Reaction Outcome Evaluation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Reaction Outcome Evaluation - Assignment Example As per Kirkpatrick’s Reaction Outcome Evaluation, the first level of evaluation would be to identify how the participants responded to the training program. One can say that this is the most important part of the evaluation as to pin-point at which area the program is needed to be modified. This is despite the fact that a number of reviewers are not agreeing at this level and acknowledging individuality as the reason. As the latter statements being declared, the evaluation system by Kirkpatrick would need tedious observation and an equal amount of understanding before one could conclude if the training conducted was successful or not (Rae, 2002). In evaluating the training program conducted, there seems to be a lack of interest within the employees themselves. One reason for this could be the fact that there are fewer interactions between participants in the program as the training was computer-based. Another factor, which could have affected the attitude of the employees, would be the fact that the training was to be done during an available time for an employee. Instead of enjoying a well-deserve break, two hours of it would be spent doing the computer-based training program. Also, if a module is not that much understood by the employee, only a limited number of resource person can be approached with an immediate response. This fact does affect the comprehension of an employee as the concern was not answered in a timely manner. Another reason is that, a person can just scan through the module without fully understanding it just to say that the employee has finished the training. The reason for the failure of the program wa s it was not properly supervised (Toney, 2002). Though paper-less training could be more practical, it should be properly executed and supervised. As per the recently concluded training, the execution was not on the basis of training

The theme in The Lord Of The Flies by William Golding Essay Example for Free

The theme in The Lord Of The Flies by William Golding Essay The pristine stillness of the sandy knoll was set off by the crystal shine of the waves slowly rolling toward shore. The waves gently lapped at the pure white sands of an island in the Pacific Ocean. The only object that stood out of from the perfectly even surface that only an undisturbed course of nature could create, at first glance appeared to be only a rock. The rough spiky surface of the object made the glass-like smoothness seem like a mahogany table with a nail driven into it. If one were to pass by it on a lonely beach they would think it only to be an odd stone, but if the shell were to be flipped over, it would reveal an aurora of pinks and creams. The smoothness to the touch is unsurpassed in almost any element of creation. Many are fooled by the unsurprising outside but the few who take the time to examine it closely are treated a sight incredible beauty. None could guess that this shell would play a strategic role in the survival of a group of boys stranded on that very island peace and euphoria. The theme of this book is the inevitable decline of civilization without rules and order. In almost every thing we do there is an order and society and everyone has a place in that society. A huge example could be government where the head of government rests mainly with the president and he decides how the country should run. While on a Soccer team there is a captain who decides many things for the team and how the game should be played. Its not always a leader but it could be a symbol of leadership, a scepter is a symbol of the kings power and it granted the right to state the persons opinion. Just like the scepter was a leadership symbol, and played an essential role in the society of the kingdom. The conch plays a vital role in the order of the boys society. The sound of the conch reverberated throughout the island and soon children the thick jungle and beach became alive with running children. Ralph and Piggy are the first ones to find the conch. From the very start the conch is the thing that brings the boys together and gets organized. At the first meeting of the children who were stranded on the island, Ralph began by making rules and putting to the vote that should become leader. Another rule, which was clearly defined, was that whoever was holding the conch had the right to say anything that he wished. Throughout the rest of the story the conch is used mainly to call meetings. During these meetings whomever had the conch had the right to speak. The conch was like a scepter, which granted rights to the speaker. Ralph and Jack, the rival leaders, one represents order and civility under desperate situations, the type of society and logic that would have made the best British proud. The other leader led his group the inevitable social decline of a society with no regulations or boundaries. The wild savagery of this group was displayed in their brutal murder of both Simon and Piggy who posed no harm to any of them. Every modern civilization has a symbol of justice and supremacy. The conch is the symbol of Ralphs tribe which looked for ways to be rescued and survival instead of becoming uncontrollably wild. Jack, who was the chief of the other tribe, immortalized the pig and hunting, the killing and eating