Discovery: Indigenous Australians and Historical Truth Essay

Discoveries reveal things that we often would prefer to keep hidden. Discuss the concept of â€Å"Discovery† and the effects it has on those who are involved. You must refer to your set text and supplementary material which you have studied in relation to this topic. The topic discovery involves the reviling of past things that were previously unknown. These truths can range from physical objects to self-awareness, from new knowledge to hidden memory. However, discovery can be such a powerful thing that some things may be better left hidden. An example of someone discovering the past is in the set text, Sally Morgan’s â€Å"My Place†. The supplementary material that will be â€Å"Paperbark-tree† by Oodgeroo Noonuccal and Sarah’s Story from the National Inquiry. Two issues that are raised in â€Å"My Place† are the discovery of self and the search for historical truth. Part of growing up involves the discovery of self. This normally means finding out your family’s history. In â€Å"My Place†, Sally grows up feeling that there is a lot about her past that she doesn’t know.†the feeling that a very vital part of me was missing and that I’d never belong anywhere. † When she was a child, her best friend was Winnie the Pooh. She felt that she had a lot in common because they both felt like misfits. Both her mother and grandmother know that Sally doesn’t know much about their Aboriginal heritage, and so therefore tell her that she is Indian. â€Å"Come on, Mum, what are we? What do the kids at school say? Anything. Italian, Greek, Indian. Tell them you’re Indian. † Eventually Sally find’s out that she is Aboriginal and by finding this out, starts her on a quest for knowledge. This feeling of having not much idea of who you are may make you want to go and find out the truth. A big example of this is Aborigine’s who were taken from their parents as children and sent away to work as slaves. In Sarah’s story she explains how as a child, just like Sally, she was told that she was not aboriginal. She was white skinned living with her white skinned father and had to be taken away because people believed that white skins should not mix with natives. â€Å"We were discouraged from any contact with Aboriginal People. † The second issue that is faced in â€Å"My Place† is historical truth. Know matter how the reader interprets the story, they are always going to be able to read about Australia’s past. As Arthur tells Sally, â€Å"There’s almost nothing written from a personal point of view about Aboriginal people. No one knows what it was like for us. A lot of our history has been lost? † In search for her family’s story, Sally uncovers the historical truth of a generation controlled by a white Australia. Paperbark Tree, by Oodgeroo Noonuccal is a short story, who has been cut off from the Aboriginal ways of life, travels the country looking for traces of her tribe. Both Oodergeroo in the story and Sally Morgan begin their search for knowledge as women without an understanding of their past history. They both need to connect with their Aboriginality and understand how their relatives or tribe members lived. They both travel around looking for information. By learning stories of the past, and writing them down, both women are able to understand who they are and connect with the wealth of aboriginal culture and experience. In conclusion, discoveries can reveal things that that are previously unknown and sometimes the truth is better left hidden.

