The Child

Task 3 AC 3. 1 ? Attachment needs: By knowing the background of a child, having a good relationship with his/hers parents/carers and learning about the child’s interests all adds to aid the bonding. Each child is allocated a key worker but all staff should be able and available to engage with a child. Listening to them, builds the trust and confidence they will have with you and therefore are more likely to come to you with any problems or concerns e. g. child in nursery has quite a distressing time when his parent leaves him so (whenever possible) the same member of staff always greets him, helps him sort out his bits and bobs and then takes him to the modelling table (his favourite thing). Over time his has helped him with his negative reaction to being left. This routine is also beneficial if that member of staff is not available as another staff member can do the same things. ? Supervision: A child needs to learn and explore so we need to always be mindful of Risk V Challe nge. The opportunities must be there but in a way that does not endanger the child e. . Children should be given the opportunity to use the P. E equipment but staff must keep an eye and mats must be placed on the floor. If supervision is lacking a child could have accidents. Staff must always remember that they’re role models, also a good home/school link is again important as home background may have an impact on a child’s behaviour ect. By being aware of anything that is wrong at home e. g. Neglect and can put the welfare of the child in rectifying the problem. ? Safe arrival and Departure: With both arrival and departure staff, need to be warm and friendly to both children and parents/carers.The children need to see a good relationship between home/school to help reinforce their feelings of safety. By getting parents/carers in this way they’re more likely to have a word if there is anything going on at home e. g. a parent took met outside to explain a family pet had died and their child may be a bit tearful. This then allowed us to keep an extra eye on them and be ready to talk about it when the child wanted to. At departure time it is important for staff to be well informed on who is able to collect the children e. g. there may be a court order disallowing a parent from collecting the child.It is also important to keep a register in both am and pm sessions in case of emergencies (headcount) and it is a good way to keep check on regular absentees which may give a cause for concern. ? Outings: There are many things to consider when taking children on outings. Prior to any outing parent/carers must know and a permission slip is required for every child. A risk assessment must be done, the route planned and all relevant insurances must be up to date. Extra staff or volunteers will probably be required along with a qualified first aider. On the trip itself staff need to know that they have a list of emergency contact numbers.All staff need to know of any allergies or medical conditions. Head counts must be done on a regular basis – double checking each time. At our setting all the children would also be wearing a high visibility jacket as well. ? Play opportunities: In order to help protect and child’s safety and well being and to prevent a setting from being over crowded there is a minimum space ratio for every child i. e. 3-5 year olds: 2. 3 square meters of space per child. Children need to go outside every day (weather permitting) and if the setting does not have an outside area there must be on the setting can access e. . a field over the road. At my setting there is an outside shared area that both F1 and F2 can use. Part of the area is covered so even if it is raining the children can still be in the fresh air. Any theme/topic currently in the class is carried on with equipment and play opportunities outside e. g. shapes – the sand pit may have different shapes in it for the children to fin d. ? Nutrition: Within my setting there are snack tables and a snack area in both F1 and F2. The children know that to eat there it has to be a ‘healthy’ snack e. g. a piece of fruit, carrot stick etc.Fresh fruit and drinks of squash, milk or water are available for all in case they do not bring any from home. The children bring in a pack lunch or have a hot Scholl dinner, so I would assume that the school has looked into the catering company and that they fulfil any requirements to provide a nutritious meal. ? Medical needs: We would need to know if a child has had all of the relevant vaccinations and date of the last tetanus jab. It is a parent’s choice whether to get a child vaccinated but we need to know either way. Within the setting there needs to be a first aider, school nurse or someone with relevant training on hand at all times.Any medical conditions that require treatment or medicine during the day needs to be administered by one of the above. Signed c onsent must be given by the parent and/or doctor if required e. g. one child at our setting bought in some ‘Puritan’ and we were asked by the parent to administer it more than the dosage stated. To protect the child (which is our duty) the school nurse would not do this until a doctor letter said that this was ok. The authorisation did not come – so she didn’t do it! Although it is not usual to go against the parents’ wishes in some cases it will be done to protect the child (‘duty of care’). Risk Assessments: this is required by law as part of health and safety. The setting equipment and things like outings all need to have the paper work done. At our setting the lead practitioner must sign it off and then give it to the head master, copies must also be kept. ? Hygiene: This is a huge aspect of keeping children safe and healthy. With regard to the children themselves all children are taught and reminded of how to wash their hands after each toilet visit and before eating. They are also shown and reminded on how to cover their mouths if they cough and to wipe their noses!If there are any toileting accidents the member of staff dealing with this needs to wear latex gloves and nappies have a separate bin. Dirty underwear gets placed into a special bag ready for the parents later. In the staff toilets there is a separate bin for any sanitary or tampon waste. As for the setting itself, the kitchen and snack areas are wiped down regularly. Play equipment and toys (wherever possible) are washed or wiped down at regular intervals. The children’s toilets are checked several times a day with professional cleaners coming in every evening.Also, at my setting, the water tables are drained and sprayed with a sterilising solution at the end of every day. ? Health surveillance: This is why it is important to know the children as it is easier to see when a child is poorly or ‘out of sync’. You will notice any weight loss or gain, any bruises from ‘regular accidents’ or change of moods and then be able to act accordingly. At our setting we also check with the lunch time staff and check lunchboxes to keep an eye on what and how much the children are eating. If there is a sickness bug and 2 or more children go down with it then Ofsted must be informed within 14 days. Food hygiene: All people that prepare or serve food to children should have attended a food hygiene course and attained a certificate. In our setting we have a small kitchen area and all the area is wiped and cleaned regularly. The ‘laws of the fridge’ are abided by e. g. it is regularly cleaned and any fresh meat is stored below cooked meats etc. Aprons, tea towels, clean cloths etc are always available. A list of hygiene rules are also displayed in the kitchen. ? Safeguarding: Every setting will have written policies and procedures to help ensure the safety and wellbeing of every child.These will inc lude Health and Safety, Confidentiality, Data Protection, Bullying etc. When it comes to staff, all must have a CRB check and there will be a policy on ‘whistle blowing’ for any member of staff concerned about the actions of another. Any changes to staff etc must be reported to Ofsted. ? Cultural needs: This goes back to the ‘Equality, Inclusion and Diversity’ law. Every child as part of their happiness and wellbeing needs to feel important and worthwhile. Children should be made aware of different types of cultures and celebrations.Staff need to know the different cultures and parents need to be informed of any topics or celebrations that will be covered at the setting e. g. a Jehovah boy’s parent didn’t want him attending the Christmas party so they were informed so she could collect him before it started. ? Physical care routine: All of the topics covered on this task aid the physical well being of a child so I shall just cover ‘Intim ate’ physical care e. g. nappy changes – the staff allowed to do this at my setting have to be a full-time member of staff, with a CRB. Also the only children who would equire this at my setting would have a ‘Statement’ and written permission from their parent/carer would have been attained. Any allegation of inappropriate behaviour would be reported following a chain of command, documented and given to Ofsted within 14 days. ? Physical activity: physical development and activity is so important to a child that it is a prime area in the EYFS. It helps children develop co-ordination, motor skills, balance, control and movement. At my placement they do a ‘wake and shake’ activity, which involves music and dance, after both am and pm registration along with P.E. sessions and outdoor play. ? Sleep and rest: By the time the children attend my setting they no longer have naps in the day – however there are areas they can go, e. g. book corner , if they want some quiet time or are feeling a little unwell. Children’s health and well being is also enforced by the EYFS, ECM, Childcare Acts and UN Rights of the Child. (Esp. Articles 3, 12, 13, 14, 24, 28, 29, 30 & 31). Task 4 AC 3. 2 1) Doctor: The family doctor is there for a wide range of health issues from a short -term viral infection to a long-term health issues.They will treat, advise and make referrals if necessary. Usually they will know the family history and background of a child so can be able to notice if things are a cause for concern. 2) School nurse: The school nurse works in partnership with the school and can be called upon for any concerns about a child. He/she also treats, cares and monitors any children with an ongoing medical condition. He/she can administer medicines and may also keep an eye on any children who have other agencies involved in their care e. g. social worker. ) Dentist: In most cases children are taken to the family dentist who will check, treat and care for their child’s oral health care. He/she will also offer advice on a child’s diet and dental care. Usually once a year a school dentist will visit and check at school with parents being advised of any concerns. 4) Dieticians: Dieticians provide advice to families with regard to healthy eating and choices along with life-style choices. Often Doctors will refer families to a dietician if they have concerns over a child’s weight. Task 5 AC 5. 1 1-3 year olds Breakfast |Weetabix 20g | | |Milk 50g | | |Fresh Orange Juice 25ml | | |(diluted) | |Mid-Morning Snack |Milk 100ml | | |Bread Sticks 20g | | |Cheese cubes 10g | | |Apple chunks 50g | |Lunch |Chicken Risotto 150g | | |or | | |Vegetable & lentil Broth 150g | | | | | |Fromage Frais 60g | | |Strawberries 30g | |Mid-Afternoon Snack |Milk 100ml | | |Dried Apricot 15g | | |Raisins 15g | | |Banana 30g | |Tea |Sm. W/meal Pitta Bread | | |Tuna 40g | | |Sweetcorn 50g | | Cherry Tomatoes 30g | | |C ucumber 70g | | | | | |Custard 70g | | |Peaches 40g | |Vitamin A | Apricots, tomatoes, | | |Cheese, sweetcorn, milk | |Vitamin D |Tuna | |Thiamine |Pitta, chicken | |Riboflavin |Milk, chicken, tuna, cheese | | |Yoghurt | |Niacin |Tuna, chicken, pitta | |Vitamin B6 |Pitta, weetabix, chicken, | | |Tomatoes, cheese, lentils, | | |Banana, apricots, raisins | |Vitamin B12 |Chicken, milk, cheese, | | |Yoghurt | |Folate |Pitta, tomatoes | |Vitamin C |O. J, apple, | | |Tomatoes, strawberries | |Iron |Pitta, lentils, chicken, | | |Tuna, apricots, raisins | |Calcium |Cheese, yoghurt, milk, | | |Lentils, apricots, O. J. |Zinc |Chicken, weetabix, tuna, | | |Milk, cheese, lentils, pitta | |Fibre |Weetabix, lentils, apricots, | | |Sweetcorn, banana, raisins | 4 – 6 year olds |Vitamin A |Carrot, tomatoes, O. J. | | |Green beans, margarine, cheese, | | |milk | |Vitamin D |Tuna, salmon, margarine | |Thiamine |Ham, rolls, potatoes | |Riboflavin |Milk, ham, tuna, salmon, cheese, | | |Yoghurt | |Niacin Salmon, tuna, ham, rolls | |Vitamin B6 |Potatoes, banana, baked beans, | | |Green beans, rolls, tomatoes, | | |Cheese | |Vitamin B12 |Milk, cheese, yoghurt | |Folate |Weetabix, rolls, green beans, | | |Tomatoes, potatoes | |Vitamin C |O. J. raspberries, tomatoes, | | |Potatoes, green beans | |Iron |Rolls, weetabix, baked beans, | | |Salmon, tuna | |Calcium |Cheese, yoghurt, milk, O. J. | |Zinc |Ham, tuna, milk, cheese, beans, | | |Rolls | |Fibre |Baked beans, rolls, potatoes, | | |Carrot, banana | Breakfast |Baked beans 80g | | |Sprinkle grated cheese | | |Muffin 50g | | |Margarine 15g | | |Orange Juice 25ml (dil) | |Mid-morning snack |Milk 100ml | | |Banana 100g | | Lunch |Grilled salmon 75g | | |Boiled potatoes 100g | | |Green beans 50g | | | | | |Fromage Frais 60g | | |Raspberries 40g | |Mid-afternoon |Water | |snack |Pineapple in juice 80g | | |Fruit yoghurt 80g | |Tea |Wholemeal rolls 60g | | |Margarine 15g | | |Ham/tuna 30g | | |Tomatoes 35g | | |Cucumber 20g | | |Car rot sticks 35g | | | | | |Sponge pudding 90g | Task 6 AC 5. Please note we would need to check the ingredients of the cottage pie and check whether nuts are used in the vicinity of this meals preparation. 1. No. 2. Georgia, Isabel, Abra, John. 3. We might endanger the children – allergies or offend/go against cultural practices. 4. Joshua = would get a rash that could be inflamed, itchy or develop hives. Georgia = could get an uncomfortable stomach and/or diarrhoea. Noah = could have a small reaction e. g. minor swelling to his lips or face or a severe reaction e. g. an asthma like reaction with swelling of the throat (anaphylaxis). Isabel = could develop symptoms of wheezing, diarrhoea or vomiting.Abra = we would be going against his (& his parents) culture and not giving him the respect, knowledge and understanding of his ethnic group. John = if he is a vegetarian by choice we would be going against his wishes and life-choices to which he has a right. 5. Parents (I would pr esume) know their children best. If the advice is ignored you could cause their children to have an allergic reaction, whether mild or severe, cause harm or discomfort, or endanger their lives. Task 8 AC 5. 4 This would have to be done quite sensitively and tactfully when it comes to the parents as some may take offense if we make them feel that they ‘don’t know best’. With regard to my setting we do not cater for the children ourselves as they go into school to eat a hot dinner.These are provided by a catering company who produce a 4 week menu which is available to parents. We do provide ‘healthy’ snacks for the children to have whenever they wish. The children know that crisps, biscuits etc that may be in their lunch boxes are not suitable to eat at the snack table. What could be done is a topic/theme of foods to incorporate the criteria from the EYFS – Understanding the World, obviously the other areas of the EYFS can be covered within it b ecause of the interdependency. Also the children sometimes have a small homework challenge to complete over a term or ? term. It could be to make a list of foods at home on a traffic light i. e. ed – unhealthy through to green – healthy. This would then give the children the chance to talk to parents/carers about the foods they have and may help to promote parents/carers into changing their diet slightly if they see ‘too many reds’. Perhaps the children could make a ‘food plate’ on which they could draw, stick pictures etc of their favourite foods. They could then make a bigger plate for mummy or daddy thus helping to reinforce the fact that children do not need to eat the same size portions as adults. Weight is very often a sensitive subject and misconceptions of a slightly overweight child being described as ‘looking healthy’ don’t help the issue.Any weight gains or losses that are quite extreme would have to be talked ab out with their parent or carer. Hopefully this would result with visiting the doctor (who may then refer to a dietician or give life-style advice) to check that there isn’t any underlying medical condition. At the present time I only know of children who have intolerances or allergies to certain foods – I have not had the experience of talking to a parent about their child’s eating habits ,because, I presume, the fact that we do not do the catering. But I would hope that because of the good home/school link at our setting any ‘food’ concerns noticed at home would be shared with us and then we could give advice and get together some information to help them.

