Dove Strtegies

Critiques of the Strategies and Recommendation Dove has many strategic issues which are classified as convenience goods because consumers bought this product frequently and immediately. We can set the price a bit lower down and affordable for their product. Besides, they can change another supplier to lower down cost however can keep the good quality of product otherwise lower down the cost of advertising that can affect the product price of Dove. Dove can boost up their sales by using the line extension strategy and brand extension strategy.They should develop new flavors, forms, colors, ingredients, or package sizes of Dove to attract more category of consumer. It can also keep the firm's  managers  on their toes by generating internal  competition. Dove used the psychological pricing strategy which is used to influence the consumer purchasing power. Customers respond better to certain type of prices and they are more likely to buy with certain price levels because consumer b elief that the higher price is represent the good quality of product.Dove also can give promotion like giving discount, such as buy 2 free 1 to attract the consumer that make them feel our product worth more to purchase. The next strategic issue is Dove Company using retailing as their marketing intermediary. By using retailing concept, the entire new or loyal Dove company customer can get the Dove company product more easily in the market. Most of the producers including Dove sell the products and services directly to final consumers via a sales staff to retail outlets.The sales staff will promote the new products or give the sample to the retailers to make the retailers know more about their products. The suggested strategy for Dove is to strengthen its differentiation advantages by innovating its differentiation strategy. With this strategy, existing organizational resources and necessary means can be influenced to develop clear differentiation strategy. Other than that, Doveâ₠¬â„¢s think about provide low cost high profits and keep customer to compete with other competitors to be a key differentiation.Furthermore, Dove’s refresh its marketing hard work to aim the whole markets. Dove Company can introduce a range of shampoo that targets male users as Dove currently caters only for female customers. On the other hand, Dove could possibly create new breakthrough in the hair care line. Perhaps a shampoo that could reduce the greying of hair. Like all other hair care company, Dove could also branch out from their current product line such as providing hair styling mousses, wax, hair dying colours and even body care products like feminine wash.

Should Marty’s Company Embrace Open-Source Software?

ZAOZAO LIU MIS500 FALL 2012 Should Marty's company embrace open-source software in its hit product? Marty Dirwey, CEO of Kalley Music Software, is facing a crucial question that whether she should open Amp Up’s source code to users and developers. Undoubtedly, the new strategy which opens source software in KMS's hit product challenges the current highly successful strategy which prioritizes holding the intellectual property of Amp Up. However, if I were Marty, I would support the new strategy. There are four parts in this paper. 1) analyze a basic but essential issue that why Marty hesitates opening Amp Up's source code; (2) further explain the reasons why the company should accept the open-source strategy; (3)give some recommendations to KMS; (4) draw the conclusion. The reasons why Marty hesitates opening Amp Up's source code Essentially, there are three things Marty is worrying about: the feelings of the team, the churn of the customers, and the profit of the company. As w e can see from the case, Marty is in a dilemma.She resists opening the source code, because she is unwilling to give up the source code which is the fruit of painstaking labor of the whole team and she is worrying about how to make money if the company shared the source code of the software which currently is the main source of their revenue. However, on the other hand, if she won’t open the source code, undeniably, she is likely to be seen as the enemy of the users, maybe not the enemy of all users, but at least the enemy of the fanatics, which must lead to be alienated by the customers who play a significant role in the music game field. ZAOZAO LIU MIS500 FALL 2012 The reasons why the company should accept the open-source strategy Based on what's Marty worried I mentioned above, I will explain the reasons why the company should accept the open-source strategy from three perspectives. Considering the feelings of the team, especially the feelings of programmers, I believe the programmers must cheer for open-source software.Obvious is that confronting the current situation that inventing and executing dazzling upgrades are becoming harder and harder, programmers who Marty really cares about are fatigue so that they lose the passion in the software so that exhaust the creativity. At the moment, open source is a savior for all the programmers. They can integrate ideas from different developers and based on the basic innovative idea from developers, the programmers are more likely to create more stable and valuable upgrades than their opponents, because the programmers, the parents of Amp Up, must be more familiar with every detail of code.Another fact we should recognize is that a new generation of programmers has grown up with open source software, and is more skilled in finding out what they need with OSS than with closed and proprietary tools and systems. What mean by this is that with the open-source software, the programmers would work more effectivel y and efficiently. As to the customer churn, opening Amp Up's source code to the external developers doesn't necessarily lead to the customer churn, while closing the source code doesn't mean that similar and better software would never show up and the customers would be loyal to the company forever.Actually, infringers with strong competences have already shown up. Thus 2 ZAOZAO LIU MIS500 FALL 2012 open source becomes a must-to-do thing. From my perspective, as long as the programmer team of Amp Up doesn't give up the innovation of the software, the opponents can hardly take away the original customers. There are two reasons. One reason is that Amp Up has sound brand which has been generally accepted. In my opinion, the code of software is similar to the literature.Famous literature must be recreated several times, but the readers usually only can remember the original writer and prefer the original work. Thus, Marty doesn't need to worry about the KMG's position in the music game will be challenged easily, leading to a large number of customer loss. The other reason is the team of Amp Up, including the programmers, CEO, COO, is professional and visionary and more familiar with the software and mass market so that the team is more likely to have a better understanding of the customers' preference and cater to the needs of the market.The strategy of open-source software in KMS's hit product has a positive impact on enforcing the business transformation from a technology-oriented company to a serviceoriented company, which can bring KMS more opportunity to get more profit. If KMS wouldn't give away their proprietary IP and open the source, to keep technology advantages in the music game field, they must invest more money in Amp Up, such as maintenance fee of hardware, so the downward tendency of KMS's profit would be inevitable. Recommendations for KMS In short-term run, KMS should open the source and then integrate and utilize the ideas from different develop ers to mprove Amp Up quality and get potential customers to the 3 ZAOZAO LIU MIS500 FALL 2012 maximum extent. That is, KMS should utilize Amp Up to capture the last bucket of gold of the music software. After that, KMS should open the platform to third-party companies and provide technical support to those companies which still have the dream of surviving or even thriving in an increasingly competitive music game field. In long-term run, a business transformation of KMS is a must. Besides, I think KMS should still prioritize the innovation, because it has a potent technology team. However, the model of technology innovation should be changed.Innovation within ecosystem should be a long-term direction. Conclusion KMS should open the source, because Amp Up has already in the open-source community and open source software can bring more potential customers and more profit to KMS. Reference Coyle, Karen. â€Å"Open Source, Open Standards. † Information Technology and Libraries 21 . 1 (2002): 33-6. ABI/INFORM Complete. Web. 18 Sep. 2012. Jonathan Schwartz. †Should Marty’s Should Marty's company embrace open-source software in its hit product? † Simon, Phil. â€Å"Next Wave of Technologies† opportunities in chaos (03/01/2010) , Chapter 5 4

Answer questions from articles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Answer questions from articles - Essay Example Schor explains that these statistics underpin the need for the revival of the discourse that will call all individuals and households to reconsider their material requirements. In order for this right to be enforced, she suggests that governments should guarantee their citizens of employment, supply their basic needs, and consider using government income vouchers or transfers (Schor 7). A second element that Schor believes can help overcome the problems in American consumerism is an emphasis on quality of life rather than quantity of stuff. Schor states that it was in the 1970s that the indicators of the quality of the life of Americans stopped reflecting their incomes and the country’s Gross Domestic Product. She states that there is evidence suggesting that earning an income above the poverty line does not necessarily improve an individual’s well-being. She asserts that the lack of emphasis on well-being among the people above the poverty line is an indication of people’s concern with relative rather than absolute income. She states that an alternative explanation to the unlikely relationship between income and well-being could be the fact that increased output undermines factors yielding welfare (Schor 7). She observes that this is seen in the increase in work time, the decline in family leisure and time for one’s community. She offers that these two things exemplify the inverse relationship between growth and social capital. Growth and increased materialism affects a person’s appreciation of personal meaning, social commitment, community, religion, and family, all of which are alternative sets of values. She advises that the labor market should be restructured to allow workers more time to themselves and that companies that require their workers to work for excessive hours should be penalized. Schor believes that this will serve as an alternative indicator of GNP,

Project Planning 2 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project Planning 2 - Research Paper Example Introduction Project planning is normally stressful to human and resource managers since there are many requirements including adequate resources, skilled staff and other tools important for the project completion. Also required is the organizing and communication of the project plan, scope and procurement activities as well as the breakdown structures necessary for the success of the program. This paper contains a memo that communicates the budget situation to the team members, ways of improving underperforming team members and the action plan to bring the project back to normal. Memo To: Team members From: Mary Tranquillo, Human resource head for the team Date: March 14, 2013 Subject: Budget situation It has come to my attention that some this project of human resource of revamping the employee compensation and the package has started to develop issues. It is so unfortunate since time is not on our side since we have already lost six weeks and seems like most of the members are not dedicated. I have also noted that some of the members are not keen with deadlines, and this is contributing to the much drag in our project. As a result, our budget looks to have been depleted faster than anticipated. We must bring this budget to track as a group. I strongly feel that there is lack of motivation in the group. As a form of encouraging the team members, there will be rewards for the best individuals who will perform best. This will include contests, bonuses, time off payouts and promotions. In addition, the group will also benefit by getting a 5% share of the total profits they contribute to the company. However, appropriate measures will be taken against the poor performing members of the team since we require an energetic team who are ready to contribute to the success of the team. Best, Mary. Ways to improve an underperforming team member Compensating for results: These are the benefits to employees from the company for the efforts employed which are either moneta ry or other benefits. Compensation plans should be designed in a manner that motivates and encourages the team members. Many plans include large incentive component including bonuses, trips, cars, commissions and stock options (Andris A., Zoltners, Prabha K. et al. 2001, 269). Compensation will be an easy thing to do especially if the work done is measurable and comparable. The best team member will be determined through the measurement of the individual performance where the results are compared and the one performing best is rewarded. Other forms of reward whose nature is personal, special and also unique rewards tend to be even motivating more than cash alone. In order to determine how much a team member will be compensated, different factors will be considered. These include the contribution of the team to the total earnings of the company and the type of industry. Also benchmarking among different industries is important so as to approximate the right amount or type of compensa tion (Andris et al. 2001, 281) Improving Team Member Accountability According to Berry (2001), team work is normally beneficial to the company, but underperformance of one member is a drawback to the team and this can be worse if the members tend to hold each other accountable. If the team member fails to undertake actions that are useful to the needs of the team, then team member accountability becomes an issue of concern. There

