Community Health issue Impacting the Health Profession Research Paper - 1

Community Health issue Impacting the Health Profession - Research Paper Example y health issues started sprawling up in the United States and therefore necessitated a change in the health profession more so the increased adoption or application of technology in the health practice. Presently, cancer is one of the most common and thorny health issue in the United States and it has contributed to the death of many people. Johnson (2011) stated that previously cancer was not prevalent as it is today and it used to affect mostly the older people but nowadays there are cases of young children even below the age of one year being diagnosed with cancer. Johnson (2011) stated that these increased cases of cancer in the United States had lead to the health profession undertaking some changes in order to tackle this rising issue. For example, increased cases of cancer have lead to an increase in the number of health workers who are being trained specifically on how to care and conduct treatment for cancer patients. Secondly, the health profession has adopted advanced technology for cancer screening and treatment. Thirdly, medical health professionals regardless of specialization are being taught on basic techniques of diagnosing cancer. Johnson (2011) stated that issues of drugs and alcohol abuse in the United States rose by 70% in the past decades, equally the disorders associated with drugs and alcohol abuse have also increase in equal measures as the national cost or government expenditure of dealing with cases of drugs and alcohol abuse. According to Johnson (2011), alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine are the most common in the American community and recent figures indicate there is an increase in the abuse of prescription-type psychotherapeutic drugs. The health profession has witnessed certain changes due to the issue of drugs and alcohol and one of the changes is the increased monitoring and control of controlled drugs within the healthcare centers. Additionally, health professionals have been made to be more accountable for the drugs they handle

The explosive growth of RyanAir Company

The explosive growth of RyanAir Company The Ryanair Company is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable entrepreneurial stories of the past 10 years in Europe. Furthermore that Ryanair has developed a very outspoken communication style, using advertising and media to a great deal to publicize its revolution in air travel. Ryanair was Europes original low-fares airline and it is still Europes largest low-fares carrier. In the current year Ryanair will carry over 35m. passengers on 300 low fare routes across 21 European countries. Ryanair has 15 European bases and a fleet of over 100 brand new Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with firm orders for a further 125 new aircraft, which will be delivered over the next seven years. These additional aircraft will allow Ryanair to double in size to over 70m. passengers p.a. by 2012. Ryanair currently employs a team of 2,700 people, comprising over 25 different nationalities. Furthermore Ryanair continues a rapid growth in 2005. They started the year by launching two new bases at Liverpool John Lennon Airport and at Shannon in the West of Ireland. In February Ryanair announced orders for a further 70 firm aircraft from Boeing as well as 70 options. This takes Ryanairs total order with Boeing to 225 firm aircraft and 200 options. These new aircraft, which will be delivered between 2005 and 2012, will allow Ryanair to grow to over 70m. passengers per annum, proving that Ryanair is not just Europes original low fares airline, but remains Europes biggest low fares airline, as well as the only airline offering the lowest fares in every European market. http://www.grin.com Aims and objective: Aim of this report is to evaluate the given case study on the topic of Ryanair the low-fares airline by Eleanor OHiggins and critically analysing the current strategy of Ryanair to become successful in the European airline industry while airline business is struggling in Europe. The objectives of this report are as follows. Undertake an environmental analysis of the European airline industry with implications for the budget sector and Ryanair in particular. Analyse how Ryanair has been successful in the European budget airline industry. From the above analysis, critically assess the sustainability of Ryanairs strategy. Research methodology: In this report secondary research method also known as desk research, is being used. secondary research is the most common research method employed in the industry today. It involves processing data that has already been collected by another party. With this form, researchers will consult previous studies and findings such as reports, press articles and previous market research projects in order to come to a conclusion. The relatively low expense in comparison to primary research is the main advantage of this research, as no new research needs to be commissioned. However, its main disadvantage is that the data used in the analysis may be out-dated and therefore return inaccurate results. (www.marketresearchworld.net,) Environment Analysis: The environment is what gives organisations their means of survival. (Johnson et al 2008) We can distribute the environment into layers as follows. Source: (Johnson et al 2008) The Macro-Environment: The macro-environment is the highest level layer. This consists of broad environmental factors that impact to a greater or lesser extent on almost all organisations.