Peace and Freedom throughout a Nation Essay

Throughout the course of John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech, he uses several persuasive appeals such as the idea of peace and freedom to inspire and gain the trust of his Nation.   In the beginning of Kennedy’s speech, he mentions that America will â€Å"pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend [and] oppose any foe† (par 4) for the preservation of liberty. This is an example of parallelism clauses that make clear of Kennedy’s intent to do anything it takes for the survival and liberty. Kennedy states that both sides of a conflict should join in creating â€Å"a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak are secure and the peace preserved† (par 19). Kennedy’s use of parallelism helps keep the people’s attention to help illustrate his key points of his speech. He later describes the â€Å"power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life,† (par 2) that uses that power to free the peoples of the world. Meaning we have the power to destroy ourselves but it should only be used to better our nation, and create a balance of peace and freedom in the world. During this time the United States was in the beginning of the Cold War and he knew that focuses had to be on containing Communism in order to assure the American people that they were safe. Kennedy constantly reminds the American people that they are a united and strong country that can make it through anything. Kennedy begins four paragraphs in a row with the same words, â€Å"To those,† (par7-8) to illustrate that he is willing to work things out with the countries America is having problems with. His use of repetition helps him remind his country that they can make it through anything in a persuasive way. He also mentions that America can solve problems with their enemies during diplomacy several times. Kennedy amplifies his desire for peace and unity when he repeats, â€Å"Let both sides† (par 14-18) he utilizes alliteration to explain his want for unity instead of division. It is brought to our attention that â€Å"if a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few that are rich (par 8). In order to sustain peace and freedom throughout the nation these things like this need to be recognized. Kennedy creates a common enemy to unite the people’s pride. While discussing newly freed countries he uses a metaphor, saying, â€Å"remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by ridding the back of the tiger ended up inside† (par 7). Also when he says, â€Å"the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans† (par 3) he is using a metaphor showing that America intends to control themselves and let no one else rule them. So our Nation â€Å"should only glow from that fire [that] can truly light the world† (par 12) meaning if everyone does something to benefit the country we will succeed and live and peace. John F. Kennedy did an outstanding job with gaining the trust of his Nation during his 1961 inaugural address. The people were able to feel safe and protected with Kennedy becoming president. The fear of being taken over by a Communist nation lessened, and peace and freedom was sure to come.

The Course Of Entrepreneurship.Self Reflection Essay

The Course Of Entrepreneurship.Self Reflection - Essay Example In an academic field of study, the student is constantly involved in a learning process. The process of academic education allows individuals to constantly come across new skills and techniques and this learning enhance and polish the respective skills and techniques for the individual. This report discusses on the reflection I have while I was developing the plan for a new venture from the perspective of an entrepreneur. This was a group project and all the group members had certain roles and duties to fulfill for accomplishing the desired task. Throughout the project I came across different course contents that allowed me to relate things to real life and hence this project was a good learning experience for me as well as my group members. This project helped me to develop a good insight about the professional business world and how entrepreneurs need to deal with the various business circumstances they come across in their daily business activities. Summary of New Learning The ent repreneurship module allowed me to gain hands on knowledge and skills regarding the theories involved in the area of entrepreneurship as well as the practical applications required for entrepreneurship and initiating new business ventures in the business world. This course allowed me to understand that the requirements of becoming a successful entrepreneur and it also requires the individual to possess certain intellectual and physical skills along with have strong emotional skills so that the new business can be initiated in a successful manner. After learning about the importance of emotional skills, I developed a mindset that I need to work upon improving my emotional and social skills so that this helps me to become a successful entrepreneur. The course gave me a deep insight regarding the activities of an entrepreneur and also allowed me to understand the importance of the small and businesses that are operating in the country. The support that these small and medium businesses give to the economy is really remarkable to know and understand. Each and every business, be it small or big, plays a vital role towards the economy of any country, hence all entrepreneurs need to start up businesses for which there is a demand in the economy. I was able to evaluate my skills and abilities at the end of the course and planned out on the areas on which I need to improve for my future professional career. Entrepreneurship Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities This course taught me the various entrepreneurship skills that are possessed by entrepreneurs. Starting up new businesses by an entrepreneur can be a very challenging task. The entrepreneur needs to carefully devise the business plan and also allocate resources accordingly. Businesses require investments, while starting up the business the entrepreneur needs to analyse the investments available so that the business strategies can be planned accordingly. Financial aspect of any business is a very crucial part that nee ds to be given a strong consideration by all entrepreneurs. By analysing the financial position of the business the future decisions can be taken as businesses that are low on investments cannot implement financial strategies to a large extent on the firm. I am not that good in numbers therefore after learning about the importance of finance for entrepreneurs; I will be working towards my financial subjects. Keeping a strong and check and balance are also important for entrepreneurs as they can plan business expansion and diversion based upon their level of profitability with the business. Targeting new market segments also requires good investments and financial stability

