Supply chain inventory, people, technology and risk Assignment

Supply chain inventory, people, technology and risk - Assignment Example People involved if not well trained and equipped can be a major source of risks. In the recent years, companies have been introducing advanced technology that is relatively more reliable and accurate. Perhaps one of the main challenges facing most companies in their operations is obsolescence and fraud. Over the past years, cases of fraud have highly been reported in the UK. The government has established specialized bodies to fight fraud. Serious Fraud Office is one of the bodies together with National Fraud Authority are but examples of such bodies. The technology industry has greatly been affected in the UK with Obsolescence over the last decade. This is highly associated with the quick advance in technological advancement. In order to be prepared against these two obstacles, companies have to develop well planned strategies. In these strategies, three factors are inevitable; inventory, people and technology. This report analyses how O2, the second largest telecommunication company in UK. The report tries to put into perspective the challenges and strategies used by the company in its operations in an effort to have an effective supply of its products and also fight fraud. This has jointly been attained through training of its employees and use of cloud based inventory system. O2 is the second leading telecommunication company in the UK. The company offers a wide range of services and products from mobile phones, SIM cards, internet bundles, and also financial services like the O2 Money which allows people to send money, receive money, pay bills among other transactions. The diversification of its products and services has seen the company expand its market and customer base over the past years. The high number of customers comes with its challenges. Among the challenges is how to handle demand and supply. This is mainly depended on their management on the inventory. The supply chain has to be well

Individuals Relationship to the Community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Individuals Relationship to the Community - Essay Example Sartre's existentialism and Human Emotions talk about how an individual can get the essence of his individuality through his existence. According to him, humans are thrown in this world without essence and with the span of time that he spends in the world, he has the chance to make decisions for there are choices available no matter what kind of situation circumstance he will be. He also added that since the people are born in the environment where there is no external value, it is already his chance to achieve the internal value that he desires. This optimistic view of existence can be related to how people base their decisions, most of which depend on what will people say and how people will judge. The individual and the community can never be separated although that is the aim and the goal of each one, still to depart from what is real and existing as a factor of survival is absolutely impossible. That is because of the reality that man cannot live and interact with himself alone. The interaction with other people that is needed for the nourishment of his physical, mental and emotional aspects is quite significant to be disregarded. This is the same reason why the community, the place for interaction is indispensable for his survival. The disadvantage comes in when free will and personal decisions get replaced by what we call "rules," rules which Freud said to be a kind of mutual relationship which replaces the individual's freedom by the rules of the society. This means that one is restricted to do things of his desire to give way to order and justice. Individual instincts for happiness are also controlled so as to reach the level of civilization which is thought to be progr ess. And since we talked about progress as another goal of every society, we can't remove the fact that progress deals with new technology which just like what Said mentioned in his book Representations of the Intellectual can somehow alter the real meaning of freedom. This is due to social conformity that needs to be accomplished to get the work done riding along with technology. The improvements and progress being the aim of every community and society, or group of individuals which usually follow a rule will always violate the so-called "norm of freedom" which Said partly talked about in the said book. The point being raised here is that even if there is a choice for man to be totally free at a given time or place, there is always a big possibility for him to be submissive to the rules which to him will bring forth bigger advantages. The violation then comes in when the expectations of the man who went struggling to deprive himself from personal satisfaction for a bigger cause gets corrupted by a bigger longing not from an individual but from the society, which supposedly is the on that would protect and or work for his desires to be achieved. A violation can also be done to personal freedom of choice and decision is when at a moment, the basis for a particular action or agendum is already the reaction of the community which cumulatively formed the rules in the society. What went wrong between the individual and the community was the interlocking of desires both from the individual and the community. No matter how mutual the so-called rules can be, there is always a greater desire that may pass over the well-made rules of the