(Johnson et al 2008) Macro environment is out of control of any organisation but it could influence the organisations overall activities and functions. The radical and ongoing changes occurring in society create an uncertain environment and have an impact on the function of the whole organization (Tsiakkiros, 2002). To analyse the macro-environment there is a framework which helps to analyse Political, Economical, Socio-Cultural, Technological, Ecological and Legal factors called PESTEL. This analysis of is therefore often known as Pest analysis (Johnson, Scholes, 1999). PESTEL analysis of Ryanair: Political On May 1, 2003, it will mark one of the most important days in recent European history, the continent will see the biggest expansion of EU to date when ten states become new members. For Ryanair new markets will open which suits its growth plans. Stansted airport, owned by BAA, is one of the most rapidly growing airports in Europe (www.baa.co.uk/). BAA plans to build a second runway and terminal there, accompanied by necessary rail and road infrastructure, aiming to double passenger capacity within ten years. Stansted is Ryanairs London base and an expansion would enable substantial traffic increases thereby facilitating consolidation (Johnson Scholes 2002). The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is responsible for setting à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦price caps on airport chargesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦at airports designated by the Secretary of State (www.caa.co.uk). One of these is Stansted, which has hitherto à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦benefited from discounted airport charges and cross-subsidy from the higher charges paid by the airlines at Heathrow and Gatwick airports (Done 18/12/03). CAAs new requirements command airport financing without cross-subsidisation on a stand-alone basis. Consequently discounts will be removed and charges possibly increased. Ryanair has protested as it will raise its costs (Done 20/10/03). Economical Opec aims to keep oil prices within the agreed band of US$22-US$28/bbl (www.opec.org). However, with crude oil now à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦standing at close to $33 a barrelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (www.bbc.co.uk) near a 13-year high, Opec considers increasing its target. With a tight US gasoline market, low inventories and an upsurge in fighting in Iraq, oil prices look likely to remain high or rise Ryanair faces persistently high or rising fuel prices. Sociocultural Holiday home ownership in Europe is increasingly common for Britons. During Christmas sales boomed and analysts believe it will continue as customers are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦encouraged by the highest employment figures in 28 years, low interest ratesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Insley 18/01/04) and other favourable borrowing conditions. Ryanair services regional airports, opening up the European countryside to buyers, and this trend means an increase in the possible customer base (Insley 08/02/04). The over-55s now represent approximately one third of most EU-countries populations, and the figure is increasing. Because of better healthcare and financial planning, a significant proportionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦of senior citizensà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ are able to indulge in high levels of leisure-orientated consumptionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Brassington Pettitt 2003). Analysts recommend developing specific marketing strategies for this market highlighting its growing importance (Lohmann Danielsson 2001). Ryanair here has an opportunity to increase its market share. Technological New technology will allow mobile phone and broadband use on-board. Carriers, including Ryanair, can thus increase ancillary services by offering on-line shopping, TV screenings and mobile phone usage against a fee. Furthermore, the satellite link could boost operating efficiency by being used to monitor planes, giving early warnings of problems to ground crews, thereby enhancing safety and minimising grounding (Economist 01/03/03 Economist 01/04/04). Environmental A recent White Paper emphasised à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the environmental importance of including aviation within the global emissions-trading schemeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Newman 03/12/03), aimed at providing financial incentives for companies to cut greenhouse-gas emissions and to tax aviation fuel across EU. Presently an increase in air passenger tax is planned, which doubles the  £5 and  £20 economy passengers currently pay for short- and long-haul flights. This will raise Ryanairs prices, possibly deterring the most price-sensitive customers. Legal Ryanair uses mainly secondary airports which enables negotiation of favourable deals with the owners. At Charleroi Ryanair was given 50% off landing fees plus contributions to local amenities, training and marketing costs against guarantee of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a certain level of business for 15 years (FT 10/11/03). However, unfair competition was claimed and the European Commission (EC) decided that discounts on landing fees and ground-handling services are illegal, and ordered Ryanair to pay back  £3m. Ryanair fears that high-fare airlines and expensive hub-airports will lobby the EC into investigating other deals, using Charleroi as precedent (Done 29/01/04). Porters Five force analysis The PESTEL factors are important in a relative way as they usually affect all firms in the industry (Bowman Asch 1987). Hence, organisations should also examine their more immediate environment/industry, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the group of firms producing products that are close substitutes for each other (Porter 1980). This analysis examines five competitive forces: potential entrants; buyers; substitutes; suppliers and industry competitors, which determine level of industry competition and profitability. Applying this to the budget airline industry enables identification of opportunities and threats to Ryanair in its business environment (Johnson Scholes 2002). Threat of new entrants High start-up costs needed for aircrafts, reservation systems and promotion, negates threat to some extent (Gilbert et.al 2001). The over-crowded market means à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦there are too many budget aircraft playing Europes skies for too little money (Clark 07/02/04). As Europes skies are congested there is a lack