Racialization of savagery Essay

In his essay ‘The Tempest in the Wilderness: The Racialization of Slavery’, Ronald Takaki (1992) discusses how savagery as generally understood by Europeans since the early seventeenth century became identified with and synonymous to the races of Native Americans and transplanted Africans. He shows how this historical construction of savagery proceeded from a general understanding of civilization as similar with and synonymous to being European. He demonstrates in the historical experience that he examines the creation of the binary opposition ‘European-civilized/Others-savage’. He used The Tempest, the play by William Shakespeare, as a starting point in delivering his argument. He says that the play â€Å"can be approached as a fascinating tale about the creation of a new society in America. † As a play, as literature, as a work of art, The Tempest inevitably drew upon prevailing, if not dominant, perceptions of Europeans colonizers’ encounter with Native Americans. Europeans after all have not been at that time exposed to such people, and those who were indeed exposed were but a minority of the population. The existing conditions therefore allowed, if not forced, a narrow, one-sided and ethnocentric appreciation of the Indians. This is the context of The Tempest. The play was written after the first encounter with American Indians but before the full-scale colonization of New England began. In the play, the main character Prospero encountered Caliban – a beastly creature that captures the stereotype of Native Americans. Caliban’s appearance is deformed and dark, and his behavior is savage. He personified ‘a born devil’ who belonged to a ‘vile race’. He represented intellectual incapacity as well as nature in its raw form. He is therefore the diametrical opposite of Prospero – intelligent, civilized, and normal-looking and therefore European, driven by lofty principles. The Native Americans in New England were racially different from the Europeans. They were viewed as representatives of backwardness and inefficiency, different from and opposed to the modernity and technological advancement represented by Europeans. They reminded the English colonizers of the Irish savages because they were tribal and pagan. Their economic system appeared to the English colonizers as the primitive ancestor of the latter’s manufacturing system. The Indians had a dark complexion, lived in the forests and were open sexually. â€Å"Christianity, cities, letters, clothing and swords† – these, according to Takaki, are the things Europeans considered as hallmarks of civilization – their civilization – which Indians however lacked. Indians were seen as driven by wild passions, and not led by intellect, as Europeans thought about themselves (Weinberg 2003). Historical developments built upon this largely negative perception of American Indians to the detriment of the latter. The New England area was later to be occupied by English settlers who were devout Protestants and who condemned the American Indians as heathens. The American Indians were later to be called a ‘demonic race’ that is associated with evil. The Protestant English sought to reaffirm and strengthen their moral beliefs by defining these against the beliefs and practices of the American Indians. They are not American Indians and they must strive never to become similar with these people. They believed that the diseases afflicting large sections of the American Indian population were God’s way of punishing and destroying pagans, as well as of paving the way for God’s people to settle and reside in the lands of these peoples. When embroiled in conflicts over rightful ownership of lands, English settlers fell back on their religious beliefs, believing that it was their ‘Puritan destiny’ to occupy those lands. They even claimed that by not using their lands, the American Indians were merely wasting these. In short, economic contradictions between the two peoples worked to reinforce the racialization of savagery as a Native American character. In many ways, the appreciation of Africans by the European colonizers were similar to the latter’s appreciation of the Indians. There were also differences, however. The dark skin of the Africans by itself, and especially when understood as ‘black’, sets off into motion various cultural connotations for Europeans. Darkness or blackness often signifies evil, sinister or wicked forces in English culture. Africans were viewed as a baser, primal and lesser people who deserve to serve Europeans. The physical strength of Africans, in the context within which they were encountered by the Europeans, appeared to the European settlers as a form of threat. The Africans were therefore thought of as needing to be subjugated and controlled, tamed and enslaved. They embodied nature, not culture. This largely negative perception of Africans was reinforced later by succeeding developments. If they were initially perceived as slaves, slave-like, or deserving to be slaves, Africans were later to become slaves, thanks to complications in the class system of the English settlers. The English aristocracy demanded labor to capitalize on the growing tobacco demand. Landowners on the other hand depended on indentured servants, both black and white. The indentured servants aspired to become wealthy themselves, but were repressed to minimize competition for land and increase the supply of white laborers. This resulted in the Bacon’s Rebellion of 1676, in which lower-class workers fought the landowners. For depending on white labor, the landowners felt threatened. It is here that slaves from Africa came as a convenient way to address the problem. Africans can become slaves without the right to bear arms and assemble at meetings that were given to white laborers (Halford 1999). So the racialization of savagery is the outcome of a complex historical process that involved the encounter of two different cultures, societies, and economic and political systems – wherein one is debased from the perspective of the other whose identity came to be built upon the debasement. Important in this process is the uneven economic and military power between the two collectivities, as this factor determines whose perspective shall become dominant and shall persist among the two perspectives that naturally go with the two races. The racialization of savagery constitutes and is in turn constituted by, various cultural forms as exemplified by The Tempest. The participation of cultural forms in the racialization of savagery, though in a different but related contex, is also clarified in the influential book of Edward W. Said titled Orientalism (1979). 2. Compare the Land-Allotment Strategy used with the Choctaw’s with the Treaty Strategy that was applied to the Cherokee. What are the key differences between both approaches to Indian lands? Do they share any similarities? What were the outcomes of each strategy? Both the Land-Allotment Strategy used with the Choctaws and the Treaty Strategy used with the Cherokees continued and carried to conclusion the Europeans’ earlier deceitful and brutal strategies in dealing with American Indians. Weinberg (2003) reports that the communal society of the Indians was converted by the white settlers into a ‘plunder’ society: Many of the Indians lived as a community. They depended on hunting for buffalos. They planted corn, which served as their staple food. The Indians were an intelligent and civilized people. They had a civilization, even if this did not conform to and imitated what the white settlers considered as civilization – which, to their mind, means their civilization. Wars were waged against the Indians to get their land and subdue their labor. European fur traders even used whiskey to greatly weaken the sense of discretion of Indians in matters pertaining to trade. To get their lands, repression through legal means, as well as death squads, was used against them (Weinberg 2003). Historically, both the Land-Allotment Strategy used with the Choctaws and the Treaty Strategy used with the Cherokees were implemented under the â€Å"Indian Removal Act†. This act was campaigned for by US President Andrew Jackson in both houses of Congress. This piece of legislation gave the president the free hand to discuss the removal treaties with Indian tribes occupying the eastern part of the Mississippi river. Under these treaties, the Indians were to surrender their lands in exchange for lands in the west of the Mississippi river. Those wishing to remain in the east, the act claims, would be considered as citizens of their home states. The process was supposed to be voluntary and peaceful. When the southeastern nations resisted, however, US President Jackson used force to make the Indian nations leave their lands. He was initially trusted by the Indians but was later exposed and condemned as a traitor to their cause (â€Å"Indian Removal†, n. d. ) Some points on the Land-Allotment Strategy used with the Choctaws: ? The Choctaws were the first to sign a removal treaty. ? The Treaty of the Dancing Rabbit Creak promised to give individual families the liberty to stay and live amidst white people by giving them a land grant. ? Those who stayed were given some protection by the War Department, though it proved no match to the white population which squatted in Chotaws territory and those who cheated Choctaws of their land. ? President Andrew Jackson initially promised to protect those who stayed, only to say later that he cannot guard the boundaries he set. ? Those who stayed ran out of money and had to borrow from white land-owning families. As a result, they got into debt, had to sell their lands, and moved west. ? This is the reason why whites think that they are not to blame and are without fault in relation to the poverty and eventual exodus of the Indians. They make it appear that it is the Indians who are responsible for their decision later on to go to a different land. ? The migration of the Choctaws occurred during the winter, causing many to get sick and die (Wright and Fernandez, 1999). Some points on the Treaty Strategy used with the Cherokees: ? The legislature of Georgia orders Cherokee lands to be absorbed by the federal government. ? They were tricked into signing an illegitimate treaty. This treaty promised individual Cherokees a payment of $3. 2 million in exchange for their lands. (SHSU, n. d. ) ? In 1833, a small faction agreed to sign the Treaty of New Echota, a removal treaty. The leaders of this group were not the recognized leaders of the tribe. ? More than 15,000 Cherokees signed a petition in protest to the Treaty of New Echota. The Supreme Court, however, ignored the protests and ratified the treaty. ? The Cherokees were given two years to voluntarily migrate. If they fail to migrate after two years, the ruling says, force will be used to remove them. By 1838, however, only 2,000 members of the tribe have transferred, and 16,000 members remained in the land. ? The US government sent in 7,000 white troops. The Cherokees were not allowed to pack up their belongings, and the white troops looted their homes. ? This resulted in the march known as the Trail of Tears, which in reality is an exodus from the violence inflicted by the white settlers. The Trail of Tears lasted until winter, killing more than 4,000 Cherokees on their way to another land. (â€Å"Indian Removal†, n. d. ). The similarities between the two approaches are more striking than the differences. Both approaches merely continued and carried to conclusion the Europeans’ earlier deceitful and brutal treatment of the Indians. Both are premised on the drive to remove Indians from their lands. Both started off by dividing the particular Indian populations. Both inflicted suffering on the section of the Indian population that stayed in their lands. Both ended up with whites owning Indian land, and with Indians getting sick and dying on their way to a different land. Both used laws and treaties that pretended to work for the Indians, but in reality facilitated the transfer of their lands to the white settlers. These laws and treaties also made it appear that Indians had genuine choices at that time and that they are solely responsible for their actions. The approaches not only exemplify ‘divide-and-rule’ tactics used by European colonizers against peoples they colonize. The approaches also demonstrate the brutality with which colonial conquest was carried out by Europeans against peoples they perceive as ‘others’. The differences between the two approaches hinge on one significant factor: The resistance of the Cherokees. Because the Cherokees resisted, they were treated as a group, not as individual families as in the case of the Choctaws. This is the context of the attempt to buy off individual families for such a preposterously huge sum. Because they resisted, their occupancy of their land was extended, unlike that of the Choctaws. Because they resisted, they were met with a force more violent than that encountered by the Choctaws. 3. Possession of land is a recurring theme throughout the nineteenth century. Discuss how the differing relationships to the land typically experienced by European immigrants and their descendents, Native Americans, African slaves, post-bellum African Americans, and Mexicans contributed to the relative successes of these different ethnic groups. The possession of land is widespread in the 19th century. European immigrants did not come to America to occupy vacant land but to a territory inhabited by different ethnic groups (Zinn, 1980). The American ruling elite as well as the upperclass Europeans emerged many times richer after grabbing land from other peoples. The white who had the resources to carry out land grabbing deprived people of their land. The descendants of European immigrants, hereafter, inherited the land that was stolen from others. The countless peoples (number reaching millions) coming from ethnic groups had this in common: they did not have ownership of the land that they had occupied and developed for hundreds of years. How it was taken from them also has this central theme- war. It was by force that their land was taken from them. Behind this coercive measure is the drive for private property. European occupation, therefore, involved stories of massacre, deception and brutality (Zinn, 1980). In sum, the differing relationship to the land by European immigrants and their descendents and Native Americans, African slaves, post-bellum African Americans and Mexicans was that of ownership of land. The ethnic groups were either driven out of their land, or were made to stay and develop the land but were not allowed to partake in its bountiful resources. The result of this differing relationship is that the rich became richer and the poor became poorer. What would emerge different from these ethnic groups, on the other hand, is how they fought the war for land. The internal and external conditions of their struggles result to their varying success in social status. Relative to each ethnic group the difference is minimal. Relative to European immigrants, the gap is wide. However, in the event of monopoly capitalism, different ethnic groups would all experience exploitation of greater scope and magnitude than any point in history. The Case of Indians In the 19th century, the movement of whites pressured national government to conduct aggressive activity to Indians to drive them out of their land. The removal of Indians opened the vast lands of America to agriculture then to market, then to money, and then to the development of modern capitalist economy -which is essentially an economy characterized with the surplus of good and the phenomenon of superprofit. The places involved in the violent dispossession of land were Louisiana (purchased from France), North Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, Missisipi and Florida (Zinn, 1980). The Case of Mexicans US government troops were ordered to occupy the territory inhabited by Mexicans. The latter were murdered in their own soil. Some of the soldiers including commanding officers were reluctant but few showed opposition in executing orders. Although racism was widespread among Americans, the killings did not receive popular support. The places involved in the violent dispossession of land were California, Texas, New Mexico and Louisiana. Mexico surrendered to US and was later paid $15 million. US propaganda later professed that fortunately they have taken nothing by conquest (Zinn, 1980) The Case of African American In 19th century, slavery of blacks was abolished in principle. In practice, however, they remained subjected to the oppressive conditions in plantation systems. They were still whipped and punished as forms of discipline in work. The places involved in the oppression of blacks based on land were New Orleans, South Carolina, Virgina, among others. The event of large-scale production in plantation brought about many uprisings of black people. Some ran away individually to escape their white master’s exploitation. But, it was through collective resistance and armed insurrection that black people received vast support that even electoral candidates including President Lincoln had to make a pretense of giving black and white equal access to land and all the wealth and rights that go with it (Zinn, 1980). Conclusion There is no doubt that the need for land is real and practical. But in a society ruled by competition and insatiable drive for more wealth, this human need was transformed to the murder of millions of people who are mostly colored. The ruling class in America during the 19th century argued that this conquest is justifiable because the white man is far superior to any other race. But history proves they were only superior militarily (Zinn, 1980). And they used this instrument of force to oppress other peoples. The history of white man supremacy is still propagated to this very day by the most powerful men in modern capitalists. The US government and its propaganda network in media and academe argue that taking land from other people, despite its bloodshed, can be justified with the emergence of a more progressive US. The ethnic groups, on the other hand, are more refined culturally and richer economically. This claim, of course, is but a distortion of history. If there is any real progress among these ethnic groups, it is the result of their struggle against their oppressors. Futhermore, it is not the American people as a whole that benefited from the systematic land grabbing from ethnic groups by the government. Ordinary Americans had to work hard for what they have; it was not given to them by the government. They were even sent to wars for the sake of the rich. In sum, the relative success of different ethnic groups was brought about by their struggle for land and all the wealth that comes with it. There was never a â€Å"United States or a community of people with common interest if we mean a â€Å"national interest† represented by the government, the development of capitalism or the dominant culture (Zinn, 1980). The differing relationships to the land experienced by European immigrants and their descendents, compared to the native Americans, African slaves, post-bellum African Americans, and Mexicans result to the formation of different people bounded with similar interests and common struggles, and contribute to the formation of movements which, as a whole, create a battling arena against modern capitalism. REFERENCES Halford, Joan Montgomery. (1999) â€Å"A Different Mirror: A Conversation with Ronald Takaki† Understanding Race, Class and Culture. Vol. 56, No. 7. April. http://www. ascd. org/ed_topics/el199904_halford. html â€Å"Indian removal†. n. d. Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 21 Aug. 2006 from http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2959. html Said, Edward W. (1979) Orientalism. New York: Pantheon. Takaki, Ronald. (1992) The Tempest in the Wilderness: The Racialization of Savagery. The Journal of American History, vol. 79, no. 3, December, 892-912. Weinberg, Meyer. (2003) A Short History of American Capitalism. USA: New History Press. Retrieved August 16, 2006, from http://newhistory. org Zinn, Howard. (1980) A People’s History of the United States. USA: Harper & Row Publishers. Wright, Dawin and Dr. Ramona Fernandez. Sept. 16, 1999. ATL 125-13 American Ethnic and Racial Experience. Retrieved 21 Aug 2006 from http://www. msu. edu/user/wright96/essay2b. htm

