Lord of the Rings: the Ring’s Addiction Essay

â€Å"One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them/ One ring to bring them all and in the darkness blind them/ In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie.† (p. 8) This was said at the beginning of the story telling a brief summary of the ring of Sauron. The poem tells you how the ring will blind you to the point that the need that you will feel of it will be bigger than anything in the world. It will be so big that it becomes an addiction, worse than any drug in the word, because there is no cure for it, and the only way you can save yourself is by the destruction of this powerful ring. Addiction, this is what the ring symbolizes; a psychological need to have something. It changes everything in you. First, it wins you over and then, you will never be the same person. Addiction can change anyone from the best person you have ever known to the worst. It controls and blinds you to the point where you lose yourself. We see this addiction mostly in every character in the story; even the most powerful were tempted by it. In the book we see the addiction of the ring in many different ways throughout many different characters; three of these different ways are: the possession of it, the fear of losing it, and the wanting of it. We first see the change of the characters when they have in possession of it throughout Gollum and Bilbo, then throughout the story we begin to see it in Frodo, but it will grow stronger and stronger every second of every day. Gollum wasn’t always this repulsive creature, but he was a regular hobbit named Smeagol; he was just another victim of the ring. He possessed the ring for approximately five hundred years, and not much of a surprise this ring ruined him fiscally and emotionally. The fist terrible thing he did for the possession of the ring was to kill his brother; then he went to a cave and stood there all alone with only the company of â€Å"his precious†, the ring of Sauron. He turned from this hobbit to an old deformed nasty creature who was kept alive because of the ring, he became a cannibal, he only lived to see that ring every day, and since the first time he saw the ring he was just another slave, another addict to that â€Å"drug†. He now has two sides, Gollum and Smeagol. Gollum was his nasty evil side who was created by the ring and the possession of it for so long, and Smeagol was his still hobbit side which was innocent and in a way bullied and ruled by Gollum; he was a slave in him own body and he couldn’t control himself anymore, because he was loosing sense of who he was. Some may say Gollum is pure evil and deserved to die, like Frodo said at the beginning of the story. We see in the story that Tolkien never referred to Gollum as Smeagol because even though he may fool others and even himself Gollum had evil in him, and that would never change. We also see changes in Bilbo Baggins, but not as big as a change like we see in Smeagol, maybe because Smeagol had it for a longer time and was all alone in a cave for several years. Bilbo’s change wasn’t so big, he had to feel the ring close to him always but he didn’t lose himself as much as Smeagol. This doesn’t change the fact that he was obsessed by the ring. In â€Å"The Fellowship of the Ring† we see Bilbo’s change when Gandalf asks him to leave to ring to Bilbo as he has left everything else, and because of that Bilbo shouts to Gandalf, â€Å"Well, if you want the ring yourself say so! But you won’t get it. I won’t give my Precious away, I tell you.†(p. 34). This is when we see that hint of Gollum in Bilbo, when he calls the ring his Preci ous, a clear sign that he is transforming into Gollum one day at a time. Gandalf was very shocked and got very angry because he could not believe what he heard and how his old friend Bilbo believes he was convincing him to leave the ring for his own pleasure, when he was only trying to convince him so that he would not turn into Gollum or anything near him (but he almost did). He finally left the ring to his nephew, but with Frodo we don’t actually see a change in him throughout these two books but we do see how the ring is temping him to put it on so Sauron can find it, we also see how Frodo is very protective of the ring, such as Bilbo and Gollum, who thought that everyone was going to take it away from them (and sometimes, actually most of the time it was a true feeling). Another change we see because of this addiction is the fear of losing it. Like all Drug addicts, when you don’t have the drug, and you desperately need it you transform into another person who would do anything to have the â€Å"drug† (in this case the ring); again, the best example for this is Gollum who even after losing the ring always followed Frodo through the entire story with the hope of having the chance of taking the ring back so he can again be with â€Å"his preciousâ€Å". In the book we see that in many parts Frodo and others of the company like Gandalf and Strider see a shadow of a creature following them and in time Gandalf explained that it is actually Gollum. He will never accept the fact that the ring is with someone else because he needs it, he needs his drug. Finally the last type of addiction we see is the wanting of the ring. We see this addiction in many characters, even in people in the company of the ring especially in Boromir the general of Gondor. We see the this need of Boromir in taking the ring away from Frodo mostly at the end of the story when he transforms himself into this violent person because he wanted the ring from Frodo supposedly to save his people. Two of the most impressive changes we see in Gandalf and Galadriel, but their wills were strong enough to pass the test and succeed in denying the ring. In Gandalf we see it at the beginning of the story when Frodo was very scared and offers Gandalf this powerful ring. Even though he was very tempted by the ring in the book he said, â€Å"No! With that power I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the ring will gain a power still greater and more deadly† (p. 61). This showed how strong he really was and with this he passed the test. With Galadriel we see it later in the book when Frodo said to her, â€Å"You are wise and fearless and fair, Lady Galadriel. I will give you the one ring if you ask for it.† (p. 365). After this she explains that her heart desires the ring very much and now she is being offered it freely by Frodo and then she said, â€Å"†¦And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the morning and the night! Fair as the sea and the sun and the snow upon the mountain! Dreadful as the storm and the lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair.†(p. 365). She transformed herself as the ring was trying to control her, but she managed to control the urge of having the most powerful ring and passed the test. An addict can only save himself with the elimination of the drug and a strong will power to continue without it; this also applies to this powerful ring of Sauron; the only way to overcome this wanting is to have these qualities and much more. Because the ring is so powerful one person alone cannot succeed in destroying it, this is why the company of the ring was created. Throughout the story many people wanted Frodo to fail just so they could get the ring, this was how strong the addiction was, but there would always be those who their will power was strong enough to succeed, and those few are the ones who will accompany you to the end; these few are a need in adventures like this, because the ring is so powerful that one person alone cannot do the job. In this case it was Samwise Gamgee who told Frodo in the story when he was planning to leave, â€Å"†¦All alone and without me to help you? I couldn’t have a borne it, it’s have been the death of me.†(p.406). T he little hobbit demonstrated how friendship can overcome any addiction in the world and that with the help of a true friend we can overcome every struggle and every blinding need that we would ever have. References: Tolkien J.R.R. (2005). The Lord of the Rings (50th anniversary). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Moral Quandary of Race Essay

In his book, â€Å"I am not a Racist, But†¦The Moral Quandary of Race,† Lawrence A. Blum, a professor of Philosophy and Liberal Arts, ventures into unrecognized and little known aspects of racism. His definition and analysis of racism and its implications, projects the vastness of the subject, which had generally been regarded as just a white attitude. Blum describes racism as antipathy towards individuals of a racialized group, stemming from â€Å"inferiorization† or the idea that the group is inferior in relation to other groups. Blum considers a person to be a racist only when he intentionally makes racist comments or jokes, driven by racial antipathy. He feels that the moral significance of the term ‘racism’ seems to be losing its value, as it is being overused or too commonly used. Today, in practical life, any direct or indirect references which affect feelings of racial groups are considered racist. This not only dilutes the very meaning of racism but also weakens its power of ethical condemnation. The word ‘racism’ and its related terminology needs to be more clear, due to its relevance in personal racism, racist, racist beliefs at various levels. The author feels the term ‘racism’ is being more used out of context, like black students intending to sit with other black students for lunch or white teacher being uncomfortable talking with the black parents, which are all regarded as racism. The book also emphasizes the need to report race-based statistical data with greater care and concern as they influence individual perceptions. The statistical differences among the views of racial groups must be projected without any overracialization (p35). Overstating the differences of such views would only reinforce A book review 3 an individual’s racist opinion and close them to persuading arguments or rational conversation. Opposing the general notion that racial groups have a common agenda with regard to their group, Blum emphasizes the need to recognize the existence of internal diversity within social groups. Racial groups with a sizable population cannot have a single opinion or viewpoint. Several factors including age, gender, religion, culture etc. influence the formation of a viewpoint of an individual (p55). Blum therefore attributes it to misrecognition or inadequate recognition rising from ignorance, when any single viewpoint is attributed to an entire race. Although Blum feels that whites should not forget their relevance and association with racism, he adds that racism is not confined only to the whites. For instance Chinese, Japanese, and blacks too exhibit racist attitude to other colored people and whites. The belief of their racial superiority is developed by colored people, which makes them regard other groups inferior (p33). In this book, Blum indicates our hypersensitivity to the word ‘racism’ and suggests that racist insensitivity and subconscious racial intolerance are indeed acts, which need to be eliminated, but need not be tagged as ‘racist’. Blum is of the opinion that racial prejudice is an unavoidable consequence of cultural diversity. Our view and way of life today is associated with racist ideologies, which we have inherited. The concept of race had developed from the sixteenth century, A book view 4 reaching its peak in the late nineteenth century. History holds the key for our present interpretation on human diversity in terms of similarity, differences and superiority among races (p109). Blum explores the idea of doing away with the concept of race, but warns that it should be only after all associated wrongdoings are fully addressed. The book covers all vital aspects of racism including its history and, what we actually mean and think of race. It incorporates much useful information on the topic, carefully thought and reasoned, illustrated by suitable examples. â€Å"I am not a Racist, But†¦The Moral Quandary of Race† is indeed an important book not only to scholars but also to the common man in quest of understanding racism.

Christians & Children Essay

Children today are a strong focal point of our society. Family upbringing can a be a big factor in to whether a child can act as a Christian or not. If a child is brought up with good values and are thought to think of others and that life is not just about ourselves then they will be able to act as good Christians. Children can often be selfish and only think of themselves if not taught better. Although if you observe children you can tell which ones have had a good upbringing and those that have not been taught right from wrong. Children are more likely to accept and not question at a young age whereas if older they may already be selfish and only think of themselves. Also in St. Marks gospel Jesus says; ‘I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it (10:15)’ By this he means adults must learn from children who have an unquestioning, unconditional love and belief in what they are taught- an honest innocence. Most Christian children today are baptised as a baby, this is because their parents want them to be part of God’s family. When a child is baptised one of the things that they will be blessed with is that they will be able to resist temptation if you are baptised as a child you are more likely to be able to be a better Christian as you have the power to resist temptation. Some people may argue that being baptised as a baby is too young, as Jesus was baptised as an adult, but I think if a child decides they do not want to follow on in the Christian faith they can then not follow on to do their conformation class which then they will be able to make an informed decision about what they believe. Children may be seen as too self-interested to be a disciple and are more likely to fail but part of being a disciple is failure for example when Peter disowns, Jesus forgave him and he shows that he understands human failure. Peter went on to be the leader of the Church despite his failing. Although these are still children we have to think about the fact that Christianity equips you with the tools and guidance of the Holy Spirit to help and guide you away from wrongdoing. With all this support children should still be able to be just as much of a Christian as any adult. Children can do many things to act as disciples such as go to church, give money to charity, read/serve in mass and fundraise. I think a good example of how much children do really care is in Blue Peter, every year they organise the Blue Peter appeal, in which thousands of children organise bring and buy sales and other fundraising events for the issue they are raising for. ‘Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all (11:43-45)’ By this Jesus meant that we should serve others and help them as much as possible and I think all the children taking part in the Blue Peter appeal have done this. Another thing that we have to consider is when you say ‘child’ what this would mean. In the dictionary there are two definitions these are; * Any person between birth and puberty * An infant; a baby What would we see as the right definition it is hard to classify do we mean by their mental age or by their physical appearance or by their age. If we cannot identify what a child is then how can we decide that we cannot have them as Christians? I do not agree with this statement as I feel there are many worthy children that are Christians in the world today. Children today are tomorrow’s generation and we depend on them to carry on good will an d follow our faith. Christianity is a way of life not an age.

