Where next for Grant Garden Centres Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Where next for Grant Garden Centres - Essay Example The centre also had a single operating location, in the South East region of England. After taking over, Grant reinvested virtually all profits back into the company, opening two additional branches (Westgarth, 2012). He also renamed the garden centres to â€Å"Grant Garden Centres†. Grant’s passion for gardening makes him adhere strictly to the traditional form of garden centre management, where the head gardener makes all the relevant business decisions and the rest of staff follows. Grant also expects his children, Jane and Malcolm, to toe the line, without any compromise (Pepper, Jackson and Uzzell, 2009, pp. 126–136). The authoritarian management style is costing the business numerous opportunities. For instance, there is a high labour turnover, since workers are not given an opportunity to contribute. Additionally, the firm still uses conventional advertisement methods and it does not have up-to-date technology systems, making it lag behind competitors. To remedy the situation and set the business on a path towards development and profitability, radical changes must be made in the different business functions. External Environment Analysis Technology Technology is one of the principal factors to consider in running a contemporary business setting, failure to which a business is left behind by competitors (Patterson, 2011). This is one of the principal factors negating Grant Garden Centres’ proper performance, in a highly competitive environment. The Establishment lacks an up-to-date IT system, an aspect which hinders proper control of stock. The poor technological capacity also inhibits proper financial management. Development deterrence stems from the fact that, virtually all company operations have to be done manually for each centre, making financial evaluation and stock regulation a highly difficult task. Another technological aspect, affecting gardening centres, is utilization of social media and websites as advertisement platforms. This is barely applied in the case of Grant Garden Centres, thus dragging the establishment behind its rivals (Burke, 2009, p.72). Socio-cultural Aspects The other crucial external environment factor likely to affect the gardening business is the socio-cultural environment. This is because the Centres have to interact with customers, especially due to the services segment of operations. Evident from the business’ profile, Grant Garden does not take social aspects of society into consideration, while carrying out its operations. This is an aspect attributable to Grant’s perception that, customers solely care about the plants that the Centres supply. One of his children, Jane, is largely opposed to this notion and her principal interest is in developing an establishment that plays a significant role in the community, as well as, works with stakeholders to guarantee each partisan’s benefit. If the Company were to adopt Jane’s proposal of enhanced engagement in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) then the Centres’ popularity among community members and other individuals would be propelled to great heights. For instance, Grant Garden Centres could formulate and execute educational programs that focus on increasing people’s awareness of gardening. Such programs would foster individuals’ interest in plants and landscaping concerns thus broadening the Company’s customer base and even appealing to the younger generation. Strengths and Weaknesses Marketing Just like everything else in the Company, marketing methods are dictated by Grant. It is Jane’s responsibility to focus on the stipulated marketing strategies, which principally entail advertisement in the

