Comparison Of Love Poems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparison Of Love Poems - Essay Example However, I would say that Ted Hughes had not succeeded in blotting out the unpleasant events. Overall, this poem examines their wedding day in retrospect, and I would say that this poem was a realization for everything that had happened that he probably never got to understand at that time. First off, he describes his plain outfit on his wedding day: â€Å"sole, drab, veteran RAF black†. This description of his clothes and the way he emphasized Sylvia’s outfit on this day (which was even made the title of the poem) seemed to show how contradicting their feelings were toward their own wedding. I cannot help but think that this poem shows that only one party was ecstatic at this event: only Sylvia. This is shown in the last two stanzas of the poem, which described the happiness that Ted Hughes saw in Sylvia Plath during their wedding. Clearly, he was aware of how much this wedding meant to his wife. This was evidently one of her happiest days despite the lack of a grand c elebration. However, for his part, the poet used strong words that suggest the feeling of being forced into getting married: exhausted, conscript, squeezed. Despite having a title that seems to convey sweetness and beauty, this poem for the most part, describes how their wedding was unlike any other wedding day. They did not really choose the location of their wedding, which would normally be one of the first considerations in wedding preparations. Next, they did not even have a wedding entourage, and they had to request the sexton, of all people, to be the ring-bearer. Finally, his family and friends did not even know that he was getting married. On the contrary, Sylvia Plath’s â€Å"Wreath for a Bridal† is a magical recollection of their wedding day. Written in the same year as her wedding, the poem conjures images of beauty and nature. Perhaps despite the lack of preparations, Sylvia was personally convinced that she had the most beautiful wedding

Dual-career families Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Dual-career families - Essay Example , couples in a dual-career relationship have jobs that require a high degree of commitment and effectively the developmental nature of the professions these couples engage in is high. In effect, such couples pursue careers while still performing their main roles in parenting. These relationships have certain characteristics such as economic rewards for the couples and ultimately to the family. In addition, the family derives an added social prestige when both parents are working. Furthermore, a personal investment on the part of both partners is evident when they commit their time and energy to their careers. However, the commitment of time and energy can influence the relationship of the couples within the family setup. Hamner & Turner (2000) noted that, many working couples with children experienced conflicts in their work and family relationships effectively influencing their performance and creating stress at both work and in the family. Such conflicts influenced greatly on the children’s behavior. In this regard, one big issue in dual-career families concerns absentee parents. As such, house helps, who at most instances lack the basic knowledge in parentage, have the biggest responsibility on children. On the other hand, commitment to work drains the energy out of the parents once they reach home and eventually fail to spend quality time with their children. Effectively, children will pick behavior, at times undesirable, from other people since the parents are not monitoring their children progress closely as should be the case. Faced with such challenges, there are various ways that dual-career families can overcome them. According to Hester & Dickerson (1984), different programs devised by extension personnel are essential in training couples on ways of improving their relationship. Such programs establish unique responsibilities in each relationship advising each couple on the best way to parent their children while both juggle with their careers,

U.S. Federal Reserve System Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

U.S. Federal Reserve System - Research Paper Example Moreover, the system is operating in United States to provide exchange benefits among different regions, to control the money supply and demand fluctuations, to control arising systematic risks in financial market, to fulfill liquidity needs and to manage and supervise banking institutions (News Events, 2009). However, its primary aim is to strengthen country’s economy by taking various active measures. The perfect monitory policies, measures taken to achieve national economic goals will lead to successful economic growth. Moreover, it requires different tools such as discount rate and open market operations in order to influence reserves of private financial institutes. It works as a government’s body and it is associated with several functions. First, it serves as a bank for bank, it involves in various transaction of banks. Whereas, financial institutions borrows money in case of shortage of money. Secondly, it works as a regulatory in buying and selling of securities in an open market and as a