Rice Industry in Burma during Colonialism Essay - 1

Rice Industry in Burma during Colonialism - Essay Example Private merchant companies served as the instrument of expansion – these were the English East-Indian company (1600) and the Dutch East-Indian company (1602), having gained monopolistic rights from their governments to have trade relations with Asian countries. By the middle of the 16th century, Portuguese have been almost pushed away from their Asian possessions, while the English and the Dutch became masters of the biggest territory of Southern and Eastern Asia. (Wilson) 'Asian countries have always been known as the main producers and exporters of rice and during the colonial era Burma became the main world center of cultivation and exporting rice.' (Frank, 2002, p. 261) At the beginning of the 19th century Burma attracted the English not only by its strategic location, but by its raw materials, and the abundance of rice and teak. After the second English – Burma war of 1852-53, the English gained the control on the Lower Burma, which was hardly populated at the time, and only 5% of the land, suitable for cultivation, was used for agriculture. This very region was going to become the new granary of the whole Burma, and thus, a big economic center. (Frank, 2002, p. 259)

7- eleven supply chian Essay Example for Free

7- eleven supply chian Essay Jim Keyes, the 4-year veteran CEO of 7-Eleven, is flying his Beechcraft A36 Bonanza. He is ascending to 10,000 feet, and despite the good weather he remains vigilantly focused on the instrument panel, and on the bright skies around him. â€Å"Flying is a great distraction,† he says. â€Å"You can’t think about anything else when you’re in the cockpit.† It is May 2004, and Keyes has a lot to think about. Since 2000, he has been leading a successful transformation of 7-Eleven, the global convenience store retailer with 5,784 stores operating across the United States and Canada and 19,501 international stores in 17 countries. (See Exhibit 1 for a biography of Keyes.) Focusing on what he calls â€Å"Retailer Initiative,† Keyes has overseen the transformation of the company’s distribution model, the steady redefinition of relationships with key suppliers, and the incorporation of technology and data-driven decisionmaking throughout the chain. Overall, he is pleased with the successes of his strategies. Earnings have been rising, up 15.6 percent during 2003.1 Same-store merchandise sales have increased for 29 consecutive quarters through the end of 2003. As a result, the company’s stock price grew from $9.14 in April 2002 to $16.91 two years later. (See Exhibits 2 to 5 for company financials and stock price history.) â€Å"We’ve had quite a rebirth of the company,† Keyes says, â€Å"but it’s been a slow, steady rebuilding of the company, basically reinventing ourselves.†3 Despite his many successes, Keyes continues to confront large challenges. He faces strong resistance from some of his largest suppliers to 7-Eleven’s evolving re-stocking and distribution systems. He also worries about people management issues: hiring and managing a workforce in the low-paid convenience store business; and working with franchisees to ensure implementation of key corporate initiatives. In addition, Keyes must manage the chain’s increasing international expansion and its efforts to reposition the 7-Eleven brand in the highly fragmented domestic convenience store industry. This case was prepared in May 2004 by Eleanor Broad (MBA ’05), Paul Kihn (MBA ’04) and Steven Schneider (MBA ’04) under the supervision of Professor Alan Kane as the basis for class discussion, rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a strategic situation. Copyright  © 2004 Columbia Business School. 1 Keyes levels off at his cruising altitude. Despite the clarity of the day, he feels some turbulence and wonders what corrective action he should take. Convenience Store Industry The convenience store industry represented approximately $290.6 billion in total sales in 2002, 62.4 percent of which were motor-fuels sales.4 The industry differentiates itself through convenience – of location and product offerings – and speed of service.5 Historically the industry has been highly fragmented and very competitive with low barriers to entry. Single store companies account for 60 percent of the 132,000 convenience stores across the U.S.6 There are also 100,000 combination convenience-store/gas stations owned by major oil companies which are run by a network of independent dealers and distributors. 7-Eleven, with 4 percent of the total U.S. market, remains the largest corporate entity in the convenience store industry.7 Most of 7-Eleven’s direct competitors are regional convenience store chains. Circle K has 2,000 stores in the South and Southwest, Casey’s General Stores operates 1,800 in the Midwest and The Pantry has 1,400 stores in the Southeast. Inefficient supply chains and â€Å"high-low pricing†8 also characterize the industry, according to Keyes. Stores need to stock very wide but shallow product assortments. For example, an individual store may keep only four bottles of ketchup on hand at any given time. Since 1999 the industry has been undergoing a structural transformation with consolidation occurring through acquisitions and a number of bankruptcies among the smaller regional chains. In December 2003, Circle K was sold to Canada’s largest convenience store chain, Couche Tard. In 2004 the Midwestern chain Hale Halsell, the parent company of Oklahoma based 115-store convenience retailer Git-n-Go, declared bankruptcy. In March 2004, Kansas-based Sav-A-Trip announced it was entering Chapter 11.9 Despite these changes, one-store companies continued to gain market share, up five percent from 2001 to 2002.10 Overall, the convenience store industry was facing increasing challenges. According to an industry report published in May 2003: The convenience store sector is poised for drastic change as players respond to depressed profit margins and intensified competition. Profitability and survival will depend on the ability of convenience store operators to offer value-added benefits to their convenience services, either by targeting the emotional needs of consumers or by adopting niche operating strategies.11 Company Background The 7-Eleven chain was born in 1927 as the Southland Ice Company in Dallas, Texas. From this single location it soon began operating convenience stores under the name Tote’m. In 1946, it changed its store names to 7-Eleven to reflect their new, extended hours of operation from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.12 The chain continued to expand rapidly, adding gas stations to its stores, opening locations across America and franchising overseas. (See Exhibits 6 to 7 for current domestic and international store locations.) In 1983, Southland acquired Citgo, an oil company, in an effort to pursue a vertically integrated strategy with ownership of its own dairy operations and distribution centers. Keyes, who began his career with the company at that time, recalls that the move backfired miserably. â€Å"We were great retailers but terrible refiners and dairy farmers,† he says. In 1987, stymied by debt, the company sold most of its non-retail businesses and its remaining 50 percent stake in Citgo. In 1988 management borrowed heavily to buy 100 percent of Southland’s stock in a leveraged buyout. However, in 1990, Southland defaulted on $1.8 billion in publicly traded debt and filed for bankruptcy protection. The company persuaded bondholders to restructure its debt and take 25 percent of its stock, clearing the way for the purchase of 63 percent of Southland in 1991 by IYG Holding, formed by Ito-Yokado (51 percent owner) and Seven-Eleven Japan (49 percent owner). From 1991 to 1993 sales declined as Southland closed stores, renovated others, and upgraded its merchandise. In early 2000 IYG raised its stake in 7-Eleven to nearly 73 percent. (See Exhibit 8 for 7-Eleven’s Board of Directors.) IYG currently owns or guarantees 80 percent of 7-Eleven’s outstanding debt. The company’s debt to total capital ratio is just above 91%. Also in 1999, the corporation changed its name from the Southland Corporation to 7-Eleven, Inc., in order to better reflect its primary business.13 In 2002 the company closed 133 under-performing stores and opened at 127 new locations in North America. At fiscal year end, 2003, domestic sales at 5,784 stores (2,457 of which also sell gasoline) was $10.8 billion ($3.4 billion in gasoline sales). (See Exhibits 9 and 10 for sales trends.) Interestingly, 7-Eleven’s percentage-of-sales ratios for merchandise (70 percent of sales) and gas (30% of sales) are the inverse of the convenience store industry’s as a whole. Worldwide, the company owned, franchised and licensed 25,796 stores that generated $36.5 billion in sales.14 (See Exhibit 11 for global store count growth.) Company structure There are three types of 7-Eleven stores: corporate, franchised and licensed. The company began franchising in 1964, signed its first United States area licensing agreement in 1968, and entered into its first international licensing agreement (with Mexico) in 1971. Corporate stores are owned and operated by the corporation, and run by store managers who are employees of 7-Eleven, Inc. About 2,480 of the 5,784 stores in the U.S. and Canada fall into this category. Franchises are run by independent contractors who enter into an agreement with 7-Eleven in order to operate one or more stores. 7-Eleven leases or owns the facilities and the store equipment, which are in turn leased by the franchisee. A typical franchisee pays a franchise fee averaging about $66,000, while the corporation retains ownership of the property, plant and equipment. 7-Eleven then requires an initial cash payment, averaging about $83,000 depending on the area, for the starting inventory and supplies.15 In some cases, the company will loan this amount to new franchisees. It is a franchise model, Keyes says, that provides â€Å"the best of both worlds†: the capital and support of the corporation, and the initiative and sweat-equity of individual entrepreneurs. Approximately 3,300 stores in the U.S. and Canada are franchised. 7-Eleven also enters into license agreements with partners, almost exclusively in foreign countries.16 A licensee is typically a retailing organization that owns or leases several 7-Eleven stores in areas where the company does not do business. In these cases, 7-Eleven does not own the PPE, and imposes a set of contractual obligations on the licensee to ensure consistency of signage, store design elements and store offerings. The licensee has access to brand equity and proprietary products. Specifically, 7-Eleven, Inc., grants the license to use the 7-Eleven trademarks, trade dress, and business information system. The company additionally provides ongoing business consulting services for a fee based on a percent of monthly gross sales and a commitment from the licensee to grow the 7-Eleven convenience store business in a specific geographic area on an exclusive basis for a set period of time. At the end of 2003, the company had 19,501 licensed stores operating internationally, an increase of approximately 1,400 locations over the prior year. In August 2003, Seven Eleven Japan, the largest international license holder, opened its 10,000th store. The New 7-Eleven Redefining Retailing In the Spring of 2003, speaking to the Retailing Leadership class at Columbia Business School, Keyes described the transformation in retailing he foresaw at 7-Eleven. â€Å"In the U.S., you say 7Eleven and people think sticky floors, surly salespeople and old product,† says Keyes. â€Å"In Japan where convenience stores sell sushi and pantyhose, 7-Eleven is known for service and for fresh, high quality product.† This vision of the potential for 7-Eleven stores in part drives Keyes’ ideas for change across the company. He continued: Twenty years ago when I was an MBA student at Columbia Business School there was no Retail class nor was Retail considered a worthy profession to go into – that is all changing. Retail is undergoing a massive transformation in the US right now. Retailers are seizing control of their own destiny. Keyes went on to explain how about 15 years ago Wal-Mart was the size of 7-Eleven. Wal-Mart has since grown to be the largest retailer in the world. â€Å"At 7-Eleven we are carrying out our own transformation,† said Keyes. â€Å"We have only just started.† Working with the Japanese owners and borrowing heavily from ideas generated by Seven Eleven Japan, Keyes has been leading a major cultural shift within the company, which he is calling the â€Å"Retailer Initiative.† At the heart of the initiative is 7-Eleven’s use of technology to empower the store operator (the person closest to the customer) to make key decisions. Keyes explains: Wal-Mart is very proud of their replenishment model. Its directly intended to take the thinking out of the store. Ours is exactly the opposite. Its intended to provide easy, funto-use and informative tools in the hands of store personnel. Its a fascinating use of technology. We become incredibly nimble. We can put a new product on the shelf, and by tomorrow we know how the customer is responding. Within a week, we can say with pretty good confidence whether it will be successful. We can tweak it or make it bigger or change the price. Its the heart of how we differentiate ourselves.17 With this fresh customer data in hand, 7-Eleven is working with suppliers to develop new private label products it knows its customers want. Overall, â€Å"Retailer Initiative† works to leverage the company’s scale, infrastructure and the entrepreneurial energy of its store-level operators. As Keyes wrote in the 2003 Annual Report: â€Å"[The store operators’] focus on item-by-item management – deleting slow-selling merchandise and introducing new items at every store, every day – allows 7-Eleven stores to satisfy their customers in ways that few retailers can match. In the simplest terms, we enjoy the power of a global retailer, but maintain the store-level focus of a single-store operator.†18 Retailing Leadership The New 7-Eleven stores while minimizing inventory and transportation costs. The company utilizes combined distribution centers (CDCs) that are strategically located near concentrations of 7-Eleven stores. In all, the company uses 23 CDCs across the United States that each can serve up to 700 stores. Driving time from the CDCs to the stores is usually no more than 90 minutes. Prior to the CDC approach, most vendors delivered directly to 7-Eleven stores at sporadic times, often no more than once per week. The cost of making more frequent stops could not be justified by single store sales. Further, 7-Eleven parking lots were frequently crowded with huge delivery trucks and more stops per week would only worsen this issue. As a result, each store needed to carry at least a week’s worth of inventory at any point in time. This drastically increased both inventory costs and storage space requirements while decreasing the freshness of the products offered to customers. 