Nutrition assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nutrition - Assignment Example Fat used also prevents the mixed dough from sticking to the pan and enhances the flavor and taste. Leavening agent used forms a gas as the heat intensifies; leading to the rise of the product; thus a lighter texture of the product. The open spaces created are as a result of the action of leavening agent. The liquid used may be milk, water, and fruit juice. Addition of the liquid to the dry ingredients creates a mixture. As the heat intensifies in the oven, the liquid in the mixture aids in the rising action of the product. The function of the liquid in the recipe is moisture, preserving agent, flavor, and tenderness. Protein in eggs and flour makes the mixture smooth thus leading to a tender product. Sugar is used as a flavor enhancer, tenderizer, and it make up a liquid ingredient. Heat and action of the mixture components causes the flour to brown (Brown, 408). Compare and contrast the nutrient contribution of vegetables from four different classifications of vegetables by filling out the table below. Use 1 cup or 100 grams (gms) as the serving amount for each vegetable. Be consistent in serving size for all vegetables. Use information for the raw product. Use the USDA food Nutrient database, http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/ for your analysis. 4. Sprinkle some of the flour on the board and scrape the dough out of the bowl onto the floured board. Put some flour on your hands and knead the dough for 6-8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. During this time you will find it necessary to add more flour. (If you have never kneaded dough refer to the video for the technique.) When you have finished kneading take a fourth photo. 5. You will need to wash out your bowl or use another bowl. Coat the bowl with oil or spray it with nonstick coating, put the dough in the bowl and allow it to stand for about one hour. Take a fifth photo of the dough. 7. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size. Bake in a

Consensual Relationships Agreements ( CRA) Case Study

Consensual Relationships Agreements ( CRA) - Case Study Example In this connection, the Consensual Relationship Agreement (CRA) between the working people and the employer is generally regarded as a written contract in which the working people belonging to an organization agree to follow various policies relating to workplace that are established by the employer. The written agreement also states that the working people agree to discard certain attitudes or behaviors that might offend others in the working place. In this particular agreement, the employees or the staffs also agree to behave professionally and not to permit the relationship to hamper their work performances. Through this particular relationship agreement, the working people of a particular organization also promise to report any sort of harassments that might prevail in the working place to the higher authority of the organization (Appleby, 2007). Along with the need of executing consensual agreements in the workplace, there also lie certain different reasons which might possess negative impact for the employees with the implementation of Consensus Relationship Agreements (CRA) in any organization. The different reasons for the negative impact of the workplace agreement include unfavorable effect upon the morale of the employees, emergence of favoritism and potential interest conflicts among the staffs that ultimately can affect the working performances of the staffs (Edwards & Angell LLP, 2005). In this context, the morale of the employees who consent to be a part of Consensus Relationship Agreements (CRA) greatly suffers at a particular time when the other employees of the organization enjoy superior as well as well advanced job assignments along with other opportunities of working operations. This particular factor ultimately helps to raise the aspect of favoritism and also unfavorably affects upon the working performance of the employees due to the relationship agreement

