Benhams Manufacturing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Benhams Manufacturing - Essay Example This will impact on increasing the revenue of the company. The same will happen if Benhams manufacturing invests additional finances in their projects. This means that improvement of the status of key resource will work enhance the competitiveness of the company. In reference with the argument from different organizational philosophers, it is evident that the level of expected output from employees is extremely valuable in driving all other resources (Lloyd-Jones & Lewis 2008). This is the reason behind the growing significance of creating a competition advantage through employee training and development. The practice is quite expensive, but the resultant product focuses on long term benefits (Sadler 2011). Benhams manufacturing can highly benefit from training in reference with the above argument. Among the outstanding training, sectors in finance is cost. The training will also over the challenge related to precision in production. If employees learn on the benefit of minimizing cost, both direct and indirect, the company will reduce overheads among other costs. This will have a significant impact on the company following the reduction of expenses (Sadler 2011). Denying employees the chance to access new information that relates to their line of specialization is a dangerous strategy. This will make the company lag behind as their skills do not meet those of the current market, thus not competitive. However, the training process is expensive, and this negatively affects the company’s growth and development. Money that could have been used for the company’s upgrading is directed to the training program. It a time consuming procedure, and this results to a downfall in the amount of output produced by the company. Working hours are scheduled for the training program, and this automatically reflects in the returns. Scheduling time for all employees to

The Sound of Music Essay Example for Free

The Sound of Music Essay The sound of music was by far the greatest musical success for the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. I chose this musical because of the lyrical and musical talent of these two men. I have enjoyed watching this classic numerous time throughout the years due to my mothers influence. She exposed my brother and I to many different types of music, teaching us to appreciate the style of each artist. The Sound of Music was directed and produced by Robert Wise, although he was not the first choice, he did indeed prove to be the best. Richard Rodgers wrote the music with the lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. The music was arranged and conducted by Irwin Kostal with the choreography by Marc Breaux and Dee Dee Wood. Filming of The Sound of Music began in 1964, in and around the area of Salzburg, Austria. It then premiered in early 1965, where it stayed on the circuit for more than four years. The film won five academy awards, including Best picture in 1966. The setting for the movie was to represent the late 1930s in Salzburg, Austria, with the looming threat of Nazi occupation. The movie was adapted from the real life stories of Maria von Trapp, who had a book published about her family life during this time. The title is The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. The opening scene pans across the mountains with the sound of wind blowing snow as it crosses over and down the other side. Once the forest and lake come in to view the music changes to birds chirping and the light sound of flutes playing. It continues to pan across hills and valleys with the tempo (xxi) of the music changing as instruments are added. The scene unfolds reaching Julie Andrews up on a hilltop surrounded by mountains. Here the musics dynamic level (xxvii) becomes more intense. When she starts to sing the music decreases in volume, matching her vocal range as she sings the title theme. The music that accompanies the abbey scene shows nuns walking slowly, heads bowed as if in prayer, gives the impression of spiritual devotion and a peaceful setting. In the court yard several nuns are discussing Maria with the Reverend Mother and do a call-and-response type of song called Maria. Maria is sent to Captain von Trapps as a governess for his children. The music in these next few scenes has a dissonance quality that sets the mood for her arrival at the von Trapp household. Maria soon finds out how strict the Captain is with his children and that music is not allowed since the death of his wife. She decides that God has sent her to bring joy and music back into their lives. The children come to Marias room during a scary thunderstorm. She tries to calm them with a song called A Few of My Favorite Things. This is a very light, happy, rhyming song that soon has the children forgetting their fears and having some fun. That is until the Captain walks in with a frown and sends the children scurrying to their rooms. While the Captain is away in Vienna, Maria introduces the children to having fun with music. She takes them on an outing in the hills and finds out that they dont know any songs at all. Maria teaches them Do-Re-Mi which uses the scales and has a call-and-response theme. The harmony of this tune is a favorite of mine, showing the melody of the song and timbre of each voice. When the Captain returns with the Baroness and Uncle Max, the children sing for them the songs they have learned. The Captain joins in as they sing The Sound of Music, surprising the children. Later after the puppet show they encourage their father to sing. Playing an acoustic guitar, he sings Edlewise with Lisel joining him. The song is softly played with some instrumental backup that is almost undetected. The waltz between the Captain and Maria in the garden just outside the ballroom is another favorite of mine. The orchestra playing the tune with  violins and flutes primarily in the foreground, setting the tempo of the composition as they dance and discover the attraction they have for one another. Maria escapes to the abbey after realizing she is in love with him. The Reverend Mother talks Maria into going back to face the situation and determine if the life of a nun is what she truly wishes. Upon returning to the von Trapp estate, Maria finds out from the children that their father is to marry the Baroness. Maria is heartbroken but wishes them well as they greet her. After the evening meal Gaylord sees Maria looking gloomy as she wanders the grounds of the estate. He realizes he has made a mistake and breaks it off with the Baroness. He then seeks Maria out at the gazebo, where he tries to encourage her to tell him the reason she left. Soft music plays as they declare their love for each other, becoming much louder as they start singing Something Good. The wedding scene, the music here is a rendition of Maria but, bolder with a marching tempo to it, as she walks down the aisle. Upon returning from their honeymoon the couple find that the Nazis have occupied Austria and are expecting the Captain to take a commission in Germany Navy. They use the folk festival as a front as they look for a way to escape into the mountains. They end up with help from the nuns at the abbey to get away from the Germans, and they cross the mountains into Switzerland. The music of Climb every Mountain is a very dramatic song as they show them walking across the mountains into freedom.

