0. 2415| 0. 2391| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Profitability| Years| 1998| 1999| 2000| 2001| 2002| 2003| Operating profit margin | 8. 34| 9. 29| 9. 4| 10. 57| 9. 6183| 10. 42| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ROE| Years| 1998| 1999| 2000| 2001| 2002| 2003| Return on equity| 8. 6| 1. 58| 8. 23| 13. 1| 18. 35| 12| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Price Per Earning Share| Years| 1998| 1999| 2000| 2001| 2002| 2003| Price Per Earning Share| 0. 19| 0. 27| 0. 24| 0. 46| 0. 54| 0. 67| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Control of Major Cost Categories In this portion we have analyzed that how Starbucks controlled its fixed cost. If we talk about the locations, it was very expensive to purchase land and then develop it as a store, so to overcome this problem Starbucks started leasing the land for long term periods. In our opinion, it was a quit impressive move to cut down its fixed cost. Secondly they observed that to get the license was too costly for them, so they made contracts with the partners who had license with them. Financing For the financing, Starbucks instead of taking loans preferred raising the equity. It was a better idea to generate capital because they did not have to pay any short term and long term interests against the borrowings. Q. No. 04 What were the key issues faced by Starbucks in 2004? Every company faces major challenges, even companies that are as successful as Starbucks. Although they have an outstanding reputation, have won many awards like top sustainable retail store award and most ethical company award etc, and even give back to their community, they are still facing challenges like any other company. Following are the most obvious challenges that Starbucks is dealing with:- * Schultz was overflowing with the ideas for the company, early on he noticed that first-time customers sometimes felt uneasy in the stores because of their lack of knowledge about fine coffees and because store employees sometimes came across as a little arrogant or superior to coffee beginner. Howard Schultz when came back from Italy shared his ideas for modifying the format of Starbucks’ store with Baldwin and Gordon Bowker. But instead of winning approval for trying out some of his ideas, Schultz encountered strong resistance but after a year Schultz succeeded in winning the approval from Baldwin and Bowker. * After sometime Baldwin and Bowker again went against th e ideas of Schultz so he became so frustrated and left Starbucks in late 1985 to open his own separate Espresso Bars in high-traffic down town locations. Schultz acquired Starbucks in 1987 and after the 20 months of acquiring, some employees felt unappreciated that there was a feeling of prior management had abandoned them. So, Schultz decided to make building a new relationship of mutual respect between employees and management. * Starbucks lost its money when it expanded market to Chicago because in Chicago that was the first downtown store opened on to the street rather than into the lobby of the building where it was located; in the winter months, customers were hesitant to go out in the wind and cold to acquire a cup of coffee. It was expensive to supply fresh coffee to the Chicago stores from Seattle warehouse. * The challenge to Starbucks, in Schultz view, was how to attract, motivate, and reward store employees in a manner that would make Starbucks a company that people would want to work for and that would generate enthusiastic commitment and higher level of customer service. * A values and principles â€Å"crisis† arose at Starbucks in 1989 when customers starting requesting nonfat milk in making Cappuccinos and lattes (an espresso coffee with frothy steamed milk) So, Starbucks started selling both fat milk and nonfat milk Cappuccinos and lattes. They were facing the issue of Wi-Fi (wireless internet service) in 2002, the number of accesses was in the millions by T-Mobile; internal research showed that the average connection last approximately 45 minutes So, in October 2003, Starbucks announced that they will expand Wi-Fi capability to additional locations and would have 2700 stores equipped wit h wireless Internet access by year end. * They were also facing challenges from their competitors. In 2003 there were an estimated 14000 specialty coffee outlets in the United States but they were not competent enough to exert pressure at Starbucks. Q. No. 05 What recommendations would you make to Howard Schultz to sustain the company growth and support strong financial performance in the years ahead? Recommendations After analyzing the whole case study, we became able to give few suggestions to Howard Schultz which can be handy to sustain the growth and support strong financial performance in the forthcoming years:- * He should spend more budgets on advertisement of products. He should bring innovations in his products because we saw in this case study that he was inspired by espresso bars so he imitated the whole theme of Italian espresso bars and the idea of dark roasted bean was an older one as well. * Before entering to any new geographical region he should study the market environment of that particular region as we saw that at Chicago there was an issue of cold weather and his store was at down-town-street. Furthermore, the labor rates and rents of building were higher as well. * At the stores Starbucks’ technique to teach customers about how to make coffee was not a good idea ecause it does not support their business model. Therefore, it should be avoided in future. Above elaborated things were having details about the strategies of Starbucks which drove it for the Global dominance till 2004. Starbucks is in fact the recognized and respected brand in the world and if it can overcome the shortcomings which we identified then nobody can create bother for it to be successful and there will be no point left as a mistake on its part. Reference www. starbucks. com Case Study â€Å"Starbucks in 2004: Driving for Global Dominance† written by Arthur A. Thompson, Amit J. Shah and Thomas F. Hawk. Starbucks Case Study Conner A Intro to Business 3/26/2013 Case Study Consumer Behavior in the Coffee Industry Did you know one franchise alone dominated an entire payment-processing market in just one year? You might have heard of this giant company by the name Starbucks. Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, had a significant role in the company’s growth. Starbucks has steadily dominated the coffee market and has even extended to being a 3rd home for many of its consumers. Based in Seattle, Starbucks had significant competition when it opened its first store in the Pike Place market in Seattle, yet still managed to become superior.Starbucks used new advertising tactics and presented a unique experience for its customers, all of which was a game changer in the business world. Starbucks was created when three friends opened a small store to sell coffee beans and roast in 1971[1]. Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowler and Zev Siegl opened their store in the heart of the unique open air market in downtown Seattle . Located just off the harbor, Pike place market was the optimal location and attracted many residents and tourists.After ten years of incredible growth, Jerry Baldwin hired Howard Schultz as head of management. When Schultz first started, he slowly learned the coffee industry and helped made subtle but significant changes. For example, Schultz noticed that â€Å"first-time customers sometimes felt uneasy in the stores†[2] so he developed â€Å"customer-friendly sales skills and produced brochures that made it easy for customers to learn about fine coffees†2 Schultz had the vision of making Starbucks a coffee lounge versus a bar after being inspired by eastern traditions.Even though he did not agree with the new direction, Baldwin allowed Schultz to open one espresso bar and in 2 years, Schultz was able to buy out Baldwin and equity owners with the help of investors in 19921. Howard Schultz initially saw the power of consumer behavior early on when he realized Starbuck s began to be a social gathering mecca for people instead of just an espresso stand. When Schultz first noticed the ‘seismic change in consumer behavior,’ he adopted a free-Wi-Fi service and mobile payment service and noticed that Starbucks began to attract people as if it was a third home for coffee enthusiasts.Although he jokes about not getting rent from consumers, it allowed Starbucks to create an online-experience in their ‘3rd home’ which was unique to the coffee scene in the United States. With scheduled deliveries and privatized ad networking, Starbucks was maximizing its profits and allowing an experience for coffee enthusiasts that did not make them feel locked-into paying. This shift in consumer behavior was in response to the cultural need for a place between home and work. As social beings, humans thrive for an excuse to hang out and socialize or participate in a community environment.This amazing experience that Starbucks supplied needed to be fine-tuned like any business plan. Like any business, Starbucks had challenges, such as their management of spending. In an interview entitled Business Brilliant, Schultz said that too much was focused on the customer instead of the infrastructure. To improve this, Schultz developed a unique experience in the store with the paired pastry-drinks and released free Wi-Fi for customers. In addition to free-Wi-Fi, mobile payments allowed consumers to avoid lines and continue their private work in the confines of the lounge.Soon Starbucks was thriving and announced that â€Å"the opening of 150 new stores in five years significantly exceeded the 1987 business plan’s objective of 125†[3]. Like every company, Starbucks faced unique issues in their business which slowed down growth initially which in effect slowed down growth in the long run. Schultz attributed the biggest hold-back in the long run to not investing in the supply chain, technology or manufacturing. Although Sta rbucks was marketing their franchise extremely well, they did not invest ahead of the growth curve and the infrastructures became under-par.In the Business Brilliant, Schultz candidly admitted that Starbucks â€Å"solely accelerated growth of the company. † Moreover, Schultz said the issue was that Starbucks â€Å"needed competency well beyond the size of the company and needed the kind of capability they didn’t have. † Since their infrastructure’s efficiency in the short run was hindered by technological limitations coupled with access to capital, the entire store chains needed to be shut down. Schultz defined the event as a need to redesign their image and retrain their employees.Starbucks was losing grip on the customers and their loyalty because the experience of Starbucks was losing its unique features. All of these internal and external issues that Starbucks was facing were all connected with values and company image according to Schultz. Schultz wa s so specific with the Starbucks experience that when he smelt burning cheese in a store he decided to ask the workers and they told him â€Å"So what, profits are up! † Soon after this, Schultz decided to close down and retrain all stores and employees. He sent out a press release admitting that Starbucks was misrepresenting itself.Although no one had accused or criticized Starbuck’s prior to his declaration, it was a bold move which negatively impacted the financial strength of the Company. However, the action proved loyal to the consumer and enhanced brand loyalty for Starbuck-addicts. This root issue of misrepresentation in the Starbuck’s experience and the company vision was so significant to Schultz that he needed rework his company from the ground up. This road block of ‘conserving the core businesses’ and ‘pushing for relevant innovation’ made Schultz tweak and adjust the Starbucks experience constantly but effectively.While Sch ultz attributes the root issue for Starbucks to be company image and adapting core values, could it be possible that the vision and image were not correctly portrayed because of unwise funding? Schultz does admit the funding issues contributed to the core issue of misrepresentation of company image and values, but he does not see the two issues in separate environments. Schultz assigns the core issue to misrepresentation and the surface symptoms to be funding. However, more funding or a different funding plan with more focus in infrastructure would have changed the outcome.The core issue was funding and the symptoms of the core issues were misrepresentation because of resource allocation. While their short term fixed costs of infrastructure and labor were solved, their reserved and recurring allocation towards the upgrades of their infrastructure lacked significantly. If properly funded before and seen ahead of the curve, their growth could have been anticipated. This is evident thr ough the need to shut down and retrain employees. It’s clear that the total fixed and variable costs exceeded their revenue initially.Like all companies, there was a start-up curve but when the curve was dealt with, resource allocation was not the focus. The best plan of action ideally would start with addressing resource allocation. Starbucks was able to stay in business and have great growth so it’s clear the