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Personal Affiliations and Networking Essay

I show up at my work environment at 7. 00am. When I show up I have a move change over gathering with the night staff. At this gathering I would be told if there were any issues in the night with any of the administration clients. Next I gather the keys to my home where I will be working. I work in house 2 where I bolster two assistance clients. When I go into the house I wake up the administration clients by thumping on their entryways and calling their name. When they are up I bolster them with individual consideration, this includes showering them, washing their hair and if a male help client, I help with giving them a shave. I additionally brief them to clean their teeth. I generally wear gloves with any close to home consideration for contamination control and consistently change them for each assistance client. I at that point plan breakfast, I give the servicers a decision, however as a rule this would be oat with espresso. On an evening shift supper is from that point menu which the administration clients both arrangement with my help. While doing this I generally wear defensive gloves for cleanliness reasons. My next activity would then be to direct drug. I likewise need to wear gloves for this too for cleanliness reasons. I additionally need to utilize a medication pot to place the prescriptions in to go to the administration client. When I have seen the meds being taken I at that point sign to state they have been given. Administration clients typically go to their day habitats between 8. 30 and 9. 00am. When they have gone I do their washing and housework. I additionally utilize this opportunity to make arrangements if necessary. These would incorporate specialists, dental specialist or even hair arrangements. Another job in work is to do accounts for the administrations clients. Each move I will check their cash which is secured an organizer I gather keys for this from the move chief. Tally the monies to see that there are no disparities. I would likewise take cash for food which is done on a week after week premise. This is called money and equalization. I sign on the significant fund sheet to record that I have done this. Toward the finish of each move I fill in a record called a day by day sheet I record on this what I have finished with the administration client. These records just as the account sheets are private as must be constantly treated thusly. This implies not talking about with any irrevent individuals my administration clients money circumstance and any private issues they may have. This is significant. When working with any new assistance clients I would in every case right off the bat read their consideration plans. This permits me to comprehend the administration user’s needs and the manner in which individual consideration and taking care of ought to be embraced. It is significant I perused this as each help client is extraordinary and have various necessities. These plans likewise let me know whether the administration client has any correspondence issues I. e. ; incapable to communicate in utilize gesture based communication and so on. When taking a help client out I would consistently peruse the hazard appraisal. This will show to me any issues or things expected to do before taking somebody out. This could incorporate things like assistance client not having the option to climb steps use elevators or having a dread of lifts. It likewise lets me know whether a help client could get vicious or bothered in swarms additionally if any unique hardware is required this could incorporate wheelchairs or strolling helps. On the off chance that a hazard evaluation isn't accessible for what I need, for instance taking somebody to the photos I would make another one and get it closed down by a group chief or director. This is a genuine record of my obligations in my activity job as a private help specialist.

The Importance of Finding Time For Yourself

The Importance of Finding Time For Yourself Make Time For Yourself And The Rest Will Fall Into Place Make Time For Yourself And The Rest Will Fall Into Place It’s time to unwind, kick back, and relax, for the sake of your well-being. In today’s busy world, it’s more important than ever to take some time for yourself and prioritize yourself once in awhile. Get help with homework if you need to. Just take a few things off your plate for a little while and give yourself some me time. The Importance of Focusing on Yourself You are not being selfish if you put yourself first every once in awhile. In fact, we all need to do this to make sure that we stay on track and keep up with productivity levels. But sometimes it’s hard to find the excuses we need to justify treating ourselves to breaks, relaxation, or even a vacation. The good news is that you don’t need excuses any longer! Here are the many reasons your me time is so important. Your Brain Needs Time to Unwind Taking time for yourself means letting your brain rest, unwind, and clear up a little bit. The more you work your brain without a break, the more it’s going to break down and cause serious mental issues in the long term. It’s important to get assignment help if you need it to prevent your brain from becoming too overworked. It is never a bad thing to ask for help! You Need Time to Find Yourself A lot of people will tell you that university is a time when you find yourself and you figure out who you are. You can’t very well be doing that if you never spend any time getting to know yourself. If you don’t know who you are or figure out yourself, it can lead to problems later on in your life. It’s always important to make sure you take time to do this. This will also help you with your future relationships, whether those are family relationships, friendships, or romantic relationships. Me Time Boosts Productivity In a study done by the University of London, researchers found that people who experienced the highest quality me time had the highest production rates at work. Think of it like recharging your batteries. When you take some time to relax, you have more energy and motivation to get back to work and get all of those assignments done on time. If you’re starting to miss deadlines or feel the pressure to get caught up, hire a custom essay writing service to catch you up and take time to relax and recharge. At Homework Help Canada, our academic writers are ready to help you with your with your assignments and create custom essays for you, so you can step back and take a breather. As you carve out time to spend with yourself, let us take care of your deadlines and your assignments to take the weight off your shoulders. Our expert academic writers are talented, trained professionals who will make sure your grades are where they need to be. Contact us now if you need more information, or to get a quote for your next assignment. References: Carter, Sherrie Bourg. “6 Reasons You Should Spend More Time Alone.” Psychology Today. 