Case Of Location Choice For Existing Organisation Business Essay

Case Of Location Choice For Existing Organisation Business Essay for an organisation. One of the key features of a conversion process manufacturing system is the efficiency with which the products services are transferred to the customers.This fact will include the determination of where to place the plant or facility.The selection of location is a key-decision as large investment is made in building plant and machinery. It is not advisable or not possible to change the location very often. So an improper location of plant may lead to waste of all the investments made in building and machinery, equipment. Before a location for a plant is selected, long range forecasts should be made anticipating future needs of the company. The plant location should be based on the companys expansion plan and policy, diversification plan for the products, changing market conditions, the changing sources of raw materials and many other factors that influence the choice of the location decision. The purpose of the location study is to find an optimum location one th at will result in the greatest advantage to the organization. The need for selecting a suitable location arises because of three situations. When starting a new organisation, i.e., location choice for the first time. In case of existing organisation. In case of Global Location. In Case of Location Choice for the First Time or New Organisations Cost economies are always important while selecting a location for the first time, but should keep in mind the cost of long-term business/organisational objectives. The following are the factors to be considered while selecting the location for the new organisations: Identification of region: The organisational objectives along with the various long-term considerations about marketing, technology, internal organisational strengths and weaknesses, region specific resources and business environment, legal-governmental environment, social environment and geographical environment suggest a suitable region for locating the operations facility. Choice of a site within a region: Once the suitable region is identified, the next step is choosing the best site from an available set. Choice of a site is less dependent on the organisations long-term strategies. Evaluation of alternative sites for their tangible and intangible costs will resolve facilities-location problem. The problem of location of a site within the region can be approached with the following cost-oriented non-interactive model, i.e., dimensional analysis. Dimensional analysis: If all the costs were tangible and quantifiable, the comparison and selection of a site is easy. The location with the least cost is selected. In most of the cases intangible costs which are expressed in relative terms than in absolute terms. Their relative merits and demerits of sites can also be compared easily. Since both tangible and intangible costs need to be considered for a selection of a site, dimensional analysis is used. In Case of Location Choice for Existing Organisation In this case a manufacturing plant has to fit into a multi-plant operations strategy. That is, additional plant location in the same premises and elsewhere under following circumstances: Plant manufacturing distinct products. Manufacturing plant supplying to specific market area. Plant divided on the basis of the process or stages in manufacturing. Plants emphasizing flexibility. The different operations strategies under the above circumstances could be: Plants manufacturing distinct products: Each plant services the entire market area for the organization. This strategy is necessary where the needs of technological and resource inputs are specialized or distinctively different for the different product-lines.For example, a high quality precision product-line should not be located along with other product-line requiring little emphasis on precision. It may not be proper to have too many contradictions such as sophisticated and old equipment, highly skilled and semi-skilled personnel,delicates processes and those that could permit rough handlings, all under one roof and one set of managers. Such a setting leads to much confusion regarding the required emphasis and the management policies. Product specialization may be necessary in a highly competitive market. It may be necessary to exploit the special resources of a particular geographical area. The more decentralized these pairs are in terms of the management and in terms of their physical location, the better would be the planning and control and the utilization of the resources. Manufacturing plants supplying to a specific market area: Here, each plant manufactures almost all of the companys products. This type of strategy is useful where market proximity consideration dominates the resources and technology considerations. This strategy requires great deal of coordination from the corporate office. An extreme example of this strategy is that of soft drinks bottling plants. Plants divided on the basis of the process or stages in manufacturing: Each production process or stage of manufacturing may require distinctively different equipment capabilities, labour skills, technologies, and managerial policies and emphasis. Since the products of one plant feed into the other plant, this strategy requires much centralized coordination of the manufacturing activities from the corporate office that are expected to understand the various technological aspects of all the plants. Plants emphasizing flexibility: This requires much coordination between plants to meet the changing needs and at the same time ensure efficient use of the facilities and resources. Frequent changes in the long-term strategy in order to improve be efficiently temporarily, are not healthy for the organization. In any facility location problem the central question is: Is this a location at which the company can remain competitive for a long time?For an established organization in order to add on to the capacity, following are the ways: Expansion of the facilities at the existing site: This is acceptable when it does not violate the basic business and managerial outlines, i.e., philosophies, purposes, strategies and capabilities. For example, expansion should not compromise quality, delivery, or customer service. Relocation of the facilities (closing down the existing ones): This is a drastic step which can be called as Uprooting and Transplanting. Unless there are very compelling reasons, relocation is not done. The reasons will be either bringing radical changes in technology, resource availability or other destabilization. All these factors are applicable to service organizations, whose objectives, priorities and strategies may differ from those of hardcore manufacturing organizations. In Case of Global Location Because of globalisation, multinational corporations are setting up their organizations in India and Indian companies are extending their operations in other countries. In case of global locations there is scope for virtual proximity and virtual factory.Reasons for global location are as follows Tangible Reasons: The tangible reasons for setting up an operations facility abroad could be as follows: Reaching the customer: One obvious reason for locating a facility abroad is that of capturing a share of the market expanding worldwide. The phenomenal growth of the GDP of India is a big reason for the multinationals to have their operations facilities in our country. An important reason is that of providing service to the customer promptly and economically which is logistics-dependent. Therefore, cost and case of logistics is a reason for setting up manufacturing facilities abroad. By logistics set of activities closes the gap between production of goods/services and reaching of these intended goods/services to the customer to his satisfaction. Reaching the customer is thus the main objective. The tangible and intangible gains and costs depend upon the company defining for itself as to what that reaching means. The tangible costs could be the logistics related costs; the intangible costs may be the risk of operating is a foreign country. The tangible gains are the immediate gains; the intangible gains are an outcome of what the company defines the concepts of reaching and customer for itself. Intangible Reasons: The intangible reasons for considering setting up an operations facility abroad could be as follows: Customer-related Reasons With an operations facility in the foreign country, the firms customers may feel secure that the firm is more accessible. Accessibility is an important service quality determinant. The firm may be able to give a personal tough. (c) The firm may interact more intimately with its customers and may thus understand their requirements better. (d) It may also discover other potential customers in the foreign location. Organisational Learning-related Reasons (a) The firm can learn advanced technology. For example, it is possible that cutting-edge technologies can be learn by having operations in an technologically more advanced country. The firm can learn from advanced research laboratories/universities in that country. Such learning may help the entire product-line of the company. (b) The firm can learn from its customers abroad. A physical location there may be essential towards this goal. (c) It can also learn from its competitors operating in that country. For this reason, it may have to be physically present where the action is. (d) The firm may also learn from its suppliers abroad. If the firm has a manufacturing plant there, it will have intensive interaction with the suppliers in that country from whom there may be much to learn in terms of modern and appropriate technology, modern management methods, and new trends in business worldwide. Other Strategic Reasons (a) The firm by being physically present in the host country may gain some local boy kind of psychological advantage. The firm is no more a foreign company just sending its products across international borders. This may help the firm in lobbying with the government of that country and with the business associations in that country. The firm may avoid political risk by having operations in multiple countries. (c) By being in the foreign country, the firm can build alternative sources of supply. The firm could, thus, reduce its supply risks. d) The firm could hunt for human capital in different countries by having operations in those countries. Thus, the firm can gather the best of people from across the globe. (e) Foreign locations in addition to the domestic locations would lower the market risks for the firm. If one market goes slow the other may be doing well, thus lowering the overall risk. F ACTORS INFLUENCING FACILITY LOCATION Facility location is the process of determining a geographic site for a firms operations.Managers of both service and manufacturing organizations must weigh many factors when assessing the desirability of a particular site, including proximity to customers and suppliers, labour costs, and transportation costs. Location conditions are complex and each comprises a different characteristics of a tangible (i.e. Freight rates, production costs) and non-tangible (i.e. reliability, Frequency security, quality) nature. Location conditions are hard to measure. Tangible cost based factors such as wages and products costs can be quantified precisely into what makes locations better to compare. On the other hand non-tangible features, which refer to such characteristics as reliability, availability and security, can only be measured along an ordinal or even nominal scale. Other non-tangible features like the percentage of employees that are unionized can be measured as well. To sum this up non-tangible features are very important for business location decisions. It is appropriate to divide the factors, which influence the plant location or facility location on the basis of the nature of the organisation as: General locational factors, which include controllable and uncontrollable factors for all type of organisations. Specific locational factors, specifically required for manufacturing and service organisations. Location factors can be further divided into two categories.Dominant factors are those derived from competitive priorities (cost, quality, time, and flexibility) and have a particularly strong impact on sales or costs. Secondary factors also are important, but management may downplay or even ignore some of them if other factors are more important. General Locational Factors Following are the general factors required for location of plant in case of all types of organisations. CONTROLLABLE FACTORS Proximity to markets: Every company is expected to serve its customers by providing goods and services at the time needed and at reasonable price organizations may choose to locate facilities close to the market or away from the market depending upon the product. When the buyers for the product are concentrated, it is advisable to locate the facilities close to the market. Locating nearer to the market is preferred if The products are delicate and susceptible to spoilage. After sales services are promptly required very often. Transportation cost is high and increase the cost significantly. Shelf life of the product is low. Nearness to the market ensures a consistent supply of goods to customers and reduces the cost of transportation. Supply of raw material: It is essential for the organization to get raw material in right qualities and time in order to have an uninterrupted production. This factor becomes very important if the materials are perishable and cost of transportation is very high. General guidelines suggested by Yaseen regarding effects of raw materials on plant location are: When a single raw material is used without loss of weight, locate the plant at the raw material source, at the market or at any point in between. When weight loosing raw material is demanded, locate the plant at the raw material source. When raw material is universally available, locate close to the market area. If the raw materials are processed from variety of locations, the plant may be situated so as to minimize total transportation costs. Nearness to raw material is important in case of industries such as sugar, cement, jute and cotton textiles. Transportation facilities: Speedy transport facilities ensure timely supply of raw materials to the company and finished goods to the customers. The transport facility is a prerequisite for Facility Location and Layout the location of the plant. There are five basic modes of physical transportation, air, road, rail,water and pipeline. Goods that are mainly intended for exports demand a location near to the port or large airport. The choice of transport method and hence the location will depend on relative costs, convenience, and suitability. Thus transportation cost to value added is one of the criteria for plant location. Infrastructure availability: The basic infrastructure facilities like power, water and waste disposal, etc., become the prominent factors in deciding the location. Certain types of industries are power hungry e.g., aluminum and steel and they should be located close to the power station or location where uninterrupted power supply is assured throughout the year. The non-availability of power may become a survival problem for such industries. Process industries like paper, chemical, cement, etc., require continuous. Supply of water in large amount and good quality, and mineral content of water becomes an important factor. A waste disposal facility for process industries is an important factor, which influences the plant location. Labour and wages: The problem of securing adequate number of labour and with skills specific is a factor to be considered both at territorial as well as at community level during plant location. Importing labour is usually costly and involve administrative problem. The history of labour relations in a prospective community is to be studied. Prospective community is to be studied. Productivity of labour is also an important factor to be considered. Prevailing wage pattern, cost of living and industrial relation and bargaining power of the unions forms in important considerations. External economies of scale: External economies of scale can be described as urbanization and locational economies of scale. It refers to advantages of a company by setting up operations in a large city while the second one refers to the settling down among other companies of related Industries. In the case of urbanization economies, firms derive from locating in larger cities rather than in smaller ones in a search of having access to a large pool of labour, transport facilities, and as well to increase their markets for selling their products and have access to a much wider range of business services. Location economies of scale in the manufacturing sector have evolved over time and have mainly increased competition due to production facilities and lower production costs as a result of lower transportation and logistical costs. This led to manufacturing districts where many companies of related industries are located more or less in the same area. As large corporations have realize d that inventories and warehouses have become a major cost factor, they have tried reducing inventory costs by launching Just in Time production system (the so called Kanban System). This high efficient production system was one main factor in the Japanese car industry for being so successful. Just in time ensures to get spare parts from suppliers within just a few hours after ordering. To fulfill these criteria corporations have to be located in the same area increasing their market and service for large corporations. Capital: By looking at capital as a location condition, it is important to distinguish the physiology of fixed capital in buildings and equipment from financial capital. Fixed capital costs as building and construction costs vary from region to region. But on the other hand buildings can also be rented and existing plants can be expanded. Financial capital is highly mobile and does not very much influence decisions. For example, large Multinational Corporations such as Coca7Cola operate in many different countries and can raise capital where interest rates are lowest and conditions are most suitable. Capital becomes a main factor when it comes to venture capital. In that case young, fast growing (or not) high tech firms are concerned which usually have not many fixed assets. These firms particularly need access to financial capital and also skilled educated employees. UNCONTROLLABLE FACTORS Government policy: The policies of the state governments and local bodies concerning labour laws, building codes, safety, etc., are the factors that demand attention. In order to have a balanced regional growth of industries, both central and state governments in our country offer the package of incentives to entrepreneurs in particular locations. The incentive package may be in the form of exemption from a safes tax and excise duties for a specific period, soft loan from financial institutions, subsidy in electricity charges and investment subsidy. Some of these incentives may tempt to locate the plant to avail these facilities offered. Climatic conditions: The geology of the area needs to be considered together with climatic conditions (humidity, temperature). Climates greatly influence human efficiency and behaviour. Some industries require specific climatic conditions e.g., textile mill will require humidity. Supporting industries and services: Now a day the manufacturing organisation will not make all the components and parts by itself and it subcontracts the work to vendors. So, the source of supply of component parts will be the one of the factors that influences the location.The various services like communications, banking services professional consultancy services and other civil amenities services will play a vital role in selection of a location. Community and labour attitudes: Community attitude towards their work and towards the prospective industries can make or mar the industry. Community attitudes towards supporting trade union activities are important criteria. Facility location in specific location is not desirable even though all factors are favouring because of labour attitude towards management, which brings very often the strikes and lockouts. Community infrastructure and amenity: All manufacturing activities require access to a community infrastructure, most notably economic overhead capital, such as roads, railways, port facilities, power lines and service facilities and social overhead capital like schools, universities and hospitals. These factors are also needed to be considered by location decisions as infrastructure is enormously expensive to build and for most manufacturing activities the existing stock of infrastructure provides physical restrictions on location possibilities. Specific Locational Factors for Manufacturing Organisation DOMINANT FACTORS Factors dominating location decisions for new manufacturing plants can be broadly classified in six groups. They are listed in the order of their importance as follows. Favourable labour climate: A favorable labour climate may be the most important factor in location decisions for labour-intensive firms in industries such as textiles furniture and consumer electronics. Labour climate includes wage rates, training requirements attitudes toward work, worker productivity and union strength. Many executives consider weak unions or low probability of union organizing efforts as a distinct advantage. Proximity to markets: After determining where the demand for goods and services is greatest, management must select a location for the facility that will supply that demand. Locating near markets is particularly important when the final goods are bulky or heavy and outbound transportation rates are high. For example, manufacturers of products such as plastic pipe and heavy metals all emphasize proximity to their markets. Quality of life: Good schools, recreational facilities, cultural events, and an attractive lifestyle contribute to quality of life. This factor is relatively unimportant on its own, but it can make the difference in location decisions. Proximity to suppliers and resources: In many companies, plants supply parts to other facilities or rely on other facilities for management and staff support. These require frequent coordination and communication, which can become more difficult as distance increases. Utilities, taxes, and real estate costs: Other important factors that may emerge include utility costs (telephone, energy, and water), local and state taxes, financing incentives offered by local or state governments, relocation costs, and land costs. SECONDARY FACTORS There are some other factors needed to be considered, including room for expansion, construction costs, accessibility to multiple modes of transportation, the cost of shuffling people and materials between plants, competition from other firms for the workforce, community attitudes, and many others. For global operations, firms are emphasizing local employee skills and education and the local infrastructure. Specific Locational Factors for Service Organisation DOMINANT FACTORS The factors considered for manufacturers are also applied to service providers, with one important addition the impact of location on sales and customer satisfaction. Customers usually look about how close a service facility is, particularly if the process requires considerable customer contact. 72 Proximity to customers: Location is a key factor in determining how conveniently customers can carry on business with a firm. For example, few people would like to go to remotely located dry cleaner or supermarket if another is more convenient. Thus the influence of location on revenues tends to be the dominant factor. Transportation costs and proximity to markets :For warehousing and distribution operations, transportation costs and proximity to markets are extremely important. With a warehouse nearby, many firms can hold inventory closer to the customer, thus reducing delivery time and promoting sales. location of competitors : One complication in estimating the sales potential at different location is the impact of competitors.Management must not only consider the current location of competitors but also try to anticipate their reaction to the firms new location. Avoiding areas where competitors are already well established often pays. However, in some industries, such as new-car sales showrooms and fastfood chains, locating near competitors is actually advantageous. The strategy is to create a critical mass, whereby several competing firms clustered in one location attract more customers than the total number who would shop at the same stores at scattered locations. Recognizing this effect, some firms use a follow -the leader strategy when selecting new sites. SECONDARY FACTORS Retailers also must consider the level of retail activity, residential density, traffic flow, and site visibility. Retail activity in the area is important, as shoppers often decide on impulse to go shopping or to eat in a restaurant. Traffic flows and visibility are important because businesses customers arrive in cars. Visibility involves distance from the street and size of nearby buildings and signs. High residential density ensures night time and weekend business when the population in the area fits the firms competitive priorities and target market segment. BANKS: PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK http://www.metlife.co.in/grfx/PNB_Logo.jpg Branches(ATMs) in south delhi Andrews Ganj Sheikh Sarai Katwaria Sarai Chirag Delhi Saket New Friends Colony Malviya Nagar Kotla Alaknanda Hauz Khas Sarvodaya Enclave Yusuf Sarai Govind Puri   Kalkaji Jiya Sarai Dakshinpuri Extn Today banks are performing all kinds of banking transactions and providing various financial services in order to make life easier for people. Customers are demanding speed and convenience in banking transactions, high efficiency and confidence in their investments and financing services with convenient limits and reasonable cost. Banks consider the demographic, economic and social characteristics of the geographical regions in branch site selection in order to provide the best financial services in line with their customers demands. Banks usually prefer regions with comparative advantage in terms of demographic, economic and socio-cultural characteristics when they are making decisions about opening or closing a branch at a region. However, they are faced with the question of which factors are more effective on selection of branch site with regards to regions. The determination of variables influencing branch site selection for regions would provide bank managers with effective insights into the selection of the most appropriate sites for opening bank branches. The banking sector in india has targeted making financial services more geographically widespread and accessible by increasing the number of branches and staff. India has cities and regions with very diverse developmental levels and the geographical distribution of the banking sector also shows a variety depending on the differences between the developmental levels of cities. RESTAURANT: PIZZA HUT https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSQSBl-iSS5IMggqyTvnOBOqlCvhFKoqp9XQfADwFFFZVyk0Vl9 https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSgUTnjLKJXGpBckr7UTPOb4WVLc91aL8ssG2BgsYYCU8D6ONLEetFP26XrQ6ZUwd61Z-hS9xo0pf2jNegpSP_W5-ywPq6hQw2-chcZh8OWS2NVemNj3OenzxJTzaXL5mIxkdZa_ErbJl/s400/Pizza_Hut_Logo.jpg Outlets in south Delhi There are 10 outlets of Pizza hut in south delhi 2 outlets in Green park 1 outlet in Vasant Vihar Greater Kailash Vasant Kunj Malviya Nagar Lajpat Nagar Alaknanda Saket New Friends Colony Factors affecting location facility of a Pizza Hut Population Base   Are there enough people in the area to support your business? For example, is the restaurant location in the heart of a thriving downtown shopping district, or along a busy freeway? There needs to be enough people who live in the area, or pass through the area on a regular basis to keep you busy. To determine the population base of a particular area, you can do a site study. Most people looking at their first restaurant dont have enough money in their budget for a professional survey. A less expensive method to determine the population base of certain area is to use a circle graph, as well as asking the local chamber of commerce and town office for more information. Parking Will there be enough parking to accommodate all the seats in your new restaurant? Ideally, a new restaurant location should have its own parking lot. If that isnt an option, is there public parking near the restaurant location? Accessibility Theres a reason that major restaurant chains are often located near highway and freeway exits: It makes them accessible for customers. Motorists can reach the restaurant without fighting traffic or driving out of their way. Most successful restaurant locations (but not all) are easy to find. Visibility   This goes along with accessibility an dis very important for new restaurant locations. People have to know the restaurant is there. This is why property prices in downtown districts and developed strips are higher than other areas. They offer a level of visibility that can bring in a great deal of walk-in business. Real-estate-value The real estate value of your location may be trending upward or downward and it helps to know what to expect. Higher property costs may involve a higher rent payment, but they may indicate a customer base with more disposable income to spend eating at your restaurant. Its important to address all these elements when you sit down to draft your  business plan for a new restaurant, which you will need before applying for a loan. In addition, by understanding each of these elements, you can better choose the right location for your new restaurant RETAIL SHOP: RELIANCE FRESH https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRxB9XgM4dReU5R2H327DAXmv0erka-GmEmUksYyde0bmbQqJpR https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGXKgxZSM97WKp-01gP_5XCLVij0K1-SFrdysK_ZWxvq8cpf9QwKWrMGwdnb0ScaUTAkzUlwJQOk_wcdYZj9R2niGvjBtUGJ7MGUl5Xh60dTmzru2qT-VW0uLYb94SyMeYr-jSY84-oI/s1600/Reliance+fresh+logo..jpg Outlets in south Delhi Reliance fresh Arjun nagar Lado sarai Lajpat nagar Taimoor nagar Factors affecting facility location Location and Retail Strategy The selection of a location type must reinforce the retailers strategy. The location type decision needs to be consistent with the shopping behavior and size of its target market and the retailers positioning in its target market.  A critical factor affecting the location consumers select to visit is the shoppi

