Fifa World Cup

The FIFA World Cup Syafadzil : A very good morning to our English class teacher, Mr. Lee and to all my friends. Today, me and my friends, Amir and Firdaus are going to engage in a forum about the World Cup. Syafadzil : To explain it briefly, the World Cup is the world’s biggest sports event. It was held every 4 years since the first World Cup in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of World War 2. The tournament will be held in South Africa which involves 32 teams, each got to be in the tournament by a series of qualification phase, which took place over the three years after the recent World Cup. The host nation has automatic qualifiqation. The World Cup is the most watched sporting event, with an estimated 715 million people watching the 2006 tournament, which was held in Germany. To go with the largest sports event, there are some notable records that had been set along the month-long exhibition since it was held. Brazil holds the record for lifting the coveted trophy the most, which stands at 5. Brazil also boast the most goals in the tournament, scoring a whopping 201 goals. Moreover, it is the only country that had participated in every World Cup. individually,the most goals scored is held by Ronaldo, who plays for Brazil, with 15 goals to his name. Diego Maradona also set a record for appearing as captain 16 times for the Argentina nation. Amir : thank you for the interesting informations, Syafadzil. Shall we move on with the questions then? Syafadzil : Yes. First off, which team would you bet on to lift the crowned World Cup this year? and why do you think that? Firdaus, any thoughts? Firdaus : A very good question, Syafadzil. I think Spain would win it this year. Here are some of the reasons. Undoubtedly, they are the team at the moment. They boast one of the best records along their way to South Africa. They are currently the number 1 ranked team in the world, which comes to no surprise to many people. Footballers like Xavi, David Villa, Fernando Torres, Cesc Fabregas, Xabi Alonso all but to name a few, all playing their trades for their national team. Just say their names, and it will bring a cold shiver down to the spine of their opponents. Spain is a side full of footballing talents, with their players showing great form at the moment with their respective clubs. This team has resilience and team spirit. That’s just some of the reasons why I choose Spain. But Spain is not going to have a easy run-in to the trophy. They are going to face some stern test along the way, notably Brazil who wants to lift the trophy for the sixth time. Brazil is the 2nd ranked team in the world. Their attacking talents such as Robinho, Pato, Luis Fabiano and also not to forget their midfield engine, generated by the 2007 Ballon D’or winner, Kaka. They are not going to be easy to beat, especially with some great run of form recently found by the players. Syafadzil : Looks like Spain is going to be the winner, yes? What do you reckon, Amir? Amir : Not if I have something to say about that. The team to watch by my opinion had got to be Holland. Don’t take your eyes on this team, which ranked 3rd in the world. Their star player is arguably Robin van Persie, who plays for Arsenal but his progress had been held back due to the recent serious injury to his ligament. But he will be fit to play in the World Cup. Everybody knows that no team is made up of only one player. Other key players are Arjen Robben, who recently scored a spectacular volley that sent Manchester United out of the Champions League, Wesley Sneijder, who scored the winner at Russia that sent Inter Milan to the semi-finals of the Champions League, and not to mention the footballing masterclass of Dirk Kuyt, Mark van Bommel and many other talented footballers. This team is rich in attack, and will surely run riot in the opponets defence in this upcoming World Cup. like Spain, they also thrive on an enviable record along their way to South Africa. They were the first European team to secure a place in the finals, with a perfect 10 wins out of ten in the group stages. Syafadzil : thank you for sharing your thoughts Amir. I guess we’ll just have to wait to see who will be the champions then. Moving on, who is going to outshine any other players in this tournament? Firdaus, give your take on this one. Firdaus : It’s hard to choose, but I think I will go with Messi. The plucky Argentine forward had got to be the best striker in the world. He spear-headed Barcelona to an unprecedented 6 trophies last season, and were the top scorer in the Champions League. His work rate is high, his brilliance of controlling the ball is just mesmerizing and what else can I say? He had been praised by some of the world’s best footballing legends, Diego Maradonna being one of them. And he had been dubbed as one of the best if not, the best in the business. Amir : It’s true that Messi is just spectacular when wearing the Barcelona shirt. But when he donned on the national jersey, he just could not find the form that he showed with Barcelona. Don’t get me wrong, he still scored some important goals that helped the Argentina team to qualify for the World Cup, but for a footballer by his standards, he could have done better, much better. Argentina only qualified by the skin of their teeth. They only secured their place with virtually the last game of the group stages and occupied the last automatic qualifications spot. And I just could not see that Messi will shine in the World Cup by the way things are going. Syafadzil : Amir certainly gave us something to think about. But, who do you have in mind, Amir? Amir : I’m definitely going with Fernando Torres. He’s right up there with Messi, and can perform brilliantly both in club and international level. Even though he was pampered with injuries this season, he still can come back and immediately give a marvelous performance. By my opinion, he is better than Messi, but because of his injuries, he fell short every time. His skills are amazing, his reading of the ball is just spectacular, and he can pop out from anywhere and score. He truly is one of the best in this era. Syafadzil : Thanks for that, both of you. Let’s wrap up this forum then. 32 teams, with everything to play for, vying for the most coveted trophy in sports history. All will be unveiled in this upcoming summer. Do not miss it for the world.

Examination on the Strategic Use of Information Technology in Tanzania Service Industries Essay

Businesses can attain sustainable competitive advantage by utilizing Information Technology (IT) in responding to the changing customers’ needs and changing business environment. (Talebnejad, 2008). This demands the organization to know how to apply this technology, and also devise appropriate and cost effective method for successful implementation. For example in 2004, the study of the relation between investment in IT and sales performance found out that they are positively related. Moreover in the same study, more than 79% of managers believed that IT has a vital role in business success (Talebnejad, 2008). On the same perspective, Tanzania service industry is on the road to great success if the companies and organizations adopt and use IT effectively in transforming their organizations. Service Industry defined Services industry is characterized by the intangible nature of their products. It covers a very wide spectrum of intangible tradable products such as banking, money transfers, insurance, telecommunications, business consultancy, health care, transportation, air travel, distribution services, hotels accommodation, recreational, tour operations, and many others. Tanzania Service Industry Since 1990s, Tanzania government embarked on major economic reforms that aimed at creating competitive financial and market system that that operate on market-oriented economic principles (Mtatifikilo, 1995). Since then, there has been a significant increase in the SMEs operating in different areas of the economy namely services, industry and agriculture. In the 2011 estimates, Tanzania economic growth is services dominated. Growth across Tanzania’s service sector has increased in the last few years relative to agriculture and industry. Agriculture, industry, and service s sectors contribute 27.8, 24.2, and 48 percent of GDP respectively1. Tourism, real estate and business services2 helped the broader service sector growth to an estimated 48 percent of Tanzania’s GDP in 2011. Information Technology (IT) â€Å"Information and Communications Technology (IT) is one of the most potent forces in shaping the twenty-first century. Its revolutionary impact affects the way people live, learn and work and the way government interacts with civil society †¦ The essence of the IT driven economic and social transformation is its power to help individuals and societies to use knowledge and ideas. Our vision of an information society is one that better enables people to fulfill their potential and realize their aspirations. To this end we must ensure that IT serves the mutually supportive goals of creating sustainable economic growth, enhancing the public welfare, and fostering social cohesion, and work to fully realize its potential to strengthen democracy, increase transparency and accountability in governance, promote human rights, enhance cultural diversity, and to foster international peace and stability. Meeting these goals and addressing emerging challenges will require effective national and international strategies† (G8 Okinawa Charter on Global Information Society, 2000) Information Technology (IT) refers to various hardware, software, networking, and data management components necessary for a system to operate. Communication needs are growing at a faster rate than any previous times. Functions such as e-mail, instant messaging, weblogs, video steaming and mobile data communications are some areas which have witnessed dramatic changes. The demand has been the key for rapid growth of big global IT companies such as Google, Apple, Samsung and Microsoft among many others. Tanzania has also witnessed significant growth if the communication sector. One area of interest is mobile communication, with number of subscribers approaching 15 million in 2010 (Behitsa & Diyamett, 2010). Consumer IT Penetration and Proficiency The growth of IT proficiency in Tanzania is encouraging. IT use among young generation is rapidly growing, thanks to many training institutes on ICT skills. The computer market has also grown rapidly. Many consumers have computers or mobile devices with internet access capability. The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) estimates 11% of internet penetration countrywide in 2010 consumer survey3. The Tanzania government in collaboration with development partners has also taken some initiatives to improve ICT usage level (Behitsa & Diyamett, 2010). These initiatives include eschools and ICT policy for basic education. The policy is aimed at expanding the reach of ICT skills down to primary schools4. Enterprise IT Adoption To measure IT adoption, we first have to understand why companies decide to adopt IT. The model below gives the factors that influence the adoption of IT in the company. There are factors which are internally driven while others are externally driven (Nguyen, 2009).Studies on IT adoption show that firms adopt IT as a means of survival and/or growth, ability to stay competitive in the market, and/or as innovation ability of the firm. The adoption process may be considered as customer driven (Winter, 2003), a reaction to an outside event, or as business selfinitiative as it focuses on improving efficiency (Corso, Martini, Pellegrini, & Paolucc, 2003). (Siggelkow & Levinthal, 2005) found out that firms go through changes within certain stages of their life cycle or in response to changes of their external environment. (Andries & Debackere, 2006) confirmed this view by pointing out that firms seek IT adoption in response to changes, both internal and external. Inte rnal changes include the life cycle or maturity of the firm and external changes are survival or stability in the market.

Online Dating Advantages

Some advantages and disavantages in online dating. Now days online dating hvae become so commun that everyone know a site or two where can meet or interact with other people becoming making it easy to become part of the online dating trend. But veryb seldon anyone couciously stop to think and anlyze the advantages or disavantages in online dating. In today's world everything goes so fast that it seem's 24 hour days are over for ever, every one is short of time.People running to school, work, appointments, that realistically there is no time to just go out to socialized and interact with friends or just go out. Online Dating, have filled this human need to be loved or wanted by some one else by just flipping tha computer switch or pushing a button. Instantly you have complete access to online world that where you can shoose to be part of to share your momories, fotos,tastes, likes and dislikes to the world. There are two words that plays a key role to the online dating phenomenun; fre e and instantly.You can freely bacome part of a online community and instatly intereract with those that accept you all for free, bringing this interaction up to your creativity and inmagination to meet as many and different people you would like. Even though, it can be very advantegeous to meet new people online and date,there are deffenetelly some important disavantages to consider. Online dating make it for the most part very easy to interact with so many people at differente place at different time , that you are constantly bonbard with a lot of possibilities.You can date someone today and tomrrow you could date someone else. According to a survey done by fox news, 60 % of online dating participants are actually dating two or more person at the same time. According to the report most people that are engage in online dating, feel that online is just another world , another set of values, nothing like could be judge as real. Moral and values that tend to be pracitce when meeting s omeone on a local school or live occassion wouldn't apply to those people met online.For one reason or another, online Dating keep beeing a growing trend, more youngster then ever have access to the internet and actually interacting with others on social sites and dating sites. With advantages and Disavantages today many online users are just so accostome to the online world that they have not even consider any dissavantages since its have just become a way of life. Online dating will continue benefiting those users that engage in an intelligente mature way or disgracing those that have poor judgment.