Internet Sale (Consumer Law) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Internet Sale (Consumer Law) - Essay Example This means that in this particular situation, Mr. Sissoko will have to go after the delivery company in order to have his new strips replaces, which is a timely and costly venture for him. The reason why the law is like this is that â€Å"the decision as to whether a broad or narrow approach would be adopted, could be dictated by the degree of flexibility perceived in the meaning of s. 20. However this may be over-simplifying the task of the courts who may be concerned about the potential impact of the broad approach on the scope and function of default rules in general† (Taylor and Naidoo, 2002). Any time good are purchased by an individual, he or she will expect to have certain rights when the product is delivered. This means that they believe that the product will be delivered in a timely and efficient manner, without any damage being done to the product. This is generally taken to mean that the consumer is protected under section 14 of the SoGA, as this section makes the seller completely liable for any damage that is done before the product arrives at the consumer’s door. In these situations, the consumer will rely on the seller to get the product to him or her, without any problem. Since the seller is thought to be the business professional in these situations and, therefore, should be more knowledgeable than the consumer. Since the seller has more knowledge in these situations, the customer is automatically at a disadvantage when it comes to the legal side of this procedure, which is exactly what happened to Mr. Sissoko. The customer would not wish to take any r esponsibility for a product being damaged while in transit and consumer laws are in place to ensure that this does not happen. Where the problem lies is when a third-party delivery company takes on the job of delivering a product to a consumer. In these cases, the seller’s obligation to the customer is completely satisfied once the product is in the hands on the

What determines the research and development costs for innovative new PowerPoint Presentation

What determines the research and development costs for innovative new prescription drugs, how might legal and ethical considerations affect the cost of developing a new prescription drug - PowerPoint Presentation Example As a function of describing and critiquing each of these constraints, this author will analyze each of these factors and attempt to draw a clear level of discussion as a means of identifying the core components and key considerations that must be engaged with as a function of the developmental cycle for new/prospective pharmaceuticals. As a guiding entity of the process, the legal departments of the requisite entities must be continually engaged and aware of the process. This represents an added cost and necessity that each and every pharmaceutical firm engaged in research and development must necessarily incorporate a team of legal experts and lawyers to guide them through each and every process of clinical trials, reporting requirements, paperwork, and associated compliance issues. Ultimately, economic theory dictates that that price discrimination corresponds to the following three market conditions: the power of market sellers, the segmentation and overall price responsiveness of the market, and the direct and indirect potential that exists for arbitrage. With respect to market power, this is a concept which can simply be understood as a function of the ability of the seller to raise its prices as compared to the other sellers that exist within the market. Obviously, in the case of a brand name drug that has r ecently been cleared by clinical trials and is available to the marketplace, the ability of the seller to raise his/her prices above that of the competition is very high due to the fact that no perfect substitute exists and there is a near perfect monopoly engaged by the given pharmaceutical manufacturer; albeit for a limited amount of time (Gupta et al 2011, p. 15). As a way of understanding such a construct to a more full and complete level, the researcher and/or reader must consider the total cost that is necessitated in bringing a drug to market in the first

Poverty alienation through increased private sector or state controlin Essay

Poverty alienation through increased private sector or state controlin Nigeria...what is the way forward - Essay Example Despite providing 95 per cent of foreign exchange earnings and about 60 per cent of government revenues, the oil sector’s contribution to GDP is less than 25 per cent. The agriculture sector is largely subsidized and has made a 26.8 per cent contribution to GDP in 2005. Industry and services contributed by 48.8 and 24.4 per cent respectively. Although, Nigeria had once been a large net exporter of food, it is now importing some of its food products. Nigeria’s economic progression has been disturbed by corruption, political instability and poor macroeconomic management for years. Following the restoration of democratic rule in 1999, Nigeria is now undergoing substantial economic reform (Anthony Maduagwu, 09/09/00). During the period 2003 to 2007, Nigeria put into effect National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy (NEEDS) which aimed towards raising the standard of living of the people by establishing macroeconomic stability through deregulation of the economic environment privatization of government ventures, economic liberalization and accountability. This initiative also addressed the basic deficiencies such as unreliable power supplies, poor infrastructure and lack of fresh water for household and irrigation. It was also aimed towards creating 7 million employments, boosting non-energy exports, increasing industrial capacity utilization, improving agricultural productivity and diversifying the economy. Similar initiative called State Economic Empowerment Development Strategy was also implemented at the state level. The UN sponsored the National Development Goals program for Nigeria, as a long-term economic development program, covering the period 2000-2015. Under this program Nigeria is committed to achieve number of set targets in the areas of poverty reduction, gender equality, health, education, environment and international development cooperation. Despite these efforts and with the presence of enormous

Formal legal brief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Formal legal brief - Essay Example Their demand was that the statute should be declared unconstitutional as it makes impossible to exercise the liberty interest protected under the Fourteenth Amendment to the Federal Constitution. Both the District Court and then the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit expressed the view that the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution encompasses a due process liberty interest in controlling the time and manner of one’s death, and that the Washington statute is unconstitutional when it applies to terminally ill competent adults who want to hasten their deaths. Whether the Washington state statute which holds that a person who assists in hastening the death of terminally ill people is unconstitutional as it violates the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment? The Washing state statute which holds that a person who knowingly causes or aids another person to attempt suicide is guilty of felony of promoting suicide attempt is not unconstitutional as it does not violate the Fourteenth Amendment due process clause. The first point is that the due process clause does not protect the right to commit suicide and hence the same does not allow the right to assist in committing suicide. Secondly, from the legal traditions of the nation and its history, it is evident that the due process clause does not consider the right to assistance in committing suicide as a fundamental liberty interest. First of all, a patient who is suffering from such a terminal illness with extreme pain has no legal barriers to getting such medications which will even cause unconsciousness and hasten death if the main purpose is to help reduce pain. In such a situation, it is unnecessary to answer the question whether a mentally competent person with great suffering and pain has a constitutionally cognizable interest to control his or her own death. Secondly, the liberty as protected under the due process clause does not include

Small Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Small Business - Essay Example Perfect Grill will use technology to solve this problem and thus make it easier to compete with Jacob’s Grill. A programmer will be hired to develop an app that the customers can install in their phones. The customers can use the app for the following; The customer can place orders before arriving at the restaurant. This will mean that the kitchen manager can know the demand prior to the customers arriving to the restaurant. This will mean that the customers will not have to wait for too long after arriving at the restaurant. This improves the level of service and the customers will be happy with this. The customers will also be able to pay for their orders through the app. This will be important in that it will help in dealing with customers who may cancel the orders. If the customers are given the option to order through the app but not pay, the rate of cancelling the orders may be high and this is not be good for business. However, by allowing the customers to pay through the online app, the rate of order cancellation will be low. The customers can also access the day’s specials and know what to order. Apart from displaying the menu for the restaurant, the app will be able to help the customers to access the day’s special. This will be updated on a daily basis and the customers can be able to know what the day’s specials are even before they arrive at the restaurant. Once the customer places an order for a meal, the app will be able to determine if there are enough materials to make the meal for the customer. This will mean that the app will be linked to the inventory records of the firm. For instance, if a customer uses the app to order for a grilled chicken, the app will have to first check if there are chicken in the inventory which will be used to make the order. The customer will also have to give a timeframe of when he is expecting to arrive at the restaurant. This will

PEST-C and marketing stratgy for Appl company Research Paper

PEST-C and marketing stratgy for Appl company - Research Paper Example In a video titled, â€Å"What makes Apple’s marketing Unique†, it emerges that Apple Company designs products with outstanding features (Integra Global Solutions, 2012). For example, when other companies conceived the possibility of developing desktops, Apple moved a step further and conceived the possibility of having a computer in the pocket. Currently, Apple’s MacBook Air is the thinnest computer in existence developed through an amazing product design and detail. Unlike other companies, Apple highlights only one outstanding feature of its products in its advertisements. Although the MacBook Air has remarkable functionality, the Apple Company utilized a unique marketing strategy and placed emphasis on the fact that the MacBook Air was the thinnest computer (OReilly, 2012). The focus on the most outstanding aspects makes Apple’s marketing unique, simple, and straightforward. The focus on a single aspect instead of numerous aspects sets a new standard for Apple product a factor that motivates potential consumers to buy the products. The video uploaded on YouTube by the Integra Global Solutions, who are experts in marketing reveals the uniqueness of Apple’s marketing strategies. Moreover, Apple Company has adopted digital marketing, which has created a buzz on the sleek design of the company’s products. Similar to its products, Apple’s online advertisements and its website focus on high levels of navigability making it easy to use for customers. Through digital marketing, the Apple Company has been able to interact with its customers and focus on highlighting the value added by its premium products. The company does not need to confuse its customers by highlighting numerous features in its advertisements (Montgomerie & Roscoe, 2013). On the contrary, its marketing strategies highlight one outstanding feature that should motivate and convince a customer that the Apple product is worth buying. Irrespective of