7-Eleven has the majority of its fresh products now delivered directly to the CDCs. By combining the demand of 200 stores, more frequent deliveries to the CDCs can easily be justified by the improved economics of the transportation costs. These CDCs, in turn, consolidate product from different vendors and combine them all on to one truck headed for each local 7Eleven. The company also runs their back-end supply chain very efficiently. 7-Eleven partners with third party logistics providers to run the CDCs. Each of these centers is approximately 20,000 square feet and ships 60,000 units per day—a very high number of orders given the size of the warehouses. Franchisees and corporate store managers make local vendor selection decisions. On average, store operators purchase 80 percent of their products from corporate recommended vendors using 7-Eleven’s internal systems. The remaining product can be purchased from suppliers outside of this network. By centralizing their buying for all of its stores, 7-Eleven is able to wield its purchasing power and negotiate better pricing, further contributing to their margins. Use of data and technology 7-Eleven takes a different approach to purchasing than traditional supply chain behemoths such as Wal-Mart. Rather than having a system decide what to order and taking the human element out of the process, 7-Eleven seeks to provide a set of tools for its local stores to make informed decisions on product ordering and assortments. The company effectively treats its local owners and operators as retailers. The corporation has developed a technology suite for its stores that helps local stores manage their purchasing. This system allows store managers to customize their product offering by ordering online and creating a suite of reports. Each local manager can track their total progress versus other 7-Eleven stores—which helps them determine if they are not taking appropriate steps to drive traffic (e.g. assortments, price points, etc.). Specific product reports are available to help managers determine their appropriate product mix and predict demand. Weather forecasts are provided as another tool to assist in the ordering process. The New 7-Eleven In addition, the huge amount of sales data and immediate response time help 7-Eleven make improved corporate decisions. The company is able to track trends at stores to understand how customers’ preferences are changing. Sales data helps the company understand the impact of opening up new stores and assists in location decisions. In addition, it allows the corporation to predict customer demand and helps in central purchasing decisions. Finally, this technology provides an immediate feedback loop for 7-Eleven on new products—within a matter of one or two days the fate of a new item becomes very clear. This information helps 7-Eleven drive key space in the store, innovate new products, and stay a step ahead of the competition. As Keyes points out, â€Å"Retailers are closer to customers than manufacturers,† even though the large suppliers traditionally drove the decisions on shelf space and location. Not all store owners and operators take advantage of this data and technology. Currently, the percent of product ordered through the online system by franchisees ranges from 100 percent to 20 percent. This raises the question of whether the right people are in place in 7-Eleven to make such localized decisions, and whether the company would be better served just ordering product for them. 7-Eleven is also faced with issues of brand consistency as a result: with different product assortments in each store, customers may be confused about what 7-Eleven stands for. Products Product innovation is another avenue through which Keyes is transforming the convenience retail industry. 7-Eleven tracks customers’ changing product purchasing habits and Keyes’ goal is to leverage this to create better quality products in the future. â€Å"We have the benefit of convenience, not price, being our main selling point. This gives us a lot of leeway to create higher quality, better products,† he says. 7-Eleven stores offer a wide range of products, from beer to beef jerky and cigarettes to cereal. The average store carries 3,000 SKU’s. About 70 percent of these are recommended by the head office and the remaining 30 percent are picked by local store managers to cater to specific local needs.19 For example, the 30 percent discretion allows a manager to stock up on beer if he knows that a local football game is playing, or to stock specific ethnic products if appropriate to a neighborhood. Merchandise mix Overall, tobacco products represent the largest selling product category at 7-Eleven, accounting for 29.3 percent of merchandise sales in 2003. (See Exhibit 12 for a breakdown of sales by product category.) Beverages represent 23.1 percent of sales, followed by beer/wine at 11.4 percent. Fresh foods account for 7.2 percent. Gasoline sales account for 31% percent of sales. The stores’ highest selling product is coffee – it sells thirty million cups a month.20 This is followed closely by beer (with sales of $64.58 million per month), the unit sales of which are The New 7-Eleven more than half single beers.21 The next highest selling product is the Slurpee, with over eleven million sold per month.22 Private label products 7-Eleven creates private label products to differentiate itself from the competition and boost its margins. The company’s most famous product, the flavored, crushed-ice beverage called Slurpee, was created in 1965. The company now sells 11.6 million Slurpees a month and introduces new flavors every year. Overall, the company creates 1,500 to 2,000 private label products each year, or 10-15 percent of its merchandise mix. Approximately 22 percent of its sales are proprietary products.23 If a product is not available in a conveniently sized package or is unknown in another country, 7-Eleven’s category managers will work with suppliers to create a new product. For example, in early 2004, 7-Eleven launched a low-carb category, primarily comprised of nutritional bars and snacks. It has also recently introduced the first mentholated gum in the U.S. after spotting the success of the product in Japan. (See Exhibit 13 for sample proprietary products.) Not all propriety products have been successful. In 2003, the chain launched its own proprietary imported beer brand, Santiago, brewed in El Salvador by an independent subsidiary of SAB Miller. Priced at $5.99 for a six-pack, a price roughly equivalent to Budweiser, Santiago suffered from oxidization and â€Å"taste† problems and is quietly being withdrawn after 10 months on the shelves. A reformulated version with improved taste and quality will be reintroduced later in the year.24 7-Eleven is also launching its first premium wine brand, Regions, in 2004. Packaged in 375-ml half bottles and finished with a natural cork stopper, Regions will retail for $4.99 compared to other wine selling in 7-Eleven stores at an average price of $6.25. Another new product 7-Eleven is launching is the EZ-D. Utilizing a new technology, this vacuum-packed DVD begins to oxidize upon exposure to the air. After 48 hours, it is no longer functional. As Keyes explains: We know we can sell DVDs. We know well never have the assortment of a Blockbuster, but if we can come up with a more unique way to sell movies, then we think theres an opportunity for us to be relevant. Were shooting for this to be priced like a rental with no returns at $5.99. Its a great example of how instead of waiting for the industry to catch up, we go to the manufacturer and say we need this.25 Services Currently, store sales from the Services category comprise 3 percent of overall sales. With new VCom Inc. terminals installed at 1,000 stores, the company provides financial services and Eretailing to in-store customers. The VCom units combine ATM capabilities with nonstandard features such as dispensing coins, cashing checks, and providing money orders. 7-Eleven also added E-retailing features allowing customers to buy products from retailers such as 1-800Flowers, eBags.com, and TopWebBuys.com. The goal is to have two kiosks in every store, Keyes says. Other services include 7-Eleven convenience cards – chargeable cards that work like cash – and pre-paid phone cards. As an extension to these phone cards, 7-Eleven started selling pre-paid Nokia wireless phones in April 2004. Customers will only be able to purchase additional minutes for these phones at 7-Eleven stores.26 Gasoline Tobacco Product categories which may be cause for concern in the future are gasoline and tobacco sales. From Dec. 2003 to March 2004 retail gasoline prices surged more than 25 cents per gallon from $1.48 to $1.73. The winners from this hike were oil refiner retailers such as Shell, BP, Exxon Mobile whilst the losers were convenience retailers, such as 7-Eleven. Such convenience retailers are required to pay refiners the higher fuel prices yet can not pass all of these increased fuel costs onto customers and thus sacrifice their gasoline margins. According to the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) gross retail gasoline profit margins plunged by more than 37 percent in the December, 2003-to-March, 2004 period, falling from 16.8 cents per gallon to just 10.6 cents per gallon nationally27. With 31% of 7-Eleven’s sales coming from gasoline, the volatility in gasoline prices over the last year highlights the risks of such dependence. While quarterly volatility is a risk with most commodity based products, 7-Eleven’s annual earnings stream from gasoline has been quite stable with gross profit margins of at least 13 cents per gallon in each of the past 10 years. Along with other convenience store retailers, 7-Eleven faces an increasingly tough regulatory environment surrounding the sale of tobacco, its best-selling product category. This environment includes a potential rise in the minimum age to purchase tobacco, an increase in â€Å"sin taxes† and growing health concerns. Ultimately, these issues could put downward pressure on tobacco sales and 7-Eleven’s margins. Distribution and supplier relationships 7-Eleven has forged strong relationships with its suppliers, though many challenges still remain for the corporation. These relationships are critical elements of 7-Eleven’s operational efficiency and strategy. Technology allows 7-Eleven to seamlessly integrate ordering and delivery scheduling. Key suppliers to 7-Eleven, however, have remained resistant to participating in the company’s evolving distribution system. These consumer packaged goods manufacturers have extensive 26 The New 7-Eleven distribution networks of their own to deliver goods and control in-store shelf space. By controlling in-store product placement, they are able to drive sales and get a solid advantage over the competition. They are reluctant to give up such an advantage. 7-Eleven has been changing this model. The company believes that they can increase their own profitability by consolidating shipments from a variety of suppliers in their warehouses, and distributing to their own stores based on in-store sales data. While many of the smaller manufacturers have conceded and switched to this CDC model, many of the larger suppliers are still fighting. Companies such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Budweiser have such a vested interest in their distribution networks that they have not yet been willing to transition. They do not want to relinquish control over floor and shelf space. Keyes, however, feels that they will eventually come around as a result of pressure from key players such as Wal-Mart and 7-Eleven. Further, this centralized distribution model – which is effectively breaking down the barrier to entry of 100-year-old distribution networks – is providing opportunities for new suppliers to enter the market. Customers Traditionally 7-Eleven’s core customer was a male, blue-collar worker purchasing coffee before work or beer at the end of the day. More recently, the 7-Eleven customer demographic has shifted as the products and services it offers have changed. Describing the relationship between demographic and product mix, Keyes explains: â€Å"7-Eleven’s gasoline island today is over 50 percent female because we were one of the first with self-service, pay-at-the-pump gas pumps and it was easier for moms.† The customer base has shifted from largely blue-collar male to a broader demographic mix, including more female customers. Keyes says of this shift: Inside, the store isn’t 60 percent blue-collar male anymore, but we don’t want to run off our core customer. We still sell a lot of beer and beef jerky, and we plan to continue. Our new approach is subtle. When you know that you can get a good, healthy, fresh sandwich then well get you, not by advertising and telling you what a great place we are. As with most retailers, the key is having the right assortments. This strategy involves selling a wider range of products than the traditional beer and beef jerky alongside pork rinds. Broadening the product mix encourages a demographic broadening of the customer base. People Management People management remains an ongoing challenge at 7-Eleven. â€Å"There are huge labor issues,† says Keyes.28 Specifically he points out: â€Å"The people represent the company.† 7-Eleven has 70,000 employees worldwide, 6,000 of whom are staffing stores on overnight shifts. Keyes 28 Jim Keyes, Columbia Class Video, February 6, 2002. 10 Retailing Leadership The New 7-Eleven worries about the customer service provided by these front-line employees, and by franchisees who operate as independent contractors. â€Å"You cannot execute Retailer Initiative without retailers,† says Keyes. To help its store managers, both franchisees and corporate employees, 7-Eleven began a 12-week certification program in 2002. By the end of 2003, almost one-third of its store operators had been certified. In addition, more than 2,700 store sales associates had completed a two-day training module on the essential elements of the Retailer Initiative strategy.29 Franchisees 7-Eleven remains active in managing and supporting its franchisees. Each franchisee undergoes an initial 6-week training program in operating and managing a 7-Eleven store, and is subsequently assigned a field consultant who provides on-going support during weekly visits. In addition, the company hosts an annual â€Å"7-Eleven University† during which franchisees and corporate-store managers are introduced to new products and company initiatives. Historically, the franchises have been more successful than corporate stores. â€Å"We think this is because they’ve got skin in the game,† says Keyes. Now, however, the franchises have begun to fall behind corporate stores. While all corporate initiatives are immediately implemented in corporate-run stores, franchisees are not required to use the new inventory system. As Keyes has moved to change the way 7-Eleven operates, the existing group of 3,300 franchisees are proving to be a â€Å"challenge.