Write a America's deficit. Except Critical Thinking Deficit,The Essay

Write a America's deficit. Except Critical Thinking Deficit,The Imagination Deficit and Political Deficits(The Democracy Deficit) - Essay Example In this regard, America has developed significant critical thinking deficits. This entails the ability to envisage possible alternatives to the existing problems or solutions. This has led to more problems in managing/utilising the available resources when direly needed. Historically, America had great leaders who were both knowledgeable and fostered critical thinking. However, with time, these leaders created a political system that dampened a free thinking society, where in the long run, the voiceless members of the society were separated from the public sphere. In particular, the government was insulated from political scrutiny and the unrepresented groups did not find a chance to express their critical thoughts or grievances to the government. As much as the American government pushed for equality in one hand, critical thinking deficit kept haunting them in the other hand. For example, the religious tests for public office were banned in the constitution and separation of the church and the state was made formal in the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious freedom. This was a real form of critical thinking deficit of the members of the public – no one was allowed to think about this terrible move or provide a reasonable alternat ive. The people of America did not get a chance to exercise their critical thinking skills in the activities taking place in their very eyes. It is clear that minds that cannot see the truth behind forms of political deception cannot present prospective thoughts. For example, the 9/11 event left everyone murmuring, with critical thinking advances getting strategically destroyed in a bid to kill critical thinking and bury the truth behind the attack (Dower & Hein 4). This was, in addition to the dampening of the calls for formulating constructive and reasonable approaches to the problem. Finally, critical thinking deficit is evident when America went to war in Afghanistan.

Networking and Public Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Networking and Public Relations - Essay Example Its role in enhancing awareness of an organization’s public image is normally magnified when used in concurrence with public relations. In this regard, the objective of the essay is to explain how networking is used in conjunction with public relations. Likewise, the discourse would provide at least two (2) examples of how successful entrepreneurs have used public relations and networking to their business advantage. An organization and its products or services can come to the attention of the public through being newsworthy. The public is a general market that deserves to receive facts and information on what the organization offers and thus, further spreads the information to others who were not initially recipients of relevant corporate information. Public relations are thus a critical communications tool that organizations use to enhance their corporate image. According to Lancaster, public relations was defined by the Institute of Public Relations (IPR) as â€Å"the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organisation and it’s public’† (n.d., par. 8). Networking is an instrument used in conjunction with public relations to ensure the swift development of contacts and expand the reach of information to more people at a shorted amount of time. In an exhibit, for example, an organization can present a new product offer which would be launched in the market. The product could be an innovative health drink which would significantly lower blood sugar and cholesterol at the same time. It invites various stakeholders, customers, suppliers, media, and local or state representatives to view the product and to hear testimonies of those who benefitted from it . As emphasized by Lancaster, â€Å"there is often a strong ‘entertainment’ component to exhibitions with stands offering complementary

John Dalton's Atomic Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

John Dalton's Atomic Theory - Essay Example John Dalton, born in the 18th century is known as the father of Atomic Theory and is mainly known for his work on the atomic theory and Dalton’s Law for partial gases (Fishman, 2008). By education he was a chemist and later shifted his focus on researching and meteorology. Even though, today advanced research has shown that Dalton’s theory was not absolutely correct, yet we cannot forget his pioneering work that encouraged others to think on the same lines and made progression in the field. After the proposed theory and up to this day any work in the fields of physics or chemistry is very much rooted in the theory. Dalton, was very much fascinated with the properties of gases. It was while doing research on meteorology that we concluded that when water evaporated it existed as an independent gas. He explained that unless both water and air were composed of the same discrete particles it was not possible for both to exist in the air together. This encouraged him to perform a series of experiments with gases, following which he proposed his atomic theory. While introducing his concept he published in the book A New System of Chemical Philosophy that â€Å"We might as well attempt to introduce a new planet into the solar system, or to annihilate one already in existence (Dalton, 1808). In short Dalton proposed four main concepts. Firstly, all matter is made up of minute and indestructible atoms. Secondly, all atoms in similar elements have identical chemical and physical properties. Next he also said that compounds are made up of atoms combining in a fixed ratio and lastly, he proposed that chemical reactions merely include the rearrangement of the constituent particles (Thompson, 1807). On a personal level, I think that Dalton’s work is truly pioneering and phenomenal since a simple evaporation of water instilled questions in his mind about the existence of smaller particles. One of the major drawbacks that can be seen in his experiments is that

Distributed Electrical Generation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 22500 words

Distributed Electrical Generation - Essay Example Cost and price of electricity has been taken as the moderating factor. Thus all of the independent factors will be considered in accordance with the cost and price of electricity. The black out of electricity in the northeastern parts of USA have been studied in great detail and has been taken as an example of which to base the blackout portion of the study. A questionnaire has been developed in this regard and face-to-face interviews have been conducted in order to gather primary data. The aim of this study is to define how electricity can be generated and distributed with regards to each of the independent factors mentioned. The aim of this research is to study in detail the system of electricity distribution in the United States. Blackouts are a problem that modern day American will have to contend with on a regular basis, unless the system of electricity distribution is reformed and enhanced. As more and more of our lives revolve around electricity, a modern and newer system of distribution is required. Otherwise an overload on the electrical system will result in a black out such as that occurred on16th August (a detailed analysis and description of the blackout has been given in the literature review portion of the report). In addition, the concept of privatization in the utility business has also been taken as an independent variable and has been thoroughly studied in the report. As long as an institute is a state owned enterprise, it is not likely to prosper. One of the main reasons is that governments operate on a basis of cost efficiency; their main aim is to provide a service to the general population by charging the consumers the minimum amount of money possible. Due to this factor, it is difficult for governments to buy state-of-the-art equipments in order to update

Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Anthropology - Essay Example Each and every country has its own culture and an own environment for its civilians. Similarly every area in which the people are living has also defined its own culture. This article would further examine the culture of two different tribes in two different countries, one belonging to the northern areas of Pakistan while one belonging to the country named Iran. It would define as to the culture followed by these tribes is the same or not. Thull is the name of a place which is located in the northern areas of Pakistan. The people of this area are extremely conscious about their values and culture. The people living in Thull take most of their cultural activities from the tribes of Pathans. These pathans are people with strict rules of culture and activities. They strongly follow their religion and are extremely conscious about their honor. Similarly the people of Thull have great respect for their culture. Here not only the people are following their culture properly but are also respecting it for its ethics. Similarly another area known as Zargos in Iran comprises of a group of people known as Bakhtiari are bound to their culture. These people like the clan of Thull are extremely conscious about their traditions and culture. The clan of Bakhtiari follows their ancestors from a very long time in all their actions. Like their ancestors the Bakhtiari clan migrates to different places in different seasons. They not only take their herd of sheep with them but also take their family which includes women and children during their migration. This migration is done in the winters and summers mostly. While on the other side the people of Thull do not indulge in the activities of migration. They live in the only space they are given and earn their living through the agricultural systems. However there is similarity found in the culture of these two tribes as both of these tribes earn their living

XYZ (Pvt) Ltd Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

XYZ (Pvt) Ltd Case Study - Essay Example According to the company’s view, there are many basic aspects to be referred and people to be approached before the actual proceedings begin. At this juncture, the management can be advised by every aspect that they see the name and the knowhow are protected from being used by others. Since the scope of the scope of the product is promising and profitable in the long run and also while considering its unprecedented features, there seems every chance of this product getting a hit on the sales chart shortly. Taking into account all the possible features and benefits of getting the brand name and the patent registered, there needs a detailed study in this regard while it is strongly recommended that the company go with legal validation of their legally entitled right over this particular piece of intellectual property of Mr. Aimee. The finding Trademark registration and patent authorization come under way to defend the strength of the original makers of any product involving the investment of intellectual components. The very fact that the commercial world today has gained a saleable value for almost every human effort much to the relief of creative art lying in scientific development. A performer with a commercial intent, an artist with a monitory objective, or an organizer or producer of such events all come under the stakeholders of this wide web of intellectual property rights. In the absence of this right or the laws that enforce it and secure the creative achievers, the word business would not have its face today. According to certain clear information, patent of ownership of the intellectual property and its use can be protected by...In such cases, the need for obtaining registered identity recognition becomes essential for the safety of the developer’s innovative ideas. Conclusion While considering the commercial value of the new product and its innovative effect in a trend setting sales acquisition potential, the stand of the company at the moment is to be diverted and the management needs to be encouraged to file the application for the registration proceedings. When the details of studies on the importance of intellectual property registration as well as the trademark registration from both business and corporate social responsibility angle, the company is bound to ensure that their product is not misconceived by the people in the future course of business. It is also recommended that M/s XYZ endorse with the legal protection of its software in order to boost the morale and dedication of employees of all business where they feel their enterprising skills are recognized and preserved by the owners. Above everything, the little strain the company will have to take during the registration process can prove worthwhile once the product gets a spot in the hit cha rt of software sales.