management was able to properly allocate their average variable costs and fixed costs for the most part. Nevertheless, it would have been best if the costs were optimized and revenue was set aside for changes in infrastructure. Funding should have been directed at things which would have produced stability in the long run.This would have lowered their total costs and properly funded their infrastructures for the long run and short run. Schultz should have looked at the management immediately after buying out the company and properly hired people with skills that would be able to guide Starbucks through significant growth. Investment in infrastructure to avoid long-term costs would have saved Starbucks from funding issues at later times. In addition to optimizing their infrastructure for the long run, Starbucks needed to invest more in manufacturing and supply chain for the success in the long run.For example, Starbucks should have initially allocated more funding towards small upgrades in their infrastructure such as ovens versus microwaves to avoid unpleasant scents in the customer’s experience. This also connects to Schultz’s emphasis on hiring employees and affiliates based on similar values. If the decision to hire those employees would have initially been more focused on similar values in addition to management skills, the variable costs to upgrade the infrastructure in the long run would have been lower because the management would have been more motivated to deal with the issue before the CEO had to see the symptoms.Fi nally, the management of Starbucks needed to choose their employee’s more wisely from the start. If Schultz would have chosen his employee’s based on the similarity of their values and the company vision, little issues such as smell in the customer’s experience would have been dealt with more efficiently. This connects to optimizing their infrastructure but focuses on the employees instead of the technology. It’s important to treat both with separate solutions because Schultz reminded us that the employees can only work with the assets they are provided with.This small change in the focus of the start-up of the company could benefit the image of Starbucks very efficiently and in a cost-productive way. Schultz jokes about not getting rent from Starbucks admirers yet he also notes that the potential to plug into the social media of the internet and create the environment was more beneficial than the issue of customers hanging out inside the store. The evolv ing Starbucks experience caused consumers to have incredible brand loyalty over alternatives such as Pete’s Coffee and Tea and Tullies.Yet the quick and agile response of technology was exactly what Starbucks needed to put it ahead of the ‘growth curve’ in social media while its competitors struggled behind. Schultz’s solutions were effective in the short run but he still realized his long run potential was limited by resource allocation. The problem with Starbucks and consumers was not the shift in demand for coffee consumers but it was resource allocation and initial planning. Howard Schultz’s plan of action was headed in the right direction apart from the minor mix-up between the surface symptoms and the core issue.In addition to new work practices, Schultz integrated new management and had to let go many of the people he knew were limited to the knowledge of the short-term. This new resource allocation towards what Schultz called ‘the back side’ of the company, allowed the company to finally resolve its funding and allocation issues. The new plan of action consisted of hiring new employees and investing in infrastructure to anticipate growth and new forms of technology; the poor management habits of the past from would not hinder Starbucks in the future.Similar to my suggested plan of action, Schultz’s initiative consisted of new employee’s, new technology and investing in the short term. If Schultz’s would have put more funding towards infrastructure to bring stability in the long run, he would have been able to manage the shift in consumer behavior and maintain profit without the need to close down the stores for retraining. The issue for Starbucks is not losing customers but how to accurately represent the company’s values. Moreover, if the employees were chosen correctly and the infrastructure was properly optimized, Schultz plan would have worked perfectly.All in all, every comp any in any industry is going to face challenges and have limited resources to meet them in an efficient manner. Howard Schultz used the resources he had to best manage Starbucks and handled the big issues he had efficiently and creatively. The future of Starbucks all depends on its management and commitment to adhering to the company vision and values. After experiencing the 2000-2008 period, one can see that the values will inevitably shift with changes in management. 4] The future of Starbucks is highly dependent on how long Howard Schultz continues to be an active part of the company and in shaping its vision. If affiliates and employees are chosen intelligently and have values matched properly with the company’s mission, Starbucks’s vision should be passed down effectively through each generation of new management. Nevertheless, the rise and fall of competitors in a market is inevitable and time will tell if Starbucks will eventually be surpassed by a competitor. S tarbucks will be a primary educational focus for many business programs.It is one of the best managed franchises in history and will remain one of the most successful for a long period of time. Like any business, Schultz received criticism for extreme responses yet these responses excelled the growth of the company. Much like my suggestions, Schultz acted quickly and made extreme changes which were crucial to repairing the infrastructure. Unlike most companies, Starbucks’s major focus is promoting the company image and values instead of putting profits first. Works Cited I. Schiff, Lewis. â€Å"Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz Coming to NYC. Inc. com. INC, 18 Mar. 2011. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. II. â€Å"Starbucks Corporation History. † History of Starbucks Corporation – FundingUniverse. Funding Universe, n. d. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. III. McGraw Hill. â€Å"Starbucks Corporation. † Starbucks Case Study. MHHE. com, n. d. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. ———†”———– [1] Funding Universe, Starbucks Corporate History [2] McGraw Hill, Starbucks Case Study, Starbucks Corporate History [3] McGraw Hill, Starbucks Case Study, Starbucks Corporate History [4] Funding Universe, Starbucks Corporation History

