Webvan Firm Analysis

Introduction Webvan is an online firm that deals with packaging, selling, and delivery of grocery products. The firm was established in 1996 under the leadership of Louis Borders. Borders’ vision was to establish a customer-focused grocery firm. The firm’s objective was to increase its customer base by nurturing a high level of customer satisfaction (McAfee and Ashiya 1).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Webvan Firm Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of the ways through which the firm intended to achieve this goal entailed simplifying the consumers’ purchasing process. The firm intended to achieve a high level of effectiveness and efficiency in its operations. For example, Webvan ensured that orders were delivered within thirty minutes. Its efficiency regarding product delivery was facilitated by the fact that the firm established a number of distribution centres. Problem identific ation In a bid to achieve its vision, Webvan adopted the concept of online marketing. Webvan intended to exploit the niche market that is arising from the growth in the Internet and the high rate at which consumers are purchasing products online. The firm invested heavily in infrastructure, but it did not focus on marketing, which led to low sales. Consequently, the firm’s online model was adversely affected. This paper evaluates the problems faced by Webvan coupled with how they can be resolved in order to reposition the firm as a strong online company. Inherent complexities in Webvan’s business model Despite Webvan’s goals to attain an optimal market position in the e-groceries market, the firm faced a number of fundamental challenges. One of the major complexities faced by the firm relates to the fact that it did not understand how the groceries value chain operates. Therefore, the firm invested in a system that it had not tested (McAfee and Ashiya 3). Second ly, the firm also faced a major challenge in motivating consumers to adopt online shopping in their purchasing processes. During its inception, most consumers were only acquainted with purchasing groceries from convenient stores. By visiting the stores, consumers were in a position to access price discount in addition to gaining a unique experience during the purchasing process. Moreover, most consumers attached little economic value to the amount of time spent when shopping in the supermarket, which means that a significant proportion of consumers did not value convenience. Consequently, online shopping was a rather new concept to most consumers. Therefore, changing the consumers’ behaviour is one of the uphill battles faced by the firm.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Webvan intended to deliver a wide range of perishable and non-perishable products to customers thr ough its online model. However, the 30 minutes duration within which the firm intended to achieve this objective was relatively short. Moreover, this model was untested with regard to delivery of perishable products. Therefore, the likelihood of the model failing was relatively high. Dealing with grocery products was another major challenge that the firm faced, as such products were characterised by low profit margins of 1% to 5%. The firm also faced a major challenge with regard to sustaining its wide product range and meeting the temperature requirements in to preserve the products (McAfee and Ashiya 7). Technological discontinuities and behaviour changes necessary to implement Webvan’s business model Webvan’s failure arose from its inability to understand how it would successfully integrate online shopping technology to groceries. Despite its failure, Webvan can attain an optimal market position by improving its online shopping model. In order to achieve this goal, the firm should focus on a number of technological discontinuities. Technological discontinuities refer to the changes that the firm will be required to implement in order to maximise its sales revenue. Considering the volatile nature of the IT industry, it is imperative for Webvan to develop a well-structured framework to implement the technological changes. First, the firm should align its operations with market changes by identifying the possible technological discontinuities and market needs that might affect its ability to maximise online sales. In a bid to identify the technological discontinuities successfully, Webvan should take into account the customers’ future needs and the prevailing technological trends. This move will minimise the likelihood of the implemented ICT technology from becoming obsolete. The firm should also assess potential substitute technologies that can be incorporated and compare with the technology that has already been integrated (McAfee and As hiya 9). It is also imperative for Webvan to engage in a comprehensive marketing campaign. The campaign should focus at creating awareness on the benefits associated with online shopping. The firm should conduct its market awareness campaign on both traditional and emerging mediums, which will play a critical role in the firm’s effort to attract its customer base and hence its sales revenue.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Webvan Firm Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Some of the aspects that the firm should focus on relates to the economic benefits of online shopping. For example, online shopping saves on cost, as the consumer does not incur additional cost in their purchasing process due to transport. Moreover, online shopping is more convenient with regard to time, as it eliminates the amount of time that the customer may be required to queue. Target market Webvan targeted three main customer groups, which include the new technologists, price insensitive consumers, and time conscious consumers. Before adopting the online shopping model, Webvan conducted a comprehensive market research. From the market research, the firm identified a customer group that values their time. These customers include senior citizens, mothers with young children, upscale employees, students, and physically challenged customers. Some of these customers such as students, senior citizens, and upscale employees attach high value to the convenience associated with online shopping. Consequently, they prefer shopping perishable and non-perishable products online rather than visiting supermarkets. Challenges associated with Webvan physical plant infrastructure In an effort to exploit the online market, Webvan invested in a high capital and technology intensive project. The project entailed constructing a number of distribution centres in different parts of the US. The distribution centres were fitted w ith optimal warehousing and order management technologies (McAfee and Ashiya 11). Despite its commitment in implementing the online shopping technology, Webvan experienced a major challenge with regard to meeting the cost of the high-tech warehouse. For example, the firm incurred $40 million in constructing the distribution centres in Atlanta. The firm experienced a major challenge in sustaining the operations of the high-tech warehouses considering the fact that its grocery sales were relatively low. The high cost of operation forced the firm to implement the downsizing strategy. For example, in 2001, the firm retrenched 2000 employees. Most investors in Webvan lost the amount they had invested. Moreover, the firm was forced to apply for bankruptcy protection. Conclusion The case study shows that Webvan faced numerous challenges that hindered its success in the online shopping market segment. First, the firm did not conduct a comprehensive consumer market research in order to deter mine the consumers purchasing patterns. Consequently, its online shopping model relied on assumption rather than market facts.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For example, the firm assumed that the prevailing market size in the US would translate into sales, which motivated the firm to engage in an aggressive market expansion. The firm also incurred high cost in maintaining the distribution centres it had established in the US market. Moreover, Webvan’s management team assumed that the frequency of online purchases would enable the firm to maximise its sales. However, most consumers who purchased through the firm’s online shopping system did not engage in repeat purchase behaviour. Therefore, the firm was not in a position to develop and maintain a strong customer base. The firm also experienced a challenge due to technological discontinuities. Recommendation Despite the above failures, Webvan can improve its online business model and hence its performance. In order to achieve this goal, the firm should consider the following. Webvan should conduct a comprehensive consumer market research. The research will give the firmâ⠂¬â„¢s management insight with regard to the consumers’ purchasing behaviour. For example, the firm will be in a position to identify the products that consumers purchase online rather than selling all its products through the online business model. The firm should continually invest in research and development with regard to ICT, which will improve the firm’s competitiveness within the online market segment. The firm should also evaluate its target market in order to identify changes in consumers’ purchasing patterns, and thus the firm will improve its online shopping technologies to be aligned with the prevailing market trend. Works Cited McAfee, Andrew, and Mona Ashiya. â€Å"Webvan.† Harvard Business Review, 25 Sept. 2001: 1-28. Print. This report on Webvan Firm Analysis was written and submitted by user Marisa Tillman to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Mrs. Dalloway, Clocks And Sounds

