Fedex Corp. vs United Parcel Service, Inc Case Study Essay Example For Students

Fedex Corp. vs United Parcel Service, Inc Case Study Essay I. Executive Summary In this report we focus on the two main competitors in the package delivery industry: Federal Express Corporation (FedEx) and United Parcel Service of America, Inc. Studying FedEx, UPS and their competitive relationship in the decade from mid 80s to mid 90s gives a good insight for the companies and industrys future. The two companies have different strategic goals and are operating in the same industry but in different main markets: FedEx is working on producing outstanding financial returns and focuses on the overnight air market while UPS is looking for earning reasonable profit and its core business is the two-day ground delivery. However, by 1981, the two companies started to have a strong sense of rivalry with each other and up until 1995 the race seemed to be one of how quickly each competitor could transform itself into the other. It was then when the largest distribution contract ever awarded was given to UPS. The effects on FedEx were strong. This paper is an examination of FedExs and UPSs financial performance from an investors point of view and their managerial performance considering their strategic goals in the mid 80s. We also, take an overview of the rivalry between the two companies and we put our earlier findings in this competitive framework in order to determine whether FedEx or UPS achieved Excellence in business. Our analysis concludes that between the two companies, UPS can be considered as excellent both for its good performance in the decade and for its good perspectives for the future. II. FedEx vs. UPS: The Battle for Value II. 1 The Effects of J. C. Penneys Announcement on FedEx from an Investors Point of View The decision of J. C. Penney to award the $ 1 billion 5 year contract to UPS was clearly the best choice for the company. In 1992, when J. C. Penney went into business, UPS was operating more efficiently and more profitably than FedEx. After J. C. Pennys announcement in 1995, FedExs stock price declined by 2. 33%. The reason for the fall is the investors non-trust in FedEx strength. Whereas it gave UPS secure earnings for 5 years as well as reviled a new image of reliability and stability. Therefore, UPSs reputation increased among the investors, possible future clients and partners while FedExs reputation and customers trust for high future gains declined. Moreover, as the 75% of FedExs common shares were held by institutional investors, it was expected that they would follow discouraging news for earnings decrease that analysts gave for Federal Express in 1995. The stock became less attractive and so the price fell. In addition to that, prior to the announcement, FedEx has undergone few noticeable losses, which de-motivated FedExs investors. Although volume growth remained strong, the declined domestic earnings and the concerns mentioned about the companys financial health discouraged investments. One can say that another reason to FedExs price decline is that the employees and officers of FedEx decided to sell their 10% owned shares when the revenues went down. However, if we consider that FedExs employees were strongly committed to their company, this seems the least possible scenario. II. 2 FEDEX vs. UPS: Business Strategies and Success Factors A- Federal Express We will produce outstanding financial returns by providing totally reliable, competitively superior global-air ground transportation of high priority goods and documents that require rapid, time-certain delivery. (Mission Statement) Referring to the mission as well as a number of FedEx actions such as heavy investments in Information Technologies, and the entrance to international markets through rapid acquisitions in Europe, Asia and Middle-East, one would realize that FedEx is after outstanding revenues through being a pioneer in new markets and technologies. Enabling Factors supporting this statement were clear in FedEx heavy investments in IT solutions as it presented COSMOS and Powership 3 for better package control resulting in an improved quality. In addition to that, FedEx came up with new services such as Saturday deliveries, delivery by 10:30 A. M. , customer interfaces (drop boxes, drive through stations and express delivery stores) and same day pickup of order. This is to distinguish its services. More on that, FedExs philosophy of People-Service-Profit was successful in insuring a union free workforce devoted to customer focus. Salem Witch Trials and New York City EssayUPS proves to be a conservative company with low debt levels. Despite its tight cash/current liabilities ratio, its cash/debt ratio shows a comfortable 1. 43 times coverage (in 1994) showing a good position in covering the most crucial obligations. In terms of Profit and Growth, UPS has high returns with very good profit margins and experienced a predictable annual growth. FedExs profitability ratios are highly fluctuated with a declining trend while saw a good compound annual growth for both its sales and net income. All of the figures are presented in exhibit 2 in the appendix. Economic value added (EVA) is a measurement that focuses on managerial effectiveness in a given year. Therefore it measures the extent to which the firm has increased shareholder value. A firm adds value when it has a positive EVA. FedExs EVA has indicated that the firm is not adding value to its shareholders as it was -1. 361 billion in 1994. During this period, its EVA has dropped dramatically whereas UPS has proved the opposite. UPSs EVA has increased by 1. 616 billion from year 1985 to 1994. This explains the excellent performance that UPS has achieved throughout the years and how successful it was in adding value to its shareholders. Market value added (MVA) is the difference between market value of a firms stock and the amount of equity capital that was supplied by investors. Shareholders wealth is maximized by maximizing this difference. FedExs MVA decreased by 0. 641 billion during the period of 1985-1994 while UPSs MVA increased by 5. 