SWOT and Porter’s Five Forces for Sheng Siong Essay

Introduction Growing up in a pig farm, the CEO Mr. Lim Hock Chee and his brothers have brought Sheng Siong Group Ltd to an over 800million market capital, Singapore Exchange listed supermarket chain. The group’s humble beginning in the year 1985, from its first store in Ang Mo Kio which surrounded by 5 other grocery stores, has now expanded to be the one of the largest supermarket chain in Singapore. Sheng Siong is publicly listed at the Singapore Exchange (SGX) on August 17, 2011. Since then, it grows to become a major supermarket chain in Singapore with a total retail area of 400,000sq ft over 33 outlets island-wide. Sheng Siong’s outlets are designed to provide customers with both â€Å"wet and dry† shopping options ranging from a wide assortment of fresh, live and chilled products, such as meat, seafood and vegetables to processed, packaged and preserved food products as well as general groceries. Over the past few years, they have developed a selection of house brands to offer customers alternatives with at ample savings. Sheng Siong has now over 400 products under their 10 house brands. With the long history and reputation for quality products at competitive prices, the â€Å"Sheng Siong† brand had become an established household name in Singapore. Widely recognized by consumers, Sheng Siong were awarded the â€Å"Superbrand† status by Superbrands Singapore since 2008 (Superbrands, 1994). Mission: We strive to offer communities in which we operate quality products at reasonable prices together with good service in order to create value to our customers Vision: Our vision is to be the preferred retailer in the market, starting from Singapore and then further ashore. SWOT analysis Strengths Weaknesses 1. Strong brand recognition 2. Experienced management 1. Susceptible to rent hikes and labour cost hikes. 2. Lack of a formal succession plan Opportunity Threats 1. Overseas expansion 2. Untapped areas in Singapore 1. Losing market share 2. Supply disruption Strengths Strong brand recognition Sheng Siong is among the top 3 supermarket chain in Singapore. Sheng Siong launched a television show titled â€Å"The Sheng Siong Show† since year 2007 to further raise its profile amongst national audiences, on top of the traditional marketing mediums. Strong recognition by Singapore residents as a value-for-money supermarket chain. Awarded â€Å"Superbrand† status by Superbrands Singapore, a global organization that recognizes the most valued and exceptional brands, every year since year 2008. Experienced management Sheng Siong is founded since year 1985 and focus only in retail business in Singapore. Management of the group since then rests in the hands of the three founding Lim brothers: Mr. Lim Hock Eng (Executive Chairman), Mr. Lim Hock Chee (CEO) and Mr. Lim Hock Leng (Managing Director). They have almost 30 years of experience in grocery retailing, equipped with in-depth knowledge of the industry in Singapore. Weaknesses Susceptible to rent hikes and labour cost hikes The cost of rental and labour takes up 85% of Sheng Siongs’ operating expenses (Maybank KE, 2013) thus it is very vulnerable to hikes on operating cost in order to sustain their low-cost strategy. The Singapore Government had increase the restrictions for hiring foreign labour (Mom.gov.sg, 2013), which pressure Sheng Siong, in which one-third of its 2600 employees are non-Singaporeans, in their operating cost. (Michelle Teo, 2013) In Maybank KE’s research (2013), under the sensitivity analysis, an increase of 5% additional staff cost would incurred 9% of shortfall in Sheng Siong’s profit. According to Sheng Siong’s Annual Report in 2012 and 2013, rental expenses had been increased from 1.095million to 1.693million, representing  a more than 50% hike. In order to sustain the low-cost strategy, such rental hike issue had made Sheng Siong Group opened no new store in year 2013, whereby they cannot find suitable and affordable space to rent for expansion. La ck of a formal succession plan The founders, Lim brothers are holding more than 60% of the shares of Sheng Siong Group and also on the top managing positions. (Annual Report, 2013) The lack of a formal succession plan could prove to be a weakness in the long-run. The listing of Sheng Siong in the SGX had made incorporation of some outside talents including Mr. Tan Ling San (Executive Director) and Mr. Wong Soong Kit (Finance Director) into the management ranks, however if the Lim brothers decide to retire or step down before a formal succession plan is put into place, it may lead to a potential loss of strategic direction. Opportunities Overseas expansion Despite the foreign markets are also dominated by major players, Sheng Siong might able to seek chances in overseas expansion, especially in neighbor countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia. The benefits of overseas expansion including increase brand value, find new customers, seek for tax incentives and reduce excessive domestic, single market reliance and furthermore enjoy the robust economic development of the region of South East Asia. Especially in Malaysia, Sheng Siong has had various suppliers which relationships had been established for decades, the expansion into the market is not impossible. Untapped areas in Singapore There are still many highly populated areas in Singapore where Sheng Siong has no presence such as Bishan, Tampines, Hougang, Sengkang and Bukit Merah. This means that Sheng Siong still has a lot of room to grow its store network. Furthermore, Sheng Siong had commenced an e-commerce pilot project in December 2013, in the Thomson vicinity to provide customers the convenience of shopping groceries online via the website â€Å"allforyou.sg†. The possible success of this e-commerce project can reduce dependence on human labour, save cost on warehouse management and create new and better shopping experience of customers at their convenience. Threats Losing market share Sheng Siong operates in a highly competitive environment where it faces intense competition from other major super market chains as well as traditional grocery retailers, wet markets and even petrol kiosks. Its existing stores may face competition from new competitor outlets in their operating areas; it may lose market shares in the area where new competitor’s outlets are open where Sheng Siong is absent. Sheng Siong has suffer zero expansion in retail outlets in year 2013, making it a crucial threat of losing market shares due to expansions of its competitors. Supply disruption Supply disruptions arising from harsh weather conditions, force majeure events or natural disasters might hit Sheng Siong because about 30% of its revenue (Ocbc is from the sale of fresh produce. Porter’s 5 forces Competitive rivalry – High Sheng Siong is in tough competition with major direct competitors such as NTUC FairPrice and Dairy Farm’s Cold Storage and Giant, yet there are many other smaller retailers in the market. The 4 major supermarket chain had a dominant market share of more than 85percent (Euromonitor, 2014) (Maybank KE, 2014), making the business to be in a semi-consolidated industry. Supermarkets are having very low level of product differentiation. The retail sectors is growing steadily but slow. (Singstat.gov.sg, 2014) For the full year, retail sales in Singapore contracted by 4.3%, a reversal from the 1.3% expansion in 2012, but supermarket sales grew by 4.3% at current prices and 2.4% at constant prices during the same period, compared with an increase of 7.5% and 5.3% respectively in 2012. (Economic Survey of Singapore, 2013) The increasingly intensive competition may result in lower sales and greater operating costs and have an adverse effect on Sheng Siong. Threat of new entrants – Low The big 4 supermarket chains took up to more than 85percent of the total  market shares in Singapore, thus becomes a huge barrier for new entrants to meet the excessive capital requirements into the harsh competition. A new entrant would have to achieve the economies of scale needed to compete on cost advantage with the major market players, therefore not an easy barrier to cross over. Branding is another barrier to entry. A new entrant would need to differentiate themselves with the big 4 and to attain identity through promotions and advertising which may incur extremely high expenses. The highly responsive to competition of the big 4 supermarket chains to sustain market share also makes the barrier higher for new entrants. New entrant also face disadvantage in lack of expertise and knowledge of consumer trends, as the big players had been in the business for decades. Difficulties in accessing to distribution channels and locations is also an entry barrier for new entrant as Singapore is a matured market. Threat of substitute – High Chains of convenience stores such as 7-eleven and Cheers are emerging in the market. Convenience stores are selling some Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) like dairy products, soft drinks and packaged food which also sold by supermarkets, thus become a substitute of supermarkets. Restaurants, kopitiams (coffee shop) and food centers are also substitutes for supermarkets. People may want to dine outside rather than purchasing fresh meats, fishes and vegetable to cook at home. Pharmacies which are selling medicine, personal care, and baby care and toilet / pocket papers are also a substitute of supermarket. Traditional wet markets are considered another substitute for supermarket business. Newly emerged online groceries shopping brings threat of substitute to supermarket also. Bargaining power of customer – High Sheng Siong is facing intense competition from traditional grocery retailers such as wet markets, supermarkets and hypermarkets, and from non-traditional competitors such as, petrol kiosk convenience stores, convenience stores and restaurants. Customers have various options when comes to buying groceries. While pricing is one of the keys, convenience also plays a significant role in groceries shopping. People might choose to buy daily groceries from neighborhood grocery store just on their doorstep or buy drinks from the  nearest convenience stores, rather than purposely go to supermarket. Bargaining power of supplier – Low Due to the nature of grocery retailing business, Sheng Siong purchase goods from a large number of suppliers and contract manufacturers. A large network of over 1,000 suppliers and contract manufacturers had been established for Sheng Siong’s business. Some of the supplying relationships had established since the commencing year of 1985. The large and stable supplying relationships have enabled Sheng Siong to have a continuous supply of products without major disruptions and allow them to wield greater bargaining power in terms of the purchase prices of their products. No single supplier or contract manufacturer contributed more than 5.0% of Sheng Siong’s total purchases. (Prospectus, 2011) Summary Competitive rivalry: High Threat of new entrants: Low Threat of substitute: High Bargaining power of customer:High Bargaining power of supplier: Low The analysis above shows Sheng Siong is in a really intensive business environment. Therefore, the management team should act really cautious on their strategy planning for business operations as well expansions in order to stay competitive. Strategic planning As Sheng Siong is implementing low-cost strategy, it is very important for the management to plan their business tightly watch on their operational costs, as they are vulnerable to rental and labour hikes. On the other Hand, not having a succession plan may negatively impacts the operations of company in long run. Thus Sheng Siong should have plans with the goal to train and sustain the dynamic key management team for the company’s future growth. Goals Plans Control operating costs, Sustaining low-cost strategy Reduce dependence of foreign labours. Computerized operations to reduce labour costs. Seek new property rental or purchases opportunity in new high populated resident areas such as Punggol and Hougang. Make optimum utilize of the centralized warehouse cum distribution center in Mandai Link, to achieve economies of scale. Train and sustain the upcoming management team Set up a management training for potential employees from internal or external. Succession plan as well as a contingency plan should be well established as soon as possible to enhance the stability of the long term operations of the company. Organizing Sheng Siong is applying the functional organization where by it divides into different divisions such as Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Purchasing and Retail Operations. It is also a centralized organization since it was originally a family business. Most decisions are made by high-level executives and pass down for implementation. In my opinion, a transition should be made in the organizing system in Sheng Siong if the company wants to sustain in a longer run. Talents from internal or external should be brought up to managerial level through systematic trainings and being delegated in decisions making to cultivate fresh thoughts and ideas for the operations and growth of the company. The company should gradually decentralized in their organization to promote creativity and innovations, as well as act as a pathway for establishing succession plans. Leadership Despite using power of authority, power of rewards has been used in Sheng Siong’s leadership over their employees. 20% of the groups’ profit before tax was distributed in the form of various bonuses to its employees in the past 2 years. Relationship-motivated leadership Having policy such as provides one free meal per workday for every full-time  worker that has become a tradition of the company for 25 years. (Sheng Siong, 2013) The CEO Lim Hock Chee is an authentic and transformational leader. Although featuring at position 35 in Forbes’ Singapore’s 50 Richest list, Lim Hock Chee remains a humble man. He is known as the â€Å"towkay (meaning ‘boss’ in Chinese) who drives a lorry† due to that being his mode of transport for many years. He undertook a two-year car mechanic course and thus stood him in good stead as until recently he was known as â€Å"Mr Fix it† at Sheng Siong, regularly welding trolleys and fixing power outages. (Hunt, 2014) These good traits of leadership styles should be kept on in Sheng Siong to distinguish themselves from major trends in capitalized world that applies less relationships concerned leadership. However, a family business cannot sustain and grow if it stays only at family style, standardization and formalization should progressively apply and leaders should apply a balanced portion of task performance behaviors in their lead. Control In spite of bureaucratic control, market control is always being well-utilized in Sheng Siong. The plans and strategies in marketing, property renting and purchasing, and invests and divests are set according to close studies of the market. Sheng Siong emerged as Runner-up in the Retail & Household Goods category of the 14th Securities Investors Association (Singapore) (SIAS) Investors’ Choice Award – Most Transparent Company Award (MTCA) 2013. (Annual Report, 2013) This indicates Sheng Siong is having good control of their accounts and audits with optimum information stated in their financial reports. Despite the financial parts, management audits are closely monitored. The evaluations of the the company’s planning, organizing, leading and controlling is always printed in their annual report. It reviews what have been done and what the upcoming plans are, giving a clear picture to investors and business partners. Recommendations Sheng Siong should always prudent in its expansion and execution under the  harsh economic environment. Setting up a clear succession plan of short, medium, and long term to ensure the future operations of the company. Overseas expansion exposes to risks and opportunities, the company should well utilize the connections that it has to expand the business to another level, locally and regionally. Conclusion Sheng Siong had gradually emerged as one of the biggest groceries retailer in Singapore. Nevertheless, there are huge growth opportunity for the company. The company should stay dynamic and improve the weaknesses to keep explore the chances of growth in this competitive environment. Changing is not always a bad idea. From a family business to a listed company, from a small establishment to a corporate, Sheng Siong has gone this far, but be it just the beginning of the future great arms in supermarket operators in the region or even in the globe. Modern management studies will help Sheng Siong to embrace any possible threats in the future. The transition of Sheng Siong should not be stopped at this point but should keep improving, strive to achieve its mission and vision.