of slots (Hanlon 1989) forcing new entrants into secondary airports and less profitable routes. Due to incumbents cost advantages, such as economies of scale and experience curve effects, price wars can be launched against newcomers. However, the market is expanding which pulls in new entrants and reduces the effect of entry barriers (Johnson Scholes 2002). Bargaining power of buyers Price dominated short-haul market with little or no product differentiation. Buyers thus face low switching costs (Porter 1980) As price is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦more important to passengers than productà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Gilbert et.al 2001) there is low customer loyalty. Procurement managers are now influential in the travel patterns of their business travellers. Threat of substitute products or services Videoconferencing for business companies has not had the impact expected and is no threat (Gilbert et.el 2001). Other modes of transport are no tenable threats generally. However, Eurostar has been winning customers from airlines since its opening and many short-haul flights à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦could be eliminated after 2007, when the fast line to the channel tunnel is completed (Wright 01/12/03). Bargaining power of suppliers The price of fuel is directly related to the cost of oil which is determined by Opec and out of control of the industry (www.opec.org). Budget airlines have work-hard cultures to keep costs down (Gilbert et.el 2001) meaning a scarce number of multi-skilled employees which à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦can bargain away a significant fraction of potential profitsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Porter 1980). However, carriers tend to experience economies of scale which gives purchasing power. Consequently, airlines are able to negotiate favourable deals with most of their suppliers (Johnson Scholes 2002). Rivalry among existing firms Already very competitive industry. Numerous new entrants intensify competition, although several newcomers have struggled to establish themselves and failed, Debonair and AB Airlines for example. The over-crowded market, and commodity nature of the product, means that airlines are battling to fill planes. Aggressive pricing, efficient distribution and innovative communication mixes are frequent competitive measures. However, carriers vary somewhat in segmentation by targeting different markets (narrow versus wide customer base) and offering divergent routes (regional towns versus main cities) which reduces rivalry somewhat (Gilbert et.al 2001). Nevertheless, competition is intensified as conventional carriers adopts à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦many strategies of the no-frills carriers and continues to cut costs (Done 29/01/04). With low fares but a higher level of service (more frills and main airport servicing) they are a big threat. Mergers, acquisitions and alliances are increasingly used for consolidation and competition. EasyJet bought Go, bmibaby partnered with Germanwings (Economist 01/03/03 Hotten 13/03/04). Ryanair acquired Buzz but paid too much and was forced to close it to boost its productivity. SWOT Analysis: Key Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths Weaknesses Cost-consciousness at every level Isolation of airports Ability to drive down costs Poor judgement in route selection and acquisition Fast turnaround times Targets very narrow market Cross-utilisation of employees Poor brand image Website Negotiation skills Ability to achieve growth Use of secondary airports Key Opportunities and Threats Opportunities Threats The EU expansion The European Court of Justice ruling The Stansted expansion The Stansted expansion EUs ageing population The global emissions-trading scheme Mergers, acquisitions and alliances Low customer loyalty ANALYSIS OF STRATEGIC CAPABILITY A strategic analysis also includes investigation of the strategic capability, the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ability to perform at the level required for success (Johnson Scholes 2002). Firms must understand what customers want and adopt product/service features accordingly. To succeed companies need: Critical Success Factors (CSF), features especially valued by customers and used to outperform competition; unique resources, hard to emulate and generates competitive advantage; core competences to meet the CSF, leading to competitive advantage. A number of tools exist to analyse strategic capability. Applying some of them to Ryanair facilitates identification of the organisations key strengths and weaknesses. Value Chain analysis This is a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦systematic way of studying theà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦activities undertaken by a firm (Thompson 1997) and a means of identifying how competitive advantage is, or can be, created and sustained. The value chain consists of primary and support activities that together produce the profit margin. When the most critical of these are performed better or more cheaply, competitive advantage is created. The activities are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦related by linkages within the value chain (Porter 1985), meaning that how one is performed affects the performance or cost of another, and key linkages generate competitive advantage. Value activities should be benchmarked, compared against those of organisations both inside and outside the industry, to learn and improve on best practice (Laverick Brown 1992). Primary activities Inbound logistics Dependency on suppliers to deliver fuel as well as food, drinks and duty-paid products to be sold on-board (Gilbert et.al 2001). These need to be stored, handled and controlled upon delivery Low-cost deals are negotiated against promise of large and growing volumes of business (Felsted 04/11/03). Operations Use of standard model plane, Boeing 737, means that Ryanair is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦able to obtain spares and maintenance services on favourable terms, limits costs of staff