434 billion. II. 4 Business Excellence: Who Finally Achieved It? As proved in many research papers the excellence of organisations can not be attributed to a common set of actions performed by excellent firms. This implies that there is no one magic solution to the challenges of all organisations. However, there seems to be a set of fundamental concepts that many organisations that achieved Excellence in the fields held to be true and committed themselves to be guided by. Customer Focus, Results Orientation, People Development and Involvement, Continuous Learning and Innovation are some of the concepts that help organisations perform better than the rest. The conventional wisdom is that if a firm were operationally excellent, strong financial performance would follow. FedEx has an excellent advantage over UPS: its dedicated employees and its satisfied customers. Employee participation gave FedEx the reputation as a great place to work while UPS suffered from several labor strikes. Also, FedExs customer focused philosophy worked perfectly in real while UPS occasionally experienced lower customer satisfaction. Regarding the companies financial performance, our analysis shows that UPS has a better financial standing in terms of market performance, ratio analysis, value creation and increasing returns and assets. UPSs seems to perform its investing activities according to its statement for a reasonable profit while providing long term competitive returns to shareholders. FedEx on the other hand expanded its business in its quest for outstanding financial returns thus increasing risk and thereby suffering the financial consequences. As UPS achieved a better financial performance and started reengineering its efforts in order to remain competitive in the future, we can say that, for the particular time period, achieved business excellence. III. Appendix FEDEX and UPS Background FedEx and UPS operate in package delivery industry. FEDEX started in the 1970s by Fred Smith and some investors. It applied an innovative approach of hub-and-spoke distribution pattern to provide cheaper and faster service to more locations than competitors. It started gaining revenue in 1981. FEDEX positioned it self as the pioneer in overnight package delivery, quality, and advance IT technologies. Competition by Emery, USPS, and UPS did catch-up. FEDEX therefore attempted price reduction, and expansion to others parts of the world through acquisitions and airport hubs establishment. Some of which have negatively affected FEDEX financial state. UPS is a manager owned firm founded in 1907. It became the largest transportation company in America and owned 80-90 percent market share of domestic small package delivery market. It was foreseen as industry low cost provider yet slow and a market follower. It attempted extensive restructuring and spent around 1. 4 billion $ by 1992 in Information

Social, Physical and Personal Qualities Essay Example

Social, Physical and Personal Qualities Essay Definition Many experts, especially in social and human scientists including psychologists and philosophers, believe that a place may not be as objective as people think it is(Rollero De Piccoli, 2010). They believe that a place is more subjective being that it is controlled by the individuals perception and conception (Rollero De Piccoli, 2010). These and many more aspects within and in the individuals environment affect his/her reality in that the person will lack direct access to it. Despite all the factors surrounding the individual and the place, social scientists still believe that there exists an attachment between the person and a place(Anton Lawrence, 2014). The experts believe that the person creates two bonds with the place including place attachment and place identity(Qingjiu Maliki, 2013). Therefore, place attachment is an emotional tie one develops with a particular place. Raymond et al. (2010) identify and integrated model towards addressing place attachment. These include th e natural, personal and community connections. We will write a custom essay sample on Social, Physical and Personal Qualities specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Social, Physical and Personal Qualities specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Social, Physical and Personal Qualities specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer It is a multi-disciplinary field that involves social, physical, and psychological aspects. It is therefore as Casakin, Hernndez, Ruiz (2015) explains psychosocial in nature that has its foundation on positive attitudes and emotional or affective ties towards a given local environment. The process is further characterized by social interactions, which are intense and dynamic. It has a close relation with neighborhood attachment which most studies reveal to be a feeling of satisfaction and belonging for ones residential area whose development is through frequent interactions with neighbors. Lewicka (2008) brings out the place to be an essential component of the environmental branch of psychology. The author believes that there can never be a precise meaning and definition of the place and its differences from space. Despite the lack of a measurement tool for the bonds individuals have towards a place, she believes that there exist these relationships including, place identity, attach ment, dependence and much more. Place attachment is, therefore, the bond a person creates with places (Pretty, Chipuer, Bramston, 2003). There are three components of place attachment including behavioral, cognitive, and affective. However, much emphasis is often on the emotional aspect of the place attachment (Lewicka, 2008). There are numerous studies on place attachment about ages or sex but limited evidence on studies related to gender (Raymond, Brown, Weber, 2010). Therefore, the paper will mainly focus on gender and its relation to place attachment. The importance of place attachment Place attachment dictates an essential part of the individuals well-being. As Joffe Smith (2016) indicate, prosperity will depend on various factors including physical and social aspects, which will determine their place attachment. Through a study they conducted in two major cities in Britain Joffe Smith (2016) identified that these elements are dominant in the views of those who dwell in the towns and what their feelings are of an appropriate city of the future. The responses of participants were also indications of the reasons why people develop attachments to particular places. On the physical aspects, the researchers identified issues such as the appeal of facilities including the municipal, social, retail, and cultural. There was also the aspect of nature where they viewed green and blue to signify health and open spaces and parks to signify places to escape. Transport, well designed and beautiful cities and big vs. small cities were also some of the aspects that came out dur ing the study. On the social side, there was safety and a sense of community (Joffe Smith, 2016). Alarasi et al. (2016) develop a paper in which they aim at the incorporation of children in the development of cities. Various factors within the towns will determine the attachment a child creates with the place, and thus the researchers work on revealing the importance of capturing the perception of children in urban development (Boga, 2009). The needs of children have often been ignored despite the fact that they have the ability to recognize various issues within a place and give suggestions for solutions (Alarasi, Martinez Amer, 2016). The researchers move further to identify that the qualities of any childs environment are often four. They are the physical or social and the positive or negative. Their paper identified various positive social conditions to be secure tenure, cohesive