Use & develop system to promote communication

Review the range of groups and Individual whose communication needs must be addressed In own Job role Communication with doctors surgery Is vital & crucial In our setting. Residents' & family alike are dependent on us to Immediately recognize any sign & symptoms of any type of illness. They will be able to recognize an illness if we will be able to give them signs or symptoms of the residents as we are the one who should know them best.To a person who has sensory disability I. E. Somebody who has speech impediment will have difficulty explaining where or what the problem is verbally but because we look after them, we get to recognize the symptoms as it enfolds. Making it easier for the doctor to either write up a prescription or refer to the appropriate professional for further investigation. Residents' continue to require the support of community nurses. Meeting with the community nurses on how to improve the services that residents get to avail of & preventative measures that can b e done In order to avoid future problems.Record keeping & monitoring of residents progress should be available for future reference for continuity of care. Residents & families should have access to a social worker & same goes with managers. Should there be concern's about a family or a resident this should be addressed by having a meeting with them. Evidence's should be available to support the concern that is being addressed to. Members of staff has to know that in the event that they need support on anything, help is available. Trainings should be provided for in order for them to do their job role.There should also be an evaluation on their performance which should be discussed during their supervision with pointers on areas where they should improve on & be given support & motivation when they have done something right. Members of staff should know the importance of confidentiality and be wary In giving out information as It Is only on a need to know basis. Otherwise, breach of confidentiality Is violated & will have a corresponding repercussion. 1. 2 Explain how to support effective communication within own Job roles The role of the manager is to empower and promote the individuals rights.During the pre- assessment you should be able to identify what type of support on the residents' daily living we can be of help in order to promote independence & their dignity intact. Residents thru our help should have access to healthcare professionals so as not to limit their capacity. Involvement & support from families & friends are Important as thru them we will be able to take know the person more & be able to support them In a way familiar to them. If for example a resident suffers from dysphasia working with a speech therapist will do the trick.

Managing Diversity Strategies Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Hombres Necios by Sor Juana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

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Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reflection Paper - Essay Example This is actually a great marketing tool to help customers identify with and makes them want to support businesses with their business needs. Amdocs Corporation is actively involved in many citizen oriented activities throughout the world. They especially reach out and contribute to programs and activities involving children, people with disabilities, and, the poor people and communities where resources for survival aren’t as available. They are actively involved in food and equipment drives, education and mentoring, and drawing attention to community needs. This made an impression on me because the article I read talked about them doing many good things to help people in ways that are more humanitarian instead of business oriented. People who work for Amdocs are part of these communities also; it makes them feel that their company supports them by being actively involved in helping the community. Not only does Amdocs contribute funding support, but it also contributes thousand s of hours of community service to help bridge the gap between what is needed and what the community can provide for itself. Amdocs received a special recognition as being one of the top 100 companies to provide community outreach and service. (Amdocs, 2011) My community service project experience was spent with Faith, Hope, and Love, International, Inc. in Indianapolis. It is a multi- cultural faith based organization that began in Indianapolis in 2005. Their main vision is to make an impact on the neighborhoods surrounding them to increase the social, economic, and spiritual qualities of life for the people they serve. They are actively involved in faith based outreach ministries as well as supporting foreign missions and families with donations. They also have a food bank that helps people locally who are struggling to find enough food in the local community during this time of economic hardship. Their goal is to break down the walls of separation between ethnic and religious com munities to show caring, support and concern for all as the strong arm of their faith based ministry. I found this organization by looking through the list I got from class. I didn’t really know anything about them, but the name sounded good to me. I learned a lot about volunteerism from this experience; how even the smallest assistance makes a big impact. Non-profit organizations can always use an extra hand to help handle the heavy loads they carry. When people volunteer their time and energy to help these organizations, it frees up the administrative people to do more important tasks associated with enlarging their outreach to the communities. Some of the smaller organizations, like the one I chose, have minimal numbers of staff to perform a lot of duties. There was only one couple at the ministry in charge of everything and I helped them as much as I could by performing three services during my volunteer stay there. I helped organize food and supplies at the food storage bank. We had to keep like items together to make it easier for the workers to pack the bags for when people arrived to get their food packages. We also had to make sure the donated foods and their containers were in good condition and did not have expired dates. They asked me to help send out postcards thanking donors for their contributions as well as ones to local businesses and other faith communities asking for support. I sent out around 300 postcards which were hand addressed and stamped. I also

