Competitive Strategic Management a Case Study of Virgin Atlantics Essay

Introduction: Today, competition in international markets has become severe and in order to sustain relevant position, organizations need to assume competitive strategies so that they can gain competitive advantages. (Rao, pp.185, 2011) The dynamic condition of markets has made it complicated for the organizations to achieve higher level of success without using experts’ promulgated models and literatures. (Flouris, Oswald, pp.19, 2006) Hence, researches have made it simple for the organizations to compete at broader level yet these researches merely gives way to these organizations and they need to develop the strategic plans on their own. Different companies adopt different kind of competitive strategies in order to get higher position in competitive market and for this purpose, it used to perform different activities than the competing firms. (Daft, pp.65, 2009)Virgin Airlines is one of the organizations who have assumed authentic strategies in order to satisfy customer’s need and ultimately got exceptional position. This paper is basically an analysis of the competitive strategy of Virgin Atlantics which it has used in order to gain competitive advantage. The first section analyzes the competitive strategy of Virgin Atlantics, second part deals with advantages and limitations and third part give certain recommendations to Virgin Atlantics in order to better its services. Competitive strategy of Virgin Atlantics: Porter has identified four different strategic options which an organization can use in order to gain competitive advantage keeping the contemporary internal and external environment under consideration. (Griffin, pp.244, 2010) Differentiation strategy is one of those competitive strategies promulgated by Porters In his Generic Strategic model. (Eldring, pp.6, 2009)Virgin Atlantic has based its strategic plan keeping differentiation strategy under consideration. However, if its strategy is scrutinized, it indicates that this strategy has been developed after doing thorough internal and external analysis. As far as internal analysis is concerned, this analysis demonstrates strengths and weaknesses of the organizations and for this purpose, different models like SWOT analysis can be utilized since it allows the organizations to analyze strengths and weaknesses of the organization. (Dibb, Simkin, pp.28, 2008) Virgin Atlantic has also based its strategy keeping internal analysis under consideration since its analysis demonstrate how internal analysis aids in having differentiation portfolio and potential customers. (Strauss, pp.106, 2010) The basic strength of Virgin Atlantic is the financial affiliation which it has with Singapore airline. (Reynolds, Lancaste, 2012) However, its financial information is not disclosed publicly yet it can be found out that the service has been differentiated by the company through identifying the core strengths and cost effectiveness is one of them. As far as weaknesses are concerned, Virgin Atlantic is though providing exceptional services to its customers yet for customers, it is costly. A normal customer cannot have first class or premium class service with this Airline. However, the solution has been provided in the form of three different classes and the average customers can utilize economy class for traveling to different destinations. Similarly, the external analysis has been done through doing market analysis, customer analysis, industry analysis and above all competitive analysis in order to gain competitive advantages. For this purpose, usually PESTEL analysis is done which identifies political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal aspects of the provided services. (Henry, pp.51, 2008) Virgin Atlantic also does PESTEL analysis at macro level in order to gain complete competitive advantage through identifying all essential factors and after doing this analysis, it has developed its differentiation strategy for international market. Porter’s differentiation strategy can be observed from all the perspectives including packages, offers, services etc. For example, it has been offering services for more than 30 different destinations with 43 outstanding aircrafts including airbuses, Boeings and aircrafts. Similarly, this airline has bases in Manchester and London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports and offers services for thirty different destinations including Dubai, Mauritius, Delhi, Sydney and Cape Town, the tourist favorite areas. Moreover, normally airlines offer business and economy class but Virgin Atlantic has three different classes including upper, premium economy and economy classes. In addition, it has infused differentiation strategy through providing Virgin Atlantic Cargo and Holiday services which offers instant and urgent shipments to different destinations of the world. Similarly, different travel packages with outclass offers have also been facilitated to customers in order to gain competitive advantages through dissimilar features. All these examples indicate how differentiation strategy of Porter’s Generic model aids an organization to gain benefits but for this purpose, organizations usually charge premium prices as well. Virgin Atlantic is also costly from other airlines in the market but its unique services have made it ample popular that more than five million customers use its services worldwide and all of them are ready to pay high prices for premium services. The competitive strategy of Virgin Atlantics has been developed keeping the market trends and contemporary needs of the customers under consideration and not only unique and different facilities have been provided but also basic requirements have been fulfilled. Hence, the competitive strategy of Virgin Atlantics has made it successful and preferable for the customers among all large air service providers. For using differentiation competitive strategy, this organization has been cherishing exceptional advantages and some of them are as followed: Advantages: If the analysis of advantages for using differentiations competitive strategy is scrutinized from the perspective of The Strategy Clock, it would appear that the organizations, who utilize this competitive strategy, gain high benefits investing low amount. Source: (Johnson, pp.243, 2008) This thing can be seen from the example of Virgin Atlantics since it has been using different sources to differentiate its services from others in order to gain competitive advantage and hence, achieved high profit in low amount as well. In current markets, the first advantage which Virgin Atlantics has been cherishing is the distinctive position due to providing unique services. Differentiation strategy allows Virgin Atlantics to have distinctive market position that makes it different from other competitors in the market and compels customers to prefer it on other competitors in the market providing similar service. (Thompson, Martin, pp.191, 2010) Second advantage of using this strategy is that it enables Virgin Atlantics to have sustainability in current market environment through gaining competitive advantage. For example, through providing unique services with exceptional features like multi-destination services, entertainment and customer care, shipping service, holiday packages, Virgin Atlantics invested little amount as compared to others but gained double benefits which enables it to have remarkable position in the market. The third major benefit of this differentiation strategy is flexibility which the organization provides. (Doise, pp.82, 2008) Virgin Atlantics also provides ample flexibility to customers in order to allow them to choose from multiple options. For instance, the customer can choose travel class from offered three classes according to his requirements. Suppose if customer has normal budget, he can select economy class whereas if he wants luxurious travel, he can select upper class. Flexibility is offered in packages and customers can choose relevant holiday packages of Virgin Holidays as well. Hence, this thing also proved ample lucrative for the company to achieve competitive advantage in contemporary markets and its environments. Limitations: In current dynamic business environment, using differentiation strategy is though beneficial but only to some extent since there are certain limitations cling to this competitive strategy, some of them are as followed: †¢It is very difficult to sustain elements of differentiation in current business environment since there are potential competitors in the market who try to assume better strategy in order to compete with Virgin Atlantics. These competitors might offer better services and add-ons that might affect core strategy of Virgin Atlantics †¢Changing services and making it unique is often costly. Though core strategy never costs high but sustainability of differentiations strategy usually costs high because the organizations have to spend a major amount in competing with opponents which ultimately compel the organizations to invest more and more for sustaining its position. (Sornarajah, pp.173, 2010) Virgin Atlantics has also faces this situation and spent a large amount on routes and aircrafts in order to differentiate its services from others. †¢Third limitation is the difficult which Virgin Atlantics has confronted in order to achieve differentiation. Since the current market is highly competitive and every organization has been trying to find out the best sources for gaining customer loyalty, this thing has made it ample complicated for the organizations to differentiate their services from others. Hence, differentiation competitive strategy is ample lucrative but these limitations makes it difficult for the organizations to sustain this strategy. However, in order to cope with these dynamic situations, different steps can be taken and the next part of the paper will promulgate all key steps which can augment profitability ratio. Recommendations: Virgin Atlantics can sustain its contemporary position in international markets taking different steps and for this purpose, it has to do analysis time and again in order to assess whether the implemented competitive strategy is compatible with current business environment or not. Following are some recommendations which can be used by Virgin Atlantics for sustaining its current position. Constant analysis: Virgin Atlantics should do constant internal and external analysis and amend the strategy or develop change management strategy according to the market requirements so that it can gain competitive advantages and beat its potential competitors. Additionally, these analyses would also enable the company to assess strengths and weaknesses of the company itself and through overpowering these shortcomings; it can develop its competitive strategic plan. Hybrid strategy: Though differentiation strategy is ample lucrative for providing sophisticated services and gaining customer loyalty yet it cannot be determined easily. Moreover, it might give high market share but market growth is possible only if this strategy is amalgamated with some additional strategy. This strategy can be cost-leadership strategy or focus strategy. Through focusing on differentiation strategy, Virgin Atlantics can obtain not only high market share but also market growth as well. as far as cost leadership strategy is concerned, it can be amalgamated with differentiation strategy in order to double the profit ratio since different researchers have provided combined competitive strategies as the solution of dynamic situation. (Marti, pp.100, 2007) Nevertheless, this hybrid strategy might also affect in a negative way. Competitive prices: Customers usually prefer exceptional services in affordable prices. So, Virgin Atlantics can gain advantages from cheap prices as well. Through providing low cost fleets to different customers, other then the facilitated, this organization could double its profit. However, the budget can be maintained through minimizing provided services during the flights. This thing would enable this organization to have market growth with low price strategy as well. Value added services: Value added services are often referred to as secondary services which are used for attracting customers and sustaining their loyalty with organization (Thurau and Hansen, p.112, 2000) No one can deny the significance of Value added services and marketing and this is the reason why it has remained inseparable part of every marketing plan and differentiation strategy. (Singh, pp.22, 2012) Virgin Atlantics can also gain competitive advantages via value added marketing and for this purpose; it can facilitate its customers with value holiday packages, discounted tickets and packages, lottery system and so on. These techniques would also attract a lot of customers and augment profitability and market share of the company as well. Conclusion: To conclude, it can be stated that this organization has been cherishing top positions on international level only because of using differentiation strategy and for this purpose, it has also invested capital through having partnership with Singapore airline. All its services including multiple destinations, holiday services, cargo services and in-flight entertainment, demonstrate its successful usage of differentiation strategy. However, Virgin Atlantics should also keep the advantages and limitations of using this strategy since there are certain times when this strategy needs slight amendments or changes in order to deal with contemporary circumstances. Virgin Atlantics can use different change management strategies in order to cope with limitations of this competitive strategy. In addition, this organization can also double its profit through taking different steps including value added marketing, competitive pricing and hybrid strategic development. These add-ons can maximize its profitability as well as worldwide recognitions and ultimately it would be able to compete with potential organizations like Emirates and Gulf Air. References: Daft, R. L. (2009) Organization Theory and Design. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Dibb, S., Lyndon S. (2008) Marketing Planning: A Workbook for Marketing Managers. London: South-Western Cengage Learning. Doise, M. L. (2008) An Integration of Corporate Culture and Strategy: The Interrelationships and Impact on Firm Performance. US: ProQuest. Eldring, J. (2009) Porter’s (1980) Generic Strategies, Performance and Risk an Empirical Investigation with German Data. Hamburg: Diplomica-Verl. Flouris, T. G.,Sharon L. O.(2006) Designing and Executing Strategy in Aviation Management. Aldershot, England: Ashgate. Griffin, R. W. (2011) Management. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Henry, A. (2008) Understanding Strategic Management. Oxford: Oxford UP. Johnson. (2008)Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text & Cases, 7/E. Dehli: Pearson Education India. Lancaste, G., Reynolds, P. (2012)Marketing. NY: CRC. Marti, M. (2007)Complexity Management Optimizing Product Architecture of Industrial Products. Wiesbaden: Deutscher Universitäts-Verlag. Rao, R. M. (2011)Services Marketing. Dehli: Pearson Education India. Singh, M. (2012)Building Customer Loyalty through Value Added Services: A Case of Telecom Sector. NY: GRIN Verlag. Sornarajah, M. (2012) The International Law on Foreign Investment. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. Strauss, R. (2010)Marketing Planning by Design: Systematic Planning for Successful Marketing Strategy. London: John Wiley & Sons. Thompson, J. L., Frank M. (2010) Strategic Management: Awareness & Change. Andover: South-Western Cengage Learning. Thurau, T, Ursula H. (2000) Relationship Marketing: Gaining Competitive Advantage through Customer Satisfaction and Customer Retention. Berlin: Springer.