government’s bank, it issues U.S currency. Thirdly, as a regulatory agency, it monitors that the rights of consumers are protected, and ensures that things run smoothly in banks. However, the current economic policy is focusing on unemployment and does not include plans to r aise interest rates (Plossers, pp. 1-3). Moreover, the current monetary policy is not working well the decline of dollar is problematic for businesses. Due to the fact, investments are drastically decline whereas; foreign investments are speaking out and divesting (Philadelphia, pp. 2). According to personal opinion, I agree, because Federal Reserve System has extended its lending programs and open market operations by enlarging reserve securities, agency debts, mortgages, and by increasing maturity transformation on balance sheet. Therefore, monitory policies affect economic activities badly. Federal Reserve System focuses on unemployment which is also a major factor but high interest

Dual-career families Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Dual-career families - Essay Example , couples in a dual-career relationship have jobs that require a high degree of commitment and effectively the developmental nature of the professions these couples engage in is high. In effect, such couples pursue careers while still performing their main roles in parenting. These relationships have certain characteristics such as economic rewards for the couples and ultimately to the family. In addition, the family derives an added social prestige when both parents are working. Furthermore, a personal investment on the part of both partners is evident when they commit their time and energy to their careers. However, the commitment of time and energy can influence the relationship of the couples within the family setup. Hamner & Turner (2000) noted that, many working couples with children experienced conflicts in their work and family relationships effectively influencing their performance and creating stress at both work and in the family. Such conflicts influenced greatly on the children’s behavior. In this regard, one big issue in dual-career families concerns absentee parents. As such, house helps, who at most instances lack the basic knowledge in parentage, have the biggest responsibility on children. On the other hand, commitment to work drains the energy out of the parents once they reach home and eventually fail to spend quality time with their children. Effectively, children will pick behavior, at times undesirable, from other people since the parents are not monitoring their children progress closely as should be the case. Faced with such challenges, there are various ways that dual-career families can overcome them. According to Hester & Dickerson (1984), different programs devised by extension personnel are essential in training couples on ways of improving their relationship. Such programs establish unique responsibilities in each relationship advising each couple on the best way to parent their children while both juggle with their careers,

New businesses Essay Example for Free

New businesses Essay Consistent findings have imperatively indicated that the correlation between firm entry and survival is negative. Out of every one hundred new businesses introduced in the UK, 50 percent of them become obsolete before their third anniversary. Such high attrition levels are not only evident UK in alone but also in most modern economies and can be said to be a generic rule of thumb. Just why is it that so many nascent firms end up accomplishing little or nothing before they finally become extinct? Is it that their owners do not put enough efforts into the business development or are there other internal and external causes of this prevalent occurrence of business failure? Many theories have been put forth to explain the possible causes of the high rates of new business failure. It is not surprising that major diagnoses of the root causes of low survival rate in new businesses identify management inefficiency as one of the causes of the high attrition levels. Policy makers have also been blamed for recommending entrepreneurship as the solution to rejuvenating the economy yet little is done to educate people on what to expect amid globalization pressures, competition and technological changes that are likely to impact on the business survival. Other theories put forward include the supportive environment thesis, nature of activity and industry theory. Firm survival can however be properly classified in three explanatory dimensions: The firms specific characteristics; Operational factors and the business cycle. This paper explores the characteristics of business failure under these three dimensions and at the same time introduces a discussion on how entrepreneurs can enhance their businesss chances of survival by providing possible solutions to the low levels of survival witnessed in infant businesses. II. Analysis a) Definitions Birth of the firm: The introduction of a business marks the birth of a firm. This may actually start when the idea of the business is borne. Consequent activities such as registering the company, acquiring premises and capital are secondary elements in the birth of a business. Survival of the firm: Survival of the firm refers to