Research Paper to included Data Analysis Plan Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

To included Data Analysis Plan - Research Paper Example The same document reveals that among the general public, men are more likely (60%) to come across traumatic experiences that may trigger PTSD than do females (50%). However, women are more likely to develop the condition despite their lower rate of exposure, with a likelihood of 10% compared to men’s 4% (Gradus, 2014). At the same time, research has established that veterans who took part in different operations have varying rates of PTSD prevalence. This could be the result of varying intensities of the wars, and differing levels of exposure to other traumatic experiences. The Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veterans have a prevalence of between 11% and 20%; Gulf War (Desert Storm) veterans have a 12% prevalence; and 30% of Vietnam War veterans have endured PTSD in their lifetime. Taking a look at the gender dimension in prevalence of PTSD among military personnel reveals that a higher percentage of women (55%) are exposed to sexual harassment than men (38%) (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2014; Haskell et al, 2010). Needless to say, these experiences elevate female veterans’ risk of developing PTSD. With this fact in mind, it is accurate to adjudge that female veterans are more prone to PTSD than are male veterans. It is these assertions on higher prevalence of PTSD among veterans and among females in society (both in the general public and the veteran community) that this research seeks to investigate. None of the literature material consulted appears to point at the implications of longer or shorter exposure on the prevalence of PTSD among veterans. The researcher delves into this issue by seeking to establish whether those who have been in the battlefield for longer periods are equally likely to suffer PTSD as a result of accumulated traumatic experiences. As indicated, this research aims to investigate whether there

The History of Investigative Journalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The History of Investigative Journalism - Essay Example Some of the important scandals and incidents that have been covered through this form of journalism in history include the Watergate scandal and the Helen Jewitt Trials. More regarding the same has been discussed in this paper. Keywords: investigative journalism, scandal, information. Investigative Journalism Analysing documents and facts require a different kind of expertise; not something that most reporters and journalists may be engaged in doing. Such finding of facts and closely examining them, in the past, gave way to a new branch of journalism altogether known as investigative journalism. Newspapers, services on the internet as well as freelance journalists carry out the practice of investigative journalism in the modern day and age. This is based on researching and making reports regarding incidents and happenings with a view to make the public understand important events better. Today, this form of journalism has become very important and many universities are even teaching the same as a course. This is because in the rapidly growing and developing world that we live in, corruption and illegal activities are widespread to a very vast extent. In the field of crime and politics, investigative journalism has been used the maximum in order to uncover the truth about what exactly happened and the exactitude of facts presented for cases that affect many people and society. According to De Burgh (2009), â€Å"â€Å"An investigative  journalist is a man or woman whose profession it is to discover the truth and to identify lapses from it in whatever media is available. The act of doing this generally is called  investigative journalism  and is distinct from apparently similar work done by police, lawyers, auditors and regulatory bodies in that it is not limited as to target, not legally founded and closely connected to publicity.† Thus, an investigative journalist might spend a number of months reading, researching and trying to understand and kno w more about the topic that he has been investigating and writing about. That is why, they are also referred to as watch dogs because they keep their eyes and ears open at all times in order to unearth absolutely any kind of information that they might need in order to write about the particular events that they have been searching for. An investigative journalist needs to have certain qualities of courage, fearlessness towards dangerous situations that he might be thrust into due to uncovering the truth about certain events, commitment towards his work, and the power to let people remain in anonymity if they wish to, after delivering certain kinds of information. Presently, investigative journalism can be seen through the famous Julian Assange’s Wikileaks, through which he aims to uncover the truth about governments and economies all around the world, curb corruption and other illegal happenings and provide to the public all the information that they need to know about whate ver is happening to the people in power and how they are sweeping secrets under the rug. (Lloyd, John) Various sources have been known to provide information to the renowned website which are then scanned for proof and typed out after research by other qualified investigative journalists, after which the information is presented to the public. In history, the first ever piece written with respect to investigative journalism was the criminal case about Helen Jewett’s Trial. As the murder of the young woman took place in a rather sinister

Effect of Employee Satisfaction of Driving Customer Satisfaction Essay Example for Free

Effect of Employee Satisfaction of Driving Customer Satisfaction Essay Its common sense when people feel great about the place where they work†¦ they provide better customer service Dick Clark, Group leader of Financial services at Monsanto Customer satisfaction is the main aim of every organization running a business everywhere. Various level managers consider the importance of customer satisfaction and try to pass this issue to the lower levels that have direct contact with the customers. Those front-line employees should be satisfied themselves in order to deliver customer value. (bulgarella, 2005). Some researchers and business pioneers went further to include employees as internal customers whom they seek to satisfy their needs in order to make sure that they will do the same with the external customers (Harrison, 2003) and this highlights the direction towards the study on the employee satisfaction and its factors. In Egypt, employee satisfaction should be one of the most highlighted topics in every business field and should gain wider interest day after day. The emphasis on these kinds of studies will help improve the service standards and, consequently, raises the satisfaction levels of employees and external customers of any organization. From this perspective, the researchers decided to investigate the sense of career development and its effect on employee satisfaction (Research1 or R1). The second part of the research will be devoted to measure the effect of employee satisfaction on delivering customer satisfaction (Research2 or R2). The main research questions are designed as: Q1: How can the sense of career development affect employee satisfaction? Q2: what is the effect of employee satisfaction on customer satisfaction? Hypotheses: H1: Sense of career development has an effect on employee satisfaction. * Components of career development on this research paper are: * Quality of Employees ‘Lives. * Social and economic contribution to society. H2: sense of employee satisfactions affects Customer satisfaction. R1: The relation between sense of career development and employee satisfaction. When the researchers decided to define employee satisfaction, they called back the definition of the word satisfaction from the dictionary and it was found as gratification of an appetite and pleasure (Wilson Learning, 2006). Satisfaction researchers can never ignore Maslows human satisfaction pyramid that starts with physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, self-esteem and self-actualization needs (Parvin, 2011) Scholars vary in their definitions to employee satisfaction; Reilly defines job satisfaction as the feeling that a worker has about his job or a general attitude towards work or a job and it is influenced by the perception of one’s job. (C.R.Reilly, 1991). Some employee-satisfaction theories depends mainly on the individual factor or the employee himself; employees objectives, age, social status, gender and education level have the major impact on determining the degree of his satisfaction and loyalty in his job (Ann, 1992) while others, such as Alan Witt, go in deeper analysis to study Fit or Lack of Fit or the Want-Have Dilemma between the employees requirements and the organizational offerings (Ann, 1992) Papers agree on a main drive for employee satisfaction in any organization; employers must work on enhancing the sense of career development for their employees. However, career development itself is a broad concept that needs to be clarified. Sears defined career development as the total group of physiological, sociological, educational, physical and economic factors that direct the individuals career (Patton McMahon, 2006). This definition classifies the components career development to: 1. Physiological component 2. Sociological component 3. Educational component 4. Physical component 5. Economic component When going to a deeper practical definition, Careers England, one of the most recognized organizations in career guidance industry that has a wide variety of partnerships with various associations (Careers England, 2012), defined career development as follows: Career development is the lifelong process of managing progression in learning and work. The quality of this process significantly determines the nature and quality of individuals’ lives: the kind of people they become, the sense of purpose they have, the income at their disposal. It also determines the social and economic contribution they make to the communities and societies of which they are part (Careers England, 2012) This definition analysis Career Development terminology to the following components * Quality of individuals lives * Social and economic contribution to society When linking both definitions together, the researchers can identify the main components of career development to two main categories 1. Quality of individual lives: a. Salary paid to employees b. working conditions c. physiological and safety needs d. the purpose they have 2. Contribution to society * Achievements and contribution to society economically and socially R2: the relation between employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction. To measure the degree of employee satisfactions effect on customer satisfaction, the meaning of customer satisfaction should be clear for the researches and the readers; A comprehensive definition of customer satisfaction in terms of pleasurable fulfillment is given by Oliver (1997): â€Å"satisfaction is the consumer’s fulfillment response. It is a judgment that a product or service feature, or the product or service itself, providing (or is providing) a pleasurable level of consumption-related fulfillment, including under or over fulfillment† (Siskos, 2010) According to an exhaustive review of Yi (1991), customer satisfaction may be defined into 2 basic ways: either as an outcome, or as a process: 1- The first approach defines satisfaction as a final situation or as an end-state resulting from the consumption experience. 2- The second approach emphasizes the perceptual, evaluative and psychological process that contributes to satisfaction. (Siskos, 2010) (R2) will try to measure the degree of dependence of both factors on each other through surveys with employees and customers. Bibliography Ann, M. (1992). A STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP. SOUTHWEST TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY, Political Science. Texas: The Digital Library. attia, s. (2008). Healthcare quality and moder. emerald insight, 3. bulgarella, C. (2005). Employee Satisfaction Customer Satisfaction. Guide Star rerearch. C.R.Reilly. (1991). Organizational Behavior. Annual Review of Psychology, pp. 427- 458. Careers England. (2012). MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT. Careers England. Careers England. Careers England. (2012). Why Career Development Matters. 1. Harrison, C. (2003, 11). Turning Customer Service Inside Out! Retrieved 10 1, 2012, from expressionsofexcellence.com: http://www.expressionsofexcellence.com/ARTICLES/InsideCS.html Parvin, M. (2011, December). FACTORS AFFECTING EMPLOYEE JOB SATISFACTION OF PHARMACEUTICAL SECTOR. Australian Journal of Business and Management Research, 1, 115. Patton, W., McMahon, M. (2006). Career Development and Systems Theory. QueensLand university, Faculty of Education. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. Siskos, E. G. (2010). Customer Satisfaction Evaluation. Greece: Springer Science+Business Media. Wilson Learning. (2006). Redefining employee satisfaction: business performance, employee fullfilment and leadership practices. Edina: Wilson Learning Inc.