Developmental Stage Theories Essay Example for Free

Developmental Stage Theories Essay Developmental psychology is the scientific study of changes that occur in human beings over the course of their life span. Originally concerned with infantsand children, the field has expanded to include adolescence, adult development, aging, and the entire life span. This field examines change across a broad range of topics including motor skills and other psycho-physiological processes; cognitive development involving areas such as problem solving, moral understanding, and conceptual understanding; language acquisition; social, personality, and emotional development; and self-concept and identity formation. Developmental psychology includes issues such as the extent to which development occurs through the gradual accumulation of knowledge versus stage-like development, or the extent to which children are born with innate mental structures, versus learning through experience. Many researchers are interested in the interaction between personal characteristics, the individuals behavior, and environmental factors including social context, and their impact on development; others take a more narrowly-focused approach. Developmental psychology informs several applied fields, including: educational psychology, child psychopathology, and forensic developmental psychology. Developmental psychology complements several other basic research fields in psychology including social psychology, cognitive psychology, ecological psychology, and comparative psychology. Theories Attachment theory Attachment theory, theoretical frame work originally developed by John Bowlby, focuses on open, intimate, emotionally meaningful relationships. Attachment is described as a biological system or powerful survival impulse that evolved to ensure the survival of the infant. A child who is threatened or stressed will move toward caregivers who create a sense of physical, emotional and psychological safety for the individual. Attachment feeds on body contact and familiarity. Later Mary Ainsworth developed the Strange Situation protocol and the concept of the secure base. There are three types of attachment styles: secure, anxious-avoidant, and anxious-resistant. Secure attachment is a healthy attachment between the infant and the caregiver. It is characterized by trust. Anxious-avoidant is an insecure attachment between an infant and a caregiver. This is characterized by the infants indifference toward the caregiver. Anxious-resistant is an insecure attachment between the infant and the caregiver characterized by distress from the infant when separated and anger when reunited. [1] A child can be hindered in its natural tendency to form attachments. Some babies are raised without the stimulation and attention of a regular caregiver, or locked away under conditions of abuse or extreme neglect. The possible short-term effects of this deprivation are anger, despair, detachment, and temporary delay in intellectual development. Long-term effects include increased aggression, clinging behavior, detachment, psychosomatic disorders, and an increased risk of depression as an adult. [2][3] Constructivism Constructivism is a paradigm in psychology that characterizes learning as a process of actively constructing knowledge. Individuals create meaning for themselves or make sense of new information by selecting, organizing, and integrating information with other knowledge, often in the content of social interactions. There are two ways in which constructivism can occur: individual and social. Individual constructivism is when a person constructs knowledge through cognitive processes of their own experiences rather than by memorizing facts provided by others. Social constructivism is when individuals construct knowledge through an interaction between the knowledge they bring to a situation and social or cultural exchanges within that content. [4] Ecological systems theory The Ecological systems theory, originally formulated by Urie Bronfenbrenner specifies four types of nested environmental systems, with bi-directional influences within and between the systems. The four systems are microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem. Each system contains roles, norms and rules that can powerfully shape development. The microsystem is the immediate environment surrounding and influencing the individual (example: school or the home setting). The mesosystem is the combination of two microsystems and how they influence each other (example: sibling relationships at home vs. peer relationships at school). The exosystem is the interaction among two or more settings that are indirectly linked (example: a fathers job requiring more overtime ends up influencing his aughters performance in school because he can no longer help with her homework). The macrosystem is broader taking into account social economic status, culture, beliefs, customs and morals (example: a child from a wealthier family sees a peer from a less wealthy family as inferior for that reason). Lastly, the chronosystem refers to the chronological nature of life events and how they interact and change the individual and their circumstances through transition (example: a mother losing her own mother to illness and no longer having that support in her life). Since its publication in 1979, Bronfenbrenners major statement of this theory, The Ecology of Human Development[5] has had widespread influence on the way psychologists and others approach the study of human beings and their environments. As a result of this conceptualization of development, these environments—from the family to economic and political structures—have come to be viewed as part of the life course from childhood through adulthood. [6] Psychosexual development Sigmund Freud believed that we all had a conscious, preconscious, and unconscious level. In the conscious we are aware of our mental process. The preconscious involves information that though we are not currently thinking about can be brought into consciousness. Lastly, the unconscious includes those mental processes which we are unaware of. He believed that the conscious and unconscious had tension because the conscious would try and hold back what the unconscious was trying to express. To explain this he developed three structures of personality; the id, ego, and superego. The id, being the most primitive of the three functioned according to the pleasure principle. The pleasure principle states that the id’s motivation is to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Based on this he proposed five universal stages of development. The first is the oral stage which occurs from birth to 12 months of age, second is the anal stage which occurs from one to three years of age, third is the phallic stage which occurs from three to five years of age (most of a person’s personality is formed by this age), the fourth is called latency which occurs from age five until puberty, and lastly stage five is the genital stage which takes place from puberty until adulthood. 7] Stages of moral development Theories of morality that stem from Jean Piaget’s cognitive-developmental viewpoint emphasize shifts in the type of reasoning that individuals use in making moral decisions. Changes in the content of the decision they reach or the actions they take as a result does not occur. [dubious – discuss] Lawrence Kohlberg expanded on this issue specifically during adolescence. He suggested three levels of moral reasoning; preconventional moral reasoning, conventional moral reasoning, and postconventional moral reasoning. Preconventional moral reasoning is typical of children and is characterized by reasoning that is based on rewards and punishments associated with different courses of action. Conventional moral reason occurs during late childhood and early adolescence and is characterized by reasoning that is based on the rules and conventions of society. Lastly, postconventional moral reasoning is the stage during which society’s rules and conventions are seen as relative and subjective rather than as authoritative. [1] Stages of psychosocial development Erik Erikson became a child psychoanalyst like his mentor Anna Freud, Sigmond Freud’s daughter. He went on to reinterpret Freud’s psychosexual stages by incorporating the social aspects of it. He came up with eight stages, each of which has two crisis (a positive and a negative). Stage one is trust versus mistrust, which occurs during infancy. Stage two is autonomy versus shame and doubt which occurs during early childhood. Stage three is initiative versus guilt which occurs during play age. Stage four is industry versus inferiority which occurs during school age. Stage five is identity versus identity diffusion which occurs during adolescence. Stage six is intimacy versus isolation which occurs during young adulthood. Stage seven is generativity versus self-absorption which occurs during adulthood. Lastly, stage eight is integrity versus despair which occurs during old age. In each of these stages either one or the other crisis is developed. The ideal thing would be to have the positive crisis more developed than the negative crisis. [7] Theories of cognitive development Jean Piaget was a Swiss theorist who posited that children learn by actively constructing knowledge through hands-on experience. [8] He suggested that the adults role in helping the child learn was to provide appropriate materials or the child to interact and construct. He would use Socratic questioning to get the children to reflect on what they were doing. He would try to get them to see contradictions in their explanations. He also developed stages of development. His approach can be seen in how the curriculum is sequenced in schools, and in the pedagogy of preschool centers across the United States. Piaget believed that intellectual development took place through a series of stages which caused him to come up with his Theory on Cognitive Development. Each stage consisted of steps which the child had to master before moving on to the next step. He believe that these stages where not separate from one another but rather each stage built on the previous one, hence learning was continuous. His theory consisted of four stages; sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational, and formal operational. Though he did not believe these stages occurred at any given age, many studies have determine when these cognitive abilities should take place. [4] Zone of proximal development Lev Vygotsky was a Russian theorist from the Soviet era, who posited that children learn through hands-on experience and social interactions with members of his/her culture. 