Monday, July 29, 2019

Masculinity and the Cold War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Masculinity and the Cold War - Essay Example While the possibility still remains valid today, the menace appeared more eminent within the 60's, as a result of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki incidents, as well as the novelty of the technology. The cold war can actually be compared to a chauvinist conflict, whereupon both nations involved tried to use their supposed technological supremacy as a tool to undermine the influence of other nation. This notion is quite obvious in Stanley Kubrick's movie "Dr Strangelove: or How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb", as well in the text authored by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Joseph Rotblat, "A war-free world". Though the cold war no longer exists but the situation in Iran, Iraq and the role of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has again compelled this world to think of a very different approach towards nuclear deterrence. Mohamed ElBaradei, the eminent scientist who is heading IAEA while giving a lecture at Stanford, called for a new commitment from the peace loving world to go for nuclear disarmament rather than nuclear deterrence. Such relationship is quite obvious in "Dr. Strangelove".

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Role of Financialization in the Financial Crisis Assignment

Role of Financialization in the Financial Crisis - Assignment Example The severe turbulence that followed the financial crisis of 2007-2010 has raised concerns regarding the level at which the global financial system is ready to face critical failures. Moreover, the question of whether the financialization process, which has been promoted worldwide more than a decade, has been related to the above crisis has not been avoided. In fact, there are many indications that the specific process had a major role in the financial crisis of 2007-2010. Its potential involvement in a new crisis of such kind cannot be rejected. The current paper examines the role of the financialization process in the banking crisis of 2007-2010. Moreover, the potential relationship of the pursuit of shareholder value and the ‘new economy boom’ with the process of financialization is also explored. The examination of the literature published on the specific field has led to the assumption that the relationship between the above-mentioned events and frameworks is strong. At the next level, another issue is also discussed: the level at which investor behavior can influence corporate strategy and performance. It is proved that the involvement of shareholder value in corporate strategy and performance can be significantly influencing the corporate decisions on critical issues, as for example the strategies that the firm will follow for facing the expansion of financialization, as a global economic trend. Financialization, as a sociological and economic trend, is not a recent phenomenon. In fact, in accordance with Orhangazi (2008), three phases can be identified in the development of financialization: the first one represents the pre-1980 period during which financialization was based on a ‘long waves approach’ (Arrighi 1994 in Orhangazi 2008, p.41). In the years that followed in 1980, the financialization was related to the concept of neoliberalism (Orhangazi 2008). Recently, financialization has been related to the global financial mark ets (Orhangazi 2008). The view of Lucarelli (2011) that â€Å"financialization is related to the capitalism’ (Lucarelli, 2011, p.111) seems to be the most effective description of financialization, as a trend influencing the performance of the global financial system. On the other hand, Krippner (2011) refers to financialization as the ‘growing importance of financial activities as a source of profits in the economy’ (Krippner 2011, p.27). 2.2 The relationship between financialization, the banking crisis, the pursuit of shareholder value and the ‘new economy’ boom. As noted above, the financialization focused on the use of financial activities as the main source of profit. At the next level, financialization is an economic trend accepted and promoted globally, which means that it can affect the global financial system. The role of the financialization in the structure and the development of financial transactions worldwide has been revealed through the banking crisis of 2007-2010 (Foster, 2007). It was because of that crisis that the role of financialization for financial systems internationally has been set under consideration (United Nations, 2009). Financialization should be considered as a key cause of the appearance and the expansion of the 2007-2010 crisis, because of the following reasons: a) in the context of financialization the accumulation of profit worldwide has been related to financial activities; the exchange of money in its various forms has become a key method for achieving profit. In this way, the traditional method for gaining money, the work as physical activity has lost its value.

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Childbirth Education Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Childbirth Education Assignment - Essay Example You can locate a childbirth class by calling your local hospital or birthing center, and by going to www.lamaze.org   2. Talk to at least one woman in the class (in person or by phone) about their perceptions of the class, and their feelings as the birth of their baby approaches. Talk to them after the birth of their baby, if possible, and have them share the story of their baby’s birth.   One of the most pinnacle points for a wife or for any female is giving child birth. Child birth is one of the most wonderful experiences that a female can ever experience in her life. Females tend to have different perceptions of child birth because of the prevalent ambiguities that are present due to social and physical factors. Majority of the women understand that childbirth is excruciating and painful. However, many women often feel that it symbolizes their womanhood and their strength. For most women, the attitudes towards childbirth seem to be a scary matter. One woman in the class discussed her fears as she stated, â€Å"Childbirth always scared me. To make matters worse, the whole idea of getting an epidural really scared me. I mean, the fact that a huge needle will be injected in my spine was really daunting. However, it was good to understand that it would have facilitated my childbirth and I was determined to use it only if I needed it. I also have bad feeling that I might have to undergo C-section. When it came to actually delivering the baby, I did not have time to take the epidural. However, the childbirth itself was painful.† Consequently, another female had a different opinion as she stated, â€Å"I had a very easy labor. The pain was bearable and I delivered without any complication. I was induced to take an epidural because everyone said it was going to be awful. I really wanted an unmedicated birth but I felt that I needed to take precautions with my first birth.† 3. Explore www.lamaze.org and find the content for pregnant women. Si gn up for the week-by-week pregnancy emails and follow the Giving Birth with confidence blog. Compare what you are learning in class and observing in clinical with the content of on the website.   One of the most intriguing things that parents have to adapt is to a whole new lifestyle with a newborn. In essence, most parents have to be organized and be prepared for emergency. Moreover, most parents are unaware of the hygienic conditions that are associated with newborns. One of the key elements that adults take tend to engage in is being overprotective about their newborn. In essence, they are too quick to play â€Å"doctor† and diagnose with their baby with a mild cough. These aspects are related to the nurturing elements that are associated with parents. Another element that was associated with Giving Birth blog was the perceptions that were discussed in class and constraints that were linked to post conception. Undoubtedly it is vital that a woman will continue to have m ore children and her experiences with her previous childbirths shape her perceptions of reality. It is evident that most health educators take the issue of post birth very seriously and engrave these concepts in the minds of their students. Another element that was heavily discussed in class that was also prevalent in the blogs was the emotional mindset of the young mother about her physique. Post birth, many women tend to feel