community identity, freedom from social threats and a habit of community self-help. There were positive physical qualities, which included freedom of movement, from physical danger, places for, peer gathering, green area, availability of essential services and a variety of settings for activities (Alarasi, Martinez Amer, 2016). They further identified adverse physical qualities to be litter, heavy traffic, and geographical isolation, lack of basic services, limited gathering places, and limited activity settings (Alarasi, Martinez Amer, 2016). The participants in the study further identified various negative social qualities, which included boredom, fear of crime and harassment, social stigma and exclusion, political powerlessness and racial tensions. von Wirth, Grt-Regamey, Moser, Stauffacher, (2016) identify Place attachment as a concept that has three dimensions including the personal characteristics, place characteristics, and psychological processes. A number of studies including Joffe Smith (2016) and Alarasi, Martinez Amer (2016) only include the social and physical qualities, which is an indication of the limited literature on personal qualities in relation to place attachment. Therefore, the study will incorporate social, physical, and personal qualities in explaining place attachment to ensure development of an inclusive literature. Emotional ties in place attachment Place attachment has a solid foundation on an individuals emotionality (Raymond et al., 2010). The bonds develop because of the affect one expresses towards various aspects of his/her environment. Raymond et al. (2010) develop an explanation of what place attachment comprises of. They believe that the concept is in two components, which include place identity and place dependence. Place identity as the researchers explain it is a composition of the various dimensions within the self. They include a mixture of feelings and emotions towards different aspects that are physical. They include different symbolic connections that give a precise definition of the person an individual is (Raymond, Brown, Weber, 2010). Emotions are often because of physical stimuli that people experience. An active stimulus will produce emotions like joy or love. Various neurotransmitters experience alterations within the brain leading to a psychological reaction in ones mind a specifically through the expres sion of a particular emotion. The negative stimulus will also result in unpleasant emotions including anger, sadness and much more.; It is, therefore, clear that emotional ties have an influence on place attachment. Initial and frequent interaction with a place affects the worldview the individual creates towards the environment (Raymond et al., 2010). Aspects like security and social acceptance will change the type of attachment one creates and in which case the attachment becomes positive (Rollero ; De Piccoli, 2010). Negative stimuli during the interaction of one with the place like social isolation will lead to the development of negative emotions. In most instances, the type of emotionality one attaches to something will affect the individual;s overall view. Therefore, place attachment is a human process that depends on emotional ties to a given level. The study will therefore also focus on the influence of emotional ties on place attachment.; Place attachment and place identity Evidence indicates that the relationship between place attachment and place identity remains to be fuzzy. Many researchers will even use the two terms interchangeably (Hern;ndez, Carmen Hidalgo, Salazar-Laplace, ; Hess, 2007). However many of these researchers recognize the importance of place identity as much as they do place attachment (Chow ; Healey, 2008). Place identity often stems from the very essence of the place and has an intimate relationship with place attachment. One could say that as an individual develops place attachment, the creation of place identity is inevitable. As Casakin, Hern;ndez, ; Ruiz (2015) explain place identity is a significant part of one;s identity of the self and is evident through individual values, ideas, preferences, and objectives that are always relevant to the place. Place identity also manifests through how the person comprehends and understands the place. Hern;ndez, Carmen Hidalgo, Salazar-Laplace, ; Hess, (2017) find an intrinsic motivation to place attachment and place identity. They explain that place identity forms an essential part of one;s identity and thus affects the type of attachment on develops with a place. Place identity, therefore, becomes the procedure through which an individual describes him/herself as being part of a particular place through a continue interaction with that place (Hern;ndez, Mart;n, Ruiz, ; Hidalgo, 2010). The researchers, however, identify the issue lack of clarity to the relationship that exists between place attachment and place identity (Qingjiu ; Maliki, 2013).; ; The concepts may appear similar, and in some instances, people use them as synonyms. In other cases, the attachment is operationalized regarding identity. Some individuals may view one component as including the other for example place attachment may be recognized as an element of place identity. However, in a broader sense place attachment is regarded as a multidimensional construct that includes dependence on place, place attachment and many social bonds (Rollero ; De Piccoli, 2010). The study therefore, will, work on defining conceptually and critically the relationship that is present between place attachment and place identity. The formation of relationships with the environment Lewicka (2017) recognizes the presence of various aspects within the place an individual is attached to. They include neighborhoods, region, country, continent, open vs. closed, open vs. gated, the type of social place and capital, preferences that are individually differentiated and much more. All these concepts are part of one;s environment, and they often work as determinants of the type of relationship the individual creates with his/her environment. About this, Joffe ; Smith (2016) talk about personal preferences of future cities, and this stems down to the environment. Personal well-being is dependent on the environment, and negative environmental factors like carbon emissions affect the quality of one;s well-being. Therefore, it is safe to say that people will create relationships with the environment; it is the whole essence of place attachment. However, the type and quality of the relationship that develops highly lean on various aspects within and outside the environment.; About the environment, Lewicka (2010) recognizes various factors that surround the formation of bonds with ones environment. These include the scale of the place, the neighborhood, the home, or dwelling and the city or district. They are pillars of an individuals environment and the relationship created is dependent on various factors within these pillars including social