Effect of Biological and Social Influences on Development

Effect of Biological and Social Influences on Development Gemma L Sobah Evaluate the contribution of biological and social influences to human psychological functioning Introduction: As humans, our psychological functioning is vital to our survival and succession. So what do we mean by psychological functioning? Psychological functioning is the way in which our minds work. It includes our thoughts, feelings and emotions. Human beings are thinkers and feelers. Our worlds evolve around, our thoughts, our feelings, and our hopes and dreams. How we view the world, and how we feel the world views us. We are driven by our emotions, our morals and our understanding of the people and world around us. Every experience in our life has the ability to impact our psychological functions. In this essay we will be looking at development and sex and gender. Charles Darwin was an evolutionary psychologist. He argued and believed that we have certain behaviours that have evolved and adapted because of how they benefit our survival and there for increased the chances of passing them on genetically. Darwin (1859) demonstrated the idea that genetics and evolution play an important part in influencing psychological functioning through natural selection. Evolutionary psychology claims that our brains (which includes the mind) evolved to be able to problem solve, which many of our hunter-gatherer ancestors encountered. A perspective known as the functionalism perspective was an idea that developed explanations for why people’s behaviour changed. It was believed that it was for an adaptive cause, and therefore has a ‘function’ to serve. Darwin argued that these changed came about because they proved to increase chances of survival and were therefore selectively chosen through evolution. So according to Darwin, we do certain things and act certain ways as we grow, not because we have had certain experiences in our life’s that have impacted us and shaped the way we see things, and have a direct effect on the way we act, but because genetically we have evolved and have certain traits and behaviours that will aid our survival. Therefore, those people displaying behaviours that will have a negative effect on their survival have no developed the necessary traits and skills through natural selection. Although this approach does give insight into how genetically we have been designed to act a certain way, and be certain people, the downfall to it is to the extent to which it can be applied. It does not explain how evolution has genetically changed us to act certain ways emotionally. It doesn’t goes as far to show how a woman who was born a man, can grow to live her life as both genders and it have no negative affect on her mental health. Furthermore it does not give insight as to how she became this way and not something else. But social influences could prove to have contributed to her current state of mind and mental health. From an early age we take in and absorb the things that happen around us, and studies have demonstrated how the social influences in our life at a young age, can affect our adult lives. In 1996, Schaffer, (as cited in Wood et al, pg. 9), explained that social influences, such as our peer or sibling relationships, are very influential in our development. He notes that they spend a lot of time in each other’s company, and in this time they will observe each other’s behaviour, and they will share many experiences, and it has been noted that their relationships are very emotionally based. These kinds of sibling relationships could have all sorts of influences on our development, both positive and negative. Siblings of a similar age may be more likely to have a friendship, because they will be increased in similar things from their age group, giving them more in common with each other. But this could also mean more chance of rivalry, for who has what toy and they may also fight for the attention of their parents. The positive side of this kind of relationship are that they could learn things from the other sibling, such as the meaning of sharing, they experience feelings that they may not if they only siblings much older. For example, two boy’s ages 7, and 9 both seek the attention of their parents, but their parents are too busy wondering where their older sister of 16 is. They can them empathise with one another and understand how each other are feelings. They can also be each other’s company when they want attention. And console one another when they are sad. This could bring out a caring side of them, allowing them to fill roles they would not fill if they only had older siblings or was an only child. In later life, as they develop further, they may then carry with them a caring nurturing side that they experiences as a child. The negative side of this kind of social influence are that there could potentially be a lot of rivalry between them. Which one gets the most parent-child attention, which gets the most/best toys? They could grow up feeling unfulfilled and needy. In 1986, Abramovitch, Corter, Pepler, and Stanthorpe, conducted an observational study on siblings which revealed to them, ‘that their interactions are diverse and multifaceted’. (Wood et al, pg. 9, 2007). As we can see from the example above, and as the observational study shown, there are many sides to a sibling relationship but they all have the potential to affect our future. Biologically there are many differences between a brother and sister, i.e. a girl and boy. The obvious one being our genitals, but as we go more in depth we will find that hormonally we are different, and our bodies have different strengths and weaknesses. But can the biological gender difference create cognitive and behavioural differences too? Money and Erhardt 1972 (as cited in Hollway et al, pg. 141, 2007,) conducted a study to try and answer this question. They conducted a study where they exposed girls to the drug progestin, to look at the masculinization of the girls after taking the drug , compared to girls who hadn’t taken the drug and girls with hyperplasia which affects the level of testosterone. They revealed that the girls with hyperplasia and the ones exposed to progestin, appeared to become more ‘tomboyish’ which means to play like a boy, prefer boys clothing, and that they played more energetically than the girls with no alteration to their hormone levels. So it appeared that the biological changes to the girls involved in the study, slightly altered their preference to ‘girlish’ or ‘boyish’ things. The girls seemed to become more masculine than the unaffected girls. Nevertheless it does pose the question as to the reliability of the results. In this day and age, it is not frowned upon as much for a girl to play with toys that were intended for a boy, and with the changes within the social world, less and less labels are being put on what is ‘for girls’ and ‘for boys.’ The reliability of the test also comes down to what the parents, who gave the report as to the changes in the girls, see as ‘boyish’ or ‘girlish’. It could have been less of a biological influence on the girls and more of a personal evaluation of boyish or girlish. Therefore, in conclusion, there are many perspectives within psychology that try and explain behaviours and their origins but not one has overall explanatory power over the rest, rather they depend on each other and all connect somehow. Only with some types of psychology which contradict each other (nature-nurture debate), connect with each other or expand on one another (biological and social psychologist), can we recognise and generate appropriate solutions when problems arise so we maintain a healthy mind and body. There are many different perspectives which go to show how complex human behaviour is. The evolutionary theory does don’t include the experiences we have as humans, but it concentrates more on being preordained in its methods and ability to provide evidence. The attachment theory concentrates too much on childhood and parental interaction. In doing so, it loses sight of the role biology and how our genetic makeup could account for certain behaviours. The biological perspective sees humans as a set of instruments and physical structures that are obviously important and significant (e.g. genes). Furthermore, it does not consider our conscious minds and how the overall influence of the social world on our behaviour. Our adult lives tend to be a mix of what we experiences and learn as a child, how our genetic makeup develops in us as we grow and how our conscious mind, interprets and understands the world we live in and forms its own reaction to it. We are not influences by just one thing, but many, continually and progressively. Word count: 1,455 References: Hollway, W., Cooper, T., Johnston, A., and Stevens, J. (2007) The Psychology of Sex and Gender in Cooper, T. and Roth, I. (2007) Challenging Psychological Issues, 2nd ed. Milton Keynes. The Open University Wood, D., Littleton, K. and Oates, J. (2007) Life span Development in Cooper, T. and Roth, I. (2007) Challenging Psychological Issues: Lifespan development, 2nd ed. Milton Keynes. The Open University