its ability to withstand internal and external pressures to meet the objectives for which it was established. Survival determines whether a firm makes it through its lifetime or whether it fails and consequently exits the market. Death of the firm: This denotes the final stage in a business at a point where nothing can be done to revive the business and the only solution is complete closure. Termination of the firm as a legal entity: This means that the business is no longer recognized by the law. It means that a business in the context of the law is no longer operational and it is therefore not liable to debts, taxes among other liabilities to stakeholders. b) New Firms Survival Literature New businesses in the UK have in the past shown high levels of business failures witnessed within the first three years of inception. According to Caliendo and Fossen (2009: 154) at least fifty out of every one hundred new businesses introduced did not make it to their third birthday. A study by the DTI Small Business Service from 1995 to 2004 reveals that these failures are actually vary with industries which could be attributed to the various conditions that exist in these sectors (DTI, 2007: 13). On average, 82% of new businesses established survived the first year in business. Improvement has been recorded and by 2004, an average of 58% of new businesses survived the first three years over all the sectors. Detailed survey results are shown in table 1 and 2. c) Why Half of Nascent Firms Fail: The Survival Explanatory Dimensions 1) Firm Specific Characteristics i)Managerial Organization Discernible management errors and high incidents of poor management highly contribute to the low survival rates of newly established firms. The death of many firms is mostly characterized by management which has turned out to be reactionary. Inefficient decision making and inadequate or non-existent planning will have contributed to the failure of the business in at least 30 percent of nascent firms (Phillips, 2004: 68-70). Veronique and Wever (2000: 138) note that managers inability to react to various forces affecting the business operations such as competition, technological advancements, economic trends and money issues could lead to the ultimate downfall of a business. Inadequacy in management expertise is essentially attributable for the business failure to explore alternative financing options leading to bankruptcy. ii)Inadequacy of Cash Reserves Inadequate financing comes in as a close second after poor management. New owners with little or no prior experience in business may fail to effectively predict cash flow. Miscalculation of amounts required to sustain the business before it picks up and underestimation of the costs associated with borrowing money are the major causes of financial strain (Lane and Schary, 1991: 101-103). Exhaustion of cash reserves is also likely to be influenced by poor pricing, over-investment in fixed assets and uncontrolled growth. Uncontrolled growth occurs when the owners want to take up every opportunity that comes so that at the end of it all they cannot satisfy all their customers. In this case, firms end up borrowing large amounts to meet the high demand and when the loans cannot be paid effectively, what results is collapse of the firm (Audretsch and Keilbach, 2004: 423). Other causes include over dependence on a few customers, fraud and uncontrolled drawings by the owner. iii)Poor debt management and Over-borrowing This is closely associated with cash inadequacy and it results where managers are ill-equipped in financial management. Small business owners are likely to obtain the wrong type of financing and worse still take more than the business can afford to pay (Jostarndt, 2007: 139). This may lead to borrowing loans to clear existing ones which is not a good debt management strategy. Inability to pay debts on time and lack of coordination between incoming cash and outgoing cash may lead to the business finally going bankrupt and consequently causing its death. iv)Ownership Status There are two ways of looking at this perspective: the legal ownership and the reasons for starting the business. A sole proprietorship business is more likely to fail due to financial and management problems than a partnership or a limited company. The reasons for starting the business can highly influence a firms survival. Moore and Gooderl (2008: 8-10) name two types of entrepreneurs: the opportunity entrepreneur and the necessity entrepreneur. The former establishes a business to exploit available business opportunity while the latter may start up a business for the purpose of sustaining himself probably if he cannot find a job. According to Moore and Gooderl (2008: 16-17) the opportunity entrepreneur is likely to succeed while the necessity entrepreneur may not exert enough efforts towards the business. The increased number of necessity entrepreneurs in the UK has highly increased the failure levels in new businesses. v)Personal Characteristics of the owner This mostly has to do with the attitude of the owner and the manner in which he or she applies these in the business context. Owners make a mistake of taking up all responsibilities without making use of delegation to junior employees as a result of fearing that they