Bureaucracy Assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bureaucracy Assignment - Research Paper Example The development of science and technology during the 1950s and 60s called for an increased in education funding which later expanded to education of the poor, minorities, women, the disabled and foreign nationals. This led to the passage of a Public Law Act for the creation of a Department of Education Organization in 1979. The main priorities of this department was to ensure equal access to education for all, to improve the quality of education, involve both parents and public in matters of education, increase federal research and support, improve coordination, management and efficiency of federal education programs and increase the accountability of such programs to the President. While the initial purpose of the department is being upheld till date, the increasing global competitiveness has also increased the need to prepare the American students to face this challenged through fostering excellent educational opportunities to all classes of people. The present Secretary of the US Department of Education is Arne Duncun. He was nominated by the President-elect Barack Obama to be the secretary of education and the US Senate confirmed his position on the Inauguration Day in 2009. The major goal of the department of education is to ensure equal access to education for all and also to improve the excellence of education throughout the country. The secretary in the Department of Education coordinates, supervises and directs all the activities within the department in addition to performing the role of the principle advisor to the President in matters concerning federal policies, programs and other related events in the field of education. The secretary remains the Chief Operating Officer of the Department and is followed in succession by the deputy and under Secretary, General Counsel and Chief Financial Officer. The Deputy Secretary in the Department of Education is responsible for developing and implementing educational policies and programs for the elementary an d secondary educational programs, which involves providing a safe and drug-free environment in schools, special education for students with disabilities and rehabilitative education for those coming from a culturally different background and development of interventional education programs and reforms. The Under Secretary is concerned with postsecondary, higher and adult educational policies and programs, college aids and reforms for the Presidential Pell Grant program. The secretary is supported by members who constitute the immediate office of the secretary. They are required to provide logistics support and advice to the secretary. The members include the Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy and Policy and Programs, Senior Advisor and White House Liaison. The immediate office of the Secretary in turn directs the executive management staff who provide administrative and management services, scheduling and advance staff who are concerned with managing the daily inform ation needs of the office of the Secretary and logistics, the executive secretariat tracks all the correspondence between the offices of the Secretary, Deputy and Under Secretary, the White house initiative in tribal colleges and university staff seeks to ensure the tribal colleges are granted proper accreditation in addition to gaining federal grants and high-quality education for all, the International Affairs Office offers advice on international issues and initiatives that may affect the educational polic

Acceptability Of The Euthanasia In The Modern Society Assignment

Acceptability Of The Euthanasia In The Modern Society - Assignment Example Proponents of euthanasia base their claims on the fact that in the democracy and capitalistic modernity that are so widespread in the contemporary age, every individual has the right to decide for his/her own future. â€Å"The Hemlock Society is very vocal in their belief that euthanasia should be allowed, especially if the patient has conveyed those wishes† (Yares, 2011). Therefore, if an individual wants to die, his/her wish should be granted. Proponents of euthanasia also say that this practice relieves the patient as well as the patient’s relatives of the continuous pain and havoc. In a lot of conditions, there is no hope of improvement of the patient’s condition. Instead of waiting for the death to come on its own, it is right as per the utilitarian view to assisting the patient with the suicide. The utilitarian view considers all such practices ethical whose results are favorable. Apparently, all results of euthanasia are favorable because it not only allow s the patient an escape from the uninterrupted state of pain but also give physical and financial relief to the relatives who have to pay for the hospital expenses on daily bases as long as the patient lives. In the present age, health care is becoming more and more expensive. People have to pay hundreds of dollars every single day for the patient care in hospitals. Euthanasia saves all this money and allows the relatives to take a sigh of relief. Opponents of euthanasia fundamentally base their opinion on religious grounds, saying that it is for no one but God to choose the time of birth and the time of death of an individual. If an individual is in a state of stress or pain, it is God’s will. God will take the life out of the body when He will want. By interfering in God’s business, humans are making themselves sinful and will have to be accountable for their acts in the world hereafter.

Marriage and the Family Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marriage and the Family - Personal Statement Example The solution that the educator that I interviewed presented was simply the desire of the parents to take some time off their careers in order to stay longer at home and monitor the development of their children. It is not always good to depend on the nannies and tutors to preside over the learning of their children. The parents have to be committed to regularly be there when their children needs them. The counselor that I interviewed mentioned that there are three fundamental procedures of decision-making in the present day families: the top-down method, the democratic method, and the subculture method. Top-down or implemented decision-making normally happens in the family structure of disoriented families, because the heads of these families do not know that it normally leads in bad developments that are hard to manage, even though they may be effortless to tell to the members of the family (Napier 5). In short, they do not know that top-down methods may lead in forced compliance from the children for instance, but in reality they do not totally agree to it. As a solution to this problem, the counselor suggested that families implement the deliberate methods to decision-making which are hard and eat up a lot of time, but the dedication and trust to the development will be more effective than an altered family setting which decreases outputs and results. C. Opinion of the Social Worker The social worker that I interviewed mentioned that majority of the failed activities of families at present rely tremendously on the lack of interpersonal interaction and relationship among the family members. Bounded with a distorted objective, the control of developments at families is not always coordinated with the family members that will benefit or will immediately feel the impacts. Discussing the objective of development at families nowadays is not always important (Cherlin 6). As a solution to this problem, the social worker recommended that families should start to realize that interaction is the highly recommended way that the families must always use. If the family members can effectively communicate with each other, obtaining the trust of each other and managing a smooth relationship will always be easy to do, and this leads to a smooth flow of family functions. Personal Notes I believe that family is the most important treasure in the world. While it is true that families cannot be perfect all the time, the family members must always have the initiative to help each other grow and become united as one. Of course, the parents have to be role models in order for the children to follow. If the family stays together as one cohesive unit all then time, then problems no matter how they may be can be easily deflected and the family will be strong and firm with their support for each other. WORKS CITED Cherlin, Andrew. Public and Private Families: An Introduction. McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages; 5th edition 2006 Lamanna, Mary Ann. Marriages & Families: Making

Operations Management - Toyota Corporation In China Coursework

Operations Management - Toyota Corporation In China - Coursework Example China is such market. In the past, the Chinese market was quite attractive for organizations in different industries; the specific market has been very popular especially for firms operating in the manufacturing sector. This market has attracted the interest of Japanese firms, which have been aware of the market’s prospects, mostly because of its size. However, through the years, the terms of operations in the Chinese market have been differentiated. The increase of wages and taxes has reduced the level of profit. Still, the Chinese market is quite important for firms operating in the manufacturing industry. Toyota has entered the Chinese market about 30 years before. Initially, the growth of the firm in the specific market has been impressive. However, gradually, the firm’s performance in China has been declined, a fact which has been mostly related to the failures in the firm’s operational strategy. The recent efforts of the firm to upgrade its operational stra tegy and develop a research and development unit in China are expect to highly benefit the organizational performance offering to the organization a competitive advantage towards its rivals.Introduction Because of the continuous expansion of globalisation, the decisions of firms to expand their activities internationally are highly depended on the perspectives available in regard to business activities in each country. China can be characterized as one of the strongest countries worldwide in terms of its financial perspectives. The last decade, the rapid development of entrepreneurial activities across China has led to the increase of the country’s competitiveness in the global market. At the same time, the fixed exchange rate, which the country’s policy makers have initiated, has further supported the development of the country as a popular destination for businesses of all types (Horch 2009). However, the fixed exchange rate in China has not helped towards the control of inflation, which in 2008 has reached the level of 8.5%, the highest level since 1996 (Rongala 2008). The relationship between the fixed exchange rate and inflation in China explains the following phe nomenon: firms and capital from many countries worldwide have entered the Chinese market in order to enjoy the benefits of the country’s fixed exchange rate policy (Horch 2009). However, through the years, the increase of inflation, which resulted because of the above policy, led to the increase of manufacturing costs across the country (Rongala 2008). As a result, manufacturing cos

Gerlinger Hall Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gerlinger Hall - Assignment Example There has is surrounded by the university street, pioneer cemetery and Gerlinger Annex. The hall was constructed within the university grounds. There is a wide open lawn on the sides of the hall. The topography of the green is fairly flat which makes it an alternative outdoor classroom. The topography is fairly flat and it features a slight crown which is used to allow for sufficient drainage to take place. The Green is set at an estimated four to five feet above the Street Sidewalk of the university. The field’s interior lawn is completely mowed. At the Northeastern edge there are a row of cypress trees. There is a grouping of native conifers at the Southeastern corner of the interior of the field. Other vegetation include wildflowers, bulbs, madrones, and California Incense cedar and Douglas firs. The southeastern edge and Northeastern edge of the field has trees which are met to provide shade to the building. This prevents entry of a lot of heat and cold. During hot weather, the shade blocks the heat from entering the building while it allows warm air to enter the Hall during cold weather. Sun exposure to the Hall is reduced due to the orientation of the building which prevents direct sunlight form the Hall. The Northeastern edge and Southeastern corner have planted trees to provide shade since those areas are prone to sunlight. The materials used in the construction of the Hall reduces the reflected glare and heat from direct sunlight. Furthermore, the Hall has incorporated enough shade into the space. Scalar adjustment mark the significant adjustment linkage between the spaces beyond and the perimeter of the Hall. The edge of the Green was adjusted in the 1969 when the Gymnasium was demolished and replaced with the Gerlinger Annex. There is a concrete path that separates Gerlinger Annex from the lane. The eastern edge is marked by the University Street defined by large conifers. The southern edge has a steep embankment with