School Counsellors for Gifted and Talented Students

School Counsellors for Gifted and Talented Students This paper critically reviews previous studies that have explored the role of school counsellors for gifted and talented students. School counsellors in Saudi Arabia receive little specific training in the needs of gifted students, and it is very rare for counsellor training programmes to require counsellors to take courses on gifted students as part of the degree requirements. Therefore, this article considers theories of counselling, and the role of school counsellors, and gifted student programmes in the USA, the UK and KSA. This review considers the counsellors role in different contexts and discusses it in the Saudi context. In doing so, the psychological, educational and professional skills of counsellors need to be understand in order to meet the needs of gifted and talented students so that they can live up to their ambitions and aspirations. Background of the study The role of the school counsellor is complicated and one of the most demanding careers when compared with other educational professions. It involves interaction with students from different cultural, economic and social backgrounds. The primary responsibility of the school counsellor is to develop the skills that will enable them to meet the challenges of this technological era. In the era of globalization, this objective is more important than ever, where we have to search for and develop the skills of talented students. In 1981, the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia established the General Directorate of Guidance and Counselling for Gifted Students. Since that time, guidance and counselling has become formalized and recognized as a profession, and counsellors have been appointed to deal with psychological, social, educational and vocational problems and to deliver protective counselling (Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia, 1999). For this reason the current paper will highlight the historical background of school counselling and counsellors of the gifted and talented in the USA, UK and KSA. In the 1955 Yearbook of Education, reference is made to counselling as a process of helping individuals through their own efforts to discover and develop their potentialities both for personal happiness and social usefulness (Hall Lauwerys, 1955, cited in Milner, 1974). A more recent definition is that counselling is to help an individual to make his own decisions and choices in the light of his feelings and needs (Milner, 1974). Jones (1970) suggested that counselling Is an enabling process, designed to help an individual come to terms with his life as it is and ultimately to grow to greater maturity through learning to take responsibility and to make decisions for himself. The American School Counsellor Association (ASCA, 1999) defines counselling as an interactive process as follows: it is a confidential relationship in which the counsellor meets with students individually and in small groups to help them resolve or cope constructively with their problems and developmental concerns. In Coreys (2002) words, the central function of counselling is to help clients recognize their own strengths, discover what is preventing them from using their strengths, and clarify what kind of person they want to be. Counselling is a process by which clients are invited to look honestly at their behaviour and lifestyle and make certain decisions about how they want to modify the quality of their life. McLaughlin (1993) mentions that effective school counselling has three elements: an educative function whereby attention is focused on the social development of the student within the school context; a reflective function which explores the possible impact of the school practices and societal conditions on the personal and mental health of the student, and a welfare function which is concerned with planning for and reacting to issues that affect the students welfare. Saudi Arabia has conducted research to find out the best approach to gifted education, but of course for females who are severely restricted in the subjects they are allowed to study, these moves are somewhat academic. An interesting survey of computer use in Arabic countries was made by a Jordanian, Subhi (1997). He recommended that gifted pupils records should be computerised for easier monitoring of their progress, and he has designed a programme to help this. The problem, he found though, is that although there are computers in Jordanian schools, there are very few of them and the teachers do not generally know how to use them. It looks as though most, if not all, Arab countries are willing to recognise and help the gifted, and several have made forays into out-of-school activities, but the overall outcome is still difficult to define. Some authors (such as Sternberg et al., 1986, Ziegler and Heller, 2000) believe that a consensus is yet to be reached on what is meant by the term (gifted), and yet multiple efforts have been made to establish criteria for this, which include components such as motivation, creativity, task commitment, and problem solving. However, personal talent is described by Renzulli (1999a, p.4) as exceptional ability to select and achieve difficult goals that fit ones interests, abilities and social contexts. In his view, personal talent is a capability developed in the field of self-management that is concentrated by the individual in the direction of selected outcomes that contain well-being, happiness, personal relationships, hobbies as well as career achievements. He proposes that personal talent can be referred to as a range where those in the centre of this continuum can be explained as personally competent, while those at the high end of the range can be categorized as personally talente d. On the other hand, Masten et al. (2002) argue that resilient individuals learn how to overcome obstacles in order to achieve their anticipated goals, and that this can be described as personal talent. Also, Bland et al. (1994) refer to specific characteristics of resilience as an indicator of exceptional abilities and talent regarding children from poor backgrounds. In this regard, Marker et al. (1996) propose that numerous of the principles of distinguishing curriculum for gifted and talented learners support the development of personal talent. They refer to learning environments that foster independence, flexibility and high mobility as being potentially more promising for fostering personal talents than the more traditional teacher-centred classrooms that concentrate on lectures with academic content. However, some researchers regret the fact that research on giftedness has been somewhat biased, having mainly concentrated on IQ-related abilities that address academic skills, and b y-passing or simply ignoring other basic skills such as vocational skills (Bals, 1999), practical intelligence in everyday life (Sternberg, 2000), and, most importantly, social skills (Persson, 1997). Motivation is another issue that has been the focus of research with regard to gifted children. According to Sternberg (2000), some theories depict motivation as an assisting internal factor in the expansion of giftedness. One of these theories is Gages dynamic theory of giftedness which depicts motivation, volition and self-management as interpersonal catalysts that help convert gifts into talents. However, these theories have failed to provide guidance in assisting youths of high ability to develop motivation. For this reason, some researchers (for example, Colangelo et al. 2000; Alrasheed, 2001) believe that talented students should be identified and given tasks at a higher level than the normal school curriculum. Renzulli (1999b) is of the opinion that gifted students should be pro ducers of knowledge rather than mere consumers of existing information. He believes that specific programmes and services for the talented and gifted are the only solution to allow them to live up to their potential. This idea is further supported by Reis et al (1995) who argues that it is not fair to make a gifted child sit in a classroom where learning something new will not happen until the second half of the year. According to Alhossaini (2000), the effectiveness of the educational process could be seen in table (1): The above figure of methods of interactions could be interpreted in this table. If these roles are all positive, we get the creative outcome. And it is mines, mines, mines, it is less creative. Pattison (2006) suggests that, counselling is an activity that takes place behind closed doors in privacy, the nature of client confidentiality requires this. However, this can make counselling practices and processes mysterious and misunderstood. In placing this research in the public arena, it is hoped that counselling practices and processes have been made a little more transparent and that the case for including young people with learning disabilities in counselling has been strengthened. Bor et al. (2002) state that school counselling is an interaction in a therapeutic setting, focusing primarily on a conversation about relationships, beliefs and behaviour (including feelings), through which the childs perceived problem is elucidated and framed or reframed in a fitting and useful way, and in which new solutions are generated and the problem takes on a new meaning . Research Problem There have been few programmes for gifted students offered in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Even though there has been programmes existing, it is new and is for further evaluation to be able to develop it more for the students. It has been believed that if there has been more developed programmes for gifted children then they will be more enhanced and so, benefiting the country. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have put up programmes for gifted students but is new and rare. There has been studies regarding the support of the authorities in the schools on how to support gifted students. 1.5 The research questions Based on the aims articulated in the previous section, the following specific research questions have been formulated: How does the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia support gifted students? Does the authorities in the schools help in the development of the programmes? How do we determine the effectiveness of the programmeswith the school counsellor, principal, and teachers help? 1.6 Sub-questions Two sub-questions will also be explored: Do the teacher, student counsellor and principal who work with gifted students have special qualifications? What is the level and nature of the response of gifted students to these programmes? Historical review of school counselling in USA Schmidt (1999) suggests that the development of school guidance and counselling in the United States has its roots in the vocational guidance movement, which started in 1898 when a Detroit school principal, Jesse Davis, introduced a guidance curriculum that was delivered in each English class in his school to help students develop character, avoid problem behaviour, and relate vocational interests to the solution of their vocational and social problems. Gysbers (2001) argues that in the 1920s and 1930s, the concept of guidance evolved from vocational to educational guidance. Educational guidance was viewed as a set of activities that would address not only occupational concerns but also the personal and educational aspects of individuals. However, although school counselling remained focused on secondary schools, counsellors were beginning to appear in some elementary schools in Boston in the 1930s. Yet, it was not until the 1960s that the need was generally recognized and funds were provided for the training of counsellors in elementary schools (Schmidt, 1999). However, Baker (2001) suggests that despite the progressive movement of the 1960s, school counselling did not fare well in the 1970s. During the 1970s and into the 1980s, a number of school counselling positions were eliminated and fewer jobs were available for newly trained school counsellors due to school budget cuts and financial problems across the US. At the same time, concern was being expressed about the programmes of guidance and counselling and the services offered by counsellors in school (Baker, 1996; Schmidt, 1999). On the other hand, Herr (2001) says that attempts to define the role and functions of the schools comprehensive developmental models w ere better suited to meeting the development needs of students. In 1997, the American School Counsellor Association (ASCA) (1999) adopted the National Standards for School Counselling Programmes. According to these standards, school counsellors are required to address the needs ofstudents comprehensively through the implementation of a developmental school-counselling programme. Historical review of school counselling in the UK School counselling in the United Kingdom dates back to 1913 when London County Council appointed a psychologist to examine backward children and advise their parents and teachers on methods of treatment (Milner, 1974). However, it was not until the 1960s that school counselling began to emerge as a discipline in its own right (Bor et al., 2002). At the time, the American school counselling model which was based on the client-centred approach proposed by Rogers (1961) was influential. Rogers produced a report in which he recommended that counsellors should be appointed to look into the needs of low achieving children. As a result, counselling courses were set up for experienced teachers, and several hundred counsellors were employed by local education authorities throughout the country (Bor et al., 2002). However, according to the Department of Education and Science (1989, cited in Bets et al. 1995) pastoral care is concerned with promoting pupils personal and social development and f ostering positive attitudes. Confronted with pervasive and traumatic social problems such as the collapse of the extended family and increases in rates of violence, the need for school counselling attracted the attention of local education authorities. However, in the light of limited budgets, the 1980s witnessed a shift of emphasis on counselling, and it was felt that counselling should be integrated into teaching practice, so that teachers themselves should take responsibility for pastoral care (Bor et al., 2002; Mclaughin, 1999). Jones (1970) says that, in the absence of government backing, enthusiasm for counselling courses began to fade, and the majority of schools were left without counsellors. To exacerbate the situation even further, cuts in education funding at thehands of the Conservative government in the 1980s resulted in a reduction in the number of existing counsellors (McLaughlin, 1999). According to one estimate, only fifty counsellors were left in schools in England and Wales following the introduction of the local management of schools in 1987 (Robinson, 1996). Bor et al. (2002) argue that since the 1980s and despite heavy workloads, growing social problems and immense psychological pressure, teachers in the United Kingdom still continue to play a major role in counselling their students. To add to their problems, they have recently fallen under pressure to fulfil all of the criteria of an over-demanding National Curriculum. As a result, teachers now find it difficult to fulfil a pastoral role, and schools are beginning to feel the need to employ counsellors to meet the educational, psychological and emotional needs of students. To provide teachers with the necessary counselling skills, a sizeable number of studies in the field of pastoral care began to appear (e.g. Raymond, 1985; Watkins, 1994; Hamblin, 1984; Marland, 1989). In general, these studies focused on good