ties, family and socio-economic status and much more. Alarasi, Martinez, Amer (2016) take a different look at the issue of relationship formation with the environment. Their focus is on children and the environment not only the physical but the emotional too. They believe that those children from urban areas suffer neglect especially when identifying factors to consider for city construction and development. Their emphasis is more on understanding various behavior settings for children than just a general look at their personal characteristics. It is essential to get a precise picture of the environmental preferences of children to enable them to develop healthy relationships with particular environments they interact with. It calls for the inclusion of what they prefer especially in urban area environments throughout the construction and development process. It will ensure that they do not feel like outsiders but can easily identify with the particular environment. The current study will, therefore, analyze the formation of relationships with the environment and put into consideration individuals of all ages and not just adults. Gender differences in cities Gender variations are often strong determinants of various preferences individuals have. Place attachment, especially in the towns, is no different as it also varies according to gender. In a study carried out by Alarasi, Martinez Amer (2016) on the perception of cities by children, they identified that though not so significant, there existed differences in preferences between boys and girls. One of the major differences was in the language use especially adjectives where male children would use terms like friendly while girls used pretty. Gils also had their opinion that differed with that of the boys concerning the city centre. The found it unfriendly because they were uncomfortable with the unwanted attention that was present in some areas they accessed. It was an indication of the difference in perception of safety between the boys and the girls. The boys had a higher sense of security in general compared to the girls. Generally, women will care more about safety and therefore create a place attachment to areas they feel their security is guaranteed. The social identity theory indicates individual preferences for what members of a similar group prefer. People find motivation in finding self-esteem, which helps in the achievement and maintenance of a social identity that is positive. Gender divides individuals into groups that people identify with. The preferences will differ from one group to the next, and a group will always go for what works on the development of individual self-esteem and what makes them get a sense of belonging not only to the group but also within the environment. It is a social psychology precept that indicates a form of in-group favoritism. Therefore, city identification and evaluation will get a positive relation based on the concept. It is an indication that if individuals from one gender affiliation identify with a given city, their assessment of the city will be active. Gender also determines particular emotionality with female individuals being characterized to more emotionally reactive than males. The characteristic will also trickle down to the preferences the two groups have of the cities they choose. The various gender characteristics also affect the differences within cities. Both males and females will have a town they prefer over another and in an instance where they go for a similar city; there are certain aspects of the city that men would prefer more to women. The significant difference presents a gender impact on personal choices. It is the reason why the study will introduce the issue of gender and various aspects of gender. It will go further to determine its relationship to place attachment and place identity. The study also aims at understanding the perceptions of place attachment within gender. The current study All these factors and much more, necessitate a rise in the need to explore a gender-focused research on place attachment specifically on the social, physical, and personal qualities. The study focuses on identifying the various perceptions of place attachment within gender. Various issues lead to the research including the lack of clear definitions of place attachment. Numerous studies are available on place attachment on neighborhoods. It is the primary unit where researchers deem appropriate to identify place attachment and all its precepts. Up to seventy percent of the current studies focus on neighborhoods (Raymond et al., 2010). On the other hand, research is limited on place attachment within gender of cities. Evidence indicates that studies on cities only total up to ten percent of the papers on this area (Morgan, 2010). The study also aims at taking a focus on gender. There is still limited literature focusing on gender and place attachment. Alarasi, Martinez Amer (2016) con duct a study on the preferences of children, and their research focuses on the choices the participants make with relation to their gender. Most studies dealing with people demographics often focus only on age and sex. The study concentrates on various qualities including social, physical, and personal while leaning towards gender. It, therefore, adopts the framework of the study carried out by Alarasi, Martinez Amer (2016) which contains the gender perspective for the study. The study employs the use of the QGIS mixed-method approach, which is appropriate in identifying different aspects of the constructs under study. The current study will, therefore, identify the social and physical qualities using a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods. There is also the incorporation of personal qualities within the study. Therefore, the paper aims at also adopting the format by Joffe Smith (2016) who employ the use of the Social Representations Theory (SRT) framework to develop personal qualities in reaction to place attachment. Therefore, the study will integrate both structures to ensure that the results generated are efficient. The study adopts the tripartite theory in its explanation of the available data. The theory proposes three dimensions of place attachment including person, place dimensions and psychological process (Gifford Scannell, 2017). These aspects work together and individual in place attachment. One concept will contribute to the stability of the other. The central research question for the study is what are the perceptions of place attachment within gender? An exploratory study will focus on developing literature on gender about place attachment within cities. It is a new area of research within place attachment, and there is limited evidence to indicate the association between the two concepts. The study, therefore, focuses on exploring the issue of gender to develop new literature. The research adopts the methodology used by Joffe Smith (2016) and Alarasi, Martinez Amer (2016) in