By world War 1 Essay Example for Free

By world War 1 Essay Introduction World war 1 had a huge impact on peoples live at home. We can see from the sources that I am analysing that all sections of society were affected by the war, men, women and government. The working classes were affected by recruitment and the upper and middle classes were affected because they had to do their own housework. Also peoples standards of living were affected, they had more of a balanced diet and the women found that they had more money because their husbands were at war. I am going to evaluate a number of sources which tell us a lot about what affected peoples lives during the war. I will look at the validity of the sources and the strengths and weaknesses. The topics I will study are Recruitment and Conscription, Politics, Role of Women and Changing Standards attitudes and beliefs. I will start by looking at how Recruitment and Conscription affected peoples lives at home during the war. Recruitment and Conscription. Many peoples lives were affected by the first world war. At the start of the war the government had to try and persuade 1000s of men to join the war. Source A1 (i) is a Recruitment poster produced by the government in 1914 as part of a Propaganda campaign to get people to sign up and fight in the first world war. The poster features a picture of Lord Kitchener who was the secretary state for the war. This poster is the most famous poster made for the war and it made men feel as if they as an individual was wanted to fight for their country. The idea of the finger pointing and using the words you and your made the men feel as if the government wants you as an individual. The weakness of the poster is the fact that it is propaganda. The poster is basically saying that you must sign up to the war. Source A1 (ii) is a photograph taken outside Southwark Town Hall in London. It was taken during December 1915. The photo is of an Army Recruiting Office. The people who are queuing in the long lines to sign up all look happy at the prospect of going to war. This seems unusual to me and this could be because the photo may have been staged by the government to make the men think that all other men are signing up so they should sign up too. The fact that this photo could have been staged makes the source unreliable because it is not real. In December 1915, the government were in trouble because they did not have enough men signing up to the war, because at this point people at home were learning of the first major casualties of the war. The men were realising that going to war was not as easy as it first looked. So in December not many people were signing up which makes the site of this many people signing up a rare site at the time. Also if there was so many people signing up, the government would not have had to bring in Conscription. A strength of this source is that it was taken at the time but a weakness is that it could have been staged. Conscription was the compulsory enrolment into the armed forces. In January 1916 the act was passed that unmarried men between the ages of 18 41 had to join the armed forces. Then in May 1916 a second act was passed that unmarried men between the ages of 18 41 had to join the army. Politics and the war effort The first world war had a big effect on Politics. We can see this in Source B3. Source B3 is a photograph of the new Prime Minister with the new members of the coalition cabinet. The photograph was taken at 10 Downing Street in December 1916. A weakness of the photo is that it maybe propaganda and could well have been staged to make the people at home believe that the government were united through the war. Its strengths are that it was taken at the time. This increases the reliability of the source because it is an actual picture from the time of the war showing that the government was united through the war. Source B4 shows how the first world war affected different Political Parties. The source is written by John Davies on the History of Wales in 1993. This source tells us that Labour was becoming more popular through the war as it had no responsibility for how the war came about, but for the Liberal party the war was a disaster because their leader Henry Asquith lost his role of Prime Minister to the Labour leader David Lloyd George. The source says: The strength of this source may be that it was written a long time after the war, so John Davies views would have been based on balanced opinions. A weakness of the source though is that the book is only about Wales. Also it may have been biased to David Lloyd George because he was welsh. The First World War also had an affect on political issues. In December 1917 the house of commons decided to give the vote to 6,000,000 Women over the age of 30. Source B5 (i) is a report from The Daily Sketch which shows this. The report tells us that the vote was won by a huge majority of 330 out of 440 votes. It shows the start of a new era for women. The strength of the source is that is an actual report from the time which makes it reliable. Source B5 (ii) is a photo of the 1918 general election when for the first time Women over 30 were allowed to vote. The picture tells us that woman were becoming more independent. The picture source may be reliable is it was taken at the time of the general election. A weakness of the source is that it was taken by the government reassuring men that the women would probably vote the same way as their husbands. Women and Social Change. World War 1 had a massive affect on the way women ran their lives. More women started going to work, fashion changed and they had more money from wages to spend on themselves because the men were away. Source C3 is a poster produced by the government showing people that women are doing their bit by making munitions for the men at war. We do not know when the poster was issued but we do know that it was from sometime during the war. The weakness of the poster is that it was propaganda to get more women to work. The strength of it though is that it was from the time. This affects the reliability as because it is from the time we know that it was actually shown to the women during the war. The First World War had an affect on how many Women were employed in different trades. Source C4 is a table of Figures that represent the changes of the amount of women that were employed throughout the war. The table shows the increase in the amount of Women employed in Britain between July 1914 and July 1918. The source may be reliable because they are official Government figures but the numbers are rounded up so we do not know the exact figure. They could have been rounded up to the nearest thousand or the nearest 100 thousand we do not know. A weakness of the source is that it doesnt tell us what happened after the war. After the war the number of Women employed may have decreased. The amount of money that women had also increased, this may be because their husbands were away, so they did not have to buy for them and also they were working. In Some cases the women were getting paid more than Corporals. We can see this in Source C5. This source was written by a full corporal, H. V. Shawyer in 1916. He says: This source tells us that the women were getting paid more than the men and were also able to spend their money on other people. This source may be reliable as it was written by the person about his experience and also it was written at the time of the war. Changing Standards, Attitudes and Beliefs The impact of the First World War changed peoples standards, attitudes and beliefs. Source D3 is an extract from an article written by A. J. P. Taylor in 1965 about England 1914 1918. The extract is about how the war affected the rich. A. J. P Taylor says: At the end of the war, there was a general change of economic outlook. Previously the idle rich had been proud of being idle. Now they were ashamed of it and idleness was becoming more difficult. Domestic servants, for instance, were hard to come by. Their number had been halved during the war. Households which had kept five servants dropped to two; those firmly with two to one; and the rest of the middle class made to do with a daily woman. This source tell us that people were happy to have servants before the war but now they know what it was like being normal they became ashamed of it. The way people used their money changed, instead of using servants they were doing the work themselves. It was more difficult for the rich to get away with doing nothing, because the working class had more better paid jobs to do. The source may be more reliable because it was written a long time after the war and he would have been able to gather more evidence. People would have also been more honest because it was a long time after the war. Source D4 shows how the war affected religion and chapels. The source is from a book by Kenneth O. Morgan called Rebirth of a Nation: Wales 1880 1980. It was written in 1981. The emphasis of the book is not actually about the First World War and so the book may have only had a page about the war. Source D4 says: The factors which had weakened the chapels before the war debt, over-expansion in rural areas and lack of support from non- Welsh speakers and industrial workers became stronger after the war Fundamentalist religious belief, barely changed since the chapels were founded. This source is telling us that the society changed during the war but the chapels didnt. The source may be reliable because the book was written a long time after the war. This means that Kenneth O. Morgan would have been able to base his book on a lot more evidence than if it was written immediately after the war. A weakness of the extract is that the book is only about how the Welsh chapels changed. Peoples Standard of living also changed as a result of the First World War. In an article by a modern historian, Clive Emsley, he said that although the war resulted in the deaths of many thousands, there was an overall improvement in peoples diet and a decline in the death rate. He also said that Lone wives were able to wages go further. This source tells us that some people were better off than theyd ever been. Because this article was written in 1996 it makes it more reliable, because he would have been able to base his article on a lot more evidence that came available a long time after the war. Conclusion From studying these sources on recruitment and conscription, politics and the war effort, role of women and changing standards, attitudes and beliefs it can be seen that the war had a massive impact on all sections of society. These changes were sometimes better, financial and Health wise. However as can be seen from Recruitment and conscription, the men had to sign up and a lot were being killed The First World War acted as a catalyst to a change in society. People who had experienced war first hand had their lives change dramatically, however those who were at home e. g. women and children, also experienced fundamental change in many aspects of their lives.