training and offer flexibility in scheduling aircraft and crew assignments (Johnson Scholes 2002). A relatively young fleet reduces maintenance, spare and fuel costs. Fast turnarounds (core competence), 25 minutes, is the most important cost advantage as it enables high aircraft utilisation (Felsted 04/11/03). More frequent departures (two more a day than competitors) with few planes increases revenue (key linkage). However, Southwest excels with 15 minute turnarounds as its à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦activities complement each other in ways that create real economic value (Porter 1996). Point-to-point flights mean no interlinking with other carriers. Ryanair can à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦offer direct non-stop journeys, avoiding the cost of providing through serviceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦for connecting passengersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and delaysà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦caused by late arrival of connecting flights (Johnson Sholes 2002). Outbound logistics Use of isolated secondary airports often requires further transport arrangements for customers. Also, some destinations are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦so geographically obscure that they cant support regular services (Pratley 05/02/04), as evident on some intra-Scandinavian routes for example (Done 04/11/03). This limits the level of market share Ryanair can achieve. EasyJet does the opposite and flies to big cities, but then has to pay higher landing charges which is reflected in their higher prices (Bowley 21/07/03). However, using regional airports saves costs as charges are lower, facilities cheaper and Ryanair can negotiate favourable deals. It also enables fast turnaround times, and more on-time departures as the airports are less congested (Johnson Scholes 2002). 95% of Ryanairs flights are punctual compared to 88% for EasyJet (www.ryanair.com). Marketing and Sales Heavy spending on advertising and promotions to expand its market is reduced as most advertising takes place on the website. There promotion is also used to sell excess capacity, such as two-for-one offers, which creates market awareness. Direct marketing is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦used occasionally with the customer database (Gilbert et.al 2001), and enables relationship marketing which produce customer retention equalling increased productivity (Ali-Knight Wild 2001). Ryanair considers branding virtually irrelevant as it believes that price is most important to customers. This is reflected in its not always so good image in the press. Southwest, contributes a large part of its success to its well established brand values (Gilbert et.al 2001), and EasyJet has won awards for its brand (Brand Strategy 2001). Over 90% of bookings are made directly, either on the website or through reservations centres. The website saves on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦staff costs, agents commission, and computer reservation charges, while significantly contributing to growth (Johnson Scholes 2002). Furthermore, direct booking gives greater control over sales of ancillary services, important revenue contributors, and eliminates need for tickets which reduces check-in times. Travel agencies are used on a small scale as necessary when opening new routes in unknown markets. Service Virtually no frills lower costs considerably, enable fast turnarounds and very low ticket prices (Gilbert et.al 2001). A very basic product is offered and Ryanair now plans to remove the last frills (Gow 16/02/04). The question is how much customers are willing to forgo before switching to competitors. Will it be possible to sustain the necessary load factor with an even narrower target market? Southwest is more successful than Ryanair but has not stripped away all frills (Porter 1996). The low service damages the brand which leads to reduced business. For example, Ryanair was taken to court for charging disabled passengers  £18 for wheelchair usage (Tait 03/12/03), and is known for transferring passengers to later or alternative flights without notice if original flight is not full enough (Johnson Scholes 2002). Support activities Procurement Purchasing power enables negotiation of favourable deals (core competence) with suppliers. However, these demand à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦large andà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ growing volumes based on passenger numbers (Felsted 04/11/03) which is becoming difficult to sustain as Ryanair expanded too quickly. Although growth is slowed down new planes has been ordered aiming to double the fleet by 2009. Buys mostly during recession when prices are down Good buyer-supplier relationships ensure reliability and low-cost procurement of services (many functions are contracted out). Safety is guaranteed as contracted work is supervised and planned by Ryanair staff (Johnson Scholes 2002). Technology development Ryanair uses its website to monitor bookings to see how full planes are minute by minute. If numbers fall prices can be slashed immediately to attract buyers thus increasing the load factor. However, they dont hesitate to raise prices if demand is buoyant (Bowley 21/07/03) which leads to effective yield management. CONCLUSION The aim of this report was to carry out a strategy analysis of Ryanair, Europes largest low-cost no-frills airline. From this it became evident that the organisation operates in a complex environment with fast changing influences that affect its business both beneficially and unfavourably. It also enabled identification of some of the sources of Ryanairs competitive advantage: core competencies, unique resources, key linkages and the superior cost performance compared to its closest competitor. However, it also became clear that the organisation still has a lot to learn from best practice. In general Ryanairs strategies match its task environment although it fails to address certain crucial issues. If these are not dealt with they could lead to future problems and reductions in profits.