their studies on place attachment. The study utilizes the data available in these studies, which were acqui red through carrying out interviews with the participants. Gender, age, ethnic groups, and social, economic classes all at an equal level selected the members. The current study adopts and uses social and physical qualities from the coding frameworks developed by Joffe Smith (2016) and Alarasi, Martinez Amer (2016). The research goes further to develop and incorporate a third dimension on personal qualities. The study adopts transcription and coding frameworks for both the Joffe Smith study and that by Alarasi, Martinez Amer (2016). Both coding frameworks will ensure that all aspects the study is trying to develop are incorporated including the social, physical, and personal qualities, which are present in both studies. References Alarasi, H., Martinez, J., Amer, S. (2016). Childrens perception of their city centre: A qualitative GIS methodological investigation in a Dutch City. Childrens Geographies, 14(4), 437-452. Anton, C. E., Lawrence, C. (2014). Home is where the heart is: The effect of place of residence on place attachment and community participation. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 40, 451461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2014.10.007 Boga, C. (2009). Place attachment in a foreign settlement. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29(2), 267278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.01.001 Casakin, H., Hernndez, B., Ruiz, C. (2015). Place attachment and place identity in Israeli cities: The influence of city size. Cities, 42, 224-230. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2014.07.007 Chow, K., Healey, M. (2008). Place attachment and place identity: First-year undergraduates making the transition from home to university. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 28(4), 362372. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2008.02.011 Hernndez, B., Carmen Hidalgo, M., Salazar-Laplace, M. E., Hess, S. (2007). Place attachment and place identity in natives and non-natives. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 27(4), 310319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2007.06.003 Hernndez, B., Martn, A. M., Ruiz, C., Hidalgo, M. del C. (2010). The role of place identity and place attachment in breaking environmental protection laws. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(3), 281288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.01.009 Joffe, H., Smith, N. (2016). City dweller aspirations for cities of the future: How do environmental and personal wellbeing feature?. Cities, 59, 102-112. Lewicka, M. (2008). Place attachment, place identity, and place memory: Restoring the forgotten city past. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 28(3), 209-231. Lewicka, M. (2010). What makes neighborhood different from home and city? Effects of place scale on place attachment. Journal of environmental psychology, 30(1), 35-51. Lewicka, M. (2017). Place attachment: How far have we come in the last 40 years?. Retrieved 8 February 2017 Morgan, P. (2010). Towards a developmental theory of place attachment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(1), 1122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.07.001 Pretty, G. H., Chipuer, H. M., Bramston, P. (2003). Sense of place amongst adolescents and adults in two rural Australian towns: The discriminating features of place attachment, sense of community and place dependence in relation to place identity. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 23(3), 273287. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(02)00079-8 Qingjiu, S., Maliki, N. Z. (2013). Place Attachment and Place Identity: Undergraduate Students Place Bonding on Campus. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 91, 632639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.08.463 Raymond, C. M., Brown, G., Weber, D. (2010). The measurement of place attachment: Personal, community, and environmental connections. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(4), 422434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.08.002 Rubin, M., Badea, C., Condie, J., Mahfud, Y., Morrison, T., Peker, M. (2017). Individual differences in collectivism predict city identification and city evaluation in Australian, French, and Turkish cities. Journal of Environmental Psychology. Scannell, L. Gifford, R. (2017). Defining place attachment: A tripartite organizing framework. Retrieved 8 February 2017 Rollero, C., De Piccoli, N. (2010). Place attachment, identification and environment perception: An empirical study. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(2), 198205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.12.003 von Wirth, T., Grt-Regamey, A., Moser, C., Stauffacher, M. (2016). Exploring the influence of perceived urban change on residents place attachment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 46, 6782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2016.03.001

Why Your Personality Type is Important For Your job

Why Your Personality Type is Important For Your job When we fall in love with someone, we don’t expect that person to be everything- to tick our every box or satisfy our every need. So why do we so often expect that kind of â€Å"you complete me!† feeling from our jobs? Not even the dreamiest of dream jobs can be all enjoyable all the time. Barry Schwartz, a researcher on human behavior and mastermind of choice, recently suggested that most of us will find ourselves in one of two categories when it comes to making (and keeping) decisions: we’re either maximizers or satisfiers.A maximizer always wants what’s best. (Top-end stereo speakers, the greatest recipe for sangria, the fastest car.) A satisfier, on the other hand, is content with what is good enough, as long as a few basic criteria are met. (The recipe has to include red wine and macerated fruit and be easy enough to make in bulk.) Mr. Schwartz found that maximizers tend to be more â€Å"successful† (with nicer, flashier things, better careers, etc.), but that their satisfier peers are much happier with their lot.Career-wise, a satisfier might be pleased to stay in one job forever, provided it ticks the requisite boxes (good pay, challenging tasks, benefits, fun co-workers). A maximizer probably won’t be completely content at any job. There will always be another pay raise or promotion on the horizon- another, better company to work for- another, better reward for doing something else.There’s nothing wrong with being a maximizer. Striving to be and do your best is always a good strategy†¦ But it might be worth asking yourself what your criteria are, then seeing how well your current job holds up. If your current job ticks all your boxes and then some, maybe it’s worth asking why you really assume the grass is greener at that other company. Your grass might be just as nice, and worth cultivating.