Analysis Essay over the article of Ipods Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis over the article of Ipods - Essay Example He compares this isolation to living in a bubble created by this portable music. Sullivan develops this argument by creating vivid pictures with apt choice of words, sentences, examples, metaphors and similes. The picture he creates attracts attention and the readers are also able to relate to the scenario he is discussing. The description of the scene in a subway in New York makes us feel that we too like him are in a subway in the middle of New York watching people around us. Sullivan describes the scene thus: â€Å"There were little white wires hanging down from their ears, or tucked into pockets, purses or jackets. Each was in his or her own musical world †¦ almost oblivious to the world around them. These are the iPod people† (Sullivan, 2005). This indeed paints a perfect picture. The sentence patterns Sullivan uses allows him to stay focused on the subject. The sentences used are short and to the point. For instances sentences such as this: When others say â€Å"Excuse me† there’s no response. â€Å"Hi†, ditto† (Sullivan, 2005) convey that the people listening to the iPod are in a world of their own and do not react to people around them. This is the subject of his article. Again sentences like this: â€Å"Don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t overhear, don’t observe. Just tune in and tune out† convey the point that people today are as he says, â€Å"anaesthetised by technology†. (Sullivan, 2005) The author uses many metaphors and similes to put forth his views. The metaphors used are very apt and give the readers a sense of what he trying to convey. For instance, in one place he compares an Apple store to a Church. Here he says, â€Å"Every now and again I go to church — those huge, luminous Apple stores, pews in the rear, the clerics in their monastic uniforms all bustling around or sitting behind the â€Å"Genius Bars†, like priests waiting to hear confession.† (Sullivan, 2005). By this metaphor he wants to show

Restriction of alcohol Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Restriction of alcohol - Research Paper Example Heavy consumption of alcohol for the purpose of getting intoxicated is, in modern terms, called binge drinking which is actually the consumption of five or more drinks in a row in a week. There are many reasons behind why people want to binge drink. The most important is peer pressure. People, including students, see others around doing it and they want to do it too because they are curious and because the media, bars and companies make heavy drinking sound like a fun activity. Youngsters binge drink because they want to feel grown up; elders binge drink for several other reasons which include de-stressing oneself, removing boredom, socializing, trying to stand out in crowd (hedonistic or macho drinkers), or removing depression. Whatever the reason may be, heavy consumption of alcohol is hazardous in nature. Some disastrous effects include affected brain activity, memory and concentration; increased emotional mood swings; inability to perceive the direction of sound; dysfunctional re productive system; increased risk of breast cancer (Doheny); affected driving leading to accidents; and, family violence. I predicted that although people might binge drink to de-stress themselves, but there are so many adverse effects related to it that people will support my hypothesis that heavy alcohol consumption must be restricted by law, and for every age. Although there is much research done in the past regarding this issue, still there are research gaps that need to be filled in. Most of the researchers have focused on student binge drinking. Wechsler et al. conducted research on 17592 college students and found that students who binge drink suffer from serious health issues and behavioral problems that bother others at the institute. Researchers (Wechsler et al.; Chaloupka and Wechsler) support the fact that legal interventions are required to stop binge drinking in college students. Pridemore studied how binge drinking leads to

Consumer Behaviour in the UK high street clothing sector Essay

Consumer Behaviour in the UK high street clothing sector - Essay Example Particularly, UK and US can be regarded as the innovators of industry trends. Subsequently, the retail industry in these regions is substantially competitive, organized and efficient with the growth rate of 35%. The feature of urbanization has transformed the retail format of these countries with innovative tactics and business strategies. Wal-Mart, Mark & Spencer, Morrison, Tesco and Sainsbury are some of the leading chains of UK retail industry. The introduction of global competitors on board have not only enhanced the competition in retail sector but also have groomed the taste of consumer base resulting in the wide diversity towards brands and trends with an exceptional taste. (Experian, nd). In the year 2,000 the spending of consumer (worldwide) estimated on clothes marked the figure of US$1 trillion. (al., 2006) Current consumer behavior concepts; Consumer Behaviors is the study of people buying patterns, depicting the what, when and why aspects of buying. Effective understandi ng of buyer decision making process with social and economical concerns is necessarily to be evaluated in an attempt to understand people’s want and expectations for successful growth. Consumer buying behavior in retail industry is supported by set of six consecutive actions that include: Need / Want acknowledgment. Information hunt Evaluation of substitutes. Buying decision Buying Post Purchase Evaluation. A Model of influencing factors will illustrate various grounds influencing consumer behavior. (Phillip Kotler, 2003) However, the most influencing factors that underpin the ultimate buying decision of consumer are the psychological factor that is being controlled by features like motivation, perception, believes & attitudes and learning. The role of advertising in controlling the psychological factor to steward the others cannot be under estimated. A commentator on American literature claims that, â€Å"Advertisements are the pervasive part of the American aural and visua l environment. It is impossible to ignore their wider role in providing people a general education in goods, status, values, social roles styles and art†. (Phillips, 1997) (Agnes Nairn) The role of advertising can be regarded as factor to mould consumer towards a specific pattern. The different media outlets used for advertisement includes radio, TV, billboards, internet and even the walls. In the broad spectrum the â€Å"can do† aspects of advertising plays a major role in the growth of consumption. A research conducted to unfold the fact witnessed attitude shifts when â€Å"shame campaign† was jointly launched by department of Environment in Belfast and National road safety council in Dublin in November 2000. Attitude shifts were monitored by researchers among the core target of 17-24 males and massive increase in understanding that even one drink would affect driving were found as below: ("Industry as a partner for sustainable developments") Marketing Research and Strategy; The role of Marketing Strategy in the words of John Scully can be defined as a series of integrated actions leading to a sustainable competitive advantage. Competitive advantage depicts development of features which are not simultaneously implicated or discovered by competitors. On the wide spectrum a successful strategic marketing management draws its objectives from the corporate mission of the organization, driven by organizational values and embedded in company’

Tamas by Bhisham Sahni and Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel Essay

Tamas by Bhisham Sahni and Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel - Nathu and Tita; Victims of Society - Essay Example rns itself with the story of the partition between India and Pakistan, which is that reprehensible chapter of Indian history, depicting the exodus of the terror – stricken Hindus who lived in the Muslim majority regions and whose screams drowned the jubilant shouts of Independence. One of the quotes in the novel goes like this, "If people knew each other, they would find it hard to hate." (Bhisham Sahni, Tamas) This realistic portrayal fetched the novelist, actor and playwright, Bhisham Sahni, the Sahitya Akademi Award for 1975. Laura Esquivel’s ‘Like Water for Chocolate’ is a true portrayal of the Mexican revolution as its background, when various political parties were squabbling for control of the nation and putting forth their separate ideas about the governing of the nation. ‘Like Water for Chocolate’ is a story that takes place in the late 19th century, narrates about the widowed Mama Elena who has three daughters Gertrudis, Rosaura and Tita. The story uses the Mexican revolution as a metaphor for change, where Elena represents the old power structure while in Tita we have the attitude of rebellion, seen in the new members of the governing parties in the current times. The story revolves around the theme of forbidden love on the ranch, where the youngest daughter Tita is forbidden to marry her true love Pedro because according to the law the mother had to be looked after by the youngest daughter which happened to be Tita. Tita’s mother was so heartless as she offers Rosaura to Pedro in marriage instead. Pedro loved Tita so much that he agrees to marry Rosaura only for the one reason of being close to his true love Tita. Tita was victimized by her own mother ever since her birth. This is aptly described by the author who states â€Å"Tita was literally washed into this world on a great tide of tears that spilled over the edge of the table and flooded across the kitchen floor†¦.† These lines show the pain, suffering, suppression and trauma that

The Role & Effectiveness of Practical Work & Outdoor Learning in the Dissertation

The Role & Effectiveness of Practical Work & Outdoor Learning in the Teaching & Understanding of Geography for Primary School Students - Dissertation Example ...................... 3.3 Phase 3............................................................................................................................. 3.4 Results............................................................................................................................. 3.5. Discussions..................................................................................................................... 3.6 Ethical Issues................................................................................................................... 3.7 Limitations of Research †¦.............................................................................................. Chapter 4 Results............................................................................................................................... 4.1 Phase 1............................................................................................................................... 4.2 Phase 2........ ....................................................................................................................... 4.3 Phase 3............................................................................................................................... Chapter 5 Discussions......................................................................................................................... 5.1 Phase 1............................................................................................................................... 5.2 Phases 2 & 3...................................................................................................................... 5.3... The paper tells that teaching geography to young school children comes with a number of advantages. It helps young children to build certain core competencies that supports them in their future study and also assists them to become more responsible citizens in the future. â€Å"Geography is about the locations of things. Students (present and future business people, voters and elected officials) should learn how to choose locations and designs for buildings, roads, parks, election districts and other things in ways that are fair, safe and efficient and even beautiful†. On a local level, the students we teach in primary schools deserve to have the ability to discern and take decisions that will help them in future. Although geography's worth is often underestimated in most parts of Britain, it plays a subtle role in the development of national structures in the future. Our school children need to have a good connection with the concepts and ideas of geography in order to fundam ental understanding in the course and make the best use of them after they are out of the educational system and enter their adult lives. Geography also prepares our children for international opportunities. It grants them the provision of knowledge on locations, conditions of places, insight into foreign cultures and interconnections with different parts of the world. â€Å"Throughout the world, geography is a highly regarded field of enquiry†. This assertion supports the position that geography involves learning and is known through pragmatic methods that utilize the senses to analyse and feel things and conclude on them.