31 Jan. 2012. Accessed 10 Feb. 2017. 6-reasons-you-should-spend-more-time-alone. “Spend High Quality Me-Time to Boost Productivity at Work.” Hindustan Times. 10 Jan. 2015. Accessed 10 Feb. 2017. . The Importance of Finding Time For Yourself Make Time For Yourself And The Rest Will Fall Into Place Make Time For Yourself And The Rest Will Fall Into Place It’s time to unwind, kick back, and relax, for the sake of your well-being. In today’s busy world, it’s more important than ever to take some time for yourself and prioritize yourself once in awhile. Get help with homework if you need to. Just take a few things off your plate for a little while and give yourself some me time. The Importance of Focusing on Yourself You are not being selfish if you put yourself first every once in awhile. In fact, we all need to do this to make sure that we stay on track and keep up with productivity levels. But sometimes it’s hard to find the excuses we need to justify treating ourselves to breaks, relaxation, or even a vacation. The good news is that you don’t need excuses any longer! Here are the many reasons your me time is so important. Your Brain Needs Time to Unwind Taking time for yourself means letting your brain rest, unwind, and clear up a little bit. The more you work your brain without a break, the more it’s going to break down and cause serious mental issues in the long term. It’s important to get assignment help if you need it to prevent your brain from becoming too overworked. It is never a bad thing to ask for help! You Need Time to Find Yourself A lot of people will tell you that university is a time when you find yourself and you figure out who you are. You can’t very well be doing that if you never spend any time getting to know yourself. If you don’t know who you are or figure out yourself, it can lead to problems later on in your life. It’s always important to make sure you take time to do this. This will also help you with your future relationships, whether those are family relationships, friendships, or romantic relationships. Me Time Boosts Productivity In a study done by the University of London, researchers found that people who experienced the highest quality me time had the highest production rates at work. Think of it like recharging your batteries. When you take some time to relax, you have more energy and motivation to get back to work and get all of those assignments done on time. If you’re starting to miss deadlines or feel the pressure to get caught up, hire a custom essay writing service to catch you up and take time to relax and recharge. At Homework Help USA, our academic writers are ready to help you with your with your assignments and create custom essays for you, so you can step back and take a breather. As you carve out time to spend with yourself, let us take care of your deadlines and your assignments to take the weight off your shoulders. Our expert academic writers are talented, trained professionals who will make sure your grades are where they need to be. Contact us now if you need more information, or to get a quote for your next assignment. References: Carter, Sherrie Bourg. “6 Reasons You Should Spend More Time Alone.” Psychology Today. 31 Jan. 2012. Accessed 10 Feb. 2017. 6-reasons-you-should-spend-more-time-alone. “Spend High Quality Me-Time to Boost Productivity at Work.” Hindustan Times. 10 Jan. 2015. Accessed 10 Feb. 2017. .

Ignorance Is Bliss In Animal Farm - 1008 Words

Chloe Tibbs Mrs.Weiss Honors English 9 9 August, 2017 Ignorance is Bliss During the course of mankind society has been subject to an endless line of good and bad leaders. In society it’s typically ruler to ruled, and often the ruled are mistreated and tricked by the ruler. Animal Farm is a prime example of the ruler to ruled stereotype. Leaders are someone society looks to for guidance, when the storm is too rough to bare on their own. Followers are devotee’s to a person, cause or activity.What happens when the people you re supposed to look up to use and abuse you, do you go on obviously ? In animal farm the dream of being truly free and working for you own needs, became just that a dream. The leaders in animal farm such†¦show more content†¦The pigs were able to bend the animals at their will with simple words, empty promises of more food and early retirement kept the animals doing more and receiving less while the leaders did less and received more. Another example of the leaders making the farm miserable would be squeale r using propaganda. According to the text â€Å" â€Å"There were times when it seemed to the animals that they worked longer hours and fed no better than they had done in Jones’s day. On Sunday mornings Squealer... would read out to them the lists of figures proving that the production of every class of foodstuff had increased by two hundred per cent, three hundred per cent, or five hundred per cent, as the case may be. The animals saw no reason to disbelieve him, especially as they could no longer remember very clearly what conditions had been like before the rebellion† ( Orwell 92). The leaders began to think for the followers altering their thoughts so they would never be suspicious of the leaders. The followers gullible characteristics contribute to their loss of freedom and equality because they allowed themselves to be persuaded by everything