(``India'' appears 25 times). Other studies of Mrs. Dalloway are less detailed but serve as well to illustrate the difficulties of describing its narrative patterns. In ``Metaphor, Metonymy, and Ideology: Language and Perception in Mrs. Dalloway,'': Teresa L. Ebert discusses binary structures``counterpointing...visions'' (Ebert 152)in the novel's language. Building on Nancy Topping Bazin's Virginia Woolf and the Androgynous Vision, she explores how female and male polarities in the text are resolved in images of androgyny. Instead of metaphor and metonymy, Caroline Webb examines the ``anti-allegorical'' nature of the text (Webb 279). In ``Life After Death: The Allegorical Progress of Mrs. Dalloway,'' she argues that the narrative invites us to look for a ``hidden story,'' but ultimately frustrates our expectations (Webb 279). Focussing on the narrator as a specifically created presence in the work, Sharon Stockton refers to classical physics and phenomenology to show Woolf ``deconstructing the conventi! ons of authoritarian representation'' (Stockton, ``Turbulence in the Text: Narrative Complexity in Mrs. Dalloway'' 51). The novel's narrative has also been described specifically i... Free Essays on Mrs. Dalloway, Clocks And Sounds Free Essays on Mrs. Dalloway, Clocks And Sounds Very Insightfull Essay on Clock symbolism and importance of sound in Mrs. Dalloway The beautiful and complex narrative of Mrs. Dalloway seems to defy readers' powers of description. David Dowling's Mapping Streams of Consciousness exemplifies a sense one must ``reconstruct'' the text in order to understand it. In a section entitled ``A Reading,'' Dowling dissects the novel into neat structural packages so the reader can easily study its anatomy. He includes maps of London showing various characters' movements and intersections, an hourly chronology of the day of Clarissa's party, character sketches condensed from details scattered in the text, and, in the appendix, a kind of ``miniature concordance'' that provides counts for some 32 words (``India'' appears 25 times). Other studies of Mrs. Dalloway are less detailed but serve as well to illustrate the difficulties of describing its narrative patterns. In ``Metaphor, Metonymy, and Ideology: Language and Perception in Mrs. Dalloway,'': Teresa L. Ebert discusses binary structures``counterpointing...visions'' (Ebert 152)in the novel's language. Building on Nancy Topping Bazin's Virginia Woolf and the Androgynous Vision, she explores how female and male polarities in the text are resolved in images of androgyny. Instead of metaphor and metonymy, Caroline Webb examines the ``anti-allegorical'' nature of the text (Webb 279). In ``Life After Death: The Allegorical Progress of Mrs. Dalloway,'' she argues that the narrative invites us to look for a ``hidden story,'' but ultimately frustrates our expectations (Webb 279). Focussing on the narrator as a specifically created presence in the work, Sharon Stockton refers to classical physics and phenomenology to show Woolf ``deconstructing the conventi! ons of authoritarian representation'' (Stockton, ``Turbulence in the Text: Narrative Complexity in Mrs. Dalloway'' 51). The novel's narrative has also been described specifically i...