9] Unlike Piaget, he claimed that timely and sensitive intervention by adults when a child is on the edge of learning a new task (called the zone of proximal development) could help children learn new tasks. Martin Hill stated that The world of reality does not apply to the mind of a child. This technique is called scaffolding, because it builds upon knowledge children already have with new knowledge that adults can help the child learn. [10] Vygotsky was strongly focused on the role of culture in determining the childs pattern of development, arguing that development moves from the social level to the individual level. 10] In other words, Vygotsky claimed that psychology should focus on the progress of human consciousness through the relationship of an individual and their environment. [11]He felt that if scholars continued to disregard this connection, then this disregard would inhibit the full comprehension of the human consciousness Nature/nurture A significant issue in developmental psychology is the relationship between innateness and environmental influence in regard to any particular aspect of development. This is often referred to as nature versus nurture or nativism versus empiricism. A nativist account of development would argue that the processes in question are innate, that is, they are specified by the organisms genes. An empiricist perspective would argue that those processes are acquired in interaction with the environment. Today developmental psychologists rarely take such polarised positions with regard to most aspects of development; rather they investigate, among many other things, the relationship between innate and environmental influences. One of the ways in which this relationship has been explored in recent years is through the emerging field of evolutionary developmental psychology. One area where this innateness debate has been prominently portrayed is in research on language acquisition. A major question in this area is whether or not certain properties of human language are specified genetically or can be acquired through learning. The empiricist position on the issue of language acquisition suggests that the language input provides the necessary information required for learning the structure of language and that infants acquire language through a process of statistical learning. From this perspective, language can be acquired via general learning methods that also apply to other aspects of development, such as perceptual learning. The nativist position argues that the input from language is too impoverished for infants and children to acquire the structure of language. Linguist Noam Chomsky asserts that, evidenced by the lack of sufficient information in the language input, there is a universal grammar that applies to all human languages and is pre-specified. This has led to the idea that there is a special cognitivemodule suited for learning language, often called the language acquisition device. Chomskys critique of the behaviorist model of language acquisition is regarded by many as a key turning point in the decline in the prominence of the theory of behaviorism generally. [12] But Skinners conception of Verbal Behavior has not died, perhaps in part because it has generated successful practical applications. [12] Mechanisms of development Developmental psychology is concerned not only with describing the characteristics of psychological change over time, but also seeks to explain the principles and internal workings underlying these changes. Psychologists have attempted to better understand these factors by using models. Developmental models are sometimes computational, but they do not need to be. A model must simply account for the means by which a process takes place. This is sometimes done in reference to changes in the brain that may correspond to changes in behavior over the course of the development. Computational accounts of development often use either symbolic, connectionist (neural network), or dynamical systems models to explain the mechanisms of development. Research areas Cognitive development Cognitive development is primarily concerned with the ways in which infants and children acquire, develop, and use internal mental capabilities such as problem solving, memory, and language. Major topics in cognitive development are the study of language acquisition and the development of perceptual and motor skills. Piaget was one of the influential early psychologists to study the development of cognitive abilities. His theory suggests that development proceeds through a set of stages from infancy to adulthood and that there is an end point or goal. Other accounts, such as that of Lev Vygotsky, have suggested that development does not progress through stages, but rather that the developmental process that begins at birth and continues until death is too complex for such structure and finality. Rather, from this viewpoint, developmental processes proceed more continuously, thus development should be analyzed, instead of treated as a product to be obtained. K. Warner Schaie has expanded the study of cognitive development into adulthood. Rather than being stable from adolescence, Schaie sees adults as progressing in the application of their cognitive abilities. 13] Modern cognitive development has integrated the considerations of cognitive psychology and the psychology of individual differences into the interpretation and modeling of development. [14]Specifically, the neo-Piagetian theories of cognitive development showed that the successive levels or stages of cognitive development are associated with increasing processing efficiency andworking memory capacity. In addition, children in higher-levels of cognitive development have been observed to have greater mathematical fluency in basic addition and subtraction problems. 15] These increases explain differences between stages, progression to higher stages, and individual differences of children who are the same-age and of the same grade-level. However, other theories have moved away from Piagetian stage theories, and are influenced by accounts of domain-specific information processing, which posit that development is guided by innate evolutionarily-specified and content-specific information processing mechanisms. Social and emotional development Developmental psychologists who are interested in social development examine how individuals develop social and emotional competencies. For example, they study how children form friendships, how they understand and deal with emotions, and how identity develops. Research in this area may involve study of the relationship between cognition or cognitive development and social behavior. Erik Erikson believed we undergo several stages to achieve social and emotional development. These stages were called the Erik Eriksons Stages of Psychosocial Development. The stages were trust vs. mistrust, attachment, parenting style, ego identity, role diffusion, generativity versus stagnation, midlife crisis, and ego integrity versus despair. Emotional regulation or ER refers to an individuals ability to modulate emotional responses across a variety of contexts. In young children, this modulation is in part controlled externally, by parents and other authority figures. As children develop, they take on more and more responsibility for their internal state. Studies have shown that the development of ER is affected by the emotional regulation children observe in parents and caretakers, the emotional climate in the home, and the reaction of parents and caretakers to the childs emotions. [16] Physical development Physical development concerns the physical maturation of an individuals body until it reaches the adult stature. Although physical growth is a highly regular process, all children differ tremendously in the timing of their growth spurts. [17] Studies are being done to analyze how the differences in these timings affect and are related to other variables of developmental psychology such as information processing speed. Traditional measures of physical maturity using x-rays are less in practice nowadays, compared to simple measurements of body parts such as height, weight, head circumference, and arm span. 17] A few other studies and practices with physical developmental psychology are the phonological abilities of mature 5- to 11-year-olds, and the controversial hypotheses of left-handers being maturationally delayed compared to right-handers. A study by Eaton, Chipperfield, Ritchot, and Kostiuk in 1996 found in three different samples that there was no difference between right- and left-handers. [17] Memory development Researchers interested in memory development look at the way our memory develops from childhood and onward. According to Fuzzy-trace theory, we have two separate memory processes: verbatim and gist. These two traces begin to develop at different times as well as at a different pace. Children as young as 4 years-old have verbatim memory, memory for surface information, which increases up to early adulthood, at which point it begins to decline. On the other hand, our capacity for gist memory, memory for semantic information, increases up to early adulthood, at which point it consistent through old age. Furthermore, our reliance on gist memory traces in reasoning increases as we age.