may not do it perfectly. Jensen (1976: 335) describes this as the challenge of letting go. Owners normally find themselves exhausted from overwork and yet do not find time to address important issues facing the business. Use of business funds by the owner can also cause detrimental effects on the business. Personal attitudes such as aggressiveness and lack of concern for the employees may cause high rate of employee turnover as well as keep away customers (Daily et al, 2002: 398-343). vi)Innovation and reaction to technological changes The world is advancing at a high rate and technology is one of the areas that a business needs to keep up with. Many new businesses fail due to being left behind in technological advancements such that they are overtaken by their competitors who take with them all the customers (Agarwal, 1996: 103-106). Innovation is one of the major tools for a successful business and this is one area that new businesses have not been able to address mainly due to lack of enough capital to come up with new products and services. viii)Poor knowledge of the market Most business owners enter the market with little knowledge about what to expect. Failing to conduct market feasibility studies limit the owners knowledge on the competitors in the market and their influence; the customers characteristics and behaviour and various market fluctuations they are likely to encounter (Covin et al, 2000: 199-206). 2) Operational factors i) Competition New businesses are often overwhelmed by the efforts required to counter competition from already existing firms. This is considering that these firms have already established their customer base and winning loyal customers could prove quite a challenging task for new businesses. Usually, dominant competitors may even device ways of putting new entrants out of business such as lowering prices and offering discounts (Covin et al, 2000: 200). Their aim is to push the new competitors until they cannot keep up with the situation such that they eventually quit. ii) Location The location of a business is a major determinant for its survival. New businesses in rural areas are likely to fail due to limited local markets and isolation. On the other hand high costs, presence of large firms and regulatory barriers pose challenges to businesses located in the urban areas (Sutaria and Donald, 2004: 250-253). 3)Changes in Business Cycle i)Macroeconomic growth and economic pressures New businesses are usually unable to handle economic shocks that may result from high interest rates, fluctuations in exchange rates and general inflation. According to David and Mahmood (1995: 89-93) not many businesses survive an economic surge or a recessionary period which may lead to skyrocketing of supply prices and high costs of borrowing. ii)Entering Cohorts exit rate Cohorts refer to groups with similar characteristics. The result of exit of similar businesses can either have a positive or negative effect on a new business. Exit may mean less competition which is an advantage. New firms however rely on one another for inspiration. A person operating a business where everyone is quitting due to one reason or another is bound to get disillusioned and have the attitude that his business may fail too (Phillips, 2004: 69-71). iii)Changes in legal environment When the laws of a country change, new businesses are likely to suffer since they are not yet stable enough to cushion themselves from such changes. Amendment of tax laws and business requirements may cause a new business to go bankrupt. d) Increasing Survival Chances Strategies to increase the chances of survival for a business entail addressing the leading causes of failure. The most fundamental requirement is the improvement of the management capabilities. When there is good management in a firm, other factors will follow suit because every operation of the business is determined by the management (Sutaria and Donald, 2004: 253-255). Improvement of communication within the business and proper sharing of duties are skills that the owners of the business need to acquire. This can be done through attending management and entrepreneurial seminars and conferences so as to learn secrets of firm survival from professionals. Proper planning is the ideal solution to financial problems. Veronique and Wever, 2000: 139-141) refers adequate anticipation of cash flow as the secret to overcoming financial problems for starters. This could be done through the help of an expert if the owner is not in a position to do so. Finding alternative sources of finance apart from the usual ones is key in preventing the collapse of a business due to lack of funds. There are many available sources of finance including bank loans, credit card advances, sale of assets among others (Moore and Gooderl, 2008: 298-299). Care should then be taken to make sure the finances are properly utilized. The firm should avoid relying on a few customers because huge losses can be felt if the customers suddenly withdraw. Instead, they should aim at a large customer base. Over-borrowing can be reduced through making proper cash forecasts and using the limited resources that the business has. In essence, the firm can adopt a steady growth over time instead of rushing to expand at once (Daily et