of it. When Jack formed his own band, it is a turning point in the story. Ralphs plan of survival and rescue becomes threatened and eventually destroyed by the escalating savagery and cruelty of the savage tribe. It started innocently, almost a game. Jack and the choirboys were going to be the hunters for the boys stranded on the island. Unfortunately the pig hunting became an obsession and when they finally did kill a pig with their primitive means they began to act primitively. This is illustrated by when the boys during their feast at the castle rock failed to recognize the conch as the supreme authority. Piggy said right before he died: Stop it you are acting like a bunch of kids. Piggy was referring to what we would call terrible two-year-olds. They thought that they knew better, and like most two year-olds led them only to trouble and they always think that they are the authority on every issue. That is exactly what the hunters were doing, not listening to authority. They refused to pay attention to the voice of wisdom (Piggy) and not only did not listen but destroyed Piggy and the conch. Throughout the book Ralph had blown the conch to assemble meetings. They had used it as a symbol of authority, something to give the boys a sense of order and dignity. When Jack didnt listen to the call of wisdom all order and society collapsed. The theme of this book is the inevitable decline of civilization without rules and order. In almost every thing we do there is an order and society and everyone has a place in that society. A huge example could be government where the head of government rests mainly with the president and he decides how the country should run. While on a Soccer team there is a captain who decides many things for the team and how the game should be played. Its not always a leader but it could be a symbol of leadership, a scepter is a symbol of the kings power and it granted the right to state the persons opinion. Just like the scepter was a leadership symbol, and played an essential role in the society of the kingdom. The conch plays a vital role in the order of the boys society. This story clearly illustrated the fragility of civilization. The conch represents the systematic order that hold it all together. As was exemplified in this story man can easily go back to their wild unruly state. Draft horses can illustrate this point, The only thing that holds them from doing their own way is the bit in the horses mouth. Even though this piece of metal is puny compared to the half-ton of meat and muscle, without this vital part of equipment the horse would have no idea what to do or where to go. And all order and discipline would go to the dogs.

Sampling Methods Essays -- Statistics

Sampling is the framework on which any form of research is carried out. A suitable sample that meets the inclusion and exclusion criteria of a research design must be chosen from a given population to carry out studies. In this essay comparison is made between stratified random sampling and convenience sampling. The population on which the researcher is interested in carrying out his or her research may be too large, therefore a suitable sample which can represent the population in correct proportion must be chosen. Restraints such as limitation of time, resources and many other factors necessitate the selection of a sample for research purpose so that better quality data is obtained from it and that the researcher can make statement about the population he or she is interested in (French,S et al.,2001,).The method of sampling should be cost effective, less time consuming and be simple in design to attract participants but care should be taken that accurate and valid data can be col lected. The sample on which the study is actually done is derived from the population which is accessible to the researcher; the study sample may include all of the accessible population or a fraction of it and this accessible population is a part of the target population. The target population is the collection of cases to which generalization can be made and on which the researcher is ultimately interested in (Sim,J and Wright,C. 2000). Hence the entire process of collection of samples for the indented study can be termed as sampling. Sampling is broadly divided into probability sampling; in which the selection of samples are done at random and non- probability sampling; where selection of samples is entirely dependent on the researcher’s choice and ... ...ana, M., (1997). Research for the health professional: A practical guide. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis. Bowling, A., (2001). Research methods in health: Investigating health and health services. 2nd ed. Berkshire: Open University press. Buddhakulsomsiri, J. Parthanadee, P.,(2008).Stratified random sampling for estimating billing accuracy in health care system. Health care management science, vol.11 (1), pp.41-54. Available through:medline(accessed 25 0ct 2010). French, S. Reynolds, F. Swain, J., (2001). Practical research: A guide for therapist. 2nd ed. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann. Portney, L, G. Watkins, M, P.,( 2009). Foundation of clinical research: Application to practice. 3rd ed. Upper saddle River, N.J: Pearson prentice hall. Sim, j. Wright, C.,( 2000). Research in health care: Concepts, Design and Methods. Cheltenham: Stanley thrones (publisher) Ltd.