student-teacher relationships (Mclaughlin, 1999), emphasized the importance of assisting children to improve their lives, and used study skills to guide them in making their own decisions (Raymond, 1985). Nonetheless, although the literature on counselling and pastoral care in the United Kingdom is vast, it is still not integrated and provides only a few guidelines on practice (Al-Rebdi, 2000). On the other hand, some still argue that teachers have to manage complicated and demanding situations, channelling the personal, emotional and social pressures of 30 or so youngsters (Black et al., 1998). The debate is still raging between those who argue that counselling should be provided by specialists and those who suggest that teachers should bear the burden. Inthis context it is worth listing the duties and responsibilities of the school counsellor as outlined by the British Association for Counselling (1997). These are: Â · To offer pupils, parents and staff individual or group counselling. Â · To provide information on the counselling service, the role of the counsellor and boundaries of confidentiality. Â · To cooperate with head teachers, governors, parents and, where appropriate, the local education authority, in setting up a suitable appointment system. Â · To keep suitable case records of counselling conducted in a secure place. Â · To report back to management on a regular basis on the numbers that use the service and to give a general overview of the types of problem encountered. Â · To liaise with the pastoral management team, year tutors, class teachers, governors, parents and caring agencies. Â · To network with personnel from other agencies with a view to easing referrals and accessing specialist consultants. Â · To devise and, where appropriate, deliver a programme of training to support and develop the counselling service. Â · To attend supervision with a suitably qualified supervisor. Historical review of school counselling in the KSA Initially, in 1981, the Ministry of Education established the General Directorate of Guidance and Counselling. Since that time, guidance and counselling has become formalized and recognized as a profession, and counsellors have been appointed to deal with psychological, social, educational, and vocational problems and deliver protective counselling (Ministry of Education KSA, 1999). It should be mentioned here that the model for and practice of guidance and counselling in SaudiArabian schools was derived from western sources, mainly the United States. More than two decades have passed since the guidance and counselling programme was established in Saudi schools. Its development has progressed at a slow rate and, currently, it faces various problems. The major difficulty relates to the definition of the role and function of the school counsellor (Al-Gamdi, 1999) which is unclear to principals, teachers, parents, students and school counsellors themselves. Due to this problem, counsell ors have found themselves overly involved in paperwork and administrative tasks and duties not related to school counselling. Additionally, counsellors often complain about lack of support and cooperation from others involved in the counselling service, especially parents (Al-rebdi, 2000). In this situation, if school counsellors in Saudi Arabia are to provide better services for students, their role must be clearly defined. It is also necessary for those involved in counselling to have a clear view of what counsellors should and should not do. Added to this, counsellors must choose carefully how they spend their time and energy. As the role and functions of the school counsellors become clearer, they should be able to respond better to the needs of their students. Furthermore, in 1981, following decree number 216/k issued by the Ministry of Education, the Social Educational Administration was replaced by the Student Guidance and Counselling Service, and guidance and counselling in Saudi schools became formalised. That same year, the name was changed again to the General Administration for Guidance and Counselling (Ministry of Education, 1999). The responsibilities of this administration are as follows: 1- To plan, prepare and develop the programme and services of guidance and counselling. 2- To provide professional staff who are capable of delivering such services to all students at various stages of education. 3- To provide students with the appropriate care applicable to their ages and their psychological, educational and social needs. 4- To assist students to develop their capabilities, potentialities and talents, to allow them to face their problems and to help them feel comfortable with themselves and with the community in which they live. 5- To attain a high standard of mental health in a way that reflects the targets and goals sought by educational guidance in general (Ministry of Education, 1999). Saleh (1987) pointed out that, due to the immediate need for professionals to monitor and guide the counselling service in schools, the Ministry of Education sought personnel from among the existing social education supervisors to act as the supervisors; counselling and guidance programmes in addition to carrying out their normal duties. The Ministry of Education also sought personnel from within the existing teaching force, provided they had the relevant experience, to work temporarily as counsellors in schools. To meet the need for school counsellors in all schools, the General Administration for Guidance and Counselling allowed those with a Bachelors degree in psychology, social work or sociology to perform the role of the school counsellor until enough trained professional counsellors could be provided. In order to meet the need for trained full-time counsellors to work in schools, universities in Saudi Arabia were requested to offer guidance and counselling programmes at masters level. Statistical information for the year 2000 shows that there were 229 counselling supervisors and 3381 school counsellors overall (Ministry of Education, 2000). By 2003, the number of counsellors had increased rapidly toabout 4000(Al-Rebdi, 2004). The Ministry of Education (1999) defined the term counselling as the interactive process though which the counsellor assists the student to understand himself and recognise his capabilities and potentialities and gives him a more enlightened approach to his problems and how to face them. Counsellors also help students to enhance their responsible behaviour and to show conformity with their community. Counselling gifted students Landau (1990) noted that gifted students might become isolated and alienated. Moreover, Rogers (1983) pointed out that in an egalitarian system children not only lack the opportunity for confirmation and social acceptance, but they also often lack the freedom to learn. The need for confirmation and emotional support is well known in the literature which focuses on giftedness and talent (Csikszentmilalyi et al., 1993; Kelley, 1999; Stednitz, 1995). Donna (1999) suggests that teachers and counsellors need to encourage minority students to consider a teaching career in general and gifted student education in particular. Ford (1995) however, believes that from an historical point of view, the counselling of gifted students has not been an important part of educational and counselling discourse. He points out that misconceptions and stereotypes of gifted students as being immune to social, emotional, and academic problems have contributed to the lack of counselling for these students, and in cases where counselling is available it is only limited to academic, assessment and placement issues. According to Ford, the fact that more children are entering school with serious personal and academic problems should entail an expansion in the responsibilities and roles of counsellors to meet the needs of all children who seek guidance andassistance. But nonetheless according to Alrasheed, (2001) the limited availability of counselling services has failed to meet the enormous need for counselling services and research regarding gifted individuals. In this respect he endeavoured to provide counsellors, classroom teachers and educationalists as well as parents with advice regarding the understanding of the academic and social needs of gifted and talented students. Persson (2005) considers mentorship as a possible solution to aid the immediate psychological and intellectual needs of gifted individuals, particularly received mentorship. According to Person, mentorship could be direct or indirect by cooperating with the student to find a mentor of his choice, given the fact that not al l gifted students would be likely to choose their counsellors to be their mentors. Person expresses the conviction that mentorship is the only viable counselling solution in an egalitarian context, which lacks recognition and particular provision for gifted individuals. Ford (1995) outlines the goal of counselling as that of promoting healthy self-concepts and ensuring psychological growth. Bearing that in mind, counsellors must have an awareness and understanding of the many issues that hinder gifted students and affect their psychological, social and emotional well-being. He recognises the role of counsellors in ensuring that such students remain in gifted programmes once identified and placed. Finally the concept of counselling needs to be defined within a context where it is not a task assigned merely to a particular group. Instead, as Brown et al. (1992) suggest the task has expanded from an initial concern with educational and vocational guidance to the remediation and prevention of personal, interpersonal, vocational and educational concerns. Consequently, according to Persson (2005), the aim of the intervention is for the individual to gain an understanding of self and context, in which case individual differences become a sensitive and even problematic issue, particularly in cases where gifted individuals are involved. Research Design The design of the study is intended to determine: first, the relationship of the roles of student counsellor, teachers, and principals to the performance of the gifted students; second, the effectiveness of the programmes in developing the capacity of the gifted students. Instrumentation and Data Collection The researchers visited the [Insert name of University Library or City Library] for journals, articles and studies needed for the research paper. The researchers gathered time-series data from different physical training institutions to assure of its validity and consistency. The primary data will be gathered using quantitative method, as this is best useful with questionnaires. The use of quantitative method will be appropriate for the research because the results in the questionnaires consist of numerical information, mostly based from the ratings included in the questions. Quantitative methods are used to provide reference to numeric calculations and are often used with questionnaires that have a specific goal and a target to achieve. This is helpful in the research, and its instigation in the process needs to be further culminated so that the problem is solved with efficiency and precision. In gathering data, the researcher would like to clear certain ethical issues that might hinder the processing of data. First, confidentiality will be kept at all costs. As the main reason why questionnaires will be used in the research is for the respondents to feel secure and to be assured that their answers will not be related to who they are. There may be instances wherein the respondent will divulge information that will be detrimental to the company, or to its competitors, depending on the case. Hence, there is a better chance at more responsive respondents if they can be assured of their confidentiality. Second, the Data Protection Act will be followed at all costs. The compliance with the act will be transparently said to the respondents so that they are further assured that anything they say in response to the questions asked them will only be used for the benefit of the research and not in any other practices. It should also be clear to the researcher that any information regarding the respondents cannot be released to anyone who is not immediately connected with the research unless permission from the subject respondent has been secured beforehand. Third, the research must always bear in mind the objectives of the study and never stray away from them. A researcher who has no definite purpose in doing the research is going nowhere and is exerting effort in a research that is not delimited properly and punctually. The purpose of the research is explicitly stated at the beginning of the research and is implied in every step of the realization of the research so as to not delineate the researcher from his goals. Lastly, the researcher must opt to practice objectivity. As the researcher, he is expected to keep an open-minded approach to the topic, keeping from his mind and personal bias in the subject matter or on the people involved. The reason for doing research is to test existing information, validate, prove or disprove existing ideas, or to test the limits of a certain prospect. Given this simple definition, it is clearly seen that in no form is the personal opinions of the researcher expected to hinder in the subject. Any act that might be biased or subjective will hint of the researchs failure to achieve its goals. Planned Method of Analysis The researchers plan to analyze the different test conducted through constant evaluation of the gifted students and how they perform. There will be a weekly evaluation in terms of how the programmes and the role of the authorities, and the effect of it to their performance. The performance in the field will be evaluated by the gifted students progress and development. Time Schedule Literature Review History of programmes for gifted students in KSA Observation Questionnaires Evaluation of performance Analysis of performance of the students Findings and Recommendation Conclusions Conclusion The role of school counsellors for gifted and talented students has been discussed widely in the literature. However, school counsellors urgently need to be provided with the appropriate skills in the areas of education and psychology so that they are capable of providing guidance to talented students and thereby respond to their needs in a way that will boost the educational process in the school. Counselling gifted students and their relatives is one of the mainly challenging and satisfying functions for a counsellor. Gifted students have wonderful variability, not only in their cognitive capability, but in their affective progress. While there are obviously frequent themes in the social-emotional issues tackling gifted students, there are also reflective individual differences amongst them. The talented student faces numerous problems that make life hard for him at school. However, anxiety and tension may affect his social life as well as forcing him to live in isolation. Moreover, decisions in relation to gifted learners should be part and parcel of a wider programme. This implies the identification of the task as being one which helps children conform with their culture, or empowers children to advance in their society, or challenges social, political and economic inequalities. Schoolcounsellors receive little specific training on the affective needs of gifted students and it is rare for counsellor training programmes to require counsellors to take a course on gifted students as a degree requirement. The role of the school counsellor is to develop the skills of the pupils in general, giving special attention to those who are talented and innovative by discovering their areas of interest, and by responding to their needs in a way that will achie