MGT Leadership and Ethics Unit 2 IP Research Paper

MGT Leadership and Ethics Unit 2 IP - Research Paper Example An effective leader exhibits a combination of both in-born traits and skills acquired through experience and biological background. â€Å"Leadership style is the combination of traits, skills and behaviours leaders use as they interact with the followers.† (Lussier and Archua, 2010) thus the individual characteristics and traits of the leader depend on two factors: Heredity and Environment. The heredity factor includes the generic composition of the leader along with his biological background. However environment includes the culture, religion, family, location and education etc. The interaction between heredity genes and the environmental forces help build up the leadership characters. The differences in the traits possessed by the leaders arise from the demographics, values, personality and aptitude. ‘Individual behaviour is determined to a great extent by internal elements such as attitudes, personality, perceptions, and ability.’ (Lewis & Goodman et al., 2007) The demographics of the leader includes his background, age and other physical attributes and whereabouts, the values are the long lasting preferences and beliefs, and personality is what makes the leader unique showcasing the different physical and psychological characteristics. Lastly the important individual characteristic is the aptitude of the leader, the natural talent of doing something both mentally and physically. ‘Executives who can effectively focus on others emerge as natural leaders regardless of organizational or social rank.’ (Goleman, 2013) This aptitude cannot be enforced on anyone however skills can be acquired through training. A leader cannot be made through training however new skills can be taught for better and effective leadership. Thus the conventional theories of leadership involve the trait and behavioural theories that focus on the traits as well as the acquired behaviour of the leader also mentioned in the above discussion. The contingency theory brings in the situation and its characteristics into the leadership equation. The test of leadership depends upon the nature of the situation and the success depends upon how well the leader manages the situation at hand. The power and influence theory that will become the main focus of this discussion, focus on the different ways the leaders use their power in order to get things done. All these believes and theories are reflected in the leadership model where the leader has to deal with the personal front involving his set of his abilities and traits, the group where he manages the organization and lastly the public involving the environment and the stakeholders of the leader’s organization. The power of the leader in an organization is vast (see Appendix). A CEO of a large organization has the power to influence the board of directors. He is the sole figure that can change the philosophy of the entire organization. The power of the CEO is to decide how much input he wants from the subordinates and how stringent or relaxed the work hierarchy should be. His expertise in the organization is supposedly more enriched as compared to other employees in the organization. It is this knowledge and official responsibility that gives the CEO the power to control. He is the one who can turn a bad situation to a positive through his influence tactics. For example, Proctor and Gamble (P&G) the consumer

The History About Saudi Arabia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The History About Saudi Arabia - Research Paper Example During its earlier stages, Saudi Arabia came up with strategies such as legalizing international scholarships in besides allowing foreign workers into the nation (Denman & Hilal, 2011). It was due to this move that saw the nation rise to become one of the most developed states in the Middle East. The discovery of oil in the nation was one of the main reasons the Saudi Arabia quickly developed economically despite its located in a desert. The essay will relay more information on the history of Saudi Arabia in terms of its kingdom and culture. This is Saudi Arabia’s ruling family whereby studies contend although it comprised of thousands members, the most influential of all was Saudi Arabia’s kings, who were normally descendants of Muhammad bin Saud. Studies show that the House of Saud is the translation of Al Saud, whereby the latter implies â€Å"family of† hence referring to the kingdom’s founder, Muhammad Bin Saud (Saudi Arabia, 2013). To date, the term Al Saud is a common reference carried by any descendant of Muhammad bin Saud or his brothers who are Mishari, Farhan and Thunayyan. The other family branches of Al Saud the reference is â€Å"Cadet Branches† and its members, just like those of Al Saud, hold high positions in the government. The only difference between Al Saud and cadet branches is that whereas the Al Saud’s are in a position to succeed the line of throne, Cadet Branches do not stand a chance (Saudi Arabia, 2013). Al Saud and cadet members have been close to one another to the extent that they intermarry in a move to reestablish their lineage hence continue wielding influence in the government. Studies contend that Mani’ibn Rabiah Al-Muraydi was the first ancestor of Al Saud, he alongside his clan, Mrudah, settled in Diriyah. For decades, the Mrudah ruled al-Diriyah, which rapidly prospered to become an important settlement for the Nadji. Gradually as the clan grew,

My adult learning style Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

My adult learning style - Research Paper Example This is why it was highly important to take the learning styles inventory to understand what factors involved with learning are most effective at helping the individual to comprehend. The results of the study indicate that I tend to be an aural learner, scoring a 13 on the inventory. Closely behind was logical with a score of 12, physical scoring 11, and verbal learning with a nine score. Largely, based on the inventory, I am considered to be a balanced learner who is able to comprehend information from many different learning activities. As an aural learner, music and sound are often quality methods in the learning process. Aural learners learn by hearing information and the student fitting this profile would generally â€Å"like class lectures and small group discussions, listening in class more than taking notes† (Korybut, 2009, p.1). From a personal reflective standpoint, I have always found considerable value in classroom environments with teachers who are strong lecturers without really ever having a personal need for note-taking in order to be engaged with the teacher’s discussions. This type of presentational teaching helps me to stay focuse d on what is being taught orally where comprehension is simply a matter of recalling what has been heard. Further, having the balance between different learning styles would also give me the ability to explore many different learning methods to find which one is best-suited to long-term comprehension. For instance, logical learners â€Å"prefer using logic, reasoning and systems† (learning-styles-online.com, 2009, p.1). Though I have not always had a knack for statistics or the use of complicated systems, logic is a very large part of how I absorb information. For example, if a lecturer provides information which is not very relevant or seems to be stemming from opinion rather than experience, I find myself rejecting the information and can no longer focus on what is