buddhism :: essays research papers

Buddhism is a major religion, founded in northeastern India. Buddhism was based on the teachings of Siddhartha Guatama, who is known as â€Å"Buddha† The Enlightened one. Buddha is divided into two major groups known as â€Å"The way of the Elders† and â€Å"Mahayana† the great vehicle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Siddhartha Guatama was born in 563 BC in Kapilavastu near the Indian-Nepal border. The young prince withdrew all his luxury and went on a quest for peace and enlightenment. When he attained the enlightenment he had been seeking, Buddha began to preach. Going from place to place, getting more and more disciples for his ministry called the â€Å"Sangha†. Buddha did not leave a written scroll or a book of teachings. So as a result later followers wrote his beliefs. At the center of Buddha enlightenment was the realization of the four noble truths. 1) Life is suffering 2) all suffering is caused by ignorance of the nature of reality and the craving, attachment and grasping the result 3) suffering can be ended by overcoming ignorance and attachment 4) the path to the suppression of suffering is the â€Å"Noble Eightfold path†, which consists of right views, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindedness and right contemption. Also according to Buddhism a person is only a temporary combination of aggregates that include the material body, feelings, perception, predisposition or karmic tendencies and consciousness. Buddhism spread rapidly throughout India. Missionaries introduced the religion to southern India, to the northwestern part of the land and to Sri Lanka. Buddhism had reached Myanmar by the 5th century AD. It was adopted by the Thai people between the 1100s and 1300s, and then moved into Laos and Cambodia, about the beginning of the Christian era. Buddhism was carried to Central Asia, from there it entered China by the early 1st century AD, influencing Chinese culture and, in turn, adapting itself to Chinese ways.

LL Bean Essay

1. How significant (quantitatively) of a problem is the mismatch between supply and demand for LL Bean? As per the historical series and its associated statistical description (see graph below), we can observe that there is a significant spread between the A/F ratios sine the standard deviation equals 1/3 of the mean. Besides in cases, there is mismatch beyond 50% between the forecast and the actual demand. Besides the mean value shows that there is a 9% bias meaning that on average the actual is always 9% above the forecast. It should be noticed as well that there distribution is skewed to the left with higher values meaning that there is a 100% underestimation for certain items. 2. Use the provided Excel file that contains demand and forecast data for a collection of items. Suppose those are the data LL Bean will use to plan their next season. Consider an item that retails for $45 dollars and costs LL Bean $25. The liquidation price for this item will be $15. The sales forecast for this item is 12,000. What order quantity would LL Bean choose for this item? Based on the Cu/(Co+Cu) ratio that equals 20/(10+20) =0,667 and the A/F distribution, we end-up with a probability of 0,676 given the round up rule. Hence LL Bean should order 12 000 * 1,179975 = 14160 items to maximize its profit. (We used the distribution derived from the data rather than the normal distribution with the same mean and standard deviation. Indeed despite the important gaps between the different percentiles of the real distribution, we reject the hypothesis that the distribution is normal at a 5% level as per the Anderson Darling test result with p-value= 3%). 3. Assuming LL Bean manages to derive the correct forecast, what do you think about their ordering process? (You may wish to begin with Mark Fasold’s concerns at the end of the case. Also, think about Rol Fessenden’s concern about estimating contribution margin and liquidation costs). †¢ If the contribution margin and liquidations costs are wrongly assessed this has a direct consequence on the commitment order size as per the newsvendor model methods (cf. the Cu/(Co+Cu) ratio). †¢ There is a grey area in the case to know how LL Bean really assesses the number of actual for products generating a demand higher than the forecast. An overestimation of lost sales can create a bias loop since it will impact the next year order commitment by generating mechanically higher commitment orders. As per the mean (8% above 1) and the distribution that is skewed to the left, it could be inferred that there is a systematic overestimation of lost sales which may explain that there are not different common pattern across items and buyers. †¢ We can’t suggest any bias due to outlier since they mention that there have not found any specific pattern. †¢ The split between â€Å"new† and â€Å"never out† for the historical errors makes sense since both nature of articles share a common property. †¢ We recommend making use of the phone calls and orders through all selling channel to build more robust analytical data and reduce the potential bias of data used to build the A/F distribution. 4. What do you think about LL Bean’s forecasting process? Is that the best that they can do? Problems †¢ It seems unreliable and not data driven as per the use of rules of thumb and use of consensus that may reduce the weight of the expert. †¢ Forecast reconciliation issue with the bottom up (items by items) and the top down (catalog) approach forecast approach. †¢ A lot of the forecast relies on the inaccurate slash at the end of the process. †¢ Aggregation of demand for item common to different catalogs seems unclear and prone to error, there may be an overestimation of the demand forecast by double counting the expected sales (cf. catalog arriving to same customer that are considered the best i.e. buying the most). †¢ Issues with the impact of new products and cannibalization †¢ Differences observed between the aggregation Suggestions †¢ More frequent interactions between bottom up and top down approach to avoid or at least reduce the slash of the end. Such interactions could be achieved through the so-called â€Å"W† approach that implies meeting points at different levels over the process. †¢ For items common to several catalogs, consider a customer approach instead of a catalog approach to avoid counting several times the expected purchase of one customer receiving several catalogs. †¢ We recommend making use of the phone calls and orders through all selling channel to build more robust analytical data in order to improve the forecasting process. †¢ Try to find alternate sources of supply to reduce the current lead time of 9 months and allow finalizing the forecasting process closer to the sales time.