Hospitals and Long-Term Care Facilities Essay

Abstract Hospitals can be set up as nonprofit or for-profit facilities. The differences between the nonprofit and for profit hospitals will be discussed. Hospitals have experienced different trends in the last thirty years. This paper will identify at least three major trends that have occurred within the hospital sector. Three examples that describe and differentiate the roles of hospitals and nursing homes are providing long-term care. The conclusion of this paper will be a brief critiquing of the current state of long-term care policy in the United States. Hospitals and Long-Term Care Facilities The differences between nonprofit and for-profit hospitals: A characteristic as stated by Williams and Torrens (2008) of nonprofit hospitals is that these hospitals do not function under the realm of regular corporate law but under a special provision of the corporate law in each state. It is also noted that nonprofit hospitals also function under special federal and state tax provisions because of recognition of their community service function. Other characteristics of nonprofit hospitals are they do not have owners and their governing body is a community based board that has complete authority over operations. Nonprofit hospitals, in general, are not required to pay most of the taxes at federal, state and local levels. Under section 501C (3) of the federal tax code, the non-profits are exempt. Due to this exemption status donations made by individuals are tax deductible. Nonprofit entities are not only expected to care for the destitute and poor but they are also expected to provi de a variety of services to the community (Williams & Torrens, 2008). Now that the characteristics of the non-profit have been outlined the for-profit entities make-up will be discussed. For profit entities, unlike nonprofit ones, have owners. The owners are issued stocks and these stocks reflect the owner’s equity position. â€Å"For- profit  entities, including hospitals, may be publicly or privately held† (Williams & Torrens, 2008, p. 186). Stocks for entities for-profit that are publicly held are made available for anyone to purchase. Publicly held for-profit entities are plagued with various accountability and regulation rules that are supervised by the Securities and Exchange Commission at both federal and state level. Williams and Torrens (2008) state that privately held for-profit entities issue stock but the difference in public versus private issuing of stock is that the private for-profit stock is not available for purchase by the general public. For-profit hospitals, in the past, have been owned by the physicians who work in them but due to the astronomical costs of such expenditures as: building, maintaining and operating a hospital in today’s market the trend of physician owned for-profit hospitals is almost extinct. The majority of for-profit hospitals in the United States are part of a large multihospital chain. The multi chains of hospitals as stated by Williams & Torrens (2008) are publicly traded. For-profit hospitals do not serve only the community but they are also expected to operate at a profit so that the equity investors receive a return on their capital (Williams & Torrens, 2008). Three major trends that have occurred within the hospital sector. One of three major trends that have occurred within the hospital sector is the increase in specialty hospitals. The specialty hospitals focus on such areas as cancer and heart disease as well as profitable fields like orthopedic surgery. The specialty hospitals as stated by Williams & Torrens (2008) show an increase of being owned partially by the physicians who practice in them. Some would make the argument that the specialty hospitals provide the best care while others see these hospitals as entities that â€Å"siphon off insured and relatively healthier patients leaving the less profitable and more complicated cases to community general hospitals† (Williams & Torrens, 2008, p. 194). Concerns raised by the physicians’ ownership of the specialty hospitals include but not limited to are that the financial incentives will affect the treatment decisions (i.e. diagnostic services) and also that the physicians will treat the less complicated but yet more profitable health care cases and leave the biggest burden of caring for the less fortunate, financially challenged and uninsured individuals to the community and public hospitals (Williams & Torrens, 2008) Another trend that has occurred within the hospital sector  is in the field of technology. â€Å"Technology has shaped the physical and operational structures of hospitals, has affected the lives of patients and families, and has provided a delivery vehicle for physicians in clinical practice† (Williams & Torrens, 2008, p. 195). It is technological research that allows for the services hospitals provide for example anesthesia and antisepsis laid the ground work for surgical care and imaging technology has impacted effective intervention for individuals seeking care in a hospital atmosphere. Technology has affected a vast array of individuals: obstetric patients, those in need of pediatric care and terminally ill patients just to name a few. Advanced technology has led to development