Business information system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business information system - Essay Example have tried to define criteria of successful IT project. According to them successful IT projects must satisfy following specifications. 1-The project should comply with technical performance specification. 2- The project should deliver solution to problem statement. 3-High level of satisfaction should be achieved among various stakeholders such as management team of parent organization, people of client organization, users and last but not the least project management team. Many researchers (such as Rook in 1986, Selin in 1989, Weitz in 1989, Redmill in 1990 and Wallace in 1990) have pointed out that cost, time and user specification as success parameter for IT projects. Other researchers (such as Might and Fischer in 1985, Larson and Gobeli in 1989) have found that IT projects need to fulfill criterions such as cost, technical performance and time in order to get successful. Meanwhile Baker in the year 1983 argued that success criteria for IT projects should not be restricted to var iables such as timescale and cost. According to Baker successful IT projects need to focus on fulfilling technical specifications and client satisfaction instead of focusing only on timely completion and saving cost. To put an end to this argument research scholars (DeCotiis and Dyer in 1979, Morris and Hough in 1987, Turner in 1993) have specified following criterion for successful IT projects (Wateridge, 1996). 1-The project must fulfil the business purpose. 2-The project must provide benefits to owner. 3-The project should satisfy needs of stakeholders. 4-The project should meet predefined objectives. 5-The project should be completed within specified time period. 6-The project should not exceed allocated budget. 7-The project should satisfy needs of all the stakeholders. 3.0 Organizational Perspective Delivering successful IT project depends on following organizational perspectives. 3.1 Contextual Facet Exogenous factors play crucial role on deciding the outcome of implemented I T project. In 2002, Lipshitzet has pointed out environmental uncertainties such as change in management, bankruptcy, labour disruption and other contingency situations can halt the progress of IT project. 3.2 Policy Facet Many organizations change their business policy in accordance to demand of the situation. For example business unit planning to expand their business in foreign shore might need customized IT project in comparison to business unit planning to diversify product portfolio in domestic market. 3.3 Psychological Facet Psychological drive of employees and stakeholders plays crucial role deciding the dynamics of IT projects. For example after implementation of IT project managers need to provide training to employees in order to handle implemented system without facing difficulties. In this phase there are possibilities of failure such as employees refuse to learn new things, employees get de-motivated to participate in the project, idea coalition between project manager and employees and others. Ultimately acceptance of the IT project among employees decides the success criteria (Chan, Cooper, and Tzortzopoulos, 2005). 3.4 Cultural Facet Learning organization concept plays cordial role on decidi

Ploidy Manipulation in Molluscs Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10750 words

Ploidy Manipulation in Molluscs - Dissertation Example The benefit that triploid bivalves accrue to commercial interests mainly stems from two qualities they possess – multi-locus heterozygosity and sterility. It is also observed within the review process that M1 triploids are more profitable than M11 ones as they possess greater multi-locus heterozygosity and allelic diversity. Thus, the review concludes that inducing triploidy at the M1 stage is more beneficial. The review also finds that physical methods of inducing triploidy are not as efficient as chemical ones. On the other hand chemical; means are both costly and subject to control as some of the chemicals are extremely toxic and a hazard to the health of researchers, handlers and others including those who later consume bivalves. The alternative the review finds to direct chemical induction is th egenration of tetraploid breeding lines that can then to used to generate triploid individuals in two ways – either by mating tetraploid males and females or by mating tetr aploid males with diploid females. This is prospective so far but the review finds dearth of efforts to induce triploidy at M1 stage by the more natural tetraploid processes outlined just now. The review points out that tetraplods can produce triploids more efficiently with less cost and effort as well as completely safely but now is the time when efforts should be expended to induce M1 triploidy utilising the tetraploid techniques. The review believes that such efforts can be effective if enough researchers put their minds to it.

Community Development And Health Inequalities Health And Social Care Essay

Community Development And Health Inequalities Health And Social Care Essay To understand the role of community development as a potential strategy for addressing health inequalities, this essay aims to provide a discussion of the extent of health inequalities in the population in the UK. The nature and scale of these issues, the different causes of the indifferences, it will also look at how community development will work and how it could help contribute to the policy goal to reduce the health divide. It will look at the different issues concerning such a project and whether it will prove successful. Building on from the idea of health inequalities being linked to social class, this section illustrates other rationalisations as to this difference and some clarification as to why this might be. Health inequalities by and large are calculated by socio-economic groups however there maybe other explanations for these differences. There are reasons to believe ethnicity make a differences to health inequalities, it is stated in the Health Inequalities report 2008-9 that in April 2001 Pakistani and Bangladeshi men and women reported the highest rates of both poor health and limiting long term illnesses whereas the Chinese reported the lowest. This is an alternative to the explanation of the socio-economic difference; nevertheless there are also other justifications. There are also claims that there are gender inequalities which exist The Mens Health Forum argue that mens life expectancy is more severely affected by deprivation than that of women (House of Common 2009), men are more like ly to commit suicide, suffer from obesity and twice as likely to be diagnosed with and die of cancer. There is also speculation that there is health inequalities between the young and old as the old receive poorer treatment and have less access to certain procedures found in the 2008-9 Health Inequalities report. There are also those who are suffering from physical and mental impairments with poorer health outcomes than other parts of society therefore they are more likely to suffer from terminal illnesses and coronary heart disease (House of Common 2009). The report has also found that health outcomes also vary according to geographical area thus those living in a deprived area are more likely to suffer from worse health problems than those in