Asda Marketing Plan

Abstract The following report considers the ethical position of ASDA, noting the external environment in which it operates and its marketing plan.The report finds that ASDA’s focus on low prices has somewhat disengaged it with ethics, with the business more focused on selling volume, as opposed to selling sustainable products. However, given changes in the external environment, and the rise in the discount retailers, ASDA has now been faced with higher competition. To combat this, the report suggests that ASDA looks to change its strategy to focus more on a sustainable supply-chain, potentially one which is focused on UK food and products. While this may lead to higher prices from the retailer, it could improve its image when it comes to sustainable food retailing, and so warrant higher prices to consumers, especially if the introduction of local products develops an emotional attachment for customers. Introduction The following assignment will consider ASDA, considering the external environment in which the business operates as well as its ethical consideration, determining whether the current strategy should be maintained or whether a change is needed, with the assignment then making recommendations.Company OverviewASDA is a UK-based grocery retailers owned by U.S. listed Wal-Mart Stores Inc. ASDA has been part of the UK’s ‘Big 4’ retailers in the UK grocery sector, also compromising of Tesco, Morrison’s and Sainsbury’s, however it recently moved from 3rd from 2nd place on the list, being overtaken by Sainsbury’s after disappointing sales. The latest report from Kantar Worldpanel (2016) put’s ASDA’s market share at 15.3%, behind that of Sainsbury’s after suffering a 4.7% fall in sales, compared with a 0.7% fall in Sainsbury’s, and a 1.6% rise in sales at Tesco. To many UK consumers, ASDA has developed on the back of price co mpetition, with the retailer being heavily focused on being the UK’s best value supermarket. Due of its focus on price, ASDA in the past could have been seen to ignore ethical consideration, with some of the top places seen with premium retailers such as Marks & Spencer, who use their premium pricing to better consider the quality/ ethics behind their supply chain.Market EnvironmentHowever, it is this strategy which has been a downfall for the retailer, especially when put against competition from the expanding ‘discounter’s’, namely Lidl and Aldi (Ruddick, 2014). These retailers have aggressively expanded into the UK market on the back of offering low prices to consumers, with their focus on ‘prime-match’, similar of marketing conducted by ASDA against the other ‘Big 4’[1]. Given this, Aldi managed to record sales growth of 10% over the same period, beating all competition and increasing its market share to 6.2%. At the same time , Aldi also announced that it looks to take its store tally from 450 to 1,000 by 2022; Lidl also announced plans to open 40-50 new stores in the UK each year, noted by Gale (2016). This move in the market has been supported from a new business model and changing consumer habits. Discounters have benefitted from economies of scale, reducing the scale of choice to offer just one option; in turn allowing them to increase sales of that product and reduce the production costs. At the same time, these discounters have also expanded on a no-frills approach to stores, moving away from the ‘Superstore’ concept which became popular with Tesco and ASDA. This comes at a time when consumers have also looked to move away from superstores, preferring little-and-often shops to better budget. There also seems to a reduction in customer loyalty as consumers look for the best value.Marketing Situational AnalysisBuilding on the above, a SWOT analysis is shown below; Strengths  ·UK wide presence with 525 stores.  ·Still the UK’s 3rd largest grocery retailer – potential to increase share.Weaknesses  ·Recent marketing seems to have placed it in the ‘discount’ category when it comes to grocery stores – potentially restricting sales of some of its higher-value items. Opportunities  ·Recent improvement in UK economic fundamentals – coupled with rising wages may increase consumer disposable income.  ·Fall in ?GBP has put some spotlight on UK food/ products to escape price rises.Threats  ·Competition remains the biggest threat to ASDA, especially with discounters such as Lidl/ Aldi quickly expanding their store network, as well as expanding their marketing activities, with a focus on value. Ultimately, the analysis is suggesting that the main weakness in marketing lies within this continued focus solely on the price. This has come under pressure given new entrants into the market, with the discounters of Lidl/ Aldi coming into the market with business models which mean they can potentially undercut ASDA on prices. This is the main threat to the business, with ASDA still seeing a fall in sales, even with the recent buoyancy in UK retail sales. However, there are potential opportunities for ASDA to diversify, expanding its marketing to cover issues within sustainability and UK produce; improving the ethics when it comes to food sourcing, and issues such as food security and locality[2].ObjectivesIn the past, ASDA’S objectives have been focused on customer value, however given an expanding ‘discount’ sector, the retailer is now under more pricing pressure to maintain customers. With this, there is the expectation that the retailer may need to diversify, essentially look to attract more customers back to its stores. The objective for ASDA is to tempt customer’s back into its store; or tempt new customers back. Given continued expansion of Lidl/ Aldi, it could be expected that the new strategy will need to focus more on attracting new customers, be it from retailers such as Sainsbury’s.Strategy & SegmentationTo support its strategy, ASDA will look to segment the market into different consumers, based on demographics, location, income etc. Given marketing campaigns undertaken by the business, it would appear that ASDA has segmented the market; looking to appeal to those families of lower incomes. Its focus on being the cheapest is indicative of its primary target market. Because of this, the business has become somewhat specialised on this business model, a focus on low-cost, which in turn could impede quality. It has positioned itself in the low-cost end of the market, however given new entrants and intensified competi tion, is now finding it hard to compete and develop with new competition (Peter, 2011)[3]. The business model helped ASDA over the years of recession given constrained consumer income, however as economic conditions have improved, consumers have essentially traded-up. This has provided support to other retailers such as Sainsbury’s, and Waitrose which position themselves at the higher end of the market. With this, ASDA may feel that its business is currently positioned to narrow, targeting a consumer base which is shrinking which competition is increasing. There are two ways in which the retailer can broaden its consumer base, either through changes to marketing which will target a new market, or by differentiating the product to appeal to a broader base of consumers, noted in Armstrong et al (2012)[4].Tactics & ActionGiven the above, the main tactic for ASDA s to re-position itself in the market, remove this constant focus on price and look to focus more on ethical issues such as sustainability, which in turn may suggest quality. To do this, the retailer has a number of actions: ASDA will move to focus on local; putting its focus on supplying more UK produce in-stores, having dedicated aisles in superstores to local producers. The benefit here will not only be from higher sales of these goods, put also of the positive PR which could arise through supporting local farmers, and local communities. This is essentially classed as differentiation; the retailer will be introducing new products to do so. ASDA will also look to introduce convenience aisles into superstores. This will be seen as segmentation,[5] looking to attract a new set of customers to its stores who may have previously left as they prefer to do ‘little-and-often’ shops. This can be marketed by ASDA to target these specific customers.BudgetThis section will now discuss the budget for such a change in strategy. The main costs to the business will be seen as the marketing. For instance, when it comes to the ‘convenience aisle’, it could be noted that the infrastructure is a lready there; the stores will simply have to shuffle around stock to create the new aisle. When it comes to introducing the new products, the costs may be more down to developing the local links, with the suppliers themselves bearing the costs associated with producing the goods. Rather than a major financial cost, the introduction of more local products may be more time consuming for ASDA, given that they will need to ensure that the new products are in-keeping with the goals of the business, both in terms of pricing and quality (Ferrell, 2012)[6]. Marketing will be done through all ’traditional’ channels given the mass-market appeal of ASDA and the fierce competition within the UK grocery sector. While this would involve a higher cost than say digital marketing opportunities, it would be hoped that print advertisements and TV commercial will draw more attention, and so inform more customers. However, digital marketing could also be used, especially when it comes to advertisements through social media, and targeted banner ads which can be used online.ControlControl remains an important consideration, both in terms of ensuring a level of consistency in the marketing message as well as also monitoring the return on investment (hereafter ROI). When it comes to consistency, while marketing could change to reflect changes in the marketplace, the business must look to maintain its ‘core’ message. For instance, while the focus on new marketing campaigns may be on local produce, the core message remains with the slogan ‘Save Money, Live Better’. Too much of change may lead to current customers becoming detached with the business and its values. Control will also come with ROI. Essentially, all businesses need to ensure that their marketing spend is generating business. New, digital marketing allows businesses to track this, with businesses able to use tools such as Google Analytics to view web traffic etc. (Chaffey, 2012)[7]. Traditional marketing may be harder to manage in terms of ROI, given that it is harder to distinguish how a certain poster/ TV commercial may have driven demand. However, if ASDA move forward with a unified campaign, so changing all marketing to reflect a single message, then the business can understand the potential ROI of the campaign. Recommendation/ Conclusion To conclude, ASDA has in the past focused its marketing plan on price, looking to drive consumption through low prices. This is itself would not be considered ‘ethical consumerism’, given that some of the lower prices products could be viewed as a damage to the environment. However, this strategy has now placed ASDA into a market segment which is seeing more competition, at a time when the size of the market may be slowing, given improving economics in the UK[8]. To combat this, ASDA has an opportunity to diversify its product range into a more ‘premium’ space; be it the expansion of their ‘Extra Special’ range, or through the introduction of more local products and brands (Perreault, 2010)[9]. The focus on UK produce could provide ASDA with a ‘Unique Selling Point’; which could allow the business to justify higher pricing, noted in Fifield (2012)[10]. This may also improve the organisations ethical position as it suggests that ASDA is considering sustainability in its wider supply-chain; given that more food is local, opposed to international, reducing the ‘distance’ of the supply chain, potentially being seen as more environmentally friendly. However, at the same time, the retailer must be wary that any change to its pricing may impact on its core customers. In the end, this may further impact on market share, however this is seen as a potential risk of an opportunity. The recommendation for ASDA is that is moves forward with a change in marketing, highlighting developments in both local sourcing as well as convenience. However, ASDA must look to control this movement, and potentially monitor the opportunity. This could be done through monitoring sales of, as well as monitoring footfall into stores. References Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M., & Brennan, R. (2012). Marketing: an introduction. Pearson Prentice-Hall, London. Chaffey, D., & Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2012). Digital marketing, London, Pearson Higher Ed. Ferrell, O. C., & Hartline, M. (2012). Marketing strategy, text and cases, London, Nelson Education. Ferrell, O. C., & Fraedrich, J. (2015). Business ethics: Ethical decision making & cases, London, Nelson Education. Fifield, P. (2012). Marketing strategy, London, Routledge. Gale. (2016) [Online]. How long will Aldi and Lidl’s onslaught last?, Available at http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/long-will-aldi-lidls-onslaught-last/future-business/article/1386497, Accessed 17.12.2016. Kantar Worldpanel. (2016) [Online]. UK Grocery Market Share, Available at http://www.kantarworldpanel.com/global/grocery-market-share/great-britain, Accessed 17.12.2016. Perreault, W. D. (2010). Essentials of marketing: A marketing strategy planning approach, London, Pearson. Perreault Jr, W., Cannon, J., & McCarthy, E. J. (2013). Basic marketing, London, McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Peter, J. P., & Donnelly, J. H. (2011). Marketing management: knowledge and skills: text, analysis, cases, plans, London, Pearson. Ruddick, G. (2014) [Online]. It may already be too late for Tesco and Sainsbury’s, the rise of Aldi and Lidl looks unstoppable, Available at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10974773/It-may-already-be-too-late-for-Tesco-and-Sainsburys-the-rise-of-Aldi-and-Lidl-looks-unstoppable.html, Accessed 19.12.2016. Wood, S., & McCarthy, D. (2014). The UK food retail ‘race for space’and market saturation: A contemporary review. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 24(2), 121-144.