Freud Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Freud - Assignment Example Even though numerous therapists appear to have turned down some of Freud's speculations, without him the universe of brain science would not have been the same (Freud, p.10) Discussion Freud's work with the cognizant and unconscious brain is recognized to be one of his most extremely popular hypotheses. In his speculation, the psyche essentially comprises of two parts, the cognizant and the unconscious. The cognizant part of an individual's personality essentially comprises of things that the individual is familiar with. This incorporates the memory, or "preconscious", in light of the fact that it is information that could be effectively recovered by an individual. The unconscious personality comprises of things outside of one's awareness, for example emotions, urges, remembrances, or musings. The point when an individual thinks about the unconscious personality he or she will for the most part think about a Freudian slip. Tragically, this is an encounter that very nearly everybody h as encountered. A Freudian slip is an occasion that happens when somebody uncovers something that is not an unconscious contemplation or feeling (Kihlstorm, p.445). For the most part, this occasion will happen when an individual is tongue-lashing another individual, and something slip's out which was unintended. This, more or less, happens in light of the fact that an individual has a certain urge of amusing or feeling in the unconscious personality. In addition, with respect to Freud's speculation on the cognizant and unconscious mind, his examination regarding the individual’s nature works is extraordinary. Freud saw a unique controlling feature in the human beings, consisting of three levels, namely, the id, self-image and the superego. The id held primitive drives that followed the premise of delight. Its prevailing objective was to look for instantaneous delight and keep away from torment. The self-image of cognizant was actuality, hence, it worked by means of the actual ity guideline, distinguishing between recognition, judgment and memory. The superego looked for culmination; it held qualities and social ethics held inside the still, small voice (Freud, p.2). Notwithstanding, his dedication to an experimental planet view, Freud's plans were less objective and investigative as he jumped at the chance to suppose. His speculation was built more with respect to clinical impressions than on regulated exact techniques. The aggregation of information and presentation of conclusions is unsystematic, the terms and thoughts are frequently impalpable and troublesome to test and measure, hence, the investigative status of analysis is disputable at a few focuses. Furthermore, the greater part of his speculation is inferred from perceptions of psychotic individuals, hence, the substance of his decisions concerned human conduct. Notwithstanding its unverified suspicions, Freud's speculation has animated further deliberate research on the nature of identity; cons cience systematic analysts as well as object-relations theorists owe much to his work (Bargh and Ezequiel, p.74). Impact and Conclusion The after impact of Freud’s theories on the world of psychology is tremendous and long lasting, due to which, the majority of the psychologists have conducted studies under the guidance of Freud. They have been greatly influenced by

Gender Across Cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Gender Across Cultures - Essay Example The chromosome construction of males and females are different. According to biological analysis XX-type chromosomes are found in females and XY-type of chromosomes are found in males. However, there are various effects of society, ethnicity and culture that complete the behaviour and identity of men and women based on the difference in the gender group (Zevin, 2014, p.57). The impact of ethnicity and culture over sex and gender can be clearly illustrated with the help of the research of Margaret Mead. Margaret explained about different cultures with wide variety of examples. According to Margaret’s research it has been observed that the native people of New Guinea have completely different approach towards the two major genders that represent the human society. For example, the people of Tchambuli culture in New Guinea have represented women to be the leading members in their society (Wetherell, 2001, p.88). Females have the ultimate control of economic life and they work tow ards the betterment of people. According to the research it has been observed that the women participate in different type of professions to earn their living. The males of the society generally participate in arts and theatres. The males of the society do-not have any direct control over the regulation of economy of the Tchambuli society. The Tchambuli women have been found to be engaging themselves in manufacturing of products and food. The initiations of sexual relations are also taken by the females of the society.

Behavior is hereditary Essay Example for Free

Behavior is hereditary Essay The whole issue of nature and nurture is complex with potential debates centered round their influences on human development. Nature refers to the traits inherited from parents while nurture refers to the influence of the environment to an individual’s behavior (Lippa 2005, p. 26). Psychological research shows that both nature and nature have a general influence on the physical and behavioral characteristics of people. This paper seeks to explain the factors which affect nature and nurture. The nature theory holds that human behavior is hereditary. True to the theory, some traits such as blood type and eye color are known to be predominantly genetic. It can therefore be asserted that genetic variation of people affects the development and characteristics of the next generation (Lippa 2005, p. 28). Nurture on the other side holds that the environment in which an individual is brought up in influences his or her behavior. In this context therefore, it can be acknowledged that the ability of an individual to interact and conform to the societal requirements and the environment at large affects the degree to which the environment can influence the individual’s behavior (Lippa 2005, p. 28). Still to be noted here is the effect of age on the influence of nature and nurture. Inherited traits are first noticed when a child is born. As the child grows up to teenage, behavioral characteristics are predominantly influenced by the environment because of the interactive nature of people at this stage of growth as well as the ability to conform to peers and the society at large (Lerner Bearer 2004, p. 86). At adult stages, people tend to become more independent hence less influenced by the environment. At this stage therefore nature prevails but the nurture traits acquired at early stages of growth remains effective. In conclusion therefore, nature and nurture are undoubtedly influential to human development. Nature gives inborn traits while nurture takes these inborn abilities and changes them with age to fit the individual’s environment. ? Bibliography Lippa, R 2005, Gender, nature, and nurture, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Lerner, R, Bearer, E 2004, Nature and Nurture: The Complex Interplay of Genetic and Environment. Routledge: New York.

My Dream Job Essay Example for Free

My Dream Job Essay What is a bad boss or manager? We all have had some good managers and some bad managers. In most cases people don’t care too much for their boss. One of the biggest characteristics flaws in a poor manager is poor communications skills. They possess little to no listening skills and don’t seek out advice or suggestions from their employees. When a big decision needs to be made they normally make the decision on their own with little input from their subordinates. Another characteristic of a poor boss is a one who is afraid of confrontation. In management, I believe that any time there is an issue, the boss should not be afraid to address it. Some employees will take advantage and lose respect for their boss if that happens. I call those types of managers â€Å"buddy bosses,† which is not a good thing their needs to be a healthy balance. Bosses should be nice most of the time yet they also needs to be firm when the time calls for it. Good management skills don’t always come naturally. Managers have to continue to have ongoing training on leadership skills just like the workers need to have ongoing training on the jobs. In management; it is hard to please everyone in fact, if everyone is happy with you all the time you are probably a â€Å"buddy boss. † There will always come a time when you are going to have to say no to someone’s request. I believe that sometimes bad employees force a boss to become more firm most of with the employees. There are several types of bosses that I would consider bad. The first one is called an incompetent boss. They really don’t know the job and rely on the employee’s knowledge to get them through. When an issue occurs, they are no help at all. When an incompetent boss tries to help, they often make the situation worse. The second type of poor boss is a unchangeable leader. This is someone who does not like change and is unwilling to do what it takes to make the team more effective. This person doesn’t listen to the advice of the team, eve when they might tell them something that might help a process run smoother. The next type of poor leader I would call the abuser of power. They are people that get into leadership and use their power for personal gain. An example of this would be a boss that leaves early for the day all the time to take care of their personal business. The next type of poor leader is a leader that can’t be trusted. This is someone who employees don’t trust with information that can be used against them. When they have a problem the don’t feel comfortable talking to their leader in fear that they will tell someone else or use it against them in the future. They can’t tell them how they really feel. There is always going to be corrupt people in the world but when a leader is corrupt in any organization it breeds more corruption. There are some leaders that are down rite evil. They may have had a hard life and just don’t like to see others happy so they always find a reason to be upset and not satisfied with anything that is done within their department. Manager that operate in this manor normally don’t last long in leadership because there would make their employees unhappy and we all know that an unhappy employee won’t be a good producer. There ways to improve a bad boss if they want to improve. One way to do that is to make sure that middle level supervisors and managers have the support they need from upper management. I believe that leadership training should be an ongoing thing. I feel that in every organization there should be a hotline that employees can call to give feedback on how they feel their leadership is going. Once that feedback is collected it should be used as a training tool. Listening to the employees and responding to their needs and wants is in my opinion, the most effective way to go. During the hiring process employers should make sure that the leader they has the characteristic of a good leader. No one wants a bossy dictator as a boss. I have been in the workforce for over ten years and in that time I have had more good managers than bad. I think that is because it all comes down to respecting a person and there position. There have been times when my coworker s has come to me complaining about our boss. What I have found is that most of the time it not the boss at all it’s the employee view of their boss. Most people who don’t like their boss don’t like their job. I believe that if a person doesn’t like their job there is a likely chance they don’t like their boss because that the boss is only there to enforce the rules and doesn’t care employee’s personal feeling. In some cases they are right. The next time you are trying to determine if you have a good leader look for key traits. One key trait of a good boss is vision. Do they have a vision for the department that they will be managing? What is that vision? Does the vision line up with the companies mission statement? Ask yourself these questions. The next trait you should look for is wisdom. What useful knowledge can this person bring to the organization? Good leaders are strategic, wise and perceptive. The next question you should ask yourself about your boss is if he people are they passionate about what he or she does? Good bosses are very passionate people. They operate with such a high level of passion that they get consumed in it. They take action! Good leaders are determined to attain their goals. They know that the journey reaching their destination can be filled with problems. However, they are persistent people and are willing to put in the long hour and hard work to ensure that th eir goal is meet. Good leaders mean what they say. They have integrity. Theyre individuals who keep their guarantees and they do not play the old political games that plenty of others do. People find them reliable and as such are dedicated to them. Not all good bosses carry every single trait. They might be strong in some areas and lacking in others. But just remember, it isnt about being perfect, but understanding that bosses are human too; no one is perfect. Make an effort to try and get to know your boss and be a little more understanding about what they might be challenged with in their day to day duties.