Diseases Affecting Different Parts of the Body

Diseases Affecting Different Parts of the Body Pnuemonia Pneumonia is an inflammation of the one or both lungs in the lower respiratory tract that involves lung parenchyma including alveoli and supportive structure. It is also called pneumonitis. Causes: it can be caused by a wide variety of etiologic agents including bacteria virus, aspiration, fungi, mycobacterium mode of transmission, clinical manifestation vary depending on the etiologic agents. Pneumonia are classified according to causative organism. They are: Bacterial pneumonia: The most common cause of pneumonia in adults is a bacterium called Streptococcus pneumonia. This form of pneumonia is sometimes called pneumococcal pneumonia. other types of bacteria can cause pneumonia, including: homophiles influenza, staphylococcal aureus, Mycoplasma pneumonia, Chlamydophila pneumonia. Viral pneumonia: Viruses can also cause pneumonia, influenza A most common with the patient of AIDS. Viruses are a common cause of pneumonia in young children. Aspiration pneumonia: The object or substance inhaled causes irritation in the lungs or damages them. This is called aspiration pneumonia. Rarely, pneumonia can be caused by breathing in: vomit, a foreign object, such as a peanut, a harmful substance, such as smoke or a chemical. Fungal pneumonia: It more often affects people whose immune systems are weakened. Fungal pneumonia includes histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis and blastomycosis. Sign and symptoms: Sudden onset of high fever. Shaking chills and sweating. Coughing, sneezing, nasal congestion. Shortness of breath Rapid Shallow breathing Hypotension Muscle pain Confusion Headache Weakness, malaise cyanosis Nausea and vomiting Diarrhoea Sharp stabbing chest pains during coughing or deep breath. Cough producing unpleasant sputum, which may be green, rusty or blood stained. Diagnosis: History of the patient. Physical examination (auscultation) Chest x-ray Sputum test for culture Bronchoscope Blood culture Liver function test C T scan Treatment: Bacterial pneumonia treated by antibiotic (Penicillin, Ampicillin). Anti -Inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, aspirin, and paracetamol). Anti-viral drugs, steroids. Chest physiotherapy Bed rest until infection shows sign of clearing. Given oxygen to improve ventilation. High level of fluid intake. Deep breathing and coughing Prevention measure: Avoiding smoking, alcohol and cold, vaccination (vaccine against influenza), good hygiene. Asthma: Asthma is a respiratory condition marked by wheezing. Asthma affects the airways of the lungs. The airways become narrow and sometime produce more mucus than usual. http://www.hse.gov.uk/asthma/ Causes: Exact cause is unknown Asthma is caused by inflammation in the airway. The inflammation irritates the muscles around the airways, and causes them to squeeze (constrict). This causes narrowing of the airways. It is then more difficult for air to get in and out of the lungs. This leads to wheezing and breathlessness. The inflammation also causes the lining of the airways to make extra mucus which causes cough and further obstruction to airflow. Sign and symptoms: feeling breathless (you may gasp for breath) a tight chest, like a band tightening around  it   wheezing, which  makes  a whistling sound when you breathe coughing particularly at night and early morning attacks triggered by exercise, exposure to allergens and other triggers Sweating, restless Diagnosis: History taking, physical examination, sign and symptoms, spirometry test, peak spirometry flow rate test, airway responsiveness tests, test of airway inflammation, test of allergy Treatment: asthma cannot be cure but some treatments are for rapid relief of symptoms. Such as inhaled steroids, inhaler (puffer), Bronchodilator ( salbutamol , nebulizer), give sodium cromoglycate to prevent attacks, Prevention: The common cold- avoid expose to cold environment, the effects of a cold can last for a long time unless you are given increased treatment. Asthma attacks are often set off by allergies. Common things which people with asthma are allergic to are grass pollen, house dust and animal fur (including your own pets). Exercise- running, particularly in cold weather, can cause an asthma attack. However, exercise-induced asthma can be controlled. People with asthma should not avoid sport and exercise they contribute to overall good health. Irritants -like tobacco smoke, fumes and a dusty atmosphere will often lead to asthma attacks. Emotion anger, anxiety or happiness can bring on an attack of wheezing in some people with asthma. But it is not true that nerves are the underlying cause of asthma. Pollution- especially from traffic, is increasingly recognized as making asthma worse. Diseases of the Digestive System: Peptic ulcer: A peptic ulcer is an area of damage to the lining of either the stomach or the wall of the small bowel. Peptic ulcer named accordingly to their location.eg esophageal ulcer, duodenal ulcer, gastric ulcer. Most common in duodenal ulcer. Causes: Infection from helicobacter pylori. Take non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs a long period. E.g. ibuprofen, aspirin. Constant tension and stress is another contributing factor. Excessive secretion of HCL acid in the stomach can also lead to peptic ulcer. Such as caffeine, smoking, alcohol increase HCL secretion. Sign and symptoms: Symptoms may last a few days, weeks, or months. Sometimes symptoms can disappear but reappear months, afterwards, often with no identifiable cause. Sometimes, the patient may even be symptom-less. Other symptoms include: heartburn, a bitter taste in your mouth, feeling sick or vomiting , regurgitating food, gnawing pain in mid epigastrum or back, Weight lost, bleeding, perforation Diagnosis: History taking Physical examination H. pylori test Endoscopy MRI, CT scan, Urea breath test Barium contrast x- ray Blood test Treatment and prevention: Self-help: like, avoid spicy food, alcohol, caffeine, excessive meat, milk and cream consumption. This will reduce pain. Reduce stress, stop smoking, eating regular meals and not missing meals will also neutralize acidity. Avoid steroid drugs and painkiller. Medicine: proton pump inhibitor, such as omeprazol and lansoprazol. H2 blockers, example, ranitidine and cemetidine. Treating H. pylori infection. This is usually a combination of a proton pump inhibitor and two antibiotics. http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/peptic_ulcer.html Gallstone: Gallstones usually form in the gall bladder from the solid constituents of bile. They can be made of pigment or cholesterol. They vary greatly in size, shape and composition. Gallstones are uncommon in children, but become increasingly prevalent after 40 years age. Causes: Sex: women are twice as likely as men develop gallstone due to excess produce estrogen in pregnancy, hormone replacement therapy to increase cholesterol level and reduce gallbladder movement Family history Weight: overweight increased cholesterol reduces gallbladder emptying. Especially in woman. Diet: diet in a fat and cholesterol and low fiber increase the risk of gallstone. Age: People older than age 60 are more likely to develop gallstones than younger people. As people age, the body tends to secrete more cholesterol into bile. Diabetes: People with diabetes generally have high levels of fatty acids called triglycerides. These fatty acids may increase the risk of gallstones. Cholesterol-lowering drugs: Drugs that lower cholesterol levels in the blood actually increase the amount of cholesterol secreted into bile. In turn, the risk of gallstones increases. Sign and symptoms: steady pain in the right upper abdomen that increases rapidly and lasts from 30 minutes to several hours pain in the back between the shoulder blades pain under the right shoulder nausea and vomiting fever Abdominal bloating, intolerance of fatty foods, belching, gas and indigestion. Diagnosis: Computerized tomography Cholescintigraphy Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) Blood tests Ultrasound Treatment: Surgical: Cholicystectomy Medical: lithotripsy Prevention: Anyone can have gallstones, but middle aged, overweight women are particularly likely to develop the problem. Diseases of endocrine system Goiter: Goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid gland. There are many forms: Simple goiter: is most commonly due to the lack of iodine. The gland is overactive and is enlarged and often visible. Hyperthyroidism: is a disease in which the thyroxin level is too high. Hypothyroidism: is caused due to the lack of thyroxin in blood. Causes: not getting enough iodine in the diet, over production ,unproduction of hormones , family history, age, sex. Sign and symptoms: Neck mass, weakness, breathing difficulties, weight loss, tachycardia, swallowing difficulties, hoarseness, cough, dizziness, palpitation, hyperactivity Diagnosis: Sign and symptoms, history taking, physical examination, ultrasound of thyroid, x- ray, thyroid scan, thyroid stimulating hormone (THS) test, free thyroxin (T4), biopsy Treatment and Prevention: Simple goiter can be treated with thyroid hormone in the form of pill, antithyroid drugs (propylthiouracil, methimazole), suppressive therapy (levothyroxine), thyredectomy , getting enough iodine in the diet. Cushings syndrome: Cushings syndrome is a condition in which the adrenals secrete excess of cortisone. Cushings syndrome is relatively and most commonly affects adult aged 20 to 40. People who are obese, type two diabetes, high blood pressure have an increased risk of developing the disorder. Causes: Body is exposed to an excess of glucocorticoid hormones over a long period of time. The most common cause of this excess is the taking of oral steroid treatment for medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. Sign and symptoms: Weight gain around the chest and abdomen Red and rounded face (moon face) Look like buffalo hump Thin and weak muscles in the leg and arms Fluid retention in the leg Excessive facial and body hair Euphoria, infertility High blood pressure Purple or pink stretch marks appear on the abdomen, thighs, buttocks, arms and breasts Skin becomes fragile and thin, bruises easily Diagnosis: History taking, physical examination, Blood test, urine test, x-ray, CT scan, MRI Treatment: Cortisol -inhibiting drugs Surgery Radiation Chemotherapy References: BBC (2009), Pneumonia. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/pneumonia1.shtml (accessed by 09/11/2010). Endocrine and Metabolic Disease Home (2010), Cushings syndrome, National Endocrine and Metabolic Disease Information Service. Available from: http://endocrine.niddk.nih.gov/pubs/cushings/cushings.htm (Accessed by 11/11/2010). BBC (2008), Cushings syndrome. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/cushing1.shtml#what_are_the_symptoms (accessed by 11/11/2010). Wikipedia (2010), Cushings syndrome. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cushings_syndrome (Accessed by 11/11/2010). NHS Choices (2010), Pneumonia. Available from: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pneumonia/Pages/Introduction.aspx (Accessed by 10/11/2010). Wikipedia (2010), Pneumonia. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumonia (Accessed by 10/11/2010). BBC (2009), Understanding Asthma. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/in_depth/asthma/aboutasthma_index.shtml#environmental_factors (accessed by 10/11/2010). NHS Choices (2010), Asthma. Available from: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Asthma/Pages/Introduction.aspx ( Accessed by 10/11/2010). http://endocrine.niddk.nih.gov/pubs/cushings/cushings.htm http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/cushing1.shtml#what_are_the_symptoms http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cushings_syndrome

Marriage proposals in Pride and Prejudice Essay

Marriage proposals in Pride and Prejudice Essay The three proposals in Pride and Prejudice to Elizabeth Bennet, or Lizzy, vary greatly in their motivation. They are all involving the upper middle class of the 19th century that Jane Austen had knowledge of. Jane Austen never married, and you can see the kind of person she would have liked to be in Elizabeth. Jane Austen read such books as Mary Wolstencrafts The Rights of Women, and although she does not go as far to criticise womens status, most of her books are about their place in society; this novel being no exception. Pride and Prejudice is about marriage and manners in country society, that women wanted to marry into good fortune, and rich men wanted to marry pretty women. The first sentence in the book sums up the attitude expressed in this book well: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. Marriages in the period in time this book is based, between the upper middle classes, were often practical. The women needed security for future life, the men wanted children to continue there family and this was the kind of marriage that Mr Collins proposes. He is not proposing out of love, but that he feels he should, and he is sure of Lizzys acceptance. He does however manage to convince himself he does in fact like her: before I am run away with my feelings is one of his first lines during the proposal. The proposal itself is stated in a very long-winded way, however, as soon as Mr Collins has asked for time alone with Lizzy, she knows what it is for; she thinks, it would be wisest to get it over with as soon and as quietly as possible. This is reflected in how she reacts to Mr Collins repeated pleas. All through it he is still convincing himself and trying to convince Lizzy that he is in love, or making any other excuses he can for marrying her. We know he does not love her, as, however, earlier in the book it is said Mr Collins had only to change from Jane to Elizabeth and it was soon done. The proposal was very formal and long; Mr Collins often seems to be speaking a monologue, emphasized by Elizabeth trying to stop him and the complete use of direct speech. These are all similar to the first proposal by Mr Darcy, even if the motivation behind it was very different. They are both certain they will be accepted because of an advantage to Lizzy. It is clear that Mr Collins and Mr Darcy do not know Elizabeth well enough when they propose, as neither chose to ask her a way that she is likely to accept. The second proposal is different in motive from the first, but its manner is similar in many ways. After his early expression of love, which is surprising and awkward: You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you. Darcy regains his confidence and begins a long explanation of why he loves her. However, what he says is misunderstood by Lizzy as she says with so evident a design of offending and insulting me. Mr Darcy is in fact attempting to explain that he loves her despite her position and connections. Lizzy may have accepted, or been more likely to accept if his timing had been better however, he asks her at a time where she has just recently found out that Darcy was to blame for her sisters troubles, and is very angry with him: Mr Darcys shameful boast about what misery he had been able to inflict. It is not only the timing, if he had known Lizzy well enough he could have guessed the reception she would give to the method of his proposal. This is a similarity to the first proposal, from Mr Collins, but very different to the last. It is only after Mr Darcy has left that Elizabeth realises how much she has overreacted to what he has said to her, and also how ready she had been to believe what anyone had said about him. These feeling are then reinforced after she receives his letter explaining how mistaken she has been about many of his accusations. After thinking over and re-reading the letter several time, she starts to realise she does in fact not hate Darcy as much as she first thought, and even starts to have feelings for him, in spite of what he has done to her sister. This is further exaggerated as Elizabeth discovers he has provided for her sister to get married after she ran away with Mr Wickham. His intentions behind this are clear: if he had not, he would not have been able to marry her, as she would be disgraced. Darcy realises that she may have feelings for him still, after Lizzy refuses to tell Lady Catherine de Bough that she will never marry Mr Darcy and decides to return to Netherfield with Mr B ingley, who he has recently convinced to love Lizzys sister, Jane again. Elizabeth was hoping he would come, but was almost scared too and was expecting that he would stay away and send a letter of excuse. The third and final proposal in the book has little in common with either of the others. It is quick, instead of long winded and this is even more emphasized by the use of reported speech instead of direct. It is however the same in motive to the first proposal by Mr Darcy love. The difference being that this time it is felt in both directions. It is also quite unexpected, though hoped for by them both. Darcy is unsure of how to ask Elizabeth, so she encourages him by taking him for his help with her sisters marriage. This probably caused him to finally believe he may stand a real chance with her and so then proposes. He does so in a way which shows how much better he knows her because it is an equal conversation instead of one or the other thinking themselves superior. It is also far more informal and shows us ways in which they both have changed. Lizzy is less confident, and for once not sure of herself whereas Mr Darcy has realised that to be liked he should not act superior and stubborn. The three proposals received by Lizzy in Pride and Prejudice are contrasting in some ways and are similar in others however, there is nothing or very little in common between all three. The progression in the book is from what Jane Austen believed was the worst kind of marriage, of the kind Mr Collins proposes, to what she believed was best and hoped for herself a fair and equal meeting.