Recruiting and retaining women accountants Essay

Recruiting and retaining women accountants - Essay Example The following background information gives more detail on these issues. The role of women in CPA firms has changed significantly over the last 20 years. The whole new dimension that women have brought into accounting profession was about being more relationship-focused. But even more importantly, leadership roles are often taken by women at CPA firms now. "When I joined BK in 1982, we had no women partners or managers. Now we have five female partners and 21 women managers Clients also are more accepting of women in authority positions" (Burns 2003). Currently the traditional image of the leading man has been shaken with skillful women leaders at CPA companies. The statistics gathered by Stafford Specialized Information Services during its research of Women in Public Accounting 1992-2000 (2000, p. 4) shows that the Big Five auditors more than tripled ranks of women partners since 1992: there was 434 women partners in 1994 and 1,384 of them in 2000. At the same time women's share of partnership in big CPA firms has risen from 4,8% to 11,7% in 1992-2000. Although partnership is not always the most desired goal for every woman in CPA, still it is the most significant achievement for them. As statistics shows, more and more women become oriented towards leadership in CPA. Nowadays public accounting companies have also changed their view of women's role. "In addition to strong technical skills, firms now look very closely at the interpersonal skills of job candidates, too Approximately 50 percent of our entry-level hires are women." (Burns 2003). Meanwhile recruitment and retention still remains to be the most troubling concern for CPA firms. Finding qualified staff and developing future owners of CPA companies was identified as the first item in their top priorities list (The Practicing CPA 2003). Young professional women are now more acceptable with CPA companies than before, mainly due to more flexible scheduling. However, the old issue with work-life balance still remains the most challenging factor for women, who decided to bring career into their life. Studies of the past indicate that there are some positive changes, which is supported with an increasing number of women leaders in CPA firms. The research held in 1990 has revealed that one-third of 721 survey respondents "believe that their accounting work has had some negative affect on their opportunity to marry or on their marriage, while 28% of those who are unmarried believe that their job demands partly explain why they are not married" (Stockard 1990). According to Burns (2003) it is now possible for both men and women to have flexible work schedules and maintain a work-family balance. Nevertheless the problem of balance still remains to be urgent. Extensive travels to client offices, which may mean the accountant is away for several weeks, make it very hard to maintain a work-life balance for managers and partners. That is why women accountants pay attention to such

Economic growth in eygpt Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Economic growth in eygpt - Assignment Example Egypt’s economic growth still faces numerous risks with high political, economic, and security risks. The country also registers a significant tax and oppression risk and medium legal risks. However, the country seems to be on a positive trend despite the evident risks. The forecast summary presented in the report highlights that the country’s economic outlook is better due to the political stability resulting from the May 2014 elections. The country is also experiencing an unexpected rate cut by the central bank of Egypt, a factor that defines Egypt’s highly dynamic economic environment. Worth noting is the fact that the exchange rate risks in Egypt have also soared immensely (Country Reports: Egypt, 2015). The IHS report predicts that Egypt’s economic growth is likely to register acceleration in the medium term outlook. However, the long-term economic growth may be adversely affected by the risks mentioned above. The Country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has also surged in the first quarter and is likely to improve because of the political stability witnessed after 2014 elections. The country also receives financial aids from the Gulf countries. According to the report, the consumer demand is likely to face challenges because there is still an ongoing crisis. In case of capital investment, the country will register reduced inflows of foreign direct investment because of the political and security risks. However, more direct investment from foreign countries may be registered in the future when the country’s economic landscape stabilizes. Although the government is making efforts to promote foreign investments, political uncertainties are serving as a backlash (p. 10). Egypt’s labor market reveals that the conditions will be poor in the short-term until there is economic stability. Egypt’s inflation rates are likely to reduce because commodity prices have decreased remarkably. As mentioned above,

Rocky (1976) - 5 Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Rocky (1976) - 5 Question - Essay Example Identify aspects of sound in your selected film. Discuss them in terms of how they affected your viewing experience; in other words, did the art of sound effects add value to your experience? If so, how? If not, why not? Literal sound is mostly used in the picture in order to recreate realistic scenery of the events and capture Philadelphia area. For instance, Rocky`s shy visiting of the zoo store where Adrian works is adorned with birds twittering which creates romantic atmosphere. It helped to understand Rocky`s sensitive and irrational side. Identify the type of music in your selected film. Discuss them in terms of how it affected your viewing experience; in other words, did the score or songs add value to your experience? If so, how? If not, why not? Rocky`s ability to be tough and determined on the boxing ring and tender in relationship is captured in the soundtrack. When it is needed the hero along with the sound becomes strong and aggressive but in intimate moments delicate music shows his loving nature. The main song â€Å"Gonna fly now† underlines Rocky`s struggle for life and for victory. Identify the types of editing in your selected film. Discuss them in terms of how it affected your viewing experience; in other words, did the different types of shots and framing add value to your experience? If so, how? If not, why not? The montage of the film concentrates on shots which show Rocky`s gradual transformation. Some shots (as jogging near the sea port) are excessively long and acquire symbolic meaning. Moreover, quick-cutting montage is balanced with long and picturesque scenes. â€Å"Rocky`s† editing has determined some meditative pace along with logical ad coherent structure. You have engaged your critical thinking skills by becoming aware of and assessing various elements of film. How do these exercises connect the study of film to real-world experience? Additionally, in what other ways do films have cultural value? Explain

Speedo Environmental Analysis and Marketing Mix Essay

Speedo Environmental Analysis and Marketing Mix - Essay Example Speedo has emerged as the distinct and recognisable brand name for swim wear all across the globe especially for more athletic crowds. Innovative technologies have been in use at Speedo to improve drag characteristics for swimmers so that the use of Speedo swim wear has become extremely popular with athletes and sports fans. Speedo is already actively operating in the United States, Australia, most of Europe and Great Britain. Speedo has been sighted as the â€Å"leading player in the highly fragmented swimwear market† (Qumer, 2009). Given emerging challenges in the swim wear and sportswear markets there is constant need to evaluate the business environment so that a fitting marketing strategy can be developed and implemented. This study will concentrate on the market for Speedo available within the geographical limits of Great Britain. The investigation will proceed first through an analysis of the environment in which Speedo is operating, competitor analysis, followed by an analysis of targetable market segments. Two prominent market segments will be selected and defined after which a fitting marketing mix will be developed for each market segment identified. The study will corroborate its ideas using secondary sources while taking note of their credibility and chronological importance. Furthermore, the investigation presented below will attempt its best to delineate actual market conditions and practice but this study cannot be considered as a holistic solution in itself. Products In general, Speedo has been associated with swimwear due to its traditional branding style and due to the marketing strategy that focuses on swimwear more than on other Speedo products. However, Speedo has a differentiated product range that can be broadly classified as swimwear, sportswear, accessories, footwear, underwear and digital products (Horovitz, 2005). Though it is not common knowledge but both Speedo International and Speedo Australia offer a lineage of underwear that is sold at select David Jones retail stores only (Speedo, 2012 a). Swimwear Speedo is primarily a swimwear manufacturer and distributor. The bulk of the company’s business relies on swimwear. Speedo creates two particular forms of swimwear – professional for athletes as well as simple swimwear for the average swimmer. The specialised swimwear market of Speedo has long distinguished the company from other brands and competition. Speedo’s specialised swimwear has always been highly popular with professional athletics teams around the world. For example, 13 out of 15 swimming records broken at the Sydney Olympics (2000) were broken using Speedo swimsuits. In a similar manner, Speedo sponsored Michael Phelps was able to score eight medals in Athens in 2004 (Speedo, 2012 e). This performance by Speedo’s swimsuits was exceeded at the Beijing Olympics where Speedo’s regular brands and the specialized LZR Racer were able to take 92% of all medals (Spe edo, 2012 f). Speedo relies in large part on its specialized swimwear market to distinguish itself from other brands. This distinction allows Speedo to capture the regular swimwear market as well since its sports victories make it particularly attractive to the average swimmer. Speedo’s overall specialized swimwear market is small with an overall volume of $200 million as of 2008 (Qumer, 2009) but it is speculated that this market segment is vitally important for the overall business model. The swimwear offered by Speedo concentrates on two prime objectives – speed and style. The swimwear is offered not only for adults but for children alike. One of the more distinguishing characteristics of Speedo