â€Å"increased specialization, clinical practices, expansion of specialized services, new medical and surgical specialties, and treatments for many diseases for which little curative or other care could be provided† (Williams & Torrens, 2008, p. 195). While continued advance technology leads toward continuous improved health care it also brings along with it problems, especially for the hospitals. The hospitals are immensely gratified by the increased technology and its application to improve overall general health but along with the benefits comes complications. Hospitals are expected to provide the most up to date technology but at the most effective pricing to please their customers, patients and physicians. This presents a major challenge to hospitals (Williams & Torrens, 2008) Academic medical centers are another trend that has occurred within the hospital sector. Academic medical centers are composed of medical schools and thei r primary teaching hospitals. The â€Å"academic medical centers provide tertiary, secondary, and primary care but have a principal focus on biomedical research, teaching of medical residents and medical students, and often an array of other professional training, research, and services activities† (Williams & Torrens, 2008, p. 196). Unlike other hospitals, the academic medical center does not have top priorities of financial efficiency and customer satisfaction. Great demands are placed on these facilities by physicians and researchers to provide the latest technology and staffing for the assurance of teaching and clinical investigation. According to Williams and Torrens (2008) the long-term strengths and successes of our health care systems depends largely on the success of the academic medical centers to achieve their mission. Three examples that describe and differentiate the roles of hospitals and nursing  homes in providing long term care. The nursing home facility is for patients who need extended care because they are very sick or unable to function without continued nursing and supportive services in a formal health care facility. These patients are sick and/or are in need of assistance but they are not ill enough that they require the intense treatment and care offered at a hospital. According to Will iams and Torrens (2008) about forty-seven percent of all nursing home facility care is paid for by Medicaid and residents and their families pay approximately one-third of the cost for the facility services. In recent years the length of time one stays at a nursing home has greatly decreased. Even with the decrease in stay there is still a fifty percent chance of an individual in his/her lifetime having to spend some time in a nursing facility. Both of these previous mentioned trends is reflective of the nursing facilities moving toward becoming more technologically sophisticated as well as being able to function as more of a short term temporary residence for patients in between the hospital and going home (Williams & Torrens, 2008). Hospitals are designed to take care of the more acute problems and emergencies. Hospitals provide a wide array of outpatient services. The outpatient services range from â€Å"rehabilitation to mental health counseling to outpatient surgery† (Williams & Torrens, 2008, p. 205). Unlike the nursing home facility the primary source of payment for hospital stay and services is Medicare and private insurance and very little payment comes from individuals. The current state of long-term care policy in the United States. Medicare provides financing for medical care for nearly all elderly Americans and others with certain disabilities but this does not hold true for long-term care. The majority of individuals needing long term must depend on family and friends and sometimes the community they live in. There is a lot of work to be done in the United States as it relates to the financing of long term care for every needy individual (Williams & Torrens, 2008). There is no clear and precise policy in the United States for long-term care but there are different provisions within Medicare and Medicaid that provide for long-term services for some (not all) individuals in need of it. While the financing of long-term care has been and continues to be a challenge for the United States there have been strives in the care coordination of long-term patients. The care coordination that has emerged through the years for long  term care patients appears to be relatively effective. â€Å"Quality is enhanced when information is communicated among all the professionals caring for a person, and efficiencies are achieved when duplication of services is avoided† (Williams & Torrens, 2008, p. 211). Case management, which is a process that encompasses the following: case identification, assessment, care planning, service arrangement, monitoring and reassessment enables one professional individual to work with the family to coordinate and obtain all of the services that the long term care patient may need. Case management has proven to have one of the most positive effects of improving long-term care (Williams & Torrens, 2008). References Williams, S. J., & Torrens, P. R. (Eds.). (2008). Introduction to health services: 2010 custom edition (7th ed.). New York: Cengage Delmar Learning.