The World at the Time of Sir Isaac Newton Essay -- History, Protestant

When most people hear the name Isaac Newton, they think of various laws of physics and the story of the apple falling from the tree; in addition, some may even think of him as the inventor of calculus. However, there was much more to Newton’s life which was in part molded by the happenings around the world. The seventeenth century was a time of great upheaval and change around the world. The tumultuousness of this era was due mostly to political and religious unrest which in effect had a great impact on the mathematics and science discoveries from the time Newton was born in 1646 until the early 1700’s. Newton’s birth in 1646 came at the tail-end of the 30-years war which was fought in Central Europe. The war began in 1618 in Bohemia over religious differences between Protestants and Catholics; however as time passed, the war became more political and soon most countries in Europe were involved (Ellis & Esler, 1999). The war ended in 1648 by a series of treaties knows as the Pease of Westphalia with France coming out victorious gaining land from both Spain and Germany (Ellis & Esler, 1999). The tension felt between the Protestants and Catholics was mirrored in England where there was a civil war beginning in 1640 and continuing until 1659. Early in the civil war Oliver Cromwell was chosen as leader of Parliament with his staunch Puritan beliefs; he soon became a leader of the Protestant side of the war. During this time, many considered England to be almost in anarchy with groups such as the Ranters, Levellers, and Diggers battling over various religious and political beliefs (Merriman, 1996). In 1649 Charles I, who had been King of England prior to the civil war, was beheaded and England became a Commonwealth and ... ... the true founder of calculus; however, much of the notation used today is courtesy of Leibniz because, according to many mathematicians, his notation is far superior to Newton’s (O'Connor & Robertson, Calculus History, 1996). So, how did the events around the world during the seventeenth century help Newton develop calculus? In England and much of Europe science became a part of public life of the seventeenth century (Merriman, 1996). Charles II created the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge in 1662 where many scientists studied and discussed their theories (Merriman, 1996). The Reformer’s victory in the English civil war gave Newton and other scientists their voice and the courage to study and find many of the scientific discoveries, as this was not the case with Galileo and many other scientists in Catholic countries (Merriman, 1996).

Creation of Identity in Chaim Potok’s The Chosen :: Potok Chosen Essays

Creation of Identity in The Chosen Many forces can powerfully change the identity of a person. In the novel, The Chosen, a few of these forces are religion, family, and friends. Religion is one of the main points in anyones identity and much of the book is based around the fact that the main characters, Reuven and Danny, are Jewish. In Danny's case religion changes the entire way he was raised, as his father puts it, "I did not want to drive my son away from God, but I did not want him to grow up a mind without a soul." (Potok pg. 266) During Reb Saunders explanation of why he raised his son in silence he reveals that both God and a soul were key factors, these being both religious. Another example of religion playing a part on ones identity is when the fathers of the boys catch themselves in a battle over Zionism, Reb says "I'll tell you who says it! True Jews do not say such a thing." (Potok pg. 188) Reb Saunders words in response to David Malter's opinion take a shot at Reuven's identity. By challenging Reuven's beliefs it is hitting his identity quite hard, the issue is so touchy the boys stop talking over it. Family is another big chunk of one's identity. Reb Saunders identity is changed through many experiences of his brother. This not only affects him but affects Danny as well, seeing as he was raised on his uncle's mistakes, "Reuven, I did not want my Daniel to become like my brother." His brothers mistakes challenged Reb to step up and follow in his fathers legacy, and when his son is caught in the same position it affects how he was treated. Family is also what you are taught by and things can be both beneficial and non. When first meeting Reb Saunders, Reb asks Reuven, "And you know Hebrew. A son of David Malter surely knows Hebrew." (Potok pg. 121) A normal child may not understand Hebrew, but in Reuven's case because his father is very religious he does. Your knowledge of the world is very much part of your identity and your family definitely affects that.

Motivational theories Essay

Maslows Theory is based on the belief that we are motivated by needs and the theory states we must satisfy basic needs in order to concentrate on the higher priorities. And only when the basic needs are met can we move on to the next steps 1. Pysiological – All individuals needs to eat, sleep and drink as a priority 2. Safety – WE all need to feel safe in our homes and the working environment and managers can play a lead role in ensuring we care safe at work 3. Belonging – We need to feel loved and belonging both at home with our families but also in our work place 4. Esteem – Once the 3 basic need are met we look for confidence and respect from others especially in our work place 5. Self Actualization – Top of the pile! We have energy and mentality to thinks, problem solve and use our skills to the the best of its ability Maslows theory tends to be very simple, rather easy to follow and makes sense as it cover basic needs that maybe somewhat forgotton about. If making a new start then Maslow theory is ideal as it is very basic and starts from the bottom of all our needs Herzbergs Theory Hersbergs theory is some what different to Maslows theories in being it concentrates on 2 factors and are all work related though Maslows theory starts with basic needs in life 1. Hygiene factors – are Disatisfiers and the less we have to worry about the more we be motivated. Factors such as Quality of supervision, company policies, job security will all have an impact on staff motivation and this would certainly be the case with the council as they have the ability to dissatisfy 2. Motivation Factors – such as Promotion opportunities, recognition Achievment and responsibility will satisfy all staff without a doubt as they can stimulate. These factor all realte to the work itself and how an employee performs it. Overall the Herzberg theory Herzbergs theory show that fixing problems within the work place related to Hygiene factor may narrow down job dis satisfaction but won’t necessarily improve a workers job satisfaction. To improve job satisfaction you must addr ess the motivational factors and press on them ie: giving recognition to staff and showing staff a sense of achievement for what they do. Vroom expectancy motivation theory Whereas Maslow and Herzberg look at the relationship between internal needs and the resulting effort expended to fulfil them, Vroom’s expectancy theory separates effort (which arises from motivation), performance, and outcomes. Vroom’s expectancy theory assumes that behaviour results from conscious choices among alternatives whose purpose it is to maximize pleasure and to minimize pain. Vroom realized that an employee’s performance is based on individual factors such as personality, skills, knowledge, experience and abilities. He stated that effort, performance and motivation are linked in a person’s motivation. He uses the variables Expectancy, Instrumentality and Valence to account for this. Expectancy Is the belief that increased effort will lead to increased performance i.e. if I work harder then this will be better. This is affected by such things as: Having the right resources available (e.g. raw materials, time) Instrumentality is the belief that if you perform well that a valued outcome will be received. The degree to which a first level outcome will lead to the second level outcome. i.e. if I do a good job, there is something in it for me. This is affected by such things as: Clear understanding of the relationship between performance and outcomes – e.g. the rules of the reward ‘game’ Trust in the people who will take the decisions on who gets what outcome Valence Is the importance that the individual places upon the expected outcome. For the valence to be positive, the person must prefer attaining the outcome to not attaining it. For example, if someone is mainly motivated by money, he or she might not value offers of additional time off. The three elements are important behind choosing one element over another because they are clearly defined: effort-performance expectancy (E>P expectancy) and performance-outcome expectancy (P>O expectancy). E>P expectancy: our assessment of the probability that our efforts will lead to the required performance level. P>O expectancy: our assessment of the probability that our successful performance will lead to certain outcomes. At first glance expectancy theory would seem most applicable to a traditional-attitude work situation where how motivated the employee is depends on whether they want the reward on offer for doing a good job and whether they believe more effort will lead to that reward. However, it could equally apply to any situation where someone does something because they expect a certain outcome. Thus, Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation is not about self-interest in rewards but about the associations people make towards expected outcomes and the contribution they feel they can make towards those outcomes. McGregor Theory X & Theory Y McGregor developed two theories of ‘human behaviour’ at work: Theory and X and Theory Y. He did not imply that workers would be one type or the other. Rather, he saw the two theories as two extremes – with a whole spectrum of possible behaviours in between. Theory X workers could be described as follows: – Individuals who dislike work and avoid it where possible – Individuals who lack ambition, dislike responsibility and prefer to be led – Individuals who desire security The management implications for Theory X workers were that, to achieve organisational objectives, our Business would need to impose a management system of coercion, control and punishment. Theory Y workers were characterised by McGregor as: – Consider effort at work as just like rest or play – Ordinary people who do not dislike work. Depending on the working conditions, work could be considered a source of satisfaction or punishment – Individuals who seek responsibility (if they are motivated) The management implications for Theory X workers are that, to achieve organisational objectives, rewards of varying kinds are likely to be the most popular motivator. The challenge for management with Theory Y workers is to create a working environment (or culture) where workers can show and develop their creativity. (www.tutor2u.com) Maccobys Theory of Motivation Michael Maccoby suggests that in order to motivate staff, leaders should employ an appropriate mix of the 4 Rs: Responsibilities, Relationships, Rewards, Reasons. Responsibilities People are motivated when their responsibilities are meaningful and engage the abilities and values. For example our caring staff are motivated by helping others like teaching and mentoring. And our craftsmen are motivated by the challenge to produce high quality products. Relationships People are motivated by good relationships with bosses, work colleagues and customers. Someone who is caring is motivated if they have the chance to help colleagues and customers. Also a strong team of colleagues who have a strong bond will be motivated to keep the bond strong. Rewards Apreciation and recognition are the kinds of rewards that strengthen motivating relationships. Rewards such as Bonuses, recognition, promotion will all motivate an employee to try their best and push for results. This is also the case when people are painf fair wages and good benefits to make a good job. Reason Reasons can be the most powerful motivator of all. Why are we doing the job over and over again? What is the point of it? If workers have a good explained reason on why they are doing what they are doing then they will be motivated to carry on. For Example workers doing assembly line work during World War II were highly motivated as it was there contribution to the War effort and the aim of winning the war. Evaluate the Usefullness of one motivational Theory for Managers As above you can see all of the theories show different ways in which motivation can be achieved and all have their pro’s and con’s. During this time of change I feel that MaCobys theory of motivation would definitely be of use to all Managers in motivating our staff. Let me explain why: The for R’s are in my turn very easy to understand for Managers and staff, Responsibilities, relationships, rewards and reason are all very simple terms. Responsibilities First and forth most it is of vital importance that our staff know their responsibilities. Have the jobs changed? Have working conditions changed? How can we get bring the best out in our staff. The time is right to evaluate responsibilities, alternate jobs and give staff more of different roles responsibilities. Managers need to show that they are willing to develop all staff. Teach new skills and give them the responsibility to bring the best out in them. Relationships Team bonding is essential during this time of change. Managers need to concentrate on building good strong relationships with there staff so that they can build trust and a sense of security. It is also important that Line Managers keep the relationship of the team of individuals strong and a need to identify any rifts or issues. During this time, new staff will be bought in, existing staff may leave or be moved or transferred so the manager must keep in constant contact with the staff and ensure that the communication amongst staff is strong. Rewards Managers need the opportunity to reward staff for their efforts. The chance of promotion to a higher vacant position will certainly motivate the staff but of course this can not always be the case so recognition for the services provided by staff will certainly go along way. The annual Council forum is an excellent way of achieving this as is provides recognition and rewards for staff who have been committed to the Council, staff who have a good absence record and also staff who have achieved a major goal in the work force on a under graduate qualification.