Gender Issues in Sophocles Antigone :: Antigone essays

Gender Issues in Antigone One of the most devastating problems for the Classical Greeks was the women's issue.   Women in Classical Greece were not citizens, held no property, and indeed were not even allowed out of the house except under guard.   Their status differed from that of the slaves of Greece only in name.   This alone, however was not a problem -- the problem was that the Greeks knew, in their hearts, that this was wrong.   Indeed, their playwrights harangued them about it from the stage of Athens continually.   All of the great Grecian playwrights -- Sophocles, Euripedes, Aristophenes -- dealt with the women's issue. All of them argued, in their various ways, that the women of Greece were not nearly as incapable and weak as the culture believed them to be.   All of them created female characters of strength and intelligence.   But in "Antigone," the discussion reached its peak.   Antigone herself, as she stands upon the Grecian stage, represents the highest ideals of human life -- courage and resp!   ect for the gods.   A woman, she is nevertheless the exemplum for her society.   But how are we to know this?   Does the author let the audience know that it is Antigone herself, not Creon, the "noble-eyed imperator" (453), who is to be believed?   It is almost inconceivable that the audience would be meant to ignore Creon's apparently skillful arguments, for he appears to represent all that the Athenian should strive for.   He stands for obedience to the State. Surely it is his voice we should obey. Sophocles does let us know where the truth lies, and he does this, amazingly, partly   through his characterization of Creon.   Though Creon seemingly says intelligent things, there are clues that he is not to be trusted.   One would be his discussion of incest with Ismene. Torn between her duty to God and her duty to the State, Ismene, in the third act, has run to Creon, planning to tell him of Antigone's actions in the graveyard: "O, not for me the dusty hair of youth, / But let us now unto the palace go" (465), she cries.   But Creon, ignoring the supposedly important information she has to tell -- he has, after all, emptied the Theban coffers, spending money on his advanced spy network in search of the miscreant -- asks her, instead, to come home with him.   "How long, O Princess, O!   How long!" he states, suggesting a time for their next meeting: "Upon the hour of noon, or / Not upon the hour of six."   To such a pass has the doomed line of Oedipus come.