Visual Analysis and critical reflection Research Paper

Visual Analysis and critical reflection - Research Paper Example At the age of 16 he won a street painting competition that he entered into. He believes he is an autodidact who learns by doing. He has studied the techniques of old masters of street painting and started to make it his profession. Today he is a street painter and does not paint conventionally anymore. His early paintings led him to the title ‘maestro madonnari’ which means master street painter, and these paintings were mostly two-dimensional. As the street art developed, the three dimensional paintings came into effect. Muller first painted in 3D on a client’s car. He was eventually inspired by the ideas of Julian Beever and Kurt Wenner. He started painting illusion in 3D street paintings and his skills and drawing techniques made him the best in the world (WebUrbanist, 2013). Lava burst (Bored Panda, 2013) Mueller uses the street as his canvas and literally involves the viewers to the imagery. He uses hundreds of square meters of the pavement and paints to chal lenge the perceptions of the street walkers. This 3D painting of a lava burst was painted by Mueller on the 30th anniversary of international competition of street painters held in Geldern, Germany. He painted a large sized picture once more and created scenery which appeared apocalyptic. Mueller was 25 years old when he had given his entire life to street painting. He made several paintings all around Europe and aimed to earn through the transitory art. He became an organizer and committee member for street painting festivals and also set up the Internet board for street painters of Germany. This was a forum which promoted the solidarity amongst the various German street painters. He also presented the master works of old painters to people in his studio and drew perfect copied of those paintings. With the help of the old painters’ works, Mueller helped the ones interested in paintings to understand the depth of the art. Ice Age (Bored Panda, 2013) This is one of the best wo rks of Mueller and was completed in 5 days. It is a huge picture of the ice age and shows creative illusion. He needed about five assistants who helped him all day long in painting the huge painting. The illusion was painted by the application of the anamorphic technique to the huge pavement. The picture is approximately 250 square meters large. This was the most challenging painting made by Mueller and it was created for the Festival of World Culture in Ireland (2008). This painting was the most challenging one for Mueller because of the weather conditions of Ireland. Ireland’s weather often fluctuates and usually there are four seasons felt in one day. Sunshine, hailstorm and rain all were experienced within few hours. Mueller and his team of assistants did not think that they would get through with the painting, but they accepted the challenge and completed it. The street painters often face the difficulties with coping with weather conditions because all of their work is out on the streets. Rain is usually the biggest element to fight as the use of paints and chalks is done for these paintings. If the rain spoiled the painting overnight, Mueller would usually start a new one. Hence the weather issues are not a problem for Mueller as he says â€Å"once a painting is done, I somehow lose interest in it. It’s done and for me it is up to go for the next† (WebUrbanist, 2013). Gradually the changing trends have also redirected the interest of Mueller in his paintings. Thus he has

Independent research study - BBA Hospitality Management Paper

Independent study - BBA Hospitality Management - Research Paper Example The social media affects communication in diverse sections and social groups in the world. Instead of mass communication, there are mass communicators (Runion, 2010). This is because the power and authorities of traditional communication channels are losing their rigours and new and smaller channels are developing through the social media like Twitter and Facebook. In December, 1995, there were only 16 million internet users and this represented just 0.4% of the worlds population at that time (Miniwatts Marketing Group, 2011). However, today, 30.4% of the worlds population is hooked onto the Internet and this represents 2.1 billion people (Miniwatts Marketing Group, 2011. Many people spend a lot of their time online these days. Some go online to check their mails whilst others maintain links with interest groups, family, friends, old school mates and other relatives living overseas through social media networks. In her assessment of her statistics on the social media industry, Evans identifies interesting facts about the social media network (2011). She identifies that there were 21 million Twitter users in the United States in 2011. She states that 40% of bloggers describe themselves as professional so they spend a considerable time working on the internet. Secondly she indicates that 60% of all Fortune 500 companies conduct business over the popular social network site, Facebook. Facebook has over 800 million users around the globe this makes it one of the biggest concentration of the potential market that exists for all goods and services (LA Times, 2011). This means that more and more people are spending their time on the Internet and on social network sites. Also, a vast community of professionals are evolving, who spend time and acquire skills which is sufficient to help build the social network as a good place to do business. This therefore means that the social network are appropriate outlets through which businesses can operate and make profit.

Discuss the development of Chinese tea art from the Tang dynasty until Essay

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Strategic Financial Management - Marks and Spencer Essay

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Interoffice Memo Essay Example for Free

Interoffice Memo Essay Yesterday, July 1, 1976, the ruling in the case of Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California was decided. The Supreme Court of California imposed a legal duty to psychotherapists, enforceable by a civil suit, to warn a person who may become a victim of a violent act by a patient or if the patient threatens to harm themselves. As professionals in the Human Service field it is necessary that we adhere to this when a client may threaten to hurt themselves or another person. With this ruling, and before any action is taken, we are reminded of our code of ethics. Human Service Professionals have guidelines in their responsibility to the client. The ruling of this case has affected our ethical decision making, in that, we also acknowledge that we need to not only assist our client but also, if threat is made, to assist and protect a potential victim. Once this threat is made, ethically, we have no option but to report it and to not do so, we break our code of ethics and the law. This case has made us aware of the fact that threats can and possibly will be carried out, therefore, threats should not and will not be taken lightly. Our Code of Ethics has changed slightly since this ruling was imposed and while we still protect our client’s confidentiality and privacy, there is now an exception. â€Å"If it is suspected that danger or harm may occur to the  client or to others as a result of a client’s behavior, the human service professional acts in an appropriate and professional manner to protect the safety of those individuals. This may involve seeking consultation, supervision, and/or breaking the confidentiality of the relationship.† (Woodside and McClam, 2011) References: Woodside, M., McClam, T. (2011). An introduction to human services (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning.