Pestle Analysis Is An External Analysis Economics Essay

Pestle Analysis Is An External Analysis Economics Essay It is a part of the external analysis when conducting a strategic analysis or doing  market research, and gives an overview of the different macro environmental factors that the company has to take into consideration. This analysis of the external environment will lead to the identification of a number of opportunities and threats. 7.1 PESTLE Analysis of Royal KPN Political Factors The Netherlands opening degree of its economic, commercial laws and investment policy is well-known in the world. The Netherlands economy is very internationalization with minimum interference from the government, and its trade investment policy is the most open one in the world  [1]  . The government offers many kinds of policies to encourage international investment, and support foreign companies to enter the Netherlands. In addition, the Netherlands has well-done taxation system and commercial environment. The Netherlands low tax rate and widespread tax revenue treaty network in Europe make its taxation environment favorable and attractive (L Zeng 2008). The new Dutch telecommunications regime is relatively liberal, with no barriers to entry, no line-of-business restrictions and relatively few controls on prices. After deregulation, a large number of companies have been in the local market to provide telecommunication services and invest in facilities.  [2]   In addition, the EU telecommunications regulators never reduce the regulation for the telecom industry. The policies about cut settlement cost and roaming charges are continually published. The Netherlands, like most Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, is facing a double challenge: to complete the liberalization of the telecommunications market, and to prepare for the next generation regulatory regime in the face of convergence. Economic Factors The Netherlands is called the gate of the Europe due to its predominant geographical position. It has a flourishing and open economic which depends heavily on foreign trade  [3]  . It is one of the main foreign investment countries with the most favorable and attractive business environment in the world. The Netherland is also playing an important part in the economic and trading development, and having a large number of customers in the EU market. By the end of 2011, the GDP of the Netherlands is currently ranked 16th in the world, and it is the eighth in imports of goods and services from the United States  [4]  . Moreover, the Netherlands has developed communication infrastructure and advanced transporting network, with two biggest ports (Rotterdam and Amsterdam) and the third largest airport (Schiphol) in the Europe Union. The Netherlands is also famous all around the world by its leading technologies and management experience in many fields of industries, such as the tel ecom and electronic industry. In short, the Netherlands open economy is developing mainly depends on its good geographical position, the developed transportation system, the advanced communication infrastructure and the developed logistic service, as well as the powerful government support and attractive commercial environment, make the Netherlands the most favorable economic environment for doing business among all the European countries. But in recent years, the whole economy in Europe is seriously threatened by the European sovereign-debt crisis. In many experts view, economic downturn in the Euro zone will still keep for a long time and this also affected the telecom industry. The constantly depraved macro economy make an apparently decrease in revenues of the European telecom companies, lead to the profit declined, liquidity squeeze and market demand weak. Social Factors The Netherlands has a modern and international society, the people living here has a high quality of life. The Netherlands has a long and colorful history; its special social culture is so open and become very suitable for foreign people. During several centuries, the Netherlands has accepted massive immigrants from all over the world. As a result, the colorful social history and international social environment make it favorable for the investors to take part in varies of business activities. In the meantime, the favoring commercial policy and stable political environment provide equal development opportunities for both local and foreign companies, which make the Netherlands business environment more diversification. In addition, the Netherlands has high quality labor force. Most of the Dutch citizens have received high education or job training, and master one or two foreign languages  [5]  . Moreover, they are qualified with the complex skills that are needed in the high-tech economy. The Netherlands has a small but advanced telecom market. The broadband, Internet and mobile penetrations are all far ahead of the EU average. The Netherlands has consistently ranked among the top rated telecommunications markets within Western Europe. Broadband services will supply greatest opportunities for growth, while fixed lines are expected to continue to decline. Mobile broadband connections in the Netherlands have increased to 882,000 in the middle of 2010 and Mobile penetration reached about 130% in early 2010.  [6]  Despite the recessionary conditions such like economy slowdown and debt crisis in Euro zone, Dutch subscribers have shown that they will continue spending, especially due to their desire for the latest technologies. Technological Factors The Netherlands has the leading communication networks and IT technologies in the Europe, which mainly benefits from the government support and technological development  [7]  . Now consumers in the Netherlands can enjoy a variety of communication methods and an increased range of services, such as network and wireless network operation. The industry has evolved the past previous limits that confined services to voice related ones, which makes the computer and based IT and telecom technologies become the part of the normal life  [8]  . As a result, it is becoming more efficient to do Internet trading among companies in different countries due to the rapid development of communication and IT technologies. Moreover, the Netherlands perfect commercial laws and well-operating consumer market have provided a good business environment for the telecom companies to develop their technologies and make broader distribution channels. Besides, the Netherlands is among the worlds most wired countries with a state-of-the-art, 100 percent fiber-optic infrastructure, the largest bandwidth and Internet Exchange on the European continent, and a pro-technology government that is committed to continued research and development.  [9]  Telecom providers in the Netherlands offer a wide range of services and are keen to introduce new technologies. The Netherlands telecom market has one of the most advanced infrastructures in Europe, which providing a solid foundation for emerging bundled services offerings. Legal Factors The legal institution of the Netherlands is also highly praised because of its business laws which take laws letter as main body and assisted with legal principle theories (L Zeng 2008). The  Independent Post and Telecommunications Authority of the Netherlands (OPTA) promote competition, encourage innovation and protect consumers in telecom markets. OPTA also issues licenses for telecom operators, sets interconnection prices for providers and end-users, and solve disputes between telecom carriers. Radio communications Agency Netherlands is responsible for obtaining and allocating frequency space and monitoring its use. Dutch Media Authority upholds the rules which are formulated in the Dutch Media Act as well as in the regulations based on this act for example the Media Decree.  [10]   Dutch Telecommunication Act entered into force in  December 1998. The Dutch government adopted the EC Electronic Communications Framework  (IRIS 2002-3:4)  and amended the Act in 2004.  Major modifications  include: 1) Adoption of electronic communications in various fields; 2) Expansion of OPTCs authority in rule making; 3) Improvement of consumer protection, anti-spam regulations, application of competition law; 4) Single framework applies to all kinds of electronic communication networks including cable TV networks. The revised Act entered into force on May 19, 2004. Environmental Factors In the Netherlands, very high densities of both population and economic activities have led to very intense pressures on the countrys environment. In addition to levying environmental taxes, governmental administrations, like Water Boards, have the possibility to charge fees. Companies and households are charged directly for some polluting activities, for instance the discharge of waste water to the sewers and the production of waste (Statistics Netherlands, 2012). For companies, these fees would be accounted as parts of environmental costs which are quite high each year. Care for the environment is an integral part of KPNs business operations. KPN is particular focus on  responsible energy use, because the telecommunication and ICT sector consumes a lot of energy and ICT can help to reduce its customers energy consumption. They aim to continuously enhance their environmental performance and to become an example in this sector, as well as to observe relevant regulations and legislation  [11]  . In addition, KPN is dedicated to proper management of cables, reduction of waste, and other issues that contribute to make a better environment. In the Netherlands and Germany, KPN has a certified environmental management system (ISO14001). This international standard is used to develop environmental policy, to manage environmental aspects and to improve the environmental performance of an organization. 7.2 PESTLE analysis of Deutsche Telekom Political Factors Germany has a very stable government which provides a safe environment for business. The efficient regulatory regime and open-market policies treat the foreign business investments much the same as German investors  [12]  . Its political system is open to international business and strives to find ways in which to attract new businesses and investors, such as recently lowering its corporate profit taxes  [13]  . The main challenge for the government of Germany is dealing with the debt crisis in the Eurozone, which had a significant negative impact on public finances and economic growth. The bailout of financially weak European countries is unpopular among German taxpayers which also represents a political risk  [14]  . Despite there is a challenging external economic environment aggravated by the European debt crisis, Germany is still one of the worlds most dynamic and powerful economies. The foundations for long-term competitiveness and stable economy growth have been deeply rooted in the high quality of the judicial regime, which maintains a strong rule of law. Economy Factors Germany is the worlds fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP and fifth by GDP (PPP) in 2011. Germany is also the largest national economy in Europe, accounting for about one-fifth of the gross domestic production (GDP) of the European Union (EU)  [15]  . Germany is the worlds third largest exporter with $1.408 trillion exported in 2011 (Eurozone countries are included)  [16]  . Germany is one of the worlds high-income countries and the largest European trade and investment partner of the United States. Although its economic and commercial policies are increasingly determined within the EU, Germany plays a key role in influencing EU policies (Paul Belkin 2009). Germanys economy has been on a lower growth rate in recent years, and unemployment has also risen steadily. Especially hit by the international financial crisis, which led to a steep 5% decline in the GDP growth of Germany in 2009  [17]  . The crisis also raised questions about the long-term vitality and strength of the German economy. After resuming in 2010, economy growth in Germany slowed down again in 2011 as a result of the debt crisis in the Eurozone and the specter of recession. With declining economic growth and rising expenditures on social protections, Germany is facing significant budgetary issues and resource constraints. The telecom industry plays an important part of the Germanys economy and has important strategic significance for the economys development. So the aim of market liberalization in Germany includes not only the benefits to consumers of improved prices, choice, quality of service and widened product range, but also overall economic development  [18]  . The government recognizes that investment in communications infrastructure, services and broadband will mainly come from the private sector. And pro-competitive regulatory reform is considered the most effective way to promote the private sector investment and innovation. Economic slowdown in Germany makes these broader aims more pressing and important. Social Factors Germany has the largest population in the European Union with 81.8 inhabitants in January, 2011. The prosperous German economy attracts millions of immigrants from around the world as it is the third largest country in terms of immigration  [19]  . Germany has a modern and open society; most people are well-educated and enjoy a high standard of living. Germany is also famous for its well social security system which mainly due to their flourishing economy. Besides, there are more than 40 million workforces in Germany which making it the largest pool of labor in the EU. Germanys world-class education system ensures that the students will receive the highest-standard education. More than 80 percent of the German workforce has received formal professional training or owned an academic degree  [20]  . Germany is also the largest and most mature mobile market in Western Europe, with average penetration in the broadband and mobile sectors. Its high levels of literacy, urbanization and strong economic performance make Germany a welcoming telecommunications market. In Germany, the mobile penetration reached more than 135% by early 2011  [21]  . Regulatory pressure on voice roaming and termination rates will encourage operators to further promote their development of data applications to improve profits. In 2011, Deutsche Telekom saw a growth in its German customer base and data use, with more than one million new mobile contract customers, although there was a historical low in the number of line losses in its fixed network of 21 per cent during the year  [22]  . Technical Factors New technologies and innovation are significant to maintain Germanys international competitive power. German companies are one of the global leaders in the development of new technologies. Depending on high quality and innovation, the Made in Germany brand has been a guaranty of quality. Moreover, Germany is the number one location for research in Europe. Germanys unique scientific tradition and great variety of research fields offer ideal conditions. Research-intensive products and services contribute 45 percent to the creation of value in Germany, more than in any other industrialized country  [23]  . As one of the worlds leading exporters, Germany clearly