al, 2002: 399-401). Finally, the management should be keen in managing the debts of the business keenly balancing the income and expenditure so as to cover all liabilities and debts in time. A business must clearly identify its customers and establish whether they can sustain the business effectively considering the level of competition. This can be done prior to the business establishment through a market feasibility studies while answering the following questions: How many competitors are in the area you plan to establish your business? Who will be the businesss customers and what are their buying habits? What is the level of loyalty of these potential customers to the current suppliers? Are they likely to buy your product? Is the product seasonal? Is it possible to make profit out of the business? Once these questions are answered, the likelihood of failure can be minimized as specific strategies to address the issues can be formulated (Audretsch and Thurik, 2007: 113-141). Business owners must realize that they cannot do everything by themselves. Employers can delegate and allow employees to make certain decisions. Consequently, owners will have ample time to concentrate on more important business issues such as finding new customers, getting more funds for the business as well as solving the current issues facing the business (Daily et al, 2002: 403-405). The need for long-term planning is inevitable. This involves planning for growth and transition in the future. It also involves planning for uncertainties such as loss of employees, customers and suppliers. In the wake of the high global trade advancement and changes in the market, businesses should always be alert to avoid being taken unaware by advancements in technology, innovation and changes in customer preferences and culture (Zoltan, 1988: 321). Legal changes and changes in tax systems should be catered for in the long-term business plan. The state of the economy is bound to change from time to time which is why firms must anticipate for any future economic shocks through investing in stocks, futures, options among others. Insurance is also an option for more larger firms. III. Conclusion No environment can be said to specifically favour new firms in all angles hence the need for those starting new firms to be overly cautious. Firms are most definitely exposed to numerous risks that may lead to their extinction as indicated in this discussion. Management is identified as the root cause of low survival rates among nascent firms and its improvement could work to solve the predicament presently being witnessed in new firm survival. Proper balancing of the firms cash reserves; being generally alert to any changes in the business environment; making informed decisions to deal with these changes coupled with excellent management practices is exactly what is needed to save young firms from their predicament and promote their longevity.

Operations Management in Action: Kier Group Plc Analysis

Operations Management in Action: Kier Group Plc Analysis Operations Management in Action For this assignment we have been asked to research the Industry sector, choose a business within that sector, and then analyse and evaluate the business we have chosen from an operations manager point of view. First we must know what the Industry sector is. According to oxford dictionary the word industry means ‘Economic activity concerned with the processing of raw materials and manufacture of goods’ (Oxford Dictionary. 2014).This means that the industry sector have businesses within it that deal with the processing of raw materials and manufacture of goods. This is also called the secondary sector or manufacturing sector. In 2009 the UK manufacturing sector generated  £140bn in revenue this is 11% of the UK total economy. This sector also employed 2.6 million people which equals out to be 8% of the UK workforce. The whole sector itself is spilt up into 14 different industries by the government which include textiles and chemicals (BIS. 2010). The business I have chosen is Kier Group plc. The reason that Kier Group plc fit within the Industry sector/secondary sector is because this is a construction firm that deals with turning raw materials in a finished products i.e. turning bricks into buildings. Kier Group plc offers their services to the public and private sectors, these services include ‘civil engineering, mining, mechanical electrical design and installation†¦ and 3D modeling’ (Kier Construction. 2014). An example of public sector customer would be the Northampton Borough Council in creating their new  £7 million North Gate Bus Station (Northampton Chronicle Echo. 2014). An example of a private sector customer would be Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd, as Kier Group plc did the King’s Cross Station roof refurbishment (Kier Group. 