The Construction Industry Development Board Construction Essay

The Construction Industry Development Board Construction Essay In Malaysia Construction affects a lot of consequence such as noise pollution, dangerous and sometime there is unhygienic to the human being and the environment. From the statistic show, construction is a one of the five most dangerous of work in Malaysia. Construction workers are two to three times more likely to die on the job than workers in other industries while the risk of serious injury is almost three times higher. The industry has not been unresponsive to this state of affairs, recognizing that consistent excellence in worker safety requires a concerted effort on the part of everyone engaged in construction related activities. The facts show that construction is indeed a dangerous industry. The tragic incidents showed that the construction industry only paid lip service to safety. Department of Occupational Health and Safety (DOSH) director-general (Abu Bakar Che Man,2006 ) said that at least 30% of construction sites have safety ratings of unsatisfactory or lower. The number of fatality and permanent disablement cases due to accident at the Malaysia construction sites is one of the highest as compared to the other sector. Construction accident that hazardous worker life. The accidents happen may cause physical injuries or health illness in long term. The Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) paid out RM1.6bil in compensation to 52,639 workers who were involved in accidents at the workplace and while travelling to. If we still ignore this problem, what is the Consequence? For sure, the safety managing is necessary. In this dissertation, we will find out the government agencies such as Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB), National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) and Occu pational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in enforcing on the construction safety and health. 1.2 Research Background Unsatisfactory safety record of the construction industry has always been emphasize by all social circles because safety management always being ignore part and is not achieve a good implemented systematically in the construction industry in Malaysia. Safety at workplace is an issue affecting all businesses since most companies do not feel that it is vital to the success and are afraid of possibility of prosecution. Government safety and health agencies has imposed a lot of comprehensive safety regulations in the practice of the construction industry but from the level of awareness and practicability of it are generally lower than expected over the period from the announced the safety regulation. According to Abdul Ghani Khalid Construction Site Injuries: The case Of Malaysia, good safety programs would certainly help in reducing injuries at the construction site. It will also minimise construction costs, increase productivity and profitability and more importantly it could save live s of workers (khalid, 1996). Thus, these will consequently contribute positively to the construction industry and nation as a whole. Government agencies such as DOSH, OSHA,NIOSH and CIDB has give their effort to enforcement safety and health in construction sites. However, the efficiency on enforcing is fail to achieve if without the cooperation of the construction site staff and worker. The cooperation by the site staff is important to reduce the accident at construction site and good management also provide a safer working site. The player of the construction should take the responsibilities to the construction safety and health toward from a construction industry that is more stable and sustainable in future. 1.3 Problem Statement Construction is a one of five most dangerous of work in Malaysia. In 2011, the Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) paid out RM1.6bil in compensation to 52,639 workers who were involved in accidents at the workplace and while travelling to. Its increase on 15.63 per cent more than the total amount of compensation to workers involved in accident as compared to 2010 when the amount paid RM1.35bil. In this case, government lunched many program and prevention to minimize and reduce the safety problem in the construction industry. CIDB, NIOSH,DOSH and OSHA has play their role and enforced on the safety and health to prevent and decrease the accident happen in the construction site. However, the enforcement is not perfectly preventing of injuries and fatality in the construction site, by the way its fail to solve the problem because there is a lot barrier when enforcing the rule and regulation by those agencies at last cant fully work by the enforcement. This research is to identity the construction safety problem why many of enforcement or programmes are initiated by government agencies still could not reduce effectively the fatalities and injury rate in the construction industry. 1.4 Research Aims The researchers aim for conducting this research is to analyse the government agencies on the improvement safety in the construction industry and to figure out the difficult and barrier to enforcing by government agencies in the Malaysia construction industry. 1.5 Research Objective The objective of this dissertation is to :- 1.4.1 To identify the rules and regulation enforced by government agencies 1.4.2 To investigate The effectiveness of the implementation and the difficulties during the enforcement of construction safety. 1.4.3 Recommendation to improve the effectiveness of the implementation based on result by questionnaire and barrier of the enforcement of construction safety 1.6 Scope of Study This study will identify the role of government safety and health agencies and also observation worker in the construction site to figure out any improvement can be achieve by the safety and health. Program enforcing by government safety and health agencies will be discussed and the data regarding the efficiency of safety and health will be attached such as accident rate and fatalities in construction. In order to achieve the research objective, questionnaire among construction site staff around peninsular Malaysia will be analyse to acquire the result for this research. The construction site worker such as Contactor, Site Manager, Site Supervisor, Site Engineer, Site QS, and site Worker. 1.7 Research Methodology 1.7.1 Stage 1: Literature review Literature review is an integral part as the preliminary stage of information collection to obtain extra knowledge and understanding of the research. Information and data related collected according the objective of this dissertation normally from internet, book, journal, magazine and article which available in college library. Statistic regarding the construction accident and fatalities will be analysed to find out the barriers of the enforcement. This stage enable to identify the problem and to figure out the solution to solve it in a better way 1.7.2 Stage 2: Data Collection by Questionnaire A set of questionnaire will be prepared to obtain the construction site staff opinion about the safety and health on construction site. Question around 40 to 50 will distribute to the construction site worker such as Contactor, Site Manager, Site Supervisor, Site Engineer , Site QS, and site Worker. The question will designed according to the research objective there is question about rule and regulation of government agencies on site staff opinion and the difficulties among construction site worker to comply with the rules and regulation enforced by government safety and health agencies 1.7.3 Stage 3: Data Analysis and Finding This stage is analysis of the questionnaire to determine the level of responds to each question within the questionnaire by counting the number of respond who answer favourably or unfavourably. The respondent come form different aspect in the construction industry and result to determine the efficiency of the safety and health enforcing by government agencies. With the result get from the questionnaire, graphical format using by SPHH will produce to explain the result with easily. 1.7.4 Stage 4: Conclusion of Research After the data analysis done, all the data will complied into the dissertation in order to amend mistake that contained in the dissertation. Conclusion and report will be carried out in this stage. 1.8 Summaries of Chapter 1.8.1 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 is to understand about the research proposal title and main focus on the sector by a short paragraph. In this stage, also stated the aim and objective of this research from the problem statement. 1.8.2 Chapter 2 This stage is to study the deeply background of the research. Literature review on textbook, journals, article, dissertation will be conduct to collect all secondary data by according to the research aim and objective. 1.8.3 Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Methodology is to study the method of data collection. How to design of the questionnaire, how to collect the data and where the data to be source will be conduct in this stage. The research methodology us important in guiding the researcher to achieve the aim and objective. 1.8.4 Chapter 4 The result get from research methodology will be analyse and discussed. Figure and table will be created to show the analysis of the result. 1.8.5 Chapter 5 This chapter presents finding for the study the will be carried out. A summary or conclusion about this research will be discussed. 1.9 Summary In chapter 1, we have in introduction about Malaysia current Construction Safety situation. The unsatisfactory of accident rate bring a barrier toward from a construction industry that is more stable and sustainable in future. Accident cannot be fully avoided, but it can be minimise with some proper prevention. Although Government have many agencies to promote and enforcing occupational safety and health in construction industry, unfortunately the occupancies safety and health is still under a unsatisfied level. In this research, we able to know some of the rule and regulation or program that enforced by government agencies and also to figure out the barrier that threaten construction safety. Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Introduction Construction industry plays a significant role in the development process of Malaysia development contribute towards the economic growth generating additional demands for construction activities. Undoubtedly construction is a industry which is very active and booming industry with contributing to the Malaysia economy. However, such achievements have also contributed much towards the safety issues where statistics showed that this industry has earned the reputation of being a highly hazardous industry due to its fatality rates.( Dayang and Gloria Chai, 2011) ) Health and safety is a paramount consideration for all construction industry professionals. It impinges upon the work of the planning authorities, client, consultants, contractor- in fact anyone who works on or is in the vicinity of a construction project. Whereas in the past health and safety, management has traditionally been consider as a production site activity, it has now become a comprehensive consideration process. It ha s also become an integral part of the corporate organizational framework and structure as well as the operational management of many organizations who contribute to the construction process. Safety management is the key to ensuring that safety measures are implemented on construction site, thus Malaysia government has been announced many agencies to manage the safety and health and a lot of enforcement or program are launched on construction site.(Steve Rowlinson, 2004) In this stage, the implementation of enforcement or program initiated by the government agencies are reviewed which including the history and function of the government enforcements. The accident rate or fatalities result that simultaneously the efficiency of construction safety enforcement in construction industry. The barrier and difficulties faced by government agencies in enforcement and program launched 2.2 Construction Safety As we know, construction bring a huge contribution to country economic growth but it also bring a impact of construction safety problem threaten construction site worker such as injuries, illnesses even death. According to statistic the Social Security Organisation (Socso) paid out RM1.6bil in compensation to 52,639 workers who were involved in accidents at the workplace and while travelling to.(The Star, 2011) Variety of unexpected accidence occur, the light caused by the loss of equipment and working hours, minor injury, but severe case may ruin and death. The construction safety and health is the process of construction industrial development, which cannot be ignored. Workers are often because of lack of experience caused accidents, the proportion of the damages around 50%, it is very serious case to threated construction site safety. Other reason cause accident on construction site such as high-altitude operation, cross-liquidity operation, long operating time, labor-intensive, monotonous duplication of work and so many, those are the reason an accident occur. For many years operating in this environment, people are likely produce a depressed, irritable mood. When the operating life of job stimulus, the visual and psychological again building site impetuous color and clutter environment, the more intensified the anxiety, depression and un rest will increasing the probability of occurrence of the accident. After a survey of different regions and cultural structures of different ages construction worker, more than 85% agree, long labor in a gray color, and illumination is not enough under the operating environment, it is easy to make people feel stress, resulting in depressed the sense of fear, ideological irritability visual fatigue, physical consumption object recognition energy increases, it tends to cause the d eformation of the job action, affecting labor efficiency, while also increasing the likelihood of potential accidents. The construction safety purpose first is to avoid or reduce causalities and occupational diseases; second is to ensure the equipment tools, and materials from damage and to protect and improve labor productivity, and maintaining social and economic development; the third is to eliminate or reduce the environmental hazards of industrial pollution and living conditions of the people from destruction, and promote the interests of humanity as a whole increases. Safety of construction threaten the safety of construction site worker lives and property of the state, is no longer just the death or injury problem, but the change for real people- oriented and full attention to the construction safety and health of every worker. Worker are requires not only the protection of life, and also comfortable in the workplace and living environment, occupational diseases prevention and control of demand, which is more important part of sustainable human development. A good construction safety will increase the performance of the construction work. It also reduced the probability of accident rate in construction site efficiently and minimize the loss and damage when fatalities occur.