Employee Turnover Rate In Tourism And Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay

Employee Turnover Rate In Tourism And Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the tourism and hospitality industry represents one of the most important sectors of the global economy, which contributes a US $6 trillion business that employs over 230 million people and a significant portion of the worlds workforce. In other word, human resource considered one of the most important resources of the contemporary tourism and hospitality industry. The labour supporting a wide range of jobs in many different service sectors, for instance hotels and restaurants line, theme park and entertainment attractions. Personal service is essential to delivering products and service to satisfy customers especially those served in front line, for example waiters, chiefs, receptionists, etc. Since the business scope is emphasis the customers contact all over the time, the lack of manpower may lead the industry in trouble. 2.2 The research problems In fact, the contemporary tourism and hospitality industry is facing a HR crisis where the labor turnover rate is relatively higher than other industry. The bulk of service jobs tend to be temporary, held by the people with no career aspirations in tourism and no commitment to the industry. () That is no doubt that the contemporary tourism and hospitality industry offers job opportunities for the youth, women and less advantaged groups in society. Other than recruitment problems, employee turnover may cause by employee retirement, death, illness or disability, resignation, organization downsizing or termination. The reasons why employees resign may be avoidable where they may experienced unfair treatment, poor leadership, or lack of challenge. Otherwise they leave from an organization with unavoidable reasons, for example immigrate to another state or country, return to university as well as serious illness. () Employees may also leave an organization because of dissatisfaction to th e working conditions, pay and benefit, training and development, the workforce diversity issues, and other potential issue. Consequently, a detailed turnover analysis of why employees leave a hospitality organization is meaningful to arrive at benchmark practices on dealing with the operational and administrative challenges the high level of staff turnover. This research information would represent the factors that influence staffs retention or leave from their job in this industry. Moreover, it helps hospitality trade organizations generate strategies to minimize staff turnover rate yet increase staffs retention by the means of enhancing recruitment policy, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and finally quality of service. 3.0 RESEARCH QUESTIONS What cause employees leave the organizations within tourism and hospitality industry? What are the consequences of high staff turnover to the related service sector organizations? What corrective action should be taken to tackle high employees turnover rate in specify sector? RESEARCH AIMS The aim of this study is to identify the reasons of high staffs turnover in tourism and hospitality industry. Further, this study seeks to examine the impacts of high employee turnover to the organizations in the industry and how organizations tackle this challenge. 4.1RESEARCH OBJECTIVES To examine the reasons of high employee turnover rate in tourism and hospitality sector To evaluate the consequences of high employee turnover in an tourism and hospitality organization To evaluate how organizations satisfy the employees in order to solve the problem of high employee turnover in tourism and hospitality sector 5.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 5.1 RESEARCH DESIGN Each method, tool or technique has its unique strength and weakness. () To ensure the validity and reliable of this study, descriptive research design is used since the research problems is not a new issue and had been sought by previous researchers. () Descriptive research is designed to describe characteristics of a population or a phenomenon, where in this research, is to describe the characteristics of the labor turnover within the tourism and hospitality industry. Further, it may help to examine the ways that may reduce such phenomenon. Therefore, this research will be based on quantitative methods. Quantitative method will be undertaken by distribute survey questionnaires to a large number of respondents in order to obtain accurate information and improving decision making.() Deductive research is the logical process of deriving a conclusion from a known general premise. () Deductive research has been used in this research to test hypothesizes whether certain factors may influence labors resignation and whether high turnover rate would lead tourism or hospitality organization into certain dilemmas. Cross sectional studies method also will be used to conduct this study because the duration to conduct the research is limited. 5.2 UNIVERSE OF POPULATION The population selected to conduct this study will be the employees who engaged in the tourism and hospitality organizations that is high labor turnover rate, for example tourism attractions like Genting Highlands and certain hotels as well as restaurants in Malaysia. 5.3 SAMPLING DESIGN: 5.3.1 SAMPLE SIZE To conduct this research, the selected sample size will be 200 employees within the tourism and hospitality in Malaysia. 5.3.2 SAMPLE APPROACHES Since it is difficult to seek the people who experience high labor turnover rate even resignation in the tourism and hospitality organizations, the research are undertaken by snowball sample. Snowball sample is one of the non-probability samples that selects the initial respondents by probability sample and then obtained the additional respondents by referral from initial respondents. The advantages of using snowball sample are economical and make convenience to the researcher as well as respondents. With this approach, this study can conducted by makes initial interview with the small group and then use these to establish contacts with other relevant employees to answer the designed questionnaires. 5.4 RESEARCH METHOD Secondary data such as journals, textbook, newspapers and website articles also will be utilized when carry through this research. In broad terms, the questionnaires for survey purpose are designed with closed and open-ended questions. The questions designed expect to deliver the reasons of high employee turnover rate together with its consequences to the organizations within tourism and hospitality industry. 6.0 DATA ANALYSIS The data obtained from survey methods will be analyzed by using SPSS VS.18.0 per window. It is used to obtain the descriptive statistic like frequencies, mean and standard deviations that reveals the outcome of the research problem. 7.0 TIME SCALE GANTT CHART November 2010 December 2010 January 2011 February 2011 Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Research Questions 1.2 Research Objectives Rationale of the research chosen Chapter 2: Literature Review Chapter 3: Research Methods 3.1 Secondary data 3.2 Focus group 3.3 Case studies 3.4 Survey questionnaires Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Findings Chapter 5: Conclusion and Discussion Binding of Dissertation

The Lost Eden Essay -- Literary Analysis

The Lost Eden The story of Martin Eden is a dark but interesting one, written by Jack London, an author from early 20th Century California. Martin’s life is difficult, as he decides to defy society and join the upper class, ultimately alienating his own class while realizing the superficiality of the upper class. Through this journey, Martin embodies and evolves through three main personas, mind sets, or personalities. In the beginning, â€Å"Martin’s feeling of social inadequacy developed†(Sinclair 145), as he is a man seeking approval of society, trying to become a successful writer and win the love of an upper class woman, Ruth Morse. Then he turns into a man bent against society, or perhaps merely in great disproval, for his futile efforts to become a writer are thwarted and laughed at by everyone, from the editors of the magazines to his beloved Ruth and her family. Once Martin does become famous and rich, â€Å"his success snowballs, he is lionized by society† (La bor 118), but Martin â€Å"wishes he had never opened the books† (Lundquist 149). Through all of these struggles, Martin truly embodies none other than the author, Jack London, as the entire novel is something of an autobiography. London is â€Å"confronting himself in Martin† (Bader 150), although it is very true that Martin Eden is â€Å"a novel rather than straight autobiography†, â€Å"deliberately introspective† (Lundquist 150). Martin Eden is first a man who wishes to assimilate with high society, the upper class, as he believes that the upper class possesses an infinite amount of beauty and knowledge. Martin’s first true glimpses of the upper class come when he is invited to the Morse home, after saving Arthur Morse from a â€Å"gang of waterfront thugs† (Labor 117). This is ironic because M... ...n. 1909. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1984. Print. Lundquist, James. Jack London: Adventures, Ideas, and Fiction. New York, New York: The Ungar Publishing Company, 1987. Print. Magill, Frank N. â€Å"Jack London.† Critical Survey of Long Fiction. Vol. 4. Englewood Cliffs: Salem Press, Inc., 1983. 1691-1699. Print. - - -. â€Å"Jack London.† Critical Survey of Short Fiction. Vol. 5. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1981. 1809-1813. Print. New American Bible. New York: Catholic Book Publishing, Co., 1991. Print. O’Conner, Richard. Jack London: A Biography. N.p.: Little, Brown, and Company, 1964. Print. Sinclair, Andrew. Jack: A Biography of Jack London. New York, NY: Harper and Row, Publishers, 1977. Print. Verde, Tom. â€Å"London, Jack.† Twentieth-Century Writers 1900–1950, American Profiles. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1993. American History Online. Web. 22 Nov. 2011. The Lost Eden Essay -- Literary Analysis The Lost Eden The story of Martin Eden is a dark but interesting one, written by Jack London, an author from early 20th Century California. Martin’s life is difficult, as he decides to defy society and join the upper class, ultimately alienating his own class while realizing the superficiality of the upper class. Through this journey, Martin embodies and evolves through three main personas, mind sets, or personalities. In the beginning, â€Å"Martin’s feeling of social inadequacy developed†(Sinclair 145), as he is a man seeking approval of society, trying to become a successful writer and win the love of an upper class woman, Ruth Morse. Then he turns into a man bent against society, or perhaps merely in great disproval, for his futile efforts to become a writer are thwarted and laughed at by everyone, from the editors of the magazines to his beloved Ruth and her family. Once Martin does become famous and rich, â€Å"his success snowballs, he is lionized by society† (La bor 118), but Martin â€Å"wishes he had never opened the books† (Lundquist 149). Through all of these struggles, Martin truly embodies none other than the author, Jack London, as the entire novel is something of an autobiography. London is â€Å"confronting himself in Martin† (Bader 150), although it is very true that Martin Eden is â€Å"a novel rather than straight autobiography†, â€Å"deliberately introspective† (Lundquist 150). Martin Eden is first a man who wishes to assimilate with high society, the upper class, as he believes that the upper class possesses an infinite amount of beauty and knowledge. Martin’s first true glimpses of the upper class come when he is invited to the Morse home, after saving Arthur Morse from a â€Å"gang of waterfront thugs† (Labor 117). This is ironic because M... ...n. 1909. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1984. Print. Lundquist, James. Jack London: Adventures, Ideas, and Fiction. New York, New York: The Ungar Publishing Company, 1987. Print. Magill, Frank N. â€Å"Jack London.† Critical Survey of Long Fiction. Vol. 4. Englewood Cliffs: Salem Press, Inc., 1983. 1691-1699. Print. - - -. â€Å"Jack London.† Critical Survey of Short Fiction. Vol. 5. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1981. 1809-1813. Print. New American Bible. New York: Catholic Book Publishing, Co., 1991. Print. O’Conner, Richard. Jack London: A Biography. N.p.: Little, Brown, and Company, 1964. Print. Sinclair, Andrew. Jack: A Biography of Jack London. New York, NY: Harper and Row, Publishers, 1977. Print. Verde, Tom. â€Å"London, Jack.† Twentieth-Century Writers 1900–1950, American Profiles. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1993. American History Online. Web. 22 Nov. 2011.