Catcher in the Rye Essay Example for Free

Catcher in the Rye Essay The story takes place in Manhattan and is about a young boy named Holden Caulfield, it is about the learning experience that takes place and how an immature child tried to come to terms with multiple problems. In J. D. Salinger’s bildungsroman, Catcher in the Rye, Salinger utilizes the symbols, the red hunting hat; Allie’s catching mitt, and the ducks in central park to portray the theme that it is impossible to preserve natural innocence. Salinger utilizes the symbol of the red hunting hat to portray Holden’s loss of innocence and travel into adulthood. Firstly, when Holden is first mentioning the hat, â€Å"It only cost me a buck. I wore it, I swung the old peak way round to the back-very corny, I’ll admit but I liked it that way. † (17) Holden is talking about how he bought the hat and just wears it to express his own personality and recognizes that he likes to wear it in different ways. When he is explaining why he purchased the hat, he is trying to make people understand, he is constantly looking for acceptance from his peers and others, yet at the same time he tries to push people away by wearing the hat. This helps show that Holden is on his path to trying to figure out how he can stop the inevitable loss of innocence. Secondly, while walking down the street in the cold Manhattan weather, â€Å"My ears were nice and warm, though. That hat I bought had earlaps in it. And I put them on-I didn’t give a damn how I looked. Nobody was around anyway. † (53) As Holden is walking down the street, all he cares about is what he is feeling at that moment, just trying to stay warm and comfortable not caring about what others think. One can infer here that Holden doesn’t care too much about what others think, while this could be a facade to what he really feels inside, he tries to portray himself not caring about what others think and just wants to be happy. This continues to portray his path down the loss of innocence because as he starts to realize other people’s thoughts matter, he understands that he must give a little for the acceptance of others. Finally, towards the end of the novel when Holden angers Phoebe, â€Å"She wouldn’t answer me. All she did was, she took off my red hunting hat-the one I gave her- and practically chucked it right in my face. Then she turned her back on me again. It nearly killed me. † (207) Phoebe is angered by Holden’s immaturity and his lack of caring for others and crushes Holden’s last spirits toward innocence. With ties to the last person in the world crumbling, Holden begins to finally question his stance on life and must decide whether or not he is going to try and salvage the last relationship or completely isolate himself. Holden realizes that by his sisters actions and her disregard of the hunting hat, that he must grow up and this starts a chain reaction within him that could be a cause of his breakdown but it is unknown, Holden finally comes to terms with this loss of innocence and realizes that there is nothing that he can do to stop it. Allie’s catching mitt is also used in the portrayal of the loss of innocence in Holden and the characters around him. We are first shown the mitt when Holden is doing the composition on the catchers Mitt, â€Å" He had poems written all over the fingers and the pocket and everywhere†¦he wrote them on it so that he’d have something to read when he was in the field and nobody was up to bat. He’s dead now. † (39) This is the first time the reader sees Holden tear up and let some of his emotions get the best of him, he is talking of his dead brother Allie who meant a lot to him. One can infer that this was one of the more important relationships that Holden had and the loss of this relationship causes Holden to feel a series of symptoms and change the way he interacts with people. With the death of his brother Allie, Holden experiences for the first time, the lost of a loved one, one of the few people that he makes attachments with and this causes him to try and preserve the innocence within other children and even adults that he meets on his journey. The next time we see the glove, Holden is recollecting his past memories of Jane, â€Å"She was the only one, outside my family, that I ever showed Allie’s baseball mitt too, with all the poems written on it. † (77) Jane was another person who Holden allowed himself to get close to; he shows this by showing Jane his brother’s mitt. Holden is trying to get Jane close to him so that he can have someone in his life that is pure and cares about him, by showing her the mitt; he is revealing a part of him that no one outside of his family knows about. He sees the innocence in Jane and wants to try and preserve it; he wants to get close to Jane to keep her out of the adult world and not allow her to be corrupted by the world around her. The final time the glove is mentioned, Holden is having a flashback on when D. B. ants to prove a point, â€Å"â€Å"He made Allie go get his baseball mitt and then asked him who was the best war poet, Rupert Brooke or Emily Dickenson. Allie said Emily Dickenson† (140) This is one of the only times we see Allie alive and the whole family, besides Phoebe, together. Allie’s innocence is portrayed through the glove, when D. B. asks him which WWII author was better, one that was in the war or one that never saw a day in the war, Allie answers with the latter. This can be int erpreted as Allie seeing how the other author was not corrupted in the war and her work was more pure.