Virgin

289 CASE EXAMPLE The Virgin Group Aidan McQuade Introduction The Virgin Group is one of the UK’s largest private companies. The group included, in 2006, 63 businesses as diverse as airlines, health clubs, music stores and trains. The group included Virgin Galactic, which promised to take paying passengers into sub-orbital space. The personal image and personality of the founder, Richard Branson, were highly bound up with those of the company. Branson’s taste for publicity has led him to stunts as diverse as appearing as a cockney street trader in the US comedy Friends, to attempting a non-stop balloon flight around the world.This has certainly contributed to the definition and recognisability of the brand. Research has showed that the Virgin name was associated with words such as ‘fun’, ‘innovative’, ‘daring’ and ‘successful’. In 2006 Branson announced plans to invest $3bn (A2. 4bn; ? 1. 7bn) in renewable energy. Virgi n, through its partnership with a cable company NTL, also undertook an expansion into media challenging publicly the way NewsCorp operated in the UK and the effects on British democracy. The nature and scale of both these initiatives suggests that Branson’s taste for his brand of business remains undimmed. Origins and activitiesVirgin was founded in 1970 as a mail order record business and developed as a private company in music publishing and retailing. In 1986 the company was floated on the stock exchange with a turnover of ? 250m (A362. 5m). However, Branson became tired of the public listing obligations: he resented making presentations in the City to people whom, he believed, did not understand the business. The pressure to create short-term profit, especially as the share price began to fall, was the final straw: Branson decided to take the business back into private ownership and the shares were bought back at the original offer price.The name Virgin was chosen to repr esent the idea of the company being a virgin in every business it entered. Branson has said that: ‘The brand is the single most important asset that we have; our ultimate objective is to establish it as a major global name. ’ This does not mean that Virgin underestimates the importance of understanding the businesses that it is branding. Referring to his intent to set up a ‘green’ energy company producing ethanol and cellulosic ethanol fuels in competition with the oil industry, he said, ‘We’re a slightly unusual company in that we go into industries we know nothing about and immerse ourselves. Virgin’s expansion had often been through joint ventures whereby Virgin provided the brand and its partner provided the majority of capital. For example, the Virgin Group’s move into clothing and cosmetics required an initial outlay of only ? 1,000, whilst its partner, Victory Corporation, invested ? 20m. With Virgin Mobile, Virgin built a business by forming partnerships with existing wireless operators to sell services under the Virgin brand name. The carriers’ competences lay in network management. Virgin set out to differentiate itself by offering innovativeThis case was updated and revised by Aidan McQuade, University of Strathclyde Graduate School of Business, based upon work by Urmilla Lawson. Photo: Steve Bell/Rex Features 290 CHAPTER 7 STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS AND CORPORATE-LEVEL STRATEGY services. Although it did not operate its own network, Virgin won an award for the best wireless operator in the UK. Virgin Fuels appears to be somewhat different in that Virgin is putting up the capital and using the Virgin brand to attract attention to the issues and possibilities that the technology offers.In 2005 Virgin announced the establishment of a ‘quadruple play’ media company providing television, broadband, fixed-line and mobile communications through the merger of Branson’s UK mobile inter ests with the UK’s two cable companies. This Virgin company would have 9 million direct customers, 1. 5 million more than BSkyB, and so have the financial capacity to compete with BSkyB for premium content such as sports and movies. 1 Virgin tried to expand this business further by making an offer for ITV. This was rejected as undervaluing the company and then undermined further with the purchase of an 18 per cent share of ITV by BSkyB.This prompted Branson to call on regulators to force BSkyB to reduce or dispose of its stake citing concerns that BSkyB would have material influence over the free-to-air broadcaster. 