Women in World War II :: World War II History

Women in World War II When the war across seas broke out in 1939 Canada was called to the front as a part of the British Empire. Canada's work force was now severely depleted. Everyone remembers the prestigious men and women of Canada for their effort in the war helping the Allied side defeat the German enemy. We must remember though that the soldiers were not a self sufficient army, navy, and air force but rather part of the larger war machine that was Canada. When Canadians think of the war they must remember the country that stood behind our soldiers in Europe. As Canadians we must especially remember the women who stayed home and were major contributors to holding together the labour force. As well their volunteering in society helped push Canada through the War. By temporarily assuming non-traditional roles in the labour force and in society, Canadian women became an important part of the war effort from 1939-1945. In 1939 the war broke out in Europe. Canada was still fighting the struggle to rebuild their economy from the depression of the 1930's . A great number of Canadian Women were affected both directly and indirectly. As more then a million of our full time service men and Militia went across seas to fight the war many women were left home alone with no husband's, son's, brother's or any other male relatives . The Depression sported more the 900,000 Canadians out of work, and 20 per cent of these were women . The Military Recruitment and the new war industry put an end to the Depression, and the widespread unemployment that accompanied it. By 1941 the population of women in the labour force had already jumped by 100,000. The employment of women was now highly evident in almost all of Canada . It is obvious now in retrospect that for the most part the Second World War divided Canada's men and women. But to fully understand this we have to first know why men and women, in most aspects of the war, were given this sexual division. We must also get a good scope of what was accepted and expected of men and women before the war broke out. From the first natives in Canada to the industrializing society of today men and women have had different gender roles in society. These have reflected the norms, values, and beliefs of our culture that have been in Canada as long as the "white man" has.

Amazing Grace Essay -- essays research papers

Jonathan Kozol's Amazing Grace is a book about the trials and tribulations of everyday life for a group of children who live in the poorest congressional district of the United States, the South Bronx. Their lives may seem extraordinary to us, but to them, they are just as normal as everyone else. What is normal? For the children of the South Bronx, living with the pollution, the sickness, the drugs, and the violence is the only way of life many of them have ever known. In this book, the children speak openly and honestly about feeling 'abandoned', 'hidden' or 'forgotten' by our nation, one that is blind to their problems. Studying the people themselves would only get us so far in understanding what their community is really like and why they feel this way. Jonathan Kozol really got to know the people individually. We can take his knowledge and stories to try for a better understanding of the environment in which they live. By doing this, we can explore the many reasons why the people have problems, what some levels of intervention could be, and possibly find some solutions to making the South Bronx a healthier and safer place for these children and others to live. Problem Identification The environment in which we study these people can only be defined by first taking a look at possible reasons why the people have problems. Some of the problems discussed in Amazing Grace have festered throughout the United States for some time now. The high numbers of drug users in the community, the high amounts of gang-related violence, and the numerous cases of people who have contracted the AIDS virus are just some of the problems that have arisen in this ghetto. There are many differences between this community and others in the United States, one of which is that the government has grouped these people all together and made a ghetto of the lowest income families. This has ostracized them from the rest of the nation. It has given them many abandonment issues to deal with, while also telling them they are not worthy of living among the wealthier population. Environmental factors are involved in the problems arising in the South Bronx. Pollution, for example, could be the biggest source of the high number of children in the community who have asthma. Asthma is a condition in which one has trouble breathing. Without clean ... ...s for the people in these neighborhoods have gotten to be that of violence and drugs. These are not healthy norms. To change them, the communities could use more education on social issues in the schools and communities to help the people learn to live healthier lifestyles, to get the word out that violence and disruptance are not all right, and to help the people obtain some community unity. Getting some of the well known community members involved in politics is another way they could get their voices heard and let the government know their needs and desires. Support groups held for people with AIDS, for people who have lost loved ones, and also for people who just need a place to talk about their emotions and get their frustrations out, would help the community as a whole and get more people involved in the healing process of that community. If the people in the South Bronx would act as a community bound together to help themselves and each other, there would be less tolerance for deviant behavior among it's members. Then the ones who act defiantly could be out-numbered, and the good citizens of the South Bronx could reclaim their homes and their lives.