It/205 Week 8 Checkpoint

The U. S. Census Bureau attempted to employ a Field Data Collection Automation (FDCA) program to expedite the collection of information. The FDCA project is important to the Census Bureau for many reasons. The first reason is the reduction of costs associated with the collection of information. Going door to door with paper forms is costly. The actual forms that are used cost the government mass amounts of money to produce. These forms are then peddled door to door by people who are paid wages and completed in ink by residents.The forms then need to be submitted to a local office where another worker who also needs to be paid for their time then keys the information in manually. These numbers and data are influential in allocating federal monies to certain areas of each state and county. Additionally, senate district lines are drawn based on population. If these figures are inaccurate, due to human error, funds that are generally allotted for a certain area could be reduced. This red uction could affect many programs in the area.Road upkeep, social services and emergency response are just a few of the areas that could be impacted. Simply put, accurate data collection is needed to ensure that everyone in all parts of the country get their fair share. The failed implementation of the wireless handheld devices was plagued with issues from every level and department. On the federal level, lack of oversight posed the largest issue. The federal sector suffers from lack of oversight because in the private sector incentives are offered for the successful, timely and cost effective rollout of similar programs.Because no one was to receive bonuses or other incentives on the federal level a lack of oversight was easily achieved. The Harris Corporation was contracted to build and test the handheld devices including the software. The federal government did not effectively convey information about the census program to Harris. This poor communication made the development of t he handheld devices extremely difficult. Harris was also at fault for not providing updates on progress. The program was also plagued with technology issues caused by miscommunication.Risk management was not adequately studied to show potential issues with the handheld devices. The devices were plagued with slow speeds while transmitting information to a central office. Once the information was received other bugs and flaws within the system made the information inaccurate. The government and Harris both share the blame for the conundrum that ended up costing taxpayers billions of dollars. The risks involved with this project were easily visible from the beginning.With so much federal money on the line simple steps could have been taken to ensure that taxpayer burden would be minimized. The first step that should have been taken was to set up a committee or group of people that including congressmen, technology consultants and financial advisors. When undertaking such a large and co stly undertaking with taxpayer money at stake it is necessary to be accountable. Members of the staff on the federal and private end should have been in constant contact with each other to ensure that problems and issues were resolved.I would have set up a liaison at each end so they could effectively relay the needs of the government to Harris and Harris could relay known issues with the government. Testing and risk assessment should have been a priority and as such should have properly researched and monitored throughout the entire process. All technical specifications should have been clearly communicated between both entities and having a liaison on both ends would have facilitated proper development. I would have ensured that wireless networks were available at certain areas and that proper software was written that was bug free long before actual rollout. It/205 Week 8 Checkpoint The U. S. Census Bureau attempted to employ a Field Data Collection Automation (FDCA) program to expedite the collection of information. The FDCA project is important to the Census Bureau for many reasons. The first reason is the reduction of costs associated with the collection of information. Going door to door with paper forms is costly. The actual forms that are used cost the government mass amounts of money to produce. These forms are then peddled door to door by people who are paid wages and completed in ink by residents.The forms then need to be submitted to a local office where another worker who also needs to be paid for their time then keys the information in manually. These numbers and data are influential in allocating federal monies to certain areas of each state and county. Additionally, senate district lines are drawn based on population. If these figures are inaccurate, due to human error, funds that are generally allotted for a certain area could be reduced. This red uction could affect many programs in the area.Road upkeep, social services and emergency response are just a few of the areas that could be impacted. Simply put, accurate data collection is needed to ensure that everyone in all parts of the country get their fair share. The failed implementation of the wireless handheld devices was plagued with issues from every level and department. On the federal level, lack of oversight posed the largest issue. The federal sector suffers from lack of oversight because in the private sector incentives are offered for the successful, timely and cost effective rollout of similar programs.Because no one was to receive bonuses or other incentives on the federal level a lack of oversight was easily achieved. The Harris Corporation was contracted to build and test the handheld devices including the software. The federal government did not effectively convey information about the census program to Harris. This poor communication made the development of t he handheld devices extremely difficult. Harris was also at fault for not providing updates on progress. The program was also plagued with technology issues caused by miscommunication.Risk management was not adequately studied to show potential issues with the handheld devices. The devices were plagued with slow speeds while transmitting information to a central office. Once the information was received other bugs and flaws within the system made the information inaccurate. The government and Harris both share the blame for the conundrum that ended up costing taxpayers billions of dollars. The risks involved with this project were easily visible from the beginning.With so much federal money on the line simple steps could have been taken to ensure that taxpayer burden would be minimized. The first step that should have been taken was to set up a committee or group of people that including congressmen, technology consultants and financial advisors. When undertaking such a large and co stly undertaking with taxpayer money at stake it is necessary to be accountable. Members of the staff on the federal and private end should have been in constant contact with each other to ensure that problems and issues were resolved.I would have set up a liaison at each end so they could effectively relay the needs of the government to Harris and Harris could relay known issues with the government. Testing and risk assessment should have been a priority and as such should have properly researched and monitored throughout the entire process. All technical specifications should have been clearly communicated between both entities and having a liaison on both ends would have facilitated proper development. I would have ensured that wireless networks were available at certain areas and that proper software was written that was bug free long before actual rollout.