Does Water Hyacinth Affect The Ph Level Environmental Sciences Essay

Does Water Hyacinth Affect The Ph Level Environmental Sciences Essay Invasive aquatic plant species are causing a growing threat in South Africa, as well as the whole world. These plants threaten the freshwater bodies causing a wide spread degradation on the environment. This study aims to see if Water Hyacinth can help the environment in which it inhabits by neutralising the pH level of acid water. As water hyacinth is a fast growing invasive species that can be controlled by weevils and pesticides  [1]  which can be used to assist in the purification and neutralisation of South African water sources. South Africas water sources are limited and in high demand. As 76.5% of the Earth water is polluted  [2]  , this study can enable the possibility of neutralising acid water. Aim Does water hyacinth affect the pH level of water contaminated with an acidic pH? Research Question Water hyacinth will affect the pH level of acidic water as it will be tested in controlled environments where comparisons between acidic and neutral water can be drawn as water hyacinth will be placed in both conditions and over time, the pH level of the water will be tested to observe the change of pH level of the water due to the water hyacinth. Hypothesis. Water hyacinth will alter the pH level of the acid water and make the water become more neutral, closer to 7. Rationale This research is important as water contamination and pollution is a growing problem in South Africa. As water hyacinth is able to grow at rapid rates, by deciding where one needs to pollinate their seeds, we can breed the plant in contaminated water to resolve the pH levels of the water. The water levels have a great effect on the ecosystems in and around it so with acidic water, ecosystems will be destroyed and the surrounding habitats and ecosystems near the water will be lost or destroyed. The topic is of great importance as there are severe problems concerning drinking water in the world and this can aid to fix the pollution of water around the world. Literature Review This project shows great importance as Water hyacinth is a problem on a global level. The problem of over population of this plant causes death of water life as sun light is restricted by the water hyacinth and therefor the plants at the bottom of the dam providing food and nutrition to the life start do die and add to the pollution as they do not receive sunlight for photosynthesis. When these plants have died, the dead fish (for example) begin to decompose which adds to the pollution of the already polluted water. There have been numerous studies around the world into the use of water hyacinth as a pollutant monitor.  [3]  Water Hyacinth has been tested to observe the absorption of arsenic, cadmium lead and many other metal compounds.  [4]  The plants can be tested to study the percentage of the compounds absorbed by looking inside the roots and stems and conducting tests to look at the compounds absorbed by the plants while living in the solution.  [5]  With all plants being made up of chemical structures, an imbalance of chemicals can cause plants to deform and in some instances die. There have been experiments to prove how the concentration of the chemical affects the growth of the plants. In this study, the plants are being tested whether or not the water hyacinth can improve the pH level of acidic water. Plants are very sensitive to high pH levels vinegar and dish washing liquid as a previous test conducted to see the survival of the plants at different pH levels resulted in the death of the plants after only one week when placed in solutions with high pH levels and normal garden plants flourish at a pH level of between 6.3 and 7.8  [6]  . Water hyacinth is a plant with easy access and grows in specific conditions which could alter the results as plants are sensitive to the conditions in which they grow. Sources of pollution are direct pouring waste into water and washing clothes in fresh water streams and indirect leaking oil pipes and runoff from eroded lands  [7]   which both add to the pollution levels as well as effecting the pH levels of the water as there are harmful substances being added to a sensitive ecosystem. As water hyacinth is not indigenous to South Africa and originated in Brazil where their ecosystems were equip to control this plant and ensure it did not take over the water sections. South Africas water does not have the methods in place to cope with the overtaking of this plant as it is clogging up water ways, reducing the rate of water flow and adding to the pollution of the water  [8]  . If this plant could have a positive function, it could be controlled by humans and used for only that function. Method i) Label 9 small plastic bags (3 x control, 6 x acid ) with a permanent marker. ii) Using an electronic scale, weigh 24grams of fertilizer and repeat 9 times. iii) Place each 24g of fertilizer into a separate bag. iv) Using an electronic scale, weigh 8grams of Iron chelates and repeat 9 times. v) Place each 8g of Iron chelates into one of the bags. i) Place 3 sets of 3 tubs in an enclosed area ii) Measure 80ml of water and pour the water into each tubs. iii) Draw a line with a permanent marker at the meniscus on the tub. iv) Label three of the tubs Control and the other six Acid v) Add one of each of the small plastic bags of the fertilizer and chelates to each of the according tubs vi) Add 3 plants of Water Hyacinth into 3 of the tubs vii) Measure 5ml of a coffee solution to each of the six acidic tubs iix) Place one of each tub in a row and make 3 rows of 3 tubs. ix) Record the pH level of each tub using HP pool testing strips in the table. x) Take pictures of each of the strips next to which tub it is. xi) Record the data once a week for 8 weeks. The collection of the pH level of each tub once a week for 8 weeks will allow one to observe the effect of water hyacinth on water with irregular pH levels. Week 1 TUB pH Control Acidic 1 Acidic 2 Week 2 TUB pH Control Acidic 1 Acidic 2 Week 3 TUB pH Control Acidic 1 Acidic 2 Week 4 TUB pH Control Acidic 1 Acidic 2 Week 5 TUB pH Control Acidic 1 Acidic 2 Week 6 TUB pH Control Acidic 1 Acidic 2 Week 7 TUB pH Control Acidic 1 Acidic 2 Week 8 TUB pH Control Acidic 1 Acidic 2 A table showing the average pH levels of the three tubs over eight weeks. Tubs Average pH level Control 1 2 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 7 Week 6 Week 8 pH level A line graph showing the change in pH level of the control tub over 8 weeks Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 7 Week 6 Week 8 pH level A line graph showing the change in pH level of acidic tub 1 over 8 weeks Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 7 Week 6 Week 8 pH level A line graph showing the change in pH level of acidic tub 2 over 8 weeks Plan for Data Analysis Using the collected data of pH levels from each of the nine tubs, after the 8 weeks, 3 separate line graphs can be drawn to show the neutralisation of the acidic water. The data will be collected from the 2nd of March to the 20th of April. Bibliography African Entomology vol. 19 No. 2 2001. J.A Coetzee http://www.chemistryexplained.com/Va-Z/Water-Pollution.html. Dan M. Sullivan Invasive Aquatic Plants. Lesley Henderson and Carina J Cilliers. 2002. Science direct : http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0143147182900605 http://www.plantea.com/pH.htm