2 Virgin has been described as a ‘keiretsu’ organisation – a structure of loosely linked, autonomous units run by self-managed teams that use a common brand name. Branson argued that, as he expanded, he would rather sacrifice short-term profits for long-term growth of the various businesses. Some commentators have argued that Virgin had become an endorsement brand that could not always offer real expertise to the businesses with which it was associated.However, Will Whitehorn, Director of Corporate Affairs for Virgin, stated, ‘At Virgin we know what the brand means and when we put our brand name on something we are making a promise. ’ Branson saw Virgin adding value in three main ways, aside from the brand. These were their public relations and marketing skills; its experience with greenfield start-ups; and Virgin’s understanding of the opportunities presented by ‘institutionalised’ markets. Virgin saw an ‘institutionalised’ market as one dominated by few competitors, not giving good value to customers because they had become either inefficient or preoccupied with each other.Virgin believed it did well when it identified such complacency and offered more for less. The entry into fuel and media industries certainly conforms to the model of trying to shake up ‘institutiona lised’ markets. Corporate rationale In 2006 Virgin still lacked the trappings of a typical multinational. Branson described the Virgin Group as ‘a branded venture capital house’. 3 There was no ‘group’ as such; financial results were not consolidated either for external examination or, so Virgin claimed, for internal use.Its website described Virgin as a family rather than a hierarchy. Its financial operations were managed from Geneva. In 2006 Branson explained the basis upon which he considered opportunities: they have to be global in scope, enhance the brand, be worth doing and have an expectation of a reasonable return on investment. 4 Each business was ‘ring-fenced’, so that lenders to one company had no rights over the assets of another. The ring-fencing seems also to relate not just to provision of financial protection, but also to a business ethics aspect.In an interview in 2006 Branson cricitised supermarkets for selling cheap CD s. His criticism centred on the supermarkets’ use of loss leading on CDs damaging music retailers rather than fundamentally challenging the way music retailers do business. Branson has made it a central feature of Virgin that it shakes up institutionalised markets by being innovative. Loss leading is not an innovative approach. Virgin has evolved from being almost wholly comprised of private companies to a group where some of the companies are publicly listed. Virgin and BransonHistorically, the Virgin Group had been controlled mainly by Branson and his trusted lieutenants, many of whom had stayed with him for more than 20 years. The increasing conformity between personal interest and business initiatives could be discerned in the establishment of Virgin Fuels. In discussing his efforts to establish a ‘green’ fuel company in competition with the oil industry Branson made the geopolitical observation that non-oil-based fuels could ‘avoid another Middle East war one day’; Branson’s opposition to the Second Gulf War is well publicised. In some instances the relationship between personal conviction and business interests is less clear cut. Branson’s comments on the threat to British democracy posed by NewsCorp’s ownership of such a large percentage of the British media could be depicted as either genuine concern from a public figure or sour grapes from a business rival just been beaten out of purchasing ITV. More recently Branson has been reported as talking about withdrawing from the business ‘which THE VIRGIN GROUP 291 more or less ran itself now’,6 and hoping that his son Sam might become more of a Virgin figurehead. However, while he was publicly contemplating this withdrawal from business, Branson was also launching his initiatives in media and fuel. Perhaps Branson’s idea of early retirement is somewhat more active than most. Corporate performance By 2006 Virgin had, with mixed results , taken on one established industry after another in an effort to shake up ‘fat and complacent business sectors’. It had further set its sights on the British media sector and the global oil