Strengths and weaknesses of Wal-Mart's entry strategy into Mexico Coursework - 1

Strengths and weaknesses of Wal-Mart's entry strategy into Mexico - Coursework Example This is the reason why Wal-Mart decided to move south of the United States to Mexico. When one understands how this move came about, the strengths and weaknesses are easily distinguished. The strengths that can be accounted here included the already known name of Wal-Mart which spoke volumes about the kind of trust and confidence that the American consumers had in this retail giant. Also the everyday low pricing mechanism, and the highly efficient operations with state of the art logistics spoke at length of how Wal-Mart had made its name as a benchmark within the American retail spheres. This was the era of early 1990s when Wal-Mart had made a decision to explore the Mexican market. It teamed up with one of the already established retailers – Cifra, so that assistance could come in handy for both the chains. They decided to launch supercenters which would sell groceries and general merchandise. Wal-Mart had a win-win situation because it was entering into a completely new mar ket and its operations within the United States had taught it that diverse customers can be served well, if there was a proper hierarchy within tasks and when operations were handled amicably. Thus the strengths for Wal-Mart depended a great deal on how it entered into the Mexican markets and created a name for itself all over again. Even though it was renowned in the United States, the slow down in the home country meant that Wal-Mart had to come up with something different and new. This could have only taken place with entrance within a new zone, yet being attached with the United States in one way or the other. Mexico is a neighboring nation of the United States and hence there were fewer risks involved for Wal-Mart because the region was more or less the same. With these strengths, came the weaknesses as well. Wal-Mart did not quite study the Mexican shopping habits and since it had already teamed up with Cifra, it knew little about the shopping trends revolving around the Mexic ans. This was an important aspect related with Wal-Mart as it needed to find out more about them to begin with. The Mexicans preferred to buy fresh produce from local stores which included items like meat, tortillas and pan duice. This was an important understanding that must have been worked upon well by Wal-Mart before it decided to land within the Mexican market. Yet somehow there was a missing link present here. Since the Mexicans did not quite have large refrigerators at home, this meant that they bought on a regular basis. It actually asked them to come back again and purchase fresh produce. Also many Mexicans did not have cars which essentially meant that they could not shop much in one go. They would come back and buy small chunks though (Anand, 2009:171). This implied for fewer volumes of purchases on their part which defied the concept of large retail chains which were introduced by Wal-Mart in the first place. Hence the weaknesses were quite of a stringent nature as far a s Wal-Mart was concerned. These needed to be worked upon at to produce sound results. What this fundamentally meant was the fact that Wal-Mart was losing ground within Mexico and since it was a new market, anything to this effect was not at all appreciated by the head quarters. Wal-Mart knew that its strengths and weaknesses

Friday, July 26, 2019

The History of The American Theater to Date Essay

The History of The American Theater to Date - Essay Example According to Morris (3), the doctor’s â€Å"unconventional taste was condoned by many of his patients because of his professional skill.† His companion had recently â€Å"given cause for scandal,† launching what Morris calls â€Å"a stormy controversy† in the New York and Boston newspapers. Public resentment rose against this man, Edmund Kean, the most famous of English actors whose successful American tour ended, abruptly, in disaster. Still, amidst the struggles and fight, Kean was successful in having the first monument dedicated to an actor’s honor erected. The monument reads: Erected to the Memory of George Frederick Cooke by Edund Kean of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane 1821 â€Å"Three kingdoms claim his birth, Both hemispheres pronounce his worth.† In spite of the growing number of theatrical productions, the northern states continued to harbor much opposition over the theater. In 1794, the first Boston theater opened. It was equipped with a separate entrance to the gallery, of which theater opponents of the playhouse argued that in affording a special door to this portion of the house meant the theater was offering â€Å"the resort of the vile of both sexes† (Morris). In spite of public opposition, the theater continued to grow. In fact, â€Å"little theaters† began to pop up all around. Dion Boucicault wrote The Octoroon (1861-1862) –a lurid tale of race, slavery, and crime- in a time when penning such literature was popular and risquà ©. Even so, Boucicault’s work became as infamous as the works of Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller.

Thursday, July 25, 2019

BUS599 - Integrative Project, Mod 2 Case Assignment Essay

BUS599 - Integrative Project, Mod 2 Case Assignment - Essay Example Organization development (OD) strategies aim to improve organizational ability to diagnose and assess its effectiveness to provide appropriate remedy or interventions to problems and issues (Tichy, Hornstein, & Nisberg, 1977). These utilized open systems which optimized a transparent explication of the inputs, throughputs, and outputs of the organization’s feedback loop. This is hoped to motivate organizational members to participate in change processes (Burke, Coruzzi, & Church in Kraut, 1996; French & Bell, 1995; Harrison, 1987). Organizational development involved some models (Howard and Associates, 1994) that could facilitate the enhancement of deepening the understanding of organizational organization; of categorizing organizational data; interpret these data to generate meanings; and to develop common organizational language. It can also identify vital variables of the organization and depict its relations and impacts. This is an empirical method of evaluation. It also u ses comprehensive kind of analyses. The latter cover: 1. Force Field Analysis (1951)- This is developed by Kurt Lewin developed this model of analysis. It is perceived as relatively simple and can be creatively visualized because it can depict the driving and retraining forces of an organization (Leadership Sphere, 2012). These driving forces encompass environmental factors and change management while the restraining forces may include limited resources and demotivated human resources that could bar organizational sustainability and development (Leadership Sphere, 2012). When these hindering and driving forces are identified, the organization can proceed to formulate recommendations to solve the problems and regain organizational balance. This model aims to bring about the state of equilibrium of driving forces to eliminate the restraining factors (Leadership Sphere, 2012). 2. Leavitt’s Model (1965) – This refers to authority systems, communication systems, and work fl ow within the organization. This includes the use of technology (or machinery), tasks, and subtasks that are embed in organization’s product and services (Leadership Sphere, 2012). This will also include the human resources designated to perform roles and tasks to attain organizational goals (Leadership Sphere, 2012). These variables are dynamic, interrelated, and interdependent. Any changes in each of the variable will impact to the other variables in a chained effect. Sometimes, the change in variables may produce compensatory or retaliatory change in the other variables. However, this model does not address the concerns on external environment that may affect the variables of the organization (Leadership Sphere, 2012). 3. Likert System Analysis (1967) – This fundamentally addresses the concern on organizational motivation, communication, interaction, decision-making, goal-setting, control, and performance (Likert, 1967). While there is no illustration to depict this is as an analytical tool but this can be addressed by enhancing or using recommended systems of organizational management. This encourage democratization of decision-makings, participation, consultation, exercise of benevolent leadership and transformational leadership (Leadership Sphere, 2012). The framework originally has no standard scale: â€Å"strongly agree,† â€Å"agree,† â€Å"neither agree nor disagree,† â€Å"disagree,† and â€Å"strongly disagree.† It used to have a customized scale labels for each question raised