understands that science and technology lay the foundation for its future position on the world markets. They are the key to competitiveness and sustainable economic growth. The German Information Communication Technology (ICT) industry is the largest in Europe and fourth largest internationally. The sector plays a significant role in promoting successful RD outcomes in Germany: over 80 percent of innovations in key industries are reliant on ICT technologies. A number of ICT industry segments display significantly positive growth rates; the foremost being the outsourcing services, mobile data services, and gaming market sectors. High levels of public sector investment in broadband and a significant number of private sector innovations made possible by healthy RD incentives levels all contribute to creating a flourishing and dynamic investment environment  [24]  . Legal Factors Germany has a favorable legal environment which is world-famous for its stability and high transparency. The Germanys effective enforcement system and solid codifications provide investors with a strong legal framework to enforce their rights. Its commercial law is strongly respected, because all property rights are well protected and the judiciary is highly professional. As a result, Germany is generally considered to have a secure environment for international investment and business. The German Telecommunication Act was published in 1996. The main content are not only adapt for the development of German telecom, but also show the EU commissions requirements to establish European unified telecom market and the development planning. This is still the basic law of telecom regulation in Germany. The purpose of this Act is, through technology-neutral regulation, to promote competition and efficient infrastructures in telecommunications and to guarantee appropriate and adequate services throughout the Federal Republic of Germany  [25]  . (1) Telecommunications regulation shall be under federal authority. (2) The aims of regulation shall be- To safeguard user, most notably consumer, interests in telecommunications and to safe guard telecommunications privacy; To secure fair competition and to promote telecommunications markets with sustainable competition in services and networks and in associated facilities and services, in rural areas as well; To encourage efficient investment in infrastructure and to promote innovation; To promote development of the internal market of the European Union; To ensure provision throughout the Federal Republic of Germany of basic telecommunications services (universal services) at affordable prices; To promote telecommunications services in public institutions To secure efficient and interference-free use of frequencies, account also being taken of broadcasting interests; To secure efficient use of numbering resources; To protect public safety interests. Environmental Factors In Germany, environmental protection continues to be a major public concern and a high policy priority. This is mainly due to pressures on the environment resulting from its high population density, level of industrialisation and strong dependence on fossil fuels  [26]  . Changes in the climate and atmosphere system are the greatest political and environmental challenges in the 21st century. In the international arena, Germany is a forerunner in climate and energy policies and aim to achieve ambitious emission-reduction goals  [27]  , while climate change which mainly caused by human activities is broad considered all over the world. The ICT industry plays a key role when it comes to curbing climate change. Deutsche Telekom discussed this fact at the United Nations COP  17  climate protection  conference  [28]  , which was held in December  2011  in Durban, emphasizing the necessity of setting specific and mandatory targets. As a forerunner, Deutsche Telekom is developing the products and services in line with these criteria, making it possible for the customers to engage in green consumption with their innovative ICT services and solutions. The company is also investing heavily in the development of a environmental and climate friendly network infrastructure. Moreover, Deutsche Telekom takes a lot of measures to reduce the impacts which their own business activities have on the climate and environment. Reducing the Groups CO2  emissions in Germany is a key point of the  climate protection strategy  [29]  . PESTLE analysis of China Telecom Political Factors China telecom industry started from state-run business, it was directly influenced by national economy policy, macro development environment and national control policy. Due to the monopoly of telecom economy in China (Yang Yubinge.a. 2011), the telecom companies have closely connection with government and supervisory institution. Since reform and opening-up, the telecommunication industry of China has been developed at full speed, its achievement having attracted peoples attention in the world (Wang 2000). The system reform of the Chinese telecommunication industry is being deepened constantly in recent years as well. The government promised open up the telecom market when China joined WTO in 2001. Then scores of abroad companies applied for the add-value businesses in China and invested in the domestic provider. But there is no one applies to open the network provider company in China because of the high development cost and policy risk. In order to develop the telecom industry, the state formulated and promulgated a series of policies such as 2006-2020 National informatization development strategy, The information industry 115 planning and Telecom industry adjust and revitalization plan 2009-2011. The information industry 115 planning showed that the telecom provider should enhance the interaction with manufacturing industry. Telecom industry adjust and revitalization plan 2009-2011emphasized that the industrys independent innovation of information technology was the most important strategy objective. With the improvement of control policy and sustaining reform, there will be an increasing number of abroad provider join in the Chinese telecom market. The telecom provider in China will be confronted with a free and pro-competition environment, which indicates that more incentive competition will come into being. Economy Factors The Peoples Republic of China (PRC) is the worlds second largest economy by normal GDP and by purchasing power parity after the United States  [30]  . It is the worlds fastest-growing major economy, with growth rates averaging 10% over the past 30 years  [31]  . China is also the largest exporter and second largest importer of goods in the world. On a per capita income basis, China ranked 90th by nominal GDP and 91st by GDP (PPP) in 2011, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The provinces in the coastal regions of china tend to be more industrialized, while regions in the hinterland are less developed. As Chinas economic importance has grown, so has attention to the structure and health of the economy. After the reform and opening-up policy in China, the national economy is developing fast and steady, the consumer power of society is also expending fast. This is also promoting the development of telecom industry. The Chinese telecommunication sectors growth rate was about 20% between 1997 and 2002. China fixed-line and mobile operators have invested an average of 25 billion US dollars on network infrastructure in the last years, which will be more than all western European carriers combined. As a result, with 13 billion citizens, China owns the worlds largest fixed-line and mobile network in terms of both network capacity and number of subscribers. As of March 2012, there were a total of 284.3 million fixed-line telephone subscribers and 1.01 billion mobile phone subscribers in China.  [32]   Social Factors As the peoples living standard continuing to improve and communication consumption capacity is continuing to grow, there are more and more consumers like to enjoy a variety of telecommunications services. This requires telecom companies network equipment continual upgrading (ZhangLei 2007); meanwhile develop the enormous potential new business to be excited to meet new consumer demands, which gives Chinas telecommunications equipment market tremendous demand potential. As a state-run telecom operator shouldering the heavy tasks of national information infrastructure construction and modern telecommunications services, China Telecom has always been adhered to the faith of All-round innovation, seeking truth through pragmatic practice, taking human being as the basis and jointly creating value.  [33]  China Telecom is repaying the society, serving the customer, taking care of the staff, and repaying the shareholders while keeping the company steadily developed and grown under the concept of scientific development and in line with the ever-changing environment. China Telecom carried out its social responsibility in all the operation processes while providing services and products, and makes its great efforts in realizing the coordination and harmonious unity between the corporate development and social development, and environment protection while contributing to the social progress  [34]  . In short, China is still belonging to the developing countries; the penetration rate of the telecommunications business is still lower (Liu 2007). In the future, the telecommunications market will continue to expand the scale. Technological Factors In the aspect of technological, China has launched its own domestic 3G mobile technology standard TD-SCDMA, which will challenge CDMA2000 and W-CDMA.  [35]  The development and usage of new technologies like clouding and IPv6 will promote the internetwork penetrating into the real economy and traditional industry. Computer, television and telephone will be fused into one new business. (Wang Xiaochu 2010) Report on Chinas Telecom Industry in 2010-2012 predicts that in 2011-2012, China will accelerate the combination of telecom network, broadcast network and Internet, and promote interoperability, resource sharing, and the development of information and cultural industries, by using of related policies. This interoperability is not only an opportunity but also a challenge for the telecom industry. Since the completion of recombination and the issue of 3G licenses, Chinas telecom industry has set up a three-way struggle, and the competition of the telecom industry has entered a new stage of development. The year of 2009 became the start of this stage. The development of the telecom industry so far is observed to be driven by investment. Since 2010, Chinas investment in 3G will be reduced gradually, and the telecom industry will enter a post-3G era. Additionally, there will be a slowdown of investment-led growth, and the development of the telecom industry will be driven mainly by consumption. Legal Factors The State Council is the government body in charge of all legislative issues in China, including those regarding telecommunications. Regulations and administrative measures issued in 2000 and 2002 lay out the principles and requirements for telecom licensing, interconnection, service standards and charges, network construction, telecom security, and penalties for violating the regulations. However, many regulations are unclear, subject to interpretation, and sometimes ignored by provincial authorities or the carriers themselves  [36]  . The legal system of telecom industry in China is not perfect now. The only law now is the telecommunication regulation of the Peoples Republic of China which promulgated in 2000. And the Telecommunication Act is still on the drafting process, but neither its specifics nor a timetable for its enactment has been made public. Telecom industry will go through from full monopoly to full competition or effective competition. China telecom industry is on the period of transition limited competition period  [37]  . It is expected the telecom industry in China will have a better development situation af

Whitmans O Captain! My Captain! And Dickinsons Hope is a Thing with F

Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!" And Dickinson's "Hope is a Thing with Feathers" America experienced profound changes during the mid 1800’s. New technologies and ideas helped the nation grow, while the Civil War ripped the nation apart. During this tumultuous period, two great American writers captured their ideas in poetry. Their poems give us insight into the time period, as well as universal insight about life. Although polar opposites in personality, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman created similar poetry. Dickinson’s â€Å"Hope is a Thing with Feathers† and Whitman’s â€Å"O Captain! My Captain!† share many qualities. "Hope is a Thing with Feathers† and â€Å"O Captain! My Captain!† contain a similar scansion. Both have a predominantly iambic meter. The unaccented beat followed by the accented beat creates a rising meter. Each poem also contains notable exceptions to the iambic meter. In "Hope is a Thing with Feathers,† the first line ‘Hope is the thing’ contains a trochee followed by an iamb. â€Å"O Captain! My Captain!† contains even more exceptions to the iambic meter. Line 5, ‘But O heart! heart! heart!’ consists of an imperfect root followed by two spondees, or feet with two equally accented syllables. Both Line 6 ‘O the bleeding drops of red’ and line 8 ‘Fallen cold and dead’ have trochaic meters with an imperfect root at the end. The remainder of the poem has an iambic meter until the last two lines: ‘Walk the deck my Captain lies, /Fallen cold and dead.’ The iambic meter... Whitman's O Captain! My Captain! And Dickinson's Hope is a Thing with F Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!" And Dickinson's "Hope is a Thing with Feathers" America experienced profound changes during the mid 1800’s. New technologies and ideas helped the nation grow, while the Civil War ripped the nation apart. During this tumultuous period, two great American writers captured their ideas in poetry. Their poems give us insight into the time period, as well as universal insight about life. Although polar opposites in personality, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman created similar poetry. Dickinson’s â€Å"Hope is a Thing with Feathers† and Whitman’s â€Å"O Captain! My Captain!† share many qualities. "Hope is a Thing with Feathers† and â€Å"O Captain! My Captain!† contain a similar scansion. Both have a predominantly iambic meter. The unaccented beat followed by the accented beat creates a rising meter. Each poem also contains notable exceptions to the iambic meter. In "Hope is a Thing with Feathers,† the first line ‘Hope is the thing’ contains a trochee followed by an iamb. â€Å"O Captain! My Captain!† contains even more exceptions to the iambic meter. Line 5, ‘But O heart! heart! heart!’ consists of an imperfect root followed by two spondees, or feet with two equally accented syllables. Both Line 6 ‘O the bleeding drops of red’ and line 8 ‘Fallen cold and dead’ have trochaic meters with an imperfect root at the end. The remainder of the poem has an iambic meter until the last two lines: ‘Walk the deck my Captain lies, /Fallen cold and dead.’ The iambic meter...