John Proctor †the fair and noble character Essay

The novel The Crucible by Arthur Miller is about witchcraft and the accusations of witches in Salem, Massachusetts. One of the main characters in the story, which happens in the spring of 1692, is John Proctor, a farmer in his middle thirties. He is married to Elizabeth Proctor. It is not directly said, but they have at least two sons and a servant named Marry Warren. Because Proctor seems to be very religious, he really loves his wife and he confesses his affair with Abigail Williams to Elizabeth; furthermore he later refuses to be with Abigail, this makes him a very fair man. First of all, the protagonist John Proctor seems to be religious, in view of the fact that when he is taken to jail he does not defend himself at all; he simply accepts that he did something wrong and he can live with that. This makes him religious, because he does not want to harm the Ten Commandments. He writes a confession that he has seen the devil and that he was the only one. He even signs this paper, but as soon as Deputy Governor Danforth asks Proctor to give the confession to him, Elizabeth’s husband refuses and tears it up. On the one hand he does that, because he thinks that his name cannot be taken away from him; on the other hand he knows that the paper does not tell the truth. He rather wants to be hanged than to live with the thought that he has lied to the church. This is a very strong and self-confident consideration. Another proof that John Proctor is fair can be seen in his former affair with Abigail Williams, the servant to the Perris-household. She was once in love with him, but they broke up because Proctor realized that he really could not afford to be in love with a girl while being married and having children; this makes him being fair to his wife as he does not want to hurt  her. Later when Abigail threatened to tell Elizabeth about their affair he wisely chose to tell the truth to his wife. He refused not to tell her earlier, because he did not want to hurt her. It is discovered in the last act that their relationship is so strong that she forgives him. Telling her about his affair so late is probably not the best solution, but it is certainly better than saying nothing, so that Elizabeth finds our on her own. A further indication that John Proctor is fair would be that he remains strictly faithful to his wife once he realized that having affairs while being in love with someone else is a bad conception. So when Abigail later comes to Proctor to ask him for continuing their relationship the protagonist refuses. He cannot do this to himself or to his wife. Otherwise he would commit adultery once more. Again, this makes him being fair to his wife. In conclusion one can say that the character John Proctor is a quite fair person. After he realizes some things–for example, having an affair is not the best while being married–he tries to do the best for himself and the people around him. This includes no voluntarily contact with Abigail. They only talk when he tells her that he cannot or does not want her anymore. Finally he pays with his life for committing adultery. This action is one of the most expressive acts in the whole play. John Proctor is a good and noble man and because of this he believes that he can’t be hanged and die a martyr when he has this sin blooming over him every waking moment.

8d: Problem Solving Worksheet

Tracking Number: |Customer Number: |Response Due Date: | | |8-D is a quality management tool and is a vehicle for a cross-functional team to articulate thoughts and provides scientific determination to details of problems | |and provide solutions. Organizations can benefit from the 8-D approach by applying it to all areas in the company. The 8-D provides excellent guidelines allowing | |us to get to the root of a problem and ways to check that the solution actually works. Rather than healing the symptom, the illness is cured, thus, the same | |problem is unlikely to recur. |Step |0 |1 | |1 |Establishing the Team: |Team Goals: | | |Establish a small group of people with the process/ product | | | |knowledge, allocated time, authority and skill in the required | | | |technical disciplines to solve the problem and implement corrective |Team Objectives: | | |actions. | |Department | |Name | |Skills | |Responsibility | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |2A |Problem Definition |Sketch / Photo of Problem | | |Provides the starting point for solving the problem or | | | |nonconformance issue. Need to have â€Å"correct† problem description to | | | |identify causes.Need to use terms that are understood by all. | | | | | | | |Part Number(s): | | | |Customer(s): | | | |List all of the data and documents that might help you to define the | | | |problem more exactly? | | |Action Plan to collect additional information: | | | |Prepare Process Flow Diagram for problem | | | |use a separate sheet if needed | | |2B |IS |IS NOT | |Who |Who is affected by the problem? |Who is not affected by the problem? | | | | | | | | | |Who first observed the problem? |Who did not find the problem? | | | | | | | | | | |To whom was the problem reported? | | | | | |What |What type of problem is it? |What does not have the problem? | | | | | | | | | | |What has the problem (part id, lot #s, etc)? |What could be happening but is not? | | | | | | | | | |What is happening with the process & with containment? |What could be the problem but is not? | | | | | | | | | | |Do we have physical evidence of the problem? | | |Why |Why is this a problem (degraded performance)? |Why is it not a problem? | | | | | | | | | |Is the process stable? | | | | | | |Where |Where was the problem observed? Where could the problem be located but is not? | | | | | | | | | | |Where does the problem occur? |Where else could the problem be located but is not? | | | | | |When |When was the problem first noticed? |When could the problem have been noticed but was not? | | | | | | | | | |When has it been noticed since? | | | | | | |How Much/|Quantity of problem (ppm)? |How many could have the problem but don’t? |Many | | | | | | | | |How much is the problem costing in dollars, people, & time? |How big could the problem be but is not? | | | | | |How Often|What is the trend (continuous, random, cyclical)? |What could the trend be but is not? | | | | | | | | | | |Has the problem occurred previously? | | | | | |2C |Problem Description | | |(based on the information gathered so far, provide a concise problem description) | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3 |Developing Interim Containment Actions | | |Temporary actions to contain the problem and â€Å"fix† until permanent correction is in place – document actions in Action Item Table | | | | | | | | | | |4A |Identifying & Verifying Root Cause | | |Analyze for â€Å"Root Cause† of the problem.Identify and verify the Escape Point | | | | | |Brainstorm the possible causes of the problem | | | | |4A |Cause and Effect Diagram | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |circle the most likely contributors (a maximum of three) from each side. |4B |5 Why Analysis | | | |Ask – Why did this happen? | | | | | | | |Ask – Why did this happen? | | | | | | | |Ask – Why did this happen? | | | | | | |Ask – Why did this happen? | | | | | | | |Ask – Why did this happen? | | | | | | | |4C |Action Plan | | |Based on the team’s discussions.Begin to complete the Root Cause Action Plan to verify and validate the root causes and test the escape point. | | |Document this on the Action Item Table | | | | | | | | | | | | | |5 |Identify Permanent Corrective Actions | | |solutions that address and correct the root cause. Solutions determined to be the best of all the alternatives.Document and verify the Permanent | | |Corrective Action (PCA) in the Action Item Table | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |6 |Implementing & Validating the PCA | | |Implement and validate to ensure that corrective action does â€Å"what it is supposed to do. † Detect any undesirable side effects. Docume nt this on the | | |Action Item Table. Return to root cause analysis, if necessary | | | | | | | |7 |Preventing Recurrence | | |determine what improvements in systems and processes would prevent problem from recurring.Ensure that corrective action remains in place and successful | | | | | | | |7A |Address Similar Systems | | |Process / Item | | |Who Responsible | | |When | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 7B |Review the following documents / systems | |Document |Who Responsible |Completion Date | | | |Planned |Actual | |Management System Manual | | | | |Manufacturing Work Instructions | | | | |Inspection Work Instructions | | | | |Process Flow Charts | | | | |Process Control Plans | | | | |Design FMEA | | | |Process FMEA | | | | |Gages | | | | |PPAP | | | | |Engineering Change Approval | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |8 |Congratulat e Your Team | | |Use all forms of employee recognition and document as necessary | | | | | |Celebrate successful conclusion of the problem solving effort | | |Formally disengage the team and return to normal duties | | | | |Was this problem solving exercise effective? Has it been verified with a follow-up? | |Yes |Signature / Title / Date |Findings | |No | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Action Item Table | |Actions |Implement & Verify Actions | Action # |Problem |Containment / Corrective Action |How Verified |Action |Who Responsible |Planned |Actual |Status | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ———————– Problem People Materials Machine Method Environment Measurement Measurement Environment Method Machine Materials People Why did it get out? How is it made?

Learn About Education and Schools in Virginia

Learn About Education and Schools in Virginia When it comes to education and schools, all states are not created equal. States and local governments possess almost all of the power when it comes to governing education and schools.   Because of this, you will find key differences in education-related policy across all fifty states and the District of Columbia. You will continue to find distinct differences even between neighboring districts thanks to local control. Highly debated educational topics such as the Common Core State Standards, teacher evaluations, school choice, charter schools, and teacher tenure are handled differently by almost every state.   These and other key educational issues typically fall along controlling political party lines. This ensures that a student in one state will likely be receiving a different variation of education than their peers in neighboring states. These differences make it virtually impossible to accurately compare the quality of education   one state is providing compared to another. You must utilize several common data points to make connections and draw conclusions about the quality of education any particular state is providing. This profile focuses on education and schools in Virginia.   Virginia Education and Schools Virginia Department of Education Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction: Dr. Steven R. Staples District/School Information Length of School Year: A minimum of 180 school days or 540 (K) and 990 (1-12) school hours are required by Virginia state law. Number of Public School Districts: There are 130 public school districts in Virginia. Number of Public Schools: There are 2192 public schools in Virginia. **** Number of Students Served in Public Schools: There are 1,257,883 public school students in Virginia. **** Number of Teachers in Public Schools: There are 90,832 public school teachers in Virginia.**** Number of Charter Schools: There are 4 charter schools in Virginia. Per Pupil Spending: Virginia spends $10,413 per pupil in public education. **** Average Class Size: The average class size In Virginia is 13.8 students per 1 teacher. **** % of Title I Schools: 26.8% of schools in Virginia are Title I Schools.**** % With Individualized Education Programs (IEP): 12.8% of students in Virginia are on IEPs. **** % in Limited-English Proficiency Programs: 7.2% of students in Virginia are in limited-English Proficient Programs.**** % of Student Eligible for Free/Reduced Lunches: 38.3% of students in Virginia schools are eligible for free/reduced lunches.**** Ethnic/Racial Student Breakdown**** White: 53.5% Black: 23.7% Hispanic: 11.8% Asian: 6.0% Pacific Islander: 0.1% American Indian/Alaskan Native: 0.3% School Assessment Data Graduation Rate: 81.2% of all students entering high school in Virginia graduate. ** Average ACT/SAT score: Average ACT Composite Score: 23.1*** Average Combined SAT Score: 1533***** 8th grade NAEP assessment scores:**** Math: 288 is the scaled score for 8th grade students in Virginia. The U.S. average was 281. Reading: 267 is the scaled score for 8th grade students in Virginia. The U.S. average was 264. % of Students Who Attend College after High School: 63.8% of students in Virginia go on to attend some level of college. *** Private Schools Number of Private Schools: There are 638 private schools in Virginia.* Number of Students Served in Private Schools: There are 113,620 private school students in Virginia.* Homeschooling Number of Students Served Through Homeschooling: There were an estimated 34,212 students that were homeschooled in Virginia in 2015.# Teacher Pay The average teacher pay for the state of Virginia was $49,869 in 2013.## Each individual district in the state of Virginia negotiates teacher salaries and establishes their own teacher salary schedule. The following is an example of a teacher salary schedule in Virginia provided by the Richmond Public School *Data courtesy of Education Bug . **Data courtesy of ED.gov ***Data courtesy of PrepScholar. ****Data courtesy of the National Center for Education Statistics ******Data courtesy of The Commonwealth Foundation #Data courtesy of A2ZHomeschooling.com ##Average salary courtesy of National Center of Education Statistics ###Disclaimer:   The information provided on this page changes frequently.   It will be updated regularly as new information and data becomes available.