Nursing Processes: From Admission to Discharge

Nursing Processes: From Admission to Discharge Shan Jiang Develop an understanding of the nursing process from admission through to discharge of a client in a health care facility My patient is Mr. Peter William, 71 years old male, was found slumped in the shower accomplishing flaccid right limb and mouth and face drooping. In addition, this client also had slurred speech, and urine incontinence problems. In my care plan, I will outline the specific assessment tools and major health problems on Peter and present outcomes and interventions. There are two assessment tools that a nurse needs to do. One of these is the acute falls risk assessment tool. The main reason is that this client has right side weakness. This means that older people with limb flaccid contributes to high risks of falls. Nystrom and Hellstrom (2012, P. 473) state that the falling incidence of elderly with limb weakness is two times the number of those who are the same age without limb flaccid. Furthermore, Braden risk assessment scale also should be considered as a significant tool for this patient. The main reason is urine incontinence and limb weakness could lead to the impaired skin integrity and even pressure ulcer. Therefore, those two tools would be implemented due to urine incontinence and right side weakness. Peter has three main health problems, which are the guidelines to offer safe and high quality of care. The first and most urgent health problem is the risk of aspiration manifested by slurred speech and face and mouth drooping. The reason is that swallowing dysfunction contributes to high risk of aspiration and the difficulty of moving foreign materials from the airway (Garcia and Chambers 2010). As a result, this patient could not clear the airway effectively, leading to high risk of death. Another significant health problem is the risk of falls because of right side weakness. The reason is that this client would have high risk of injuries such as fracture even death, due to the high incidence of falling (Hindmarch et al. 2009 Naqul et al. 2007). The third health issue is risk of impaired skin integrity caused by urine incontinence and limb weakness. The reason why impaired skin integrity should be a priority is that broken skin contributes to various infections. All those evidence demonstrates that the key health problems are the risks of aspiration, falls, skin integrity and the prioritization bases on severity of threatening life safety. Relatively desired outcomes could be achieved by means of nursing interventions basing on the two priority health problems. Firstly, the incidence of aspiration is minimized and relevant complications would be prevented by multiple interventions. Rofes et al. (2011) report that food modification and other swallowing function rehabilitation contribute to preventing aspiration-related malnutrition and pneumonia and improving dysphagia. Furthermore, the falling rate decreases during hospitalized time attributes to professional nursing care. In other words, the falling rate of inpatient would decline dramatically due to the implement of multiple prevention methods. Therefore, professional and effective nursing interventions facilitate desired outcomes in terms of effective airway clearance and reducing falls rate. There are two interventions could be implemented to reduce aspiration. One of these is postural strategy. This means that modifying body and head position could minimize the incidence of aspiration and relevant respiratory complications. Rofes et al. (2011) report that postural approaches are easy and effective to be performed due to little fatigue and those involve head extension, turning head towards the unhealthy side and so forth. Those strategies could prevent residues from aspiration, such as titling head to the health side before making bolus directly to the stronger side through the gravity (Rofes et al. 2011). Another one is dietary modification. According to Garcia and Chambers (2010, p. 30), appropriate food texture according to the patient’s swallowing capacity contributes to ingesting foods sufficiently and thin liquids should be avoided due to fast transiting and solids. As a result, aspiration would be minimized. Therefore, postural methods and food modification could minimize the occurrence of aspiration. After discharge, various issues this patient might meet and relevant strategies could be implemented to combat those problems. Firstly, risk of falls still exists after hospital discharge. The main intervention is combining environment modification and education (Lord, Menzand Sherrington 2006; Hill et al. 2011). According to Lord, Menz Sherrington (2006, p. 58), there are a variety of factors associated with high risk of falls, such as home surroundings and falling incidence could be decreased to 31% in one year by assessing home hazards and educating the use of multiple mobility aids. Moreover, communication barrier is also a significant issue for this patient after discharge due to poor verbal communication. The reason is that aphasia would lead to low quality of life even depression (Hilari and Byng 2009). Therefore, relevant efforts should be taken to resolve this problem. According to Lanyon, Rose Worrall (2013, p. 360), aphasia groups contribute to promoting friendship and social issues through different modality communication activities, such as regaining meaningful interactions and communication skills. As a result, depression is minimized due to communication effectively and confidently. In present-day society, multiple chronic diseases are very common among the elderly and the clinical manifestations are complicated comparing to adults. This care plan indicates that the whole nursing procedure of an old patient with slurred speech, right side flaccid and urinary incontinence, which involves using assessment tools to identify major health problems: ineffective airway clearance and risk of falls and impaired skin integrity. Professional care could be applied to solve those problems including in hospital and post discharge. References Nystrom, A, Hellstrom, k 2012, ‘Fall risk six weeks from onset of stroke and the ability of the prediction of falls in rehabilitation settings tool and motor function to predict falls’, Clinical Rehabilitation, vol.27, no. 5, pp.473-79. Garcia, J M, Chambers, E 2010, ‘Managing dysphagia through diet modifications’, American Journal of Nursing, vol. 110, no.11, pp. 26-33. Hindmarch, D M, Hayen, A, Finch, C F, Close, J C T 2009, ‘Relative survival after hospitalization for hip fracture in older people in New South Wales, Australia’, Osteoporosis International, vol.20, no. 2, pp. 221-29. Rofes, L, Arreola, v, Almirall, J, Cabre, M, Campins, L, Peris, P G, Speyer, R, Clave, P 2010, ‘Diagnosis and management of oropharyngeal dysphasia and its nutritional and respiratory complications in the eldly’, Gastroenterology Research and Practice, vol.2011, viewed 7 May 2014, http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1155/2011/818979> Lord, S R, Menz, H B, Sherrington, C 2006, ‘Home environment risk factors for falls in older people and the efficacy of home modifications’, Age and Ageing, vol. 35, no.2, pp.55-59. Hilari, K, Byng, S 2009, ‘Health-related quality of life in people with severe aphasia’, International Journal of Language Communication Disorders, vol. 