Cell Phones Essay Essay

Cell phones have been around for centuries. On April 3, 1973 the first portable phone was introduced. Many Americans and people around the world use cell phones almost everyday. Cell phones do have pros, but they do have their cons too. Five pros on the cell phone are that they believe that cell phone use is not associated with the risk of developing a brain tumor. The second pro is that in 2000 the FDA and the International Association for the Wireless Telecommunications (CTIA) signed a research agreement for further investigation on the health effects of cell phones. After the investigation, they discovered that â€Å"no association was found between exposure to radiofrequency (RF) radiation from cell phones and adverse health effects. The third pro is that in May 2001 the GAO reports â€Å"Research and Regulatory Efforts on Mobile Phone Health Issues,† they did conclude that there had been no scientific evidence that can prove that cell phone radiation had any health effects, but that more research on the topic was indeed needed. The fourth pro is that Cell phones may be the world’s best invention to this day; â€Å"In 2008 the $148.1 billion wireless industry had over 270 million subscribers in the US (87% of the population) who used over 2.2 trillion minutes of call time.† The fifth pro is in December of 2012 the $185 billion wireless industry had gained 326,475,248 wireless subscriber connections in the US and 301,779 cell phone tower sites across the country. Five cons on the cell phones are that they say the accurate amount of time for cancer to develop is 20-30 years and cell phone studies have monitored periods of 10 years or less. The second con is that on February 26, 1985 the first official safety guidelines for radio frequency (RF) radiation was enacted by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to protect the people from being exposed to any dangerous â€Å"thermal effects† – levels of RF that could possibly heat human flesh to harmful temperatures. A third con is that in 1993 there was a major concern that there could be a possible link with the brain and cell phone use. A husband sued a cell phone manufacturer in Florida’s US Distract Court for the cause of his wife’s brain tumor. The fourth con is that there is proof that exposure to high end (ionizing)  radiation of ultra-violet lights, X-rays, and Gamma rays are known to cause cancer. The last con for the cell phone is â€Å"The INTERPHONE study, a 13 country, 10 year, $25 million endeavor, found that there was no overall increase in the risk of the brain tumors glioma or meningioma among cell phone users, but also found â€Å"suggestions of an increased risk of glioma, and much less so meningioma, at the highest exposer levels.† The study concluded that the evidence was not strong enough to prove a casual link between cell phone use and the development of brain tumors.† Cell phones are used for many things nowadays. Teens are constantly on there phones talking, texting, playing games, watching videos, etc. Although many people seem to love this device, it does have its faults in the process of using it.