Hate crimes should not be puni essays

Hate crimes should not be puni essays How to maintain a strong relationship How to Maintain a Strong Relationship I have been in a relationship with a guy for almost two years. I know two years is not really that long, but it has been a true learning experience. Every relationship has its ups and downs and its good and bad times. Looking at other relationships, I have observed that to maintain a strong relationship you have to recognize if certain characteristics have been acquired. Goals, love, and trust are the key to building a strong relationship. Every day I think of a new goal for myself to accomplish. I have my goals set out for me for the future. When you are in a relationship, asking your partner what his/her goals are is a very good thing. You need to know so that you dont find out five years later that he is moving to live in the mountains and fish all day, while your goal was to live in the big city and work at a law firm. People that will do some good in your life are people who maybe share similar goals and people who have set some goals. Love is the infamous word that can mean a million things. As time ticks on in a relationship you will start to realize if you love him/her. Can you tell if this person will be all that you want out of love? Make sure that this topic has been discussed. When discussing this topic see if your partner loves the conversation or is waiting to run away from it. Trust can tear your heart to pieces. If you are in a relationship trust has to definitely be there. If you have any doubts about him/her going out with their friends one night then the trust is not there. Trust is the most important part of the relationship next to love. If you cant maintain trust through your relationship, then your relationship doesnt need to exist. Set goals for your relationship, discover if there is love and make sure you can trust one another. There are so many key points in maintaining a strong relationship. Pick th ...

A Christmast Surprise for Gramma

A Christmas Surprise for Grandma by Gloria J. Shuttleworth Grandma lived on Sugar Creek Mountain all alone. It was a beautiful mountain, with tall cedar trees all over the mountain top. In the middle of the mountain was a crystal clear lake. The water in the lake was the prettiest blue youve ever seen. When the water was calm, you could see the fish swimming around in the lake. I loved sitting by the lake when I was a little girl. Grandma would pack us a lunch, and we would sit at the lake for hours on end. Hour after hour, grandma would tell me stories about her life on the mountain. I remember the day that grandpa drowned in the lake. My parents had tried to talk grandma into moving into town, but she wouldnt hear of it. My parents knew not to argue with her, because they knew that grandma was set in her ways. Ive been on this mountain for so long that Ive forgotten which is the oldest, me or the mountain, grandma had said, with a twinkle in her eyes. I knew my parents worried about her being alone, because grandma was the only person who lived on Sugar Cliff Mountain. Today I was going to visit grandma, and the excitement grew inside me at the thought of spending time on the mountain once more. After all, it had been ten years since I had seen grandma. Its hard to believe that my career had kept me away for so long. As I approached the top of the mountain, I could see grandma staring out the window of her little log cabin home. Grandma greeted me at the door with a big hug. I am so happy that you could come to visit with me, said grandma. This Christmas is going to be so wonderful! I have a special surprise for you dear. Little did grandma know that I had a very special surprise for her as well. Well, we cant stand around here all day, said grandma. Theres a lot of work to get done. I have invited the people from the village to come to my Christmas party on Saturday evening. After I had freshened up a bit, we spent the day baking all sorts of cookies and candies. Grandma had a story to tell as we baked the goodies for the party. She told me about how she used to bake apple pies for grandpa. He loved apple pies, said grandma. Those were his favorite. She said that after the pies would cool off, that grandpa would send her into the living room, under the pretense that he would clean up the kitchen. Grandma knew what he was really up to, but she never let on that she knew. Grandma would go into the living room and sit in her rocking chair. She would sing some of the songs that she knew grandpa loved. About an hour later, grandma would wander back into the kitchen. Why Henry! she said kitchen, grandma retired for the evening. I made myself a cup of tea and sat down in front of the fireplace. Sitting alone in the quiet house, I pondered my childhood memories of my grandparents. They had always been such a fun loving and happy couple. Shortly after they were married, grandpa built the log cabin home for his Little ole Emmy, as he called her. Just before Christmas, almost twelve years ago, grandpa was outside gathering firewood, when grandma heard a horrible scream and a terrible noise. She ran outside to find that an area of the ice on the lake had fallen through. She yelled for grandpa over and over but no reply ever came. They searched the lake for over a week, but no trace of grandpa could be found. Finally, they called off the search. One of the men who had helped in the search said theyd probably never find grandpa now. Just then, as my thoughts were still racing around in my head, my grandmother brought me back to reality. We have to be up very early in the morning dear, so off to bed now, she said. I slowly walked to my grandmothers room, and kissed her goodnight. Morning came early at grandmas house. As I entered the kitchen I could smell the homemade biscuits and gravy cooking on the stove. Whats on our list of things to do today? I asked. The men are coming from the village this morning to put the lights on the trees, and we have lots of presents to wrap for the children, she said. Just then, there was a knock at the door. It was the men from the village ready to start putting up the lights. Grandma was so excited as she stepped back to watch them. Lets wrap those presents now Laura, said grandma. As I watched grandma wrap the presents and tie the ribbons, I knew that so much more was being placed around them. With each piece of wrapping paper grandma was also wrapping them with love. After the last present was wrapped, we realized that wed been wrapping presents all day! It was now getting dark outside and grandma wanted to go outside to view the lights. As we stepped out onto the porch, we gasped. The sight that met our eyes was so beautiful to behold! The snow was glittering and the reflection of the lights on the snow was beyond words! It was breathtaking! That night I went to bed with a heart full of love for my grandmother. I knew that someday I wanted to be just like her, full of love for others. Saturday evening the village people started arriving just after dark. Grandma always waited until evening to have her Christmas party, because she loved the lights. All the guests gathered around in the front yard and began to sing Christmas carols. Oh, how grandma loved that! Ole Ben was a jolly fellow who worked at the village store, and he was chosen to help Santa hand out the presents. The children shouted with glee, as they unwrapped their gifts. Grandma said, Laura, come here dear, I have a surprise for you. As she handed me the present, I could see the love and pride in her eyes. I love it grandma, I said, as I bent down to kiss her cheek, I will cherish it forever. Grandma had made a quilt out of some of my dresses that I had worn as a little girl. Grandma, if you could have just one special gift for Christmas, what would it be? I asked her. Without even stopping to think, she replied, I would like t o see your grandfather just one more time, so I could feed him the apple pie that the horses quit snatching when he left us. Just then grandmas face lit up like the lights on the Christmas tree! Everyone turned to see what grandma was looking at. Walking slowly toward her, with an apple pie in his hand, was grandpa! There was two slices missing from the pie that he was holding. The village people were speechless, as they thought they were seeing a ghost. Grandpa chuckled, as he yelled out, Emmy, those darn horses snatched the pie and got away with two pieces. Difference to me, but slowly my memory started to return. I remember now going out to gather firewood. There was a nice piece of wood on the lake. I thought the lake was frozen over so I stepped out on the lake to get the piece of wood. I remember hearing the lake crackle and thats the last I remember about the accident. Laura, how can I ever thank you for bringing grandpa home to me? asked grandma. Laura replied, Seeing the happiness and the love you have for each other is all the thanks I need. As Laura retired to bed that night, she couldnt help but think about the surprise that she had given to grandma for Christmas. She knew in her heart that it was the best surprise present that grandma would ever get. What a warm and wonderful feeling came over Laura as she fell asleep, thinking of her grandparents.

Harley Davidson Motor Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Harley Davidson Motor Company - Case Study Example And as changes go there are always internal considerations when trying to improve or transform systems into something that better serves its needs and purpose. This is explicitly pointed out in the case presented by Austin et al. (2003) in his paper on Harley Davidson’s Enterprise Software Selection. This paper will look at the In 1996, under Garry Berryman’s supervision, the purchasing organization of the Harley Davidson Motor Company (HDMC) have began development of Supply Management Strategy (SMS), a system which ensures that the company’s productivity increases by having the correct quality supplies on time by treating suppliers as an extension of the company itself. () In this effect, the HDCM, through long and rigorous evaluations of proposals and standoffs with the approving committee, have opted to form a team to select the appropriate software provider to enable SMS within the company. Austin et al. () provided two sets of data in his account of the selection process. One set of data consisted of the self-assessed rating of the functionality of the software of the top 3 providers being taken into consideration for partnership. The other consisted of a qualitative data, factors highlighting the provider’s latent understanding of HDMC’s values and needs, evaluated by the selection team. The self-assessed rating of the providers showed very competitive scores between the three top software providers being taken into consideration. Based on their ratings, Provider 2 had the greatest potential for selection as a partner by Harley Davidson. Provider 2 has about 98.69%, Provider 3 with 96.83% while Provider 1 falls short with only 93.44% rating. Simply looking into this data one would be inclined to the idea of selecting Provider 2 because of its high self-assessed rating. However, this presents a highly complicated dilemma concerning the viability information gathered. Although it may seem that all three providers are competent and capable to impart above 90% functionality of their respective software, it should be noted that the data provided in this ratings were self-assessed.