† â€Å"They t hink that we’re trying to force them to be employees, and we’re not,† he says. Specifically, franchisees have been unhappy with the gross profit â€Å"split† between themselves and the company. Under the existing franchise agreement, franchisees retain 48 percent of their gross profit margin, and give 52 percent to the corporation. In turn, the corporation has become unhappy with the rate at which existing franchisees have been converting to the Retailer Initiative and the new, company-wide SKU-picking system in particular. In order to address these concerns, 7-Eleven has recently offered a new franchise agreement. Under this new agreement, the gross profit split is now 50-50. Under the new agreement, franchisees must now repay the corporation for advertising expenditures, equivalent to between 0.5 and 1.5 percent of the franchisee’s gross profit. To address the company’s concerns, the new agreement phases in a further requirement for franchisees to order 85 percent of their SKUs from recommended vendors. The new agreement will affect the 34 percent of all franchisees whose agreements were up for renewal on December 31, 2003, along with all new franchise holders. The remaining franchisees will be eligible to sign the agreement starting in 2004. 29 7-Eleven, 2003 Annual Report. 11 Retailing Leadership The New 7-Eleven Diversity As a further effort to address 7-Eleven’s human resource issues, the company has attempted to re-brand its diversity as an asset. Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the company experienced antagonism directed at several of its front-line store employees who were thought to be of Middle-Eastern origin. The company responded to this crisis by attempting to define the diversity of its workforce as a strength. 7-Eleven produced and aired commercials that highlighted the immigrant origins of franchiseowners. In one commercial, a Thai franchisee is shown working hard to build her 7-Eleven franchise, followed by shots of her welcoming her two children to America in an airport waiting area after a long separation. Additionally, the company held its 75th birthday celebrations on Ellis Island in New York City, the former gateway to the U.S. for immigrants. â€Å"America was built by immigrants who came here to live the American Dream† says Keyes. â€Å"7-Eleven represents that opportunity to be your own boss.†30 Differentiation Continuing people management concerns also rest in part on the lack of training and on-going support for the hourly workers, particularly those that work in franchises where franchisees are responsible for the hiring and training of employees. According to the company, store-level employee turnover at over 100% is in line with industry norms, and 7-Eleven has seen two consecutive years of improvement.31 Keyes believes that 7-Eleven’s front-line employee issues can be resolved in part through differentiation. Just as 7-Eleven has to differentiate products, he says, it also has to differentiate the store for employees. Why work at 7-Eleven for $8-$9 an hour, rather than at McDonalds? Currently, says Keyes, â€Å"We have people looking for an hourly wage, not a challenge.†32 There are currently two drivers of employer differentiation at 7-Eleven. The first is staff development and ongoing training. At 7-Eleven University, franchisees and store managers are exposed to ideas for motivating and teaching employees. Keyes often visits stores and concludes that franchisees often do not work with their hourly employees to help them understand customer service. Hourly workers are told, for example, that the retail cost of an empty cup is 70 cents (a function of retail vs. cost accounting), so when customers come in and ask for a cup of water, they are told the cost is 70 cents. â€Å"They don’t know that the actual cup cost is only a nickel and that it would make more sense to build customer goodwill by giving them the cup and writing it off,† says Keyes. â€Å"We can turn an $8-9 dollar an hour employee into a retailer by giving them the tools, like performance-building skills.† Additionally, Keyes would like to see store franchisees and managers do more to create a positive work environment for hourly workers. You can â€Å"fire up† a group of hourly-wage employees, believes Keyes, thinking back to his own college job at McDonald’s. He was 30 Jim Keyes, Columbia Class Video, 2003. 7-Eleven. 32 Jim Keyes, Columbia Class Video, February 6, 2002. 31 12 Retailing Leadership The New 7-Eleven enthusiastic, he recalls, both as an entry-level worker and when he was promoted to run staff training at new stores. His managers and his peers, he believes, helped to create an atmosphere where people wanted to work. The second driver of employee differentiation is â€Å"social capitalism.† Keyes attempted to differentiate 7-Eleven stores as workplaces by building up the idea that the company can give back to the communities in which its employees work and live. In 2002, 7-Eleven set up the Education is Freedom Foundation, sustained through company gifts, website donations, and collection boxes at store cash registers. (See Exhibit 14 for the Foundation’s website.) The Foundation was expressly intended to provide money for the higher education of employees and their children. This idea intended to leverage 7-Eleven’s long identification with the American Dream – as a place where recent immigrants and others could run a business as a franchisee with little capital investment – into the idea that working for 7-Eleven is a good place to get an education. Overall, the Foundation distributed $2000 scholarships to 223 students, after receiving 30,000 applications.33 The impact on employee turnover, however, seemed negligible. â€Å"I was waiting,† says Keyes, â€Å"for my HR team to pick up the ball.† Despite wanting to differentiate itself in the eyes of employees, 7-Eleven, like other players in the convenience store industries, worries about an increase in the minimum wage. Labor expense accounted for 42.1 percent of gross profit in 2002 for the convenience store industry as a whole.34 For example, the New York Association of Convenience Stores noted that a proposed increase in the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.10 by 2006 would increase convenience store costs in the state by 38 percent.35 Finally, 7-Eleven faces the challenge of maintaining security in its stores, many of which operate 24 hours a day. A Learning Organization Keyes would like 7-Eleven to become a â€Å"learning organization† from top to bottom. As he works to reinvent the company, and to move away from traditional methods of retailing, Keyes would like to engender an environment of continual learning in franchises, corporate-run stores, and in HQ. Recognizing that 7-Eleven is not considered an attractive place to work for newlyminted MBA’s and others, Keyes wants to turn 7-Eleven into the â€Å"Procter Gamble training ground† for the convenience industry. Specifically, Keyes worries about creating a management team to succeed him. He talks about being in â€Å"leadership 101† as he looks back and realizes that he is so much of a hands-on person that he did not make enough effort to develop people as he was moving up through the ranks of the company. 33 7-Eleven news release, January 21, 2004. EDC Economics, An Overview of the US Convenience Store Industry, December 2003. 35 New York Association of Convenience Stores (www.nyacs.org). 34 13 Retailing Leadership The New 7-Eleven Search for new HR Director In order to develop employer differentiation ideas, manage the image of 7-Eleven’s front-line retailers and develop ways of making 7-Eleven’s corporate side a more attractive place to work and develop as retailers, Keyes instituted a search for a new Director of Human Resources. (See Exhibit 16 for a company organization chart.) After looking at many resumes, he remains unimpressed. â€Å"They don’t go above the baseline,† he says. So many of the candidates miss the point about differentiation and customer service, and do not understand that all employees must be able to fill in the blank: â€Å"I want to work for 7-Eleven because _______.† Growth 7-Eleven is expanding rapidly. In the U.S., store growth is balanced between new franchises and corporate-run stores. Internationally, the company enters into license agreements with partners in foreign countries. Domestic Expansion 7-Eleven is adopting an urban strategy learned from successful licensees in Japan and Taiwan, ceding high-traffic corners to others and looking for more unconventional locations. These types of selections decrease the cost of real estate and, as a result, increase the company’s return on investment. In addition, the company is upgrading both its technological and physical infrastructure to continue to redefine its brand image. 7-eleven spent over $500 million over the last five years to upgrade its technology platform (See Exhibit 16 for pictures of current stores.) In 2004, the company plans to open approximately 100 new retail outlets in the United States while continuing to close unprofitable stores. Keyes believes this is vastly undershooting their expansion potential. In Japan, the company netted over 1,000 new stores during 2003. He believes that 7-Eleven could easily add 500 to 1,000 stores per year in the U.S. market. Areas of focus include cities and airports, as well as further penetrating some of their existing markets. Questions remain, however: Can 7-Eleven justify the relatively high cost of real estate in these areas? What effect will cannibalization have on the economics of both their new and existing stores? Further, based on their highly leveraged balance sheet, can they even afford to do it? International Expansion Keyes also sees great opportunities in new markets. South America, Beijing and the rest of China are all examples of key markets that the company is looking to expand into.36 7-Eleven hopes to secure local partners that are familiar with the markets to increase the chances of success. While convenience transcends cultural differences, the definition of convenience will certainly vary by culture. 36 Associated Press, April 6, 2004. 7-Eleven, through a joint venture arrangement between licensee Seven-Eleven Japan and two Chinese partners opened its first store in Beijing on April 15, 2004. 14 Retailing Leadership The New 7-Eleven International expansion is facilitated through the use of license agreements. Such agreements give 7-Eleven, Inc., legal control over the use of trademarks, trade dress and business information, and attempts to establish mutually beneficial relationships in order to ensure additional control over licensees. Japan represents 7-Eleven’s greatest international success. The stores are consistently clean and well-organized, with a very wide and high-quality product line. Working closely with suppliers and providing first-class service to customers Seven-Eleven Japan has experienced phenomenal success. It now has over 10,000 stores. While the Japanese experience represents strong success, it remains to be seen whether 7-Eleven can replicate that model in other countries. Conclusion â€Å"It’s been a fascinating experience to take a company that was an icon in an industry and transform its economic model over the last 10 years,† says Keyes. He admits, however, that the transformation is on-going and not complete. He worries about the continued holding-out of his dominant suppliers like Coca Cola and Pepsi to the CDC model. Underlying these difficulties with his reinvention of 7-Eleven, the people management issues loom large. What should he be looking for in his new HR director? Why is the right person so hard to find? â€Å"The sky’s the limit in terms of what we can create,† says Keyes. â€Å"As I look around the landscape of retail all of my competition are playing the same game.† In his Beechcraft, as Keyes adjusts his altitude to compensate for the turbulence, he sees much blue sky in front of him. He also can’t help noticing the clouds off in the distance. 15 Retailing Leadership Exhibit 1 The New 7-Eleven Biography of Jim Keyes Jim Keyes is president and chief executive officer for 7-Eleven, Inc., the world’s largest convenience store retailer. Mr. Keyes served in a number of senior management positions before being elected to his current role in 2000. He joined 7-Eleven stores’ former subsidiary Citgo Petroleum in 1985 as general manager of marketing and business strategy. A year later, he became general manager of 7-Eleven’s national gasoline, with responsibility for the company’s retail gasoline business in the United States and Canada. He was named vice president of national gasoline in 1991. Mr. Keyes served as the company’s senior financial officer in 1992 and was named chief financial officer in 1996. He was elected to the company’s board of directors in 1997 and promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer in 1998. Before joining 7-Eleven, he held various field and corporate positions at Gulf Oil Corporation. Mr. Keyes earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass., where he was named to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society and graduated cum laude in 1977. He also attended the University of London and received a Master’s of Business Administration degree from Columbia University in New York City [in 1980]. Mr. Keyes is founding chairman of Education is Freedom, a public charity dedicated to helping hard-working young people reach their full potential through higher education. He serves on the national board of directors of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Latino Initiatives for the Next Century (LINC) and on the board of trustees for the Boys and Girls Club. Mr. Keyes also is on the board of directors for the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS). He was recognized by the Network of Executive Women for his efforts to promote diversity in the workplace. Mr. Keyes serves in a leadership role within the local Dallas community as well, as an executive board member of the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Dallas Citizens Council and a member of Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business and chairman of the Dallas Symphony Association. Mr. Keyes was born on March 17, 1955 in Grafton, Mass. He and his wife Margo live in Dallas.