Use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Depression

Use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Depression Major depressive disorders destroy a persons ability to enjoy many ordinary parts of life. All of the activities which many consider normal such as eating, sleeping, working and playing, become empty for the depressed individual. Research has attempted to address the prevalence of depression and pharmacological treatments have often been the first line of defence in its treatment. Medications, however, usually have unpleasant side-effects and so psychological or talking therapies are often preferred by patients. One type of therapy that has been found to be effective in the treatment of depression is cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). This essay will first address the basic features and use of CBT in the treatment of depression before moving on to behavioural activation therapy which effectively uses a subset of the approaches used in CBT, finally the approaches will be compared and contrasted. CBT is often referred to as though it was a single treatment, but it actually comprises a number of approaches from both the cognitive and behavioural theories. Aaron Beck, the grandfather of cognitive therapy, describes the cognitive aspect of the approach as targeting the way that people interpret the events around them (Beck, 1991). In depression, within the theory, people are seen to have beliefs that are essentially maladaptive to the world around them. Their powers of interpretation have a number of significant biases which contribute towards their depression. In order to treat depression, then, cognitive therapy attempts to challenge the way that patients interpret the world. This is done by working through the various beliefs which are considered maladaptive by the therapist and testing them against the real world. Along with the cognitive aspects of CBT, behavioural approaches are also used. The behavioural aspect is based on ideas put forward by behaviourist psychologists such as B. F. Skinner, which describe peoples behaviour in terms of whether it is encouraged or discouraged by the environment. Hollon, Thase Markowitz (2002) point out that one of the assumptions of the therapy is that people who are depressed receive a high degree of reinforcement for their depressive thoughts and a low degree for their non-depressive thoughts. Behavioural strategies are particularly useful in CBT for allowing the patient to carry out behavioural experiments in which they are encouraged to try out different types of behaviour and check how the outcomes marry with their beliefs. The aim in CBT is that the evidence of these experiments will help to convince the patient that, through testing their contact with reality, they will come to adjust those maladaptive beliefs. The typical belief that a depressed pe rson has is that they are unlikely to succeed in many activities because of their have low expectations of their own abilities. Hollon et al. (2002) emphasise that the aim of CBT is not to think happy thoughts, but rather to try and encourage the patient to become more accurate in the way they perceive the world. One of the most important aspects of CBT is encouraging the patient themselves to continue to use the strategies learned in CBT after the therapy has finished. Compared to psychodynamic therapies, CBT is relatively brief at around 14-16 one-hour sessions, and so these learned strategies and changed beliefs need to be maintained after the contact with the therapist is finished. A large range of different studies have been carried out into the effectiveness of the use of CBT. Gloaguen, Cottraux, Cucherat Blackburn (1998), for example, used a meta-analytic approach to examine the evaluation of cognitive therapy (CT) in 78 studies between 1977 and 1996. Overall this meta-analysis showed that CT was effective in cases of mild to moderate forms of depression when compared to placebo or control conditions. There was even some evidence that the use of CT produced a better outcome than the use of anti-depressant medications and other psychotherapies. Criticisms of this research were aimed at the fact that this meta-analysis amalgamated wait-list groups with placebo groups, which, Parker, Roy Eyers (2003) argue, are not equivalent. Further, the effectiveness of the other therapies category to which CT was compared, was weakened by the inclusion of weaker types of intervention such as bibliotherapy. This research has also been questioned by Wampold, Minami, Baskin Tierney (2002) who, in reanalysing the meta-analytic data taking into account the control treatments, found that CT was not superior but equivalent to other forms of psychological therapy. The results discussed so far were mainly obtained for the treatment of mild to moderate depression. In the treatment of severe depression, however, the use of CT compared to pharmacological interventions has been questioned. Elkin, Gibbons, Shea, Sotsky, Watkins, Pilkonis Hedeker (1995) carried out a large study and found that CT was less effective than medication and only as effective as the placebo combined with clinical management. Hollon et al. (2002), however, point out that this, despite being a large influential study, was one of the only published studies that questioned the effectiveness of CT. Hollon et al. (2002) argue that the results were weak because of the lack of therapist training in two of the three sites at which the CT was given. In comparison, Jarrett, Schaffer, McIntire, Witt-Browder, Kraft Risser (1999) in a placebo-controlled, double-blind study looked at the use of CT compared to the most effective medication in the treatment of atypical depression. This st udy found that CT was as effective as the medication and better than the placebo in the treatment of atypical depression. The criticism of this study is that not all of the patients selected were suffering from severe depression, although many were. DeRubeis, Gelfand, Tang Simons (1999) carried out a mega-analysis[1] of severely depressed patients using the data from sub-groups of studies already carried out. Included in the analysis was the data from the study carried out by Elkin et al. (1995). Aggregating the results they found that, in fact, in this patient group with severe depression, CBT was as effective as medication. Indeed there was a small, but non-significant advantage for CBT over medications. This backed up findings from Hollon, DeRubeis, Evans, Wiemer, Garvey, Grove Tuason (1992) who had found a small, although non-significant, advantage for CBT over a pharmacological intervention. Hollon et al. (2002) argue that it is the expertise of the therapist that is most important, and those studies that do not support the use of CT or CBT tend not to involve the best trained therapists. So far, the way in which the studies have been discussed has treated depression as though the only variable in its makeup is its severity. Parker et al. (2003) point out that many of the studies report headline findings of the overall efficacy of the treatment of depression by CBT rather than examining the gradations in between. In fact, instead of talking about the severity of depression, Parker et al. (2003) suggest it is better to consider the different types of depression. Parker et al. (2003) split depression into psychotic, melancholic and other non-melancholic depressive disorders. The first two categories, Parker et al. (2003) argue, are considered more biological in origin and are, therefore, more responsive to pharmacological treatment. It is suggested that the last, more heterogeneous group of those with severe non-melancholic depression, are more responsive to psychotherapies, especially CBT. Taking a closer look at the way in which CBT works reveals a more ambivalent picture. MacLeod (1988) points to the distinction in psychotherapies between what are called common and specific factors. The common factors that have been found to be effective in all types of therapy include the therapists warmth, acceptance and empathy. Examining this idea, Strupp (1996) found that across different psychotherapies, as much as 85% of the variability could be accounted for by common factors. In other words, it doesnt matter which therapeutic modality is used, the simple fact that someone is taking an interest and being supportive has a beneficial effect. In addition, Ilardi Craighead (1994) point out that many of the major improvements during CBT occur before cognitive restructuring techniques are introduced. This also suggests that the importance of non-specific factors of the psychotherapy is paramount. A further factor which needs to be considered in the efficacy of CBT is the prevention of relapses. While patients often show good response to CBT, the suggestion is that, once the therapists support has been removed, a patient can easily regress. Gloaguen et al.s (1998) study suggested only tentatively that, when followed up, patients who had been treated with CBT were better able to maintain their gains than those treated with pharmacological treatments. Fava, Rafanelli, Grandi, Canestrari Morphy (1998) examined a relatively small sample of patients (40) in a follow-up study to compare the standard clinical management[2] with CBT. After 4 years, the CBT was shown to have a significant preventative effect against depression; however, this had faded at the 6 year follow-up. In similar work, Scott, Teasdale, Paykel, Johnson, Abbott, Hayhurst, Moore Garland (2000) looked at the effect of using CT on those with residual depressive symptoms and compared it to clinical management. The a uthors found that CT did significantly reduce residual depressive symptoms although there were some methodological problems with the study including the fact that the patients response could be a placebo effect as well as the authors suggesting that the effects seen might not have clinical significance in other words, they might not be practically useful. Parker et al. (2003) argue that, overall, these studies show only limited support for CT in the prevention of relapses and, in any case, do not provide the most useful comparisons as they do not compare CT to other psychotherapeutic or psychopharmacological approaches. Overall, Parker et al. (2003) argue that the efficacy of CBT and/or CT for all types of depression has yet to be established definitively, despite major positive findings in much of the research. Despite their critical approach to CT, Parker et al. (2003) do admit that CT is useful in certain situations. The problem for the research is identifying the situation specifically those with what is labelled depression do not represent a homogenous group and therefore when interventions are tested, it is not surprising that the results are equivocal. All of the research discussed so far has addressed cognitive behavioural or purely cognitive models of treatments for depression. The behavioural components of this type of therapy are normally used to augment the cognitive approach, with purely behavioural approaches having lost favour after the 1970s. As Parker et al. (2003) point out, though, there are problems with a reliance on cognitive strategies. They find little evidence for some of the basic assumptions of cognitive therapy, such as the centrality of global negative views of self and the world (Beck, Rush, Shaw Emery, 1979). One example of this is the work of Ingram, Miranda Segal (1998) who failed to find any support in the literature for cognitive vulnerability, an important factor in the model. While this does not disprove the model, Parker et al. (2003) argue that, overall, the evidence is somewhat inconclusive. For this reason and because of the increasing pressure to provide brief cost-effective interventions for de pression, there is now an effort to examine the efficacy of more behavioural methods, specifically behaviour activation (BA) therapies. As Hopko, Lejuez, Ruggiero Eifert (2003) point out, the roots of BA come from the radical behaviourism of Skinner (1953) who argued that depression was caused by those reinforcements that encourage healthy behaviour being, for one reason or another, interrupted in the social environment. At its most fundamental, then, those behaviours that are seen as healthy are not reinforced, or may even be punished, while unhealthy behaviours are reinforced. Jacobson, Martell Dimidjian (2001) claim that it is possible that CT and CBT do also tap into these ideas (as discussed earlier) but also place considerable emphasis on cognitive models. Jacobson, Martell Dimidjian (2001) see BA theories as concentrating more on the environment than the internal processes of the individual, and therefore aid in the de-medicalisation of depression. The empirical roots of BA can be seen in the Harmon, Nelson, and Hayes (1980) who found that they could prompt depressed patients into activity using a beeper an d increase their activity by more than double. Similarly, Zeiss, Lewinsohn Muà ±oz (1979) found that depression could be alleviated to a similar level as comparable interventions through the increasing of patients activity levels. BA concentrates, then, on behaviour, returning to formulations developed earlier, but with some modern enhancements. At heart, though, BA relies on some basic behaviourist principles. Extinction is used to attempt to remove those behaviours that lead to depressive feelings through the encouragement of approach behaviour (Hopko et al., 2003). At first, in BA, rigid structures are used to attempt to inculcate new behaviours but over time fading is used to minimise these structures as new behaviours become embedded. Shaping is also used in BA, although to a lesser extent than either extinction or fading. The reason it is not seen as shaping in BA is that the new target behaviours that the therapist hopes to embed in the patient are considered to already be there within the client. Shaping is sometimes required to reach more difficult goals that require a number of steps. Many of the ideas used in BA rely on classical behaviourism, but there are a number of major differences that Hopko et al. (2003) identifies. Firstly, BA approaches concentrate more on the functional aspects of a persons behaviour, i.e. those aspects of their environment that reinforce the depressive state. Secondly, close attention is paid in BA to the ongoing assessment of whether particular behaviours are related to depressive symptoms. Thirdly, instead of targeting thoughts, BA targets behaviours specifically and places this as the focus of change for the patient, with the assumption of the model being that these changes will flow back into affective states as well as thoughts. Finally, BA affects the environmental component of depression by influencing a person to change their behaviour and so experience positive consequences. Early work examining the efficacy of BA as a treatment for depression produced some encouraging results. Jacobson, Dobson, Truax Addis (1996) attempted to separate out the BA aspects of CT and compare them with each other. The results showed that there was little difference between the groups that received just the BA aspects of CT and those that received the full CT treatment. What was also encouraging for the researchers was that although the BA treatment did not specifically address the idea of negative automatic thoughts an extremely important component of the cognitive model of depression they showed the same levels of reduction across both the BA and CT treatment groups. Hopko and his colleagues went on to develop a specific manualised intervention aimed at depression called the Behaviour Activation Treatment for Depression (BATD) (Lejuez, Hopko Hopko, 2001). At heart this method uses the matching law developed by Hernstein (1970). This states that the amount of behaviour a person tends to give to a particular activity is directly proportional to the amount of reinforcement they receive while conducting that activity. The therapist therefore encourages the patient to change their behaviour, with much of the expected change happening outside the therapy sessions. The advantage of this type of treatment is that it is generally delivered over 10 to 12 sessions and is therefore shorter than CBT. In addition, sessions are often reduced in length towards the end of the intervention (Lejuez, Hopko Hopko, 2001). In this technique, once the baseline levels of activity and depression have been assessed, the patient moves on to look at the possible activities that could be targeted for increase. Examples provided are such things as the improvement of family and social relationships or courses of education or training that might be embarked upon. The emphasis at all times is focussing on those activities that the patient would find pleasurable and then these are ranked in order of difficulty. The patient also provides them self with rewards if their targeted behaviours have been completed (Lejuez, Hopko Hopko, 2001). Week by week the patient, with the help of the therapist, moves up through the hierarchy of activities, as they slowly get more and more difficult. The extra exposure to positive reinforcement for healthy behaviours is, within the theoretical model, supposed to encourage them to continue performing these behaviours and so decrease their depression. Hopko, Lejuez, LePage, Hopko McNeil (2003) used BATD in a small sample of 25 patients at a psychiatric in-patient facility. BATD was compared to the standard supportive treatments that the in-patient hospital provided. The results showed that, with the BATD requiring fairly low levels of training to implement, significant reductions in depression as measured on the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck Steer, 1987), such that the effect size and also the clinical significance of the intervention were substantial. In work that looked at both depression and anxiety in a case study, Ruggiero, Morris, Hopko Lejuez (2005) also found support for the use of BATD. In their most recent research, Hopko, Bell, Armento, Hunt Lejuez (2005) have examined the use of BATD in the treatment of depression in cancer patients in a primary care setting. This study was a preliminary clinical trial and therefore only included 6 participants. Each of these participants was suffering from major depression and being treated for cancer. After the BA intervention a variety of different measures showed considerable improvement with significant effect sizes. On top of this, the intervention was reported to be relatively easy to implement and did not require a large amount of resources. The advantages were maintained three months after the intervention and there was also an improvement in the amount of bodily pain. BA, while being based on techniques that have been long-established, in its current formulation is actually a relatively new method. As such, the types of evaluation that have been carried out to assess its efficacy are, as yet, fairly limited. While the work of Hopko and colleagues certainly provides some interesting and encouraging results, there are not the same scale of studies carried out into BA that have been carried out into CT and CBT. The CT and CBT studies include more than a handful of controlled, double-blinded studies which are the gold-standard of health psychology research. In comparison, the studies into BA have mostly small numbers of participants and do not provide the same rigorous comparisons as those carried out into CT and CBT. The reason for this is that the research into BA is still at an early stage and consequently, even though it is encouraging, cannot hope to provide the same solid evidence base as is already available to CBT. In conclusion, it can be seen that CBT and CT have a huge and growing evidence base that is largely positive. These cognitive based interventions have been repeatedly shown to be effective in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. For the treatment of severe depression there are some questions as to whether these cognitive methods are effective. Some researchers have suggested that the studies that have looked at CT and CBT have treated those with depression as though they are heterogeneous group which they are not. Future research should aim to look at which types of intervention are best suited to which types of depression. In comparison, BA shares many roots with CBT but only pays attention to the cognitive component indirectly. In this intervention the changing of behaviour is paramount, and the cognitive changes are thought to flow from these. One of the strongest advantages for BA despite its relative lack of supporting evidence is the easy with which it can be implemen ted. The evidence base for BA is clearly not as strong as that for CBT and so it will require more research before it can be confidently endorsed. References Beck, A. T., Rush, A. J., Shaw, B. F., Emery, G. (1979) Cognitive Therapy of Depression. New York: Guilford. Beck, A. T., Steer, R. A. (1987). Beck Depression Inventory: Manual. San Antonio, TX: Psychiatric Corporation. Beck, A. T. (1991) Cognitive therapy. A 30-year retrospective. American Psychologist, 46(4), 368-75. DeRubeis, R. J., Gelfand, L. A., Tang, T. Z., Simons, A. D. (1999) Medications versus cognitive behavior therapy for severely depressed outpatients: mega-analysis of four randomized comparisons. American Journal of Psychiatry, 156(7), 1007-13. Elkin, I., Gibbons, R. D., Shea, M. T., Sotsky, S. M., Watkins, J. T., Pilkonis, P. A., Hedeker, D. (1995) Initial severity and differential treatment outcome in the National Institute of Mental Health Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program.  Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63(5), 841-7. Fava, G. A., Rafanelli, C., Grandi, S., Canestrari, R., Morphy, M. A. (1998) Six-year outcome for cognitive behavioral treatment of residual symptoms in major depression. American Journal of Psychiatry, 155, 1443–1445. Gloaguen, V., Cottraux, J., Cucherat, M., Blackburn, I. M. (1998) A meta-analysis of the effects of cognitive therapy in depressed patients. Journal of Affective Disorders, 49(1), 59-72. Harmon, T. M., Nelson, R. O., Hayes, S. C. (1980) Self-monitoring of mood versus activity by depressed clients. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 30-38. Hernstein, R. J. (1970) On the law of effect. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 13, 243-266. Hollon, S. D., DeRubeis, R. J., Evans, M. D., Wiemer, M. J., Garvey, M. J., Grove, W. M., Tuason, V. B. (1992) Cognitive therapy and pharmacotherapy for depression: singly and in combination. Archives of General Psychiatry, 49, 774–781 Hollon, S. D., Thase, M. E., Markowitz, J. C. (2002) Treatment and prevention of depression. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 3, 39-77. Hopko, D. R., Bell, J. L., Armento, M. E. A., Hunt, M. K., Lejuez, C. W. (2005) Behavior Therapy For Depressed Cancer Patients In Primary Care. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 42(2), 236–243. Hopko, D.R., Lejuez, C. W., LePage, J.P., Hopko, S. D., McNeil, D. W. (2003) A brief behavioral activation treatment for depression. A randomized pilot trial within an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Behavior Modification, 27(4), 458-69. Hopko, D. R., Lejuez, C. W., Ruggiero, K. J., Eifert, G. H. (2003) Contemporary behavioral activation treatments for depression: procedures, principles, and progress. Clinical Psychology Review, 23(5), 699-717. Ilardi, S. S., Craighead, W. E. (1994) The role of nonspecific factors in cognitive-behavior therapy for depression. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 1, 138–156. Ingram, R. E., Miranda, J., Segal, Z. V. (1998) Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression.  New York: Guilford. Jacobson, N. S., Dobson, K. S., Truax, P. A., Addis, M. E. (1996) A component analysis of cognitive-behavioral treatment for depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 295-304. Jacobson, N. S., Martell, C. R., Dimidjian, S. (2001) Behavioral activation treatment for depression: Returning to contextual roots. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 8, 255–270. Jarrett, R. B., Schaffer, M., McIntire, D., Witt-Browder, A., Kraft, D., Risser, R. C. (1999) Treatment of atypical depression with cognitive therapy or phenelzine: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Archives of General Psychiatry, 56(5), 431-7. Lejuez, C. W., Hopko, D. R., Hopko, S. D. (2001) A brief behavioral activation treatment for depression: Treatment manual. Behavior Modification, 25, 255–286. MacLeod, A. (1998) Therapeutic interventions, In M. W. Eysenck, (Ed.), Psychology, an integrated approach. London: Prentice Hall. Parker, G., Roy, K., Eyers, K. (2003) Cognitive behavior therapy for depression? Choose horses for courses. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160(5), 825-34. Ruggiero, K.J., Morris, T.L., Hopko, D.R., Lejuez, C.W. (2005) Application of Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression to an adolescent with a history of child maltreatment. Clinical Case Studies, 2(10), 1-17. Scott, J., Teasdale, J. D., Paykel, E. S., Johnson, A. L., Abbott, R., Hayhurst, H., Moore, R., Garland, A. (2000) Effects of cognitive therapy on psychological symptoms and social functioning in residual depression. British Journal of Psychiatry, 177, 440–446. Skinner, B. F. (1953) Science and human behavior. New York: Free Press. Strupp, H. H. (1996). The tripartite model and the Consumer Reports study. American Psychologist, 51(10), 1017-1024. Wampold, B., Minami, T., Baskin, T., Tierney, S. (2002) A meta-(re)analysis of the effects of cognitive therapy versus other therapies for depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 68, 159–165. Zeiss, A. M., Lewinsohn, P. M., Muà ±oz, R. F. (1979) Nonspecific improvement effects in depression using interpersonal skills training, pleasant activity schedules, or cognitive training. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 47, 427-439. Footnotes [1] Mega-analysis differs from meta-analysis in that the former pools the raw data from separate studies while the latter pools the summary statistics from separate studies. [2] This generally includes discussion and education of the patient, and sometimes their family, about depression as well as any other care normally provided by the clinician.