Best Way to Promote Your Business on Social Media

Best Way to Promote Your Business on Social Media Social media marketing is an intense route for businesses of all sizes to achieve prospects and clients. Your clients are now communicating with brands through social media, and in case you’re not talking straightforwardly to your audience through social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, you’re passing up a major opportunity! Awesome marketing on social media can convey amazing accomplishment to your business, making committed brand advocates and notwithstanding driving leads and deals. What Is Social Media Marketing? Social media marketing, or SMM, is a type of internet marketing that includes making and sharing content on social media networks keeping in mind the end goal to accomplish your marketing and branding objectives. Social media marketing incorporates exercises like posting text and picture updates, recordings, and other content that drives audience engagement, and also paid social media publicizing. With these tips, you can start building up your own particular social media marketing master plan. Begin With a Plan Before you start making social media marketing efforts, think about your business objectives. Beginning a social media marketing effort without a social strategy as a primary concern resembles meandering around a woods without a guide—you may have a fabulous time, however you’ll likely get lost. Here are a few things to ask when characterizing your social media marketing objectives: What are you wanting to accomplish through social media marketing? Who is your target audience? Where might your target audience hang out and how might they utilize social media? What message would you like to send to your audience with social media marketing? Your business compose should illuminate and drive your social media marketing strategy. For instance, an internet business or travel business, being profoundly visual, can get a great deal of significant worth from a solid nearness on Instagram or Pinterest. A business-to-business or marketing organization may discover more use in Twitter or Linkedin. How Social Media Marketing Can Help You Meet Your Marketing Goals Social media marketing can help with various objectives, for example, Expanding site movement Building conversions Raising brand mindfulness Making a brand character and positive brand association Enhancing correspondence and cooperation with key audiences The greater and more drew in your audience is on social media networks, the less demanding it will be for you to accomplish each other marketing objective on your rundown! Best Social Media Marketing Tips Prepared to begin with marketing on social media? Here are a couple of social media marketing tips to commence your social media crusades. Social Media Content Planning — As talked about already, constructing a social media marketing plan is basic. Consider catchphrase examine and focused research to enable conceptualize to content thoughts that will intrigue your target audience. What actions are different businesses in your industry taking to drive engagement on social media? An awesome Facebook promotion ought to be reliable with your entire brand picture A Consistent Brand Image — Using social media for marketing empowers your business to extend your brand picture over a wide range of social media platforms. While every stage has its own particular unique condition and voice, your business center character, regardless of whether it’s well disposed, fun, or reliable, should remain steady. Social Media for Content Promotion — Social media marketing is an ideal channel for sharing your best webpage and blog content with perusers. When you construct a dedicated after on social media, you’ll have the capacity to post all your new content and ensure your perusers can discover new stuff immediately. In addition, extraordinary blog content will enable you to manufacture more supporters. It’s an amazing way that content marketing and social media marketing advantage each other. Sharing Curated Links — While utilizing social media for marketing is an extraordinary method to use your own particular unique, unique content to pick up adherents, fans, and fans, it’s likewise a chance to connection to outside articles too. On the off chance that different sources give awesome, profitable data you figure your target audience will appreciate, don’t be timid about connecting to them. Curating and connecting to outside sources enhances trust and unwavering quality, and you may even receive a few connections consequently. Following Competitors — It’s constantly vital to watch out for contenders—they can give important information to watchword explore and other social media marketing knowledge. On the off chance that your rivals are utilizing a specific social media marketing channel or procedure that is by all accounts working for them, considering doing likewise, however improve! Estimating Success with Analytics — You can’t decide the accomplishment of your social media marketing systems without following information. Google Analytics can be utilized as an awesome social media marketing tool that will enable you to gauge your best social media marketing procedures, and figure out which methodologies are in an ideal situation surrendered. Join following labels to your social media marketing efforts so you can legitimately screen them. What’s more, make sure to utilize the investigation inside every social stage for much more knowledge into which of your social content is performing best with your audience. Instructions to Choose the Best Social Media Platforms for Marketing Here’s a short review about how to utilize social media for marketing as per every stage’s unique user base and condition. Distinctive social media marketing destinations require diverse methodologies, so build up a unique strategy custom-made for every stage. Utilizing Google+ for Social Media Marketing Google+ entered the scene as a Facebook contender, yet it now serves a more specialty audience. It won’t work for everyone, except a few groups are extremely dynamic on Google+. On Google+ you can transfer and offer photographs, recordings, connections, and view all your +1s. Additionally exploit Google+ circles, which enable you to portion your supporters into littler gatherings, empowering you to impart data to a few adherents while notwithstanding others. For instance, you may have a go at making a â€Å"super-fan† circle, and offer uncommon rebates and selective offers just with that gathering. Utilizing Pinterest for Social Media Marketing Pinterest is one of the quickest developing social media marketing patterns. Pinterest’s picture focused stage is perfect for retail, yet anybody can profit by utilizing Pinterest for social media purposes or deals driving advertisements. Pinterest enables businesses to exhibit their item offerings while additionally creating brand identity with eye-getting, unique pinboards. When building up your Pinterest strategy, recollect that the social system’s essential audience is female. In the event that that is your statistic, you require a nearness on Pinterest! Utilizing Twitter for Social media marketing for fakers Twitter is the social media marketing tool that gives you a chance to communicate your updates over the web. Take after tweeters in your industry or related fields, and you should pick up a constant flow of supporters consequently. Stir up your official tweets about specials, rebates, and news with fun, brand-building tweets . Make certain to retweet when a client has something pleasant to say in regards to you, and bear in mind to answer individuals inquiries when conceivable. Utilizing Twitter as a social media marketing tool rotates around exchange and correspondence, so make sure to communicate however much as could be expected to support and construct your following. Utilizing LinkedIn for Social Media Marketing LinkedIn is one of the more expert social media marketing destinations. LinkedIn Groups is an awesome setting for going into an expert discourse with individuals in comparable businesses and furnishes a place to impart content to similarly invested people. It’s additionally incredible for posting occupations and general worker organizing. YouTube for social mediaUsing YouTube for Social Media Marketing YouTube is the main place for making and sharing video content, and it can likewise be an amazingly effective social media marketing tool. Numerous businesses attempt to make video content with the point of having their video â€Å"become a web sensation†, yet in all actuality those odds are entirely thin. Rather, concentrate on making valuable, educational â€Å"how-to† recordings. These how-to recordings additionally have the additional advantage of positioning on the video indexed lists of Google, so don’t under-assess the energy of video content! Utilizing Reddit for Social Media Marketing Reddit, or comparable social media platforms, for example, Stumble Upon or Digg, are perfect for sharing convincing content. With more than 2 billion online visits a month, Reddit has mind blowing social media marketing potential, however advertisers ought to be cautioned that lone genuinely unique, fascinating content will be invited. Posting on Reddit is behaving recklessly—submit spammy or clearly deals centered content and your business could get upbraided by this to a great degree well informed group.

Firm expansion in the U.S Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Firm expansion in the U.S - Essay Example The company lacks experience selling outside its regional comfort zone. A strategy that could help the company quickly penetrate other US markets is to formulate a strategic alliance with a competitor. The competitor should be a medium to large size firm that has an established network of distribution across all parts of the United States. This option can help the company increase sales volumes, but the profitability of the firm will be lower because the partner has to get his cut of the earnings. The strategic alliance deal should be negotiated in a manner that the company does not give up too much of its profits. Offering an equity participation in the company can persuade the partner to get a lower margin of the profits. A second strategy that the company could implement to expand its sales though out the United States is the implementation of an aggressive online marketing strategy. Ecommerce in the United States in 2010 reached sales of $153 billion (Plunkett Research, 2011). Th e company has a lot of good products that could be very attractive for online customers. A way to increase sales is by getting a freelance workforce to help increase the sites traffic and sales.

American Beer Market Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

American Beer Market - Case Study Example US sales and market shares are shown in the following: Bud Light has seen a 2% growth in 2008 which is greater than other light beer competitor. The brand still remains as the top-selling beer in global terms. Growth drivers include rising market share in Mexico which went up 27% in 2008 and made the brand Mexico's No.1 light beer brand. This was due to the equity investment made by the company to the Grupo Modelo S.A.B. de C.V. which has 56% of the Mexico beer market. In Canada, sales volume went up by 30% due to innovative marketing strategies and sponsorships of popular teams in the National Hockey League like the Toronto Blue Jays. Anheuser-Busch has also set its eyes in China's emerging and burgeoning market. A production facility has already been established in the country where the main product to be made was Bud Lite. The company has also teamed up with China's oldest and largest brewery, Tsingtao. In October of 2007, owners of Miller and Coors announced a joint venture to try to unsettle the behemoth Anheuser-Busch which had 51% of the total beer market. Miller commands 18% while Coors has 11%. The said merger entitled Miller to a 52% economic interest while the rest is to Coors. The joint-venture, MillerCoors, was expected to benefit from an estimated $500 million from the integration of its distribution system and market shares.

Police Operations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Police Operations - Research Paper Example Introduction ‘Acculturation’, as a term, is commonly utilized in the discussions which surround refugees and immigrants, focusing on the cultural changes needed to be made in the behavioral traits of the immigrant groups to get imbibed in their host nation’s culture. To be noted, the present acculturation technique is used in the various organizational departments such as fire and police departments. In the year 2004, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) defined acculturation as â€Å"the progressive adoption of elements of a foreign culture (ideas, words, values, norms, behavior, institutions) by persons, groups or classes of a given culture† (Sam & Berry, n.d, p.11). In recent times, acculturation has often been regarded as an important and well organized area of study. Acculturation is a kind of dual process of psychological and cultural changes that take place as an outcome of contact among two or more diverse cultural groups and their res pective individual members. The conventional definition of acculturation was offered by Redfield, Linton and Herskovits as â€Å"acculturation comprehends those phenomena which result when groups of individuals having different cultures come into continuous first-hand contact with subsequent changes in the original culture patterns of either or both groups† (Berry, 1997, p.5). ... With the process of acculturation, police officers will be benefitted by the adaptation of the behavioral patterns of the surroundings (Berry, 1997; Berry, 2005). The new police officers also develop the manner of acculturation which allows them to work in the new environments. Police officers mainly deal with the dimension of criminology, which needs intense pressure handling ability along with logical thinking which can be quite difficult for the new entrants or new officers. Correspondingly, this process of acculturation has been introduced so that new police officers can get habituated to work in the new environment. This research study deals with the way of applying acculturate to the new police officers. In this study comments on present research, subculture of policing along with the consistent cultures that most law enforcement agencies possess, based on critical explanations (Berry, 1997). In the earlier period, acculturation was viewed as a process of change, leading to cer tain specific outcomes. Originally, acculturation was conceptualized mostly as a linear and uni-dimensional procedure with the practice occurring on a continuum. Modified perspectives have enlarged the view of what the potential outcomes might entail. Instead of a single linear continuum, a multidimensional or multi-linear model focuses on an individual position on the both new as well as original cultures norms (Trinh, 2009). Acculturation Process A General Framework of Understanding Acculturation (Berry, 2005) New officers can never be acculturated with the lack of an appropriate process. According to the above framework, there are cultural acculturations in the group level and psychological acculturations in the individual level, which need to be satisfied by the police

Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 13

Communication - Essay Example With all that background of music and dancing and my unending passion for it, I opted to visit the town of San Francisco, Japan town for the celebratory concert of the â€Å"Japan Day Festival & Bon Odori.† I figured out that this would be the perfect subculture to observe. Every community has rituals and traditions that are cultural whereby the members of an â€Å"ethnic, religious, national, or racial community,† engage in some norms that would bring out their customary heritage. These rituals or traditions could include customary practices, religious celebrations and national holidays among others that are passed on from one generation to another. â€Å"Bon-Odori,† is simply a Japanese ritual event in which a dance (Odori) is held during Obon. Conversing with a friend I met over the festival, I realized that although there were a couple of reasons that the Japanese uphold in celebrating this festival, the prime cause for celebrating this festival was to receive spirits and send them off again. It is however worth noting that the religious aspect of the event has been mostly lost (Hori, Ichiro & Kitagawa 138). Therefore in the present days, the dance is usually held as an episode that will liven up the summer festivals. The festival was set to begin as from around noon, running all the way to around 10 o’clock at night. This family friendly event featured the performances from various Japanese and international musicians and artists such as Bay Area’s leading performers in taiko, martial arts, koto and many others that created maximum entertainment throughout the festival. In addition, complimenting all the music and dancing, was a collection of Japanese and Chinese traditional delicacies, which served as an ultimate ingredient to a precisely successful musical and cultural event. The day’s weather in San Francisco seemed to be in

The Effects of Mass Media on Society Research Paper

The Effects of Mass Media on Society - Research Paper Example One of these is video games which are products of man’s quest for excitement and entertainment. In this regard, this essay is written with the objective of determining the effects of video games on society. It would initially start on the origins of video games and rationale for playing video games. The discourse would also present the advantages and disadvantages of video games to find out their implications to the users and to society, as a whole. The exact date for the creation of video games could not be pinpointed due to its reference and interrelationships with people, games, companies and culture which actively influenced it. According to Herman, Horwitz, Kent & Miller (2009), video games started with Ralph Baer’s assignment of creating a television set incorporated with a game. They averred â€Å"it would take another 18 years for his idea to become a reality, and by that time there would be other people to share in the glory, like Willy Higinbotham, who designed an interactive tennis game played on an oscilloscope, and Steve Russell, who programmed a rudimentary space game on a DEC PDP-1 mainframe computer. And then there was also Nolan Bushnell, who played that space game and dreamed of a time when fairground midways would be filled with games powered by computers.† (Herman, Horwitz, Kent & Miller, 2009, par. 1) The golden age in video games was identified as spanning the years 1978 to 1981with the emergence of famous brands synonymous to video games such as Atari, Nintendo, Magnavox, Microvision and Intellivision, among others. (Herman, Horwitz, Kent & Miller, 2009, 3) The evolution continues until brands such as Sega, Game Boy Playstation and Xbox remain imprinted in the minds of millions of patronizers. But what exactly are video games? Allwords (2009) define video game as â€Å"a style of game existing as and controlled by software, usually run by a

Hierarchy and politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hierarchy and politics - Essay Example He is frustrated by his two daughters as a result of handing over power to them he says, â€Å"I would learn that; for by the marks of sovereignty, knowledge and reason, I should be false persuaded I had daughters† (I. 4, 755-756). In politics, hierarchy does not always provide the best alternative to leadership. The treatise written by James I, Basilikon Doran outline the true qualities of a leader. First, the king should keep track of his duties and responsibilities towards God, his roles and responsibilities while in office and lastly, he should have proper behavior regarding his day to day life (James I, 13). King Lear violates one of his roles as a king by dividing his kingdom to his three daughters other than giving it to the oldest son. â€Å"Tell me, my daughters, since now we will divest us both of rule, Interest of territory, cares of state†, (I. 1, 49-51). James I, also advised his son to be calm and watch his temper, â€Å"but I meane of that wise moderatio n, that first commaunding your selfe, shall as a Queene commaund all the affections and passions of your mind; and, as a Physician, wisely mixe all your actions according thereto† (James I, 28). The king should be slow to anger and wise in his judgment. King Lear does not apply this lesson before he dismisses his daughter Cordelia for her honesty. His daughter is open and she bluntly confesses that she loves him just as a daughter should love the father. â€Å"Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave My heart into my mouth. I love your Majesty According to my bond; no more nor less† (I. 1, 93-95). The king lets his anger control him and he disowns his honest daughter. He later makes a painful discovery that his two daughters whom he gave the kingdom were dishonest. The king violated the lesson regarding his day to day activities as a leader of the nation. Kings are expected to be in their modest behavior and are regarded as role models. They are the eye of the society; any act ivity done should be reasonable. â€Å"Remember therefore in all your actions, of the great account that yee are one daie to make: in all the daies of your life euer learning to die, and liuing euery day as it were your last† (James I, 37). The manner in which they eat, relate with their family and they sport they take. â€Å"Let me not stay a jot for dinner; go get it ready† (IV. 543). The king does not behave with authority and sanity when he decides to flee from his daughter’s house and run into the storm with his fool. It is inappropriate for the king to run away from leadership yet he is still regarded as the head of the family. He does not handle his daughters appropriately. According to James I, a king should be modest and behave in his best composure. He should rid himself off any circumstances that will destabilize his thinking in order to make clear judgment. He says,† be precise in effect, but social in shew: kythe [make known] more by your deed es then by your words the loue of vertue and hatred of vice: and delight more to bee godlie and vertuous in deede then to be thought and called so† (James I, 40). King Lear does not do this; he allows his madness to take the better part of him which makes him behave insanely. Cordelia finds out about his madness and seeks to help him. She says, â€Å"Alack, 'tis he! Why, he was met even now As mad asthe vex'd sea,

To what extent were male and female adolescents' reading preferences Essay

To what extent were male and female adolescents' reading preferences gendered over the twentieth century, and did this change over time - Essay Example As the century progressed, research regarding the adolescent stage of life began to reveal that the angst of adolescence is not born of a single unavoidable cause, as had been previously thought, but rather is a complex relation between physical changes, social issues and cultural preparedness. These studies revealed the close relationship that could be traced through the adolescent’s development and how this reflected the signs of the times. Beginning with a brief overview of the changing theories regarding this age group in both physical and developmental contexts as they pertain to reading choice, an examination into the reading choices of adolescent girls and boys from the early 20th century, to approximately mid-century to more present times will prove enlightening regarding how changing roles in the greater society has had an effect, perhaps a reciprocal effect, upon the reading choices of adolescents working to define their own identity in a changing world. Concepts of adolescence in the early part of the 20th century seemed to be divided between one of two schools. One group of theorists believed the insanity of adolescence was more or less unavoidable as a natural outcome of the physiological changes that were taking place with the onset of puberty and the subsequent societal role changes expected (Blanchard, 1924: 15). The adolescent became overwhelmed with trying to adjust to physical changes at the same time that they were expected to take on new responsibilities and behaviours. According to this view, adolescence for both boys and girls was a time of great physical change, causing more hormones to be released into the bloodstream by the endocrine glands and throwing the entire physical system into an imbalance to which it requires time to adjust (Zorbaugh & Payne, 1935: 373-374). The mental issues of extreme unhappiness, extreme happiness, rebellion, mood swings and other seeming psychoses are simply the

Causes of the Civil War Essay Example for Free

Causes of the Civil War Essay There were several reasons the Civil War began. The north and the south had completely different views on some very important subjects.The north believed that slavery was not needed, but the south had needed slavery in order to harvest the crops. Also, new territories were being settled. Lastly, Abraham Lincoln was elected president. The areas of the United States had different economies. In the North, the economy was based on factories and wages. Everyday people worked in the factories. The South had large plantations, which grew cotton. The plantation owners needed the slaves to pick the cotton. They didn’t receive wages, but they were provided food and shelter. In the Midwest, wheat was the number one cash crop. It was harvested by a machine, so they didn’t need as many workers or slaves. These different economies caused divisions in the United States. Also, new territories were being settled. The South wanted the new territories to be admitted to the Union as slave states. This was to prevent the slaves from escaping into free territories. The North wanted the new territories to be free. Some people thought the new territories should have the right to vote whether they wanted to be free or slave. This is called State’s Rights. An agreement was reached called the Compromise of 1850, which lasted for three years. In this compromise, fugitive slaves were ordered to return to their owners. The abolitionists thought that they shouldn’t have to follow that law. Next, Abraham Lincoln said that slavery should be abolished. He was elected president and South Carolina immediately seceded from the Union. Then, six more states joined South Carolina and formed the Confederate States of America (CSA). The South felt that Lincoln would abolish slavery and take away their economy or their way of life. They also felt that each state had the right to vote on any law. More people died in the Civil War than any other war. The reasons for the Civil War were different economies, state’s rights to vote on laws, and the election of Abraham Lincoln as president.