Resource Sharing Platform for Collaborative Cloud Computing

Resource Sharing Platform for Collaborative Cloud Computing Harmonious resource sharing platform for collaborative cloud computing System Design SYSTEM DESIGN The system design is the architecture definition process, components, modules, interfaces and data to a system to meet the specified requirements. The system design could be considered the application of systems theory to product development . 4.1 Functional Design Utilitarian outline is utilized to streamline the configuration of equipment gadgets and programming useful configuration guarantees that every particular component of a gadget has an obligation and do this obligation with insignificant reactions somewhere else. The maps of useful configuration forms that make the state of necessity for how to outline details . Amid this phase of the undertaking structure characterized from an utilitarian perspective. 4.1.1 Modular Design The particular, or seclusion in configuration is a methodology that the framework is separated into littler parts (modules or cushions ) that can be autonomously made and afterward utilized as a part of distinctive frameworks for various highlights. A secluded framework can be described by the accompanying highlights: functional separation scalable and reusable individual modules consisting of solo, self contained functional elements. rigorous use well-defined modular interfaces, including object -oriented description of the functionality of the module. Easy to change to achieve transparency and technology to the extent possible, use industry standards for key interfaces 4.2 High Level Design 4.2.1 Data Flow Diagram An information stream chart (DFD) is a graphical representation of the information stream by method for a data framework. DFD can be additionally utilized for the information handling showcase (organized outline). In a DFD, information stream components from an outer information source or an inside information store to store interior or outside information sink information, through an inner procedure. A DFD does not give data on synchronization or administration procedure, or the procedure will work in grouping or in parallel. Subsequently, it is altogether different from a stream outline demonstrating the stream of control through a calculation that permits the peruser to figure out what operations will be attempted, in what request and under what circumstances, however this sort of information will be inputs and yields of the framework, or when the information go back and forth, or where the information is recorded (which are all shown in a DFD). DATA FLOW DIAGRAM Level 0 Figure 4.1: DFD level 0 Figure 4.1 DFD level 0 explains that the data owner has to register before login and using the help of cloud details he can choose the highly reputed cloud service provider. The data owner after registering has to login with his account and select total memory and threshold memory. Select a file from the data store of the data owner and upload it to the cloud server. There are four different cloud providers to which files are uploaded. The files are uploaded via trust manager in which he can check for blocked users and unblocked user and receive to and from data with cloud servers and data owner. Figure 4.2: DFD level 1 Figure 4.2 DFD level 1 consists of four major nodes. End user request for a file . The request enters to cloud server through trust manager. An attacker tries to modify the file which is present in cloud service provider. 4.2.2 Use-Case Diagram A case in programming building and the utilization of frameworks designing is a depiction of the conduct of a framework as it reacts to an appeal from outside of this framework. As it were, an utilization case portrays who can do what the framework being referred to. The system of utilization cases is utilized to catch the execution prerequisites of a framework itemizing the situation managed by useful necessities dialogs. Utilization cases depict the collaboration between one or more on-screen characters (a performing artist who is the initiator of the communication can be assigned as the main on-screen character [29]) and the framework itself, spoke to as a succession of basic steps. The On-screen characters are something or somebody existing outside the framework (black box) in the study, and included in a progression of exercises in a dialog with the framework to accomplish an objective. The performing artists may be end clients, different frameworks or gadgets equipment. Every utilization case is a progression of occasions, depicted from the viewpoint of the law. Figure 4.3: Use case diagram of client Figure 4.4 The above use case diagram shows different properties of service provider, trust manager, Data owner and End user. Data Owner uploads file in the cloud server through trust manager and performs various actions. End user requests the file through trust manager. Attacker tries to modify the file which is present in cloud server. 4.3 Low-level Design 4.3.1 System Flowchart Aflowchartis a type of diagram that represents analgorithm orprocess, showing the steps as boxes of various kinds, and their order by connecting these with arrows. This diagrammaticrepresentation [30] can give a step-by-step solution to a givenproblem. Process operations are represented in these boxes, and arrows connecting them represent flow of control. FLOW CHART Figure 4.4: Flow chart Figure 4.6 Data owner checks the Reputation of the cloud and chooses the cloud according to that. At first he registers and later logins with his credentials. Buys memory and assigns threshold value to it. If the memory exceeds the threshold value it will intimate the Data Owner. Data owner uploads the file to cloud server through trust manager. files are stored in encripted format. Trust manager always check for MAC and secret key. If the MAC value changes ,it understands that files have been changed it intimates to the data owner. 4.3.2. Sequence Diagram A grouping outline in Brought together Displaying Dialect (UML) is a sort of association chart that shows how procedures work with each other and in what request. It is a develop of a Message Grouping Outline [31]. Grouping graphs are now and then called Occasion follow outlines, occasion situations, and timing charts. A succession graph is a correspondence chart that shows how procedures work with each other and in what request. It is a fabricate of a Message Grouping Diagram. A succession chart shows object associations orchestrated in time arrangement. It portrays the articles and classes included in the circumstances and the grouping of messages traded between the items alluring to do the usefulness of the situation. It demonstrates the relationship of articles taking into account a period succession and it indicates how the article connect with other question in a specific situation of the utilization case furthermore it demonstrates the grouping of back rubs that are traded, alongside their relating event details on the life lines. Grouping graphs are traditionally connected with utilization case acknowledge in the Sensible Perspective of the framework under change. Arrangement charts are once in a while called occasion graphs, occasion situations. A succession chart shows, as parallel vertical lines (life savers), distinctive procedures or items that live simultaneously, and, as level bolts, the messages traded between them, in the request in which they happen. This permits the determination of simple runtime situations in a graphical way. An arrangement chart shows, as parallel vertical lines (helps), diverse procedures or items that live at the same time, and, as even bolts, the messages traded between them, in the request in which they happen. This permits the particular of basic runtime situations in a graphical way [32]. SEQUENCE DIAGRAM Figure 4.5: Sequence diagram Figure 4.5 sequence diagram of the project explains how the data owner requests, accept and assigns the memory. It also tells how the end user requests the cloud server through trust manager. Trust manager maintains the list of blocked and unblocked user. 4.3.3 Class Diagram Class diagrams outlines demonstrate the classes of the framework, their between connections, and the operations and characteristics of the classes. It investigates space ideas as an area model [33] and dissects necessities as a calculated/investigation model. It portrays the definite configuration of article situated or item based programming. The class outline is the key building piece of article arranged demonstrating. It is utilized both for widespread theoretical demonstrating of the intelligent of the application, and for nitty gritty displaying make an interpretation of the models into programming code. Class graphs can likewise be utilized for information demonstrating. The classes in a class chart speak to both the fundamental articles, interchanges in the application and the classes to be modified. paintp Figure 4.6: Class diagram Figure 4.6 Class diagram of the collaboration architecture gives the details of the data owner, trust manager, end user, attacker, admin and cloud server. Data owner sees the reputation in which he can choose the best cloud which are suitable for him to upload files. The server which is having lowest reputation will be chosen Later Data owner registers with the cloud server giving all his detail and logins with his credentials .Data owner chooses the vm and assigns threshold value to it . If the file size is greater than the threshold value it will intimate the data owner to buy vm from another cloud provider. Trust manager is the intermediate between cloud server, data owner and End user. All the request which data owner make and end user make are through trust manager. It is the collaborative element of all the service provider. When data owner uploads the file to server it will be encrypted format. Trust manager maintains the MAC value and secret key of every file. End user in public cloud is not bothered about security. Here in this project automated password is generated by trustmanager.Secret key is entered by the end-user so that integrity of the data is maintained.