a more affluent area. To further understand health inequalities this section explores the causes of these, such as access to healthcare (House of Commons 2009). There are a plethora of causes why individuals can not get access to the necessary health care and treatment. The most compelling concern is about access related to age-related inequalities (House of Commons 2009). There are however arguments refuting this, there are other mitigating factors. There are a wide spectrum of lifestyle choices which further contribute to the inequalities in the populace, included amongst these are; smoking, nutrition, exercise and weight (House of Commons 2009). Individuals who are over-weight or given to unhealthy habits such as excessive drinking and smoking may display an increased reluctance to access medical treatment, resulting in a deterioration of health and a widening chasm of health inequalities. It is argued that the lifestyle factors which lead to health inequalities have an underlying socio-economic origin. It is purported that; causes of health inequalities reflect what are frequently referred to as the underlying causes-income, socio-economic group, employment status and educational attainment (House of Commons 2009). There is a correlation between education and income in relation to the health inequalities. The lower down in the socio-economic hierarchy you are, the higher the probability of health inequalities. There is also a widening gap between poverty and housing according to the Heath Inequalities report (2009), those of the low socio-economic group are more likely to have a substantial income therefore they are more likely to live in poor housing which in effect leaves them vulnerable to illnesses such as asthma due to dampness. There are many different aspects which maybe the cause of health inequalities in the population however there are disagreements with som e of these findings such as the link between socio-economic inequalities and health inequalities (House of Commons 2009). According to a recent publication in Health Economics there is not substantial evidence to say there is an association between socio-economic inequalities and health inequalities. There are no direct links but it is assumed that this is a factor in health inequalities and there is not much that can be done about this, however lifestyle factors play a big role in health inequalities in the population which can be helped to improve these inequalities. Community development is a way forward, this is one way in which health inequalities can be reduced in the population in the UK. Community development is a set up where communities can amplify their power and efficiency to improve community life, by getting people to recognise and develop their ability and potential and organise themselves to respond to problems and needs which they share (Scottish Community development Centre 2010). This would mean the community is in control they are able to participate in public decision making and governances (Community development Foundation 2009) as a result they are able to improve their environment for the better which gives them better control in the long run. By using the bottom-up meets top-down approach through capacity building the community members are being used to improve the health inequalities of the surrounding areas. In doing so the communities are being empowered as well as individuals being self empowered consequently the commun ity are more likely to respond than they are if a stranger such as a health professional came in and told the community what they are doing wrong and what needs to be done they have shared values and norms, mutual although not necessarily equal influence, common interests, and commitment to meeting shared needs (1998). Through this approach communities identify and build on strengths, resources, and relationships that exist within communities of identity to address their communal health concerns (1998), and do not feel threatened or belittled by health professionals and they are taking the initiative to recognise what they themselves are doing wrong or lacking and how this can be made better. Community development means there is not a victim blame approach so no one is saying a person is obese due to their eating habits and lack of exercise; it is giving the communities the opportunity to voice their opinions as well as giving health professionals the chance to build rapport with the community. Building on from that, the Scottish Community development Centre (2010) have found that Community development allows communities to plan and have positive prospects for the future as well as creating wealth and giving every member of the community access to its benefits. This would help reduce health inequalities significantly, the community can come together and feel as one and take care of one another which facilitates a safe environment. Through this people are able to develop their skills, reduce isolation by involving everyone as well as creating social networks and building relationships characterized by trust, cooperation and mutual commitment and mediating (1998) with other communities and agencies that affect their community. Community development can prove to be very successful, as an individual a person can be deprived, isolated, intimidated whereas part of a community a person can be rest assured there will always be others, they benefit from community health and feel par t of a community by a sense of identification and emotional connection to other members (1998), working together to reduce health inequalities and taking control to help maintain their achievements. It is hard to measure the success of community development as this would have to be looked at case by case however there are success stories such as the March 2010 Rural Community Programme in the Northwest (Northwest Regional Development Agency 2010). The Northwest have strengthened their rural communities and in 3 years have resulted in 57 social enterprises being supported across a range of services including health (Northwest Regional Development Agency 2010). By empowering the community they have made a huge accomplishment, together they have reduced health inequalities through providing services therefore there is ease of access. This is a huge success for community development; this evidence shows that community development strategies can be used to help reduce health inequalities. Community development can be triumphant; by setting up projects in different communities the government can reduce health inequalities in doing so they are reducing numbers of inequalities of health in the population. This can help the NHS; if there is less health problems there will be less expenditure in the NHS and the government save money which they invest in the NHS to help improve their services. Community development allows capacity building for those communities with lack of education and skills this could be life changing as it allows them to build on their own capacities and improve their lives. Communities come together and become a family. Communities are empowered and as a result voice their opinions and help to decide on policies that put in place, Councils provide local leadership. They know their patch, they bring local knowledge and can help bring people together to breakdown the silos that bedevil public bodies (Local Government 2010) this way