Model answer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Model answer - Essay Example Welfare of people is often ignored while trading internationally as the major focus is on profits. A minority section gains maximum profit through the procedure who is not even citizens of the exploited nation. This is observed mainly in third world countries where people need to work under unfair conditions, with low wages or in unhealthy work environments, demonstrating the negative aspects of international trade (Stephen, 2011). The other negative issues are exhaustion and destruction of natural resources. It can also be stated that international trade increases dependencies amongst nations and enables supplying nation to exercise more power and impose trade restrictions on other nation, simply to achieve financial gains. Logistics can be defined as an effective management of the procedure through which resources are acquired, moved to different locations or stored as and when required. Logistics management encompasses identification of potential distributors and suppliers, and even evaluation of their effectiveness and accessibility so as to establish healthy relationships (Maloni and Benton, 2000). A logistic system comprises of various components such as customer service, transportation, inventory management, materials handling, storage, information processing, packaging, production planning, production planning, demand forecasting, facility location, purchasing and other related activities. These other activities for an organization can comprise of service support, effective handling of goods returned, maintenance functions and recycling operations (Fawcett and Magnan, 2002). A particular firm might not require all of the components to accomplish specific tasks. For instance, a service firm such as airlines encompasses elements such as maintenance, customer service, information processing, demand forecasting and purchasing functions so as to reach to the

Assigment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Assigment - Assignment Example Use of fibre optics or any other swift data transfer model is highly suitable to ensure instant transmission of signals following process at every processor unit. The databases and the communications facilities should be configured to entail majorly two notable configurations that include a centralized configuration and parallel system. Centralized database configuration enables the clients to bank at any point of the stated 11 branches. Centralization of the activities aims considering every activity undertaken in every client’s respective bank account. It aims at minimisation of errors or failures which may see the bank lose huge chunks of money to the surrounding. All the processes of withdrawing cash from the branches should effectively be processed at one central point, and it should lead to updating of the client’s database effectively. The deposits of cash, remuneration or payment of customer bills and deposits of checks can as well be undertaken on the mainframe. Secondly, the databases and data communications facilities at First State Bank should be configured to allow for the parallel database that aims at creating a parallel processing and thus avail two main important properties. The main properties include high speed up and subsequent excellent scale up qualities. Parallel database allows for the sharing various peripherals that would equally allow for automatic teller machines process and checking process or even saving accounts. By coordination other branches PCs, all the process are amply undertaken without much difficulty (Hall & Hall, 2011). In conclusion, the centralized database configuration with inherent entailed parallel database will highly allow for the highest levels of intended high speed client service by the system. In proper combination with hardware and software updated systems, there will be excellent improvement in the system output in terms of processing speed and relay speed. Systems

Apples Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Apples Strategic Management - Essay Example This study outlines that the company has exhibited growth, focusing on high-quality products. This paper will discuss the industry conditions in which the Apple Company operates and highlight its position in the market as well as the outstanding strategies. The electronics, phone, and computer industry is highly competitive. Numerous dominant economic characteristics determine the level of profitability in the industry. Some of these characteristics include the market size, which has been increasing in the recent years leading to more customers. Initially, the industry did not have many companies. However, there have been a remarkable number of companies in the industry recently. There is a high level of competitive rivalry because many of the products have similar features and each company is struggling to produce differentiated products. Technology and innovation cannot receive any form of underestimation in this industry because they determine the rate of launching new products in to the market. The market is full of technologically perceptive customers, a factor that compels the companies in the industry to invest in innovation. Moreover, the industry requires a high level of capital and immense investment in research and development. Other economic factors critical in this industry include scale economics, learning and experience defects. A combination of these economic factors determines the profitability in the industry. There is competition in the phone industry between existing firms such as Apple, Samsung, Nokia, and other emerging companies. On the other hand, the computer industry has competing firms such as Apple, Dell, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard (HP), and IBM. There is minimal chance that new entrants will emerge considering the numerous barriers that exist in the industry. For example, a high level of capital is mandatory for any entrants into the industry.

Cloud service technology and how is improving e-business Research Paper

Cloud service technology and how is improving e-business - Research Paper Example Cloud resources are usually shared by multiple users and dynamically reallocated per demand. This works for allocating resources to users. For instance, a cloud computer facility serving the entire Asian continent users during working hours with a specific Application like email is likely to reallocate the same resources to serve North African users during the working hours with a different application like web server (Armbrust et al., 2013). This approach maximizes the computer power usage hence decreasing environmental damage as less usage of power among other necessary requirements like air conditioning and rack. Cloud service technology enables multiple users to access a single server to be retrieved and update its data without necessarily purchasing various licenses for various applications (Armbrust et al., 2013). Cloud service technology has made it possible for companies to avoid upfront infrastructure costs. Instead, the companies have focused on projects that differentiate their businesses instead of infrastructure. In addition, the technology has allowed enterprises to get their applications up and running faster with less maintenance and improved manageability to enable information technology to adjust resources rapidly and meet the unpredictable and fluctuating demands of business (Bowen, 2011). The pay as you go model is the preferred model for cloud service technology. The model cautions administrators to adapt the cloud pricing model; otherwise, they are likely to pay high charges unexpectedly. The technology has enabled the production of hosted services. Cloud computing sells hosted services through application service provision. The application is run by client server software in remote locations. Some of the services are Software as a Service (SaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) among others (Bowen, 2011). End users can access cloud based applications via thin client, mobile applications and web browsers among

Morbid place Essay Example for Free

Morbid place Essay Pip thinks that Magwitch looks as though he is eluding the hands of the dead people, stretching up cautiously out of their graves, to get a twist upon his ankle and pull him in. There is a gibbet where a pirate had once been buried in the marshes and Pip looks at Magwitch as if he were the pirate come to life, and come down, and going back to hook himself up again. Dickens makes the reader wonder if that is how Magwitch is going to meet his end. The descriptions from Pip are very eloquent and show us that he has a wonderful imagination. In Dickenss time, criminals (and a person could be called this just for stealing a loaf of bread for his/her family, or committing some sort of petty crime) were thrown into prison or put in hulks. Hulks were old naval ships that had been converted into prisons; the convicts were shackled so that there was less chance of escaping. If a person escaped from a hulk s/he was transported to Australian on a ship that had atrocious living conditions, many people dies from disease or malnutrition before they arrive din Australia. People were thrown into the debtors prison when they got into any debt, even if they only owed a little bit of money. The person in debt was imprisoned indefinitely until the person who they owed the money was satisfied. Many debtors died in these prisons because of the terrible living conditions. This is extremely different to how it is now, and so the modern reader doesnt understand the situation. Today almost everyone is in some sort of debt; mortgages, loans, overdrafts, and yet no one is thrown into prison for it. Magwitch speaks as though hes not very educated. He says wittles when he means victuals, partickler instead of particular and percooliar when he should say peculiar. Dickens uses phonetics to show his dialect and colloquialisms. This makes Magwitch seem not very sophisticated. The younger Pips dialogue shows that he has had some sort of education as its a lot more educated than Magwitchs: If you would kindly please to let me keep upright, sir, perhaps I shouldnt be sick. But when compared to the older Pips dialogue, we can see that he became more educated: It was a dressing-room and prominent in it was a draped table with a gilded looking-glass. Miss Havisham and Estella seem to speak posh and rather snobby. When they are playing cards Estella says: He calls the knaves Jacks! She obviously thinks that her way of talking is proper. Dickens shows the reader how the different classes spoke in Victorian times; from the poor and uneducated (Magwitch) to the wealthy and refined (Miss Havisham). We dont see much of Estella and Dickens leaves the reader asking questions; who is the young and pretty girl and what is she doing in such a morbid place? But what we do see isnt very nice. Although she is a beautiful girl she is very vindictive. what coarse hands he has. And what thick boots! She makes Pip feel ashamed of himself and doesnt even say his name; she talks as if she is speaking about him to someone else, as if she could never lower her standards enough to talk to such a common thing. She put the mug down and on the stones of the yard, and gave me the bread and meat without looking at me, as insolently as if I were a dog in disgrace. She isnt satisfied until she makes Pip lean against the wall and cry and watched him twist his hair with bitter frustrations. Miss Havisham is unusual because although aged, she is not married. In Dickenss England a woman was expected to get married and then look after her husband and children for the rest of her life. This was necessary because women relied on their fathers, then their husbands. Without a husband how would a woman survive if her father died? Or ran into debt? This is another situation were that the modern reader finds unusual. These days, women have equal rights and do not need to get married. Dickens makes us feel some kind of consideration for Miss Havisham during our first meeting with her: The bride within the bridal dress had withered like the dress, and like the flowers She seems like an injured soul and we comprehend why when she says her heart is broken! The reader wonders how come Miss Havisham is in her unmarried state and this makes us feel sorry for her. She lives in the dark, keeping all the light out as if she cant bear to face the world. Then the readers attitude towards her changes when we realise that Miss Havisham just wants Pip for a plaything and we begin to feel less kind towards her. When she goes as far as telling Estella to beggar him and break his heart we definitely we definitely start to dislike her. The reader doesnt feel that Pip is safe with her. The differences between the happenings now and in Great Expectations make the modern reader surprised and mystified, but still able to relate to Pips story. Great Expectations is can still be related to today because at some point, everyone goes through the struggles that Pip must battle. It shows that assets and wealth do not change who people are inside, and that finding ones self can be a long tedious process until finally everything becomes clear. Dickens wrote Great Expectations as a way for him to introduce himself into his writing; many aspects of his life can be found in the book, making it very autobiographical. It was also a way of making his feelings known about the social issues in England in his time. He tells the reader not to judge people, as appearances are very deceptive. The moral of the story seems to be that no matter how you change your outward appearance and how much you educate yourself, you cant change who you really are.