Monopoly, Perfect Competition, Imperfect Competition

NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS CURRICULUM SUPPORT Economics Microeconomics The Theories of the Firm [ADVANCED HIGHER] Acknowledgements This document is produced by Learning and Teaching Scotland as part of the National Qualifications support programme for Economics. First published 2002 Electronic version 2002  © Learning and Teaching Scotland 2002 This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part for educational purposes by educational establishments in Scotland provided that no profit accrues at any stage. ISBN 1 85955 929 8 contents Introduction1Section 1:The theory of perfect competition3 Section 2:The theory of monopoly9 Section 3:The theory of monopolistic competition and oligopoly13 Section 4:Resource allocation/externalities19 Section 5:Suggested solutions23 INTRODUCTION There are basically two types of market situation: (a)Perfect competition – in this market, firms have no influence; they are price takers. (b)Imperfect competition – this market includes monop oly, oligopoly and monopolistic competition; firms are price makers and can influence the market place. Every firm must obey three rules in order to survive: To maximise profits, firms will produce at that output where MC=MR and at the same time MC must be rising. †¢A firm will continue to produce in the short run as long as it can cover its variable costs. †¢In the long run a firm must cover its total costs. SECTION 1 In order to build a model against which we can compare other market situations, certain characteristics have to be assumed: †¢There are a large number of buyers and sellers in the market. †¢Buyers and sellers have perfect knowledge of goods and prices in the market. †¢All firms produce a homogeneous product. Products are identical. †¢There is freedom of exit and entry to the industry. There is perfect mobility of the factors of production. In the real world it is almost impossible for all of these conditions to exist at the same time. For eign exchange and agriculture are markets that have some of the above characteristics: currency is a homogeneous product and in agriculture there are a large number of farmers supplying the market without influencing the price. Can you identify other types of markets that are almost perfectly competitive? The demand curve No one firm can alter output enough to influence price. Therefore each firm faces a perfectly elastic demand curve.Each firm sells at a given market price and this price coincides with the firm’s AR and MR. The firm can sell as much as it wants at this price, however if it charged above this price, demand would fall to zero. [pic] The supply curve The short run supply curve of the firm in perfect competition will be that part of its marginal cost curve that lies above its average variable cost curve. MC is the lowest price at which a firm would sell an extra unit, and when we remember the second rule above that the firm must obey to maximise profit, we have correctly identified the firm’s short run supply curve. pic] The equilibrium of the firm The firm is in equilibrium when MR=MC. This is where profits are maximised or losses minimised. For the perfectly competitive firm the only decision to be made is how much to produce to maximise profits. Firms cannot influence price because their output is a very small part of market output. Equilibrium of the Firm – Perfect Competition [pic] Short run In the short run, firms earning supernormal profits will attract other firms into the market looking for higher than normal rewards. Remember that normal profit is just enough to keep the entrepreneur in business.Perfect Competition – Short Run [pic] Long run In the long run, as new firms enter the industry, established firms will expand their output to get more of the supernormal profits. Eventually, all firms earn normal profits as the supernormal profits are competed away. Long run equilibrium of the firm We saw how superno rmal profits attracted new firms into the industry. After a time, the existence of subnormal profits would cause firms to leave the industry. Supply would fall and prices rise. Hence long run equilibrium is one of normal profits only. Perfect Competition – Long Run pic] Advantages of perfect competition †¢Because firms produce where MC=MR=Price, allocative efficiency is achieved. †¢Productive efficiency is also achieved because the firm produces at the lowest point of the AC curve. †¢Prices are lower because of increased competition. †¢Because of perfect knowledge firms must keep up to date and innovate or they will be forced to leave the industry. †¢In the long run all firms will earn normal profits. †¢Cartels and other restrictive agreements cannot emerge to exploit consumers. †¢Perfect competition can be used as a model in economic analysis.Disadvantages of perfect competition †¢Firms have little time to benefit from inventions becau se they quickly enter the public domain. †¢Since firms make only normal profits they might not have the funds to undertake expensive research that often yields the most outstanding discoveries. †¢Firms might not benefit from economies of large-scale production. †¢In order to prevent abuse of the consumer, some industries are best run by the state as natural monopolies and so perfect competition would be inappropriate. †¢Perfect competition is a goal that cannot be reached in the real world.Student exercises/activities 1. To what extent does agriculture approximate to being a perfect market? (10 marks) 2. Study the diagram below and answer the following questions: [pic] (a)Why does the short run supply curve of the firm begin at S1? (2 marks) (b)At S2 the firm breaks even. Explain what this means. (2 marks) (c)At S2 the firm also earns normal profits. Explain why they are sometimes called the entrepreneur’s transfer earnings or the opportunity cost of capit al. (2 marks) (d)Is normal profit the same for each entrepreneur?Justify your answer. (2 marks) (e)Economic profits and losses are signals to owners of factors of production. Explain why this statement holds true only in the short run in a perfectly competitive market. (4 marks) (f)If the long run supply curve of a perfectly competitive firm is a horizontal line, what assumption can we make about the firm’s costs? 3. Read through the notes on perfect competition and write down each new economic term you have encountered (perhaps terms such as normal profits, economic profits, transfer earnings).Then make precise definitions of these terms from an economics dictionary or textbook. Section 2 A monopoly market structure is assumed to have the following characteristics: †¢In theory the monopolist is the only firm in the industry. However, under UK law any firm controlling more than a 25% share of the market is liable for investigation as a monopoly. †¢The monopolist is a price maker. †¢The monopolist is shielded from competition because barriers to entry prevent new firms from entering the market. Barriers to entry To exist, monopolies must have high barriers to entry. The main barriers are: government restrictions like a licence, permit or certificate to enter an industry †¢patents that make it illegal for others to use an inventor’s ideas for a number of years †¢ownership of factors of production that do not have close substitutes †¢difficulty in raising the necessary capital †¢economies of scale particularly in the case of a natural monopoly. Monopoly equilibrium The monopolist can stop new firms entering the industry through technical or statutory barriers. If the monopolist is making supernormal profits in the short run, they are likely to continue into the long run.Note that the monopolist will not always make supernormal profits, as they will depend on the relationship between consumer demand and production c osts. Monopolistic Competition – Short Run [pic] Pay particular attention to the following points illustrated above: †¢There is no supply curve in monopoly. Supply and demand are dependent on one another. †¢There is no distinction between short run and long run because of the barriers to entry. †¢Profit maximising output is OQ where MC=MR. †¢The price charged in the market is OP and is determined by the demand curve. †¢Supernormal profits are shown by the rectangle PXYZ enclosed by AR and AC.Price is OP and cost is OZ. †¢MR falls at twice the rate of AR and becomes zero when total revenue is maximised. Advantages †¢An industry with a flat-bottomed average cost curve benefits from economies of scale. This type of industry requires a large amount of capital equipment. Examples include the car and chemical industries. Hence the public benefits if the LRAC remains constant as output expands because more cars or chemicals are produced at cheap pr ices. †¢If a monopolist invests in research and development the public can benefit from product development. Disadvantages Monopoly can lead to greater inequality in the distribution of income because the monopolist charges a price higher than MC. †¢Again because the monopolist charges above MC it is allocatively inefficient. Underproduction of the product occurs and not enough of the nation’s resources are allocated to its production. Price discrimination The monopolist can discriminate in two different ways: †¢It can discriminate between units sold to the same buyer as in the case of gas or electricity. †¢It can discriminate between different buyers, for example when it charges children and OAPs rates different to that for adults.The monopolist charges consumers different prices in separate markets and, because the costs of production are the same in each market, it is able to increase its profits. [pic] Profit is maximised where MR=MC. In Market A, the demand is less elastic compared to Market B that has a more elastic demand. When the monopolist splits the market and charges a different price in each, it will earn more profits than if it charged one uniform price to all. The monopolist can discriminate in a number of ways: †¢It can charge a different price at different times of the day (like a gas company) or at different times of the week (like a rail company). It can charge different rates to different income groups. Students, the unemployed and OAPs can often get into a football match or a race meeting at a reduced rate. †¢It can charge different prices in different parts of the country. The same house built by a national builder will cost more in the south-east of England than it will in the north-east of England. What enables a monopolist to discriminate effectively? †¢Different buyers in the market must have different elasticities of demand. †¢The market must be able to be sub-divided into separate divis ions according to time, place or income. The monopolist must be able to keep markets separate without great difficulty. Points to note about monopoly: †¢A monopolist will only produce where the demand curve is elastic. MR has to be positive for MC and MR to be equal. †¢The only distinction between short run and long run is in the changes in cost structure of the industry. Barriers to entry prevent us from making the kind of distinctions we can make between short and long run equilibrium in perfect competition. †¢There is no supply curve in monopoly because there is no linear relationship between demand and supply.Student exercises/activities 1. Explain why, for the monopolist, price is always greater than MR. (2 marks) 2. What does the price elasticity of demand facing the monopolist depend upon? (3 marks) 3. Are monopolies always profitable? Justify your answer. (3 marks) 4. State the three conditions that must exist for a monopolist to be able to price discriminate. (3 marks) 5. Draw two diagrams, side by side, to show long run equilibrium under perfect competition and under monopoly equilibrium. Study the diagrams and answer the questions that follow: (a)Prove that the monopolist wastes resources. 2 marks) (b)State why the perfectly competitive firm is allocatively efficient. (2 marks) (c)Explain why the perfectly competitive firm is productively efficient. (d)Describe how profit is shown in the monopolist’s diagram and explain what kind of profit it is. (4 marks) (e)The perfectly competitive firm appears to be making no profit. Is this true? Explain your answer. (3 marks) (f)At what output do both maximise their profits? (1 mark) (g)Identify the supply curve for the perfectly competitive firm and explain why there is no supply curve for the monopolist. 4 marks) (h)Explain how government decides whether or not a monopoly should be allowed to continue. (2 marks) (i)Suggest an action government can take to regulate a monopoly and explain how it might be expected to work. (3 marks) 6. Make definitions of the new terms you have encountered. SECTION 3 Perfect competition and monopoly are two extreme theories of the firm. Remember that earlier we classified all theories other than perfect competition as imperfect. Hence monopoly, oligopoly and monopolistic competition can be described as imperfect competition.Some textbooks describe all theories that exist between the two extremes as imperfect. This classification is also accepted by examiners. What distinguishes oligopoly from monopolistic competition is the number of firms in the industry. An oligopoly has few sellers, whereas in monopolistic competition there are a large number of sellers. Monopolistic competition The theory of monopolistic competition assumes the following characteristics: †¢There is free entry and exit in the industry. †¢The industry is made up of a large number of buyers and sellers. †¢Firms produce differentiated goods. Each firm faces a downward-sloping demand curve because products are not homogeneous. †¢Firms maximise profits in the short run. †¢There is perfect knowledge in the market. Because firms produce slightly different products under different brand names, each firm has a certain amount of market power. Hence a price rise will not result in it losing all its customers. However, because there are a large number of firms producing acceptable substitutes, market power is weak. The more differentiated the product, the greater the market power and so the less elastic the demand curve will be.Equilibrium for a monopolistically competitive firm Short RunLong Run Monopolistic Competition – Short RunMonopolistic Competition – Long Run [pic] In the short run monopolistic competitors earn supernormal profits and will attract new firms into the industry. As in perfect competition these profits will be competed away until in the long run all firms are earning normal profits. The rectang le PXYZ will gradually disappear as each firm’s share of demand falls and its demand curve moves to the left. In the long run the demand curve is a tangent to AC but, unlike perfect competition, it is at a point where AC is falling.How much supernormal profit a firm earns in the short run will depend on its ability to differentiate products by using brand names and advertising. Look how important to consumers designer labels and certain brand names are today! Note that in both diagrams price is greater than MC and so the firm is allocatively inefficient. Again the firm in each diagram does not produce at the lowest point on the AC curve making it productively inefficient. The firm has excess capacity. In the long run two rules hold: †¢AC=AR because freedom of entry ensures that a firm cannot earn supernormal profit; †¢MC=MR because the firm wants to maximise profit.Oligopoly Oligopoly is often described as competition among the few. A few interdependent suppliers co ntrol most industries in our country and so these industries are imperfectly competitive and oligopolistic. What causes an industry that started as competitive to develop in this way? The main reason is to take advantage of economies of scale and in industries like the car industry this has been made possible through technical progress. Barriers to entry and mergers have also played their part in the formation of oligopolies. Oligopoly is difficult to analyse because one firm’s behaviour can cause retaliation from another.Firms continually have to devise strategies to keep them ahead of their competitors. Oligopoly has the following assumed characteristics: †¢A small number of suppliers control most of the market. †¢Barriers to entry are likely to exist, although in some industries they can be low. †¢Firms are interdependent, unlike in perfect competition where firms ignore changes in the behaviour of their competitors. †¢Prices are controlled by the suppl ier not the consumer. †¢A kinked demand curve for the firm is likely to exist, although the demand curve for the industry is normal. The majority of oligopolistic markets tend to have: collusion in some form, although restrictive trade practices have been illegal since 1956; †¢non-price competition in the form of branding, advertising, free offers and after sales services; †¢price rigidity – prices often remain fairly constant despite changes in costs of production, unlike