Microeconomics - International Trade Term Paper

Microeconomics - International Trade - Term Paper Example International trade has come about due to globalization where boundaries have become nearer and the countries have come closer. This is the age of international trade as everyone is talking about this. It has helped the trade to flourish, bringing people closer with one another. It has opened up new pathways, understood the dynamics of the worldwide markets and emphasized a great deal on how things have shaped up with the passage of time. What international trade does is to expand the markets in such a way that different goods and services become available even though they are not a part of the same territories. Thus imports and exports become stronger and the people feel the urge to buy something which is not of their own lands. They would rather buy a product which is internationally acclaimed for its taste, or durability (Warburton, 2010). However, local products are also sent internationally which essentially makes the entire world a market zone which is free for all the people i n this world. Hence it is a fact that international trade is an important element of the microeconomics debate and will continue to be given the significance that it richly deserves, and more so with the coming in of the globalization regimes. This will be discussed at length within this paper so that an understanding of international trade with regards to microeconomics could be reached upon. International trade helps the countries to invest in goods and services which are of beneficial use. It makes the marketers comprehend where they have to invest in the coming times. The best thing about international trade is that it makes everything accessible and people feel the urge to buy something which they would not have been able to purchase had they still lived there yet with no trade happening on the global front. Thus what is a good thing here is the fact that international

Reward Management in Ikea Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reward Management in Ikea - Literature review Example Most organizations use reward management to motivate employees and enhance their productivity thereby contributing to improvement of overall organizational performance. Reward management is further aimed at ensuring internal, as well as external equity. More importantly, it strengthens psychological contract and also for organization to comply with legislation that require organizations to have reward management system (Phil and Cole, 2011, p. 101). Furthermore, reward management provides an organization with a system that enables it to efficiently administer rewards among employees. There are basically two types of rewards: extrinsic rewards and intrinsic rewards. Extrinsic rewards satisfy basic human needs such as security and survival and include raise in pay, better working conditions, and bonuses among others (Wright, 2004, p. 17). Intrinsic rewards aim at satisfying higher human needs such as development and esteem. The vision of IKEA is creation of better everyday life for man y people including its employees. Its human resource philosophy is that employees can be more productive and committed when the company is taking care of their needs. Like many Swedish companies, IKEA adopted a paternalistic stance towards the needs of employees and employees themselves that seeks to empower employees (IBS Center for Management Research, 2012). The application of its human resource philosophy is more or less standardized and reward policies are applied to all employees uniformly. Its human resource policies are aimed at making relationships between employees open and strong, and employees are encouraged to excel by taking care and supporting each other. In a nutshell, IKEA’s human resource policies seek to guarantee uniform and high quality standards in order to support its future developmental and business challenges (IBS Center for Management Research 2012). IKEA’s reward management system is designed to reward employees more or less equally and is i nformed by the need to make relationships between employees open and strong. Equity theory is relevant to IKEA’s reward management system. Armstrong and Stephens (2005, p. 92) note that this theory suggests that employees will be motivated to engage in actions that they perceive that the conditions of the situation are just and fair and which will ultimately benefit them. In addition, this theory holds that a person will be motivated towards organizational goals if they feel that the amount of effort being put forth commensurate the outcomes or the benefits being received (Byron and Khazanchi, 2010, p. 3). Considering that IKEA’s human resource policies are aimed at creating open and strong relationships among employees and empowering them, equity theory are more relevant to their reward management system. This is because it requires that this system regulates equity and help employees to maximize their outcomes as a whole. Looking into IKEA’s human resource pol icies also shows that the organization is keen to avoid distress among employees which might hamper its efforts towards attaining its goals. Equity theory will therefore be relevant to creating equal relationships among parties in the workplace thus avoiding distress. Equity theory recognizes commonly contributed inputs in organizations to include labor, personal investment, time, dedication, and skill (White and Druker, 2000, p. 81). Application of this

Classroom Management Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Classroom Management Project - Essay Example A proper communication system is established with the parents to inform them continuously about their ward's performance and conduct. A classroom should be designed in such a way, that it is enthralling and at the same time more informative to the students. The sense of comfort should be instilled into every student by the classroom atmosphere. The classroom should contain facilities which provide good comfort to the students and atmosphere should be made informative through charts and bulletin boards. A proper place to sit, a place to have fun and a place to do learning activities has to be specifically allocated. The class room should provide an atmosphere of learning. The students should be allowed to enjoy their learning. The educational system adapted should kindle their inquisitiveness to learn new things and at the same time allow them to come out with their own ideas. Equal importance should be given to non academic activity which identifies student's area of expertise and interests. From teachers perspective each and every corner of the room should be visible to the teacher's eyes. They must be able to provide equal attention to every student in the classroom without any consideration of where they sit. Considering the design of class room from a student's perspective, their average height should be taken into account and seating arrangements should be suitably planned. The light arrangement in the classroom should be in such a way that it provides a soothing sight of the board and other charts to the children's eyes. Classroom rules The rules in a classroom form the bridge between the student and the teacher. So, framing the rules of a classroom for third grade plays an important part in management planning. Rather than conventional rules, these rules should make students understand their mistakes and rectify them. Rather than punishing for not adhering to the rules the students should be taught the goodness that comes by following the rules. Rules have to be designed so as not to instruct children on not doing certain things but to create a positive environment. Based on this concept, several rules can be put forward. Some are, Maintain silence while teacher is teaching. Listen to the class. To be friendly with classmates. Follow properly the instructions the teacher gives. In this contest the teacher plays an important role in bringing these rules into practice. It cannot be brought in only by means of force as these students belong just to the third grade. It can only be done by student specific means which can be adapted only if the teacher starts understanding their students. At this young age, each child should be taught about the consequences of their action. This would help them lead a disciplined life later on. When a child misbehaves or disobeys any of these rules, he or she must be given minimal punishment and a lot of advice so as to correct himself. Further the teacher must take into account the intensity and the frequency of the mistake before deciding on the punishments. The teacher must also discriminate between common and uncommon mistakes. Common and high intensity mistakes can be punished in front of others so that those mistakes would not influence other students. In nut shell, the teachers play more important role in

Quality and perf 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Quality and perf 1 - Assignment Example The data for the amount of time spent on each activity performed on the patient will be noted including transportation, waiting and the time spent on treatment. Also, comments from nurses, therapist and family-members of the patient will be noted to increase the efficiency of the project. Data collection will be a team work task among all the employees of all the departments. Each participant will note the time he spends on each activity and then submit the report to his respective department. All the final reports from each department will be organized in a â€Å"flow chart model with the timeline† as per organizational chart. The Quality Improvement Plan will be executed by the â€Å"Q-Team†. The team will consist of 6 senior members from each level of the organizational chart which includes the head of therapist, head of nurse, In charge of transportation, administrator, human resource manager and manager of strategic planning and financing. Head of the therapist will make sure that all the patients get the best care in an efficient manner considering the importance of time both for the organization and patient. Each therapist will fill a patient profile form mentioning the time spent on treatment and counseling. He then submits it to the head of therapist. In charge of the transportation will confirm that each patient will come to the centre, before his appointment time with the therapist. Transporters will note the time for transportation for each patient. Administrator will be in direct contact with the family members of the patient. In case of any complaint or request he will pass it on to the committee to refine the whole process. Any delays from the patients or complaints will be noted down and will be submitted to the committee later on. All the members of the committee being professional in their respective fields will utilize their

Reward Management in Ikea Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reward Management in Ikea - Literature review Example Most organizations use reward management to motivate employees and enhance their productivity thereby contributing to improvement of overall organizational performance. Reward management is further aimed at ensuring internal, as well as external equity. More importantly, it strengthens psychological contract and also for organization to comply with legislation that require organizations to have reward management system (Phil and Cole, 2011, p. 101). Furthermore, reward management provides an organization with a system that enables it to efficiently administer rewards among employees. There are basically two types of rewards: extrinsic rewards and intrinsic rewards. Extrinsic rewards satisfy basic human needs such as security and survival and include raise in pay, better working conditions, and bonuses among others (Wright, 2004, p. 17). Intrinsic rewards aim at satisfying higher human needs such as development and esteem. The vision of IKEA is creation of better everyday life for man y people including its employees. Its human resource philosophy is that employees can be more productive and committed when the company is taking care of their needs. Like many Swedish companies, IKEA adopted a paternalistic stance towards the needs of employees and employees themselves that seeks to empower employees (IBS Center for Management Research, 2012). The application of its human resource philosophy is more or less standardized and reward policies are applied to all employees uniformly. Its human resource policies are aimed at making relationships between employees open and strong, and employees are encouraged to excel by taking care and supporting each other. In a nutshell, IKEA’s human resource policies seek to guarantee uniform and high quality standards in order to support its future developmental and business challenges (IBS Center for Management Research 2012). IKEA’s reward management system is designed to reward employees more or less equally and is i nformed by the need to make relationships between employees open and strong. Equity theory is relevant to IKEA’s reward management system. Armstrong and Stephens (2005, p. 92) note that this theory suggests that employees will be motivated to engage in actions that they perceive that the conditions of the situation are just and fair and which will ultimately benefit them. In addition, this theory holds that a person will be motivated towards organizational goals if they feel that the amount of effort being put forth commensurate the outcomes or the benefits being received (Byron and Khazanchi, 2010, p. 3). Considering that IKEA’s human resource policies are aimed at creating open and strong relationships among employees and empowering them, equity theory are more relevant to their reward management system. This is because it requires that this system regulates equity and help employees to maximize their outcomes as a whole. Looking into IKEA’s human resource pol icies also shows that the organization is keen to avoid distress among employees which might hamper its efforts towards attaining its goals. Equity theory will therefore be relevant to creating equal relationships among parties in the workplace thus avoiding distress. Equity theory recognizes commonly contributed inputs in organizations to include labor, personal investment, time, dedication, and skill (White and Druker, 2000, p. 81). Application of this