Global Operations Strategy Of Hard Rock Cafe Tourism Essay

Global Operations Strategy Of Hard Rock Cafe Tourism Essay Among the four global operations strategy, Hard Rock Cafà © falls under a multidomestic strategy as all of its restaurants share the same type of themes while still maintaining certain differences towards different locations. All restaurants of this brand adopts the mission of promoting rock spirit, combining a cafà © environment with live music and rock n roll memorabilia museum. They are operated under united management styles and processes which favor flexibility, emphasize the Hard Rock values and apply precise administration with close planning and forecasting. However, Hard Rock Cafà © makes careful response to the differences in culture and interest in each specific location. For example, an average menu from Hard Rock Cafà © includes classic American food like burgers and chicken meat or lobster, however their restaurant in Hawaii locations also specialize  in fresh fish with delicious meals like fish tacos or ahi tuna sandwich. Hard Rock Cafà ©s retail shops provide l ocation-specific merchandise that cannot be purchased at anywhere else, not even online. In London, fans can acquire t-shirts with the name London printed on them while in Prague, Czech Republic, limited-edition Prague  signature pins with exclusive design quality  are sold. In order to success with this global operation strategy, Hard Rock Cafà © has made good response to the ten operation management decisions. First, their design of goods and services has brought their restaurants a unique, charming appearance that differentiates them well with other brands. Hard Rock Cafà © introduces the concept of experience to its operations. As customers dine at a Hard Rock Cafà ©s restaurant, what they can gain is not only a custom meal from the menu but also an unforgettable event with unique visual pleasure from various rock memorabilia and exciting sound experience from a variety of music activities. This kind of design has brought Hard Rock Cafà © a sharp edge to its competitiveness as theres nothing like an originator (Hard Rocks marketing director, Steve Glum, 2003). Other brands may find aspiration in its special concept; however it has something that cannot be easily copied, music and its $30 million-worth of historically priceless rock paraphernalia (Matt Haig, 2004, p. 233). Their retail merchandises, which take up to 48% of their sales, also carry heavy rock characteristics like Hard Ro ck Monopoly, Hard Rock Calendar, guitar case and other rock items. To follow the experience concept, Hard Rock Cafà © doesnt focus its quality managing effort on only some dishes or services but the experience that its customers get as a whole. Food quality is important, but more important is the quality of visuality and auditory. Hard Rock Cafe attaches much importance to customers opinions in valuating quality as in their experience concept, maximum value is what perceived by the customers. Hard Rock gives out surveys on a regular basis with the scores rating from 1 to 7, and to maintain the restaurants reputation of high quality, if the score is not 7, the service is considered a failure (Jay Heizer Barry Render, p. 56). About process and capacity design, Hard Rock Cafà © provides continuing training to its staff so that they remain highly competent, skillful and passionate about the main theme rock n roll. The restaurants are decorated by buying and displaying musical objects which are sometimes expensive and require much effort in preservation. Hard Rock also holds music events in which the number of fans participating may exceed 100,000 people. The locations of Hard Rocks restaurants are carefully chosen. According to Oliver Munday, Hard Rocks vice president, they have to look at political risk, currency and social normsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ In general, most of these restaurants are located where tourism is developed and in places where each restaurant itself has a great rate of exposure. For example, the Hard Rock Cafà © in Atlanta separates from major hotels and downtown attractions like Georgia Aquarium, Centennial Olympic Parkà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ for only a small walking distance. This location can be called a gold position as tourists can easily find and choose Hard Rock Cafà © as their dining destination easily without much effort. Another example, Hard Rocks newest restaurant in Japan is open at Universal CityWalk Osaka. These entertainment and retail districts are a part of the huge Universal Studios Japan theme park, a famous tourism destination that had welcomed 11 million visitors in its first year of operation and thus b ecome one of the most successful theme parks in history (Universal Studios Japan Welcomes 11 Millionth Visitor, PR Newswire, 2002). The restaurant is also situated in a gold position, at the Konohana park site, only 10 minutes by rail away from JR Osaka station. Thanks to this location, hungry tourists getting out of the station will be eager to stop at Hard Rock Cafà © for a little exciting experience before continuing on their tours. The layouts of Hard Rocks restaurants cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Each colorful layout is like a museum of musical history in the shell of a restaurant. The walls of the restaurants are decorated with memorabilia. Here and there, large television screens bombard the senses of guests with scenes from rock videos. There is quite a lot of space as a Hard Rock restaurant is usually large enough to hold a great number of seats and support live concerts and shows. All of these create a unique Hard Rock atmosphere that no other restaurant can possess. Not only that there are some differences between each location. In Florida, the lavish exterior features an old car driven through the building and the decorations make one think of an ancient ruin. In Prague, a 5-meter crystal guitar is hanging down from the ceiling, creating a rock n roll atmosphere attractive to all rock fans. These differences in design allow Hard Rocks customers to have truly unique visual experience as th ey visit its restaurants at many locations around the world. Up to 2010, Hard Rocks staff has reached 20,000 employees (http://www.hardrock.com). These employees play an indispensable part in keeping the experience economy concept alive. Hard Rocks restaurants have beautiful layouts, exciting music and unique memorabilia; however, what has truly close the bridge between these lifeless items and the customers is the staffs passionate attitude. Hard Rocks employees are not only skillful in their jobs but also quite knowledgeable about rock n roll. In Hard Rock Cafà ©, waiters and waitress pride themselves on being able to recognize every piece of musical paraphernalia, and the staff will enthusiastically engage in conversations with the guests to introduce the objects to them or encourage them to go around and find out the excitement by themselves. In order to ensure their staff to meet the above standard, Hard Rock Cafà © pays much attention to their human resource strategy. They have created a dynamic working culture that gives much ground t o personal development and individuality. Beside incentives like high pay rates and promotion opportunities, Hard Rock gives its staff continuing specific training and encourages them to be positive and self-motivated around the core Hard Rock Value. To minimize the input cost and to ensure the fresh state of its ingredients, Hard Rock Cafà © takes advantages of local supply whenever it can. For example, the restaurant in Honolulu purchases fresh fish from the fish auction near Honolulu Harbor. This action allows the restaurant to have a fresh, always available food source, and also help them to serve their special dish: fresh catch of the day (http://www.hawaiimagazine.com). Hard Rock Cafà ©s inventory consists of over 60,000 unique objects that once belonged to famous rock legends like Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ They range from lyric sheets and gold discs to even worn clothes and guitars. Packed with these items, each restaurant becomes a living museum of rock n roll history. In Hard Rock Cafà ©s restaurants, there are also many large flat screen televisions continuously play rock videos and concert footages. This type of inventory becomes one of the brands strength. Theyve got something people can connect to, music and memorabilia (Hard Rocks marketing director, Steve Glum, 2003). As Hard Rock Cafà © constantly grows all over the world with numerous rock concerts and events, its schedules are tightly managed both in long term and short term, large scale and individual scale. For a large event, a plan is made several months before the event day. The closer it gets to the event day, the tighter the schedule is managed. For example, the scheduling for the Rockfest event is done within a tight 9-month horizon, where it is updated monthly in the first 3 months, weekly in the next 6 months and twice a week in the last month (Jay Heizer Barry Render, p. 128). In order to pull off such a tight schedule, Hard Rock Cafà ©s managers must have good project management skills and good supportive software. The schedule of a staff is more flexible. Since 70% of its guests are tourists (Jay Heizer Barry Render, p. 82), Hard Rock Cafà © must have flexible schedules in their restaurant to answer the demands of tourism. For example, in Orlando, a famous tourist location, caf à © staff has schedule of 15-minute intervals to adapt to the seasonal and daily changes of this tourist environment (Jay Heizer Barry Render, p. 56). The special rock-theme of Hard Rock Cafà © requires it to make huge maintenance efforts. The collection of musical items are shared and rotated among restaurants from time to time (Matt Haig, 2004, p. 233). This type of maintenance is quite costly as moving these priceless musical items require not only transportation fee but also special protection and preservation. However, in doing so, the visual experience of a returning customer can remain unique as there are always new pieces of memorabilia to display. As of 2010, Hard Rock Cafà © has already opened a restaurant in Vietnam. This restaurant located at 39 Le Duan street, District 1,   Ho Chi Minh City. Hard Rock Cafà © still doesnt have any restaurant in Hanoi though. The opening of such restaurant will create both operations management opportunities and challenges for Hard Rock. In general view, Hanoi is a potential market in Vietnam. Even though she doesnt have as many entertainment site as Ho Chi Minh City, her cultural buildings, beautiful parks and traditional festivals can usually attract quite a few tourists. According to the statistics of Vietnam General Statistics Office, in the first 8 month of 2010, Hanoi has received about 6 625 000 tourism visits and expected to have a population of over 6 610 000 people. With these statistics, Hanoi will be a good choice for Hard Rock Cafà © to open a new restaurant here. The first challenge Hard Rock Cafà © will meet in opening a new restaurant in Hanoi might be how to find a good location. There may be many cultural sightseeing places all over the old city; however, both tourism activities and local entertainment activities are busiest in Hoan Kiem district, especially around Hoan Kiem Lake and the old quarters. This district has seen the appearance of many large restaurant brands. KFC has a restaurant at the most beautiful position available, beside Hoan Kiem Lake. BBQ has found a good location in the busy Trang Tien Street. Lotteria has a so-so but still good enough location right on the side of Hanoi Train Station. With Hard Rock Cafà ©s tradition of placing its restaurants in tourist locations with high exposure rate, the gold position is undoubtedly here. It will not be easy to find a place large enough to hold a Hard Rock restaurant here though, as this area has a high density of buildings where all business are packed together in a small sp ace. A lot negotiation will have to be made and quite a large amount of money will have to be invested as the price of land in this area is unfortunately highest in the country. There is of course the option of renting a large part or event a whole floor in a building like Highland Cafà © has done with Hanoi tower. However, with its noisy characteristic of rock music culture, this will not be very realistic. Choosing a location in more remote areas of Hanoi will be easier, but the forfeit of tourism attraction must be made up with lots of advertisement and promotion methods. For a Hard Rock Cafà © in Hanoi, there wont be the need to put too much effort in creating a specialized menu. Hard Rocks menu is often heavily affected by the local ingredients. Hanoi doesnt really have any special ingredients while her inhabitants are eager to have Western food as a change, and so its menu can safely stay with its traditional dishes of burgers and chickens. Local supply is plentiful with cheap prices because Hanoi has many satellite towns and provinces as her source of supply for chicken, pork and beef meats. However, this OM opportunity also comes with a challenge. The above source of supply may be cheap and easy to access, but it is also notorious for bad food hygiene and safety. Even though Hanoi government has issued a lot of food safety standards, administration and inspection activities are weak, which results in ingredients with bad quality floating on the market. In order to protect its high quality standards, Hard Rock Cafà © will have to explore the loc al environment to search for trustable suppliers for long-term partnership. Vietnams strength in attracting investment also lies in cheap labor forces. In Hanoi, Hard Rock Cafà © can find all kinds of labor with all kinds of education background. There are people with only high school education level eager to find jobs. There are also university students seeking for part time jobs to earn some money to support their own studying and living. This kind of labor force is cheap and easy to replace. These employees usually dont have much need and can agree easily to low incentives. As a side aspect, a little bonus may be enough to boost their morale hugely. Because of this, Hard Rock Cafà © will not have a hard time in hiring staff and maintaining them. However, the true hardship in human resource management is how to keep this type of staff true to the Hard Rock Cafà © value. In Vietnam, the education style is quite different from that of Eastern countries. Vietnamese students are taught in a passive environment where individuality doesnt have much important while the collective consciousness is highly encouraged. And in Hanoi, this passive characteristic is still very heavy. People in Ho Chi Minh City tend to be more dynamic and flexible with more open-minded thinking method. But because of its delicate but slow culture, Hanois townsmen tend to be more passive and rigid with more close-minded thinking method. The concept of self-motivated, individualistic and creative attitude may be quite unfamiliar to the employees that Hard Rock Cafà © can hire in Hanoi. As a consequence, even though the cost of labor may be low, the cost of training will be relatively high. In Hanoi, the maintenance efforts should not be only for Hard Rocks special collections of musical items but also for the staff itself. To maintain a high quality standard, the staff must also be maintained carefully. The quality of a Vietnamese staff in the restaurant field tends to deteriorate slowly if the managers dont pay enough attention. One of the most important reasons is that except cooks, not many people will consider a position in a restaurant to be the solid foundation of their careers. The case of Mega Star can be taken to view this matter more clearly. Even though Mega Star is a cinema brand, its cinema groups often come with large fast food stalls, and Hard Rock may as well pull one or two lessons from this brand in dealing with a Vietnamese staff. In their first months of operations, Mega Star quickly won over the heart of their customers with five-star services. Their employees were highly professional with positive attitudes, always ready to answer every question f rom customers. However as time go by, because of many reasons, the lack of adequate continuously training, the low incentives, the insufficient number of staff, the come-and-go nature of the labor force,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the quality of their staff falls, and in my opinion, falls terribly. Just a little surfing around the internet, we can find quite a lot of complaints from Mega Star customers. Many people, including me myself, miss the old days when we were greeted with smiles from the first steps into the cinema group and not being driven crazy with the attitude I-dont-know-but-somebody-may-know almost every time we sought for help. In Hard Rock Cafà ©s case, Hard Rock places a great deal of importance in their human resource strategy and their employees also play an indispensable role in applying the experience economy concept in reality. Extra efforts like more training, better bonusà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ will not be unnecessary in order to maintain the high quality of the staff. In fact, according to the official website of Hard Rock Cafà ©, beside the restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City another Vietnam-based restaurant is planned to open in 2011 in Hanoi. Im looking forward to this new opening and cant wait to see how much successful will Hard Rock Cafà © be in Hanoi.