Otto Dix Essay -- Painters Painting Artists Art Etching Essays

Otto Dix Otto Dix was a German painter and etcher, most of whose works were created in World War One, World War Two, and Post War Germany. He was both a successful painter during his life time and political, having many works which commented on German social conditions of the time. He lived through war and created art that told about the horrors he saw it causing. Born in Untermhause, Germany (near Gera) on December 2, 1891, Otto Dix was involved with art most of his life. He apprenticed as a painter and decorator while he was growing up and supported himself as a portrait painter when he became a student at the Dresden School of Arts and Crafts. When World War One began, he volunteered for service in the German Army and saw service first as part of an artillery regiment and then in a machine gun unit. During his first experience with war, Dix saw action on both the Russian and French fronts, earned an Iron Cross (second class), achieved the rank of vice-sergeant-major, and saw horrors that inspired much of his work. After the war, he attended the Dà ¼sseldorf Academy of Art and then returned to the Dresden Academy of Art, this time as a Professor. During this time he produced many works and gained recognition not only in Germany but also in America, having exhibitions displayed throughout Germany and in New York. When the Nazi party rose to power in Germany, they declared the work of many modern artists, including the works of Otto Dix, â€Å"unwholesome†. Dix was dismissed from his professorship at the Dresden Academy by the Nazis and banned from exhibiting. His work was featured in several Nazi displays of â€Å"Degenerate† art including â€Å"Reflection of Degeneracy†, â€Å"The Spirit of November: Art in the Service of Demoralization†, both ... ...by Movement: Die Neue Schlichkeit. Artcyclopedia. 26 Jan. 2004 . Dix, Otto. Encyclopedia.com. 26 Jan. 2004 . Neue Sachlichkeit: New Objectivity in the Visual Arts. 26 Jan. 2004 . Otto Dix. 1 Jan. 2002. 26 Jan. 2004 . Otto Dix. 4 May 1998. 26 Jan. 2004 . Otto Dix Article. Arts Zone. 26 Jan. 2004 . Otto Dix. FortuneCity. 26 Jan. 2004 . Otto Dix. Wikipedia. 19:16, 23 Nov. 2003. 26 Jan. 2004 .

Alternative Medicine and Conventional medicine

Shahrzad Nikkhah Professor Keafer English 200 29 november 2012 Alternative Medicine Growing up in a family that has been using herbal medicine for years became a motivation for me to further my knowledge of this ancient practice of alternative medicine . The world health organization has announced that about 65 and 80 percent of world’s population uses traditional medicine, since the growing belief is that to get cured of disease you need to get to the root of the problem, and reach beyond the physical body.According to all the research it seems that alternative medicine is more effective , more economical , less invasive and harmful than conventional medicine. While It has been proven that state of mind and body are linked directly , mind body medicine helps in healing the body by changing the person’s attitude which effects the immune endocrine and nervous system, while stressed mind interrupts the functioning of the immune system and causes disease. More and more peo ple are relying on the power of prayers , meditation , and herbal medicine to protect their body from negative effect of stress hormone and proper break down of food in body.It has been shown that alternative medicine has helped many with depression and chronic pain, hypertension, and diabetes. Conventional medicine is a quick fix which prevents the body from stimulating the immune system to fight an infection as in antibiotics which destroys the valuable bacteria that helps with digestion. Since the production of antibodies slows down, it prevents the future healing. CAM ( another name for alternative medicine ) helps promote natural healing process while it has by far less side effects and harm to the other organs resulting in a long term benefit.Due to low cost of CAM higher low income population can afford the health care, while the conventional medicine cost has been on the rise over inflation and wage growth. With the 13 percent of 38 million adults who use CAM in conjunction with conventional medicine in the last year the poorer population with no health insurance has been benefiting from this method of treatment, since herbs is easier to obtain , naturally available and do not to be researched.Although , alternative medicine is not completely reliable to be used on serious illnesses many Americans have turned to alternative practices since they have not seen any positive results from standard medical or surgical treatment or because the traditional treatments are too expensive or dangerous. Most alternative medicine principle is to eradicate the problem from its roots. With serious dedication , discipline , and change of life style alternative medicine is personalized to suit the needs of individual.Works Cited: Grodjesk,Joe. â€Å"Sociology Of Medicine Alternative Medicine. â€Å"customessaymeister, May 5,2001 web. Crisenri. â€Å"Pros and cons of alternative medicine. † page1,June 2008 Diggs, Charles â€Å"Alternative medicine research papp er. † Oct 20,2009 web. Epiro, E. and Nancy Walsh. â€Å"Alternative Medicine–Part Two: Mind Body Medicine–Expanding Health Model. † Patient Care 15 Sept. 1997: 127-145. Smith, Brad. â€Å"Alternative Treatments Gain Acceptance. † Denver Business Journal 18 July 1997: 2B-4B.

science in the movies essays

science in the movies essays What would you think if a movie showed a human being being totally perfect and not making any mistakes throughout his/her lifetime? You probably wouldnt be satisfied with that image because you know that every body makes mistakes and no one is perfect. I have watched two movies, Armageddon and Deep Impact, and done some research on the way the producers made the disasters out to be and how they would actually happen in reality. Hollywood doesnt always explore all of the physics and reality behind some of the happenings in their movies before putting them on the big screen. This can lead to customer dissatisfaction and essay papers like this one. The affect of the asteroid in Armageddon was not necessarily true. The producers made it seem like after the asteroid hit, a lot of little ones followed after it. If an asteroid were to really hit the earth, the little ones would come before the big asteroid hit. Since little things can travel at a greater speed, they would hit the earth first with the big asteroid preceding after that. From watching this move and not knowing much about how asteroids work, this scene would be very believable. On the other hand, the affect of the asteroid shown in Deep Impact was not very believable. In the final scene of Deep Impact, they show a bedraggled but salvageable capitol building. In DC the capitol is very close to the ocean. With the rate of the tsunami, DC would have been scoured clean off the face of the earth. I think this was a feel-good ending added onto the end of the movie to give it a good outcome. In the scene where the comet makes its ocean impact, it shows that thousands of people watch and listen as it happens. Truly, the comet would have been much brighter than it was shown; the people watching would have been blinded. The comet was also moving much faster than the speed of sound as well. Th ...

Whos your Congressman essays

Whos your Congressman essays After several laps in circles in my head, I decided to give up. I did not know the person who was representing my district. The first step involved jumping on the internet and surfing for a "Congressman finder", if you will. I type the word congressman in the space provided. The search engine displayed several different topics to choose from and finally I see the site for a general purpose. Voila! I had become one step closer to find my Representative. After clicking in different places, I landed on the Postal Office web site. Why? You might ask yourself. This general site was to find my "guy" by typing in a five-digit zip code. I was thrilled and could hardly contain myself. I enter the code and it gives me an answer of "There are multiple Representatives who share your 5-digit ZIP code ( 21234 ). Please use the Postal Services ZIP+4 Lookup to determine your 9-digit ZIP code." In other words, I still could not locate this person who is representing my district. I decided to actuall y do something smart. Look on my mail with the rest of my zip code. I put the code in and finally after thirty minutes of fighting for the truth, "The Honorable Benjamin L. Cardin, Maryland, 3rd" (www.house.gov) appeared. I was beside myself. The truth brought me Ben Cardin, a man with 57 years of age and fourteen consecutive years as the 3rd-District Congressman. How embarrassing is that? He has served seven terms and I found this news several days ago. The life of Ben Cardin began on October 5, 1943 (The Sun, Sec B). After searching several books, magazines, and internet sites, I could not find any information about his life until 1964. In other words, twenty-one years of his life are not recorded publicly. In 1964, he "earned his BA degree from the University of Pittsburgh (www.house.gov/cardin/bio 1), soon after he earns another degree. Only three years later in 1967, he becomes a "graduate of the University of Maryland Law Sch...

Hitler Essays (380 words) - Hitler Family, Adolf Hitler, Hitler

Hitler Essays (380 words) - Hitler Family, Adolf Hitler, Hitler Hitler He stands motionless with crossed arms and resting eyes focused straight ahead. He is completely immobile, expressionless, and says absolutely nothing. Surrounded by some fifteen thousand audience members filing into the great auditorium to hear this man speak, the presence he commands brings order to the environment almost immediately. There is little doubt that Adolf Hitler projected a commanding presence. The aforementioned was merely a description of events which took place prior to one of his famous speeches during the pre-war Nazi years, when his party was only coming into power and Adolf Hitler, as a personality, was making his presence known on the scene. This historical backdrop of Germany in the 1930's reveals a country knee-deep in economic depression, and as would well be expected, the climate was ripe for a new leader. Adolf Hitler made his presence known in the form of a Messiah rather than a political leader, offering his countrymen not only economic but political salv ation as well as the kind of cultural magnificence which he truly believed in, i.e. the Aryan race. Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in the Austrian town of Braunau am Inn, the son of Alois, a customs official, and Klara Hitler. He was not a successful student, and his earlier years are said to have been characterized by melancholy, aimlessness and racial hatred. It was in Vienna where he developed what is considered to be a life-long obsession with the danger that the world Jewery posed to the Aryan race. It was after Hitler relocated to Munich in 1913 and served in the Bavarian 16th Regiment that he distinguished himself for bravery and was awarded the Iron Cross First Class. It was during this time that Hitler had found a home and glorified the raw majesty of life under fire, the beauty of comradeship and the nobility of the warrior. His soldierly dreams of victory and fulfillment were shattered, however, by Germany's defeat. He became convinced that Germany had been stabb ed in the back by Jews and Marxists.1 Oratory and the printed word were much a part of Adolf Hitler's rise to save the fatherland. It is my personal view that Hitler acquired his oratory skills and acuity through his earlier experiences.