in perfect competition where prices continually fluctuate to monitor such changes; †¢average cost curves tend to be flat-bottomed allowing the firm to take advantage of economies of scale. Oligopoly: the kinked demand curve [pic] The kinked demand curve helps to explain price rigidity that tends to occur under oligopoly.The rival firms tend to agree a market price at X. Demand is elastic above this point and so any rise in price will cause a fall in revenue as consumers buy rival product s. Below X demand is inelastic and a fall in price will cause a fall in revenue and a price war would break out. Hence firms will use non-price competition to maintain or increase their market share. Examples of this include free gifts or coupons when petrol is purchased. This model of oligopoly has its critics. It implies knowledge of MC and MR that firms just do not have. The model does not explain how price was determined or what happens when price is eventually changed.Other firms could react in a number of ways to a change in the price of a competitor’s product not just in the one way that this model assumes. However, it does help to explain why price rigidity occurs and why firms use non-price strategies to maintain market share. Collusion The kinked demand curve model assumes that competitors would react in a particular way. But they could, of course, react in other ways. This uncertainty is a characteristic of oligopoly and it arises because firms in the industry are interdependent. Interdependence means that the oligopolists are always unsure how competitors will react to any action they take.One firm’s actions have consequences for all. Consequently entrepreneurs try to reduce risks by colluding. Collusion takes place in a cartel – for example, OPEC can fix the price or quantity of oil to be offered for sale. Remember such actions are illegal in the UK. The purpose of the cartel is to earn supernormal profits. Price leadership Often in an oligopolistic market one firm will make the first move to change price, usually because costs have risen and profits are falling. Competitors may be in the same position and so are willing to accept the change.This price leader is often the largest firm in the industry and so smaller firms do not challenge its actions. This almost simultaneous change in price is called parallel pricing and of course it makes the kinked demand curve irrelevant. Student exercises/activities 1. Construct a table to compare the four market structures we have studied using the following headings: Market structure, Number of sellers, Restricted entry and exit, Long run supernormal profits and product differentiation. Place these headings horizontally and the four market structures vertically. 2.Suggest reasons why some firms tend towards oligopoly while others tend towards monopolistic competition. (4 marks) 3. Explain why some firms use different methods of non-price competition to increase their market share. (3 marks) 4. Profit maximisation always occurs where marginal revenue is equal to marginal cost. Why is this so? (2 marks) 5. Behaviour in three of the markets we have studied is predictable. Explain why this is so. (4 marks) 6. Using diagrams contrast price and output determination in perfect competition and monopolistic competition in both the short run and the long run. 7.Is price leadership a form of collusion? Discuss. (4 marks) 8. Make definitions of new economic terms. SECTION 4 We have seen how resources are allocated by prices determined by the forces of demand and supply in the market place. We have also seen that some market structures are more efficient than others when it comes to resource allocation. Allocative efficiency is present if the marginal cost of production equals price in all industries. If Price=MC in all industries in an economy, it would be impossible to make any one better off without making another worse off. This allocation of resources is said to be Pareto efficient.Again allocative efficiency exists when an economy uses its resources to produce the goods and services consumers want. Hence one of the main macroeconomic aims of government is to achieve the optimal allocation of resources and that is when resources are efficiently used in such a way as to maximise the welfare of consumers. We saw earlier that only the perfectly competitive market is both productively and allocatively efficient. No real economy is like this. Imperfection s exist in all real economies and they prevent the efficient allocation of resources through the market mechanism.Instead an under-or over-allocation of resources to a certain economic activity takes place. Market failure results. There are four main types of market failure: 1. Externalities. They exist when the action of producers and consumers, other than through the normal workings of the price mechanism, affect not only themselves but also third parties. They can be negative like pollution and congestion. Each is a cost to society. Externalities can be positive, like the benefits society gains from better education and improved medical practice.Negative externalities result in over-production; positive externalities result in under-production. Sometimes prices and profits are not good indicators of the real cost to society of an economic activity and so externalities emerge. Hence alternative systems of allocation need to be considered to obtain a more desired allocation of reso urces. 2. Imperfect competition. In imperfect markets consumers are often at the mercy of oligopolies and monopolies. Governments and trade unions can also influence demand and supply in a market and this leads to inefficiency.It also leads to an unequal distribution of income and wealth. Imperfect markets fail to be efficient and equitable. 3. Market forces cannot provide public goods and often do not do a good job of providing certain merit goods. Again the market has failed to produce what every society needs. 4. Market economies tend to experience sudden business fluctuations. The UK went into recession in 1990–2. Japan has still not recovered from a current recession. Governments are trying to devise tighter monetary policies to avoid the worst extremes of trade cycles.Whenever market failure occurs there has been a re-allocation of resources to some less desired point on the Production Possibility Curve. Consequently government steps in to try to redress the balance. Mo nopoly and government intervention A government can control a monopoly by using price controls. Look at Figure 1. A price control lowers the price to the consumer from P1 to P2 and at the same time increases output from OQ1 to OQ2. Society now benefits from an improvement in allocative efficiency. Figure 1 [pic] A government can impose fines or regulations to correct externality situations.However, a major difficulty that immediately arises before this can be done is to calculate or estimate the value of externalities such as pollution and congestion. Look at Figure 2. If the polluter ignores the pollution then he will produce at Q2 where demand equals supply. However, if the government insists that certain regulations must be complied with, such as installing filters, the supply curve will move to the left because costs have risen. The quantity being produced will now contract to Q1. Consumers are now paying a price that reflects the spill-over cost and over-production has been cor rected.There has been an improvement in resource allocation because the government has taken action against market failure. Figure 2 [pic] Markets can sometimes under-produce as in the case of medical or educational provision. Look at Figure 3. Without grants and subsidies Q1 places would be provided. With grants to students and subsidies to universities and colleges more places can be offered, and many students who have the necessary qualifications can now afford to take up a place. Q2 places are now available and society will eventually benefit from the increased number of educated people.Again government has taken action to correct market failure. Thus we have seen that externalities can be positive or negative and they accrue to a third party. We saw in the case of the chemical firm that negative externalities arose because the firm was concerned only with marginal private costs and ignored marginal social costs. Hence they could produce at a higher output and so create more pol lution and possibly congestion. Market failure occurred and the government intervened to force the firm to address the social cost it caused. In our example the government legally restricted the activity.It could have forced the firm to internalise the spillover or it could have taken over the firm. Again firms consider only marginal private benefit, the benefit that the firm receives. They ignore the spillover benefit that society gains from consuming this good or service, the marginal social benefit. It gave grants and subsidies. It could have given tax incentives or even taken over the service and provided it free. Consequently government steps in to increase this under-production and remove the welfare loss that results from free market equilibrium. See Figure 3. Figure 3 [pic]Student exercises/activities 1. Explain how the actions of large corporations and trade unions can influence demand and lead to non-optimal allocation of resources. (3 marks) 2. Examine the case for provid ing a) public goods, and b) merit goods free to the consumer. (6 marks) 3. Why might some economists argue against providing products free to the consumer? (3 marks) 4. Why does free market equilibrium not always represent the true cost of production? (3  marks) 5. At what point is the optimum level of production of a public good reached? (2 marks) 6. Make definitions of new economic terms.SECTION 5 Guideline answers (Perfect competition) 1. There are four basic assumptions underpinning the theory of perfect competition. Do they hold for the agriculture industry? In the UK there are a large number of farmers supplying the market. No farm is large enough to influence price, so this characteristic holds. Farms are relatively easy to buy, especially today because of falling profit margins. Hence exit and entry in the industry are unrestricted. Knowledge of prices and market conditions are good because of constant updating by the farming press using modern technology.Hence knowledge i s as perfect as it can be. Products are fairly homogeneous. Bramley apples from one orchard are almost identical to Bramley apples from another, although you could argue that quality/grade of products does vary. Hence there is a fairly strong case to support the statement. 2. (a)Because only above S1 is revenue greater than AVC and only then will the firm be able to make some contribution to fixed costs. (b)At this price the firm makes zero short run economic profit. At this point MR=MC=ATC. The break-even price is the one that yields zero short run profit or loss. c)The opportunity cost of keeping capital in the firm is moving it to the next best earning alternative. Normal profits are just enough to make it worthwhile to keep the capital in the firm. Consequently it is the amount an entrepreneur would earn in an alternative occupation and so is transfer earnings. (d)No. The amount necessary to keep capital in a firm in one area is not the amount necessary to keep capital in a simi lar industry in another area. Costs could be different. (e)Economic profits or losses are signals to owners of capital elsewhere in the economy that they too should enter the industry.If some firms are making losses, this is a signal to entrepreneurs to stay out of the industry. It also signals to existing firms to be cautious about re-investing. However, in the long run in a perfectly competitive market only normal profits can be earned and so no such signals are given. (f)They must be constant. Guideline answers (Monopoly) 1. Profit maximisation takes place where MC=MR but not where they intersect. The price is fixed on the demand curve and so price must be greater than MR. 2. It depends on the number and closeness of the substitutes.The more numerous and closer the substitutes, the greater the price elasticity of demand and vice versa. 3. No. In the UK, the former British Rail turned in poor figures for many years. If the ATC curve is everywhere above the demand curve, losses wil l result and so it will not be profitable to produce. 4. Firms must have some market power – it is a price maker. Firms must keep markets separate. The buyers in each market must have different elasticities of demand. 5. (a)The monopolist does not need to minimise costs to stay in business. Consequently it is productively inefficient and so wastes resources. b)It produces at a point where Price=MC. (c)A perfectly competitive firm produces at the lowest point of the AC curve and so is efficient. (d)Profit is shown by the rectangle sitting above the AC curve bounded by price and output. It is supernormal or economic profit. (e)No. It makes normal profit that is included in ATC. (f)Where MC=MR. (g)In the short run the supply curve of the firm is the MC curve above the point where Price=AVC. In monopoly there is no supply curve that is independent of demand. (h)The Monopolies and Mergers Commission investigates potential monopoly situations.It could force a monopoly to disband if they considered it to be against the public interest. The criterion is rather vague. (i)It could control prices or force it to work under a licence. Controlled prices would curb monopoly power of fixing too high a price and a limited quantity of production that would both exploit consumers. Again the government would not renew the licence unless the monopoly had performed within the given controls. Guideline answers (Imperfect competition) 1. Construct table from textbook. 2. It depends on the number of firms in the industry and on the strength of market power. 3.A price war can be very damaging for firms in an oligopolistic market. Instead they tend to restrict competition rather than attempt to drive main competitors out of the industry by reducing price. Advertising and branding is used to restrict competition. 4. At that output there is the greatest difference between total revenue and total cost and so profit is maximised. 5. Markets of perfect competition, monopoly and monopo listic competition are predictable because in them firms act independently. However, this is not so in an oligopolistic market. Firms are independent – one firm’s actions affect competitors.This leads to uncertainty. 6. Draw diagram, then list main differences: Perfect competitionMonopolistic competition Short runShort run Supernormal profits and lossesSupernormal profits and losses Demand curve slopingDemand curve horizontal Long runLong run Normal profitsNormal profits Produces at the lowest point Does not produce at the lowest of the AC curvepoint of the AC curve Price=MCPrice does not equal MC 7. Price leadership occurs often in an oligopolistic market. It could appear to be collusive because, after a dominant firm raises price, others soon follow. However it is not planned.The dominant firm is acting as a barometer for the rest of the industry that is experiencing the same pressures that caused the leader to alter price in the first place. The firms have not collu ded. Guideline answers (Resource allocation) 1. Large corporations can manipulate by spending large sums on advertising and that allows them to sell what they produce rather than what consumers want to buy. Strong trade unions, through industrial action and lobbying, can often get restrictions on imports and subsidies for industries such as coal mining and agriculture. Demand is influenced and so resources are not allocated in the best way. 2.Public goods like defence and law and order are demanded collectively and not individually because they are non-excludable. Hence most people think that they should be paid for out of public taxation and be free to the consumer. However, merit goods like health and education are private goods that can be bought and sold in the market place. They are usually under-consumed when externalities are taken into account and so the argument is that the government should intervene because of the external benefits more consumption would bring to society. Hence the case for providing merit goods is not as strong as the case for providing public goods. . They would argue that it would lead to the misallocation of resources. If the good were free to consumers, they would consume up to the point where marginal utility is zero. Here the marginal cost of producing the last unit will be high and inefficiency will result. Consequently goods should not be provided free at the point of consumption. 4. Because social costs and social benefits must be added to private costs to represent true cost. 5. It occurs at the point where there is the greatest excess of total social benefit over total social cost, or where marginal social benefit is equal to marginal social cost.