the leaders said and done. The intense belief in Napoleon keeps the followers from seeing that they’re losing their equality all over again. Stated in the text â€Å" boxer , who had now had time to think things over voiced the general feeling by saying: â€Å" If Napoleon says it, it must be right†Ã¢â‚¬ ( Orwell 56). The animals began to lose their ownShow MoreRelatedAnimal Farm : Human Nature in Animals823 Words   |  4 PagesHuman nature in animals. Was this really shown in George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’? In fact, there were several messages about human nature reflected in ’Animal Farm’. The messages that were expressed through many different characters and their behaviours, gave an insight into human nature, and showed many characteristics of it. The idea of equality â€Å"all animals are equal† and socialism would make an ideal society. It would be effective on Animal Farm if it were not for the pigs’ hunger for powerRead MoreEssay on Writings Worth Reading718 Words   |  3 Pagesthe college student as summer reading is to high school. With each and every book that is consumed, the human mind is only more expanded than before. There are lessons to be learned in every single piece of work published. In the following books; Animal Farm by George Orwell, The Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemmingway, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, and Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, many values are touched on and many lessons are learned. These are lessonsRead MoreTheme Of Ignorance In Animal Farm1329 Words   |  6 PagesThe saying ignorance is bliss is not always very accurate. The book Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegory for a real historical event – the Russian Revolution . It demonstrates how peoples ignorance can be the cause of their social and political oppression and how the knowledge of others ignorance can lead to power, which ultimately corrupts those who possess it. These themes are portrayed through the characters and in real life. Social oppression is when one group of people dominate oneRead MoreHow Is Marxism Portrayed in Animal Farm by George Orwell? Essay1369 Words   |  6 PagesHow is Marxism portrayed throughout ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell? The main aim of Marxism is to bring about a classless society, and ‘Animal Farm’ is generally considered to be a Marxist novel, as all its characters share a similar ambition at the beginning. ‘Animal Farm’ represents an example of the oppressed masses rising up to form their own classless society, whilst offering a subtle critique on Stalin’s Soviet Russia, and communism in general. Orwell is, ironically, revolutionary in hisRead MoreLiving Without Eating Chicken Or Cheese? Essay1542 Words   |  7 Pagesof life. Few people are born vegan, and those who choose to become vegan, usually do so following a personal epiphany, i.e., in the wake of a health crisis, meeting and befriending a farm animal whom one might formerly have considered food, or possibly coming to the realization of how can you claim to love animals on the one hand, and eat them on the other? Unfortunately, the vegan movement has picked up a bad reputation, due to some, but not all, having a self-righteous, lecturing, soap-boxingRead MoreIrony in Canterbury Tales890 Words   |  4 PagesHe begins so violently as he rapes the young maid. However, he soon begins to show his meek side. Secondly, as the knight feels relief and assurance about a truth he states he will soon experience, irony is also brought into play. Chaucer uses ignorance to get across his idea of irony. For example, he has the knight ignorant of the old hag’s request. As the story furthers itself and the knight is forced to marry the hag, it is ironic that he let’s her choose what she wants to be, because thatRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Food Matters 1707 Words   |  7 Pagesissues, but bring the matters into light. Peter Singer writes about the inhumane way animals are raised, and how there is no need to eat meat or use animal made products. Sally Kohn tells of the injustice way foo d workers are treated. And, finally Eliot Coleman writes about how the word organic has changed because companies want to create money by being trendy. The ethical issues that concern me most are how the animals and humans are treated by food producers and if these producers care more about theRead MoreAnalysis of Food Inc.1594 Words   |  7 Pagesfood comes from. When an individual goes to consume a food product, he or she could be completely oblivious to the methods of manufacture, processing, packaging or transportation gone into the production of the food item. It is often said that ‘ignorance is bliss’ – perhaps this rings true in the case of food, its origins and its consumption as well. In such a scenario, eating well could seem like an unlikely prospect. The definition of ‘eating well’ in modern times seems to have gone from eating healthilyRead MoreRealities Two Way Street1112 Words   |  5 PagesRealities Two-Way Street Ignorance is bliss. This phrase, however comforting, is a provocative statement to the debilitating state of society and the human state of mind; the dual-edged comment is represented in both Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and the Wachoski brother’s The Matrix through universes, similar to our own, where people are in strong states of illusion and ignorance. Both have a character, which is brought to the â€Å"light† to realize this false reality and to liberate everyone elseRead MoreA Research On Animal Farm1632 Words   |  7 PagesAnimal Farm The term: Organic deduces via natural resource - there s only so much organic matter, because organic matter is determined what has decayed and at what amount for centuries. As our populace grows, the right kind of organic matter diminishes, there lies the problem. Here s the unsavoury verity. - - - One of my bones of contention is that the consumer reads the organic term so frequently that marketing has inadvertently diluted the organic term s validity. For a starter

The Immigration System Of The United States Of America And...