Therapy or no treatment Essay Example for Free

Therapy or no treatment Essay Introduction When we study human behavior, specifically focusing on the development of personality and crucial to how a person or individual conducts him/herself, psychology offers a variety of dimensions. The concept of personality is central to our attempt to understand ourselves and others and is part of the way in which we account for the differences that contribute to our individuality. Psychologists have been particularly concerned with shaping of the personality in relation to genetic and environmental influences. We have been fortunate that the study of human personality has been thriving and fruitful. We can choose from as many models we can to help us see ourselves better and maintain good relationships. Discussion Studies that reveal patients in improved psychological state with or without treatment or intervention may not be that good news for many in the mental health profession. However, the rationale for the kind of profession that they have is to help and the practice or professional help presupposes that skills and knowledge that had been gained are indispensable to speedy recovery, possible complications, and probable harm to the client himself and to others around him (Corey, 2004). ~Nature and Importance of therapy Behavior is described and analyzed. On this basis, an attempt to predict behavior is possible, and although this may not thoroughly and completely be accomplished in some endeavors, the basic understanding then is that there are certain expectations concerning how any person would act or decide upon things that are within his conscious awareness. Psychology is of great importance to man since psychological problems are common to group relations, in whatever framework a person or group of individuals come from. The goals of treatment for instance, using the psychodynamic model, include alleviating patient of the symptoms which specifically works to uncover and work through unconscious conflict. The task of psychodynamic therapy is â€Å"to make the unconscious conscious to the patient† (â€Å"Models of abnormality†, National Extension College Trust, Ltd). Employing the psychodynamic viewpoint, the therapist or social scientist believes that emotional conflicts, or neurosis, and/or disturbances in the mind are caused by unresolved conflicts which originated during childhood years. The treatment modality frequently used includes dreams and free association, at times hypnosis (as preferred by either the therapist or by the client). In the integrated or eclectic approach the goal of the therapy is not just relief to the patient or client. Although an immediate relief is very helpful, this may not always be the case in most illnesses. The goal as mentioned is to provide long-term reduction of the symptoms and the occurrence of the disease altogether if possible. The management then is not impossible but neither is this easy. Specifically, the counselee or patient must want to heal or believe that there is going to be curative effects in the process. It presupposes that he/she must learn to trust the therapist in his/her capabilities as well in leading or facilitating the changes or modifications. It is very much essential that (in the perspective of a cognitive-behaviorist) that the client understands ownership to the deeds and choices in thought patterns he/she made are crucial to the recurring or occurring condition that s/he experiences (Rubinstein et al., 2007; Corey, 2004). Moreover, the identification of specific treatments or interventions according to the diagnosed issue will be accommodated and implemented based on the chosen treatment modalities fit with the therapeutic approach utilized. It may be a single modality based on a single approach (e.g., learning principles and desensitization for a patient with specific phobias) or it maybe a combination of many modalities (CBT, Rogerian, Phenomenological, or Family systems) (Rubinstein et al., 2007; Corey, 2004). ~Promoting therapy Psychotherapists believe that therapy contributes a lot to the improvement of the psychological condition of the client (Snyder, 1994). Therapy can come in many varied forms and the use of these or any of these has been proven to be of vital significance to clients from various walks of life and with myriads of problems or mental and emotional challenges. Therapy may be long-termed analytical experiences or encounters or brief problem-oriented treatment/intervention. Whatever the case, these consultations and in-depth interactions and activities between a practitioner therapist and the client in most cases, are beneficial (Mutha, 2002). It is therefore wrong to argue that with or without treatment patients recover or improve because subtle issues are overlooked with this statement or findings. Firstly, studies were done with findings that were more correlational rather than experimental (Mutha, 2002). Secondly, the element of catharsis is a powerful ingredient or element of the healing process and many of those without seeking professional help happened to be with a support group whose experiences were years of gaining knowledge and skills from the experts and experienced counselors (Mutha, 2002). It is true that there have been substantial evidences as well that improvement with cases have occurred; these are usually attributed the aforementioned reasons. Specifically, psychotherapy enables a client or patient to help ease his anxiety, managing his fears from the mundane or petty to the horrific. Quality of life, wellness and recovery are primary goals aside from the usual notion that psychotherapy is just a crutch for someone who may not actually have a real psychological problem (Snyder et al, 2000). This last phrase is true for some people who needed more than the advice or the listening ear; precisely, they needed a human ace who is intent on knowing and understanding them. Reference: Atkinson, R.L., R.C. Atkinson, E.E Smith, D.J. Bem, and S. Nolen-Hoeksema. Introduction to Psychology. 13th Ed. New York: Harcourt College Publishers, 2000. Corey, Gerald, 2004. Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. Thomson Learning, USA. Corey, Gerald.2001. The Art of Integrative Counseling. Article 29: â€Å"Designing an Integrative Approach to Counseling Practice† Retrieved November 28, 2007 in http://counselingoutfitters.com/vistas/vistas04/29.pdf Crabb, Larry, 2000. Found in Anderson et al resource. Christ-centered therapy. http://books.google.com/books?id=Rn-f2zL01ZwCpg=PA11lpg=PA11dq=effective+biblical+counseling+by+larry+crabb+critiquesource=webots=WFVYLIqP1nsig=MqIhqE_XfGzIQODAKV5iMPjqz14#PPA19,M1 C.R. Snyder et al., Hope Theory: Updating A Common Process for Psychological Change in Handbook of Psychological Change: Psychotherapy Processes Practices for the 21st Century 133 (C.R. Snyder Rick E. Ingram eds. 2000) C.R. Snyder, The Psychology of Hope: You Can Get There From Here (The Free Press 1994) Davison, Gerald C. and John M. Neale. 2001. Abnormal Psychology. Eighth ed. John Wiley Sons, Inc. Ellis, Albert 2001. Overcoming Destructive Beliefs, Feelings, and Behaviors: New Directions for Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. Prometheus Books Kaplan, HI, BJ Saddock and JA Grebb. 1994. Kaplan and Saddock’s Synopsis of Psychiatry: Behavioral Sciences clinical psychiatry. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins. Mutha, S., Allen, C., Welch, M. 2002. Toward Culturally Competent Care: A Toolbox for Teaching Communication Strategies. San Francisco: UCSF Center for the Health Professions.