2013). Kier Group plc’s clients are often other business or large public bodies such as Councils due to their ability and proven track record with multi-million pound contracts that they are asked to do or win the contracts against other competitors such as Balfour Beatty PLC. Kier Group plc operate on a global scale however some parts within Kier Group plc work within the U.K. Any organisation can be shown as multiple of input/output diagrams in a hierarchy format. At the bottom of this hierarchy would be the customer’s needs being transformed into consumer satisfaction (Muhlemann, A. Oakland, J. Lockyer, K. 1993). As every business is made with the customer in mind even if the businesses overall goal could be to maximise profits they still need the customer. However other input/output diagrams in the hierarchy differ from business to business. As a car mechanic shop wouldn’t use the same ways to satisfy consumers as a bridal dress shop would. As Kier Group plc deals with construction it has a specific inputs and outputs. Five inputs of Kier Group plc would be skilled labour, high quality equipment, energy, building materials, and basic project designs. Three outputs of the company would be buildings, infrastructure, and recycled materials. Skilled labour is an input for Kier Group plc because to be able operate as a building business they would need skilled labour. This is because the jobs that the business could be doing may have a high risk of doing lots of damage not just money’s terms but in personnel terms as well. This would also be beneficial to the business as it could lead to being more productive due to the skilled labour however it would be costly hiring someone that’s highly skilled or even over skilled for the job rather than someone who could just about do the job. But in the company’s overview they want to offer clients ‘world-class solutions’ (Kier Group. 2014)which suggests that the highly skilled labour would be used. High quality equipment is would be a specific input for Kier Group plc due to the nature of the job that the business gets inquired about. These can be very complex jobs such as the Kings Cross Station roof refurbishment. Not only did they refurbish an iconic building roof, the station had to stay open with thousands of people walking underneath the building work. This shows the high quality equipment would be needed as an input. The reason that energy is needed as an input as the business would be using computers to design projects and also it would be needed to power equipment on site. It is a needed input in this business. Building materials are a vital input to the business as they are needed to get to the final product. Without these, the business would not be able to run as a construction business. Kier Group plc need to start from a basic project design to be able to make what the customer want like the business to make. That’s is why basic project designs is a needed input for the business. As Kier Group plc have architects that would design the final product from these basic project designs whether it would be a finish building or a new part for railways. A specific output for Kier Group plc would be buildings as this is the main product/good that the business produces. They way in which this would be produced from inputs would be via project process. Project production is a type of production that has low volume of products but high variety between each one. This means that each new project would be different from the last using different materials with different quantities. They also have to be made in a fix location which is one of the classifications of a project production. During the production of each building uses a mixed process technology it uses manual and mechanised. This means that during the production of each building there are parts which are done via hand with no machinery and there are parts where machinery is utilised but under the control of humans (Evens, J. 1993). Infrastructure in another output of Kier Group plc as it doesn’t only make buildings it also builds roads, railway parts and much more which is a vital part in the UK’s infrastructure. These would also be produced in a project production as each part of infrastructure they make would be different from another part. One other output the Kier Group plc produces are recycled materials. Kier Group plc has a recycling service which is used in many counties. Recycled materials go through many processes. It is made via continuous flow production as it has a high product volume, there’s some although not much product variety. During the processes the recycled material goes though there are a high number of automated and specialised equipment that does a large amount of the work. There is also labour that take out any rubbish that can’t be recycled or shouldn’t be in that particular recycling line this doesn’t require high skills. The reason that it is not a Mass production is that there isn’t any variety between each product at the end (Evens, J. 1993). The demand for the products and services the Kier Group plc produce usually depend on the economic state of the country but there are also other factors the affect the demand for the business. These factors include: globalisation, demand for more sustainable construction, demographic changes and increasing importance for technology use in construction. The demand for the products and services that Kier Group plc produce usually depend on the economic state of the country but there are also other factors the affect the demand for the business. These factors include: globalisation, demand for more sustainable construction, demographic changes and increasing importance for technology