Compare three pre-20th Century poems about London Essay Example for Free

Compare three pre-20th Century poems about London Essay I am going to compare three very different poems about London. The first poem is London by William Blake, written around 1800. Upon Westminster bridge is the second poem , by William Wordsworth, again written around 1800. The third poem by Mary Ann Evans in the mid-19th century is called In a London drawing room. William Blake was a man of strong opinions, he was a strange person who painted horrific art and walked around naked in his garden. He was a strict Christian and wrote hymns. People disliked him for his strange ideas and strong criticism of what he felt was wrong. William Wordsworth lived in the Lake District, and wrote poems about where he live; the countryside. Whilst visiting London he wrote a poem about what he could see from Westminster bridge. Mary Ann Evans lived in London she was a tomboy by the name of George Elliot. Her father was a vicar. She moved to London to live a more interesting life. Working for a printing company she realised how mistreated women were. The story behind Upon Westminster bridge is:- London looks very beautiful. Youd be sad not to be impressed. Its about what Wordsworth sees from Westminster bridge. His theme is simple; He likes what he sees. London has a very different theme: William Blake lives in London and cant stand it. The story is very simple the poet wanders through Londons streets thinking about what he sees. In a London drawing room also has a simple story; Mary Ann Evans is in a drawing room looking out into the street. Her theme is much more complex She talks about how London through this window is dull, grey and boring. When she says this she actually means thats how she feels inside and expresses it through her poetry. Upon Westminster bridge is a sonnet because it has fourteen lines praising Londons beauty, it has only one verse. It has a regular iambic rhythm all the way through: Giving the poem a joyful sound. There is no regular rhyming pattern but some lines rhyme. London uses quatrains which means it has four equal lines into four verses. London has a regular and joyful rhythm, which is ironic because of its sad message. The rhyming follows an ACBD pattern (A rhymes with line C-B rhymes with line D.) In a London drawing room has no verses, twenty lines which have each ten syllables in them. There is no regular rhythm, because of the regular enjambment. Cutting the sky with one long line of wall Like soled Fog: Far as the eye can stretch. The enjambment causes lines to run into each other. There is no rhyme a tall in the poem. There is a lot of figurative language in Upon Westminster bridge. wear The beauty of the morning; silent bare, This a personification because the city wears the beauty of the morning like a dress. The river glideth at his own sweet will: In line twelve names the river a he. This poem has a lot of imagery, one of them mentions valley, rock and hill, putting the picture of the valleys, hills and rocks on the horizon. In a London drawing room too uses figurative language, The world seems one huge prison-house and court, this is a similar because the world seems to be like a prison-house. A metaphor would be, Cutting the sky with one long line of wall, this is calling the row of houses a wall cutting the sky. The figurative language in London are, The mind-forgd manacles I hear. Means the people in London believe they are in manacles. The metaphor at the end of the third verse is about the old war soldiers begging outside wealthy houses, And the hapless soldiers sigh Runs in blood down palace walls. In Upon Westminster bridge most of the play on words are to keep the rhyme and rhythm in a pattern. London plays on words quiet a lot compared with Upon Westminster bridge. At the end of the first verse there is an element of alliteration, Marks of weakness. Marks of woe, woe is a much more powerful word to use than sad plus it alliterates with weakness. The second verse uses in every. Four times to get the point that this is serious across more strongly. The mind-forgd manacles I hear, is an alliteration of the letter M. On the last line, the last two words are marriage and hearse (car that carries a coffin) this is called juxtaposition; because marriage is associated with beginning and hearse is associated with the end they are opposites. This is an interesting way to end the poem. The only real play on words in in a London drawing room was the last line because the three last words are the only positive words (colour, warmth and joy) in the whole poem but just before it says with lowest rate of. So they might be positive but shes saying there is no colour, warmth or joy. I feel London is the most effective poem. This is because I like the irony in the rhythm and rhyme which sounds happy but its meaning is sad. I also like the Juxtaposition in the last line Marriage hearse. He uses clever words and sentences to put down London. I dont like In a London drawing room because it drags on so as to lose its meaning. Upon Westminster bridge I quite like because its cheerful but I still prefer the way London is written because it uses good words and clever poetry.

Hound Of The Baskervilles Essay -- essays research papers

SUMMARY Entering the office and showing Holmes and Watson an 18th century manuscript, Dr. James Mortimer tells the myth of Hugo Baskerville. Hugo captured and imprisoned a young country girl at his estate in Devonshire. He then became the victim of a hound of hell as he chased her along the lonesome moors late one night. Ever since that day, James Mortimer reports, the Baskerville family has been haunted by a mysterious and supernatural black hound. The recent death of Sir Charles Baskerville has brought back suspicions and fears. The next of kin, Holmes and Watson find out, has arrived in London to take up his post at Baskerville Hall, but he has already been intimidated by an anonymous warning note and the theft of a shoe. The duo quickly discovers that Sir Henry Baskerville is being followed in London by a mysterious bearded stranger, and they speculate as to whether the mystery man is a friend or an enemy. Holmes, however, says he is too busy in London to accompany Mortimer and Sir Henry to Devonshire to investigate the bottom of the case, so he sends Dr. Watson to be his eyes and ears, asking him to report back regularly. Arriving in Devonshire, Watson discovers a state of emergency, with armed guards on the lookout for an escaped prisoner wandering the moors. He meets potential suspects in Mr. Barrymore and Mrs. Barrymore, Mr. Jack Stapleton and his sister Beryl, Baskerville neighbours. A series of mysteries happen: Barrymore is caught lurking around the mansion at ni...