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Basilica di santa maria del fiore Research Paper

Basilica di santa maria del fiore - Research Paper Example The cathedral complex is composed of the basilica, the baptistery and Giotto’s Campanile. The basilica was regarded as Italy’s largest church and the dome is deemed as the world’s largest brick dome ever constructed. Although the church still serves as a whole, history of its construction is still ambiguous. Plan and structure, dome, facade, and gothic elements are the main points that hold the crucial evidences of medieval architecture. Thesis To analyze the development of urbanism, Christianity, and power in the Early Modern Florence City after the crumbling of the Roman Empire in the sixth century, leading to the construction of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. Bibliography Florence: The Biography of City. Hibbert, Christopher. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc., 1993. This book will help me with in-depth insight into the transition of Florence as symbol of wealth and power among other the Tuscan communities in the medieval era. The Gothic Cathederal C hristopher Wilson April 1, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0500276811 | ISBN-13: 978-0500276815 | Edition: 2nd Revised This book will allow me to study the gothic elements in the church and, if necessary, compare it to other significant churches. A Presentation Drawing for the Facade of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence Mary L. ... New York: William Morrow, c2002. xv, 269 p., [8] p. of plates : ill. ; 24 cm. Achieving great success by engineering the biggest brick dome in the entire world, Brunelleschi is considered as a pivotal architect who has changed and challenged the art world ever since. This evidence will help be praise Brunelleschi with his magnificent work. Arnolfo's S. Maria del Fiore: A Working Hypothesis Franklin Toker Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 42, No. 2 (May, 1983), pp. 101-120 I will be using this source despite its focus on the engineering part of architecture, because Toker is a major scholar of this building. Trachtenberg, Marvin. Dominion of the Eye: Urbanism, Art, and Power in Early Modern Florence, Cambridge, 1997. I will use this book because it focuses on the urban transformation of Florence in the 14th century which is a hypothetical subject of this paper. Introduction Since the emergence of architectural designs practices long before Santa Maria del Fiore was constructed, the design and construction of buildings, has always relied on the ability of an architect to graphically visualize and present their ideas using a variety of different media. Architects formulate and refine spatial, artistic, and functional concepts through drawings, sketches, and models, whereby they rely on their personal artistic skills and preferences to accomplish this (Myers 7). Around the period when the Duomo was constructed, new architectural advances were being invented as is true of the advanced structure and interior design of the building. This advancement in arts and architecture was to revolutionize the world of architecture (Hibbert 66). Brunelleschi’s work in Santa Maria del Fiore liberated architecture from the technological and aesthetic

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Petroleum paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Petroleum paper - Essay Example It is believed that the heat converted the remains of the animals and sea-plants trapped on the seabed to petroleum. When refined, petroleum separates into various fractions of useful hydrocarbons. Thus, petroleum is not beneficial in the raw form. The economic resource category of the petroleum is the land. The common petroleum products and derivatives, which average American family uses and interacts with include shoe polish, nail polish, lipstick, toothpaste, antiseptics, shampoos, mineral spirits, dyes, insecticides, and crayons. The products and derivatives satisfy the needs of the American families in many ways. Toothpaste is a petroleum derivative, and every American uses the product on a daily basis. Americans use the toothpaste to clean their teeth. In effect, the toothpaste protects the teeth against cavities, yellowing, as well as accumulation of tartar. It removes the bacteria that tend to grow on teeth and cause gum disease and cavities. Shoe polish comprises of turpentine, naphtha, and dyes. The product is used to polish, as well as shine leather shoes. Shoe polish protects, maintains, restores, and improves the appearance of the footwear. Every American use shoe polish daily. Nail polish contains petroleum constituents such as adhesive polymers, plasticizers, and pigments. People use the polish to decorate their nails. The nail polish is a key product in the cosmetic industry, and average American uses it. The scientific name for clove is Cinnamomum verum. The product has antiseptic, as well as analgesic effects. Clove cleans open wounds and surfaces of objects such as toilets. Thus, the Americans use clove as a therapeutic agent against deadly microorganisms. The main uses of shampoo entail removal of dirt, oils, dandruff, skin particles, and contaminants that accumulate in the hair. In effect, shampoo protects the hair and makes it manageable. The product is useful in the cosmetic and beauty industry. Mineral spirit is a