use in construction. The reason that the state of the economy affects the demand for Kier Group plc’s products and services is because buildings and infrastructure is capital which helps boost long term growth. These are the first things that are cut if the economy was to go into decline. When the recession hit in 2008 according to House of Commons there was a fall by 6.2% in gross value added for the construction industry, followed by a 7.9% fall in GVA, then an increase by 1.1% in 2011, and then followed by a 6.0% drop in GVA during the double dip recession (Rhodes, C. 2013). This data shows there is a correlation between the construction industry including Kier Group plc and the state of the economy. The demand for more sustainable construction also impacts the stability of the demand of Kier Group plc’s products and services because if the business doesn’t offer the right amount of sustainable construction or by offering ‘green’ alternatives they may lose customers and clients. As new legislation is soon to be coming into action due to the UK’s recent air pollution issues this would mean a possible overhaul of more carbon producing processes. However to overcome this Kier Group plc currently generates 10% of its revenue by using recycled material, low energy alternatives and more sustainable materials (Fry, C. 2014) Every business needs demand to be able to sell its good and/or services however you need to be able to have enough capacity to meet this demand. Capacity planning is vital in operations strategies. Capacity is best when it around 75-90% utilised. Having capacity between these levels means that you should still be able to cope with new clients without having to turn larger clients down and also you won’t be running with excess capacity. Excess capacity is a large cost on businesses and may lead to layoffs and department closures (Hill, T. 1991) There are 3 different strategies that a business can use to plan capacity to meet demand. These policies are: Matching Capacity with Demand, Excess Capacity, and Capacity Shortage Policy. Matching capacity with demand means that the business tries to keep as close to demand as they possibly can. This policy means that it sometimes has excess capacity in which it has the ability to get more clients or customers. However it also means there is a shortage of capacity. During these times a business would have to subcontract out work to get a short term increased capacity or they would lose sales this could come from poor quality of work from being rushed to compete work. A Capacity Shortage Policy is when there is a gap between the demand and the capacity where demand is always higher than capacity. As there is a high capacity utilisation this means there is a strong return on investment. This type of policy is usually best for goods or services that usually relate to status or are in fashion. This would mean that there is a high capacity utilisation which in turn leads to a strong return on investment. For example the iPhone 4 White. When it came out it was being sold quicker than it was being made. The way that Kier Group plc plan their capacity is by a strategy called Excess Capacity Policy (Fry, Colin. 2014). This policy means that the business has a goal of maintaining enough capacity to be able to meet with demand or to reduce the chance of not meeting demand. Although this policy can lead to higher costs than the other two polices it is the best policy for this business. This is because the business does not know if they are going to win a bid for a client so there needs to be spare capacity in case they do win the bid. As large construction businesses get invited to present their bid on large projects so the business always need to be prepared for these invites. Kier Group plc could better utilise operations management to counter some of the challenges that it has in the ever changing market place. It could utilise Lean Operations more this is because there is going to be more legislation regarding reducing waste and carbon footprint. It’s better to be proactive to changes in legislation than to be reactive as it shows the business has a strong CSR which customers and clients look for. Lean Operations is minimising the amount of waste there is in order to operate quicker, produce higher quality work and also to operate at low costs. The reason that lean operation is suited for Kier Group plc is because in the lean approach there is a focus on producing only when there is a need to produce, this does mean there is a lower capacity utilisation however this fits in well with the Excess Capacity Policy has the business already is implementing. Some of the techniques that could be used in lean operations for the business could be JIT supply and Total Involvement. JIT supply means just in time supply. This means that you wouldn’t receive materials until you need those materials (Hill, T. 1987). This would be useful in the business because it means there wouldn’t been material they don’t need wasting space in a construction site. For example the wouldn’t need a road tarmaer when the drainage is still 3 days away from being completed not only could it be wasting space it could be in the way of workers increasing the distance from the materials they’re using to