44, no.2, pp. 193-205. Lanyon, L E, Rose, M L, Worrall, L 2013, ‘The efficacy of outpatient and community-based aphasia group interventions: a systematic review’, International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, vol.15, no.4, pp.359-74. Theoretical Framework in Sociology Research: Bradford Riots Theoretical Framework in Sociology Research: Bradford Riots What kinds of questions do the different theoretical frameworks encourage you to ask about the Bradford ‘riots’? Which of these questions do you find useful and worth pursuing? Why? What are the limitations of the theoretical frameworks you have considered? What questions do they neglect? The following is a brief discussion of how some of the different theoretical frameworks of sociology can be used to gain an understanding of social events and structures, with the Bradford riots as the selected case study. The different theoretical frameworks of sociology offer us the structures to carry out and then evaluate social research on particular events or issues, although the differences in these theoretical frameworks need to always be taken into account. The different theoretical frameworks of sociology in fact emphasise differing actors such as individual choices / freedom of action, the impact of economic, political, and social factors, as well as social institutions and social structures. Several research questions are put forward for discussion and evaluation to assess which ones will fit in best with the different theoretical frameworks of sociology that are discussed. The reasons for selecting the final research questions will be explained. Finally the potential sho rtcomings of the selected research questions as well as the chosen theoretical frameworks will be discussed. There are arguably various kinds of questions that the different theoretical frameworks of sociology would encourage us to ask about the Bradford riots, or any other social event for that matter. The different theoretical frameworks of sociology are after all meant to give people the ability as well as the capacity to evaluate and therefore to understand general societies as a whole and indeed specific social events in isolation. The shared purpose of the different theoretical frameworks of sociology is to analyse and to comprehend contemporary societies, the asking of pertinent questions being a widespread and also a sound means of determining the direction and the results of sociological research into specific events or areas. The different theoretical frameworks of sociology would in all probability encourage us to ask probing and open ended kinds of questions to find out more details concerning the Bradford riots. Of course the different theoretical frameworks of sociology would then probably go on to provide differing explanations of why the Bradford riots happened, as well as the main causes of what took place. For example questions like the following ones would be highly useful for the different theoretical frameworks of sociology to ask in order to evaluate what happened: Could the Bradford riots have been accurately predicted? Did the Bradford riots have long-term social and economic causes? Did the Bradford riots have short-terms social and economic causes? Could the Bradford riots have been averted at all? What role did social factors such as alienation, racial discrimination, and poverty play in causing the Bradford riots? Why were the local authority, the West Yorkshire Police, and the central government unable to prevent the Bradford riots from taking place? Are there any lessons that the local authority, the West Yorkshire Police, and the central government can learn from the Bradford riots? And if so should changes be made to prevent further riots in the future? All of the questions mentioned above would certainly prove to be useful in the provision of a meaningful analysis of the Bradford riots within the context of the different theoretical frameworks of sociology to ensure that important and accurate conclusions are reached about the causes of the violent outbursts. To a large extent all of the questions that could be asked would provide pertinent answers and research for a full analysis of the events surrounding the Bradford riots. However some of the questions would undoubtedly provide more complete levels of data as well as relevant information than other questions concerning the Bradford riots. If answered in full some of the questions would provide enough information to answer the other closely related questions. Indeed some of the less important questions could be used as follow up or secondary questions to the main questions actually being asked. The main questions chosen to gain the most useful information about the Bradford riots would be the following ones: Did the Bradford riots have long-term social and economic causes? Did the Bradford riots have short-terms social and economic causes? (With a possible follow up question of ‘Could the Bradford riots have been accurately predicted?). What role did social factors such as alienation, racial discrimination, and poverty play in causing the Bradford riots? (With the back up question of ‘Why were the local authority, the West Yorkshire Police, and the central government unable to prevent the Bradford riots from taking place?). Are there any lessons that the local authority, the West Yorkshire Police, and the central government can learn from the Bradford riots? And if so should changes be made to prevent further riots in the future? These questions have been chosen as theoretically at least they offer the best prospects of gaining as a wide a perspective of possible of the social and other possible causes of the Bradford riots. The selected questions depending upon how they are actually answered would allow functionalists, Marxist, and structuralism sociologists for example to come up with highly diverse conclusions based on the same data and research information about the Bradford riots. The answers given in response to these questions could and will undoubtedly be interpreted in various ways that may or may not fit in with the different theoretical frameworks of sociology already studied such as functionalism, Marxism, and structuralism. Of course there is a long tradition of the adherents of functionalism, Marxism, and structuralism interpreting data and research information in ways that make their theoretical frameworks appear to be the best method of understanding social events such as the Bradford riots. Thus the proponents of the different theoretical frameworks of sociology would almost certainly argue that their preferred theoretical framework is better than all the other alternative frameworks in explaining and subsequently understanding the Bradford riots. They would also be arguing that their preferred theoretical framework would be the best for analysing entire societies as well as highly specific social events. If answered in full the questions to be asked in relation to the causes of the Bradford riots should provide enough evidence to draw up research findings and also conclusions that fit in with the different theoretical frameworks of sociology such as functionalism, Marxism, and structuralism. However the conclusions would of course vary depending upon which of the different theoretical frameworks of sociology was actually being used at the