Need For Immigration Reform in the U.S. Ramesh Bhatta Wilmington University Abstract The current immigration system is broken and have not been updated fully for about 20 years. The broken immigration is a big problem to the U.S. It is keeping families apart, lowering the wages of workers, resulted in black economy, and added to the threat to national security among many others. The purpose of this research paper is to identify some of the problems created by the current immigration system in the United States of America and the need for Immigration Reform. The study is to show that a common sense immigration reform is not just good for immigrants, but also the U.S. This paper focuses on benefit of fixing the broken Immigration system to the American Families, Country’s Economy, workforce, and security. After looking at various reports, and stats the research paper concludes that immigration reform will keep families together, protect the workforce, boost the country’s economy, and tighten up the security of the country. Need for Immigration Reform in the U.S. Some of the first immigrants who came to the American land were people in search of religious freedom in 1600s’. A larger portion of people came to America in search of economic opportunities. When English men and women first came to the American land they were considered as an immigrants. As there was so much vacant land America promoted immigration during the 1800’s. This did not only help to populateShow MoreRelatedImmigration Problem Of Illegal Immigration1530 Words   |  7 PagesAmerica can easily be defined as the greatest country in the world, but every country has its own unique problems. One of its greatest problems is that of illegal immigration. Recently, the country has been made aware that its illegal immigration problem that it is working so hard to correct, is frankly failing. To date, it has seemingly not done its best to correct the issue though. America must fix the major problem of illegal immigration before i t becomes too out of hand. The existing AmericanRead MoreImmigration And The United States Essay1368 Words   |  6 PagesIn the 21st century, immigration is one of the most controversial and hotly debated topics. Thus, we have an extremely complex immigration process accompanied with extremely complex immigration laws. Consequently, reform to the United States immigration policy is absolutely necessary to continue to help build America into the most diverse nation on the planet. To reform immigration, three topics must be addressed: what to do with illegal immigrants already in the United States, how to stop futureRead MoreBenefits Of Immigration Reform During The United States Essay1651 Words   |  7 PagesBenefits of Immigration Reform Today, the need for immigration reform questions many economic, political and moral realities in our country. In particular, the current immigration reform as a major issue in the Latino community. Each area will be examined with an emphasis on how each is beneficial to the economy, as well as touching on the differences between the key opinions around immigration reform. Latinos make up a large portion of the people impacted by the outcome reform bill. The MigrationRead MoreLooking for a Fresh New Start Essay1339 Words   |  6 PagesIllegal immigration has been an ongoing issue in the political arena for the past decade with immigration laws still being discussed. To immigrate means to come into a country of which one is not a native for permanent residence. The United States is a nation founded by people who emigrated on the principle of freedom. What would our forefathers think if there could see the issues facing their nation today? There are many issues surrounding immigratio n policy such as national security, border patrolRead MoreImmigration During The United States1662 Words   |  7 PagesTara Paddyaker PS1113 Roni O’Dell Word: 1662 Immigration Immigration has played a huge role in settling America. Once known as â€Å"the melting pot† America has a wider diverse population. The history of immigration is what built America and created that diversity. Over the last 150 years, immigration laws have been enacted and changed to meet the demands of the influx of immigrants. Both Republicans and Democrats see immigration as a political battlefield. Each party blames the other for the lackRead MoreThe Need for Immigration Reform1193 Words   |  5 Pages There are not many people who know that there is war going on within America. A war, that is capable of impacting the future of America. Millions of â€Å"Dreamers† are fighting to be recognized as American citizens. In recent months and years, the debate on immigration reform has been heated and often uninformed. Every president mentions in his speech to take action on immigration reform. But unfortunately he ends up taking action against immigrants by deporting them. Is the country founded byRead MoreImmigration Policy Of The United States And Its Effects On Hispanic Immigrants1541 Words   |  7 PagesMHS_ForeignLanguageWritingAssignment Tanya Meinecke-Smith SPAN_2311_MHS 06 December 2014 Immigration Policy in the United States and its Effects on Hispanic Immigrants Whether with a cold shoulder welcome or a open arm embrace, the United States has constantly received a range of global immigrants, over half whom originate from Latin America (migrationpolicy.org). Largely driven by the prospect of the â€Å"American Dream,† the Latino immigration movement began in the 1840s and has fluctuated with new policies, includingRead MoreImmigration Reform1221 Words   |  5 PagesImmigration Reform is a serious and current issue in politics, in government, and in the lives of millions of people. Immigration reform is a term used by the American government and in politics. It refers to the changes to the current immigration policies in the United States. â€Å"Reform† is defined as a â€Å"change into an improved form or condition, by amending faults or abuses.† So, in a nutshell, Immigration Reform means the improvement of the law regarding how we, the United States, handle immigrationRead MoreImmigration And Immigrants : The United S tates Essay1175 Words   |  5 Pages Immigration and Immigrants At this time, the United States has allowed more immigrants to enter the country than at any time in its history. Over a million legal and illegal immigrants take up residence in the United States each year. I am the immigrant, too. All the other countries people like to come here for the better lives for them and their families. America is a freedom-oriented country, where everyone likes to live. I came here 3 years ago, first, I did not like it, but it is good inRead MoreIllegal Immigration And The United States1388 Words   |  6 PagesIllegal immigration has plagued the United States since immigration laws were created, and has worsened in recent history. Since Ronald Reagan’s Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 provided amnesty for 3 million illegal aliens in exchange for increased border security, millions of people have entered the country illegally. Over the past 30 years, the illegal immigrant population of the country has more than doubled from 5 million in 1986 to over 11.5 million in 2015. It has become one of the