Developing leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Developing leadership - Essay Example However, introducing these data systems to health facilities in rural areas that have operated manually for so long may present certain challenges. This is because many of the employees as well as the facility itself may consider the effects of the data systems overwhelming. This paper will discuss the challenges faced by healthcare facilities in their efforts to adopt technology. Healthcare facilities have exhibited their commitment in adopting technology with the purpose of delivering quality services to the customers. The main role of healthcare facilities is to provide quality healthcare to patients. Many factors in the healthcare system and management system of the facility may compromise the quality of the healthcare delivered to patients. For example, the manual system that relies on book records and is the only available form of communication between nurses and doctors as well as other medical practitioners wastes a lot of time that could find use in delivering prompt healthcare to patients. This explains why healthcare facilities are adopting data systems that can replace the manual records. The data systems offer an interconnected platform whereby all the practitioners can consult on the health needs of a certain patients, share data concerning the patient’s progress, diagnostics, prescriptions, and assessments of the efficiency of drugs1. Fr om the reception point in the healthcare facilities, health history of the patients as well as the demographic factors defines the patient’s entry into the data system. Patients can access information concerning their healthcare needs from any of the practitioners because the data systems circulate across the healthcare facility. However, despite the numerous benefits presented by the adoption of database systems in the healthcare facilities, certain challenges are noticeable. One of the

Social Welfare and Policy II Final Assignment Essay

Social Welfare and Policy II Final Assignment - Essay Example (Blau & Abramovitz, 2007) According to me this assertion is rational because whenever a social worker attempts to help his clients in any of their problems, in addition to the particular issue he has to confront with many other social welfare policies of government. Each and every function of government is being regulated and implemented by certain policies of its own. Though policies are the guidelines for a social worker, on certain occasions they might hamper or prevent his free involvement in social issues. Blau and Abramowitz states that social policies pervade every aspect of social work practice. However much we as individuals try to help a client, our capacity to do so ultimately depends on the design of the programs, benefit or service (Blau & Abramovitz, p.4). The opinion of the writers is authentic and every service or action that comes under the concern of individuals or society embodies a social policy. For instance, we realize and experience the rights and responsibilities of citizenship such a s right to vote, the right to have access to resources, the right to participate in civic structures and the equality before the law all through various social policies of government (Carson, Dunbar & Chenhall D. 2007, p.232). The thoughts projected in the book ‘Dynamics of Social Welfare Policy’, have imbued me with new conception to pursue my career as a social worker. The primary notion I gathered from this learning is that professionalism rests on a systematic body of theory that convince a social worker about causes, effect and opinion for work with individuals, groups, families and communities (Blau & Abramovitz,p.179). Secondly, the real and practical social worker relies not only on social welfare policies but also heavily on the psychological theories of personality and human behavior. Learning such a book would definitely help a

Monsanto Company by Their Patent Agent, De Penning and Depen v Case Study

Monsanto Company by Their Patent Agent, De Penning and Depen v. Coramandal Indag Products LTD - Case Study Example Monsanto filed a lawsuit in India seeking both injunctive relief and an account for the infringement of its patents. The trial court decreed and the case was subsequently dismissed by the appellate court. The appellate court, however, certified the case to the Indian Supreme Court on the basis that substantial and complex questions of law were involved. On review, the Supreme Court disagreed that the questions were substantial, but nonetheless accepted the case to identify and to clarify the real issues presented by the underlying facts. The questions presented are essentially twofold with some subsidiary issues. The first question is whether Monsanto held a patent. The Supreme Court held that there was no patent. A second issue was whether, under the Patents Act 1970, the defendant had a basis to revoke a patent. This issue was comprised of two further issues. First, under section 64(e) of the Patents Act of 1970, was this process generally known and therefore subject to revocation The Supreme Court found that this process was generally known. Second, under section 64(1)(f) of the Patents act of 1970, did Monsanto extend and improve this known process by some "inventive step" The Supreme Court found no evidence of an inventive step and held that revocation was justified in any event. Â  

Land Law terms and conditional Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Land Law terms and conditional - Essay Example The most common problems resulting from tenancy agreements border on landlord ignorance of tenant rights or problems of transfer as the one detailed in this case. This is a situation where a current owner sells the property to another, the major question being whether current tenants are bound by agreements made under the previous owner. Most times, the two forms of tenancy are referred to as either assured or shorthold tenancy. However, there are other forms of tenancy that result, not because they are assured or recognized by the law but because they fail to meet the provisions stated for these two forms of tenancy. A license to occupy A license to occupy is appropriate only for temporary arrangement; it is less detailed in comparison to a full lease. For this reason, it cannot be used in place of a full lease, or where the occupant is going to occupy property for a lengthy period of time. License to occupy is adaptable to diverse situations, and is frequently used when a tenant is only interested to occupy property momentarily or when the procedures of a lease are being concluded. Individuals wishing to occupy property for a temporary time can avoid such long term commitments by drafting a license to occupy, in which case rent is to be paid in the next week or month. If such obligations are not met, the License will come to an end. Under a License to occupy the Landlord has exclusive rights to property access at any time. Lease Agreement Unlike a license to occupy, a Commercial Lease Agreement is appropriate for letting property for a period not less than six moths and not beyond three years. The longer the lease period, the more detailed the lease agreement becomes. An agreement which is anything beyond three years requires a well detailed agreement which should be prepared and reviewed by a qualified solicitor. One major difference between leases and other forms of tenancy is that lease agreements accords exclusive rights of occupancy to the lease holder. The implication of this is that the landlord cannot access the property unless under any identified circumstances specified in the agreement. Exclusive rights to property also mean that the tenant reserves the right of the owner for the period of the lease, this means he can sub let, through a Sublease Agreement. Leasing is not common for residential property but is mostly embraced for commercial reasons. Lease forms a contractual obligation binding the property owner the lessee, however, it also creates an interest in property. For this reason, it must be issued for a definite period of time, but can extend beyond this period. In such a case, it becomes a Tenancy at Will which can be terminated through an adequate notice. Adequate time for the notice might be detailed in the lease agreement, however, if such is not included the notice period will equate to the frequency of payment of rent as indicated in the agreement. The main difference between a lease agreement and a License is that a lease conveys interest in land, something which a license does not. This was well indicated in a 1673 case, Thomas v Sorrell: In this case, it was passed that a license passes no interest, and does not alter or transfer property; all it does is make an act lawful which without the license had been unlawful. A similar, position was taken by Justice Macdonald in Baker v Gee, the Justice held; that according to the provisions of

Sculpturing the Earth's Surface. The Florida Everglades Essay

Sculpturing the Earth's Surface. The Florida Everglades - Essay Example Everglades or, a ‘river of grass’, as it was dubbed by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, is a vast expanse of freshwater marshes which extends from Lake Okeechobee South to the tip of Florida. However, continuous exploitation over the decades by the populace has polluted the everglades water and devastated the marshland. Since the 1950’s the urban development and agricultural production in the region flourished but at the cost of the everglades. Big scale attempts are being made to restore the region; the step being an example of the progress from exploitation of the natural resources, to a period of preservation, where the value of these extinguishing reserves were realized and most currently to efforts aimed at revival of the ecosystem (Dugger, n.d). Historically, the Everglades covered 4000 sq. miles in Florida but today it has been reduced to half its size. The marshlands form a section of a huge drainage basin, Lake Okeechobee which covers an area of 11,000 sq miles approximately. There are various forms of habitat that exist on the marshland- open water sloughs, cypress swamps, hard wood hammocks, mangrove swamps and pinelands. Moreover, the plants and animals species found in this region are unique and specialized to the region. However, the scenario started changing in the late 1980’s with the beginning of developments like creation of agricultural farms for growing sugarcane and vegetables, building up of new canals and levees for protecting the farms and the cities from floods, and increase in the infrastructure in the east of the everglades. ... One of the biggest groups of sugarcane growers, the big sugar, is highly responsible for destroying the Everglades. Farmers of these agricultural farms use high content phosphorus fertilizers in excessive quantities, to improve the quality of their soil. The runoff water from these sugarcane farms carrying the killer phosphorus gets drained into the Everglades through canal-water discharge from Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades agricultural area. It was revealed that this overdose of nutrient resulted in the overgrowth of unwanted plant and algae species or eutrophication, which in turn caused great harm to the original vegetation of Everglades. Not only fertilizers but sewage and human wastes from these fields are being dumped into the marshlands thus polluting the water, making it unhygienic to drink, and the survival of flora and fauna impossible. The entire ecosystem of Florida is in peril because of the pollution (Orem, 2009). Moreover, U.S. factory farms too have contributed t o the contamination of the Everglades. During rainy season or snow melting season, the runoff water from these farms, which grow animal feed crops, carry the top soil particles into the marshland. The 1.4 billion tones of animal manures generated on these farms are also let off through the canals into the marshlands, thus polluting the water. New regulations meant to improve the situation through proper treatment of the manure produced, cannot take effect before another 10 years. According to Environment Protection Agency (EPA), these chemicals are making the water unhygienic to drink which once used to serve as a fresh water source for the Miami Metropolitan area. People living in the surrounding areas