time. Although there might be some similarity with the social and economic factors believed to have contributed to the causes of the Bradford riots, even if the different theoretical frameworks of sociology will rank such factors in different orders of over all importance. At the centre of the theoretical differences between the different theoretical frameworks of sociology is the issue of causation. Basically deciding whether or not individuals are free to act as they wish, or whether social structures, or indeed whether social and economic factors have the greatest influence in causing or worsening social events such as the Bradford riots. In many respects the Bradford riots are a very pertinent example of a social event that could be used as a case study to enable us to understand the ways in which the different theoretical frameworks of sociology use data and information to come up with evaluations of society. Although the different theoretical frameworks of sociology would all claim to have the ability to fully analyse and also to evaluate whole societies in general as well as specific social events in this case the Bradford riots. For those academics and sociologists that fervently believe in the accuracy and the validity of any specific one of the different theoretical frameworks of sociology then it is harder to accept criticism about those frameworks. Criticism and comments that their preferred theories and the other theoretical frameworks do in fact have shortcomings that can adversely affect the validity of research findings based upon their concepts and theories. Functionalism was one of the different theoretical frameworks of sociology that has the ability to analyse and evaluate the causes of the Bradford riots despite having some serious shortcomings from theoretical perspectives. Functionalism contends that when taken as a whole and also in the case of specific social events are shaped as well as heavily influenced by the inter relationships between individuals, social groups and also social institutions. Functionalism contends those individual beliefs and also social groups such as families or religious communities and social institutions like the West Yorkshire Police, the local authority, and the central government heavily influence their actual behaviours. Functionalism does have the capacity to analyse and to also evaluate the consequences of the interaction between individuals, social groups, and also social institutions. There is a very serious weakness when it comes down the suitability of functionalism for examining the Bradford riots. Functionalism as such does not recognise the possibility of the conflict between individuals, social groups, and also social institutions taking place. A social theory that does not recognise social conflict or struggles is certainly limited in its scope to understand violent events, like riots for instance. Marxism as a theoretical framework does provide some useful methods for analysing and evaluating the Bradford riots, yet it has obvious drawbacks. Marxism generally contends that class divisions as well as social heavily influence societies and economic inequalities that increase the prospects for conflict. Using Marxism as a theoretical framework allows us to understand the part that social and economic inequality as well as poverty played in causing the Bradford riots. Marxism unlike other theoretical frameworks does not recognise racial discrimination as a direct cause of social conflicts, which ignores the possibility that the Bradford riots were partially or completed caused by issues related to race relationships inside Bradford itself. The Bradford riots were also linked with religious issues, most notably the increased levels of alienation and aggression found within young Asian Muslim men in Bradford that felt isolated due to their race as well as their religion. Whilst Marxism is useful because it acknowledges that alienation can be a significant cause of social conflict, it tends to over emphasise the importance of class conflict. In the case of Bradford the issues of race discrimination and race relations are more relevant to the situation leading up to the riots, due to the high ethnic minority population within the city. In those circumstances Marxism’s emphasis upon class conflict does appear to be relevant at all. The theoretical merits of structuralism are that it has the capacity to evaluate as well as examine the various structures and also institutions within contemporary societies, and theoretically at least their impact on specific social events such as the Bradford riots. Over all structuralism actively contends that it is social structures and also social institutions that under normal circumstances the position of individuals within their own societies. The supporters of the structuralism theory go on to contend that individuals within their own societies do not actually have any influence as well as meaningful power over the main decisions and events within their lives. Structuralism as a theoretical framework does tend to stress how important social structures and institutions such as the emergency services, local authorities, education services, and most importantly of all the central government are responsible for providing individuals with opportunities as well as maintaining social stability. The central government and all the institutions and social structures it controls have the capacity to positively improve peoples lives alongside the negative function of punishing those that attempt to overturn existing social structures. It is thus a theoretical framework that stresses the overwhelming importance of structures and institutions in contemporary societies, and how they can solve social problems. Perhaps more importantly how social structures and social institutions can solve social problems if there is the political The main practical and also theoretical shortfall of structuralism is that it underestimates the influence that individuals an d linked small social groups can have over specific social events including the Bradford riots. Individuals and linked small social groups, especially the most alienated and angry ones can cause a great deal of destruction as well as disruption within their local area, or indeed beyond it. Alienated individuals and small groups may be particularly destructive and disruptive when social institutions and structures fail to understand them or underestimate the threat to law and order that they actually pose. Bibliography T. Bilton et. al., Introductory Sociology, 4th edition (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002). J. Macionis and K Plummer Sociology: A global introduction (Pearson), 3rd edition, 2005 James Fulcher and John Scott’s Sociology (OUP, 2nd edition, 2003) Kenneth H. Tucker, Classical Social Theory. A Contemporary Approach (Oxford, Blackwell, 2002). John Hughes, Peter Martin and W. Sharrock, Understanding Classical Sociology. Marx, Weber, Durkheim (London: Sage, 1995). Pip Jones, Introducing Social Theory (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2003). K. Morrison, Marx, Durkheim, Weber. Formations of Modern Social Thought (London: Sage, 1995). Steven Seidman, Contested Knowledge. Social Theory Today, third edition (Oxford, Blackwell, 2004). Rob Stones (ed.), Key Sociological Thinkers (Basingstoke: Palgrave, 1998).