The Minimum Wage Should Not Be Increased :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

"The minimum wage is something that F.D.R. put in place a long time ago during the Great Depression. I don't think it worked then. It didn't solve any problems then and it hasn't solved any problems in 50 years." -- John Raese The minimum wage in the United States was established under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 in an effort to stabilize the economy following the Great Depression. It was designed to create a minimum standard of living by ensuring that workers could provide for the health and well being of their families. With its passage workers were legally ensured that they would receive a minimum of 25 cents for each hour worked. With each increase of the minimum pay rate ($7.75 today) there has been an increased level of debate. Such discussions have resurfaced again as the country attempts to deal with the impact of the Great Recession of 2008. Economists generally agree that minimum wage increases do not affect national employment significantly. However the size of an increase can have a dramatic impact on the employment of segments of the population, GDP, price of goods, and other measurements of productivity. From an economic perspective, mandated wages negatively impact society in the long run (all other variables being held constant); therefore we recommend that other policy measures be considered to narrow the inequality gap in our country. A review of the supply and demand curve provides the simplest explanation for our recommendation. A minimum wage is essentially a price floor for labor. If this floor is set above the current market price – as would be the case with an increase in minimum wage - the demand for workers will be reduced while the supply of workers will increase. As illustrated below the result would lead to increased unemployment. http://notatthedinnertable.weebly.com/uploads/3/4/1/1/3411210/5183225_orig.png Firms will retain more productive and higher paid workers, however lower skilled and lesser paid (those you intend to assist) will be shed. Those who lose their job will then require government benefits, such as unemployment compensation and welfare, to survive thus increasing government expenditures and debt. In the event that a firm does not fire workers the cost of the additional wages must be addressed. Typically the increased cost of doing business can be managed in two ways. The firm will transfer the increased cost to consumers by raising the selling price of its goods or

The Small Business Administration (SBA) Essay -- GCSE Business Marketi

The Small Business Administration (SBA) In July of 1953 the United States Congress amended an act called the Small Business Act. Many believed that the essence of the American economic system of private enterprise is free competition. Also, that only through full and free competition can free markets, free entry into business, and opportunities for expression and growth of personal initiative and individual judgment can be assured. Thus, the Small Business Act was amended. In order to carry out the policies of this Act there was hereby created an agency under the name "Small Business Administration". The United States Small Business Administration, more commonly known as the SBA, is a federal agency to protect and assist America's greatest resource, the small business. Since American enterprise is the backbone of our economy and the driving force behind economic growth and prosperity. ?The mission of the Small Business Administration (SBA) is to maintain and strengthen the Nation's economy by aiding, counseling, assisting, and protecting the interests of small businesses and by helping businesses and families recover from disasters.? The SBA's mission is to create economic development through small businesses. To put it in simple terms, the SBA helps businesses get started and helps established businesses grow. The SBA has many functions; here we discuss the six of the functions that small businesses should look at. The first function of the SBA is Business Development, based on management assistance through information, counseling, training and conferences, utilizing the following programs: Â · Services Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) Â · Small Business Institutes (SBI) Â · Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) Â · ... ...er loans are primarily to help homeowners, renters, and businesses of all sizes for rebuilding there disrupted home or business. When the natural disaster victims need to barrow money to rebuild uninsured damages, it is a good way to go, when you go to the SBA because of the low interest rates, and long-term availability from the SBA. The key things about the loans are that they fix them to your economic standing. Since the SBA was implemented in 1953 the disaster loan assistance program has approved 1.14 million loans and has loaned out more than 16 billion dollars. The SBA has four distinct offices that deal with disaster loans and they are located in Sacramento California, Atlanta Georgia, Ft. Worth Texas, and Niagara Falls New York. The offices are located in very distinct areas of concentration. Due to the fact of geographical storms or natural disasters.