Strategic Thinking And Change Management Free Essays

string(124) " Whilst the company implemented online video rentals, it failed to transform its business model early enough \(Carr 2010\)\." Abstract In the last two years, the high street has been in crisis as well-known retailers such as Blockbusters, Jessops, JJB sport, and Comet among many others collapse into receivership. It seems to have been hit by the triple whammy of the double dip recession, digital competition and the emergence of mega shopping centres. Given the tough economic times, the importance of strategic thinking and change management cannot be sidelined. We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Thinking And Change Management or any similar topic only for you Order Now UK retailers must reinvent and realign themselves to the needs of the external environment for them to continue to thrive. As well-known retailers go into administration, there is need for business enterprises to rethink their approaches and to realign themselves to the needs of the external environment in order to restore the high street to the heart of local community life. In this view, this paper identifies the need for strategic change in the digital competitive environment. The paper explores on how business enterprises can realign themselves to meet the needs of the modern consumer while drawing on a range of strategic management theories. Additionally, the paper provides a small critique of contemporary strategic management research and practice. Introduction In the recent years, the high street has been hit by a crisis as major chains enter into administration. Blockbuster has seen its business slip away to online retailers such as LoveFilm and Netflix (Watkis 2013). Similarly, Jessops, JJB sports and Peacocks have gone into administration. The biggest loss was the demise of Comet which led to a significant loss of up to 6900 jobs after all of its stores were closed down (Anon 2013). More recently, fashion chain Jane Norman became the latest casualty to enter into receivership. Experts have warned that ‘consumer recession’ is tearing through the UK and that many other chains are likely to be shut down (Hawkes 2013). The closure of established chains and the increase in empty units is a clear indication of a declining fortune of Britain’s high streets (Minton et al. 2013). As such, this paper identifies the need for strategic change in the digital competitive environment. The paper explores on how business enterprises can realign themselves to meet the needs of the modern consumer while drawing on a range of strategic management theories. Need for strategic change in the digital competitive environment Given the fast changing business environment, there is need for retailers to be innovative for them to remain competitive. In this context, innovation is not just about developing new technologies but it also includes finding new ways of doing business in the face of change (Afuah 2009). The convenience of online shopping online and the price cuts offered by most online sellers have no doubt contributed to the fall out of most of the well-known high street retailers. Consumers have changed their purchasing behaviours, ditching their customer loyalty to local shops and instead opting for online purchase. For high street retailers to tackle digital disruption, they must realign their business processes to meet the ever changing needs of the modern consumer. This raises a fundamental question: how can business enterprises realign themselves to meet the needs of the changing business environmentWhat sort of strategy should organizations employShould they apply a click and brick strategy or a pure play strategyTo effectively address these questions; we will examine the case of Blockbuster video rental chain. Strategic management/strategic thinking key to improving competitiveness and efficiency It is indeed true that the challenges facing business enterprises in the 21st century are huge, messy and rich in operational and strategic threats (Konsynski 1993, p.111). The challenges facing major chains have been enormous from threats of a double dip recession to threats of digital competition. The question that is posed to management is how to manage these changes without getting swamped in the unpredictable chaotic environmental turmoil (Todnem 2005). The answer to this question lies with strategic thinking and change management. Knowledge of strategic thinking and change management is needed more today than ever before. As exemplified in Michael Porter’s thinking, strategy is an outcome of rational calculation about competitive advantage that a company has in relation to new entrants and industry competitors (Pettigrew et al. 2001). According to Porter (1979), the goal of a corporate strategy is to find a position where in a company can best defend itself from these forces and influence them in its favour. In this regard, strategic thinking and change management has a greater role to play in improving the efficiency and competitiveness of Blockbuster. Applying strategic insights and approaches would enable the company to thrive in the changing business environment. Strategy formulation A model such as the one below may be used by the company for formulating its strategy. External appraisal may be conducted to assess the environment in which the company operates. External appraisal includes an assessment of industry structure and how changes in laws, politics and social preferences (changing consumer habits) affect the firm (Jofre 2011). An internal appraisal is equally important to identify the organizations strengths and capabilities as well as the threats, weaknesses and opportunities available. Given that there are likely to be more than just one possible strategy, it will be necessary to discriminate among the possibilities through evaluation and choosing. A coherent evaluation should be based on goals and policies, competitive advantage arising from the strategy, and the alignment of the strategy to the needs of the external