Proposed Design for a Garden for the Blind :: Architecture Design Essays

Proposed Design for a Garden for the Blind As a largely visually-reliant society, much of botanical garden design have focused primarily on visual presentation, whether in flower color or in garden composition. Slowly, however, sensory gardens appealing to our more underutilized senses of smell, sound, touch, and even taste are appearing around the country and the globe. While these unique parks may specifically have blind individuals in mind, sensory gardens also appeal to anyone in the general population who would like to expand their sensory horizons. The following is just one proposal for a sensory garden design: The entrance to the garden should be visually, nasally, and tactilely stimulating. A metal gate covered with entangled goldflame honeysuckle vines (Lonicera x heckrottii ) would serve as a colorful, aromatic greeting and give visitors a small taste of the experience to come. These perennial plants also attract hummingbirds and butterflies, whose activities would surely stimulate the ears. The general layout of the garden would include a continuous serpentine path lined with raised plant beds (to minimize stooping and bending) on both sides. The path can even wrap around a standing rectangular planter to maximize usable area. The path would also have several alcoves or nooks, which would give visitors a resting area where they could linger about, smelling flowers and feeling leaf textures. Park benches present throughout the park would accommodate walking visitors who want to simply breathe in the lovely smells of the tea olive tree, for instance. Smooth wood railings on both sides of the path should run all throughout the garden to serve as directional guides. A change in material texture (to a metal, for instance) could be used to indicate an alcove area. Metal plaques in Braille embedded in the edges of the concretealcoves would provide general information about the various plants. These plaques can also have buttons that can be pushed for an audio reading of the inscription. According to the book Sensory Design, uneven pathways heighten our awareness of surfaces by compelling us to use our kinesthetic sense to perceive the changes in the ground. For the disabled, a slow-sloping path (upward and downward) would engage the visitor in using this sensory system. Proposed Design for a Garden for the Blind :: Architecture Design Essays Proposed Design for a Garden for the Blind As a largely visually-reliant society, much of botanical garden design have focused primarily on visual presentation, whether in flower color or in garden composition. Slowly, however, sensory gardens appealing to our more underutilized senses of smell, sound, touch, and even taste are appearing around the country and the globe. While these unique parks may specifically have blind individuals in mind, sensory gardens also appeal to anyone in the general population who would like to expand their sensory horizons. The following is just one proposal for a sensory garden design: The entrance to the garden should be visually, nasally, and tactilely stimulating. A metal gate covered with entangled goldflame honeysuckle vines (Lonicera x heckrottii ) would serve as a colorful, aromatic greeting and give visitors a small taste of the experience to come. These perennial plants also attract hummingbirds and butterflies, whose activities would surely stimulate the ears. The general layout of the garden would include a continuous serpentine path lined with raised plant beds (to minimize stooping and bending) on both sides. The path can even wrap around a standing rectangular planter to maximize usable area. The path would also have several alcoves or nooks, which would give visitors a resting area where they could linger about, smelling flowers and feeling leaf textures. Park benches present throughout the park would accommodate walking visitors who want to simply breathe in the lovely smells of the tea olive tree, for instance. Smooth wood railings on both sides of the path should run all throughout the garden to serve as directional guides. A change in material texture (to a metal, for instance) could be used to indicate an alcove area. Metal plaques in Braille embedded in the edges of the concretealcoves would provide general information about the various plants. These plaques can also have buttons that can be pushed for an audio reading of the inscription. According to the book Sensory Design, uneven pathways heighten our awareness of surfaces by compelling us to use our kinesthetic sense to perceive the changes in the ground. For the disabled, a slow-sloping path (upward and downward) would engage the visitor in using this sensory system.

3 Good Study Habits for College Students by Lauren Gartner

3 Good Study Habits for College Students by Lauren Gartner 3 Habits of Top Students You Should Grow Students who possess good study habits are more likely to have better grades than students who don’t. They are also less likely to suffer from school related anxiety. This is largely due to the fact that they are less likely to fall behind, or to realize at the last minute they don’t understand something. There are some good study habits that apply to students of all ages. Presumably most people reading this know most, if not all of these. What this posting is going to discuss is a few specific study habits for college students. These 3 good study habits for college students are sure to help students start the school year on the right track. Don’t Toss Homework Assignments, Tests, or Quizzes Save these, and take the time to correct wrong answers if your professor hasn’t done so already. Highlight items that are particularly important or that you found most difficult. Then, stick them in a binder with a tab that indicates the specific subject each one covers. When you are finished, what you will have is your own study guide for the class. This is perfect for studying for your final exam. If you would rather not keep paper copies, scan them into your smartphone, and organize them with a note taking app. You’ll still have a study guide, and you’ll be able to take it with you wherever you go. Don’t wait for Down Time to Study If you wait until you have the opportunity to be at your desk in a quiet bedroom, apartment, or dorm room to study, you will never get any studying done. Your residence hall will always be noisy, you’ll always have someplace that you need to be. You may have had a block of time every evening in high school where your parents made sure that you had a quiet and distraction free place to study. Nobody is going to guarantee you a distraction free study area in college, and there’s a good chance that you won’t have a block of time each evening. So, get an app to organize your study notes. Study while you eat your lunch. Review your notes while you ride the bus to work. Do you have 20 minutes between classes? Squeeze in some study time. In fact, studying in short bursts like this may help you to retain information for longer periods of time. Emulate the Study Habits of the Busiest Students It may seem logical to emulate the study habits of students who get the best grades. In reality, however, these students often have horrible study habits. This is because many of them simply don’t need to study. They just pick things up naturally. In other instances, these students study obsessively and unhealthily. The best study habits are often displayed by college students who manage to maintain respectable grades while leading exceptionally busy social and work lives. If you want to learn how to improve study habits, these are the people to ask.