Papoer

The Impact of Music on Language & Early Literacy: A Research Summary In Support of Kindermusik’s ABC Music & Me The Impact of Music on Language & Early Literacy: A Research Summary In Support of Kindermusik’s ABC Music & Me Introduction Early childhood classroom teachers believe in the power of music to engage children. What scientifically based research supports the use of music and musical instruction to build early literacy skills?This research summary answers that question, providing support to educators who wish to integrate music and musical instruction into their early language and literacy programs in schools. This research summary reviews high-quality experimental studies conducted in classrooms with young children receiving music education, plus relevant brain research that focuses on the impact of musical instruction on the brain.The impact of music and musical instruction on early language and literacy development for young children is examined in the follow ing areas: †¢ ReadingComprehensionandVerbalMemory †¢ ListeningSkills †¢ Vocabulary,includingforEnglishLanguageLearners †¢ PhonologicalandPhonemicAwareness †¢ WritingandPrintAwareness †¢ ImpactonChildrenwithDisabilities †¢ FamilyInvolvement The research summarized below provides strong support for including music and musical instruction in the earlychildhoodclassroom.Importantly,thisrecommendationismadenotjustforthevalueofthemusical experience itself, but also because of the impact music and musical instruction can have on young children’s development of language and early literacy. Music Instruction & Reading Scores Linked Readingcomprehensionisseenasâ€Å"theessenceofreading†(Durkin,1993)andthedesiredoutcomeof reading instruction, including the focus of assessment on standardized reading tests starting in third grade.Comprehensionisdefinedasâ€Å"intentionalthinkingduringwhichmeaningisconstructedthroughinteractions betweentextandrea der†(Harris&Hodges,1995). Anumberofresearchstudieshavefoundthatchildrenwhoparticipateinmusicinstructiontendtoscorehigher on tests of reading comprehension than children who do not participate in musical instruction. †¢ Ameta-analysisof25correlationalstudies,someinvolvingsamplesizesofover500,000students, foundaâ€Å"strongandreliableassociation†betweenmusicinstructionandscoresontestsofreading comprehension(Butzlaff,2000). Astudyof4,739elementaryandmiddleschoolstudentsinfourregionsoftheUnitedStatesrevealed astrongrelationshipbetweenelementary(third-orfourth-grade)students’academicachievementas measuredbytestscoresandtheirparticipationinhigh-qualitymusicprograms(Johnson&Memmott, 2006). While these studies are appealing, one cannot conclude from correlational studies alone that the music instruction was the cause of the gains in reading scores. To answer that question, we turn to the experimental studies that involved pre- and post-testing of young children rece iving classroom music education.Theauthorsofaclassicstudy(Hurwitzetal,1975)askedwhethermusictrainingimprovedreading performance in first grade children. The experimental group received musical instruction including listening to folk songs with an emphasis the listening for melodic and rhythmic elements. The control group consisted ofchildrenwhowerematchedinage,IQ,andsocioeconomicstatusandwhoreceivednospecialtreatment. Aftertraining,themusicgroupexhibitedsignificantlyhigherreadingscoresthandidthecontrolgroup,scoring inthe88thpercentileversusthe72ndpercentile.Moreover,continuedmusicaltrainingwasbeneficial;afteran additional year of musical training, the experimental group’s reading comprehension scores were still superior to the control group’s scores. These findings provide initial support for the view that musicinstructionfacilitatestheabilitytoread. More recent research focuses on the specific impact of music instruction on the subprocesses involved in successful read ing. Researchersbelievethatmusicinstruction impacts a student’s brain functioning in processing language, which in turn impacts reading subprocesses like phonemic awareness and vocabulary.These subprocesses ultimately impact a student’s ability to read with comprehension. Music Instruction Improves Verbal Memory Research Into Practice: ABC Music & Me Kindermusik’sABCMusic&Mehelpsteachers engage young children in language- and literacy-rich musical activities that include playful instruction in foundational music skills andinstrumentexploration. Researchsuggests that engaging young children in these types of musical activities are correlated with later success in reading comprehension.Anotherwayinwhichmusicinstructionmaypositivelyimpactreadingabilityisthroughincreasedverbal memory. The findings linking music training to verbal memory are important because verbal memory is essentialforreadingprintedwordswithcomprehension. Asreadingprogressestosentencesandtextsof g reater lengths, verbal memory allows a child to retain material in memory as it is being read so that syntactic andsemanticanalysesnecessarytocomprehensioncanbeperformed.Verbalmemoryisessentialforall childrenlearningtoread(Brady,1991;StoneandBrady,1995),andpoorperformanceinverbalmemoryhas beenassociatedwithreadingdisabilitiesforyoungchildren(AckermanandDykman,1993;Cornwall,1992; Scarborough,1998). Recentbrainandpsychologicalresearchshowsthatmusicinstructioncanhaveapositiveimpactonverbal memory. †¢ Astudyofninety6-to15-year-oldboysfoundthatthosewithmusictraininghadsignificantlybetter verbal learning and retention abilities. The longer the duration of the music training, the better the verbalmemory(Ho,Cheung,&Chan,2003).Afollow-upstudyconcludedthattheeffectwascausal. The authors suggest that the cause of the increase in verbal memory was neuroanatomical changes in the brains of children who were playing music. †¢ Anotherstudyfoundthatlearningtoplaya musical instrument enhanc es the brain’s ability Research Into Practice: ABC Music & Me torememberwords. â€Å"Adultswithmusictraining ABCMusic&Meengageschildreninactive in their childhood demonstrate better verbal music-making with a variety of musical memory,†accordingtostudyauthorChan. instruments both in the classroom and at Thisbrainresearchwith60adultsshowedthat home.Researchsuggeststhatthisearly musicians have enlarged left cranial temporal experience may improve children’s verbal regions of the brain, which is the area involved in memory, an important factor in successful processingheardinformation. Asaresult,people text comprehension for later stages of reading withmusictrainingcouldremember17%more development. verbal information than those without music training(Chanetal,1998). Music Helps Build Listening Skills â€Å"Learningtolistenisaprerequisitetolisteningtolearn,†stressesresearcherMayesky(1986).Listeningisthe first language mode that children acquire, and it provide s a foundation for all aspects of language and reading development. Listeningisaverylargepartofschoollearning,withstudentsspendinganestimated50to75 percentofclassroomtimelisteningtotheteacher,tootherstudents,ortomedia(Smith,1992). Despitethefrequencyoflisteningactivityinclassrooms,listeningskillsarenotfrequentlytaughtexplicitly (Hyslop&Tone,1988;Newton,1990). â€Å"Mostteachersteach,assumingthatbecausetheyaretalking,their studentsarelistening†(Swanson,1996).Asaresult,manychildrendonotacquirethelisteningskillsnecessary to acquire new knowledge and information. Too often listening is thought to be a natural skill that develops automatically, but in fact developing good listeningskillsrequiresexplicitinstruction. â€Å"Ifweexpectchildrentobecomegoodlisteners,†¦weneed to teach them to become activelisteners†(Jalongo, 1995). Directinstructioninlisteningskillsshouldinclude â€Å"lessonsdesignedtospecificallyteachandmodelthe skillsnecessaryforactivelistening†(Math eson,Moon &Winiecki,2000). Anexperimentalstudywithyoung English language earners showed that focused listening instruction can benefit listening comprehension for childrenlearningasecondlanguage(Goh&Taib,2006). Musicalactivitiesarecitedbyresearchersaseffective experiences for building listening skills in the classroom (Hirt-Mannheimer,1995;Wolf,1992),forbothmainstream classrooms and classrooms with children who have disabilities. (Humpal&Wolf,2003). Research Into Practice: ABC Music & Me EachunitofABCMusic&Megiveschildren not only the opportunity to listen actively to music, but also includes focused listening activities using music, non-musical sounds, andlanguage.Classroomroutineshelp teachers focus children’s attention on listening todirections. Read-aloudstoriesandsongs give children opportunities to practice listening to extended discourse. Recentbrainresearch(Flohretal,1996)showsthatmusictrainingchangesandimprovesbrainfunctioning relatedtolistening. Anexperimentalstudyw ithchildrenages4to6providedmusictrainingfor25minutesfor 7weeks,andthenmeasuredbrainactivity. ThosechildrenwhohadreceivedmusicaltrainingproducedEEG frequencies associated with increased cognitive processing and greater relaxation.Music Can Build Vocabulary, including for English Language Learners Manyeducationalresearcherspromotemusicasawayto enhance vocabulary acquisition and comprehension, and emphasize music’s ability to engage children in instruction (Fountas&Pinnell,1999;Miller&Coen,1994;Page,1995; Smith,2000;Wiggins,2007). Accordingtoeducationalresearchers,thereissubstantial evidence that children acquire vocabulary incidentally byreadingandlisteningtooralstories(Krashen,1989). Duringthepreschoolyearsbeforechildrencanread, children rely exclusively on the oral language they listen to in order to acquire

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World War One. Essays World War One. Essays World War one. James martin and the Anzac Legend | James Charles Martin At the outbreak of World War 1 James said to his family that â€Å"One man in the family had to sign up for the war†, considering that his father was too old and weak and had to support his mother and 5 sisters he decided he was the one who had to do it. James Martin signed up for The Australian Imperial Force on April 12th 1915 giving a false date of birth saying he was 18 years of age when he was only 14 years and 3 months. Soon after, James had to go through 2 hard months of training in Victoria for the war, with strict times and rules, before he was sent off to Alexandria in Egypt where he then spent 1 month again training. In Victoria they all lived in steady conditions, sleeping in tents, eating regally and eating healthy except when some things were late being issued like there heavy rain coats and water proof ground sheets. As the April rain poured down, the camp got soaked, without ground sheets, their straw mattresses got dampened and without their rain coats their clothes were always wet. The worry of pneumonia spread throughout the