industry. Airlines clearly were an enthusiasm of Branson’s.According to Branson, Virgin Atlantic, which was 49 per cent owned by Singapore Airways, was a company that he would not sell outright: ‘There are some businesses you preserve, which wouldn’t ever be sold, and that’s one. ’ Despite some analysts’ worries that airline success could not be sustained given the ‘cyclical’ nature of the business, Branson maintained a strong interest in the industry, and included airline businesses such as Virgin Express (European), Virgin Blue (Australia) and Virgin Nigeria in the group.Branson’s engagement with the search for ‘greener’ fuels and reducing global warming had not led him to ground his fleets. but rather to pr ompt a debate on measures to reduce carbon emissions from aeroplanes. At the beginning of the twenty-first century the most public problem faced by Branson was Virgin Trains, whose Cross Country and West Coast lines were ranked 23rd and 24th out of 25 train-operating franchises according to the Strategic Rail Authority’s Review in 2000. By 2002 Virgin Trains was reporting profits and paid its first premium to the British government. xperience with any one of the product lines may shun all the others’. However, Virgin argues that its brand research indicates that people who have had a bad experience will blame that particular Virgin company or product but will be willing to use other Virgin products or services, due to the very diversity of the brand. Such brand confidence helps explain why Virgin should even contemplate such risky and protracted turnaround challenges as its rail company. Sarah Sands recounts that Branson’s mother ‘once proudly boasted that her son would become Prime Minster’.Sands futher commented that she thought his mother underestimated his ambition. 10 With Virgin’s entry into fuel and media and Branson’s declarations that he is taking on the oil corporations and NewsCorp, Sands may ultimately prove to have been precient in her comment. Notes 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Sunday Telegraph, 4 December (2005). Independent, 22 November (2006). Hawkins (2001a, b). PR Newswire Europe, 16 October (2006). Fortune, 6 February (2006). Independent on Sunday, 26 November (2006). Ibid.The Times 1998, quoted in Vignali (2001). Wells (2000). Independent on Sunday, 26 November (2006). Sources: The Economist, ‘Cross his heart’, 5 October (2002); ‘Virgin on the ridiculous’, 29 May (2003); ‘Virgin Rail: tilting too far’, 12 July (2001). P. McCosker, ‘Stretching the brand: a review of the Virgin Group’, European Case Clearing House, 2000. The Times, ‘Vi rgin push to open up US aviation market’, 5 June (2002); ‘Branson plans $1bn US expansion’, 30 April (2002). Observer, ‘Branson eyes 31bn float for Virgin Mobile’, 18 January (2004).Strategic Direction, ‘Virgin Flies High with Brand Extensions’, vol. 18, no. 10, (October 2002). R. Hawkins, ‘Executive of Virgin Group outlines corporate strategy’ Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, July 29 (2001a). R. Hawkins, ‘Branson in new dash for cash’, Sunday Business, 29 July (2001b); South China Morning Post, ‘Virgin shapes kangaroo strategy aid liberalisation talks between Hong Kong and Australia will determine carrier’s game-plan’, 28 June (2002). C. Vignali, ‘Virgin Cola’, British Food Journal, vol. 103, no. 2 (2001), pp. 31–139. M. Wells, ‘Red Baron’, Forbes Magazine, vol. 166, no. 1, 7 March (2000). The future The beginning of the twenty-first century also saw furt her expansion by Virgin, from airlines, spa finance and mobile telecoms in Africa, into telecoms in Europe, and into the USA. The public flotation of individual businesses rather than the group as a whole has become an intrinsic part of the ‘juggling’ of finances that underpins Virgin’s expansion. Some commentators have identified a risk with Virgin’s approach: ‘The greatest threat [is] that . . Virgin brand . . . may become associated with failure. ’8 This point was emphasised by a commentator9 who noted that ‘a customer who has a bad enough Questions 1 What is the corporate rationale of Virgin as a group of companies? 2 Are there any relationships of a strategic nature between businesses within the Virgin portfolio? 3 How does the Virgin Group, as a corporate parent, add value to its businesses? 4 What were the main issues facing the Virgin Group at the end of the case and how should they be tackled?