Life Without Technology Essay

If someone told me that I would have to be technology-free for 24 hours I would probably have asked them for a tranquilizer so I could sleep through the horrid day. From the moment my alarm clock goes off in the morning to the time I set it at night I am using some sort of technology. I couldn’t even eat lunch at school without the help of those little machines that take our meal plans. Last week I did my best and tried as hard as I could to be free from technology. Obviously, being at college made it impossible but it was a good experience nonetheless. After my alarm goes off, it’s time to take a shower. The lights aren’t necessary so I leave them off. I come back from my shower with sopping wet hair and decide to suck it up and leave the blow dryer in the closet. It’s Monday so I only have one class, which means I have more time to torture myself. On the way to lunch my roommate and I take the stairs; I live on the 7th floor so we know this won’t last long. On my way out I contemplate whether or not the lock on our mailboxes is too technologically advanced for me to use. Honestly, I would have to admit that my day was not all that bad. My wet hair eventually dried itself from running up and down the seven flights of stairs. There is so much that we take for granted it is unbelievable. Even if I wanted to be absolutely free from technology I couldn’t. Lights are on everywhere you go and someone always wants you to listen to the message on their cell phone from their boyfriend. There are unavoidable motion sensor lights and unavoidable automatic doors. Car trips, if driving in the car were even allowed, would be extremely boring not to mention dangerous. Without traffic signals there would be a lot of accidents; for some reason I don’t think people would pay attention to little men in bright orange vests  waving flags. I am convinced that without technology smoking and drug use would increase and people would be fat. While people would be forced to walk most places I think that they would just choose to stay closer to home. Sleeping would probably take precedence over most activities, except maybe those associated with reproduction. So basically if you think about it the world would literally be one big, fat, high, drunk family. On Mondays I have geography and my teacher lectures with the help of PowerPoint. Since there is no way I can copy notes from just listening I once again must give in to the machine. On the way back from class my roommate and I cut through the Science building to make our trip shorter. It isn’t until I am through the second door that I realize the doors are handicapped accessible and automatic. It’s amazing the little things we take for granted. When I get back to the room, seven flights later, automatically the first thing I do is flick on the lights. I then shake my head and turn them off.

Euthanasia essay Essay

For several years, euthanasia has been a subject of controversy. Euthanasia is a fairly new problem for the United States and has gained a horrible reputation from negative media publicity surrounding the issue. According to a website: Euthanasia also known as mercy killing is a way of painlessly terminating one’s life with the â€Å"humane† motive of ending suffering. Euthanasia came into the public eye recently during the Terri Schiavo controversy where her husband appealed for euthanasia while Terri’s family claimed differently. This is a classical case, shedding light on the pros and cons of mercy killing. (â€Å"Pros and Cons†) Many claim the betrayal of God’s right to control the human life and state that the legalization of euthanasia is the legalization of murder. However, people that are opposed to euthanasia are thinking how the death of a terminally ill patient would affect them, not how it affects the person that is sick. If there is no other way to relieve the suffering of terminally ill patients, then the more humane option to suicide is euthanasia. Euthanasia has a purpose and should be evaluated as humanely filling a void created by our inhumane society. Terminally ill patients already feel that they are deprived of all rights. However, many adversaries are not in favor of a patient’s right to die, it may seem heartless to consider the financial burden of keeping a patient alive against the patient’s will. Smith states, â€Å"that the cost of chemotherapy is deemed an unjustified expense for the government to pay due to the limited time it would provide. However, the governm ent informed the terminally ill patient that they will gladly pay for euthanasia† (Smith). By the article stating this quote, then if a patient has already told family members that they wish to die and discontinue the burden of the patient’s family members, euthanasia should be permissible. Even criminals have a right for their last wish. A website states, â€Å"Legalizing euthanasia would help alleviate suffering of the terminally ill patients. It would be inhuman and unfair to make them endure the unbearable  pain† (â€Å"Pros and Cons†). It is the physician’s duty to fulfill the last wish of terminally ill patients. If the person’s will is rejected, one might try to commit the act of suicide. Euthanasia is often mistaken or associated with assisted suicide. Doctors now have the technology and the skills to anticipate natural death almost indefinitely. A website article states, â€Å"In an attempt to provide medical and emotional care, a doctor does and should prescribe medicines that will relieve suffering even if the medications cause side effects. Euthanasia follows the same theory of dealing with suffering in a way to help one die peacefully† (â€Å"Pros and Cons†). There is a distinctive difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide. Euthanasia is the ability to die with dignity, while assisted suicide is assisting one to commit suicide. Euthanasia happens when a physician or other healthcare provider does something, such as administering a known lethal dose of a drug with the patient’s consent. Physician-Assisted Suicide is where the terminally ill patient’s request a prescription for a fatal dose of a drug which they can administer to themselves at a time of their choosing. Ernst and Mennie had stated in an article that â€Å"both euthanasia and assisted suicide force someone else to end your life. The job of the health care professional is to maintain and enhance life, not end it† (Ernst and Mennie). However, when one thinks of the job of the health care professional it is to add quality and meaning to one’s life. In some situations, when there is a terminally ill patient that will never be able to have quality or meaning in their life wouldn’t it be the duty of the physician to suggest euthanasia so one may die with dignity. The first priority in the care of patients facing severe pain as a result of a terminal illness or chronic condition should be the relief of their pain. A website states, â€Å"Palliative care can control nearly all pain; when it can’t, doctors can administer palliative care sedation that allows the patient to die a natural death without experiencing horrible symptoms† (Erst and Mennie). Many adversaries of euthanasia have feared that the increasing technology that doctors have now might lead to the abuse of euthanasia. Most people today support the rights of terminally ill patients to end their pain through euthanasia. A website states, â€Å"In case of individuals suffering from incurable diseases or in conditions where effective treatment wouldn’t affect their quality of life; they should be given the liberty to  choose euthanasia† (â€Å"Pros and Cons†). This issue has been a personal experience for me after seeing my grandfather at death’s door for over 17 months, waking up in his feces and urine, and begging God to let him die. If euthanasia was legalized, maybe he would have had the choice to die with dignity. Terminally ill patients should have the right to choose euthanasia. There has been much controversy over euthanasia in the past several years and is likely to remain a controversial subject because of the disapproval from many religious groups and the medical profession. Religious groups as well as the medical profession agree that doctors are not required to use extraordinary measures to prolong the life of the terminally ill. The government should legalize euthanasia because it is important in protecting the structure of the United States. Euthanasia should remain a choice and should be legalized. The right to choose euthanasia should not be restricted by other’s opinions and should be based on the individual’s right to die with dignity.