à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Thence, its important to have a good safety and health management at construction site and cooperates with government agencies on enforcement of it. http://vectorise.net/logo/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/utamakan-keselamatan.png Figure 2.1 : Poster Safety first by CIDB 2.3 Government agencies in construction safety There is no hundred percent that we can get free accident in construction, but we can minimize the accident rate happen. Safety problem is a serious problem that always concern by the government. Every year around 2 billion are paid for compensation to worker injured at construction site. According to the statistic of occupational accidents by Department of Occupational Safety and Health, 99 case of construction accident occur in 2011 and 50% of the accident involve death and permanently disable. Construction industry bring a big contribute towards the economic growth but stimulatory its also bring a problem to the construction site safety. In this case, Malaysia government has been announced a lot of program or enforcement to improve the safety of construction site through government agencies to manage the program or enforcement. Unfortunately, some of the program is have some improvement but some of them are not. That is wasting time and cost or resources to having such program or enforcement. There is necessary to find out the barrier of enforcing or program therefore enable to achieve a higher level of construction safety. 2.3.1 Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) is strategically important as a regulator body under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works Malaysia in Construction Industry. CIDB was officially launched in July 1994 by Act 520 of Lembaga Pembangunan Industri Pembinanaan Malaysia Act 1994. The mission of CIDB is To develop the Malaysian construction industry and increase the competitiveness of the Malaysian construction industry. The vision is CIDB to be a distinguished organization in developing world class construction industry.(Wong Sing Ling, 2011) Develop the capacity and capability of the construction industry through the enhancement of quality and productivity by placing great emphasis on professionalism, innovation and knowledge in the endeavor to improve the quality of life is the objective of the board and to achieve the objective, 11 function laid under of Law Of Malaysia Act 520 are follow: To promote and stimulate the development, improvement and expansion of the construction industry; To advise and make recommendations to the Federal Government and the State Governments on matters affecting or connected with the construction industry; To promote, stimulate and undertake research into any matter related to the construction industry; To promote, stimulate and assist in the export of service related to the construction industry; To provide consultancy and advisory services with respect to the construction industry; To promote quality assurance in the construction industry; To initiate and maintain the construction industry information systems; To encourage the standardisation and improvement of construction techniques and materials; To provide, promote, review and coordinate training programmed organized by the public and private construction training centres for skilled construction workers and construction site supervisors; To accredit and register contractors and to cancel, suspend or reinstate the registration of any registered contractor; and To accredit and certify skilled construction workers and construction site supervisors. (source: CIDB,2012) Many program and rules and regulation that have been enforcing to safety and health to minimize the accident happen in construction site by the board. Those program are result in effectiveness to minimize the accident rate in construction site such as safety and health induction and green card program. CIDB also award those well performance construction site worker called Malaysian Construction Industry Excellence Award (MCIEA) every year. 2.3.2 National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH) National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health was established with an endowment fund from SOCSO and from the Government an as a company limited by guarantee under the company Act 1965to promote safety and health culture at the work place in Malaysia. NIOSH was launched in 1 December 1992 and the vision of NIOSH is To be the Leading Centre of Excellence in Occupational Safety and health and the mission is To be the preferred partner in enhancing Occupational Safety and Health.( Fadhil,2010) Objective of NIOSH is to ensure a healthy working environment for all employees, course participates, contractors and visitors. A lot of contribute towards efforts in upgrading Occupational Safety and Health ( OSH) through developing curriculum and training programs for workers and employers to assist industry, commerce and other to solve problem relating to Occupational safety and Health (OSH). NIOSH also conduct primarily applied research and both short term and long term research on OSH and health issues relevant to the country and to disseminate information on research and findings on OSH and health issues in the main and other pertinent activities undertaken by or on behalf of the Institute and to be a centre of reference. (source: All about Safety, 2001) The program indicated by NIOSH such as Contractor Safety Passport to increase the knowledge and awareness about occupational safety and health in construction industry through training or short courses. Participant are receive a certificate by NIOSH after sit for an examination as certify participant is fully understand their responsibility to occupational safety and health in the industry. 2.3.3 Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) is a department under the Ministry of Human Resources. This department is renamed from the Department of Factory and Machinery in April, 1994 and it is responsible for ensuring the safety, health and welfare of people at work as well as protecting other people from the safety and health hazards arising from the activities sectors which include: Manufacturing, Mining and Quarrying, Construction, Hotels and Restaurant, Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, Transport, Storage and Communication, Public Services and Statutory Authorities, Utilities Gas, Electricity, Water and Sanitary Services  ,Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Business Services and Wholesale and Retail Trades. As a government agency, the department is responsible for the administration and enforcement of legislations related to occupational safety and health of the country, with a vision of becoming an organisation which leads the nation in creating a safe and healthy work culture that contributes towards enhancing the quality of working life. With the corporate values Firm, Fair and Friendly by DOSH, the objective of the Department is to prevent industrial accident and occupational diseases by achieving reducing the rates of fatalities and rate of reported accident up to 20% . Furthermore, increasing enforcement investigations, increasing promotional activities of safety and health and increasing the number of Occupational and health practitioners up to 10,000 people also is one of the objective by DOSH. In order to achieve a higher level performance of safety and health DOSH study and review the policies and legislation of occupational safety and health with enforce legislations such as Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 and its regulations, Factories and Machinery Act 1967 and its regulations and Part of Petroleum Act 1984 (Safety Measures) and its regulations. DOSH also conduct research and technical analysis related to occupational safety and health at the workplace to carry out promotional and publicity program to employers, workers and the general public to foster and increase the awareness of occupational safety and health and become a secretariat for the National Council regarding occupational safety and health. (Amat, 2008) 2.3.4 National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (NCOSH) The National Council of Occupational Safety and Health (NCOSH) is the highest forum in the Ministry of Human Resources where tripartite discussions are held about issues related to the direction, national policy and the implementation of occupational safety and health in Malaysia. NCOSH was formed by the Ministry of Human Resources in 1995 under Section 8 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Act 514), as a product of the Government continual efforts to make safe and healthy work practices as a part of Malaysian culture.   Furthermore, its purpose is to improve level of awareness of occupational safety and health and to ensure the safety of all workplaces in Malaysia. To become the prime mover in steering the nation through tripartism, forming a safe and healthy work culture as well as raising Malaysians quality of life. NCOSH carries out its functions by conducting discussions, studies and investigations, and subsequently presenting suggestions to the Ministry of Human Resources on matters related to Act 514 in particular the following matters:- Changes deemed appropriate for occupational safety and health legislation Administration and enforcement of occupational safety and health legislation Open communication between management and employees regarding workers safety, health and welfare Adequate control methods for industrial chemicals in the workplace Work-related death and accident statistic analysis Issues dealing with the safety, health and welfare of woman the handicapped and other groups in the community Encouraging the development and acceptance of an industrial codes of practice related to workers safety, health and welfare Development rehabilitation plan and facilities to help those injured in the workplace. (source: OSH,2002) 2.4 Enforcement by Government Agencies in Construction Safety and Health Many of Government Agencies put their biggest afford to enforce the safety and health with a lot of program or rules are initiated on construction site. Implementation of enforcement or program initiated by the government agencies is to increase construction worker knowledge and awareness about occupational safety and health and effectively reduce the fatality or injury rate on construction site. 2.4.1 Contractor Safety Passport (CSPS) Contractor Safety Passport is initiated by NIOSH to provide some basic skill and induction about the knowledge of occupational safety and health. Participant are receive a certificate by NIOSH after sit for an examination as certify participant is fully understand their responsibility to occupational safety and health in the industry. In the past of responsible company may have its own system ascertaining which contractor should be awarded a contract of work based on a number of criteria. One such criterion is that the contractor has workers who are well-versed with the rudiments of occupational safety related to their trade. In this way, the company will be assured that the workers concerned are able to work with minimal supervision without fear of any untoward incidents occurring during the course of package to help contractors and their worker to attain minimum standard of safety. (source: NIOSH 2012) 2.4.2 CIDB Green Card CIDB Green Card initiated by CIDB since August 1997. This is an integrated program that involve the registration and accreditation of Construction Personal to enhance safety level at Construction Sites and ensure that construction workers are aware of the importance a safe and healthy working place and provides a basic knowledge on safety and health at the construction work site. This Program entails a one day Safety and Health Induction Course for construction Workers and provision of personal protective equipment consisting of a safety booklet and helmet. Green Card will be issued to participants of the one day safety and health induction course which also services as proof of registration with CIDB under the category of construction personnel.. Those Construction Personnel who have been registered with CIDB and issued the Green Card are automatically covered by a special Insurance Scheme that insures the Construction Personnel against death and accidents. This insurance scheme is the result of CIDB continuous efforts towards improving construction workers welfare as well as providing security for them and their loved ones. Since August 1997, when this scheme was launched, construction personnel have enjoyed a 24-hr worldwide coverage which is not limited to accidents at work sites alone. Objectives of the Green Card Program divided into 3-fold. First is to ensure that the construction worker is aware of the importance a safe and healthy working place. Second provide a basic knowledge on safety and health at the construction work site and third inform construction worker of the legal requirement is relation to safety and health. ( source: Green Card Program,1997) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5KNlS2_ewCAafmlCSt1Hic_vNkpC3A_bwn7HEdKKkc49LUFKaV4SNJSosadRwyJfDqFanZqLBKpPPndo0YNYpg9Sfpwqa6Vf1LcGf35uGP2gZ-wyPHjOWiFmqJCzdyqEjsob7gDxxzU/s1600/PA280900.JPG Figure 2.2 CIDB Green Card 2.4.3 Occupational Health and Safety Committee Functions of safety and health committee is keep under review the measures taken to ensure the safety and health of persons at the place of work. According to the Law Of Malaysia Act 514, every employer shall establish a safety and health committee at the place of work in accordance with this section if there are forty or more persons employed at the place of work; or the Director General directs the establishment of such a committee at the place of work. ) The composition of a safety and health committee established under subsection (1), the election or appointment of persons to the committee, the powers of the members of the committee and any other matter relating to the establishment or procedure of the committee shall be as prescribed. Every employer shall consult the safety and health committee with a view to the making and maintenance of arrangements which will enable him and his employees to co-operate effectively in promoting and developing measures to ensure the safety and h ealth at the place of work of the employees, and in checking the effectiveness of such measures. A person who contravenes the provisions of this section shall be guilty of an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding five thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both. (source: Act 514 OSHA 1994) 2.5 Occupational Accidents and Fatalities Rate According to the statistic of occupational accidents by Department of Occupational Safety and Health, 99 case of construction accident occur in 2011 and 51 people are death and 5 person is permanently disable in the accident, it is over 50 percent out of total accident. C:UsersKitPicturesUntitled.jpg Figure 2.3 Data of Occupational Accident 2011 provided by DOSH Compare to the result in 2010, it is slightly reduce of the amount of victim involve from 100 to 99 people. By the way it is still on a very unsatisfied level of construction occupational safety and health. Figure 2.4 Data of Occupational Accident 2010 provided by DOSH 2.6 Barrier and Difficulties in Enforcing on Safety and Health by Government Agencies Construction industry plays a significant role in the development process of Malaysia development contribute towards the economic growth generating additional demands for construction activities. Undoubtedly construction is a industry which is very active and booming industry with contributing to the Malaysia economy. However, such achievements have also contributed much towards the safety issues where statistics showed that this industry has earned the reputation of being a highly hazardous industry due to its fatality rates.( Dayang and Gloria Chai ) In order to form a construction industry that is more stable and susta