Monday, July 22, 2019

Ensuring children and young people’s safety Essay Example for Free

Ensuring children and young people’s safety Essay Ensuring children and young people’s safety and welfare in the work setting is an essential part of safeguarding. While children are at school, practitioners act in ‘loco parentis’ while their parents are away. As part of their legal and professional obligations, practitioners hold positions of trust and a duty of care to the children in their school, and therefore should always act in their best interests and ensure their safety – the welfare of the child is paramount (Children Act 1989). The Children Act 2004 came in with the Every Child Matters (ECM) guidelines and greatly impacted the way schools look at the care and welfare of pupils. Children and young people should be helped to learn and thrive and be given the opportunity to achieve the five basic outcomes: be healthy; stay safe; enjoy and achieve; make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being. Children are vulnerable and depending on their age and level of development, do not see danger or recognise risks. They do not know when or how to look after themselves and need adults to protect them and ensure their safety, whilst encouraging their independence in an age appropriate manner. All organisations that employ staff or volunteers to work with children need to use a safer recruitment practice. In March 2005, following the Soham murders and the subsequent Bichard Inquiry, the DCSF – Department for Children, Schools and Families (previously the DES and the DoH) proposed that Recommendation 19 of the Bichard Inquiry should be carried out: ‘new arrangements should be introduced requiring those who wish to work with children, or vulnerable adults, to be registered. The register would confirm that there is no known reason why an individual should not work with these clients.’ As a result, the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 was passed, providing the legislative framework for the new Vetting and Barring scheme. This Act established the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) to make decisions about who should be allowed to work with children, the elderly and other vulnerable adults and to maintain lists of those who are barred. Under the Act, it is an offence for an employer to employ a barred person in a role with children. It is also an offence for a barred person to apply for  such a role. Employers must also advise the ISA if an individual harms a child whilst working for them. The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 merged the ISA with the CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) to form the DBS (Disclosure and Barring Services). It also differentiated between supervised and unsupervised activities. Schools should have policies and procedures for safer recruitment practice, which should be applied at every stage in the recruitment process, from advertising, references and pre-interview checks, to the selection of candidates, interviewing process and the offer of appointment. As part of the process, every adult wanting to work with children or vulnerable adults must have a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Services) check. There are three levels of DBS disclosure: -Basic disclosure: details relevant information about the individual, together with any convictions (spent or in force), cautions or warnings that the individual has received. -Enhanced disclosure: includes the same as the basic disclosure, plus any additional relevant information held by the police. -Enhanced disclosure with Barred List Check. Schools must also ensure that any adults (including cleaners and caretakers) or volunteers in the workplace do not have unsupervised access to children unless they have been DBS checked. Schools need to ensure that they provide children and young people with a happy safe environment to learn and develop, with trusted and supportive adults. Practitioners need to actively promote the well-being and welfare of every child. This includes providing a wide range of activities to promote development through play as well as formal learning. These activities should include age appropriate toys and games that meet the Toy (Safety) Regulations 1995 and are in a good state of repair. Practitioners should check for Kitemarks and CE markings. Kitemarks are symbols that show products have been tested and meet the British Standard Institute requirements. CE markings show that products meet European standards as set out by the European Community. Children also need to communicate and socialise with their peers, children from other age groups and other adults. They need to feel safe and secure in their environment so that they feel able to speak to adults about any concerns they may have, or to ask questions and seek help without fear of embarrassment. They need good role models who can help them extend their decision making skills and develop independence appropriate to their age and development level. Practitioners have a further responsibility to provide additional support to children who may have special educational needs. This may be through individual sessions within the school, liaison with external services such as educational psychologists or through the CAF (Common Assessment Framework) process. The CAF process was developed to gather and assess information in relation to a child’s needs in development, parenting and the family environment. It is a service that should be offered to children (and their families) whose additional needs are not being met through universal services within the school. Practitioners also need to protect any children who may be at risk of significant harm because of their home life and personal circumstances. There are a number of policies and procedures that should be in place in schools to ensure children and young people’s protection and safety: †¢Working in an open and transparent way – adults should make sure that another member of staff is always aware of where they are working, especially if they are alone in a room with a child, there should always be visual access or the door should remain open. †¢Duty of care – adults should always act in the best interests of the child and ensure their safety – the welfare of the child is paramount (Children Act 1989). †¢Whistleblowing staff should understand their responsibilities to raise concerns of malpractice. Staff will be deemed to be failing in their duty to safeguard children if they do not act. †¢Listening to children adults relationships with children should always be professional, caring and respectful. Children need to feel valued and listened to. †¢Power and positions of trust adults working with children hold positions of trust due to their access to the children in their care, and relationships between pupils and staff will  always have an unequal balance of power – these positions should never be abused. †¢Behaviour teachers should behave in such a way as to safeguard children’s well-being and maintain public trust in the teaching profession. †¢Physical contact staff should ensure that any contact with children is entirely professionally appropriate. †¢Off-site visits staff must take particular care to ensure that clear boundaries are maintained and full risk assessments must be carried out prior to a visit. †¢Recording of images – there must be age-appropriate consent from the person or their parents or carers. †¢Intimate personal care all children have a right to safety, privacy and dignity when intimate care is required. †¢Sharing concerns and information highly confidential information about children and their families should only ever be shared on a need to know basis, and anonymously wherever possible. †¢Security – school premises should be made secure with fencing, gates and locking doors with secure access codes to prevent unwelcome visitors and to stop children from leaving the premises unaccompanied. There should be clear locking and unlocking procedures and stringent rules for visitor access to the buildings. Contractors should be LA approved or selected using safe selection procedures and should have carried out appropriate risk assessments in advance. They should be given information to