Fallen Souls In the Inferno :: essays research papers fc

Fallen Souls in "The Inferno" Thesis Statement: In each Circle and Canto there are different penalties to pay but it is for sure that each forbidden soul in the Inferno will live forever in eternal suffering. I. Introduction II. Medea and Jason A. Jason's love affair. B. Medea and the three children exiled. C. Medea's slaying of the three children and Glauce. D. Jason's penalties. III. O. J. Simpson A. His Crime. B. His Penalties in the Inferno and in life. IV. Benedict Arnold A. His Crime. B. His Penalties in Hell. V. Conclusion Cantos III, V, and XXXIV are only three of the Cantos of the fallen souls of the Inferno. The Inferno is the place we call Hell. It reeks with bad smells and bugs and fire along with the many other hideous things. The Inferno has many Cantos and Circles, each for a different sin or wrong doing towards another. In each circle and Canto there are different penalties to pay but it is for sure that each forbidden soul in the Inferno will live forever in eternal suffering. Our first soul to discuss is eternally locked in Canto V, Circle Two: The Carnal. This man, Jason, became king of Cornith by committing adultery against his wife, Medea, with the king of Cornith's daughter, Glauce. Jason returns to Medea and tells her that she and their three children are to leave his home immediately so he and Glauce can move in. The following day Medea sends Glauce a poisoned robe which kills her. This causes Jason to come to Medea for revenge, where he finds his three children murdered by their mother's hand. Jason grief stricken falls upon his own sword and dies there with his sons. Jason is reputed to the Carnal a place where souls who give up there own life for passion â€Å"are swept forever in the tempest of Hell, forever denied the light of reason and of God,† (Literature 635). He is forever with the judge of Hell, Minos. The Caina is â€Å"the first ring of the last circle where those who performed acts of treachery against their kin,† (Literature 638). One destined for the Caina is O. J. Simpson. This man committed a sin that would send him to Canto XXXII. Simpson killed his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in a jealous rage. Simpson will surely be judged by Minos to go to Caina were his soul will forever have to live in retribution and think about what he had done against his wife, Nicole. O. J. will also have to live the rest of his life on earth and pay cash sums to the Brown's and Goldman's.

The Philosophy Of Truth Making You Free :: essays research papers

The Philosophy of Truth Making You Free There exists a philosophy that, the truth will make you free. For example, exposing a conspiracy that does yourself and others harm can only set you free from further harm and related mischief. Whether or not the conspirators are the criminals of society or the highest branches of our own government. Injustice spreads like a virus and it needs to be stopped while there is still a way. The effects of such an act can only free us and make us more aware of such corruptness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Moreover, a conspiracy spawned by criminals in society, to cause harm, will no doubt enslave the public both mentally and physically. The society will see the injustice happening but will not know from where it is being caused. This effect will be expressed in the sort of decisions they make and company they keep. A more defensive society cannot feel free until the conspiracy is brought to light, that is until the truth is told and the harm is stopped, society cannot be free.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Furthermore, a harmful conspiracy in the highest levels of our governments prevents freedom on a greater scale. If the truth cannot be found in the government that we elect, then what hope have we for progress. Mistrust and suspicion will be the tools of this brand of enslavement. If the truth is revealed then the uncovered conspiracy will free the public from the secrets and lies and in essence keep the government honest. First, the truth will make you free, is an irresponsible statement. To reveal the truth is not necessarily the best solution to a conspiracy. When you make the public aware of all that goes on whether it be what the criminals are up to or the high officials of governments, then a little knowledge causes a lot of unnecessary panic. A public with a truthful knowledge of what criminals have been doing will become paranoid beyond belief. They become defensive and suspicious of every person. That is how the truth can make you a prisoner of your own devising.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Also, when this harmful conspiracy in the higher levels of society becomes known, then a little truth can cause a lot of harm. The issues that the government deals with are of such great consequence that, they will have to make unpopular decisions and even make unscrupulous deals and from the products of this practice, the public in turn will cause an unparalleled uproar that would tear the fabric that holds a society together, if they knew the truth. Therefore the truth cannot make you free, because the truth can do more harm than good.