Jane Austens Emma - Rebel or Conformist? Essay -- Austen Emma Essays

Emma - Rebel or Conformist?    Near the town of Highbury, a village located in the eighteenth century English countryside, sits the estate of Hartfield where Emma Woodhouse resides with her health conscious father who finds fault with all of life's necessities. When Emma's governess and close comrade, Miss Taylor, marries Mr. Weston, an affluent neighbor, and moves to his nearby estate, sociable Emma is forced to find herself a new companion. Harriet Smith, a naive teen who lives at Mrs. Goddard's boarding school, though of a lower class due to her illegitimacy, seems desperately in need of Emma's management and counsel. Sure that she was the cause of the perfect match between Miss Taylor and Mr. Weston, Emma is determined to find an equally exceptional match for Harriet. The young rector, Mr. Elton, seems the perfect candidate for a future husband, and Emma sets out to match her new friend with the young clergyman. The imaginative Emma views Mr. Elton as falling deeply in love with Harriet and greatly encourages Harriet's feelings for him to inflame. When an old friend of Harriet's, Robert Martin, who is equal to her in social status, sends her a marriage proposal, Emma quickly discourages it and helps Harriet write the letter of refusal. Mr. Knightely, Emma's neighbor and close friend is greatly disappointed by this action and tells Emma that Harriet made a formidable mistake in refusing such an offer. Emma does not care for this response for in her eyes Mr. Elton's feelings for Harriet are blossoming beautifully and are quickly being reciprocated. On the eve of a dinner held at the Weston's estate, Harriet comes down with a cold and Emma is disappointed in Mr. Elton's lack of sympathy for the invalid. The sno... ...y were so rigid of structure that a person's respectability was tarnished if they broke one of the standards. Emma Woodhouse tries to defy some of these codes, but finds that it is much easier to live up to the standards society determines. Works Cited and Consulted Austen, Jane. Emma. Ed. Stephen M. Parrish. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 1993. Brown, Julia Prewitt. â€Å"Civilization and the Contentment of Emma.† Modern Critical Views: Jane Austen. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. 87-108. Johnson, Claudia L. â€Å"’Not at All What a Man Should Be!’: Remaking English Manhood in Emma.† Equivocal Beings: Politics, Gender, and Sentimentality in the 1790s. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1995. 191-203. Litz, A. Walton. "Limits of Freedom: Emma" Emma. 1972. Norton Critical ed. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993, 369-377

Oresteia: Revenge Essay -- essays research papers

In the Oresteia there seems to be a continuing cycle of revenge. Someone is murdered and then a relative must kill the murderer, therefore becoming a murderer himself. A new chosen one is then selected to take revenge on that person who killed before him and the cycle goes on and on. The furies also play a part in this cycle of revenge. They seek out those who kill their blood relatives and haunt them and torture them for eternity. So basically they also take revenge for the ones that have been murdered. Revenge is a continuing theme throughout the play until Athena has a hand in making it come to an end. Apollo sends Orestes to visit the goddess Athena for judgment in the case of him murdering his mother because the furies continue to pursue him even though Apollo has washed his hands clean of the murder. He tells Orestes, â€Å"we will find the means to free you from this toil you’ve been caught in, once and for all. For I persuaded you to kill your mother† (97-9). Apollo is taking responsibility for this murder that Orestes committed. The furies, however, are not concerned with the fact that Apollo ordered Orestes to take revenge for his father. They only seem to focus in on the fact the he did murder his mother. The furies have no care as to why he did it, so Athena will be the one to listen to their cases and decide who is in the right or wrong. When finally he reaches Athena’s court, he tells her of the previous events. He says, â€Å"So I returned, after my years of exile, an...

battle of hastings recruiting :: essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  October 14th of the year 1066 two armies faced each other near the town of Hastings. 10,000 Norman troops under the command of William of Normandy faced 8,000 Anglo-Saxon soldiers led by Harold the current king of England. Geoffrey Parker, Cambridge Illustrated History of Warfare (Cambridge: 1995), pp. 82-3. Harold's 8,000 men consisted of Housecarls, the local Fyrd, and local village volunteers. David Howarth, 1066: The Year of the Conquest (New York: 1977),pp.170-1 The two armies clashed on that day and history tells us the outcome. But what forces go into creating an army of these sizes? The three main Anglo-Saxon troop types will be defined and the forces that created them will be examined below.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Three troop types would fight for the Anglo-Saxons the Housecarls, the Fyrd, and local peasantry. The Housecarls were professional soldiers under the service of the King and the Earls of the Kingdom. Harold used the Housecarls of the King and his Housecarls of his Earldom of Wessex. He also used the Housecarls of his two brothers. The Fyrd was a volunteer citizen army provided by the Thanes of the kingdom. The local peasants fought to protect their homes. David Howarth, 1066: The Year of the Conquest (New York: 1977), pp. 80-1. There were two divisions of fyrd in the 11th century one consisting of a local peasant force and the other a select levy force. C. Warren Hollister, Anglo-Saxon Military Institutions: On the Eve of the Norman Conquest (Oxford: 1962), p. 26.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The local peasant Fyrd that fought at Hastings came from Sussex. C. Warren Hollister, Anglo-Saxon Military Institutions: On the Eve of the Norman Conquest (Oxford: 1962), p.30. All freemen of the area were obligated to provide protection for the local area. This obligation was connected with financial and agricultural obligations. C. Warren Hollister, Anglo-Saxon Military Institutions: On the Eve of the Norman Conquest (Oxford: 1962), pp. 35-6. The peasant fighting force is a Germanic tradition in origin. Based upon a freeman's duty to defend the lands of the king, however the peasant force is a limited army. The king is required to pay the troops if needed for them to leave the area. The peasants have the right to return to there homes at the end of the day. However, they must provide their own equipment. C. Warren Hollister, Anglo-Saxon Military Institutions: On the Eve of the Norman Conquest (Oxford: 1962), pp. 27-8. The primary function of the peasant Fyrd was to provide defense against enemies attack from the sea, such as the events at Hastings.