Changing Role of HRM: The NHS

Changing Role of HRM: The NHS The Changing Role of Human Resource Management within the National Health Service: Feeling at Home in an Increasingly Complex Environment. Abstract In the context of a widespread programme of reform of the English National Health Service (NHS) this paper considers the changing role of Human Resources Management (HRM) within the service, and reports a study of the changing role of HRM in a large teaching hospital. Empirical research suggests that whilst the perception of the role and effectiveness of the HRM function remains varied, if managed correctly it is potentially capable of having a direct and beneficial impact upon service delivery. Introduction The reforms and changes within the National Health Service (NHS) and its management of staff and services has clearly been well documented, however research into the evaluation of these initiatives remains a neglected area. Walshe suggests that the reason behind this is that researchers do not have time to ‘painstakingly document and measure the progress and impacts of reform due to constant change caused by the initial ‘bright ideas having been poorly thought out (2002:106). Empirical research can though attempt to offer an understanding into the ‘complex relationships that exist between individuals and how they interpret policies within a wider social and cultural organisational context (Clarke 2006:202) and provide insight into the NHS managerial culture to examine how it ‘supports and facilitates the implementation of the recent wave of NHS reforms (Merali 2003:550). Through incorporating a review of the literature that surrounds the changing role of HRM w ithin the NHS and empirically based qualitative research, a comprehensive insight into the current context and position of Human Resource Management within an NHS Trust is given. Whilst such research will hopefully be of academic interest, perhaps more importantly in order for the NHS and other public services to be aware of the impact of reforms upon employees and thus on subsequent service delivery, an awareness of HRM practices and their implementation should be a necessity for practitioners (Edgar and Geare 2005). The Current Context of the NHS â€Å"†¦the NHS is unique. To name but a few of its characteristics, it is in the public sector, exceptionally large in terms of its resources, activities and numbers employed; domestic not international in its operations; its tasks are infinitely varied, complex and difficult; its goals are unclear; it is subject to an exceptionally wide range of political and economic influences; and it is an organisation uniquely and specially close to the hearts (metaphorically), minds and bodies (physically) of British people. It is run by ‘special kinds of people too: dedicated, yet often ambitious, highly qualified and skilled, often bloody-minded and usually tough-minded, yet also caring and even tender.†(Glover and Leopold 1996:256) The NHS is the largest employer in Europe, employing over a million clinical, infrastructure and support personnel (The Information Centre 2006). Whilst remaining close to the peoples heart in terms of its founding values of a universal and comprehensive health care with its service delivery freely and equally available to all in society (Rivett 1997; Talbot-Smith and Pollock 2006), it is also close to the peoples pockets, with billions of pounds having been invested into the NHS in the last ten years (Appelby 2007). In addition to providing a health service to the population, it is also claimed that ‘health and healthcare play a key role in generating social cohesion, productive workforce, employment and hence economic growth (Harrison 2005) and for this reason, as Bach notes, the means to reform health care systems effectively is an issue that confronts policy makers worldwide. (2001:1) As such, the challenges facing the NHS in terms of management, change and efficiency are i mportant to an audience far wider than the UK and those who use and work within the organisation. In consuming around  £50 billion per annum it is no wonder that successive British governments have attempted throughout the history of the NHS to dictate from the centre the ‘minutia of the NHSs activities. A key problem however is that due to the complexity of the organisation itself and the politics that surround it, the methods used are considered by many to consist merely of ‘a plethora of complicated targets and initiatives that confound those who are charged to implement them (Bradshaw 2003:90). In recognising the obvious public concern over the management, and expenditure, of the NHS both the previous Conservative and Labour governments and current New Labour invest considerable time, and tax-payers money, into attempting to improve the service. Yet it is considered increasingly apparent that in responding to health deficiencies ‘by throwing money at them to see the quick, comfortable resolution of the political conflict that these inevitably cause (Duncan -Smith 2002), continual change ‘for changes sake has become the focus at the expense of the ultimate ‘telos that created the health service (Kelly and Glover 1996:31). Changes in Management of the NHS Since its conception, it is clear that the NHS has undergone many changes, both structurally and ideologically, but it is since the reforms of the early 1980s that the focus of NHS management has attempted to move away from obvious ‘command and control techniques and towards local management with local responsibility and accountability not only to the government but to the public that ‘experience the service. It was subsequent to these reforms and as a result of the Griffiths Report and policies such as ‘Promoting Better Health, that ‘Working for Patients'(1989) was introduced which further emphasised the NHSs aims of better health care, choice, complaints procedures, patient information, and overarching quality. Currently a number of policy and management initiatives are transforming the structure and organisation of the NHS (Truss 2003). New Labour are heralding the benefits of ‘choice within the public services as a whole and many of the recent initiatives focus upon the ‘customer and the need for services to attract these customers and the money that they bring, to the extent that within the NHS ‘individual patient preference [is] determining where business will be placed (Bradshaw 2003:87). The logic behind this is claimed to be one of providing a new incentive for ‘providers to improve customer responsiveness, for if money follows patients and patients have a choice of service the power is with the people rather than in the hands of a previous monopolistic service provider (ibid). Such market incentives are driving NHS hospital trusts to perform more like businesses, with a corporate focus based upon meeting the demands of all the various stakeholders, and thus r equiring distinct business strategies which will account for all aspects of the organisation and services provided and ultimately ‘enhance their cash flow (Pollock 2004:218). With the establishment of Foundation Trusts, NHS Trusts which are perceived as high performers can gain Foundation Status, thus becoming corporate bodies, free from the controls of the strategic health authorities and accountable only to those whom they represent their own managers, staff, patients and local residents (Pollock 2004). The thinking behind this is seemingly one of moving away from what has been perceived as a ‘monolithic, inefficient bureaucracy to a system of individual services which are autonomous healthcare provider organisations that could be flexible, responsive and innovative (Walshe 2002:109). As the Department of Health states: â€Å"The Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 establishes NHS Foundation Trusts as independent public benefit corporations modelled on co-operative and mutual traditions. Public benefit corporations are a new type of organisation, specially developed to reflect the unique aims and responsibilities of NHS Foundation Trusts. NHS Foundation Trusts exist to provide and develop services for NHS patients according to NHS principles and standards and are subject to NHS systems of inspection. Transferring ownership and accountability from Whitehall to the local community means that NHS Foundation Trusts are able to tailor their services to best meet the needs of the local population and tackle health inequalities more effectively.†(DoH 2007) Walshe considers the introduction of Foundation Trusts as providing organisational stability due to them reducing the ability of ‘future Secretaries of State for Health to reorganise the NHS every two or three years and thus allowing ‘meaningful service improvements to take place (2002:109). However, it is also recognised that this in turn could potentially cause problems as there will be ‘no guarantee of good management and governance resulting in the replacement of ‘one set of dysfunctional behaviours with another (ibid). Many interpret Foundation Trusts as forcing NHS trusts into having to respond flexibly to market forces similarly to private sector organisations, due to the public and political interest in the service it must also contend with the constant barrage of audits, inspections, monitoring, league tables and an increasingly demanding and knowledgeable public (Talbot-Smith and Pollock 2006). The NHS today can therefore be seen as remaining seemingly attached to the ideologies of the business world, and current government emphasis towards ‘modernisation suggests that the premise remains dominantly that: â€Å"†¦no organisational context is immune from the uncertainties of unrelenting change and that, as a result, all organisations public, private and voluntary need to develop similar norms and techniques of conduct: if they do not do so, they will not survive. Thus all organisations need to look to current ‘best practice†¦Government services are brought forward using the best and most modern techniques, to match the best of the private sector.†(Du Gay 2003:676) These government initiatives reflect notions that by improving management and employee satisfaction, the NHS could become both an efficient and effective business, able to satisfy these consumerist needs of the customer. For example, the policy ‘Improving Working Lives aimed to encourage NHS employers to ‘develop a range of policies and practices which support personal and professional development and enable employees to achieve a healthy work-life balance (DH 2000). These management strategies have been labelled within this sector as New Public Management (NPM) and are considered to mark a clear differentiation from the previous strategies of ‘an administered service to a managed service'(Bach, 2000:928). Flynn argues that NPM clearly incorporates all of the changes that have occurred within the NHS following the reorganisations and new rhetorics of the 1980 reforms and the essential components that NPM consists of are clearly visible: â€Å"†¦more active and accountable management; explicit standards, targets and measures for performance; a stress on results, quality and outcomes; the break-up of large units into smaller decentralised agencies; more competition and a contract culture; more flexibility in the terms and conditions of employment; increased managerial control over the workforce and efficiency in resource allocation.†(1991:28) With the introduction of this managerialist emphasis in the NHS it has been suggested that there has been an investment of ‘faith in managers. This faith has been based on the supposition that the ‘language, techniques and values of managerialism were, and are, ‘the only way actually to deliver change; thus an ‘unparalleled position of ‘power and authority has been placed upon public managers (Exworthy and Halford 1999:5-6). Such managerialism, and its values and beliefs is based upon the assumption that ‘better management will prove an efficient solvent for a wide range of economic and social ills (Pollitt 1993:1), and in the case of the NHS these ‘ills are well documented in terms of a lack of capital and thus a shortage of resources yet with a need to provide an increasingly efficient and ‘quality driven service. However, the notion of managerialism must be used with caution. ‘Faith in managers can be perceived as politicians having faith in their own management in that they have failed to ever relinquish control, instead taking even more tight control through the implementation of numerous health policies and operational procedures. Such a need to keep close reigns on the management of the NHS suggests a deep mistrust in the capabilities of the public servants within it rather than a desire to allow it its freedom. Overall it is clear that the NHS is very complex for a range of reasons not least because of its complexity and variety of its duties, the range of skills it needs to draw on, the difficulty of reconciling competing priorities, the cost of healthcare, and the way the NHS has been stitched into the political fabric of England. From an organisational perspective too it is a hybrid mix of hierarchy, bureaucracy, market and network. To efficiently manage such an organisation is therefore a highly complex and unrelenting challenge. HRM in the NHS The role of HRM pre-reforms was mainly focused on administration and support with a lack of defined responsibility. Named Personnel rather than HR, the function was used to deal with general staffing issues of terms and conditions of employment, payment and holiday options, individual and local staffing issues and the well known ‘hiring and firing that it remains renowned for. From Personnel Managers came HR professionals, HR departments, and increasingly HR directors with voting rights on the Executive Boards of NHS Trusts. This has been considered a result of the changes that stemmed from the Griffiths reforms and continue today, and due to a particular focus on corporate business ideals, from which a clear, but nonetheless controversial role was carved out for a function that dealt with the management of the increasingly important resource of people. ‘†¦the effect of the reforms was to stimulate management to review custom and practice and historical staffing patterns, with a view to achieving better value for money. In this context the HR function was caught up in the continuing tension between those health care professionals who focused primarily on patient care, and those managers responsible for cost-effective use of resources but constrained by a lack of clinical knowledge'(Buchan 2000:320). The current role of HRM in the NHS, its status within the service, and its success as an effective function has become especially important at this time where ‘human resources are considered the key to not only improved staff performance but also competitive advantage (Bach 2001; Clarke 2006). Despite the managerialist rhetoric that clearly surrounds the drive for increasing the role of HR, on a more simple note it is little wonder that such an emphasis has been placed upon the HR function considering the cost of staffing in the NHS of the  £19 billion cash increase in the NHS from 2004/5 to 2007/8 the increases in staff pay ‘swallowed up around 34% (Appelby 2007). To add to this, the growing importance of the function is particularly clear in situations where individual NHS trusts are being granted greater financial and operational independence within the increasingly competitive, consumer driven market that the government is creating through such initiatives as Found ation Trust Status. Barnett et als research demonstrated that the HR function within a Trust evolved through these changes in political and organisational focus and ‘generated a new focus on labour productivity and on value for money from which ‘a new and strategic approach to the management of the workforce was required and as a result they decided to ‘embrace the principles of human resource management'(1996:31). So with the acknowledgement that service funding follows customers, customer satisfaction is linked to quality of service, and quality of service is linked to ‘the skills, motivation and commitment of service staff, within such a ‘labour intensive human service industry the role of HRM is imperative (Bach 2001:1; Pollock 2004). The Changing Role of HRM in the NHS Yet HRMs move from an administrative role to a function that potentially impacts upon corporate strategy has been my no means plain sailing. Ham succinctly locates a key basis for conflict within the NHS in his suggestion that ‘there is continuing tension between the role of doctors in deciding treatment†¦and the attempt by managers and politicians to influence priorities at a national and local level (1996:96). There is much literature on the dominance of professionals and the conflict with managers within public sector organisations and in particular the NHS (Kember 1994; Skjorshammer 2001; Atun 2006; Hoggett 2006) and it is clear that their dominance remains not only because of their unique skills and knowledge but also because of their obvious importance within the service (Kelly and Glover 1996). However, within the changing NHS, the dominance of the professionals is subject to more and more management constraints, both on their resources and their autonomy and whilst some acceptance of management expertise is recognised by the professional groups their patience reaches a limit when this becomes encroachment on their ‘professional competence, resulting inevitably in conflict (Ackroyd 1996). Managers within the NHS are marked by a poor image, often both within the organisation and by members of the public. Meralis study found that the ‘majority of the managers were convinced that the general public believed that doctors and nurses were the only professionals in the NHS who are motivated by a desire to serve/provide care to society (2003:558) and similarly within this research the public perception of management within the NHS was consistently negative: ‘Theres too many [managers] as it is, ‘The NHS should swap most of the managers for doctors and nurses, then there wouldnt be waiting lists, â€Å"If you can find out what the management do then thats an achievement in itself. Overall it seems that management, especially in a context of attempting to rationalise the NHS and incorporate business ideals of value for money and efficiency which often results in cost-cutting through redundancies and closing services, are deemed by non-managers to hold an enti rely different ideology that is a far cry from caring for people. Yet the function of ‘management is well placed within the NHS, and its conflict with the medical professionals whilst often cited can appear over-emphasised. However with HRM now shifting in its role from administration and support to management and strategy at the same time as organisational change that is producing a complex and uncertain environment for many within the NHS, the HRM function faces a hostile crowd. This symmetry between the focus upon business and private sector ideals and the rise in HR as a function in its own right, can begin to explain perhaps the antagonism that many within the NHS express towards the HR departments. Those within the NHS who hold close to their hearts the original ideals of the NHS and their role within it rather than fighting against government initiatives and the corporate business world influence instead could hold to account the one group which was ‘created out of these initiatives the HR function. Bryson et al in acknowledging both the power struggle between doctors and management and the increasing role of HRM note that, with a complex organisational strategy that seemingly has no clear direction and with few colleagues from the traditional management functions to align with, HRM are far from being seen as any part of the ‘NHS tribal club (1996:53). Through becoming part of the ‘Corporate Business Team and gaining responsibility and a potential role of ‘power within the new NHS environment the HRM function has run into conflict. Starting off on the wrong-foot, as Bach explains, HR within the NHS must struggle with the constant accusation that it is illegitimate as its role does ‘not obviously contribute to patient care'(Bach 2001:12). It would also be expected that any role within the NHS service that had the role of scrutinising staff and reviewing quality of care when they were not medically knowledgeable would come to blows with the medical professionals, especially when the latter has enjoyed far-reaching autonomy and control in the service since its beginning (Buchan 2000). However, to also find few compatriots within the rest of management due to its timely rise with organisational change which has rationalised and constrained many other departments, many HR departments have been left in a no-mans land. There are few who would debate the continued dominance of the medical profession within the NHS, nor the importance of it remaining in such a position. However, their importance within the NHS as a business is becoming more complex. Management are increasingly holding the power to dictate for example the working patterns of doctors and they have the ability to withhold or reward resources depending upon clinicians abilities to achieve targets. And, with the introduction of Foundation Status, Trusts are running a competitive business within which all are dispensable, as Pollock describes: â€Å"†¦in the past, doctors were free to speak out in fact they were under a moral obligation to do so if they felt it was in the interests of their patients. In a business culture, however, loyalty is said to be due above all to the shareholders. Where the survival of the hospitals depends on massaging the figures and performance ratings, doctors who expose the inadequacies in the system or rail against underfunding or lack of resources are seen to be criticising their own hospitals†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (2004:203) With performance targets increasingly dominant in the NHS, to the extent that funding, resources and ‘Foundation Status can be given or taken away accordingly, accountability not only for service provision but also initiatives such as ‘Improving Working Lives have meant that HRM can also take a large piece of the managerial high-ground (Givan 2005). In addition, with the record investments in staffing and government focus upon improving service delivery through effective people management, HRM has been given legitimacy within the NHS through the Governments ‘HR in the NHS Plan (DoH 2002) which represented the NHSs ‘first generic HR strategy'(Truss 2003:49) and more recently ‘NHS Foundation Trusts: A Guide to Developing HR arrangements which highlighted the importance of the HRM function within Foundation Trusts (DoH 2006). With these initiatives in place the effective functioning of HRM is a measurable target it matters not whether the medical professio nals or other managers accept or value the role of HRM. This not only provides the HRM function with a place within the NHS, it gives it the opportunity to ‘adopt a more strategic role within the ‘new public management: ‘it is no longer consigned to a reactive and administrative role, interpreting and applying national rules, and can be proactive (Corby 1996 cited in Truss 2003:49). A number of commentators have assumed that changes in the role and status of HRM in the public sector merely follow orientations developed in the private sector (Buchan 2000; Thomason 1990). Just as the NHS as an organisation can be seen to have taken on private, corporate business strategies, so too it is considered that private sector HR management techniques were established (Buchan 2000:320). Distinct similarities can indeed be seen between the developments of HRM in the private sector and what is currently expected of the HRM function within the NHS as Begley and Boyd summarise: â€Å"The declining relevance of the command-and-control approach to business has extended into the roles played by HRM. Many companies regard their employees talents as providing a significant competitive advantage. they expect their HR professionals to formulate creative, flexible programs and policies to woo, develop, and retain that talent.†(2000:12) This apparent mirroring of private sector HR techniques within the public sector environment has met with various hostile reactions, with accusations of public managers being forced to adopt private sector HRM styles with the possible ‘dangerous result that such language will cause the public domains to ‘neglect their values (Boyne, Jenkins et al. 1999:411). Yet others, and especially some senior HR professionals within the NHS, take a different view. For them, the introduction of more efficient people management is an important and necessary development, one that is sorely needed in an environment where people are not only the service providers, but also the product and customer of healthcare services. The following empirical research and analysis demonstrates that far from being left out in the cold, the HRM function is capable of rising through an NHS Trust, effectively implementing government initiatives as well as producing its own, and finally reaching the position of designing and directing corporate strategy. Whilst the perceptions of HRM by other Trust members may vary, this is not necessarily a hindrance, but perhaps an organisational necessity that must be negotiated. Methodology The paper reports a research project that has followed the changing role of the HRM function within a large teaching NHS Trust (herein called ‘The Trust) in the UK. It reports on in-depth interviews and observations of a number of meetings involving staff from across the hospital hierarchy. The Trust is facing many changes, both in its financial governance and organisational practices. Recently it was granted â€Å"Foundation Trust† status and, as a result, a competitive drive for value for money and the need to develop efficient recruitment and retention practices have become key issues. Despite only requiring access to staff, rather than patients, researching an NHS Trust proved more difficult than originally anticipated. Currently researchers wanting to interview NHS staff are required to gain NHS Ethics Committee approval to the same degree that clinical researchers must do when requesting clinical trials on patients. This can be seen as associated with the increased awareness of the importance and value of hospital staff and their working lives at all levels of the organisation, requiring the researcher to ensure that the research is valid and that staff will not be adversely affected. It could be suggested that by not distinguishing between staff and patients and the need for ethical approval in research the NHS has adopted the understanding that to ensure quality of service and patient care staff must also benefit from an improved working life.[1] The empirical research took place over a period of nine months within the one NHS Trust and included in-depth interviews with twenty-two members of The Trusts staff and observations of key meetings with staff from across The Trusts hierarchy in attendance. A Trust Executive P.A. provided a list of thirty-five potential participants for the interviews, ranging from Assistant Service Managers, Junior Doctors, Ward Managers, Nurse Specialists and Senior Staff (including members of the Trust Executive) who were contacted via email communication. Assurances were given that these participants had not been ‘cherry picked for their perceptions of HR or management initiatives (which was reflected in interview content at times). The interviews were conducted either within an office provided by The Trust or at a location convenient to the interviewee, often a staff room or their office. Each interview was recorded, with the participants consent, and transcribed in full, with all distinguishing information such as names, exact details of roles and personal information destroyed to ensure anonymity, in accordance with the Ethics Approval criteria. The Director of Workforce and Corporate Affairs was interviewed twice, before subsequent interviews took place and again once interviewing was completed. The three meetings observed (Patient and Staff Experience Meeting; Executive Governance Committee for Clinical Effectiveness; and Strategy Advisory Group) were chosen through knowledge of the different staffing groups that would be in attendance in order to attempt to gather information as to how different groups interacted. By chance observation of the RCN Clinical Leadership Programme Presentation to the Patient and Staff Experience Group was also possible. Notes were taken during the meeting regarding staff interaction, comments about policies and Trust issues, though individual names and some meeting content was not recorded due to either anonymity or irrelevance. Due to the highly qualitative nature of this research and in valuing the need to attempt to provide an accurate and indepth understanding into the perceptions of those interviewed and how these relate to the role of HRM and its effectiveness, the following presentation and discussion of the research will use direct quotations, some at length, to highlight issues. It is felt that it is important to allow these views to be expressed clearly and as distinct from over interpretation thus enabling as honest a reflection of the current context as possible. In order to ensure the anonymity of participants they will usually be identified only by their generic role within The Trust. Discussion of Empirical Research The research demonstrates that perceptions of HRM within The Trust remain varied, a stance that is not unknown to those within the role: â€Å"I think lots of different people have lots of different perceptions. I think †¦a lot of managers are starting to see the value of HR and what HR can actually offer them†¦Other managers would probably just think we are only here to make their lives difficult and not let them get on with the job but those are the people who perhaps have never really had any involvement or used HR to its capacity† (Human Resources Staff #1) This suggests that HRM within the NHS remains in a similar situation to when Currie and Procter researched the role of personnel within the NHS and highlight the differing perceptions that the personnel department, and its subsequent human resource strategies, had within a trust: â€Å"Both executive directors and middle level managers see an advisory role as appropriate†¦They differ in their views as to whether the emphasis of the personnel department should lie with operational or strategic issues in an advisory role†¦middle managers view the personnel department unfavourably because it is distant from the operational aspects of health care†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (1998:383-384) Indeed, many of the participants found it difficult to summarise the role of HRM and during the research the role was often described as ‘personnel or ‘medical staffing. This lack of clearly defined role for some within The Trust may, as suggested by the HR staff, stem from minimal contact with the HRM department, other than in specific situations such issues with recruitment and pay-role[2]. â€Å"†¦lower grade staff will still see the HR as a sort of mini police force within the organisation and if you do anything naughty you get disciplined and I guess a lot of the lower grade staff dont have a real idea of what the HR department does†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ( Human Resources Staff2) Perhaps another reason could be the constantly changing title of the head of the HR department. Initially The Trust employed a Director of HRM but as the Director developed and expanded the remit and function of the HR departments role his title developed to one of Director of Workfor