the place where they need to use them. If 10 workers had to go an extra 20 seconds out of their way whilst this tarmacer was 3 days early and each worker had to do this trip 40 times a day that adds an extra 400 minutes on their travel overall on the 3 days the tarmacer was there. With JIT supply the tarmacer would arrive on the day it was needed saving the 400 minutes which could have been wasted. Total involvement is when everyone within the business is aware of the lean approach of the business. If everyone is doing it, it would become second nature to abide by the 5S’s of lean operations. These are sort, straighten, shine, standardise and sustain (Muhlemann, A. Oakland, J. Lockyer, K. 1993) Sort means to eliminate what is not needed and to keep whatever is needed in the production of goods. Straighten means to place tools and equipment is such a way that is it easily accessible as lots of time is spent looking for tools that have been misplaced. Shine is to keep things clean and tidy. This could lead to less injuries due to slipping over dirt or waste packaging. Standardise means to keep to a certain level of cleanliness and sustain is to keep to this standardisation throughout each product life cycle. These methods of lean operations keep Kier Group plc near the top of the construction market as they would be less wasteful, operate with lower costs and also could lead to a better workforce from total involvement as everyone would feel they are impacting the businesses performance. References – BIS. (2010). Manufacturing in the UK.An economic analysis of the sector. 1 (1), p11. Evens, James (1993).Applied Production and Operations Management. 4th ed. Eagan, Minnesota: West Publishing Company. p126-127. Fry, Colin., 2014. Interview. 25 March. 18:00 Hill, Terry (1987).Small Business Production/Opertations management. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Macmillan education ltd. 147-148. Hill, Terry (1991).Production/Operations Management. 2nd ed. Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire: Prentice Hall Internation (UK) Ltd. p47-49. Kier Construction. (2014).GROUP STRUCTURE.Available: http://www.kier.co.uk/about/group-structure.aspx. Last accessed 22/03/2014. Kier Group. (2013).KINGS CROSS STATION ROOF REFURBISHMENT.Available: http://www.kier.co.uk/case-study/view-all/kings-cross-roof/case-study.aspx. Last accessed 24/03/2014. Kier Group. (2014).COMPANY OVERVIEW.Available: http://www.kier.co.uk/about/company-overview.aspx. Last accessed 20/03/2014. Muhlemann, A. Oakland, J. Lockyer, K (1993).Production and Operations Management. 6th ed. London: Pitman Publishing. p3-395. Northampton Chronicle Echo. (2014).Your questions answered about the new North Gate bus station.Available: http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/business/business-news/your-questions-answered-about-the-new-north-gate-bus-station-1-5888441#. Last accessed 23/03/2014. Oxford Dictionary. (2014).industry.Available: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/industry?q=Industry. Last accessed 25/03/2014. Rhodes, Chris. (2013). Construction Industry.Economic Policy and Statistics. 1 (1), p1-3. By Chris FryBUS2010-STD

The Power of Sin in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Power of Sin in The Scarlet Letter Sin is the main theme in the Scarlet Letter. All of the characters in the book were somehow affected by the main sin, which was adultery. The three main characters were the most widely affected, and their whole lives were molded by the way they dealt with the sin. The sin surrounds, encloses, and strangles them. There was no escaping from its harsh consequences. Hester Prynne's sin was as an adulteress, and the result of this was that she had to wear the scarlet letter "A." She feels that her sin has taken away everything she had, and given her one thing in return; her baby. Although she had dignity and pride when she first stepped out of the prison and when she stood upon the scaffold this "A" unfamilarized and seperated her from the community, and she stood alone with her child as she does for the most part of her life following this event. From then on, she was to live away from the community with her baby, Pearl, and was shunned by everyone. The sin she has committed has made her think that death would be an easy way out and that she deserves little, for she says, "I have thought of death, have wished for it, would have even prayed for it, were it fit that such as I should pray for anything." Throughout the next years, the sin Hester committed changes her personality and identity. Once a beautiful woman, Hester now looks plain and drab. Once passionate, she is now somber and serious. She had contained a precious quality of womanhood that has now faded away. Her plain gray clothes symbolize her temperament and disposition. There are also good effects that the sin has on her. She becomes more giving and caring, and is endlessly helping the poor and sick and doing neighbors favors. Hester feels that she owes it to the community, and is also forcing herself into a life of service to others. The sin stays with her throughout her life, and even when she leaves her town, she feels obligated to come back and fullfill her punishment. The sin made her lifestyle worse, but it changed her