A brief analysis of Sir Philip Sidney’s Sonnet Essay

Sir Philip Sidneys Sonnet 7 is from the sonnet sequence Astophel and Stella dating from the sixteenth century. It is a lament by one of the central figures, Astophel, a man who is in love with the other central figure, Stella, who is ultimately unattainable because she is married to another man. In the first few lines of the poem, Astrophil talks about Stellas black eyes and how they beam so bright (ll. 2) and how in beamy black (ll. 3) she radiates beauty. The excerpt chosen begins with Or did she else that sober hue devise,/ In object best to knit and strength our sight, (ll. 5-6) meaning that perhaps her eyes are not only black but she is actually wearing black, and uses this color as an object to help make her more noticeable among other shades and light (ll. 4). The image given here is one of black versus white specifically, beamy black (ll. 3) versus luster shades and light (ll. 4). However, as one would more traditionally see the sparkling shades and light as way of strength[ening] our sight (ll. 6), in this case it is in fact black, that makes her stand out and more noticeable, because she makes it more beautiful than anything else in comparison. In the next two lines Astrophil says, Lest if no veil these brave gleams did disguise,/ They, sun-like, should more dazzle than delight? (ll. 7-8) meaning that if nothing was to cover her black sun-like (ll. 8) eyes it would only further intensify ones confusion rather than just being a source of enjoyment for the onlooker. In the next two lines Astrophil again reiterates how with her miraculous power (ll. 9) she makes black beautys contrary (ll. 10) a source for all beauties [to] flow (ll. 11). Coming to the end of the poem, last three lines suggest that perhaps Stella also has some sort of feelings towards Astrophil, or at least respects the fact that he loves her because it is out of her minding Love (ll. 12) that she wears black her mourning weed (ll. 13) and that she wears it to honour all their deaths who for her bleed (ll. 14) meaning for all of the men who have loved and desired her but could not have her, leaving them emotionally dead. These last lines also help establish not only the ultimate truth that Astrophil and Stella will never in reality be together, but also that the only thing left for Astrophil to do is to desire her and long for her as emotionally otherwise, he is dead and not capable of much else. This theme of men falling in love with the unattainable, or in this case unavailable, woman is quite common in  romantic sonnets. For example, Wyatts Whoso List to Hunt, or even Marlowes The Passionate Shepherd to His Love also describe this longing desire that men have for these women, and ultimately reveals the trials and tribulations they will go through in order to pursue them. ~ The only work consulted during the composition of this essay was the sonnet itself.

Educating Special Needs Students Essay

This essay is entitled Educating Special Needs Students, the author will discuss and several important issues, which will be the following; the defining of Mental Retardation a term the author despises, Autism, Severe Disabilities and Multiple Disabilities, also their causes, and the impact of these disabilities have on the education of students with Mental Retardation. In addition to the above mentioned, the essay will identify areas of curriculum, necessary for students with severe disabilities and will explain why. Addressed also will be the following; using the authors’ local school district, Las Vegas Nevada, an investigation into the policies, procedures, and programs for the education, of students with Mental Retardation, Autism, and or Severe Multiple Disabilities. Lastly, an explanation of how these policies, programs, and procedures, either address or ignore the area of curriculum, the author has listed within the content of the essay. According to the Association for Retarded Citizens or (AAMR), Mental Retardation is defined as; a disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills. Though its causes can be attributed to a variable amount of many things, here are just a few of known caused medical factors; Genetic conditions, which have been the results from abnormalities of genes inherited from one or both parents, errors when genes combine, or from other disorders of the genes caused during pregnancy by infections, overexposure to x-rays and other factors. Problems during pregnancy, some of these problems, in the opinion of the author, are definitely avoidable such as; the use of alcohol or drugs by the pregnant mother which can cause mental retardation. Other problems exist too such as, Malnutrition, rubella, glandular disorders and diabetes, and cytomegalovirus. Many of these types of illnesses can be traced back to the mother and often times in the early trimester of the pregnancy. Another of hese causes is Poverty and cultural deprivation, in which children in poor families may become mentally retarded because of malnutrition, disease-producing conditions, and inadequate medical care. This brings us to one of â€Å"the most† controversial topics of late; â€Å"Autism†. It is defined as; a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by great difficulty in communicating and forming relationships, a mental condition in which fantasy dominates over reality, as a symptom of schizophrenia and other disorde rs. The causes of this disability are still up for debate however, the Autism Society of America (ASA) defines it as the following; â€Å"Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. The causes of this disability are attributed to the following; Depakote, also called Valproate, an anti-seizure medication, taken during pregnancy, Fragile X syndrome, a genetic disorder, Rett syndrome, a genetic disorder affecting only females, Tuberous sclerosis, a rare genetic disorder and Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. Lastly defined are Severe Disabilities and Multiple Disabilities, those who traditionally have been labeled, as having severe to profound cognitive impairments or intellectual disabilities. It is difficult to define this term precisely because, during the authors’ research, there is no one clear definition that; covers all the conditions that special educators and psychologists know about this disability. So, what is the impact of disabilities on the education of students with mental retardation? Well compared to their peers, most students with severe and multiple disabilities learn more slowly, forget more readily, and experience problems generalizing skills from situation to situation. This makes educating students with this particular disability more challenging and often times harder to manage. â€Å"The public education of these students must start early and continue at some level throughout life. Second, all students typically need speech and language intervention, while many others will need physical and occupational therapy. Students with sensory impairments may need interpreters and mobility trainers, while some with medical needs may require nursing services or supervision. Third, because the educational teams of students are often large, close collaboration between members is essential if their expertise is to result in improved student functioning. The benefits of integrating therapy into natural activities are now being widely accepted over the traditional practice of isolated, or pull-out, therapy. † The essay will now turn its focus to the attention of identifying areas of curriculum, necessary for students with severe disabilities and will explain why. To begin, the Handicapped Children’s Act of 1975, federal emphasis shifted from curriculum development to preparing and implementing individualized educational programs for students with disabilities (Meyen, 1996). Why, because in the opinion of the author, every student in every state deserves to have the best available education the Department of Education has out there also, with the use of modern technology there is no obstacle to hard to overcome. The following statement illustrates the authors’ point. Students with complex healthcare issues, significant developmental delays, and severe multiple disabilities require approaches that offer intensive levels of support. Students who are blind, deaf, deaf-blind, and autistic may in some cases require the same degree of support, but they also require more specialized curriculum and teaching approaches (in, for example, technology and literacy). Additionally, such students may require specialized resources from related service providers (such as orientation and mobility instructors or audiologists). the National Center on Accessible Instructional Material. In the conclusion of this essay, using the authors’ local school district, Las Vegas Nevada, an investigation into the policies, procedures, and programs for the education, of students with Mental Retardation, Autism, and or Severe Multiple Disabilities, and an explanation of how these policies, programs, and procedures, either address or ignore the area of curriculum, the author has listed within the content of the essay. According to Charlene Green, a teacher in the Nevada Clark County School district, she’s seen the number of children with autism spectrum disorders in her charge increase from 96 to more than 1,000. Green, the associate superintendent for student support services in the Las Vegas-area district, oversees those children’s education–an expensive, complicated task. Moreover she says, â€Å"The school system was at a nadir in dealing with the needs of its autistic children and their parents. We were being bombarded with due process requests,† she says, by parents who sought legal recourse against a school system they believed wasn’t providing the necessary education for their children, as schools are required to do under the 1990 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). † Educating students with Mental Retardation; While the author has lived in the city of Las Vegas for over eight years now, there is no clear Policy, nor procedure in which the author could find to answer this question, to his surprise the list below was researched and readily available; Las Vegas, Nevada Courses – Regis University-Colorado college †¦ Special needs jobs in Las Vegas, NV | careerjet. com, Special education jobs in Las Vegas, NV | careerjet. com and this list just goes on from here. But under the Department of Education in Nevada it reads as follows; Nevada Department of Education Office of Special Education, Elementary and Secondary Education, and School Improvement Programs; Under federal and state law, each student with a disability is entitled to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Special education programs in Nevada serve students with identified disabilities in one of the twelve categories established in Nevada Revised Statutes, Chapter 388. School districts must provide the services necessary to assure FAPE for all students with disabilities, without regard to the adequacy of state revenues to support the costs. In closing and in the opinion of the author, â€Å"we†, this means everyone who works in the educational industry as a Teacher, Principle, or Administrator, must focus on all available data to, not only include but, to educate every student no matter what the disability.