Centertop00 Essays - Electric Power Distribution, Electricity Market

Centertop00 Essays - Electric Power Distribution, Electricity Market centertop00 Who are we? Barr Towers are Australia's premier energy provider. Since the market deregulated, Barr Towers has emerged as the key player and has recorded year on year growth. Although competitors have come and gone, Barr Tower's focus on customer service has ensured that although their prices might be higher, people still want to have their energy supplied by Barr Towers. Barr Towers currently provides electricity and gas for 5 million Australian customers. They currently employ 2,500 people across 3 different offices in Melbourne. Barr Towers is owned and operated by Nick Barr. Barr started the company through the funds he made modelling. As a well-known Australian, Barr has become synonymous with a stable Australian economy. What do we do? Barr Towers is primarily focused on selling electricity and gas to their consumers. Barr Towers employs people to design their product lines (e.g. solar, electricity, gas plans), market their product lines (create ads) and then sell them to the customer (call centre). Separate call centres are used to call potential customers; call customers who are leaving us and we are trying to win back; and act as customer service representatives to assist customers with any issues they might encounter. Barr Towers takes pride in their one on one interactions, investing heavily in its customer service workforce. Future Strategy Barr Towers are currently looking at opening up in the recently deregulated Japanese electricity market. Although they have the capital to enter this market, they are worried that their service model will cost to much to run in Japan. In saying this, they are unsure that their model will be sustainable in the future in Australia either. In order to prepare for the entry into the Japanese market, Barr Towers are looking at ways to reduce their cost to serve customers. The board realise this is an issue moving forward and are looking for an innovative solution. They understand that they cannot continue Business as Usual (BAU) and expect a different result. They have assembled your team to look at the problems facing the business and where they should go into the future. Word on the street is that they have had a team from Microsoft pitch a new idea to them which will help with this. Although they don't have much for you now, they will try and send you as many materials as they can get their hands on and also give you some time with some senior executives. For now, they have a couple of key challenges for you. Key Challenges There are currently some major issues faced by Barr Towers. Location of offices Currently there are three offices in Melbourne that house the employees. A recent report by Deloitte has shown that Barr Towers looses 95 minutes of productivity per employee per week due to them walking between buildings. Second, as they are not near stations, employees walk 15 minutes to and from the station every morning. The board believes that if the office was closer to the station, employees would still catch the same train and arrive at work earlier and stay later. High cost to serve Although a major differentiator in the market, Barr Towers reliance on customer service teams are increasing their cost to serve. With a push to have call centres open on weekends, Barr Towers are worried about the potential costs of paying staff a casual wage and still making margins on electricity. The weekend wage of a casual employee is $35.50 and on a weekday it is $21.60 Unsure of preparation to enter Japan The market is there for the taking and Barr Towers aren't there yet. They need a clear plan of how much it is going to cost to get into the Japanese market and if it is worth it. Lack of collaboration The key issue that Barr Towers are worried about is the lack of collaboration between their staff. The teams do not talk, they do not interact and many people don't venture off their floor, let alone their office. Nous Group did a workplace audit and believed it was an issue with a lack of collaboration spaces. People were at the same desks they had spent their careers at. There were limited