The Conflict of Kashmir

It is well – known that the State of Kashmir has always been a bone of contention, a perennial problem ever since India and Pakistan achieved their independence. The issue of Kashmir is one of the major problems which has stymied the world for so long, eventuating in horrendous loss of life and negative impact on the development of Kashmir. The history of being of Kashmirian nation is full of distress and suffering. The life of this nation is associated with poverty and oppression; therefore, this cannot be wished away and needs to be thoroughly discussed analyzing the origins of conflict of Kashmir and defining possible solutions.Kashmir is a beautiful region of South Asia, nestled between Pakistan, India, and China. The vast majority of the region's 13 million inhabitants live between the Himalayan Mountains and the Pir Panjal Mountains in the Kashmir Valley. Kashmir has two important water supplies that flow through it – the headwaters of the Indus River and the Jhel um. The climate and fertile lands of Kashmir are convenient for farming that produce rich procurements of corn, wheat, rice, fruit and vegetables. Another feature of Kashmir is that approximately 80% of Kashmir's population is Muslims.It is believed that these two factors of Kashmir are the main cause of conflict between India and Pakistan. Therefore, let's keep this in order and consider everything step by step. The Region of Kashmir has changed significantly over the last sixty years, largely due to actions of humans and the redrawing of its political borders. In 1947 Britain withdrew from India leaving behind a partitioned subcontinent. Two Independent states, India and Pakistan, had come into being. Jammu and Kashmir were one of the states that had existed under the British control.At that time, all the princely states had two choices: accede to Pakistan or India. Meanwhile all the states did the needful, the State of Kashmir took a unique turn, an eventful and an unprecedented turn. On October 26th, 1947 Raja Hari Singh signed an â€Å"Instrument of Accession† to India. This action violated the rights and hopes of 77% Muslim population of Kashmir to join Pakistan that has resulted in at least four major wars. Besides loss of liberty for 10 million people, it has entailed loss of lives, which was more than 102, 000, in the form of executions, bombardment and disappearances, terrible tortures, injuries, exual discriminations, destruction of property and business. The governments of India promised the people of Kashmir that they would be able to vote for their future sovereignty, but this never happened. Both Pakistan and India have claim to the Region of Kashmir over the past six decades. Pakistan has laid two major interests to the region. The first one is the Indus River, which begins in Kashmir. The Indus River plays a crucial role for Pakistan, because it is one of the main sources of water.Secondly, as it was written, Pakistan keeps on trying to unite Muslim population of Kashmir with Muslim brothers and sisters from Pakistan. Whereas, India claims that Kashmir is an integral part of their territory and will not relinquish its control of the region. Turning to the possible solutions, it is often reported that many efforts were undertaken by both India and Pakistan. Furthermore, The United Nations have tried to regulate these tensions and reach a compromise which would be convenient for both sides. Unfortunately, all these steps did not succeed.For instance, there were a proposal to accept a boundary which would divide Kashmir into two parts, with one side administrated by India and another side by Pakistan. Current border, namely the Line of Control, divides Kashmir into Pakistani Kashmir and Indian Kashmir. According to the statistical data, this boundary is secured by 650,000 Indian soldiers, while a total army consists of 1,3 million soldiers. I am completely sure, that this the worst way to remedy a situation since the vast majority of Muslim residents would have had to stay with India.In my view, The United Nations must take a stronger role in this conflict. The U. N. must require that India and Pakistan allow the people of Kashmir to decide their sovereignty. People of Kashmir should be given the rights to choose whether they want to accede to India or Pakistan. It is extremely important that Kashmir must not be divided by cultural differences, which may create an area of internal conflict in the future. There must be organized special elections under the control of the U. N. and other political observers.However, I strongly believe, that the needs and interests of Pakistan and India have to be taken into account as well. It implies that Pakistan should be given the assurance that some part of the important water source, Indus River, will be available for Pakistan whatever happens next. India's needs should not be ignorant though. Of course, there should be fixed limitations for consuming the w ealth of Kashmir by India and Pakistan. Obviously, these all would motivate both sides to resolve an issue in a short time. Second solution for the Conflict of Kashmir is giving an independence to whole Kashmir Region.First thing which can come to one's mind is that none of the countries will accept this way. The cause of this is that neither of sides are willing to give away the land which is very beneficial and profitable. Nevertheless, this difficulty can be overcome easily. In my opinion, the U. N. could exert pressure upon both Pakistan and India in order to force them to acknowledge the State of Kashmir as an independent area. If to consider Kashmir as an independent region, it is certain that Kashmir is comprehensively weak and will not be able to exist without any help from the outside.So, in this situation both Pakistan and India could render assistance and support to Kashmir to build an economics and ensure a gradual development, but with compensation. In simple terms, Ind ia and Pakistan could have a bargain with Kashmir. For instance, these countries are able to ensure the safety of Kashmir – allocate small part of their military in Kashmir. Moreover, both India and Pakistan can give the help to Kashmir with integration to the Organisation of United Nations. Also, they could establish some kind of institutions in order to stimulate the economics of independent Kashmir.In return for this, Kashmir could allow Pakistan and India to consume finite part of natural resources. In my point of view, it would be much better if all the sides signed a declaration of alliance and interaction. In conclusion, it must be said that we cannot remain oblivious to these heinous crimes, nor can the international community. We must pay more attention to this conflict and to the ways how this issue can be resolved. Every move leads to the serious outcome, as in 1947 if Raja Hari Singh had chosen more sensible decision , so war would have been avoided and people of Kashmir would not have suffered.Unfortunately, humankind cannot go back to that time and try to prevent this conflict.Bibliography: 1. Global Conflict: Kashmir. BJ Basinski CIM/CAM; 11-23-99. 2. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. Columbia University Press. 3. The interview of Sumantra Bose to Fathom – â€Å"The conflict in Kashmir. † Sumantra Bose; 2001. 4. The official website of BBC News channel – (special reports): â€Å"The future of Kashmir? † (http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/shared/spl/hi/south_asia/03/kashmir_future/html/) 5. The Kashmir Issue: Some Options Towards Solution. Dr. Misbah Islam.

Essay About Politics

In Regeneration Pat Barker utilises the character of Burns as a way of presenting the extent to which the society have managed to damage the young soldiers. Burns is a fictional character used as an extreme case in Craiglockhart Hospital that presents the emotional destruction that all soldiers feel and further enhances the strain from society on Burns individually shown in the actions he uses to demonstrate a severe deterioration.It is clear that the war is continuously playing on the mind of Burns in this extract by the militaristic imagery he uses when describing, what to other members of society, would be simply a normal walk around. On the bus journey first of all he describes the rattle of branches on the bus windows as sounding like ‘machine-gun fire’, which depicts the constant reminder he faces of the front line. The reaction of Burns trying not to be caught ‘crying out’ having heard these sounds suggests just how stressful being reminded of war in any way can be.Throughout this extract Burns also shows the discontent he feels and the struggle he faces to do the simplest of tasks such as walking up a hill. Barker refers to Burns’ struggle as ‘climbing the hill between trees’. The clever use of ‘climbing’ suggests the physical struggle he faces but also draws parallel with the feeling of climbing in and out of trenches on the western front that he formally faced, therefore hints at the idea that being reintegrated into British society was as much a â€Å"war† as it was when fighting on the western front.Again Pat Barker manages to show Burns facing the mirrored difficulties of war when he is ‘slipping and stumbling’ in ‘his mud-encumbered boots’ just like if he was in the harsh conditions of war. However we know that actually the ‘ploughed field’ he was walking through was nowhere near as difficult to travel through as in the western front which high lights how he has got far worse since returning which could possibly be due to the added pressure of society that he has been unable to adapt to life back home.Another key indicator that displays the pressure that has affected the character of Burns is the physical strains he faces. He depicts the discomfort with human contact so he ‘tensed, not liking the contact’ which indicates the disconnection he feels from society. Barker also further illustrates the dissatisfaction with life in general with his very pessimistic reflection on the day at the beginning. Looking at his room window he envisaged a ‘blurred landscape’ and the ‘sky and hills’ dissolved ‘together in a wash of grey’.The ‘grey’ and ‘blurred’ landscape that would have realistically have held much greater detail in rural Scotland- where Craiglockhart was located- shows the insignificance of the surrounding world for these struggling soldiers. Th ese dull adjectives simply underline the feeling of being fed up that Burn would have felt having being withdrawn from war and now has understood that he no longer has much meaning in life due to the societal pressure forced upon him.The feeling of being fed up that Burns portrays is seen through his dislike for spending time with others in the ‘common room’. He describes the talk as ‘facetious tones’ describing how he does not care what people have to say as it does not wish to spend time socialising with others due to the domino effect that he feels alienated from society. The men appear to sit around the ‘common room’ and talk about ‘the war, the war, the war’ showing how annoyed he is that this is all people talk about.The repetition of ‘the’ shows that this was the single most important thing of the time and this has left Burns feeling annoyed that he would rather just disconnect himself from everyone instead of f eel pigeonholed to only talk about such a distressful topic. As Billy Prior mentions later on in the novel this club ‘will be the club to end all clubs’ whereas Burns clearly does not comply with this. Physical strain on him. Paranoid- everything is against him. Possibly signs of disconnection from society leaving him emotionless. Conclusion. Print bibliography and photocopy extract.