theses policies are m ore likely to be successful as they are from the community therefore they are more relevant and money is not wasted in making policies and having to make changes so they meet the needs of communities. Communities learn how to work with others and build relationships and partnerships with other communities and institutions primary care trusts, voluntary sector bodies and local businesses are proving key partners for many of the projects (Local Government 2010). This helps with funding as there is sponsorship coming from different places rather than just from government making it easier on them. With funding from outside deprived communities could become wealthier and the widening gap between the socio-economic groups would decrease and there would be significant improvements in the health inequalities in communities. However there is a lack of evidence in some community development projects there is a well recognised gap between research findings and the implementation of evidence based prevention strategies in community settings (McGinnis and Foege, 2000). If there is no evidence of success within community development projects the government will be reluctant to invest money into the project which would discourage communities from taking part, which inevitably means the community development strategy will prove to be ineffective. If this were the case then health inequalities would not be resolved and communities will still be deprived. There is also the finance side of this strategy; a project like this can be expensive; if government feel its not cost effective there would be limited or no funding available. As this would be new the community and there is no guarantee it will be victorious the community will be disinclined to invest there time or money in the project. Even if there were fundi ng available there is always the chance that communities will chose not to take part, there will also be communities where only part of the community want to get involved therefore would not be as beneficial as possible. There is a chance these strategies may not meet community needs (Green and Mercer, 2001). If a community development strategy is set up in place but does not meet the communities need it would a waste of time and money. Community development needs to be developed around the members of the community, if the project is too multifaceted for the members of the community they will not want to part take or findings could be misleading therefore the project will fail the low level of individual participation rates in studies that recruited from a representative targeted population raises questions about generalisability (uel.co.uk, 2010). There would be insufficient research and findings can be misrepresented. The programme needs to be designed around the community and their capabilities. Another issue could be inadequate resources whether that is down to funding or geographical area and such, without resources the community development would be futile. To conclude, this essay has analysed four key ideas, Firstly it has discussed the extent of health inequalities in the population, the nature and scale of these inequalities. Secondly it has discussed some of the causes for these health inequalities. The third area was the community development and its potential as a strategy to reduce health inequalities. Finally this essay discussed the how community development would make a useful contribution to the policy goal to reduce the health divide. The idea of community development sounds good, many communities would benefit from such projects, this would help change many health inequalities and recent health issues wouldnt be such an issue. There would not so much pressure on the government to do put provisions in place to reduce health problems such as obesity. If there was a community development project based around obesity, people would learn about the benefits of eating healthy and exercising and how to prepare healthy nutritious food on a budget. This would save the NHS millions if the number of obesity related treatments were reduced significantly. Evidence illustrates community development would be a huge success in reducing health inequalities and improving communities. In relation to community development it can be seen that projects can be effective however based on the evidence this not necessarily cost effective, there are no guarantees and even if there is funding there is no assurance the community development will be maintained. There are too many risks involved the situation would have to be assessed very carefully and a lot of planning would have to go into the project. This is not ideal for all aspects of health inequalities; there is also the issue of insufficient findings or misleading results. Unless there is a big chance of success there is no use of wasting time and resources.

Cisco Networking 1 Chapter 6.1.2 Ws

IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software v4. 1 Chapter 6 Worksheet/Student 6. 1. 2 Worksheet: Research Laptops, Smartphones, and PDAs Print and complete this worksheet. In this worksheet, you will use the Internet, a newspaper, or a local store to gather information, and then enter the specifications for a laptop, smartphone, and PDA onto this worksheet. What type of equipment do you want? What features are important to you? For example, you may want a laptop that has an 80 GB hard drive and plays DVDs or has built-in wireless capability. You may need a smartphone with Internet access or a PDA that takes pictures.Shop around, and in the table below list the features and cost for a laptop, smartphone, and PDA. Equipment Laptop Computer:MacBook Pro Features ? 2. 6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 ? Turbo Boost up to 3. 6GHz ? 8GB 1600MHz memory 1 ? 512GB flash storage ? Intel HD Graphics 4000 ? NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory 2 ? Built-in battery (7 hours) Cost $2199. 0 Smartp hone:Galaxy S III ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 2100 mAh Lithium Ion Battery Dimensions 5. 4† x 2. 8† x . 3† 4. 8†³ (1280Ãâ€"720) HD Super AMOLED touchscreen 4. 7 oz 1. 5 GHz dual core processor 16GB or 32GB ROM / 2GB RAM.Supports up to 64GB MicroSD card. A2DP, AVRCP, GAVDP, HFP 1. 5, PBAP, HSP, HID, GOEP, SDAP/SDP, OPP, SPP, PAN, Stereo Streaming, MAP, AVDTP, OBEX (CR) Andriod Market 4G LTE Internet GPS Navigation Wifi 8. 0 megapixel camera $549. 99 ? ? ? ? ? PDA:HP iPAQ 110 Classic PDA Batteries Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) 1200 mAh Standard Battery 1 x 4-pin Mini-phone Headphone 3. 5†³ QVGA Transflective TFT Touchscreen 240 x 320 PDA $323. 70 Ports 1 x USB 2. 0 – Mini USB Display Screen Display Resolution Product Type Manufacturer FA980AA Part Number Manufacturer www. hp. comWebsite Address Manufacturer Hewlett-Packard Product Model 110 Product Name iPAQ 110 Classic PDA Product Line Brand Name Standard Memory Memory Technology Package Contents iPAQ HP 64 MB SDRAM ? iPAQ 110 Classic PDA ? Mini USB Synchronization/Charge Cable ? Documentation ? Companion CD-ROM ? Standard Battery ? AC Adapter ? Power Cord ? Slip Case ? Stylus IEEE 802. 11b/g Wi-Fi Product Series 100 Flash Memory 256 MB Network Bluetooth 2. 0 Bluetooth Weight 3. 68 oz (Approximate) Height Width Depth Processor Operating System Limited Warranty 4. 6†³ 2. 7†³ 0. 5†³ Marvell PXA310 624 MHz Windows Mobile 6 Classic 1 Year