Quality and perf 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Quality and perf 1 - Assignment Example The data for the amount of time spent on each activity performed on the patient will be noted including transportation, waiting and the time spent on treatment. Also, comments from nurses, therapist and family-members of the patient will be noted to increase the efficiency of the project. Data collection will be a team work task among all the employees of all the departments. Each participant will note the time he spends on each activity and then submit the report to his respective department. All the final reports from each department will be organized in a â€Å"flow chart model with the timeline† as per organizational chart. The Quality Improvement Plan will be executed by the â€Å"Q-Team†. The team will consist of 6 senior members from each level of the organizational chart which includes the head of therapist, head of nurse, In charge of transportation, administrator, human resource manager and manager of strategic planning and financing. Head of the therapist will make sure that all the patients get the best care in an efficient manner considering the importance of time both for the organization and patient. Each therapist will fill a patient profile form mentioning the time spent on treatment and counseling. He then submits it to the head of therapist. In charge of the transportation will confirm that each patient will come to the centre, before his appointment time with the therapist. Transporters will note the time for transportation for each patient. Administrator will be in direct contact with the family members of the patient. In case of any complaint or request he will pass it on to the committee to refine the whole process. Any delays from the patients or complaints will be noted down and will be submitted to the committee later on. All the members of the committee being professional in their respective fields will utilize their

Evaluating a Health Promotion Website Essay Example for Free

Evaluating a Health Promotion Website Essay Health Information Technology (HIT) has been introduced into the National Health Service (NHS) in order to improve the quality, efficiency, safety and cost effectiveness of the delivery of health care. The application of computerized information technology in health care settings has so far played a vital role in improving the accessibility of information and has replaced more labour intensive and unproductive methods (Shekelle and Goldzweig, 2009). The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2009) maintain that that nurses’ skills, knowledge and practice must be guided by the best available evidence. Often this evidence is found on the internet however many sources of information can be inaccurate so a good standard of critical evaluation is required (Kim, Eng, Deering et al 1998). To evaluate the quality and reliability of a chosen website the use of a framework can be helpful such as Roberts (2012) 5 C’s website tool. This framework evaluates five areas: credibility, currency, content, construction and clarity. The website The Royal College of Psychiatrists (RC Psych, 2012 a) was chosen to be evaluated because as a mental health nursing student this will develop an awareness of how information technology is implemented and applied to practice in health care. Additionally, by using Roberts (2012) 5 C’s framework to critically evaluate this website, knowledge and skills of the quality and reliability of HIT will be acquired. Main Body RC Psych is the professional and educational organisation for psychiatrist in the UK as well as being a registered charity (RC Psych, 2012 b). Their website is aimed at improving the lives of individuals affected by mental illness through educating the public. They claim to be at the head of developing and promoting best practice in mental health services through their education, training and research projects. Additionally they are involved in the publishing of the following world-class journals; British Journal of Psychiatry, The Psychiatrist, Advances in Psychiatric Treatment and International Psychiatry (RC Psych, 2012 c). Credibility Having gained a royal charter this shows us that the organisation has been recognised by the Queen and seconded by the government to call itself a registered organisation of the highest regard. As stated by the Privy Council Office (2012) organisations granted a Royal Charter must have a solid record of achievement. 75% of its members should be qualified to at least first degree level and the work completed by the organisation must be in the interest of the public. Professor Peter Tyrer is named as the Editor, of the website, and is said to be responsible for the editorial and production aspects of its publications in addition to the production of their online continuing professional development (CPD) e-learning resources and its sales and marketing (RC Psych, 2012 d). After researching Peter Tyrer it is evident that he is highly qualified within the field of mental health and is a professor of community psychiatry for the Department of Medicine, within the Imperial College London (Imperial College London, 2012). The website offers a vast amount of information around mental health including conditions, diagnoses, treatments and types of therapies. The advice provided is produced in the form of online leaflets for the use of the public as well as professionals. Within the website there is no evidence to show that the same specific authors are used regularly for their published articles however, at the end of each article the producer, editor and sometimes an author are named in addition to any expert that has been involved in the making of it. All these leaflets are produced by the RC Psych Public Education Editorial Board that is responsible for producing 300 educational leaflets. These leaflets have been accredited by the NHS Information Standard and subsequently gained numerous awards (Byrne, 2011). They have achieved Plain English and BMA patient information awards and have received consistently positive feedback for the web versions. The editor of these leaflets is Dr Phillip Timms who is currently employed as a consultant Psychiatrist for the South London Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust as well as a senior lecturer in psychiatry at King’s College, London (BMJ Masterclasses, 2012). This site’s web address shows that it is delivered by a UK based academic body as it has an ac.uk URL. This confirms their credibility and reassures the reader that they are qualified experts able to give advice in this field (Roberts, 2010). Combining all this it is apparent that the producers of the website have appropriate qualifications and expertise to offer advice in regards to mental health and supports the credibility of the organisation and the website. Some of these points also link into the other five C’s for example, the awards that the leaflets have received show that the content and clarity of their work has been assessed and found to be of an acceptable standard. Currency When using a website for personal development reasons or to recommend to a patient the information being accessed should be the most current evidence available that has been proven in practice. In regards to the advice provided on the website RC Psych (2012 e) states that they endeavour to update it every two to three years. This is reflected in the articles by showing the date the information was last updated and the date it will be reviewed in the future. Additionally RC Psych (2012 d) state that their information derives from the best evidence available at the time of writing and is updated regularly to reflect any changes in knowledge. Another way to determine the currency of information is to consider the references used to back it up (Roberts, 2010). If the sources are dated then what you are reading may not come from the most current research so there may be more up to date evidence elsewhere. The dates of the references used throughout the website are quite varied however, they do contain many recently published articles and up to date clinical guidelines so this suggests that they are committed to producing up to date information and evidence. This is seen in a leaflet on depression where RC Psyche (2012 f) cites a recently updated guideline by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE, 2009) which looks at the treatment and management of depression in adults. The currency and credibility of the website can also be reflected in its content and therefore this should also be assessed during the evaluation process. Content As well as being credible and current the content must be assessed for its objectivity, accuracy and completeness (Roberts, 2010). The content of a website can be judged by assessing what the website aims to achieve. This could be selling a product, persuading the audience to believe in something or to provide the reader with unbiased and up to date information on a specific topic (Roberts, 2010). RC Psych (2012 a) profess that they aim to improve the lives of individuals with a mental health illness. They aim to do this by educating people through making information and advice available on their website. This would indicate that it falls under the category of providing unbiased and up to date information to the public. The articles on the website are written in the third person so prevents the author from expressing personal opinion. Furthermore the leaflets produced provide links to various other sources of information on the topic being discussed. This encourages further reading which provides a complete and balanced view preventing bias and, where treatment is recommended, allows the reader to make an informed choice (Roberts, 2010). The references used within the website are taken from well known and respected sources that provide current and acknowledged recommendations such as NICE, the Department of Health (DOH) and various field related journals. This indicates that the website seeks to provide and maintain up to date, accurate and unbiased information that concurs with information available in books and journals on the same subjects. Construction The construction of a website, for example, the layout, colours, fonts, sizes and ease of access can determine whether or not a reader believes the website is of good quality or not (Roberts, 2010). A study by Lindgaard, Fernandes and Dudek et al. (2006) found that the first 50 milliseconds that the reader is exposed to a website can cause the reader to form an opinion as to whether a website is worth using or not. On first impression, the website in question looks colourful and professional. The eye is drawn to the bolder writing that states the websites purpose and there are minimal graphics to distract the reader from this. There is a lot of information on the home page of the website and could be considered cluttered, however it is divided into clear sections and appears well organised, giving clear subheadings which guide the reader to their areas of interest easily. The main colour used for the website is grey and presents a professional look. It is subtle but effective in breaking up different sections of the website without being obtrusive. The font size is varied throughout but mainly of a larger size making the website easy to read. There is no option for the reader to change the font sizing or colour which could cause some difficulty as it is not possible to suit everyone with one font size, style and colour (Roberts, 2010). As this is a registered charitable organisation it would be unfair to expect them not to promote money making offers. There are two links to buy books that are published by the royal college of psychiatrists and an option to support them in future development projects. They have presented these links as the last things you would come across on the website. Because of where they are situated it comes across to the reader that they are more interested in providing free and accessible information to educate the pubic over making money. Clarity Clarity is another important area to consider when evaluating a website. Due to our continually growing multi-cultural society it is important that websites cater for all groups in society and not just the English readers. One part of the website caters for professionals working in psychiatry and another to the public wanting to learn more about mental illness. Both sections are presented and written in a way that is understandable to the general public. In the public section they offer their advice in 21 different languages in addition to visual aids using BSL sign language as well as audio pod casts and printable versions. This shows that they have made an effort to cater for diverse cultures and needs. Unfortunately it appears that they have not taken into account the needs of people with dyslexia. Approximately two million people in the UK population are affected by dyslexia of which around 35 to 40 percent experience visual disturbances when reading (Dyslexia Action, 2012). The British Dyslexia Association, (2012) states that the reading ability of an individual with dyslexia can be negatively affected by bright white backgrounds and the use of too much text. By changing the background to an off white colour and spreading out the information over larger areas this would cater for yet another group in society. Conclusion Having the ability to access health information via the internet has given nurses the capacity to constantly improve their knowledge base and skills knowing that they are delivering the best possible care derived from the best available evidence. The RC Psych website not only offers nurses a place to go and build on their knowledge and skills but it also provides them with a safe, reliable and easily accessible knowledge base that they can confidently refer their patients to. The evaluation of this website has shown that the website contains quality, reliable evidence and could be recommended to anyone interested in the field of mental illness. In addition to this the use of the five C’s evaluation tool has provided a great foundation to the development of evaluating skills. It has given an opportunity to discover that the evidence being accessed is suitable for developing personal practice and to help educate patients and is accepted within the NMC code of conduct (Roberts, 2 010).