How To Make A Cup Of Tea Essay

Currently, drinking a tea is a habit. You can find everyone drinking a tea in their daily activities. The reason why everyone like drinking a tea is because tea can makes us relax and also the taste is good. You can also find the seller of a tea cup in any place such as in mall, canteen , supermarket or even now you also can find that there are many outlets which is just only sell a cup of tea. They sell many kinds of tea such as original tea, lemon tea, milk tea, fruit tea, chocolate tea and other varieties. But you can also make it by yourself in your kitchen. I will explain how to make a cup of tea in general. There are several steps that you have to do to make a cup of tea. This is the three steps that you need. First, choose dried-tea leaves as good quality tea. Second, prepare the ingredients and tools. Last, how to make tea. For the first step to make a good tea, you need to buy a tea with good quality. Many kind of tea that you can find in market like tea powder, teabag, and tea dried-tea leaves. You can choose tea powder for simple way, but it is not too delicious because of chemical substance on it. Tea bag also the choice if you dont want to wait too long for make a cup of tea. But tea bag also not too good because the bag has’nt good quality and contains of chemical substance on it. The only good choice is dried-tea leaves because it more fresh and natural. Not only that, dried-tea leaves also have a good smell. Second steps after you chose the good quality of tea, you must prepare the ingredients and also the tools. The ingredients you need is like sugar. The sugar that you use here is granulated sugar not refined sugar. Another one is water ( boiled water). So you must boil water for the first. After the ingredients done you need some tools too such as kettle and stove to boil the water, if you dont have kettle, you also can use pot which is important to boil water. The last is how to make a cup of tea itself. Firstly you have to rehate bolied water in kettle about 3-5 minutes. After that pour the lukewarm water into the teapot. If already done, the other step is you have to add the dried-tea leaves into the teapot. Don’t add too much dried-tea leaves because the tea will too thick to drink. Wait about 3 minutes until the tea becomes a dark colour. Then strain the tea into a cup so that dried-tea leaves can be filtered. Don’t forget to add sugar according to your taste. And the tea ready to serve. You also can add milk or fruit syrup into your tea according your favourite flavour. Making a tea is not too difficult and you don’t have to buy instant tea in supermarket or mall if there is still time to make it. You just need tea, sugar, water, kettle, teapot, cup to make a cup of tea. You can also add milk or fruit syrup according your favourite flavour. With drinking a cup of tea can relax our body and can refresh our mind because of it smells.