Principles of magic and the mechanical philosophy Essay

Principles of magic and the mechanical philosophy - Essay Example Additionally, there was enchaining or bonding. The images that he presents are very detailed with various planetary natures that are always in action. The central point of these images is to communicate to the pneuma which is the astral body of the human beings and also the spirit. The soul of the person who views these images is attracted by them and thus apprehends them thus giving the person knowledge and wisdom. Therefore, the emphases for Bruno is the fact that there are always chains and bonds formed that are capable of communicating to the human soul. The chains and bonds that are supreme he referred to as vincula in his magic. He further goes on to say that: â€Å"There are three gates through which the hunter of souls [animarum venator] ventures to bind: vision, hearing and mind or imagination. If it happens that someone passes through all three of these gates, he binds most powerfully and ties down most tightly† (Bruno, 1997, p.155).In her book, the death of nature, Carolyn Merchant attempts to document the ecological and economic changes that were ongoing in Western Europe in the late 16th and early 17th century. Sweeping changes in both ecology and technology made it possible for there to be material conditions which facilitated the existence of new ideas. Although she cautions that her argument does not wholly support that material changes did not necessarily lead to ideological changes, she says that there are some ideas that appear more prevalent than others in a given period of time.in time. Furthermore, she claims that some ideas like those associated with magic and an organic view of the world become less compelling whereas the mechanical approaches are developed and adopted. There seems to be a back and forth argument in The Death of Nature between the social conditions as well as material conditions associated with nature and science. The strongest ideas are however those that are in support of the

Land Law terms and conditional Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Land Law terms and conditional - Essay Example The most common problems resulting from tenancy agreements border on landlord ignorance of tenant rights or problems of transfer as the one detailed in this case. This is a situation where a current owner sells the property to another, the major question being whether current tenants are bound by agreements made under the previous owner. Most times, the two forms of tenancy are referred to as either assured or shorthold tenancy. However, there are other forms of tenancy that result, not because they are assured or recognized by the law but because they fail to meet the provisions stated for these two forms of tenancy. A license to occupy A license to occupy is appropriate only for temporary arrangement; it is less detailed in comparison to a full lease. For this reason, it cannot be used in place of a full lease, or where the occupant is going to occupy property for a lengthy period of time. License to occupy is adaptable to diverse situations, and is frequently used when a tenant is only interested to occupy property momentarily or when the procedures of a lease are being concluded. Individuals wishing to occupy property for a temporary time can avoid such long term commitments by drafting a license to occupy, in which case rent is to be paid in the next week or month. If such obligations are not met, the License will come to an end. Under a License to occupy the Landlord has exclusive rights to property access at any time. Lease Agreement Unlike a license to occupy, a Commercial Lease Agreement is appropriate for letting property for a period not less than six moths and not beyond three years. The longer the lease period, the more detailed the lease agreement becomes. An agreement which is anything beyond three years requires a well detailed agreement which should be prepared and reviewed by a qualified solicitor. One major difference between leases and other forms of tenancy is that lease agreements accords exclusive rights of occupancy to the lease holder. The implication of this is that the landlord cannot access the property unless under any identified circumstances specified in the agreement. Exclusive rights to property also mean that the tenant reserves the right of the owner for the period of the lease, this means he can sub let, through a Sublease Agreement. Leasing is not common for residential property but is mostly embraced for commercial reasons. Lease forms a contractual obligation binding the property owner the lessee, however, it also creates an interest in property. For this reason, it must be issued for a definite period of time, but can extend beyond this period. In such a case, it becomes a Tenancy at Will which can be terminated through an adequate notice. Adequate time for the notice might be detailed in the lease agreement, however, if such is not included the notice period will equate to the frequency of payment of rent as indicated in the agreement. The main difference between a lease agreement and a License is that a lease conveys interest in land, something which a license does not. This was well indicated in a 1673 case, Thomas v Sorrell: In this case, it was passed that a license passes no interest, and does not alter or transfer property; all it does is make an act lawful which without the license had been unlawful. A similar, position was taken by Justice Macdonald in Baker v Gee, the Justice held; that according to the provisions of

Principles of magic and the mechanical philosophy Essay

Principles of magic and the mechanical philosophy - Essay Example Additionally, there was enchaining or bonding. The images that he presents are very detailed with various planetary natures that are always in action. The central point of these images is to communicate to the pneuma which is the astral body of the human beings and also the spirit. The soul of the person who views these images is attracted by them and thus apprehends them thus giving the person knowledge and wisdom. Therefore, the emphases for Bruno is the fact that there are always chains and bonds formed that are capable of communicating to the human soul. The chains and bonds that are supreme he referred to as vincula in his magic. He further goes on to say that: â€Å"There are three gates through which the hunter of souls [animarum venator] ventures to bind: vision, hearing and mind or imagination. If it happens that someone passes through all three of these gates, he binds most powerfully and ties down most tightly† (Bruno, 1997, p.155).In her book, the death of nature, Carolyn Merchant attempts to document the ecological and economic changes that were ongoing in Western Europe in the late 16th and early 17th century. Sweeping changes in both ecology and technology made it possible for there to be material conditions which facilitated the existence of new ideas. Although she cautions that her argument does not wholly support that material changes did not necessarily lead to ideological changes, she says that there are some ideas that appear more prevalent than others in a given period of time.in time. Furthermore, she claims that some ideas like those associated with magic and an organic view of the world become less compelling whereas the mechanical approaches are developed and adopted. There seems to be a back and forth argument in The Death of Nature between the social conditions as well as material conditions associated with nature and science. The strongest ideas are however those that are in support of the

Police Today Essay Example for Free

Police Today Essay Police officers are around to keep us safe and are viewed as individuals who not only follow the law but ensure that others do the same. Though this is the usual case, not always do our police officers practice these ideas. Problems amongst the police force have been around since prohibition and are only increasing in our dangerous and corrupted society. Corruption, on-the-job dangers, and the use of deadly force are all issues facing the police departments today. Since the days of prohibition, corruption amongst officers has been a problem. Back when bootleggers were on the rise, officers were paid off to keep quiet about the consumption of alcohol. In today’s society Police crimes consist of beating innocent citizens, protecting drug dealers, accepting bribes, and murder. Often time’s big cities experience this through the protection of street gangs and drug dealers. It seems the tradition of paying officers off for illegal activity hasn’t yet dissipated in our modern times; in fact, it appears it’s gotten worse. The old pattern of payoffs by the mob to top cops has changed to local police officers being bought off by drug dealers and street gangs. So now instead of just the select few cops being bought, the city police who might have actually been trusted before are being controlled by criminals as well. Everyday police officers experience crime first-hand, and their jobs can potentially be extremely dangerous. This year, twice as many police officers have been killed in the line of duty than last year. Easier accessibility to firearms, weapons, and the growing amount of illegal narcotics on our streets play a big role in the perils of the criminal justice field. Illegal narcotics link directly to violent crime. Gangs, prostitutes and other illegal activities being disregarded by corrupt officers also have something to do with the toils and hazards that confront an officer who is committed to their job. Another factor is our juveniles, who are becoming more violent and willing to do wrong th an ever before. With the rest of our world being such a treacherous place, and with drugs and trafficking appearing easier and more prosperous than education and a career, it’s no shock that so many kids are pursuing that lifestyle than ever before. Police officers have to handle these threatening activities on a day to day basis. When there’s so much corruption in the force, it’s difficult for anyone, even the most committed; to make an impact on the crimes, especially in big populated cities. Every day in the United States, police officers face challenges that may cause them to resort to deadly force. Under these circumstances, officers are forced to use what they know or have learned during training to come to a reasonable conclusion of what to do next. Their decision may at the time seem like it is a necessary one; however, an officer must understand the repercussions of his or her actions. Deadly force is a serious item of interest in the community. Citizens like to jump to insane conclusions, such as: hate crimes or racism. Conclusions like these can scar an officer’s reputation no matter what the verdict in a court of law. This can make malice family members and friends of the victim, and essentially mar the police force as a whole. The Department of Homeland Security helps to secure our borders, airports, seaports and waterways; research and develop the latest security technologies; respond to natural disasters or terrorists assaults; and analyzes intelligence reports. The Department of Homeland Security is above state and local police and tells them what to do and when to do it. They are the brains behind everything states do. The federal government and the DHS interact with each other to develop new technology, stop and prevent terrorism, and secure borders. The DHS could improve relationships with the local and state police by involving them more in the decision making, seeing as how they know the area they are policing better than the higher ups who are elsewhere involved. Police officers, as necessary to our safety and well-being as they may be, have many flaws. Corruption, on the job dangers, and deadly force are just a few of the contributing problems of our law enforcement. Never will these dangers completely reside but with a rise in police patrol and less corruption amongst the force, our police system could be stronger than ever.