camp. By the 30th he was well on his way to Gallipoli when his the little crowded steamer called the HMT Southland, was then torpedoed by an off radar Turkish sub, James then had to spend the next four hours in the water. After being rescued Private Martin landed with his battalion on Gallipoli on 7th September when the climate was at its most pleasant but the Turks where not. When he landed his battalion was bombarded with the bullets from the Turks, but once they made it safely to shore they found protection under and behind rocks. The ANZACS that had recently arrived started to help build the trenches, connecting the first trench to the second and the third giving easy access to all of them. The ANZACS also started to think ahead when building their trenches. When they built them they left a blocking technique, the idea of this was instead of building the trenches straight they left huge chunks at the side in case the Turks where to jump down and attack them they would have something t o hide behind, but unfortunately nothing could hide them from the rodents and the dead. When working in there, there was a period of very cold temperatures and very strong and heavy rains, these conditions flooded the trenches and the areas surrounding them, leaving James very wet and cold, and only to make it worse the trenches were filled with rodents and insects â€Å"The pests where deadlier then the Turks bullets† said James. From the day that war was declared James Martin had wanted to join the action and fight with them his friends. When he found out that he wasn’t old enough he asked his mother and father to write a letter of consent saying he was 18 years of age at first they denied but when telling his parents that â€Å"I’ll run away and join up under another name and you won’t hear from as I won’t write, but if you do I will write to you all of the time† they finally agreed. After getting in he was sent to Egypt to train then to Gallipoli to fight. Whilst in Gallipoli he wrote to his family not to worry and that he was doing ‘splendid’ over there telling his family that everything was fine, then the worst of the weather hit. Cold temperature and heavy consistent rains caused him to get very sick but he didn’t’t want to leave his duty’s, when he got worse they took him to a hospital thinking he was fine and was going to go back any time soon, James sadly passed away of Typhoid. James Martin’s perspective of war never changed, from the time he signed up to the time he was in hospital about to die he was still a brave young

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Conclusion Writing Conclusion Writing Conclusion Writing Conclusion writing is a small part of your college essay, but not less important than introduction. In essay conclusion you answer the question put to college English essay early. Essay conclusion should not be a mere summary of the paper. Essay conclusion should be critical as you are expected to assess what has been accomplished and whether you achieved the objectives set for the essay writing.Conclusion writing may present the reader with the restatement or reinforcement of the main ideas. You need to mention the thesis statement in other words as well. Writing an essay conclusion, you should strive to generalize the whole work and aim to leave an unforgettable impression on the reader. Fortunately, the impression you make is positive. There is legitimate and illegitimate generalization. You generalize legitimately when you try to draw conclusions from the evidence that you have set before the reader. If you generalize in an illegitimate way, you make sweepin g statements for which there is little or no basis. Essay Conclusion WritingAt the end of the essay, a concluding paragraph should briefly and concisely summarize the most important results of your discussion. This is your final opportunity to remind the reader once more of your overall line of argumentation by repeating the thesis statement and by giving a short summary of your results. Furthermore, good concluding paragraphs contain a kind of outlook which transcends the actual findings of your research and places them in a wider context. For example, you could point out the exemplary nature of your essay and how your approach would lead to valuable results when applied to other essay writing. Basically, the outlook should expand the focus and context of your English essay writing, thus demonstrating that your approach possibly could have wider implications that go beyond the limitations of the academic essay at hand.Conclusion Writing TipsAn outline can initially help you to organize and communicate your thoughts effectively. You write essays because they teach you something, not just as an exercise to prove you can write. Writing essays clarifies your thinking and gives you some idea of how well you understand your topic. Turn questions into controversial propositions and question these to raise further issues. Irrelevant material often creeps into essays through your failure to understand what the main issue is. Irrelevant material can be good material that has found its way into the wrong essay or is in the wrong place. You cannot make your points yet ignore relevant research or literature in the field. When you have read potentially useful, but quite confusing material, this is when you are most likely to lose sight of your essay title.