death of a salesman :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Capitalism in â€Å"Death of a Salesman†, is undermining to the human spirit and human condition. In â€Å"Death of a Salesman†, money was the Loman’s biggest issue. That’s is not to say that if he had money it would not have made things better. Willy left home with financial problems, he came home with financial problems. To Willy it was never enough. He never made enough, he wasn’t the man that he portrayed to be to the children. But with Willy it was always his bills, bills, bills. â€Å"Willy: What do we owe? Linda: Well, on the first there’s sixteen dollars on the refrigerator- Willy: Why sixteen? Linda: Well, the fan belt broke, so it was a dollar eighty. Willy: But it’s brand new. Linda: Well, the man said that’s the way it is. Till they work themselves in, y’know. Willy: I hope we don’t get stuck on that machine. Linda: They got the biggest ads of any of them! Willy: I know, it’s a fine machine. What else? Linda: Well, There’s nine-sixty for the washing machine. And for the vacuum cleaner there’s three and a half due on the fifteenth. Then the roof you got twenty-one dollars remaining. Willy: It don’t leak, does it? Linda: No, they did a wonderful job. Then you owe Frank for the carburetor.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  QUALLS 2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Linda Loman, was the wife of Willy Loman. She never complained about money, her biggest issue was to make sure that her husband didn’t run himself raggedy with mental problems. She always thought that they would make it. Linda was very assertive, and never had anything bad to say. â€Å"Willy: You’re not worried about me, are you, sweetheart? Biff: What’s the matter? Happy: Listen! Linda: You’ve got too much on the ball to worry about.