Case Study Analysis Essay Example

Case Study Analysis Essay Example Case Study Analysis Essay Case Study Analysis Essay There was question as to whether these two organizations would have the ability to mind beneficial success with the acquisition and ensuing strategy. II. Summary of the Facts In September 1995 the world?was largest global management consulting firm, A. T. Carney was acquired by Electronic Data Systems (DES), an information technology firm. The merging of the two organizations raised a lot of questions and issues. ?C How will both strategic consulting and information solutions be provided to clients ? Is It beneficial to sell the services between the two firms ?C Will the two firms share their current clientele Will the two firms work together to acquire new clientele Will a completely ewe compensation program be introduced a?C What Is the strategy to prevent overlapping or overstepping of specific products/ services or projects Once the president of A. T. Carney (Canada) has addressed the issues in his upcoming meeting, the issue of sales management can be addressed. It is necessary to for sales management decisions to be a direct result of the marketing strategy. Ill. Analysis A. T. Carney is a global management consulting firm using strategic insight. The firm uses customization In order to ensure that they are assisting their clients to achieve sustainable results while working with them In collaboration. A. T. Carney has a long reputable history of trust which Is why some of the world?was leading organizations, covering many different Industries use their consulting services (AT Carney, 2012). DES is a leader in the management of information technology: designing, installing and operating data processing systems for clients within the automobile, communications, government, financial and other industries. DES is an innovator in facilities management and actually was the founder of long term, fixed rising contracts within the industry (Electronic data systems, n. D. ). In deciding how to provide the services that each of the firms has to offer to existing and potential customers; the purchase of A. T. Carney by DES and subsequent merge with Management Consulting Services (MASC.) was considered a favorable match. Case Study Analysis 1. The section on the principles of screening and testing deals with the issue of ethics in the testing and identification of disease as this may have a social and economic effect on the process itself. Screening programs introduced without the reflection upon its opportunity cost can result in false results from these tests (Chadwick, 2001). Testing is defined as correct when it follows principles of impartiality, consistency and validity. Ethics should also be applied in screening as screening can help identify patients at risk for disease and illness at a stage where prompt intervention could increase chances of survival for a patient. 2. By far, the most fundamental aspect of a test is that it is precise. This is achieved by first determining the most specific and responsive test in relation to the malady being sought. There needs to be a balance between these two criteria. A highly specific test can only state that a person has a high probability of having the disease, which leads to the possibility of a false negative while a highly specific test will only detect one who has symptoms for that particular disease and this could lead to a false positive. Both outcomes are highly unfavorable, as false negative results would then cause delays in patients’ diagnosis while false positive results could end up creating diagnosis where there is none (Chadwick, 2001). After a test is conducted there needs to be an precise interpretation of the results, and since this is done in connection with other issues specific to the patient such as their medical history, the goal is to interpret the results with as small a margin for error as possible. Further, given the method of testing for a given disease, some risk is bound to attach with some procedures and thus the goal is to first start with the safest and noninvasive procedures before moving on to radical alternatives. The patient’s safety and comfort must be weighed against the necessity of the test. The case study deals with the ethical issues that come with insensitive tests that may lead to false positive results. False positive results create diagnosis, and this is shown when the test shows positive results for marijuana in one who has taken ibuprofen. Tina comes across test results she believes should show the opposite and ends up faking results, this negates the point to the test as the testing should be done impartially meaning that the tester should not favor the test no matter what the outcome (Chadwick, 2001). Tina was obligated to go with the test results she had without bending to emotion based on her personal relationship with the tested party. Tina also should push her boyfriend for a more accurate test as she is aware of the unreliable nature of the testing method. Thus, when in doubt, she should recommend further testing of a more specific nature to cases that would require further examination. As to whether Tina is justified in working for a company that lets people lose their jobs for no sufficient reason, the blame should be accorded to the testing methods and not to the tester. It is well clear that a more specific test would also be more expensive than a standard the standard one conducted by Tina and it would be impractical in terms of cost to subject everyone to this mode of testing. Reference Top of Form