Freedom for Women in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman

Freedom for Women in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gillman and 'The Story of an Hour' by Kate Chopin are two feminist works in which liberation is the overlying theme. Both of the main characters achieve freedom from their husbands' oppression in these short stories; however, freedom is only achieved through insanity in 'The Yellow Wallpaper' and death in 'The Story of an Hour.' The women in these stories are viewed as very powerful, as they do whatever it takes to free themselves from the oppressive holds of their husbands. Their strength proves these two short stories very influential works of feminism. Oppression is chief in the achievement of liberation in both short stories. Both of the narrators are oppressed by their husbands, and though they want to be happy, it is impossible due to the way they are treated by their spouses. In ?The Yellow Wallpaper,? John, the nameless narrator?s husband, confines his wife to a room with barred windows and hideous yellow wallpaper because she is ill. He does not allow her to exert herself physically or mentally, prevents her from seeing her friends and family and keeps her under intense scrutiny. While isolated in this room, she begins to go mad, believing that the wallpaper is somehow watching her, and eventually she believes she is a prisoner inside it. The narrator proves that her husband is oppressive when she reveals how afraid she is of him. She says, ?There comes John, and I must put this away?he hates to have me write a word? (Gillman 41). Likewise, in Kate Chopin?s ?The Story of an Hour? it is perceived that the main character Louise Mallard is oppre... ...reedom proves to be the overlying theme in ?The Story of an Hour? and death is the way in which freedom is achieved in the short story. ?The Yellow Wallpaper? and ?The Story of an Hour? are two feminist works that highlight the importance of freedom for women in the oppressive world of men. Freedom is not achieved normally in either of the short stories, but is gained through insanity and death. These two stories prove that women?s liberation is an extremely important issue, and the means by which these women gained their freedom is remarkable. Works Cited Chopin, Kate. The Story of an Hour. (1894). 31 Apr. 2003. http://www.4literature.net/Kate_Chopin/Story_of_an_Hour/> Gillman, Charlotte Perkins. ?The Yellow Wallpaper.? The Yellow Wallpaper and Selected Stories of Charlotte Perkins Gillman. Newark: University of Delaware Press, 1994. PID 0230

Examination of Characters in Katherine Anne Porters Short Story He Ess

Examination of Characters in Katherine Anne Porter's Short Story He Katherine Anne Porter's moving and stylistically cohesive short story "He" contains much worth discussing. The story's characters are quite memorable and provide for interesting character studies; in addition, the plot and themes of the story are also noteworthy. The most elaborately detailed character is Mrs. Whipple. She is the dominating member of the Whipple family; despite her belief in "men's work" as opposed to women's, she seems to have a great deal of say in family decisions. Mrs. Whipple is extremely concerned with status and appearances -- indeed, overly so. This preoccupation of hers is prominent throughout the story, from beginning to end. She is concerned, first of all, with making sure that no one else is aware of her family's poverty. She mentions, when things are going particularly bad for the Whipple, that "[The neighbors]'ll be calling us poor white trash next," and we know that would be tantamount to death for Mrs. Whipple. She is so concerned with keeping up appearances, in fact, that she goes against the advice of her husband and butchers a sucking pig when her brother, his "plump wife" and two "roaring hungry" boys come to visit. Although this will hurt them in the long run, Mrs. Whipple simply cannot bear to adm it the inadequacy of her family's income. Mrs. Whipple knows her family, especially her the long run, Mrs. Whipple simply cannot bear to admit the inadequacy of her family's income. Mrs. Whipple knows her family, especially her "simple-minded" son, is not like others, but she tries desperately to make them appear normal. Thus her other preoccupation lies in protecting her "simple-minded" son. We learn that Mrs. ... ...s moving and darkly humorous look at family dynamics. It certainly makes a clear statement against concern for appearances at all costs. It also explores the idea of "motherly love" and how good intentions can go bad. In the end, however, this story is just appearances at all costs. It also explores the idea of "motherly love" and how good intentions can go bad. In the end, however, this story is just depressing. We feel very sorry for -- and a little true sympathy for -- Mrs. Whipple and her family. Nevertheless, we cannot agree that it was "a mortal pity He was ever born," for we know that "she had loved Him as much as she possibly could"; in light of all her other concerns and preoccupations, however, it just wasn't enough. Work Cited Porter, Katherine Anne. "He." The Literature of the American South. Ed. William L. Andrews. New York: Norton. 1998.

Touch of Evil: Abuse of Power and Corruption in the Police Force

James Temple Coms 356 Paper on Lighting I believe an important theme of Touch of Evil is the abuse of power and corruption in the police force. The film follows detectives as they try and find out who planted dynamite in a car which blew up. Detective Hank Quinlan shows up on the scene and has a feeling that the dynamite was planted by someone on the Mexican side. Detective Quinlan is a corrupt detective who does anything he can to drag evil doers to justice. His fellow officers awe him and his reputation to take justice into his own hands. Detective Quinlan can be both a good and evil guy. In the first example, Chiaroscuro lighting is used to darken Hank Quinlan’s face. This lighting shows how Quinlan is an evil individual who gets what he wants. This lighting is of low key since it is hard to see Quinlan’s face. To the right of Quinlan is one of the Mexican mob men and Susan with light shining on them coming from the right side of the screen. This light is of high key and high contrast. The light is shining on Susan as if this scene wants to show us how she is good and that she is just an innocent bystander. On the face of Hank is a stern look which gives him a sinister appearance that he’ll do anything to obtain justice. The Mexican mob guy is standing there with his hands up with light shining all over him as to say that he is a good guy and hasn’t done anything wrong but we know that this isn’t the case. In the second example, we have light shining on Hank Quinlan and Ramon Vargas. Here the lighting is of high key and high contrast. This is picture is when Quinlan tells Vargas that the dynamite has been in this box, but Vargas tells him that he just looked in the box and it wasn’t in there before. Vargas’ face is lit showing that he is of innocence and is a good guy. On the other hand Quinlan has his hat on which cast a little shadow over his eyes showing that he is evil. We can tell that Quinlan is up to something and that it was most likely him who put the dynamite stick in the box. Detective Quinlan has a lot of power and he uses it to the fullest. [pic] Example 1 [pic] Example 2

Taboo

What is taboo? Taboo is human activity that is forbidden based on moral judgment. Anything that is not accepted by society or by your peers is considered taboo. This perfectly awful word has so many meanings ,yet no matter what race, religion, or culture your in it means forbidden or banned. No matter how hard you try not to be taboo you are. So is being taboo part of human nature, or is it how we try to stand out from everybody else and show individuality? Are you taboo, do you know someone who is taboo?There is no taboo that is universal, but some occur in the majority of societies. The dietary practices of some people are considered taboo, for instance some are vegetarians, kosher diets, cannibalism, or meat-eaters. Judaism prohibits the eating of bats, frogs, crocodiles, or snakes. Cow or beef is taboo to be eaten by vegetarian, Hindus, or Zoroastrians. Dog meat is taboo in the United States, they are considered part of the family. While in China dogs are bred for their meat, one example of this is the Chow Chow.Prince Philip of the United Kingdom once said â€Å"If it has four legs and is not a chair, has wings and is not an aero plane, or swims and is not a submarine, the Cantonese will eat it. † Once again everybody is taboo. I personally love to eat frog and beef. It is taboo in my eyes not to eat meat ,but that is because I am a meat-eater. The way people show or deal with their body function, such as burping, flatulence, defecating, and urinating are all forms of taboo. In the United States it is considered taboo to defecate or urinate in public.While in India, they teach to drink cow urine and eat cow feces. We all try to avoid doing things we think are taboo. People deal with things they think are different in different ways. Some turn their heads when they are faced with something or someone they find ugly or repulsive. The way people stare with added expressions when they see something different then what they consider normal, anything from a personal choice to birth defects. Even in relationships there is and will always be taboos. Sex outside of arriage, adultery, miscegenation, and incest are all forms of taboos in relationships. In the United States adultery and incest are very taboo, but in Wodaabe ,men of Niger steal each others wives even if they already have one. So adultery is taboo here over there it is accepted and condoned. Miscegenation was taboo in the United States until 1967 when they said it was unconstitutional. Taboo is in the politics of everyday living. For the United States fascism, communism, and anarchism are all taboo.While in China and Vietnam both accept and have a communism government. In early German the Nazism was taboo because of the fascism. Taboo was brought to the English language by Captain James Cook, and English explorer who visited Tonga. A famous American author Henry Miller said â€Å" whenever a taboo is broken, something good happens, something vitalizing. Taboos after all ar e only hangovers, the product of diseased minds, you might say, of fearsome people who hadn’t the courage to live and who under the guise of morality and religion have imposed these things upon us. So do not shun or avoid , accept everybody’s taboos because when they look at you they see all your taboos to them. Taboos are everywhere and in everything, because if there wasn’t then this would be a boring world to live. Could you imagine if everybody was doing the same thing, everything going the same direction ,no disorder, or no rebellion it would be very bland. In the end no one is perfect, and even if it might be considered taboo, whatever it is. The taboos we have or don’t have make us all unique and special.