5 Peculiarities of the German Alphabet

5 Peculiarities of the German Alphabet The following are five peculiarities of the German alphabet and its pronunciation that every beginner German student should know about. Additional Letters in the German Alphabet There are more than twenty-six letters in the German alphabet. Technically speaking the German alphabet has only one additional letter that is different- the eszett. It looks like a capital letter B with a tail hanging from it: ß However, there is also something that Germans call â€Å"der Umlaut.† This is when two dots are placed above a letter. In German, this happens only above the vowels a, o and u. The umlaut placed upon these vowels makes the following sound shifts: similar to the short e in bed; à ¶, similar to the u sound in further, and à ¼. similar to the French u sound. Unfortunately,  there is no English equivalent for the sound à ¼. To pronounce the à ¼ sound, you need to say u while your lips are in a puckering position. The ß, on the other hand, is simply like an over-pronounced s. It is rightly called in German ein scharfes s (a sharp s). In fact, when people don’t have access to the German keyboard, they often will substitute a double s for the ß. However, in German, there are further rules about when it is correct to write either ss or ß. (See article German s, ss or ß) The only way to avoid the ß Â  is to move to Switzerland since Swiss Germans don’t use the ß at all. V Is W and Sounds Like F The standard name of the letter V, as it is in many languages, is actually the letter name of W in German. This means that if you were singing the alphabet in German, the section TUVW, would sound as follows (Tà ©/Fau/Và ©). Yes, this confuses a lot of beginners! But wait, there’s more: the letter V in German sounds like F! For instance, the word der Vogel you would pronounce as Fogel (with a hard g). As for the letter W in German? This peculiarity at least makes the most sense: the letter W in German, which is named like a V sounds like a V. The Spitting Combo Now for a little humor that actually helps you remember! The pronunciation spitting combo helps students remember the peculiarities of these three very common German sounds: ch – sch – sp. Say them quickly one after another and it sounds like, first - the preparation for the spit ch/ch, the start of the spit – sch (like sh in English), and finally the actual ejaculation of the spit – sp. Beginners tend at first to over vocalize the ch sound and forget the sh sound in sp. Better practice some pronunciation spitting then! The K Reigns Even though the letter C is in the German alphabet, by itself it plays only a minor role, since most German words that start with the letter C followed by a vowel, stem from foreign words. For example,  der Caddie, die Camouflage, das Cello. It is only in these types of words where you’ll find the soft c or hard c sound. Otherwise, the letter c is actually only popular in German consonant combinations, such as sch and ch, as stated in the preceding paragraph. You will find the German version of the hard â€Å"c† sound in the letter K. Consequently, you will often see words that start with a hard c sound in English spelled with a K in German: Kanada, der Kaffee, die Konstruktion, der Konjunktiv, die Kamera, das Kalzium. Position Is Everything At least when it comes to the letters B, D, and G. When you place these letters either at the end of a word or before a consonant, then the sound transformation is usually as follows: das Grab/ the grave (the b sounds like a soft p), die Hand/ hand (the d sounds like a soft t) beliebig/ any (the sounds like a soft k). Of course, this is expected in Hochdeutsch (standard German) only, it might be different when speaking German dialects or with accents of different German regions. Since these letter shifts sound very subtle when speaking, it is more important to pay attention to their correctness when writing them.

Southern Culture essays

Southern Culture essays Todays society is dominated by stereotypes and misconceptions; the way that we talk, walk or even look has a large impact on the way other human beings judge us. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that some people associate the Southern accent with a lack of education or laziness. Despite this fact, Southerners continue to maintain their unique dialect, and ignore stereotypes that they are often forced to undertake. In fact, to many southerners their dialect is more than a way of speaking, it is a long standing tradition that goes far beyond the language. The Southern dialect is the product of a wide array of cultural and ethnic influences. Both the French and African slaves had a large impact on the Southern way of speaking. Because the French dominated most of the Southern and Western American regions during the 18th century, their way of speaking was highly influential on the Southern culture. Just as the French significantly contributed to the Southern dialect so too did the African slaves. The large populace of African slaves played a large role in todays Southern accent. Furthermore, because the South is largely agricultural, the people tended stay in one location thereby allowing for the development of a deep rooted, distinct accent. Many historians believe that todays Southern dialect is largely attributed to cities such as Richmond, Charleston and Savannah due to their historical importance in the South. The Southern accent today is ever changing and even within the south there are a wide variation of accents. For ex ample, the Gullah way of speaking is predominantly spoken by Southern blacks living in Georgia and South Carolina; it is a combination of English and Western African dialects. The Coastal Southern dialect includes words such as dope (soda) and doughnuts (cookies) which are terms that are not used in other Southern regions. In addition, many people from ...