Comparison of Platos The Last Days of Socrates and Hesses Siddhartha

Comparison of Plato's The Last Days of Socrates and Hesse's Siddhartha       The Last Days of Socrates and Siddhartha are sources that reveal information about religious or philosophical ideas in the cultures that they focus on. While vast differences exist between the Greek and Indian values that shape their philosophies, they make similar assumptions as they attempt to make sense of the world. Understanding the dichotomous relationship of the soul and the body is integral to grasping the similarities and differences between the classical Greek and Indian paths because the way in which these concepts are understood defines the very nature of truth.    Socrates, the main character in The Last Days of Socrates, and Siddhartha, the central figure in Siddhartha, are both portrayed as learned men searching for truth. The author of The Last Days of Socrates, Plato, conceived the document as a representation of Socrates' method of inquiry. Although it is a primary source from the period (429-347 B.C.E.), the reader must consider that The Last Days of Socrates is a re-creation of events that may have happened, not a verbatim account. Siddhartha is a secondary source that explains an Indian philosophical journey through the perspective of a twentieth century German author. Thus, one must consider the author's bias towards his subject and remember that the ideas presented are one scholar's interpretation of the legend. By attempting to compare and contrast both sources' approaches to truth, one can make some observations about the way Greek and Indian cultures view truth; keeping in mind that the sources each merely represent one account of the historical events and ideas.    Intrinsic to Siddhartha and Socrates' searche... ...th. By becoming aware of the separation of the soul and the body, the indestructible and immortal nature of the soul, and the impossibility of the soul understanding truth while bound to the body, one can begin to understand how this dichotomy has shaped Indian and ancient Greek philosophy.    Works Cited Baumer, Franz.   Hermann Hesse.   New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1970. Field, G.W.   Hermann Hesse.   Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1970. Hesse, Herman. Siddhartha. Dover Publications, 1998. Plato, The Last Days of Socrates.   Trans. Hugh Tredennick and Harold Tarrant.   London: Penguin, 1993. Welch, Carolyn Roberts.   Cliff's Notes on Hesse's Steppenwolf and Siddhartha. Lincoln: Cliff's Notes Inc., 1973. Ziolkowski, Theodore.   The Novels of Hermann Hesse: A Study in Theme and Structure. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1965.

Portrayals of Prostitution in Jane Eyre :: Jane Eyre Essays

Portrayals of Prostitution in Jane Eyre    Bronte paints many parallels between the characters in the novel and the trade of prostitution. One of the main characters that Bronte attributes poverty to is the character of Jane. Jane’s poverty is intrinsically important to the plot of the novel because Bronte uses Jane’s poverty to allow the reader to picture Jane as a virtuous woman, such as when Jane flees from Thornfield to escape the entrapment of Rochester. The reader is urged to feel sympathy for Jane as she adheres to her strict, virtuous moral codes and does not allow herself to succumb to temptation. Jane exhibits her desperate situation when she has fled from Thornfield and is struggling to sustain herself. Jane states, "Once more I took off my handkerchief-once more I thought of the cakes of bread in the little shop. Oh, but for a crust! For but one mouthful to allay the pang of famine!" (Bronte, ch.28; 323). The language used in the passage shows that Jane is in a state of desperation and she still does not resort to prostitution, even though in many respects she does not have another choice. Jane is at a point in her life where she must do something to sustain her life, but Jane never even contemplates prostitution as an option to enable her to obtain money or food. In Victorian society Jane’s poverty and subsequent life would have rendered her a prime candidate for taking up the trade of prostitution. The description given by Vicinus of the woman most vulnerable to fall victim to the trade of prostitution is similar to Jane’s life. Jane is a domestic servant in her roles as a governess at Lowood and Thornfield and she has no familial ties. One of the dominant distinctions of a Victorian prostitute was her dress or "love of finery." When the love of finery is introduced Bronte veers off the course of identifying Jane with the likeness of a prostitute. The Victorian prostitute is associated with the love of fine dresses, like that of the upper-class society. The prostitute's dress denoted her as a disgraceful and immoral character because she wore the type of dress that was not associated with her class. Valverde states, "†¦What was or was not finery depended upon the socioeconomic status of the wearer" (Valverde 169). The love of finery is relentlessly associated with the Victorian prostitute, but Jane portrays an image of plainness in the attire that she wears. Portrayals of Prostitution in Jane Eyre :: Jane Eyre Essays Portrayals of Prostitution in Jane Eyre    Bronte paints many parallels between the characters in the novel and the trade of prostitution. One of the main characters that Bronte attributes poverty to is the character of Jane. Jane’s poverty is intrinsically important to the plot of the novel because Bronte uses Jane’s poverty to allow the reader to picture Jane as a virtuous woman, such as when Jane flees from Thornfield to escape the entrapment of Rochester. The reader is urged to feel sympathy for Jane as she adheres to her strict, virtuous moral codes and does not allow herself to succumb to temptation. Jane exhibits her desperate situation when she has fled from Thornfield and is struggling to sustain herself. Jane states, "Once more I took off my handkerchief-once more I thought of the cakes of bread in the little shop. Oh, but for a crust! For but one mouthful to allay the pang of famine!" (Bronte, ch.28; 323). The language used in the passage shows that Jane is in a state of desperation and she still does not resort to prostitution, even though in many respects she does not have another choice. Jane is at a point in her life where she must do something to sustain her life, but Jane never even contemplates prostitution as an option to enable her to obtain money or food. In Victorian society Jane’s poverty and subsequent life would have rendered her a prime candidate for taking up the trade of prostitution. The description given by Vicinus of the woman most vulnerable to fall victim to the trade of prostitution is similar to Jane’s life. Jane is a domestic servant in her roles as a governess at Lowood and Thornfield and she has no familial ties. One of the dominant distinctions of a Victorian prostitute was her dress or "love of finery." When the love of finery is introduced Bronte veers off the course of identifying Jane with the likeness of a prostitute. The Victorian prostitute is associated with the love of fine dresses, like that of the upper-class society. The prostitute's dress denoted her as a disgraceful and immoral character because she wore the type of dress that was not associated with her class. Valverde states, "†¦What was or was not finery depended upon the socioeconomic status of the wearer" (Valverde 169). The love of finery is relentlessly associated with the Victorian prostitute, but Jane portrays an image of plainness in the attire that she wears.