Investigating the Effect ofTeeth Cleaning Agents on the Growth of Bacte

Investigating the Effect of Different Teeth Cleaning Agents on the Growth of Bacteria On account of the price and variety of tooth cleaning agents available on the market, an investigation was conducted into the effect of different tooth cleaning agents containing different ingredients on the growth of teeth bacteria. The tooth cleaning agents tested were Colgate total antibacterial toothpaste with Triclosan (3 pence/ml), Boots non fluoride toothpaste (less than a penny/ml), Dental care baking soda toothpaste (2 pence/ml) and a twig from a natural toothbrush tree Salvadora persica commonly known as ‘Muswak’ (30 pence for two weeks supply, toothbrush not required as twig carries out the function of a toothbrush). Gingivitis (inflammation to gingival tissue in the mouth) caused by excessive formation of plaque is not just a problem for children, it continues throughout life as long as natural teeth are in the mouth. The three most common bacteria that cause dental disease are Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus species, and Actinomyces species. According to an article titled ‘super toothpaste’ by W. F Lee (Prevention magazine, Dec 97, p67) it is said, ‘Make room fluoride. A new toothpaste is coming and it promises to strike the kind of blow to gingivitis that made fluoride famous for fighting cavities. The key ingredient Triclosan is a common antimicrobial agent already in wide use in products such as antibacterial soap. Scientists think Triclosan may reduce gingivitis by inhibiting the growth of plaque causing bacteria. In a major study submitted to the FDA, the new Triclosan-fluoride paste (sold as Colgate total) performed significantly better than standard fluoride only toothpaste in helping to prevent plaque, tartar and gingivitis. This combination of Triclosan and fluoride is the first toothpaste to earn the British Dental Association seal of acceptance for fighting four dental problems at once- gingivitis, plaque, tooth decay and tartar.1c Non fluoride toothpastes are suitable for individuals who require a controlled level of fluoride. This would be especially relevant in cases whereby the tap water is heavily fluoridated or the individual is taking fluoride supplements. Baking soda toothpaste, also known as sodium bicarbonate paste kills bacteria that cause plaque and bad breath and acts as a mild abrasive. According to the Journal of Clinical Denti... ...o: 67 2c Kelly J (1997) "Brush up your act" Grocer Oct 4 1997 volume 220 Page no: 41 3c Meskin L.H (1997) " Much ado about nothing" Journal of the American dental association Oct 1997 volume 128 Page no: 1347 4c Blinkhorn A (1997) " Keeping faith in fluoride" Chemist and druggist May 24 1997, Volume 247, Page no: 24 5c Author unknown (1997) "Getting the most of your medical dollar" Money matters August 1997 Volume 6, Issue 3 Page no: 3 6c Hattab F.N (1997) "Muswak: the natural toothbrush" Journal of Clinical Dentistry Volume 8, NO 5 Page no: 125-129 Information from multimedia 1d Encarta encyclopaedia, 1995 Version Acknowledgements * Ms. E Haynes for provision of sterilised apparatus and teaching of microbiology module. * The British Dental Association for provision of statistical details of consumer sales. * Colgate Palmolive UK for details on Colgate total toothpaste. * Science line for general information on types of toothpastes. * Mr. Kayum, Sub Rung Centre, 131 Green Street (Forest gate), London E7 8JF for information on Salvadora Persica ‘Muswak’ * Wellcome Science Museum, Euston Road, London for use of their library facilities.

The Importance of Judicial Review Essay -- American Government Constit

By creating a Constitution, it is assumed that the people are going to agree to it as the law of the land. The Supreme Court is responsible for upholding the Constitution by interpreting the laws for the benefit of the people. The justices would be violating their oath if they were to oblige this obligation. If the Constitution were not the law of the land, why would it exist? This is the justification for judicial review, or the right of the court to declare legislative or executive unconstitutional. The Constitution states in article III, section 2 that, â€Å"The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority.† (Shafritz and Weinberg 16). Therefore, Judicial review is an implied power that determines whether or not legislation is constitutional and is necessary for the protection of the Constitutional rights of the people. The judiciary is not a representation of a particular party as it is in the legislative and executive branches. Although justices belong to different parties and they may have views determined by their political beliefs, the role of a justice is to carefully determine and interpret laws based on the Constitution. To do this, they must provide legitimate reason to defend their decisions and therefore, judicial review is beneficial for a successful nation. As a result of Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court found that it did not have jurisdiction over the case and therefore could not issue a writ of mandamus. This is the first instance of judicial review by the Supreme Court. Regarding judicial review, Chief Justice John Marshall wrote in his opinion that, â€Å"It is empha... ...es his point by saying that it does not specify the extent of those powers. Personally, I believe that judicial review is a necessity in order to preserve the constitution. Thus, I disagree with Gibson’s opinion. Although I understand the content of his words and why he believes them, but I think a very specific power such as judicial review is necessary to check the other branches. The judiciary cannot abuse the power but the legislative and executive branches can create laws that are abusive to the powers given to them by the constitution. This is why judicial review is a necessity. Works Cited Epstein, Lee, and Walker, Thomas. Constitutional Law for a Changing America: Institutional Powers and Constraints. Washington, D.C.: CQ, 2007 Shafritz, Jay M., and Lee S. Weinberg. Classics in American Government. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2006. The Importance of Judicial Review Essay -- American Government Constit By creating a Constitution, it is assumed that the people are going to agree to it as the law of the land. The Supreme Court is responsible for upholding the Constitution by interpreting the laws for the benefit of the people. The justices would be violating their oath if they were to oblige this obligation. If the Constitution were not the law of the land, why would it exist? This is the justification for judicial review, or the right of the court to declare legislative or executive unconstitutional. The Constitution states in article III, section 2 that, â€Å"The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority.† (Shafritz and Weinberg 16). Therefore, Judicial review is an implied power that determines whether or not legislation is constitutional and is necessary for the protection of the Constitutional rights of the people. The judiciary is not a representation of a particular party as it is in the legislative and executive branches. Although justices belong to different parties and they may have views determined by their political beliefs, the role of a justice is to carefully determine and interpret laws based on the Constitution. To do this, they must provide legitimate reason to defend their decisions and therefore, judicial review is beneficial for a successful nation. As a result of Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court found that it did not have jurisdiction over the case and therefore could not issue a writ of mandamus. This is the first instance of judicial review by the Supreme Court. Regarding judicial review, Chief Justice John Marshall wrote in his opinion that, â€Å"It is empha... ...es his point by saying that it does not specify the extent of those powers. Personally, I believe that judicial review is a necessity in order to preserve the constitution. Thus, I disagree with Gibson’s opinion. Although I understand the content of his words and why he believes them, but I think a very specific power such as judicial review is necessary to check the other branches. The judiciary cannot abuse the power but the legislative and executive branches can create laws that are abusive to the powers given to them by the constitution. This is why judicial review is a necessity. Works Cited Epstein, Lee, and Walker, Thomas. Constitutional Law for a Changing America: Institutional Powers and Constraints. Washington, D.C.: CQ, 2007 Shafritz, Jay M., and Lee S. Weinberg. Classics in American Government. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2006.