Captains Courageous essays

Captains Courageous essays Certain situations require specific character traits and personality types in order for success and survival. In many cases if these traits arent present, the individual must change their mind-set in order to suit the situation. This is the case in the novel Captains Courageous, by Rudyard Kipling. Harvey Cheyne was forced to change his mind-set and frame of reference from that of a spoiled child to a honest hard working man, as the journey which lay before him catered not to a gentle hand but to a callused one. Factors that affected his change of outlook were the other fisherman onboard, the setting, and the workload of which Harvey was handed. The characters in the story brought about a great change in the development of Harvey Cheynes character. The fisherman on the Were Here wouldnt allow Harvey a free ride. They treated Harvey like a fisherman, and favoured him no more than anyone else on the vessel. They forced Harvey out of his spoiled mentality and made him work for his supper and bed, a new concept for Harvey Cheyne. Harvey was assigned all of the same chores as Dan, the skippers son, and it was expected of Harvey to do the work without hesitation and of equal quality as Dan. ItS ten an a haaf a month, ez I said, an, o course, all fund same ez the rest o us. Do you mean Im to clean pots and pans and things? said Harvey. An other things. Youve no call to shout young feller. (p. 9). The fisherman showed Harvey the ropes on the boat, a type of initiation that was not gentle by any means. The fisherman would never hesitate to use physical force to keep Harvey in line. He did not exactly remember what followed. He was lying on the scuppers, holding on to a nose that bled, while Troop looked down on him serenely. (p. 10). The characters in the story left Harvey no choice but to chan...

Nelson Mandela Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Nelson Mandela - Essay Example On March 21, 1960, 69 unarmed citizens were murdered by the police as they were peacefully protesting against the pass laws in Sharpeville. This changed the political climate in the country. It resulted in the country’s first state of emergency. The Pan African Congress and the ANC were halted. Thousands of South Africans including Mandela and his friends were detained during the declared state of emergency. Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment for fighting the apartheid. During his trial, he divorced his wife and got married to a Winnie Madikizela. They were blessed with two girls. They later on divorced in 1996. He spent 27 years of his lifetime in jail. He was freed in 1990. Upon his freedom from jail, he continued his fight against racial segregation and inequality. He also fought against the violence that was growing in South Africa. Mandela was honored with the Nobel Prize in 1993. In 1994, South Africa had its first ever democratic and fair election in which every one was given the opportunity to vote. He came out the victor and was the President. In his time as the President, he advocated for reconciliation, peaceful resolution of grievances by the citizens after years of autocratic laws against South Africans. Most people believe that without Mandela’s leadership, South Africa would probably have slipped into a bloody social war. He served until 1999 but refused to go for a second term. On April 27th, South Africa celebrates Freedom Day to signify their first ever democratic election.

Evaluate the potential motives behind Ho Chi Minhs triumph in Essay

Evaluate the potential motives behind Ho Chi Minhs triumph in liberating Vietnam from two great western powers between 1941 1965. To what does he owe his suc - Essay Example Considered ‘part Gandhi and part Lenin and all Vietnamese’, Ho Chi Minh’s use of communication methodologies peculiar to Vietnamese had been unknown to the western world. America too had joined French to help contain Vietnamese Revolution with its own justification. But for these interventions, Vietnamese would have unseated French by revolution themselves as dictated by communist ideologies they had embraced. Ho Chi Minh was more than any single man of the twentieth century. He had completely reflected the aspirations of the Vietnamese people to whom he was ‘Uncle Ho’ and to the French, he was ‘communist agitatator’. His rhetorical discourse motivated Vietnamese to unite together and rally behind him which helped him end the 87 year old French Colonial rule, once in 1945 and again in 1954 subsequent to French reoccupation in 1946 and the American invasion which came to an in 1974. No leader of twentieth century had the capability of HO C hi Minh to unite the divided people. Main reason for the debacle of the U.S. was due to its lack of understanding of the Vietnamese politics reinforced by Ho Chi Minh’s leadership. (DeCaro, 2003, p 1-3) Ho Chi Minh had been formerly known as Nguyen Ai Quoc until 1942. He was in Chinese prison throughout 1942 and in January 1943 when he came into contact with a Chinese revolutionary Chang Fakwei and joined his organization on release under the name of Ho Chi Minh mainly to travel in China secretly as a blind peasant (Sainteny, 1972 p 34-35) Ho Chi Minh was a ruthless to any one whether a friend or foe if he felt he was opposed to his cause. He would have that person assassinated or jailed. He also made a lot of political blunders prior to 1945 and when he negotiated with French and the United States in 1945-46. (De Caro, 2003 p7) Ho was born in 1890 in the family of scholars and mandarins. His father was born to a concubine and hence did not have respect in his society. He however managed to