Prison Term Policy Recommendation Paper

In September 2011 there will be a vote on a bill that will double the prison sentence of anyone committing armed robbery, in the state of Wisconsin. The hope of the bill sponsors is that the increased penalties will deter a person from committing armed robbery. Senator McKenzie is aware of popular support for the bill; however, he has asked for my recommendation of whether or not the measure will have any genuine deterrent effect on the rate of incidence. When State Senator McKenzie asked me for my recommendation, I looked for studies on the deterrent effect of lengthy sentences, for armed robbery. The studies I read indicate that, whereas there may be a slight decrease in recidivism, the reduction was not significant enough to indicate that a longer sentence has a significant deterrent effect on those commit armed robbery. The reduction of crime is not directly contributable to the length of sentence. Rather than focus, too intently, on studies of the deterrent effect of stiffer penalties, I believe that it is more important to look at the other factors, which may lead a person to commit an armed robbery. There are three criminology theories in particular, which may influence a criminal’s decision to commit a violent crime. The biological theory theorizes that some people are ‘born to be bad’; something in his or her biological makeup causes them to behave in a violent fashion. The rational choice theory theorizes that people have free will and, if they commit a violent act it is that they choose to do so. Finally, the psychological theory theorizes that there is a psychological deficiency that leads a person to commit criminal acts. What is Armed Robbery? To begin, it is important to understand why armed robbery should receive greater penalties than non-armed robbery. When a person commits armed robbery, he or she is using, or threatening to use, a weapon; the criminal is intimidating the victim into relinquishing his or her money or property (CriminalDefenseLawyer. com, 2011). When weapons are involved, the danger that someone will be seriously harmed or killed significantly increases. The purpose of the bill, on focusing on armed robbery, is to deter criminals from using violence in the commission of his or her crime. The main question to be considered is; why does a criminal commit an armed robbery? Understanding this question may eventually lead to the genuine determination of how to reduce and eliminate crime; three theories of criminal behavior in particular may hold the key. Biological Theories The first theory to consider is the biological theory. Is there something in the fundamental makeup of an individual that may lead him or her to violence and criminal activities? Cesare Lombraso, a 19th century Italian medical doctor, is one of the best known scientific biological theorists. One of his theories posited that, if a person had an underdeveloped brain (e. g. inferior brain) they would be incapable of conforming to the rules and laws of society; because they would be unable to understand why what they are doing is wrong. Lombroso performed autopsies on numerous criminals, including an Italian soldier who attacked and killed eight of his fellow soldiers, and found deformities of the criminals’ brains. This led him to conclude that a reason for the criminal’s behavior was that the criminal had inferior reasoning capabilities, and therefore, the criminal could not understand the difference between what is right and wrong (Schmalleger, 2009). A biological theory, by evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin, theorized that because life favors the strongest and best individuals, those who are able to attain power and possessions are most likely to procreate, thus continuing his or her genes. Animals, including humans, are driven to ggression, and crime, to improve his or her economic and social positions; to facilitate his or her search for a mate (Schmalleger, 2009). Lombraso and Darwin determined that biology is the cause behind aggressive and criminal behavior. Rational Choice Theory A second theory is the classical school of criminology referred to as the rational choice theory, or free will. This theory posits that a person chooses to commit criminal acts; that circumstances su ch as social and economic hardships lead a person to commit crime. The theory maintains that a person will consider the pros and cons of committing a criminal act; if the benefits outweigh the punishment, the person will commit the crime (Law Library: Free Legal Encyclopedia, 2011). According to this theory, a person with low social standing, and often impoverished would be more likely to commit armed robbery to improve his or her economic conditions, thus improving his or her social position. Classical theorists Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham were two theorists who believed that if the punishment were greater than the benefits of the crime, individuals would be deterred from committing criminal (Schmalleger, 2009). However, this theory does not appear to take into account the desperation factor; if someone is impoverished, possible living on the streets, his or her desperation for basic requirements may be such that there is no deterrent strong enough to stop him or her. Psychological Theory The third theory is based on psychological factors. Sigmund Freud and J. Dollard proposed theories that, when a person is significantly frustrated, over a long period, aggression is the natural outcome (Schmalleger, 2009). According to this belief, if a person lives in depravation long enough, the individual will eventually become frustrated enough that he or she may resort to armed robbery, to improve his or her economic status. Another psychological theory, which is popular in current times, is that violent video games, television, and movies, are the driving force behind violent criminal activity. Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman, a former assistant professor of psychology at West Point, calls video game, â€Å"hypnotic murder simulators† (Schmalleger, 2009, p. 231). This theory posits that people become desensitized to violence and lose perspective; they no longer see right and wrong, therefore they may resort to criminal activity to obtain what they want. Whether any, or all, of these theories have merit, it is clear that there are factors other than simple greed that can lead to a person committing a violent crime such as armed robbery. Without being able to narrow down the factors of why a person is likely to commit an armed robbery, it is difficult at best to determine what will deter him or her from committing the crime. It is my belief that too many factors contribute to a person’s decision to commit the crime, to believe that simply lengthening the sentence will be effective. Studies Two studies in particular, on the deterrent effect of longer sentences on criminals committing armed robbery, indicate that although there may be a slight deterrent effect, there is not a significant deterrent effect by increasing sentence length. In 2006, Italy passed a bill that gave clemency to thousands of criminals with three or fewer years left on his or her sentences. If the criminals were to commit any further crimes within the next five years, not only would the individual have to serve the sentence for whatever crime was committed, the sentence would be extended by whatever time had not been previously served (University of Chicago Press Journals, 2009). This gave three scientists, Francesco Drego, Roberto Galbiati, and Pietro Vertova the opportunity to study the deterrent effect of longer sentences on recidivism rates. In 2009, the scientists published their discoveries in the Journal of Political Economy; the results indicate that an increase of sentencing, by as little as one month, reduced the recidivism rate by 1. 3% in less serious crimes; however, for criminals committing more serious offenses, of which armed robbery is one, there was virtually no deterrent effect (University of Chicago Press Journals, 2009). Although this study is encouraging for less serious crimes, it does not indicate that there is a significant reduction of serious and/or violent crimes because of the longer sentencing. Another study conducted by the economists David S. Lee of Columbia and Justin McCrary of Michigan, focused on Florida recidivism rates, discovered that even though imprisonment and sentences increase from three to 17% after the age of 18, depending on the seriousness of the crime, there was no significant drop in recidivism rates when juvenile criminals transitioned to adult courts. It was, in fact, because the individual was incarcerated and unable to commit more crimes that there was a drop in criminal activity between the ages of 17 and 19 (Waldfogel, 2007). Conclusion There are too many factors, which may cause a person to commit an armed robbery, to believe that simply lengthening the prison term will be effective. If a person is biologically inclined toward criminal activity, longer sentences will not be sufficient to override his or her biological ‘programming’. If they have inferior cognitive abilities, because of underdeveloped brains, they will be unable to comprehend the significance of a longer sentence; a longer sentence would have no more significance to them than a shorter sentence. If the person has endured frustration long enough that they feel his or her only choice it to take what they want by force, they are unlikely to consider the prison sentence before they commit the act. Or they may determine that even if they are caught, at least they will have a roof over their heads, food on their plate, and clothes on their back, if they are sent to prison. For some criminals this may, in fact, be an inducement to commit the crime. If a person has become psychologically ‘warped’ by social media, they may have lost the capability to judge right and wrong, thereby losing the capability to consider the consequences of his or her actions; a longer sentence would not be sufficient deterrence. Finally, if the person has made the choice, of his or her own free will, to commit an armed robbery, even after weighing the pros and cons, doubling his or her sentence is going to have very little deterrent effect. Many criminals believe that they will not be apprehended; or they believe they will be able to reduce their sentence through a plea bargain. When a criminal chooses to commit a crime, they are also choosing to accept the penalty should they be caught. Of the three theories, I believe that a criminal who falls under the rational choice theory has the best chance of being deterred. This criminal is the one who is most likely to understand the significance of a longer sentence. However, as the Italian and Florida studies indicated, imposing longer sentences did little to deter violent criminals. As violent crime is not, in my opinion, a rational act, it is unlikely that armed robbers would fall under the rational choice theory; hence, they are unlikely to be deterred by doubling their prison sentence. My Recommendation While I do not believe that doubling the prison sentences of armed robbers will have a significant deterrent effect on armed robbers, I do believe that it will have an effect on the crime rate. If the criminal is incarcerated for a long period, they are unable to commit further armed robberies. They will be segregated from society, and will be unable to further victimize society. Society will also receive psychological benefits from the new law; they will feel comforted by the fact that the individual is no longer able to victimize society. As the bill has popular support, from both the legislature and the public, I recommend that Senator McKenzie vote to pass the bill, when it comes up for a vote in September 2011. References CriminalDefenseLawyer. com. (2011). Armed Robbery. Retrieved 10 January 2011, from http://www. criminaldefenselawyer. com/crime-penalties/federal/Armed-Robbery. htm Law Library: Free Legal Encyclopedia. (2011). Classical School of Criminology. Retrieved 30 January 2011, from http://law. jrank. org/pages/14359/classical-school-criminology. html Schmalleger, F. (2009). Criminology Today: An Integrative Introduction, Fifth Edition. Retrieved 30 January 2011, from CJA 314. University of Chicago Press Journals (2009). Potential Criminals Can Be Deterred By Longer Sentences, Study Suggests. ScienceDaily. Retrieved 30 January 2011, from http://www. sciencedaily. com /releases/2009/05/090518111726. htm Waldfogel, J. (2007). The Irrational 18-Year-Old Criminal. Slate. Retrieved 30 January 2011, from http://www. slate. com/id/2158317/