Your Mind And Body Are Clearly Distinct Philosophy Essay

Your Mind And Body Are Clearly Distinct Philosophy Essay During his meditations, Descartes starts by doubting everything unless it can be indubitably known to be true. After much questioning and scepticism, Descartes comes to the conclusion: I am, I exist.  [2]  This seems to state that the I Descartes describes (usually defined as the conscious mind) must exist for an individual to exist. Because for every time the I makes the above proposition, the mind or conscious self is engaged in thought and therefore demonstrates its own existence. After conclusively grounding his existence, Descartes inquires as to what makes up a person. He eventually deduces that I am not more than a thing that thinks  [3]  . Because to assume that his body exists is to rely on his senses that could be deceived. Therefore through intellect alone, Descartes concludes that he must be essentially a thing that thinks. When returning to the contemplation of the mind and body in his Sixth Meditation, Descartes then asserts that I [that is to say, my soul by which I am what I am], is entirely and absolutely distinct from my body, and can exist without it.  [4]  How and why he goes from a thinking thing, to a mind distinct from body is a perplexing problem both for Descartes and for his critics. In both the Second meditation, but more clearly in part four of his Discourse on the Method Descartes presents what is commonly known as the argument from doubt: I saw that I could conceive that I had no body, and that there was no world nor place wh ere I might be; but yet I could not for all that conceive that I was not. On the contrary, I saw from the very fact that I thought of doubting the truth of other things, it very evidently and certainly followed that I was; on the other hand if I had only ceased from thinking, even if all the rest of what I had ever imagined had really existed, I should have no reason for thinking that I had existed. From that I knew that I was a substance the whole essence or nature of which is to think, and that for its existence there is no need of any place, nor does it depend on any material things; so that this me, that is to say, the soul by which I am what I am, is entirely distinct from body, and is even more easy to know than is the latter; and even if body were not, the soul would not cease to be what it is.  [5]  This argument can be displayed as such  [6]  : I can doubt that I have a body. I cannot doubt that I exist. Ergo, I am not a body.  [7]   There have been many famous refutations of this argument from doubt. One problem with the argument, forwarded by Norman Malcolm, is that arguments using the same logic can be formed that lead to ridiculous results. For example: I can doubt that the author of the pamphlet Why I Am Not a Christian exists I cannot doubt that Bertrand Russell exists Ergo, Bertrand Russell is not the author of that pamphlet.  [8]   However as Malcolm himself points out, this counter-example is based on contingent propositions, whereas Descartes argument is intended to be based on a priori propositions. But whether the subject of the proof is a posteriori or a priori, the reasoning behind the proof can still be called into question. Descartes can think of his mind without his body, but this does not necessarily mean that this is the case, that without his body his mind can still exist. In this form of reasoning, Descartes is attempting to use Leibnizs law of the indiscernibility of identicals. However Leibnizs law states that no two objects have exactly the same properties.  [9]  Therefore, if it is true that two things (the body and the self) have different properties, then they cannot be the one same thing and there must be different objects. But it is mistaken to say that if one believes that two things have different properties then they cannot be identical. This is because what people know or think they know about an object, is not a property of that object. Therefore when Descartes claims that he doubts his body exists, this does not mean that the body has a different property than if he did not doubt its existence. He also claims he cannot doubt that his mind exists, but if his mind is a part of his b ody then we can doubt that his mind, apart from the body could exist. For the doubt argument to work, Descartes needs a provable reason for us to think that the mind and the body are truly distinct. The second argument Descartes employs is often referred to as the argument from conceivability. It is also presented in the sixth meditation and through it Descartes sets out to prove that one can exist as a thinking thing distinct from the physical body it goes as follows: I know that all things which I apprehend clearly and distinctly can be created by God as I apprehend them, it suffices that I am able to apprehend one thing apart from another clearly and distinctly in order to be certain that the one is different from the other, since they may be made to exist in seperation at least by the omnipotence of GodI rightly conclude that my essence consists solely in the fact that I am a thinking thing (or a substance whose whole essence or nature is to think). And although possibly (or rather certainly, as I shall say in a moment) I possess a body with which I am very intimately conjoined, yet because, on the one side, I have a clear and distinct idea of myself inasmuch as I am only a thinking and unextended thing, and as, on the other, I possess a distinct idea of body, inasmuch as it is only an extended and unthinking thing, it is certain that this I (that is to say my soul by which I am what I am), is entirely and absolutly distinct from my body, and can exist without it.  [10]  This argument can also be split into three parts: I can clearly and distinctly conceive of myself existing (as a thinking thing) apart from my physical body. Anything I perceive clearly and distinctly is logically possible. If I can clearly and distinctly perceive of myself as an unextended thinking thing, and my body as an extended unthinking thing, then it is logically possible that my body and my mind can exist apart. One obvious objection to this argument is that just because one can perceive of themselves as existing without physical properties, does not mean that they do exist without physical properties.  [11]  Another problem is that the second premise seems to be rather weak. To perceive something clearly and distinctly is not necessarily the same as it being logically possible. Descartes may be able to clearly and distinctly conceive of himself as an unextended thinking thing, and his body as an extended unthinking thing, but that does not mean he can conclude that my essence consists solely in the fact that I am a thinking thing.  [12]  He may only have an incomplete understanding of his mind and his body (with the scientific advancements of the past 300 years this seems very plausible). He has not shown that thought is the sole property of the mind, other properties could still be essential for the mind to exist (such as extension). In order for Descartes to prove the minds distin ct separation from the extended body he must prove that it is impossible for the mind to be extended or to have extension as another essential property. Therefore Descartess argument from conceivability only stands up if one agrees that clear and distinct perception is all we need to have a complete knowledge of the world, and this seem a very weak conclusion to draw. Another argument posed by Descartes is the argument from divisibility. This argument tries to prove that the mind and body are clearly distinct due to their difference in divisibility. It is set out, in the Sixth Meditation, as follows: I here say, in the first place, that there is a great difference between mind and body, inasmuch as body is by nature always divisible and the mind is entirely indivisible.  [13]  He then describes this assertion: when I consider the mind, that is to say, myself inasmuch as I am only a thinking thing, I cannot distinguish in myself any parts, but apprehend myself to be clearly one and entireyet if a foot, or an arm, or some other part, is separated from my body, I am aware that nothing has been taken away from my mind.  [14]  Here Descartes is offering the following reasoning: all extended matter is divisible, the mind is not divisible, therefore the mind is not made of extended matter. It is clear here that the second premise of the divisibility argument: the mind is not divisible is problematic. There are many objections here that can be raised against the second premise, an obvious objection is the scientific evidence has shown convincing evidence that different areas of the physical brain are responsible for different mental states (memory, rational thought, language, emotions etc). Therefore if one removed parts of the physical brain, that persons mind would most definitely be altered. This does not mean that one must reject the idea that thoughts cannot be spatially mapped, merely that the brain in which they are contained and processed can be spatially and physically altered, and that this alteration would have a direct effect on the state of the mind. The only way that the divisibility argument can plausible is if one believes the second premise, that the mind is an immaterial substance distinct from both the body and the brain. This is highly improbable and would oppose everything that has been discovered by scientifically studying the brain. This conclusion leads on to the biggest objection to the Cartesian claim that the mind and body are clearly distinct. How can an immaterial mind, distinct and separate from all other matter, interact with the physical body? This is the brick wall that Cartesian dualism runs up against. And there has been no convincing answer, from Descartes to the present. It is more common now for philosophers to talk of the mental and the physical as two aspects of one reality. Indeed, one could go a step further and argue why have a single entity? The mind or self is not a single thing, a unified identity that travels from cradle to grave, but merely a catch all label for our swirling fragmentary perceptions of the world and reactions to it. The reason we create this self, an inner puppeteer directing our behaviour, is due to our ability to view ourselves from the outside. After all isnt this what consciousness is, to be self aware? Personally I find R.A. Brooks description of robot behaviour much more plausible, when thinking about the immaterial self so elusive to Descartes  [15]  : It is only the observer of the creature who imputes a central representation or central control. The creature itself has none: it is a collection of competing behaviours. Out of the local chaos of their interactions there emerges, in the eye of the observer, a coherent pattern of behaviour.  [16]