Communication in nursing and a clinical example

Communication in nursing and a clinical example This assignment is a reflective account of my relationship and communication with a certain patient during my first clinical placement in a nursing home. All names in this text have been changed, to respect the confidentiality of the patient and other healthcare professionals (NMC 2002). Introduction Most people have felt anger and helplessness at not being listened to when saying something important. Also the intense frustration of being misunderstood Ellis, RB. (2003). Defining Communication. In: Ellis, RB, Gates, B, Kenworthy, N Interpersonal Communication in Nursing. 2nd ed. London: Churchill Livingstone. p3. I have recently been on 7 week placement in a nursing home for the elderly. It was a residential home but also had a small dementia unit in which patients with mental health problems were taken care of. This experience has taught me that communicating with elderly patients both with and without dementia can be extremely difficult. In certain circumstances I found it hard to understand what some residents wanted due to these communication barriers. In my essay I will be describing to the reader, what dementia is, what communication is and how important verbal and non verbal communication is to sufferers of dementia. What is Dementia? Dementia is a common condition. In England alone, there are currently 570,000 people living with dementia. That number is expected to double over the next 30 years. Dementia. Available://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dementia/Pages/Introduction.aspx. Last accessed 20 Dec 2009. Dementia is a condition that is connected with an ongoing decline of the brain and its abilities. It is generally caused by damage to the structure of the brain and is most common in people over the age of 65. Thinking, language, memory, understanding, and judgement are all affected in someone who has Dementia. Sufferers may also have problems in controlling their emotions and behaviour when in social situations. Due to this their personalities may appear to change. There are 4 kinds of dementia. Alzheimers disease, Vascular dementia, Dementia with Lewy bodies, where and Frontotemporal dementia. These 4 kinds were all present in patients in the dementia unit, where I spent 7 weeks; however I will be concentrating on Alzheimers. ALZHEIMERS IS What is communication? Communication is essential for human interaction; it is the process of passing on information form one person to another. Both verbal and non verbal communication is used by a healthcare worker however for a dementia sufferer non verbal communication is essential. (Argyle, 1978) believes that non verbal communication can have five times as much effect on a persons understanding of a message compared to the verbal communication at the time. Chomsky calls the act of speech (verbal communication) performance and the knowledge of the language competence. People perform the complexity of speech daily but have no real knowledge of why or how they came to be able to. Speech allows us to hold conversations, ask question, give instructions, hide the truth, build routines and most importantly talk about interactions in which we are involved (Argyle, 1978). Why is communication important? Communication is extremely important in the healthcare industry. In order (as a healthcare worker) to understand your patient and vice versa, there must be good, clear communication. This will help the patient receive better care. If a patient cannot be understood properly it would be very hard to give appropriate care. If there is good communication between a patient and healthcare worker, it will ease the patients anxiety Patients are at risk for high Levels of anxiety and frustration if communicative attempts are unsuccessful. (Finkee, Erin HMS 2008). Communication helps the carer and patient get to know each other better, it helps them to bond and learn what makes the patient happy or upset, what foods they like and more importantly when theres a problem the patient is more likely to turn to the carer if there is a good bond there. A good bond can be hard to achieve with a patient with dementia as short term memory is often lacking so previous conv ersations can be forgotten. Approach towards patients with dementia is very important, facial expressions, tone of voice, uniform and how we present ourselves can say a lot about us. When communicating with the elderly residents if I were to raise my voice in an aggressive way they may feel threatened and scared by me, but if I speak to them in a pleasant tone of voice the then the resident is more likely to feel at ease around me. I can then start gaining trust and understanding between myself and the resident. When a patient has dementia they cant speak by the final stage. Closed questions must be used by this stage. There are 2 types of questions, open and closed. Open questions leave the answer open to respond with alot of information or a little. Closed questions are those that a patient has nod or shake their head to or use other body parts such as thumbs up or down. This style of questioning is appropriate to use on someone in the final stage of dementia. Closed questions are such like Are you okay?, Are you hungry?. This allows the patient to communicate with us without actually saying anything. These types of closed questions are a type of non verbal com munication. As I have mentioned earlier there are two types of communication, verbal and non-verbal. Verbal Communication talking to the patient and them responding with speech. It can really be very difficult to use verbal communication with Alzheimers patients because there short term memory is limited to they forget easily whats been said. According to Argyle (1990) in a conversation, words make up only 7% of a message; tone, tempo and syntax make up to 38% and body language makes up to 35%. Non verbal communication can be expressed by our facial movements, gaze and eye contact, gesture and body movement, body posture and body contact, use of space and time and how we dress. (Henley 1977) states that how powerful we feel in an interaction can be expressed non- verbally. Our unspoken communication can be shown through our body language. Touching patients can be an essential tool for a nurse. It can offer support and understanding, comfort and security. It adds extra meaning to the spoken word. Macleod and Clark (1991) suggest that most touch between nurses and elderly patients is related to practical procedures, fulfilling a practical rather than an emotional purpose. Facial expressions and tone of voice can match what youre trying to say. If youre frowning or looking sad, this can cause patients to get angry and upset, but if youre smiling at patients, this can raise their mood. Listening and attending are both also very important aspects of communication. Patients who can speak freely about their ideas and feelings need a little encouragement so that they can explore these ideas a little further, such as saying Mmà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  or Ahaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . In the mental health hospital that I was on placement at, most of the clients had Alzheimers disease, so it was very difficult to communicate with all of them as the majority of them couldnt found it difficult to communicate certain issues at some times. It was hard for me to know their needs as they couldnt tell me what they wanted, the only way I could help them was if I asked them closed questions like Do you want something to eat?â‚ ¬Ã‚ , or do you need to go to the toilet? . This gave the patients the opportunity to give me a yes or no nod or use their eyes to tell me what they wanted. Another way I noticed if patients were agitated was if they were walking around fiddling with everything and trying to get out of the hospital , I knew something was wrong, usually it was because they were constipated or needed the toilet, other times was because they were thirsty and needed a drink. If I was feeding the patients and they wouldnt open their mouth to eat the food or push against the spoon I would know that they werent hungry. Sometimes patients would spit their tea out, this was usually because it was too hot. Barriers to communicating and how to overcome them the biggest barrier to communicating with a patient with Alzheimers disease is the fact that some of them cannot speak. But when we speak to them, there can be barriers so that patients cant hear or understand us, these include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Background noises, e.g. the radio playing loudly, or the television too loud, people around talking as well as us, this can confuse patients even more. Turning the television down whilst having a conversation with a patient can help. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The way we speak, if we are mumbling they wont be able to understand us, or if we have an unfamiliar accent that they dont recognise or understand they wont be able to respond to us. Speaking clearly and giving simple instructions helps patients understand us better. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ If we are feeding patients and talking to them at the same time, clients will get all confused and frustrated. Or if we are eating or chewing something ourselves whilst talking to a patient, this can affect our speech and make it difficult for the patient to understand what were saying. Taking time to concentrate on one task at a time avoids confusion. Calling clients by their name can draw their attention better rather than just talking to them right away, because otherwise they might ignore us because they dont know that were talking to them. Providing the patients with the words they might want to say can help us meet their needs because perhaps they might begin something but then start mumbling, listening carefully to them will make things much easier for us to respond and help them. Conclusion Before going on placement, I felt very nervous and anxious on what it was going to be like working with patients who I knew couldnt communicate with me. I kept thinking about how hard it was going to be to know how to take care of them and try to reach their needs in the best possible way, the only thing that helped me through the experience was the fact that I had a great deal of empathy and patience which helped me communicate better with the patients so I didnt get frustrated or angry when they couldnt respond to me . Before I went to work on the ward, I had read up and researched Alzheimers disease, to have a greater understanding on what to expect, and to be able to deal with the environment in a more professional manner. I used verbal and non-verbal communication and body language e.g. touching, feeling, smiling and speaking clearly. This helped me communicate much better with the patients as a majority of them couldnt reply to me verbally, so they used eye contact and touch to help me know what they wanted or needed, e.g. if a patient took my hand and lead me to the direction of the toilets, I knew they needed the toilet. Mr. Jones was brought to the nursing home in the Flintshire area by his son. He is 88 and has suffered from dementia for a number of years but in the past year Alzheimers has progressed fairly quickly leaving his son unable to care for him. Mr Joness symptoms include major confusion, withdrawn from society, delusions and extreme mood swings, he often gets extremely angry. He needs carers for certain normal activities essential for daily living such as finding the toilet, helping him on with his clothes and generally watching over his throughout the day. Some of his needs may also be due to his age; he has problems with his mobility so needs a carer for that not just due to the Alzheimers. My mentor asked me to spend some time with Mr Jones, talk to him and build up a rapport with him. The day before my mentor had given me some leaflets on the subject of dementia and Alzheimers to prepare me and give me a better understanding. When I first sat down with Mr Jones he just seemed like a normal elderly gentleman of fine health for his age, however as I began speaking to him I found quickly how advanced his Alzheimers was. It was quite upsetting for me as I had never been in that situation before. Within the first 20 minutes of speaking to Mr. Jones he had asked me the same question and we had the same conversation around 5 times. I found this rather awkward as I was unsure whether to continue with the repetitive conversation, create a new one or whether if I did so it would end in the same way. Mr Jones also mentioned to me that he was the homes Gardener. Confused by this I went to my mentor who assured me that this was a delusion he had thought was real since his son moved him into the home and to just leave him to it. I found that after the first week of me working there Mr Jones recognised my face, he still continued to ask me the same questions such as where do you live?, do you know my son? and tell me about his gardening job but he would remember by name. So knowing my name had clearly gone into his long term memory. The thing that worried me the most however was that Mr Jones would ask me when he was going to get his pay cheque. The other staff told me to tell him next week. I found this shocking and an insufficient answer. I felt that if I did as the other staff told me this would just reinforce the delusion and so I when he asked me the next time I told him the truth. This however made him very distressed and upset. The NMC (2002) outlines that we must not add extra stress or discomfort to a patient by our actions. This has proved to be a hard role to follow as either choice would have added discomfort to him. This experience left me feeling very uncomfortable and inadequate in my role. I tried to understand why he had manifested this delusion and came to the answer that perhaps it was a coping technique at the thought of being put into a home. I felt anger and frustration and helplessness that there was nothing I could think to do to help this delusion fade away. Although this experience was very frustrating for me and probably the patient, it has highlighted the need for me to improve my communication skills. It appeared to me that Mr. Jones delusion was not only a psychological disorder caused by his condition, but a way for him to put his mind at ease. Critical analysis of this experience has pointed to the fact that I have inadequacies in my skills; I had focussed too much on my morals and worry that I was being untruthful with him when perhaps reinforcing his view would have caused him less displeasure. I had not considered his other needs like his wishes or desires and I had not gathered enough personal information about him beforehand to know this maybe he liked gardening. I had been unsure about what to say or do to ease Mr. . apparent anxieties and had adopted what Watson Wilkinson (2001) describe as the blocking technique. By continuing my actions to carry on with the meal, I was cutting short the patients need to communicate a problem. I was influenced in this decision because I felt obliged to be seen to reduce his anxieties, knowing my actions would be judged by an audience of other care workers and patients on the ward. I did not respond efficiently to reduce his distress and this pressure led me to deal with the situation inadequately and for that I felt guilty (Nichols 1993). I should have allowed more time to understand what Mr. Jones was thinking and feeling by maybe asking him calm questions such as do you know where you are, how long have you been here? And perhaps he would have come to a gradual realisation by himself. I could have shown more empathy in the form of my own body language to promote active listening (Egan 2002) instead of just worrying about his mind wandering to an untruth. Gould (1990) cited by Chatham Long (2000) have suggested that  ¿Ã‚ ½many of the non verbal behaviours we use to reassure patients, such as close proximity, prolonged eye contact, clarification, validation, touch, a calm and soothing voice, the effective use of questions, paraphrasing and reflecting thoughts and feelings and summarising are all sub skills with the totality of empathy ¿Ã‚ ½. There is an abundance of information about communication, especially for nurses because it is considered by many as the core component to all nursing actions and interventions. Lack of effective communication is a problem that still exists because the learning process that leads to a skilled level of ability may take years of experience to develop (Watson and Wilkinson 2001). It has been quite difficult for me to admit my inadequacies in communication, but Rowe (1999) explains that a person must identify their weaknesses as an initiative for becoming self-aware. Only with acceptance of ones self, can a person begin to acknowledge another persons uniqueness and build upon this to provide holistic care. I know the knowledge I have gained through reflection of my experience will not always ensure that I will treat patients with unconditional positive regard, simply because of the diversity in the nature of us as individual human beings and the environment surrounding us. I have gained a new perspective on my practice which is to set myself personal goals in facilitating effective communication between the patient and myself, should the situation present itself again. BERLOS MODEL!