Pharmasim Preliminary Market Strategy Essay

Allstar Brands’ over-the-counter cold and allergy remedy Allround will continue to be the market leader among OTC cold medicines and continue to increase its stock price over the next decade in order to remain not only competitive, but the premier stock choice among competitors in the OTC cold and allergy remedy market. To further grow the Allround product it is essential to build upon the current strengths of the brand, but also seek additional areas for opportunity and growth. These goals will be accomplished by evaluating competitors entering the OTC cold and allergy remedy market and through careful planning and execution to enhance our current product to meet the desires and needs of consumers. Allstar Brands’ Allround product holds a strong position in the over-the-counter cold and allergy remedy market by being the market share leader, but there is no guarantee this trend will continue. Allround recognizes the need to continue to diversify and reformulate its current product line in order to remain competitive in light of an influx of competition. Allround competes in one of four product categories in the OTC market with no emphasis in the cough, allergy, or nasal categories. We will be better enabled to meet the desires and needs wanted most by consumers by enhancing the current Allround product line. Allstar Brands’ Allround product has been a profitable brand with manufacturer sales of over $355 million in its most recent period. To further increase sales it is crucial to ensure the Allround brand is being sought by all consumers in the OTC cold and allergy remedy market. Recent surveys show the Allround brand did not receive the best shelf space placement and this is a great concern to the future of the brand. It is important Allround reallocates its resources appropriately to maximize the efficiency of our channels of distribution in order to promote our brand to its fullest potential. Allround’s brand effectiveness and high recognition have allowed it to be among the price leaders in the OTC cold and allergy remedy market. This current trend is a great concern to the management team at the OCM group of Allstar Brands. In order to remain competitive Allround must closely monitor all pricing aspects associated with manufacturing and selling the brand. To ensure Allround can maintain a price leadership role in the market it must continually adjust its pricing tactics to better suit its consumers in periods of growth and decline. Allround’s success depends on the consumers who buy its product. To ensure consumers are purchasing our product Allround must offer the greatest value. By promoting our product to the appropriate demographics we can develop more sales and grow our customer base. Allround brand recognizes the need to promote its product through all types of mediums including coupons, point-of-purchase vehicles, and trial-size packages in order to maintain customer loyalty. If Allstar Brands is able to understand its customers on a more intimate basis then it can better provide for desires and needs sought by those purchasing medicine in the OTC cold and allergy remedy market. Situation Analysis The following is a situational analysis of all pertinent aspects of the current state of the market and of the Allround product. Using the â€Å"5 Cs† we have developed an overview of the current situation and hope to present it in a clear and concise manner. This covers the current external factors, major competitor factors, projected customer’s information, fellow distributor’s and retailer’s factors, and current company outlook. -Context: External factors -Collaborators: Who are we using to promote our product, and how do we motivate them? WhoWhyMotivate PharmacistsCustomers value and trust the opinions of pharmacistsMarket that boosting the sales of Allround will also boost drugstores sales Chain DrugstoresStatisticaly a high volume of sales come from thesePromoting this product will boost sales and garner more customers for both Allround and the drugstore Grocery StoresStatisticaly a high volume of sales come from theseConvince that this is the best OTC cold medicine and that stocking this will increase store sales DoctorsDoctors could recommend product to patientsDistribute samples to local doctors to encourage recommendations to patients -Company: Goal? Strengths and weaknesses? GoalsMetricsStrengthsWeaknesses Increase Stock Price10% increase per yearBrand awareness, market share, product quality, high potential growthUnacceptable budget allocation Increase Company Net Income10% increase per yearHigh income, high price, brand awarenessWeak portfolio Increase Company Annual Net Income~$74MBrand awareness, company growth, inelastic pricingSales coverage, Unused R&D capacity Increase Company Utilization~93%#1 product in market, new product line and reformulation optionsAlcohol additive in current formula, budget Increase Shelf Space Rank#1 product in retailBrand awarenessSales coverage and promotion, diluted advertising plan, budget constraints Target Market: The Allround initial marketing plan will be focused on four core groups. The four groups include empty nesters, mature families, singles, and retirees. The main marketing focus will be on singles and empty nesters, as those are our core customers. Singles and empty nesters is Allround’s primary demographic. These 2 groups are the perfect candidates due to their age. Young singles are defined as young adults living alone; Allround was made for fast relief for adults. Young singles, being largely independent, require fast and effective relief from cold symptoms. Empty nesters are classified as older people whose households are now empty. Mature families are also a large group of interest. Mature families usually have older children and are less cautious of the side effects on a teen. The parents of the household are also usually middle aged and still in the workforce, this is a perfect demographic for a fast relief cold medicine. Retired is an important, but already established, market for Allround. Due to this fact the company should focus less advertising on retirees. People past the point of retirement have already been largely exposed to the product. The chance of acquiring new customers from this demographic is low, and the advertising opportunity is past its prime. The marketing team has decided against advertising to young families, at least for the moment. Young families are especially concerned with side effects of medicine. Many families with young children won’t be as interested in adult cold medicines. Therefore, advertising efforts should be focused elsewhere. Allround should look into developing a child’s cold medicine in the future; bundle that with the original formula and market it to young families. Recommendations: Our recommendations are focused on the initial four major company expressed at the beginning of this report. First we will discuss how to improve our product, and by extension customer satisfaction, as well as possible new product lines. Second, we will focus on product placement and improving distribution channels. Third, we discuss possible pricing options and contingencies. Finally, promotion plans and increasing our circulation through major markets. The Allround product is a well recommended and widely trusted OTC cold and allergy medication. To maintain this image we need to further show our customers that we are listening. A major issue with current customers is the alcohol content, and resulting side effects, of the current Allround formula. To improve Allround’s image even further we must reformulate the current product to rid it of alcohol while still maintaining its effectiveness. Customers have also expressed interest in chest decongestant; by again reformulating the product we can add expectorant to further the overall quality of cold symptom relief. A final possibility would be to explore new product line options, such as an improved Allround product or a child’s cold medicine, to diversify the company and reach more markets. Allround has a very high shelf stock, however due to a large number of new competitors this number is decreasing. The first recommendation regarding placement of the product would be to increase the number of detailers to increase support of wholesalers and merchandisers; it is recommended that the number of initial detailers be at least doubled. Secondly, support must be shown for independent drugstores, therefore it is advised that the company allocate more of its sales force to that resource. Finally, more advertising and trial promotions need to be focused on chain drugstores and grocery stores. Allround has consistently been one of the higher priced OTC cold and allergy medicines, justified by its proven quality. Price is more mercurial than other factors in marketing; pricing must be determined on a yearly basis. Inflation rate and marketing forecast must be closely monitored to determine the companie’s actions regarding price. If the market outlook is favorable then price increase should match that of inflation rate; if the market outlook is not favorable the price increase must stay below inflation rate. Following this plan should ensure sales will follow a steady or upward trend, minimizing loss. Allround tries, and largely succeeds, at being a household name. To ensure this stays true promotion must be increased to compete with the influx of competition into the market, to do this we go back to reformulating the product. Due to Allrounds alcohol content, and subsequent side effects, doctors are more apt to recommend competitors with alcohol-free products. Removing the alcohol content would go great lengths in increasing doctor and pharmacist recommendations. More focus needs to be placed on trial promotions, while couponing should stay the same for the base product. Promotion funds need to be more targeted toward our major retailers, chain drug stores and grocery stores, as these largely use circulars and other promotional strategies.