environment (Jofre 2011). Fig.1 Basic model of strategy formulation (Jofre 2011) To understand the internal and external factors affecting Blockbuster, it will be necessary to conduct a SWOT analysis of the company as well as examine porters 5 forces. SWOT Analysis Strengths Blockbuster has abundance of retail stores which increases accessibility. The company also offers multiple outlets of delivery including online rentals (Miller 2010). Additionally, the company offers high quality products and ensures that its products are up to date (Ferrel Hartline 2007) Weakness The main weakness of Blockbuster has been its low adaptability to the changing business environment. Whilst the company implemented online video rentals, it failed to transform its business model early enough (Carr 2010). You read "Strategic Thinking And Change Management" in category "Essay examples" And as a result of the late entry of online video rental, the company has lost most of its customers to online competitors such as Redbox and Netflix. Its dependence on brick and mortar has been its main weakness. Threats Together with other high street retailers, Blockbuster faces the risk of being completely phased out in the market given the changing consumer habits and the emergence of online competitor such as Netflix and Redbox. Already more than 100 retail stores have been closed. Besides strong digital competition, the company faces the challenge of an emergence of alternative rental options which eventually provides consumers ownership of the rental movies. Consumers are increasingly migrating to these new choices such as Video-on-demand and DIVX (Clark et al. 2013) Opportunities The company does have many opportunities with which it can use to counter the perceived threats and weaknesses. The retail chain can, for example, use interactive media and other successful media outlets to regain consumer loyalty which has been lost to its online competitors over the past few years (Clark et al. 2013). The retail chain also has a good position in the value chain. Blockbuster is a large company which makes contracts with major suppliers, producers and distributors of games and movies. Given its size and the large quantity of its purchases, the company is able to negotiate for lower prices than their competitors, providing them with an edge in the competitive business environment (Jordan 2011). Most recently, Netflix increased its monthly subscription rates. Blockbuster may take this to their advantage by targeting disrguntled Netflix customers. Further, there is a huge opportunity available in the online market. The online video rental market has been growing in demand since the emergence of Netflix. With the growing demand, Blockbuster has the opportunity to move in and establish its presence in the online video rental market. Blockbuster’s life cycle strategy Fig.2 below shows Blockbuster’s strategic history. It comprise of four broad phases: start-up, growth, maturity and decline. The life-cycle also shows the impact made by initiatives to add to the original strategic position (Anon 2013) and a revision made when the original strategy becomes unsustainable or rather threatening. Fig.2 Model illustrating Blockbuster’s life-cycle (Anon 2013) Porter five forces Threat of potential new entrants With the current digital competition especially from Netflix, Lovefilms and Redbox, the video rental market does not seem appealing. The movie rental industry is mature and the company is currently at the height of product life cycle where a decline occurs (Clark et al. 2013). For the company to continue to thrive in the industry, it must try to outperform its competitors by targeting disrguntled Netflix customers through offering lower prices and focusing on growing their online rental subscriber base. Bargaining power of buyers Buyers are set to benefit from the competition as this increases their bargaining power. As Blockbuster and Netflix battle for market share, they utilize methods of price reduction which ultimately benefit the buyers (Janjua 2012). Threat of substitutes With intense competition in the Market, there is a potential threat of substitute products. In fact, as Netflix and Blockbuster battle it out, others are gaining ground in substitute offerings as seen with Video-on-demand which has grown at double digit rates in the past two years. Bargaining power of suppliers Suppliers are likely to have less purchase power especially given the acquisition of Movielink. If this acquisition leads to more online downloads, the company will have little need for plastic cases and DVDs and as such, the bargaining power of suppliers is likely to reduce (Janjua 2012). Intensity of competitive rivalry The rivalry in the market is definitely high. Already, Blockbuster has lost many of its customers to Netflix. The company must reinvent and implement strategies that would sway back customers. How Blockbuster can realign itself to the needs of the external environment The corporate strategy would require the company to capitalize on innovative emergent technologies to provide it with strategic breakthroughs in the competitive business environment, while not losing sight of its in-store operations (Fryman 2010). As such, a click and brick strategy would be more suitable for the company. Blockbuster must realigns its business processes with IT and use it in their favour. In realigning their business processes with IT, the company must access the strategic alignment model in terms of purpose, initiatives, project leadership, infrastructure and goals that will create a paradigm shift (Carr 2010). The realignment process must enable the company to embrace online opportunities which Netflix and Redbox have already perfected. Realigning business process with IT (Kalakota 2011) Whilst Blockbuster seems to have already embedded IT into their core business model as seen with the total access program which enhances online customers’ experience, this has not helped much as the company has lost most of its customers to online retailers such as Netflix and Lovefilm .The failure by the company to quickly adapt to the changing business environment and consumer habits is suggested to have been the main problem. The company took long to transform its business model and when it did, the competitive landscape had already been fundamentally altered and the tradition model destroyed by the new platform model (Carr 2010). The company needs to conduct a massive marketing campaign which should focus on growing their online rental subscriber base. The company could also form an alliance with cell phone companies and arranging with these companies