Travel Agent Service – Business Plan

business. gov. au Business Plan Guide Prepared: December 2009 Table of Contents Preparing yourself4 Analyse your business idea4 Analyse yourself4 Business planning5 Regular review5 Distributing & protecting your plan5 Advice and support6 Attending business events6 Taking on a mentor or business coach6 Using the Template7 Template overview8 Title page8 Business Plan Summary9 The Business12 The Market21 The Future24 The Finances25 Supporting documentation31 Glossary32 [pic] This Business Plan Guide and the accompanying Business Plan Template have been developed by business. ov. au, the Australian Government's principal business resource, located within the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. Copies of the latest version of this guide and the template can be downloaded from www. business. gov. au/businessplan. If you need further information, assistance or referral about a small business issue, please contact the Small Business Support Line on 1800 77 7275. Prepari ng yourself Before you start writing your business plan, you should honestly evaluate yourself and decide if your business idea has a good chance of success. Analysis can help you anticipate any challenges you may face and help you overcome them. Analyse your business idea Is your idea feasible? Before you get started, find out if there is a demand for your products or services. It's also useful to find out who your competitors are and whether the market can sustain your business. Researching all aspects of your business idea will involve  gathering, analysing and evaluating information to help you write your business goals. Some questions to consider are: †¢ What product/service will you provide? †¢ Is your idea viable? †¢ How will you protect your ideas? Is there a market for your product/service? †¢ What skills do you need? †¢ Who are your competitors? †¢ What difference will you bring to the market? †¢ Do you have the financial capacity to start a business? Analyse yourself Are you ready to venture into business? Operating a small business is not just about working for yourself, it's also about hav ing the necessary management skills, industry expertise, technical skills, finance and of course a long-term vision to grow and succeed. At the outset it’s important to consider whether you really understand what's involved and whether you're suited to business and self employment. Examine these questions: †¢ Why are you starting a business? †¢ What are your business and personal goals? †¢ What are your skills? †¢ What income do you need to generate? †¢ What are the advantages and disadvantages of starting your own business? Business planning Once you've conducted research into the feasibility of your new business you're ready to write your business plan. A business plan provides direction, keeps you on track and is usually a requirement when you seek finance. Depending on your business type, your plan could include the following sections: Business Summary: A one-page overview written after your business plan is finalised. ? About your business: This is typically called the management plan or operations plan. It covers details about your business including structure, registrations, location and premises, staff, and products/services. ? About your market: This is the marketing plan. It should outline your marketing analysis of the indust ry you are entering, your customers and your competitors. This section should also cover your key marketing targets and your strategies for delivering on these targets. About your future: This section covers your plans for the future and can include a vision statement, business goals and key business milestones. ? About your finances: The financial plan includes how you'll finance your business, costing and financial projections. Regular review Business planning is an ongoing business activity. As your business changes many of the strategies in your plan will need to evolve to ensure you business is still heading in the right direction. Having your plan up to date can keep you focussed on where you are heading and ensure you are ready when you need it again. Distributing & protecting your plan A business plan is a blueprint for how your business will run and reveals what future direction your business will take. Understandably you will want to be careful who you show your plan to and avoid your competition seeing it. Having an understanding with third parties when distributing a plan could be enough protection for some businesses, however others who have innovative business practices or products or services may wish to go further and sign a confidentiality agreement with each person to protect their innovations. It may also be a good idea to include some words in your plan asking the reader not to disclose the details of your plan. What to do†¦ ? Visit our Confidentiality/Trade secrets page, for more information on confidentiality agreements. ? For detailed information on Intellectual property protection, visit the IP Australia[pic] website. ? Contact your nearest  Business Enterprise Centre[pic]  (BEC) for assistance with your business planning process. Advice and support There are a number of government services available to help you plan, start or grow your business. These services can provide general advice, workshops, seminars and networking events, and can even match you with a mentor or business coach. Attending business events Small business workshops and seminars are run regularly in most areas of Australia, and deal with issues such as planning, financial management, innovation, employing staff and exporting. You may also find it useful to attend networking events to help expand your business. By developing networks, you can keep up-to-date on industry and local information, promote your business through new contacts and learn key skills from other businesses. Taking on a mentor or business coach Participating in mentoring or coaching programs can help you develop a greater understanding of business processes and practices, and equip you with the skills you need to grow and improve your business. What to do†¦ ? Contact your nearest  Business Enterprise Centre[pic]  (BEC) for assistance with your business planning process. ? Check if your local BEC or state business agency hosts a business planning workshop near you. ? Contact an Enterprise Connect[pic] centre for help with planning, growing, skills development, competitiveness and productivity. Search for networking, mentoring or training events and seminars on the business. gov. au Events calendar. ? Contact a business adviser, accountant or solicitor for advice. Using the Template Before you complete the business plan template and start using it, consider the following: 1. Do your research. You will need to make quite a few decisions about your business including structure, mark eting strategies and finances before you can complete the template. By having the right information to hand you also can be more accurate in your forecasts and analysis. 2. Determine who the plan is for. Does it have more than one purpose? Will it be used internally or will third parties be involved? Deciding the purpose of the plan can help you target your answers. If third parties are involved, what are they interested in? Although don’t assume they are just interested in the finance part of your business. They will be looking for the whole package. 3. Do not attempt to fill in the template from start to finish. First decide which sections are relevant for your business and set aside the sections that don’t apply. You can always go back to the other sections later. . Use the [italicised text]. The italicised text is there to help guide you by providing some more detailed questions you may like to answer when preparing your response. Please note: If a question does not apply to your circumstances it can be ignored. 5. Get some help. If you aren’t confident in completing the plan yourself, you can enlist the help of a professional (i. e. Enterprise Connect Centre , Business Enterprise Centre, business adviser, or accountant) to look through your plan and provide you with advice. 6. Actual vs. expected figures. Existing businesses can include actual figures in the plan, but if your business is just starting out and you are using expected figures for turnover and finances you will need to clearly show that these are expected figures or estimates. 7. Write your summary last. Use as few words as possible. You want to get to the point but not overlook important facts. This is also your opportunity to sell yourself. But don’t overdo it. You want prospective banks, investors, partners or wholesalers to be able to quickly read your plan, find it realistic and be motivated by what they read. 8. Review. Review. Review. Your business plan is there to make a good impression. Errors will only detract from your professional image. So ask a number of impartial people to proofread your final plan. Template overview Title page |Question |Explanation |More information | |Insert your business logo |Adding a logo helps give your business a more professional image. If you are just starting out and do not have a | | | |logo, you can remove this section. | |Your name |Enter the business owner's name. Enter multiple names if there are multiple owners. | | |Your title |The titles of the business owner(s) listed above. E. g. Owner/Manager | | |Business name |Enter your business name as registered in your state/territory. If you have not registered your business name, add |Visit our Register your business name page. | | |your proposed business name | | |Main business address |Enter your main business address. This can be your home address if you are a home-based business or your head | | | |office if you have more than one location. | |ABN |Enter your Australian Business Number. If you are a business and have registered for an ABN enter it here. |Visit our Register for an Australian Business Number | | | |(ABN) page. | |ACN |Enter your Australian Company Number. Only fill this in if you are a company. |Visit our Register your company page. | |Prepared |The date you finished preparing your business plan. | |Table of Contents |If you have changed this template in any way, please remember to update the table of contents to reflect the | | | |changes.. | | Business Plan Summary Your business summary should be no longer than a page and should focus on why your business is going to be successful. Your answers should briefly summarise your more detailed answers provided throughout the body of your plan. |Question |Explanation |More information | |The Business | |Business name |Enter your business name as registered in your state/territory. If you have not registered your business name, add |Visit our Register your business name page. | | |your proposed business name. | |Business structure |Is your business a sole trader, partnership, trust or company? |Visit our Which business structure should I choose? | | | |page. | |ABN |Enter your Australian Business Number (ABN). If you are a business and have registered for an ABN enter it here. Visit our Register for an Australian Business Number | | | |(ABN) page. | |ACN |Enter your Australian Company Number (ACN). Only fill this in if you are a company. |Visit our Register your company page. | |Business location |Enter your main business location. Briefly describe the location and space occupied/required. | | |Date established |The date you started trading. Whether it was the date you opened your doors or the date your purchased business | | | |opened its doors. | | |Business owner(s) |List the names of all business owners. | | |Relevant owner experience |Briefly outline your experience and/or years in the industry and any major achievements/awards. |Visit our Am I ready? age. | | |Keep this brief and try to include only your relevant experience and main achievements. You will have an | | | |opportunity to go into more detail under the Management & ownership section. | | |Products/services |What products/services are you selling? What is the anticipated demand for your products/services? These answers | | | |should briefly summarise your answers under the main products/services section. | | |The Market | |Target market |Who are you selling to? Why would they buy your products/services over others? Visit our Researching your market page. | | |This answer should briefly summarise your answers under the main Market section. | | |Marketing strategy |How do you plan to enter the market? How do you intend to attract customers? How and why will this work? |Visit our How do I promote my business? page. | | |This answer should briefly summarise your answers under the main Market section. | |The Future | |Vision statement |The vision statement briefly outlines your future plan for the business. It should state clearly what your overall | | | |goals for the business are. | | |Goals/objectives |What are your short & long term goals? What activities will you undertake to meet them? | | |The Finances | |The finances |Briefly outline how much profit you intend on making in a particular timeframe. How much money will you need |Visit our How do I manage my finances? page. | | |up-front? Where will you obtain these funds? What portion will you be seeking from other sources? How much of your | | | |own money are you contributing towards the business? | | | |Your answers can be quite brief in the summary. They should give the reader a quick idea of your current financial | | | |position. Where you are heading financially and how much you need to get there. You can provide more detail in the | | | |main Finances section. | | The Business |Question |Explanation |More information | |Business details | |Business purpose |What is the main business purpose? What does it sell? | |Business size |Number of employees? Estimated/actual annual turnover? | | |Operating history |What is the business background? How long has the business been operating? What is your progress to date? | | |Registration details | |Business name |Enter your business name as registered in your state/territory. If you have not registered your business name, add |Visit our Register your business name page. | | |your proposed business name | | |Trading name(s) |Enter your registered trading name or names. Your trading name is the name you will use to trade under. It is the |Visit our How do I choose a business name? age. | | |name that appears on your marketing and advertising material. If you have multiple trading names, list them and | | | |explain the purpose of each name. | | |Date registered |The date that appears on your business name registration. | |Location(s) registered |Enter the state(s) you have registered your business name. If your business is located in more than one state, you |Visit our Register your business name page. | | |will need to register your business name in each state. | | |Business structure |Is your business a sole trader, partnership, trust or company? |Visit our Which business structure should I choose? | | |page. | |ABN |If you have registered an Australi an Business Number (ABN), then enter it here. |Visit our Register for an Australian Business Number | | | |(ABN) page. | |ACN |Enter your Australian Company Number (ACN). Fill this in if you are a registered company. |Visit our Register your company page. |GST |If you are registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST), then enter the date you registered with the Tax office. |Visit our Register for Goods & Services Tax (GST) | | | |page. | |Domain names |If you are planning on setting up a website for your business, you may also like to register a domain name to match|Visit our Register your domain name page. | |your registered business name. List any domain names you have registered and plan to use in the business. | | |Licences & permits |List all the licences or permits you have registered. These will vary depending on your type of business and |Visit our Licences & permits page. | | |location. Some examples include a tradesperson certificate, travel agents licence, or kerbside caf e permit. | |Business premises | |Business location |Enter your main business location. Describe the location and space occupied/required. What is the size of the space| | | |you occupy/require? Which city or town? Where in relation to landmarks/main areas? If you have a retail business, | | | |where are you located in relation to other shops? What is the retail traffic like? | | |Buy/lease |If you have purchased a business premises or are currently leasing, briefly outline the arrangements. These can |Visit our Buy or lease a business premises page. | | |include purchase price, length of the lease agreement, rental cost or lease terms. | | |If you are still looking for a lease or property, outline your commercial lease or purchase requirements and any | | | |utilities/facilities required. | | |Organisation chart | |Figure 1: Organisation chart |The organisation chart is a quick way of representing your business structure. If you are still recruiting staff, | | | |you may wish to include a proposed structure and label it appropriately. I. e. you could add ‘Vacant' to the | | | |positions that are currently vacant or you could label the whole chart as a ‘Proposed Organisation Chart'. | |Management & ownership | |Names of owners |List the names of all business owners. | | |Details of management & ownership |As the owner(s), will you be running the business or will a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) be running the business | | | |on your behalf? What will be your involvement? If it is a partnership, briefly outline for each partner their | | | |percentage share, role in the business, the strengths of each partner and whether you have a partnership | | | |agreement/contract in place? | |Experience |What experience do the business owner(s) have? Why should people invest in you? How many years have you owned or | | | |run a business? List any previous businesses owned/managed. List any major achievements/awards. What other relevant| | | |experience do you have? Don’t forget to attach your resume(s) to the back of your plan. | | |Key personnel | |Current staff table |List your current staff in the table provided. Outline each job title, name of the employee in the position, the |Visit our Employing people topic. | |expected staff turnover for the position and each employee's relevant skills or strengths. You may also like to | | | |attach a copy of their resume to the back of your plan. | | |Required staff table |List your required staff in the table provided. These are current vacant positions. Outline each job title, |Visit our Recruitment page. | | |quantity of each type of position, the expected staff turnover for the position, the required skills or strengths | | | |needed and the date you require this position to be filled. | | |Recruitment options |How do you intend on obtaining your required staff? Advertising in the local paper, online advertising, and/or |Visit our Recruitment page. | | |training current staff members? | | |Training programs |Are there any training programs you will be organising in the event you cannot find the required skills? Are these |Visit our Skills development & training page. | | |in-house or external providers? What