enable them to follow the school’s safety procedures. The three main areas that address the protection of children from harm in the work setting are: child protection; health and safety, and risk assessments. †¢Child protection. It is the responsibility of all adults in the setting to actively safeguard children and young people and to prevent abuse or neglect. The setting should detail how the policies and procedures should work on a daily basis and outline current legislation in this area (see Task A). The policy should describe the responsibilities of the setting as well as those of individuals. It should include a summary of the possible signs of abuse or neglect for staff to refer to (see Task D1). Staff are required to respond to any concerns in an appropriate and timely manner. There should be clear guidelines on how staff should proceed when there are concerns, or  allegations have been made, including the role of the designated CPO (Child Protection Officer) (see Task D2). Staff should also be made aware of the procedures if the allegation concerns another member of staff or the head teacher (see Section 2 below). The policy should detail external services that may be required, including names and telephone numbers etc. There should be specific guidance about how to behave if a child or young person makes an allegation of abuse. The policy should detail other procedures and policies that support staff responsibilities in this area, such as the behaviour and anti-bullying policies (see Task E) and the whistleblowing policy (see Section 3 below). †¢Health and Safety. Schools are legally required to have a Health and Safety policy to ensure that there is a plan for how health and safety is managed in the setting and that all staff are aware of all their responsibilities. This policy should be read and implemented by all staff and it should form part of the induction process for new members of staff. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 were designed to protect everyone at work. The employer in a school must take reasonable steps to ensure that staff and pupils are not exposed to risks to their health and safety. This applies to activities on or off school premises. The employer is required to carry out regular reviews of the school, its premises and activities. There should be a designated health and safety representative at every setting who is responsible for the reviews and any subsequent action. The reviews should involve regular walks around the school as well as safety checks on equipment. All electrical items should be checked annually by a qualified electrician. Fire extinguishers should also be checked annually. Staff should ensure that they use any safety equipment provided and store it safely. All materials and equipment used in schools should meet recognised safety standards. Practitioners should check for Kitemarks and CE markings. Kitemarks are symbols that show products have been tested and meet the British Standard Institute requirements. CE markings show that products meet European standards as set out by the European Community. The Workplace, (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 deal with physical conditions in the  workplace and require employers to meet minimum standards in relation to a wide range of issues, including: maintenance of buildings and equipment; lighting; provision of drinking water; temperature; ventilation; rest rooms; toilet facili ties; room dimensions and space; cleanliness; condition of floors and traffic routes. The School Premises (England) Regulations 2012 apply to all maintained schools in England, and came into effect in October 2012. This legislation works in conjunction with the Workplace Regulations, but applies specifically to school standards, which are often more stringent i.e. the provision of a medical room for pupils, or a lower maximum temperature for hand washing in children’s toilet facilities. To protect children and young people from harm on the premises, the school should consider the following: †¢Safety of the indoor and outdoor play equipment, including water and sand play. †¢Safety in the school kitchen, including the storage, preparation and cooking of food. †¢Fire safety, including maintaining clearly marked exit routes and doors. †¢Appropriately sized furniture and equipment for the children. †¢Safe storage of hazardous materials under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) 2002. †¢Appropriate adult-child ratios at all times. †¢First aid training for staff, with sufficient numbers of first aid trained staff on the premises at all times. †¢Safety in the dining hall, including hot food, spillages, choking risks etc. †¢Vigilance in challenging unidentified adults. †¢Procedures for cleaning up bodily fluids, vomit or faeces. †¢Internet safety. †¢Hand washing facilities and practices. †¢Adaptations where necessary for children with special needs or disabilities. †¢Safety of outdoor play areas, including access, space and floor surfacing. †¢Safe storage and supervision of medicines. †¢Implementation of procedures for children and staff with illnesses, i.e. remaining away from school for 48 hours after sickness or diarrhoea. †¢A  nominated person for asbestos and legionella competency. †¢Tidiness and safety of traffic routes around the premises. Off-site educational visits have additional issues that could affect children’s safety. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires full risk assessments to be carried out prior to a visit. Employers must assess the risks of activities, plan measures to control the risks and inform employees of the measures. Staff must follow school and Local Authority regulations, policies and guidance, which include: evidence of parental permission; emergency procedures; first aid kit and trained staff; appropriate clothing and equipment; qualified staff for activities; adult to children ratios; special educational or medical needs of the children; approval of volunteers (including DBS checks); age and competence of the pupils and transport arrangements. Health and Safety arrangements also require members of staff to keep colleagues/senior staff aware of their whereabouts and movements. †¢Risk assessments. It is a legal requirement for all employers to carry out risk assessments. Risk assessments are a formal examination of things that could cause harm to people. The Health and Safety Executive guidance sets out a simple Five Steps to Risk Assessment: Step 1: Look for the hazards and risks. A hazard is something that can cause harm. A risk is the likelihood of harm together with the consequences should it take place. Step 2: Decide who could be harmed and how. Step 3: It is necessary to differentiate between hazards and risks and then to prioritise them, dealing with the most serious risks first. Decide whether the existing precautions are sufficient. If not, decide what other precautions should be introduced and ensure that they are put in place. Step 4: Record your actions and findings. Step 5: Review the assessment at regular intervals, or if circumstances  change, and revise if necessary. Risk assessments should be used within the school setting e.g. for a new climbing frame or for outdoor water play, and also for off-site visits regardless of their duration. The head teacher is usually responsible for risk assessments and should sign and date them after they are completed. If existing precautions are not satisfactory, then activities may have to be restricted or stopped until changes are made. Changes may involve staff training or additional equipment. Risk assessments will also need to be carried out for individuals with special needs or disabilities and specialists may come to the school to carry them out. Other individuals may require a risk assessment in certain circumstances, i.e. a pupil on crutches or temporarily in a wheelchair. Ofsted inspectors would expect risk assessments to be available as part of their inspections. Risk assessments should form part of a school’s management processes and help to formalise working practices and arrangements. They are a valuable tool for identifying problems and potential problems, monitoring situations and ensuring precautions are taken to keep children and adults safe from harm.