The Current Economic Climate

3. 0The Current Economic Climate * Our research clearly shows that retailers believe consumer spending will continue to be constricted throughout 2012. The fear of unemployment, particularly for those working in the public sector, will continue to depress consumer sentiment. Combined with inflation rates that will outstrip wage increases, and consumers continuing to pay down debt, it makes top-line growth difficult. RW 2012) * While the figure continues to tick up, and unemployment among the young particularly impacts on the retailers who serve them, the threat of unemploy- ment depresses the spending of many more. (RW 2012) * Several forces at play are making life difficult for those who want to promote high streets; not least the continued growth of online sales, plus the total costs of high street property compared with footfall and sales densities. (RW 2012) (RW 2012) * Inflation has squeezed disposable incomes, particularly among the C2DE socioeconomic groups. RW 2012) * 32% The percentage of British shoppers who feel they have no cash to spare, according to the BRC and Nielsen in August 2011 (RW 2012) * Coming at a time of squeezed income by heightened inflation in essentials such as food and petrol, one might have expected consumers to cut their cloth. Yet, a number of sources including the Office for National Statistics confirm consumer spending on clothing increased by more than the rate of inflation in 2011: Mintel estimates total clothing spend grew by 4. 7%, well outpacing CPI for the clothing category.Despite the economic context, consumers therefore grew their clothing spend significantly in real terms in 2011, suggesting an underlying resilience in the market: clothes shoppers may be deterred by rain, but they are very unwilling to cut their purchases in response to a deterioration in their spending power. (Mintel 2012, clothing retailing). * Economy slowly recovering – falling headline inflation and recent falls in the number of people un employed suggests the economy is showing signs of recovery since the start of 2012. Mintel 2012, clothing retailing). * Double-dip recession * export * The UK economy is officially back in recession. The erratic economic growth seen in 2011 – up 0. 5% in the first quarter, down 0. 1% in the second quarter, up 0. 6% in the third quarter – ended down 0. 4% in the final quarter of 2011. This year the downward trend has been more sustained. Firstly, contracting 0. 3% in the first quarter and then by 0. 5% between April and June. It is the same story for year-on-year GDP growth, which has fallen from 1. % in the first quarter of 2011 to -0. 5% in the second quarter of 2012. Attempts to stimulate economic growth have been largely thwarted, despite a sustained period of historically low interest rates and quantitative easing measures. The unresolved euro-zone debt crisis continues to impact on the UK economy, hitting both jobs and growth. * (Mintel 2012, clothing retailing). * 3. 1 The UK retail environment. * after many years of erosion, neglect and mismanagement, something I felt was destined to disappear forever. (MP, 2011). out-of-town retail has drained the traffic and retail offer from our town centres, (MP, 2011) * With town centre vacancy rates doubling over the last two years and total consumer spend away from our high streets now over 50%,(MP, 2011). * †¢ The number of town centre stores fell by almost 15,000 between 2000 and 2009 with an estimated further 10,000 losses over the past couple of years;2 (MP, 2011). * †¢ Nearly one in six shops stands vacant;3 (MP, 2011). * †¢ Excluding Central London, high street footfall has fallen by around 10% in the last three years;4(MP, 2011). the overarching strategy for most retailers in 2012 is going to be presenting a great customer experience and its successful execution will depend on delivering a pitch perfect performance in all areas of the business. (RW 2012) * One operations direct or suggests that the Portas report is too late to reverse the decline: â€Å"I think the secondary high streets are finished, because you can’t sustain a store in a market where nobody wants to shop. What could happen in a low-rent high street is that new forms of retail entertainment will spring up. † (RW 2012) The operations director of a major retailer explains: â€Å"I think the secondary high streets are finished, because you can’t sustain a store in a market where nobody wants to shop. What could happen in a low rent high street is that new forms of retail entertainment will spring up. † (RW 2012) * â€Å"Research I have seen shows that even by 2020, 87% of all customers’ journeys will involve a store at some stage†¦ So I think talk of the high street’s demise is nonsense,† says the chief executive of a department store. (RW 2012) * â€Å"Change isn’t coming; it’s come and moved on† (Sibun, 2012).RMR * In the UK, several forces at play are making life difficult for those who want to promote high streets, not least the continued growth of online sales, plus the total costs of high street property compared with footfall and sales densities. (RW 2012, P. 58) * One operations director suggests the Portas report is too late to reverse the decline: â€Å"I think the secondary high streets are finished, because you can't sustain a store in a market where nobody wants to shop. What could happen in a low-rent high street is that new forms of retail entertainment will spring up. † (RW 2012, P. 58) â€Å"High-profile retail failures cannot be taken as indicative of the sector’s health. Consumers may be under pressure financially, but there is little sign of them cutting their spending on clothing. Retailing is a remarkably robust sector – and any retailer’s failure to secure growth is by consequence down to their own failings. † * – John Mercer, Seni or Retail Analyst (Mintel 2012, clothing retailing). * Figure 1: Clothing specialists’ sales (? m, incl. VAT), 2007-17 * * * In-store technology designed to enhance the multichannel shopping experience is a key theme among major retailers’ innovations: (Mintel 2012, lothing retailing). * Marks & Spencer is reportedly investing ? 100 million on improving its digital offering to encourage customers to browse and learn more about products. The retailer’s new 151,000 sq ft outlet at Cheshire Oaks in Ellesmere Port includes a host of in-store innovation including HD display screen showcasing product, browse-and-order screens, and staff equipped with iPads. (Mintel 2012, clothing retailing). * Oasis has introduced an in-store iPad shopping facility enabling customers to order clothes from the store’s fitting room and have them delivered to their home.Shop staff equipped with iPads can check garment availability from anywhere on the shop floor. (Mintel 2012, clo thing retailing). * Debenhams is launching free wifi in its 167 shops. Customers will be able to use their smartphones and mobile devices to access Debenhams information and special deals as they walk around the shop. Customers can check for sizes and availability and if it isn’t in store, scan the barcode to order it for home delivery. (Mintel 2012, clothing retailing). * 3. 2Threat of the internet. * But new technological developments now mean that the internet is one of the key threats to retail on our high streets.Although internet sales currently account for less than 10% of all retail sales some estimates suggest that e-commerce accounted for nearly half of all retail sales growth in the UK between 2003 and 2010, as internet access has become more widespread And we have seen dramatic growth in ‘m-commerce’ – sales over mobile devices – of more than 500% in the last two years. (MP, 2011). * De Kare Silver argues that this is, â€Å"gradually c easing to be a bricks and mortar world†9 and shows that a 15% drop in store sales of most high street retailers pushes them below break even and into loss.It’s not just the small retailers; many businesses on the high street are feeling the pinch. De Kare Silver M (2011) e-shock 2020: How the Digital Technology Revolution is Changing Business and All Our Lives(MP, 2011). mp 2011 * One retailer comments that if you want customers to come into store then you have to treat them really well, otherwise why wouldn’t they just go and buy from Amazon. (RW 2012) * * RW 2012 – Shows that the focus is moving away from purely focusing on new channel, looking to utilise existing channels too aka stores. It’s perhaps easy to blame the high street’s problems on the continued growth in online sales. But actually as retailers have begun to deliver more integrated multichannel services they have found that online and mobile channels benefit stores. Industry bo dy IMRG estimates that 10. 4% of all UK online retail sales in August to October 2011 were fulfilled through click-and-collect services. At the top end of the scale, retailers such as Halfords say click and collect is driving 85% of web customers to store. (RW 2012) * Mintel 2012, forecast that the total UK expenditure on clothing and footwear via the internet will rise 86% to ? . 4bn by 2016. (Past Disso, SJG) * VM will become even more important as retailers will have to excite and entertain customers who are being distracted through a forest of other media (Glen Folley, Head of VM T. M. Lewin. VM 2020). * Growth of online sales will prove a challenge to VM in capturing the customer in store. (Sarah Bailey LCF, VM 2020). * Stores currency will be rooted in providing spectacle, wonder and kinship as well as authority and expertise beyond what can be found online (Lorna Hall, Retail Editior WGSN) 2D will never be as fulfilling as 3D (Andi Grant, Creative Director SFD Inspired Retail Design. ) * The latest challenge is the internet, shopping from home is easier, price competitive, price of parking (Tony Morgan VM) * With the rise of online shopping and consumer’s spending less time in store (Bell and Ternus, 2006), (RMR) * â€Å"The latest challenge to in store retailers is the internet with online shopping. Shopping from home is easier and price competitive. Retailers are under more pressure than ever to insure customers return and spend. † (Morgan, 2008, p. 15). RMR) * Despite what we are being told about significant growth online, conversion rates online still tend to be substantially lower than in traditional bricks and mortar stores. Retailers believe this is due to the customer’s inability to physically interact with an item online. (Retail Week, 2012a). RMR â€Å"20 percent of people never buy fashion online, while 40 percent do so once a month or more. † (Retail Week, 2012a)RMR * Primark is a good example of a brand that is i ncorporating technology within their stores rather than â€Å"jumping onto the multichannel band wagon† (Pert, 2012).Primark is yet to have a transactional website because it wouldn’t fit within their brand ethos. Primark has a highly successful model and its choosing technology that helps support, enhance and replicate this model (Pert, 2012), rather than going fully online. RMR * * Peter Cross, business partner of Mary Portas – and manager of one half of her retail consultancy – Yellow Door, said: â€Å"Retail theatre is not a new thing, but the sheer power of the internet and its efficiency means that so much transactional retailing can happen online, so shops have to up their game. ttp://www. independent. co. uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/retailtainment-the-future-of-shopping-2303942. html * * â€Å"Offline shops have realised they have to do something else other than simply sell you stuff. † http://www. independent. co. uk/news/busin ess/analysis-and-features/retailtainment-the-future-of-shopping-2303942. html * Karl Lagerfeld Prefers Bricks over Clicks * Published: Feb 13, 09 References: nymag * Karl Lagerfeld prefers the physical part of shopping in person vs. the visual part of shopping online.Lagerfeld was meeting with the EU competition commissioner to discuss the loosening of restrictions of selling luxury goods—read: anything designed by Karl Lagerfeld—online. * Lagerfeld extolls the pleasure of buying where one can feel the fabric and see colors in natural light. Lagerfeld is not a Luddite; with the help of his assistant, bodyguard and sometimes model Sebastien Jondeau he will sometimes buy CDs and books from Amazon. com. But â€Å"And I still like bookshops, and not because I have one,† he said. (Lagerfeld’s store 7L sells photobooks. * http://www. trendhunter. com/trends/karl-lagerfeld-embraces-bricks-over-clicks * Figure 3: Main shops used for clothing in the last 12 months , instore or online, July 2012 * Base: 1,968 internet users aged 16+ who have bought clothing in last 12 months * * (Mintel 2012, clothing retailing). * How are online and in-store working together? We have argued that consumers make less and less distinction between the two. Even so, the message of the next figure is that they treat shopping trips separately.Overall, however, the results tie in with the fact that only around 10% of clothing is sold online and that buying in-store is much the most popular route. * Figure 4: How consumers made their most recent clothing purchase, July 2012 * Base: 2,000 internet users aged 16+ * * (Mintel 2012, clothing retailing). * Our consumer research found nearly half of Next and M;S shoppers had bought online – yet, clearly, their online sales make up a far lower proportion of their total revenues, suggesting their customers are selectively mixing in-store and online shopping.Meanwhile, overall, 18% of womenswear shoppers and 19% of mens wear shoppers had used the internet as part of the browsing or purchase process, but a large proportion of this was in conjunction with store-based browsing and shopping. * Indeed, it tends only to be struggling retailers that are using the justification of a migration to online shopping for planned or mooted store closures: French Connection, New Look, and some of Arcadia’s fashion fascia, for example. * (Mintel 2012, clothing retailing). * * * (Mintel 2012, clothing retailing). Key analysis: It is already obvious that consumers use in-store and online interchangeably as buying media. But there is still a bias to the young when it comes to researching online first. (Mintel 2012, clothing retailing). * Retailers who ignore a channel of distribution do so at their peril. A store based retailer must have a complementary online offer. But purchasers of branded goods from an online only retailer have probably seen the product first in a store. The online retailer only makes a sal e because the customer has decided not to buy it in-store immediately. Mintel 2012, clothing retailing). * * Mintel estimates online clothing sales increased 18% to ? 4. 6 billion in 2011, and we expect growth of 14% for 2012 taking the online market size to ? 5. 2 billion, equivalent to 13% of consumer spending on clothing. * Mintel’s consumer research for our Fashion Online report found that consumers are buying online more frequently and the popularity of internet shopping is gaining ground on in-store shopping. Over a fifth (22%) of consumers now buy more clothes online than they do in-store, compared to just over one in ten (12%) in 2010.For full consumer research findings, and market size data for online fashion including footwear, see Mintel’s report, Fashion Online – UK, March 2012. * think with the nature of the high street and the amount of companies going into administration Online is the way forward. Independents are being hit with high rents for bri cks and mortar and are having to close after just a short period. (Surfdome Interview) * 3. Are surfdome purposely an online brand or is it because it is cheaper to trade online. would they branch out to having a highstreet presence). We wouldn’t branch out to open on the high street. We are already seeing amazing growth online, 2012 finished +76% vs 2011 (Surfdome Interview) * * 3. 3 Store Closures * Where retailers used to need 400 or 500 shops to touch the length and breadth of Britain, with the sheer power of the internet they now need far less. For example, as I write Sir Philip Green, CEO of Arcadia Group, has announced the reduction of his own retail estate as leases expire(MP, 2011). At the time of writing, Barratts Priceless had just fallen into administration, and HMV had issued results alongside a warning that the future of the business was open to question. (RW 2012) mp 2011 * Retailers at the value end of fashion have particularly found themselves exposed to the problem of too many stores in places where footfall can’t achieve the sales they need to cover their costs. Several we spoke to warned that their store portfolios will likely shrink during the year, and other retailers said they would reposition stores and look for better rent deals even if they don’t intend to shrink store numbers overall. RW 2012) * The businesses named as those in trouble are the ones likely to have too many stores. But property costs aren’t the only reasons mainstream fashion retailers are struggling to adapt to the realities of the market. Some are still running their buying operations as though it is the boom years. (RW 2012) * But retailers outside of these four struggling sectors are not immune from problems And indeed any business with too many stores, poor cash flow and large debts to service will face challenges to survive the year. RW 2012) * UK stores have become more important, and as later chapters of this report show, despite the fact retailers are reviewing the number of stores they need in a multichannel world, they are prepared to invest in those they keep open. (RW 2012) * The rate of highstreet shop closures is increasing due to rises in VAT, income tax and rent, high levels of inflation, and lower wage growth, meaning that consumers particulary in the middle class sector have less disposable income and are changing their spending habits. Past Disso, SJG) * The ‘Economist Intelligence Unit’, predict e-sales will make up a third of all retail sales in Britain in ten years time (Sibun, 2012). With online retailing proving such a success, many individuals have voiced concerns that the â€Å"Highstreet is dying† when faced with the â€Å"virtual onslaught† (Pert, 2012). It has been reported that a slew of shops have been closing stores to focus on their online offering (Blackden, 2012). RMR * RW 2012 * However, it’s clear that there is a space shift on the cards.The chairm an of a fashion retailer says his business may close 100 stores in 2012, as it wants fewer, larger stores; which he says are difficult to find. â€Å"We will only open stores in exceptional locations such as Westfield†¦ We have far too many expensive leases and we are having negotiations with landlords at the moment. † (RW 2012) * Another fashion chief executive, who is happy with most of his stores which are in prime locations, adds: â€Å"There are a few sites in difficulty. But when a shop is in trouble we run it on a cash-for-cash basis. If the property is taking more cash than it is costing, then the store stays open.If not, it closes. We may look at the lease renewal and then take a view as to whether to close, to renegotiate or to resite. † (RW 2012) * Retailers are falling into administration with the total number of retailers in England and wales increasing by 11% from 165 to 183 in 2011. (Past Disso, SJG) * Web retailing will have taken it’s toll by the year 2020, leaving highstreets and malls vacant of many of todays recognised brands. (Tanya Reynolds, Creative Director. Proportion London. VM 2020). * recorded 32 stores closing per day in the UK. (Sibun, 2012). RMR) * On Monday, clothes chain Jane Norman became the latest high street casualty of the recession, as it moved into administration. And as the internet threatens to guzzle up the profits of remaining high street retailers, perhaps it may take an outstanding shopping experience to stir droves of people from their chairs and into the shops. Various phrases have been used over the years to describe the enhancing of shopping stores: â€Å"retailtainment† and â€Å"entertailment† are obvious word plays. http://www. independent. co. uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/retailtainment-the-future-of-shopping-2303942. tml * Failures expected to decline, but will rise in retail sector * The number of business failures will fall over the coming three years but remain above pre-recession levels, according to a forecast by the accounting firm BDO. * It estimates that the number of failures will fall to 20,536 a year by 2015, from a peak of 26,196 in 2009. BDO identifies a squeeze on the disposable income of UK households as one of the primary reasons for the slow recovery and concludes that retail and personal services companies are likely to be the most severely affected. BDO predicts that the number of retail sector failures will rise by 12. 5 per cent to 3,104 in 2011 from 2,759 in 2010. It expects the personal services sector, such as hair, beauty and consumer goods repairs, to see an increase in failures of 2. 8 per cent to 1,288 in 2011, up from 1,252 in 2010. * http://www. independent. co. uk/news/business/news/failures-expected-to-decline-but-will-rise-in-retail-sector-2364863. html * The store will remain your key asset, use it to showcase your brand and generate maximum profitability by addressing issues at   individual store l evel (RW 2012, P. 58) * 3. 3UK brands vs US brands financials (The need for UK stores) MP 2011 * adapt to reap the major benefits from localising their product offers. (RW 2012) * Again, this is a trend where UK retailers can be proud of what they’ve achieved, as their private-label developments are among the finest in the world, and in some cases give manufacturers a run for their money (RW 2012) (RW 2012) * Retailers with international appeal are asking themselves how much of a return they’ll get from opening one more store in the UK compared with one abroad, especially one in the fast-growing emerging markets. RW 2012) * I would say not, we are a global brand on a global stage, we see ourselves as retail leaders, but would be influenced by any great retail idea not just from the USA. (Selfridges interview) * 1. Yes, Ted Baker is portrayed as a very British brand. Ted Baker is still considered â€Å"out of the ordinary† with strong UK roots. (Ted Baker Intervi ew) * 3. 4upper middle market retailers. (lack of british brands in this sector) * The fact is that the major supermarkets and malls have delivered highly convenient, needs-based retailing, which serves today’s consumers well. MP, 2011). * Woolworths is a prime example. They simply hadn’t realised how to talk to the new value-conscious consumer and allowed the pound shops, many of which are seeing astronomic levels of growth, to pile in and steal their market share. A fact made all the more painful when one knows that Woolworths was in fact the original pound shop offering all its merchandise at a fixed single price. (MP, 2011). * Primarily this is 16-25 year olds. They are faced with much greater higher education costs than previous generations and rising unemployment.And also C2DE socioeconomic groups; those on benefits, the elderly and low-paid have been at the sharp end of rising inflation during 2011. Even if, as many predict, inflation slows during 2012 the damag e to their spending power has already been done. (RW 2012) * And the director of a premium fashion retailer is mindful that her competition is likely to grow, so it’s not a time for the business to scrimp on what makes it attractive to customers, as the new competition sure won’t be. â€Å"The international brands that are coming in from the US, France and Australia have got quite a bit of money to invest,† she says. RW 2012) * Unemployment stands at 8. 3%. Both the rate and level of youth unemployment stands at the highest it has ever been, with 22% – or around one million – economically active 16 to 25 year olds not in employment. (RW 2012) * Clothes buying still a priority for under-25s – 61% of under-25s – a key market for clothing retailers – still include clothing and footwear within their top five biggest areas of expenditure, with fashion the ultimate spending priority for 15-19-year-olds, according to Mintel’s Y outh Fashion – UK – December 2011 report. Mintel 2012, clothing retailing). * Under-25s demographic group shrinking – The number of under-25s – a key market for clothing retailers – is contracting as a percentage of the population. The UK’s ageing population means the number of 15-19-year-olds is predicted to shrink by 7. 1% between 2012 and 2017, while the number of 20-24-year-olds is expected to fall to 5. 3% during the same period. (Mintel 2012, clothing