to allow customers to stream movies on their cell phones. This would be a great idea considering that people have their cell phones all the time. With larger cell phone screens, customers would be able to stream movies from anywhere including in the subways, bus stations and even at workplaces. Viewing could be per subscription or pay-per-view (Clark et al. 2013). Another strategic move would be to partner with airline companies in order to implement a blue box program at airports such as the Redboxes at McDonalds (Jordan 2011). The blue box program would enable travelers to pick up a movie at one airport and to return it to another airport or blockbuster store. Further, the company should focus on strengthening customer relationship management by implementing a business strategy that maintains relevant value across all its customer groupings and introducing new customer proposition initiatives that would provide them with an edge over their competitors (Afuah 2009). Additionally, Blockbuster needs to implement an ERP system that will enable it to track their inventories. The system can be implemented incrementally from one region to another. This will reduce the time and duplications that the company currently has, thereby increasing efficiency. Currently, for customers to check out their movies from different blockbusters, they are required to register with each store individually. Given that the ERP system integrates data and allows for sharing of information across multiple departments, this may benefit the company through quicker processing of orders and faster shipments. . Whilst recognizing the need to realign business process with IT, the company should not to lose sight of its in-store operations. Customers of today have become savvier and are increasingly taking charge of their own shopping experience (Deloitte 2011). Retail stores must equally evolve to become part of the complex relationship between the retailer and customer by providing new ways of experiencing breadth and depth of range (Deloitte 2011). In-store theatre and a ‘touch and feel’ experience around the product item should be able to sway more consumers back to shopping in high streets. Provision of personalized services and guided shopping experience should equally encourage more consumers to go back for rental services from the stores. Critique of contemporary strategic management research and practice But while strategic thinking and change management has a greater role to play in resuscitating high street retail stores, such practices are not always successful. For example, while the ERP system may increase the efficiency and effectiveness of management decisions, failure of such systems may adversely impact on the organization resulting in cost overruns and supply chain problems (Morgan Smith 2002). Moreover, a strategy formulation that positions a firm in a niche may narrow the firm’s perspective (Mintzberg et al., 1995). That is, such a strategy may overlook opportunity if they are only concentrating on a certain group of market. Another criticism is that strategic planning systems are designed as top-down planning systems and as such strategic decisions are only relegated to top management (Morgan Smith 2002). This implies that the planning systems serve to fulfill only the goals and interests of the top management and not that of the organization. Strategic management is based on rational decision making. But because most of the time we have incomplete information, fully rational decisions may not be possible and change process may result in adverse effects (Jofre 2011). Hence whilst change management may be intended at increasing the firm’s adaptability, structures developed to promote rationality may have opposite effect (Jofre 2011). Nonetheless, it is clear that high street retailers need to realign their business processes to meet demands of the changing business environment. Conclusion There is no doubt that the past few years have seen a crisis as major high street chains such as Blockbusters, Jessops, JJB sport, and Comet among many others go into administration. The collapse of well-known retailers into receivership is a clear indication of a declining fortune of Britain’s high streets. All these retailers which have gone into administration do share certain commonalities. They all tend to have a significant number of stores and have all had difficulty adapting to the changing business environment and retail habits. For these retailers to continue to thrive in the industry, they must reinvent and realign themselves to the needs of the external environment. For example, Blockbuster needs to realign its business processes with IT and use it in their favour. The company should adopt a click and brick strategy. That is, the company must embrace online opportunities without losing sight of its in-store operations. The company could also form alliances with cell phone companies to allow customers to stream movies on their cell phones. The company may as well partner with airlines and implement a blue box programs at the airports such as the Redboxes at McDonald. The company may also implement ERP systems to increase their efficiency and effectiveness of management decisions. Its retail stores must also evolve and should be able to provide customers with new ways of experiencing breadth and depth. In-store theatre and a ‘touch and feel’ experience around the product item should be able to sway more consumers back to shopping in high streets. Provision of personalized services and guided shopping experience should equally encourage more consumers to go back for rental services from the stores. Reference Afuah, A., 2009. Strategic innovation: new game strategies for competitive advantage. University of Michigan. NewYork: Routledge publishers Anon 2013. A strategy life-cycle: Blockbuster. [Viewed on 22nd May 2013] available from http://strategydynamics.com/info/blockbusters-strategy.aspx Anon, 2013. The death of the high street – or the birth of a new kind of retailer[Viewed on 19th May 2013] available from http://www.enterprisenation.com/blog/the-death-of-the-high-street-or-the-birth-of-a-new-kind-of-retailer/ Janjua, A., 2012. Make it a blockbuster night. Blockbuster Carr, A., 2010. Blockbuster CEO, Jim Keyes, on competition from Apple, Netflix, Nintendo, and Redbox. [Viewed on 19th May 2013] available from http://www.fastcompany.com/1656502/an-interview-with-blockbuster-ceo-jim-keyes-part-ii Clark, M., McKelvey, L., Robinson, B., Sampson-Rasberry, S., 2013. Blockbuster analysis. [Viewed on 20th May 2013] available from Deloitte, 2011. The changing face of retail. The store of the future: the new role of the store in a multichannel environment. Deloitte LLP. Ferrell, O.C. and Hartline, M., 2007. Marketing strategy. 