training will you as the business owner/manager undertake to keep your skills | | | |current? | | |Skill retention strategies |What procedural documentation will you provide to ensure the skills of staff are maintained? Do you have an |Visit our Skills development & training page. | |appropriate allocation of responsibilities? How are responsibilities documented and communicated to staff? What | | | |internal processes will you implement to regularly check that the current skills of staff members are still | | | |appropriate for the business? | |Product/services | |Product/services table |List each product/service your business currently offers. Provide a description and unit price (including GST) | | | |amount for each. | | |Market position |Where do your products/services fit in the market? Are they high-end, competitive or a low cost alternative to the | | | |products/services offered by your competitors? How does this compare to your competitors? | | |Unique selling position |How will your products/services succeed in the market where others may have failed? What gives your | | | |products/services the edge? | |Anticipated demand |What is the anticipated quantity of products/services your customers are likely to purchase? For example, how much | | | |will an individual customer buy in 6 months or 12 months? | | |Pricing strategy |Do you have a particular pricing strategy? Why have you chosen this strategy? Visit our Fair trading laws page for your state fair | | |To help you develop your pricing strategy, you could refer to your customer research, market position, anticipated |trading office contact details. | | |demand and costs/expenses to get an idea. | | | |Whatever strategy you use when setting your price, you will also need to adhere to any relevant fair t rading | | |legislation or codes of conduct. | | |Value to customer |How do your customers value your products/services? Are they a necessity, luxury or something in between? | | |Growth potential |What is the anticipated percentage growth of the product in the future? What will drive this growth? | | |To help you determine this growth potential, you could refer to your region/industry research to get an idea of any| | | |industry/regional growth that could affect your business in a positive way. | | |Innovation | |Research & development (R&D)/ innovation |What R&D activities will you implement to encourage innovation in your business? What financial and/or staff |Visit our How do I make my business more innovative? | |activities |resources will you allocate? |page. | |Intellectual property strategy |How do you plan to protect your innovations? List any current trade marks, patents, designs you have registered. Do|See the IP Australia website[pic] for information on | | |you have confidentiality agreements in place? |protecting your innovations. | |Protecting your innovations can include registering for intellectual property protection, ensuring your staff sign | | | |a confidentiality agreement, and generally ensuring your competition does not find out what you are developing. | | |Insurance | |Workers compensation |Provide details if you have workers compensation insurance? This is mandatory if you have employees. |Visit our People insurance page. | |Public liability insurance |Provide details if you have public liability insurance? This covers any third party death or injury. |Visit our Liability insurance page. | |Professional indemnity |Provide details if you have professional indemnity insurance? This covers any legal action taken out as a result of|Visit our Liability insurance page. | | |your professional advice. | |Product liability |Provide details if you have product liability insurance? This covers any legal action taken out as a result of |Visit our Liability insurance page. | | |injury, damage or death from your product. | | |Business assets |Provide details if you have insured your business assets in the event of a fire, burglary, or damage? This |Visit our Assets & revenue insurance page. | | |insurance covers things like buildings, contents and motor vehicles. | | |Business revenue |Provide details if you have insured your business in the event of business interruption where you cannot trade |Visit our Assets & revenue insurance page. | | |because of a particular event and are unable to make money? | |Risk management | |Risk management table |List the potential risks (in order of likelihood) that could impact your business. |Visit our Risk management page. | | |For each risk, detail the following in the table provided: | | | |A escription of the risk and the potential impact to your business. | | | |The likelihood of this risk happening – either highly unlikely, unlikely, likely, or highly likely. | | | |The level of impact it may have on your business – high, medium or low. | | |Your strategies for minimising/mitigating each potential risk. | | |Legal considerations | |Legal considerations |List t he legislation which will have some impact on the running of your business. For example: consumer law, |Visit our What are the legal requirements? Page. | | |business law, or specific legislation to your industry. | | | |List the legislation in order of the most impact on your business. You should also detail what you will do or have |Visit the Australian Securities & Investments | | |already done to ensure you comply. |Commission Financial services[pic] page. | |For example if you are in the financial services industry and you provide financial advice to your customers, you | | | |should include the Corporations Act 2001 and your AFS licence details (if registered already). You may also like to| | | |include details about your disclosure and general obligations. | |Operations | |Production process |What is the process involved in producing your products/services. This process will vary depending on your | | | |product/service. Here are some examples of questions you may consider. Is there a manufacturing process? Who is | | | |involved in the process? Are there any third parties involved? What is involved in delivering the service to your | | | |customers? | | |Suppliers |Who are your main suppliers? What do they supply to your business? How will you maintain a good relationship with | | | |them? | | |Plant and equipment table |List your current plant and equipment purchases. These can include vehicles, computer equipment, phones and fax | | | |machines. For each item include the equipment name, purchase date, purchase price and running cost. | | | |If you have not purchased all of your equipment yet, you can include a separate table and include an expected | | | |purchase date. | | |Inventory table |List your current inventory items in the table supplied. You can include inventory item name, unit price, quantity | | | |in stock and the total cost (i. e. unit price multiplied by quantity in stock). | | | |If you have a substantial inventory, you may prefer to attach a full inventory list to the back of your business | | | |plan. | |Technology (software) |What technology do you require? For example: website, point of sale software or accounting package? What will be | | | |the main purpose for each? Will they be off-the-shelf or purpose built? What is the estimated cost of each | | | |technology solution? | | |Even though this section focuses on software (as your hardware will be listed above in your plant and equipment | | | |table), for more clarity you may also wish to give a brief description of hardware including servers, specialised | | | |technology and computer equipment required. | |Trading hours |What are your trading hours? What are your expected peak trading times? Which times do you expect to be more | | | |profitab le? How will this change over different seasons? How do your trading hours accommodate these changes? | | |Communication channels |How can your customers get in contact with you? These channels can include: telephone (landline/mobile), post box, | | | |shopfront, email, fax and/or internet blog or social networking website. If you have chosen only a few channels you| | | |may wish to include your strategy behind this. | | |Payment types accepted |What payment types will you accept? Cash, credit, cheque, gift cards, Paypal etc | | |Credit policy |What is your credit policy for customers/suppliers? How long is the credit period? What are your collection | | | |strategies/procedures? What credit does your business receive? What are the terms? | | |Warranties & refunds |If you manufacture certain goods, what are the warranty terms? What is your business refund/exchange policy? |Visit our Warranties & refunds page. | |Quality control |Describe your quality control process. What checks or balances do you have in place to ensure the product or |Visit our Product safety & standards page. | | |service you offer is produced to the same standard of quality? What steps do you take to meet product safety | | | |standards? | |Memberships and affiliations |Is your business a member of any particular industry association or club? Do you have any affiliations with any | | | |other organisation? | | |Sustainability plan | |Environmental/ resource impacts |Describe the impact your business could potentially have on the environment. E. g. particular manufacturing |Visit our Environmental auditing page. | | |process produces carbon emissions. | | | |To help you answer this question, you could consider conducting an environmental audit. | | |Community impact and engagement |How does your environmental impact affect the loca l community? How can you engage the community in minimising your |Visit our Minimising your impact page. | |impact? | | |Risks/constraints |List any risks/constraints to your business resulting from this environmental impact? |Visit our Risk management page. | |Strategies |What strategies will you implement to minimise/mitigate your environmental impact and any risks to your business? |Visit our Environmental auditing page. | | |Will you conduct an environmental audit? Have you introduced an Environmental management system? |Visit our Environmental management systems page. | |Action plan table |List your key sustainability/environmental milestones in the table provided? Detail each sustainability milestone, | | | |the target you are trying to achieve and when you expect to reach each target. For example: Reducing water | | | |consumption by 60% before 2016. | The Market |Question |Explanation |More information | |Market research |What statistical research have you completed to help you analyse your market? Did you use a survey/questionnaire? |Visit our Researching your market page. | | |If so, you may like to attach a copy of your survey/questionnaire to the back of this plan. | |Market targets |Outline your planned sales targets. What quantity of your products/services do you plan to sell in a planned | | | |timeframe? Are they monthly or yearly targets? For example, you may set yourself a goal of selling 1 000 products | | | |in 12 months. | |Environmental/industry analysis |Detail the results of the market research you have performed. Is the area experiencing population growth? Are there|Visit our Market research & statistics topic. | | |long-term employers in the area? Is the region's economy stable? Are there seasonal variations? | | | |What is the size of the market? What recent trends have emerged in the market? What growth potential is available |Visit the Australian Bureau of Statistics National | | |and where do you fit in? How will the market/customers change when you enter the market? |Regional Profile[pic] page. | | |A good place to start when researching your regional profile is the Australian Bureau of Statistics website. The | | | |regional profile information includes economy, population/people, industry and environment/energy statistics. | |Your customers | |Customer demographics |Define who your target customers are and how they behave. You can include age, gender, social status, education and|Download the Social Atlas[pic] and the Social | | |attitudes. |Trends[pic] series from the Australian Bureau of | | | |Statistics website. |Key customers |Identify your key customers. (These can be large consumers of your products or individuals whose satisfaction is | | | |key to the success of your business. ) How will you target your products/service to them? | | |Customer management |How will you maintain a good relationship with your customers? What techniques will you use? How will you keep your|Visit our Customer service page. Visit our Codes of | | |customers coming back? Have you introduced customer service standards? Do you follow any particular code of |Practice page. | | |practice? | | |S. W. O. T. analysis | |S. W. O. T. nalysis table |List each of your businesses strengths, weaknesses, opportunities or threats in the table supplied and then outline| | | |what you will do about each of the weaknesses/threats. | | |Your competitors | |Your competitors |How do you rate against your competitors? How can your business improve on what they offer? | |Competitor details table |List at least 5 competitors in the table. For each competitor enter: | | | |Competitor: Competitor name | | | |Established date: When were they established? | | |Size: Number of staff and/or turnover | | | |Market share (%): Estimated percentage of market share | | | |Value to customers: Unique value to customers. Why they would do business with your competitor? For example: | | | |convenience, quality, price or service? | | | |Strengths: What are your competitor's main strengths? | | | |Weaknesses: What are your competitor's main weaknesses? | |Advertising & sales | |Advertising and promotional strategy table |What strategies do you have for promoting and advertising your products/services in the next 12 months? |Visit our Marketing & advertising page. | | |For each promotion/advertising: What is the promotion/advertising type (e. g. Print media advertising, online | | | |advertising, mail-out, giveaway, media release or event) How do you expect it will improve your business success? | | | |What is the cost of each planned activity? When do you expect to complete each activity? | |Sales and marketing objectives |Who makes up your sales team? What sales techniques will they use? What tools/material will they use to help sell |Visit our Marketing & advertising page. | | |your products/services? What sales goals/targets will they meet? | | |Unique selling position |Why do you have an advantage over your competitors? How will your products/services succeed in the market where | | | |others may have failed? | | |Sales and distribution channels table |For each channel enter: | | | |Channel type: e. . Shopfront, internet, direct mail, export or wholesale | | | |Products/services: List all the products/services sold via this channel | | | |Percentage of sales: What percentage of overall sales do you expect to sell via this channel? | | |Advantages: What advantages are there of using this channel for these products? | | | |Challenges: What challenges do you expect to face using this channel? How will you overcome them? | | The Future |Question |Explanation |More information | |Vision statement |What is your business' vision statement? It should briefly outline your future plan for the business and include | | | |your overall goals. | |Mission statement |What is your business' mission statement I. e. how will you achieve your vision? | | |Goals/objectives |What are your short & long term goals? What activities will you undertake to meet them? | | |Action plan table |What are the business milestones that you need to complete starting from today? When do you expect to complete | | | |them? Who is responsible for delivering this milestone? | | | |Please note: This table does not include sustainability milestones as they are listed in the sustainability section| | | |above. | The Finances |Question |Explanation |More information | |Key objectives and financial review | |Financial objectives |List your key financial objectives. These can be in the form of sales targets or profit targets. You could also | | | |list your main financial management goals such as cost reduction targets. | | |Finance required |How much money up-front do you need? Where will you obtain the funds? What portion will you be seeking from loans, | | | |investors, business partners, friends or relatives, venture capital or government funding? How much of your own | | | |money are you contributing towards the business? | | |Assumptions | |Assumptions |List your financial assumptions. These can include seasonal adjustments, drought, economy or interest rates etc. | |Start-up costs for [YEAR] table |Using the table | | | |The start-up costs table contains a list of suggested costs a typical business may incur in its first year of | | | |operation. When you double click on the table you can edit these items by removing or adding rows and typing in | | | |your own items. Don’t forget to clearly display your start-up year in the heading. Please note: The table assumes | | | |all figures are GST inclusive. | | |Total formulas | | | |When you add your costs, the table will automatically total your items at the bottom of the sheet. If you are | | | |adding or removing rows please double-check your figures to ensure the total formulas have been preserved. | | |Estimating costs | | | |Whether you have already started or intending to start you will need to fill in Actual or Estimated figures against| | | |the items in the table. If using estimated costs, please label them clearly. | | |Attach your own | | | |If you have your own start-up cost sheet or your accountant has already prepared one, please feel free to remove | | | |the table supplied and attach your own. If it is a large sheet, you can always attach it to the back of the plan | | | |and reference it from this section. | | |Balance sheet forecast table |Using this table | | | |The balance sheet forecast table contains a list of suggested assets and liabilities a typical business may have. | | |When you double click on the table you can edit these items by removing or adding rows and typing in your own | | | |items. Don’t forget to edit the financial years if required. Please note: The table assumes all figures are GST | | | |inclusive. | | |Total formulas | | | |When you add your figures, the table will automatically calculate your totals and net assets at the bottom of the | | | |sheet. If you are adding or removing rows please double-check your figures to ensure the calculations have been | | | |preserved. | | | Calculations | | | |Net assets equals | | | | | | | |Total assets minus Total liabilities. | | |Attach your own | | | |If you have your own balance sheet forecast or your accountant has already prepared one, please feel free to remove| | | |the table supplied and attach your own. If it is a large sheet, you can always attach it to the back of the plan | | | |and reference it from this section. | |Profit and loss forecast table |Using this table | | | |The profit and loss forecast table contains a list of suggested profit items and expenses a typical business may | | | |have. When you double click on the table you can edit these items by removing or adding rows and typing in your own| | | |items. Don’t forget to edit the financial years if required. Please note: The table assumes all figure