Organisation and management in the network era Essay

The following report contains a brief look into MAS holdings, the company’s history, how they have grown and developed and how they have succeeded in numerous ventures. The report then goes on to address the following questions: 1. Outline the key leadership issues confronting MAS Holdings. 2. In terms of this case, how can the CIO assist in gaining senior management support for IT initiatives? 3. In reviewing an organisation of your choice, discuss the role played by the CIO and CEO when leading an IT initiative within their respective company An introduction to MAS Holdings Markets: MAS holdings, which was established and led by progressive and visionary leader Deshamanya Mahesh Amalean, MAS Holdings pioneered and perfected the manufacture of garments including fine lingerie in Sri Lanka. The company started with a single factory and staff of 60, today MAS Holdings now is one of Sri Lanka’s largest apparel manufacturers. They produce apparel, performance wear and swimwear in the world with a net $1 billion annual turnover. MAS Holdings now has 38 world-class apparel facilities that spread over 14 different countries and employing more than 55,000 people, they have grown from a small company to an international powerhouse in manufacturing due to their sound business model and visionary, diverse development. MAS Holdings are not only the leading strategic partner for Victoria’s Secret (VS) but also effectively serve numerous global brands including Triumph International, Marks & Spencer (M&S), DIM Branded Apparel, Nike, Speedo, Adidas, Reebok, GAP and Banana Republic. The for mentioned companies are known for quality and excellence throughout the world and this is in many ways attributed to MAS Holdings dedication to their brands and commitment to provide an excellent service to their customers. Design and product development has evolved to become a key part of the business – an area in which MASHoldings has excelled. In addition to working with traditional vendornetworks, concepts and design briefs in order to create new product ranges, MAS Holdings also works to create new technology and products that will be a source of competitive advantage, this is done in a bid to redefine the industry Innovation is second nature to MAS Holdings. From working with Victoria’s Secret on fast replenishment models to lean manufacturing with rapid product changeovers, the company’s fully-integrated model allows it to innovate across the value chain. Products MAS Holdings comprise of four business units: MAS Intimates, MAS Active, MAS Fabrics and MAS Investments, a separate non-apparel business. The MAS Holdings Intimates department designs and manufactures niche-market lingerie for high-street fashion retailer and brands, while MAS Active supplies leading brands in competition sportswear. MAS Fabrics, made up of manufacturing facilities for elastics, warp-knit fabric, lace, intimate apparel accessories and moulded bra cups, it is here that we see many of the innovative products MAS Holdings produce coming together. MAS fabrics also complements the Intimates and Active divisions. Through the integrated business model, MAS Holdings innovates new and exciting solutions from state-of-the-art silicon-embedding technology toorganic and fair-trade products. Some innovative products include the Speedo Fast SkinFS-Pro swimsuit which was controversially worn at the2004 Olympics, and subsequently banned. Another innovative product produced by MAS Holdings was the Nike Revolutionary Support Bra – the highest-selling sports bra in the USA – worn by international tennis playersand athletes. In 2007, MAS Holdings launched its own intimate apparel brand, Amantà ©, which targets the Indian market. MASInvestments oversaw a diversified portfolio of investments including the development of integrated apparel and fabric parks in the region, retail and outsourced information-technology services. The divisions are brought together under a common vision and corporate governance by MAS Corporate Solutions.A successful spin off from the apparel market was MAS Investments which include two IT consulting companies, the Corporate Branding and Retail unit and a diversified investment portfolio. A brief history review shows that in 1990, Mast Industries entered into a joint venture, setting up shadow line. The next big leap for MAS Holdings came in 1992 when it entered into a joint-venture partnership with Triumph International and Mast Industries to set up Bodyline, which continues to be its single largest plant for manufacturing intimate in the area. Slimline, a company which emerged in 1993 as a joint venture with Mast Industries and Courtaulds Clothing (UK), has been a key sourcing arm of M&S and went on to establish benchmarks for excellence in employee relations and put MAS Holdings firmly on the global map. The first overseas venture for MAS Holdings was Linea Clothing in the Maldives in 1996. Since then, the group has continued to make strategic investments overseas with operations spanning five countries. MAS Holdings initiated vertical integration within the Sri Lankan apparel industry with its joint venture with Mast Industries and Charnwood Elastics (UK) to establish Stretchline, the country’s premier supplier of elastics, in 1996. Stretchline is now a globally recognised brand for narrow performance elastics with a global manufacturing base. A partnership with NoyonDentelles of France in 2004 created South Asia’s first lace manufacturing facility, Noyon Lanka. Joint-venture partnerships with Prym Intimates (Germany), Dogi International FabricandTextprint SA (Spain) consolidated the regional supply base for intimate apparel accessories, warp-knitted fabrics and fabricprinting capabilities. This diversity in the supply chain has helped position Sri Lanka and the regional centre of excellence for apparel and sportswear. MAS Linea Aqua, a partnership concern with Speedo International, is one of the first dedicated swimwear plants in the world excelling in performance swimwear. As previously mentioned, it has been MAS Holdings dedication to innovation that has propelled it to the forefront of its industry. Q1. Outline the key leadership issues confronting MAS Holdings. As mentioned above, the history of MAS Holdingshas played a role in key leadership issues that confront MASHoldings today.There are several key leadership issues confronting MAS Holdings. Due to the diverse nature of MAS Holdingsoperations and its decentralised structure, it would be difficult to have a specific company- wide leadership in place. Malesh Amalean, chairman of MAS Holdings has to deal with the vertical integration of MASHoldings. At the beginning, he succeeded in creating his own company and orienting its company strategy to an export-oriented strategy. First, he managed to secure contracts with European and American retailers such as C&A or Calvin Klein. Secondly, he organized a first joint venture with a big American retailer, MAST, which allowed him to gain his first contract with Victoria’s Secret and a strong reputation in women’s lingerie manufacturing. Unfortunately, the sudden increase of work for thecompany led to some leadership problems,the need of seasoned professional managers. MaleshAmalean has to lose a part of his control over the company by sharing his control over the business to young and unknown managers. He has to trust them in order to take advantage of this situation. The next joint ventures, with Triumph, Noyon or Sara Lee, amongst others, have further increased the issue of control and trust. Although MASHoldings can continue to develop while being part of a large company, they must learn to adapt and compromise to suit partner firms. This may involve accepting new systems, processes and procedures such as the ones instituted by Triumph. However this deal was not one sided as MAS Holdings had to learn to share their own technologies and knowledge with their partner. This can lead to some loss of control within the company if not managed correctly. In order not to lose too much power, MAS Holdings was only signing joint-ventures with companies in which they established a trusting relationship, with strong dialogue and a personal relationship, they also protected themselves by never committing 100% of their production capabilities to one particular company. Furthermore, the company clearly outlined in each contract that MASHoldings were responsible for managing the businesses from taking the order stage and MASHoldings also clearly defined the responsibility of each participant in the joint-venture. This specific repartition of tasks allowed MAS Holdings to build a specific structure for all their different tasks which they maintained a desired level of control over. Due to a desire to succeed with this new decentralized structure; MaleshAmalean made a decision to allocate leaders to each structure, segmenting the leaders from each other. MAS Holdings run the risk of deviating from its core business model as a result of this. This is one of the reasons why MAS Holdings managed to deploy its IT systems to improve knowledge sharing and information management capabilities across the organization. As the company develops and grows, they are faced with the issue of loss of control. They attempt to counteract this by implementing strategies to prevent it. Q 2. In terms of this case, how can the CIO assist in gaining senior Management support for IT initiatives? The Chief Information officer (CIO) of an organisation is the person responsible for the information technology and computer systems that support the organisation’s goals and objective (TechTarget). This position is intended to bridge the gap between information technology and the business. It is an evolving role related to performance, evaluation, and turnover. For IT initiatives to be successful, a team approach is essential at the senior level in the organization. Therefore the CIO must try to provide a link between the IT department and the company’s senior managers (Hunter, 2010). The following paragraphs would discuss ways the CIO can assist in gaining senior management support for IT initiatives in MAS Holdings. Communication At MAS Holdings, the senior management is aware of the flexibility and competitive advantage IT initiatives can bring to the organisation in a rapidly changing market. However, to assist in gaining senior management support, communication is key. The CIO must communicate in the language of business, as this is important to enable the senior management make IT funding decisions as well as strategic and business decisions. Therefore, the key information on what the IT project will enable MAS Holdings to accomplish should be stated in clear, concise, and real business terms. Stating the alignment with strategies and objectives Information technology and business alignment refers to demonstrating concise business related value from IT and coordinating the capabilities of IT with the objectives of the organisation (Hunter, 2010). In order to do this, the CIO needs to understand the strategies and objectives of MAS Holdings. Strategies of MAS Holdings include a coalition of companies, Backward Vertical Integration, and streamlining the supply chain. The specifics of potential IT initiatives should be clearly stated and explained how it may be strategically applied to accomplish the MAS Holdings’ goals and objectives. In cases where IT projects are not aligned, but may still be important, the CIO needs to tell senior managers why and how. Alignment is usually facilitated through communication. Specifying the anticipated benefits Usually senior management do not specifically care about the technology itself, but how it would enable the organisation accomplish its goals. MAS Holdings work with a coalition of companies, so apart from competitive advantage, IT initiatives would provide a transparent model which allows information and knowledge to flow within the MASHoldings group companies and through the value chain, from customer down to various suppliers. This would make the retail business more efficient; cost competitiveness and speed would be enhanced, while providing flexibility. MAS Holdings biggest customer, Victoria’s Secret needed to shorten the concept-to-market time of its products. An ERP solution would help produce a demand-planning system that would have â€Å"the right product on the shelf at the right time†. Showing the focus on MAS Holdings’ top priorities The CIO must understand the organisation’s priorities, and the identified IT initiatives must address these priorities. MAS Holdings priority is to understand how each of their partners work, what is important to them, and what their expectations are. Therefore in order to gain senior management support for IT projects, the CIO should show an understanding of the culture of the MAS Holdings and its partners, and to provide the IT solution that would support that. Q 3. In reviewing an organisation of your choice, discuss the role played by the CIO and CEO when leading an IT initiative within their respective company. The company we have chosen to review is Marks and Spencer. We feel this is a specifically good fit as they fall under the MAS Holdings umbrella of brands. Marks & Spencer CEO Marc Boland: Marc Bolland, originally from Holland is the current CEO of Marks & Spencer’s. He was noted in 2010 as one of the most influential people in business and in 2011 he was named as â€Å"most admired business leader† in the UK by Management Today magazine. He worked for Heineken and Morrison’s before Marks & Spencer’s. When Marc took over at Marks and Spencer in 2010, he faced the challenge of improving sales and increasing profits. His aim was to do this through using the most up to date and innovative technology. Marks and Spencer set Cheshire Oaks as their flagship technology store. â€Å"Cheshire Oaks is the first Marks and Spencer store to make extensive use of all the latest technology and innovations in multi-channel to create an enhanced, more convenient and inspirational customer shopping experience.† The Cheshire Oaks and subsequent stores have adopted and utilised technologies : HD screens throughout the stores showcase the latest looks offered. Browse and Order screens allow catalogues be viewed and ordered from. Staff equipped with iPads to assist customers with item searches Leading technology such as the ‘Virtual Makeover’ and ‘Duvet and Pillow Selector’ keep Marks and Spencer at the forefront on technology. QR codes and free customer Wi-Fi also feature throughout the store. It is essential that Marc Boland works with the CIO when he is implementing or improving any information technology process or policy. Collaboration between CEO and CIO is essential. Marc’s role is to approve of and support IT initiatives. Backing the technology and using his expertise and resources efficiently will help any implementation succeed. Marc must be an informed leader and ensure that the team and himself keep up to date with the constantly changing world of E-Commerce and technology. Being an informed leader will help Marc in his role of ensuring Marks & Spencer’s keep up to date with their competitors. Customers value and demand the newest and most up to date technology. Providing services that meet the demand is a key role in Marc’s goal of improving the situation Marks & Spencer found themselves in when he acquired the C.E.O. role. Marks and Spencer CIO – Darrell Stein Darrell Stein is CIO of Marks & Spencer’s and he plays a crucially important role in leading I.T. initiatives throughout the organisation. Although Chief Information Officers will always be involved in I.T. initiatives, Steins vision, enterprising spirit and ambition ensure many successful I.T. projects under his tenure. Stein is the key man that led I.T. change within Marks & Spencer resulting in it being a very successful organisation today. Stein was initially brought in as an I.T. director with some responsibilities for logistics, however he moved away from the logistics side so he could give his full attention to I.T. Using his knowledge and experience, he shortly found himself overhauling the I.T. systems company wide, no easy task for an organisation with over a thousand stores and almost  £10billion in annual revenue. Stein learned lessons from recent high profile disasters in the retail sector, and his approach is to look at all aspects of a project while planning the project, he is also involved in getting the right people in place and employs a tactic of not moving too fast, his successful techniques have been proven with the high success rate of projects which he has co-ordinated. Crucially, he also realises how much that I.T. projects which don’t work, hurt the organisation on a day to day basis. Perhaps the most rewarding I.T. initiative that Stein was a leader in implementing was the roll out of SAP software within the company. SAP was initially rolled out in the finance department, and after its initial success, it was expanded to other departments within the core business system. Stein’s role was to justify the implementation of the software, as well as convincing the board at M&S that the heavy initial investment in SAP would lead to a bottom line benefit to the company and overall cost savings in the long run. Stein also faced a challenge in integrating SAP into the existing business process and his full support and backing of the I.T. project was key to its success. When Stein initially rolled out the SAP system in the finance department it led to instant savings. Stein cut M&S’s procurement spending by a quarter as a direct result of the implementation of the SAP system (TechRepublic, Top 50 CIO). Due to its success in the finance department, Stein rolled out SAP systems to other business areas including HR, supply chain and the foods division. This wide scale roll-out became part of a â€Å"2020-Doing the right thing† initiative which in essence, is an I.T. &supply chain overhaul that cost  £400million in 2011 alone (M&S completes first phase of 3 year SAP rollout, 2010).Steins role in this long term project is key and he is the catalyst for I.T. change within M&S. Stein was also integral in pushing through the I.T. change projects with the goal of lowering overall company operating costs. His ethos â€Å"of not seeing himself as a technology person, but as a business person who utilizes technology to benefit the company†, has been fundamental to M&S and its rebranding strategy of â€Å"more for less†. Stein helped reduce running costs through implementing I.T. initiatives, and this led to money being freed up within the business and being invested in other sectors, such as business development projects. It is clear that Darrell Stein has been a fundamental player in leading I.T. initiatives in M&S and his reputation both within the company, and the wider business world, mean the decisions he takes are looked at with optimism and excitement from his colleagues, and with caution from his competitors. Stein has tried to focus on building the trust and strong relationship the M&S brand has with its customers, he sees this as key to keeping â€Å"sticky† customers, whose return business is vital to the company’s continuous success. He has done this through developing feedback channels with customers through more interaction, he has also focused on building the e-commerce aspect of the business, and it is largely due to the measures Stein implemented that M&S has achieved 75% annual increase in its online sales turnover. Stein is now in a position within M&S where he has contributed to them becoming market leaders through, in part, his leadership in pushing through I.T. projects. As mentioned above, it is imperative that Darrell Stein works in harmony with Marc Boland to ensure that two of the most influential men in the company work together to achieve organisational goals. Key to the pushing through effective I.T. initiatives in M&S was the close professional relationship Boland and Stein had. Both men regularly communicated with each other about implementing change and integrating the I.T. into the business model. The rich communication channel reinforced any project the men were involved in and made the implementation of technology very smooth. All scenarios involving the new technology would have been talked about prior to its implementation. Communication was a key factor to success in many projects such as the introduction of the â€Å"virtual makeover† application. Boland and Stein were also both innovators, they looked to set themselves aside from competition through innovative thinking and applying new techniques in the retail sector. Having a CEO and CIO with such a good relationship was essential to some of M&S’s innovative approaches as technology was a key tool used in implementing the change. One such project was the introduction of M&S TV online, which promoted customer interaction with the overall aim of boosting sales. M&S TV pioneered many of the campaigns you see today, for instance, they were first to do a video on â€Å"where does the milk on the shelves come from? Meet the farmer†. These videos made the customer believe they are shopping local and such ads can be seen today by firms such as McDonalds, for their beef, and Supervalu for their produce. The dedication both men had to their jobs was also crucial to many successful projects. Both men had a passion for what they were doing and firmly believed all measures they put in place were for the benefit of the company. In conclusion, we feel both Marc Bolland and Darrell Stein added to Marks and Spencer’s success, and their co-operation and partnership has boosted innovative techniques and introduced new technologies to the firm. References: If necessary – answering a question so not sure? -TechRepublic, CIO 50 most influencial, innovative tech chiefs. www.techrepublic.com/cio50/Darrell+Stein/6385891/ -â€Å"M&S completes first phase of three year SAP roll out†, Leo King, Computerworld UK, published May ’10- www.computerworlduk.com/news/applications/20416/marks–spenser-completes-first-phase-of-three-year-SAP-rollout/ References Brief: How can CIOs improve their presentations to senior management? URL: http://www.rms.net/lc_briefs_cio_present.htm Hunter G. (2010) The Chief Information Officer: A Review of the Role. Journal of Information, Information Technology, and Organizations TechTarget: Definition of Chief Information Officer (CIO). URL: http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/CIO .Watson.N,Story.J. (2006).MAS Holdings: Strategic Corporate Social Pesponsibility in the Apparel Industry.3-4.02/2006-5340 2.Various(Author)(2007).Business Superbrands.54-55.UK:Superbrands Ltd View as multi-pages