4th edition. Cengage Learning publishers Fryman, 2010. Transitioning business models: Are there any businesses that successfully transitioned from brick-and-mortar to completely online[Viewed on 19th May 2013] available from http://ask.metafilter.com/167587/Transitioning-business-models Hawkes, S., 2011. Jane Norman is high street fashion victim. The Sun. [viewed on 18th May 2013] available from http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/money/3663189/Fashion-chain-Jane-Norman-becomes-the-latest-high-street-casualty.html Jofre, S., 2011. Strategic management: the theory and practice of strategy in (business) organizations. University of Denmark Jordan, A., 2011. The Effects of Netflix and Blockbuster Strategies on Firm Value. Claremont McKenna College Kalakota, R., 2011. ‘Brick, Click and Mobile: multi-channel strategies for satisfying your customers’. In: Mbusiness: the race to mobility. [viewedd on 20th May 2013] available from www.ebstrategy.com Konsynski, B.R., 1993. ‘Strategic control in the extended enterprise’. IBM Systems Journal, vol.32 (1), pp. 111-142 Miller, Y., 2010. Blockbuster analysis. [Viewed on 19th May 2013] available from http://www.keeparticles.com/blockbuster-analysis_a13497.htm Minton, A., Skelton, D., Sennett, R., Umunna, C. and Jones, E., 2013. How can we save the streetThe Guardian. [viewed on 18th May 2013] available from http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/15/how-can-we-save-high-street Mintzberg, H., Quinn, J.B. and Ghoshal, S. 1995. The Strategy Process (European Edition), London : Prenctice-Hall. Morgan, N. and Smith, E., 2002. Contemporary issues in strategic management. Kagiso publishers Pettigrew, A.M., Homas, H. and Whittington, R., 2001. Handbook of strategy and management. Sage publications Porter, M. 1979. ‘How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy’, Harvard Business Review, vol.57 (2): 37-145. Shrivastava, P., 1986. ‘Is strategic management ideological?’ Journal of Management, vol.12 (3), 367-377 Todnem, R., 2005. ‘Organizational change management: a critical review’. Journal of Change Management, vol.5 (4), 369-380 Watkis, N., 2013. What can marketers learn from the surge of high street store closures[Viewed on the 19th May 2013] available from http://www.mycustomer.com/topic/marketing/what-can-marketers-learn-high-street-store-closures/161721 How to cite Strategic Thinking And Change Management, Essay examples

Of Mice and Men Essays - English-language Films, Of Mice And Men

Of Mice and Men Question: The theme of loneliness is one that is all pervading in Of Mice and Men. Discuss this statement with references to both the novel and the film. The theme of loneliness features throughout many scenes in Of Mice and Men and is often the dominant theme of sections during this story. This theme occurs during many circumstances but is not present from start to finish. In my mind for a theme to be pervasive is must be present during every element of the story. There are many themes that are present most of the way through such as sacrifice, friendship and comradship. But in my opinion there is only one theme that is present from beginning to end, this theme is pursuit of dreams. There are many characters where lonliness is evident throughout parts or all of their life. But all of these characters who appear to be lonely only tend to play a minor role in the story. This is not to say that they are insignificant but they help to convey the feelings and emotions that surround the major characters rather than their own. Characters like Curley's wife and Crooks are unmistakably lonely, but they show how their lonliness is the opposite of the two main characters, George and Lennie. Crooks actually states that George and Lennie have got each other but he hasn't got anyone. Curley's wife portrays the same message but under different circumstances. There are really no other main characters besides George and Lennie. From reading the novel and watching the film it is clearly evident in most cases that all of the support characters appear to be lonely. Therefore lonliness is quite a strong and influential theme in the story but it only features as a bakground theme and is not always present at critical stages. Themes such as sacrifice, comradship and freindship feature under very similar circumstances as lonliness but are also evident within the main characters. Candy made a sacrifice when he decided to have his ageing debilitated dog killed. But afterwards he regreted not having killed the dog himself, possibly having killed it at all. Just as when George killed Lennie, he knew it had to be done but he just kept making up excuses to avoid the inevitable. George made that sacrifice but unlike Candy he knew that if Lennie was to be killed he had to do it himself. The issue is morals, if there is such a thing as a moraly correct way to kill somebody thats how George did it, because during that time period in America there was not the resources nor facilities to deal with characters such as Lennie so drastic measures had to be taken. People were very narrow minded during that time period and often only thought of their own safety. George knew that Lennie would be killed anyway by Curly under very violent and tragic circumstances. So George made a decision to kill Lennie himself under the most peaceful circumstances as possible. This is where comradship is evident, George and Lennie were loyal to each other and stood by each other through thick and thin. Frienship can also be linked to the comradship, as, often at times when sacrifice or comradship occurs the theme of friendship arises. The reason for this is that all of these three themes are strongly linked together throughout Of Mice and Men. These three themes combined with hate can even be described as pervasive. Whenever one occurs it can usually be assumed the it will lead to another or possibly two of them in tandem. In my opinion there is only one theme that can be described as pervasive to the story: the pursuit of a dream. Or more correctly the pursuit of an unrealistic dream. This theme appears time and time again and helps to display how demoralising an unrealistic dream can be. Nearly every influencing character in the story has a dream which they cannot realistically fulfil. During the period of the Great Depression many of these characters were struggling for survival and having a dream was something that kept them going through tough times. But in the long run this eventually lead to their demise. George,