Futile Dreams of Escape in The Glass Menagerie :: Glass Menagerie essays

Futile Dreams of Escape in The Glass Menagerie      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "I have always been more interested in creating a character that contains something crippled. I think nearly all of us have some kind of defect, anyway, and I suppose I have found it easier to identify with the characters who verge on hysteria, who were frightened of life, who were desperate to reach out to another person" (Rasky 134). This statement of Tennessee Williams supports the idea that he incorporates something crippled into all his major characters.   In his play, The Glass Menagerie, Williams portrays a crippling mother and child relationship. He clearly illustrates that none of the characters are capable of living in the present. The characters believe that happiness will be found in their repeated quests for escape from the real world. As such, they retreat into their separate worlds to escape life's brutalities.    Set in Depression-era St. Louis, the overbearing Southern ex-charmer, Amanda Wingfield is the de facto head of the household. A former Southern belle, Amanda is a single mother who behaves as though she still is the high school beauty queen. Williams' still-resonant study reveals her desperate struggle with the forces of fate against her dysfunctional relationship that looms and grows among her adult children. (Gist)    Laura, Amanda, Tom, and Jim resort to various escape mechanisms to avoid reality. Laura, fearful of being denigrated as inferior by virtue of her innate inability to walk, is shy and detaches herself from the unfeeling modern world. Amanda tries every means to integrate her into society, but to no avail. She sends her to business school and invites a gentleman caller to dinner. She is both unable to cope with the contemporary world's mechanization represented by the speed test in typing and unable to make new acquaintances or friends due to her immense inhibition with people. Her life is humdrum and uneventful, yet it is full of dreams and inundated with memories. Whenever the outside world threatens Laura, she seeks solace and retreats to her glass animal world and old phonograph records. Amanda, her mother hints at the alternative of matrimony for fiasco in business careers and Laura "utters a startled, doubtful laugh. She reaches quickly for a piece of glass." (Williams, ). The gl ass menagerie becomes her tactile consolation.    The little glass ornaments represent Laura's self and characterize her fragility and delicate beauty.

Economic Analysis Of An Oligopoly Market Structure

NEW YORK – Feeling bad about the economy? Indulge a little, have a soda. Marketers at Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. are counting on that sentiment to appeal to consumers overwhelmed with a drumbeat of bad economic news. â€Å"What people want to do is pause and refresh,† said Coca-Cola chief marketing officer Joe Tripodi. Pepsi, the world's second-largest soft drink maker, launched a new marketing campaign at the beginning of the year, while No. 1 Coke launched its campaign three weeks later.Soda makers, who have seen their highest-profile products lose ground to energy drinks and pricey bottled water in recent years, are turning away from the lifestyle marketing that has dominated the soda wars. Now, they hope to draw customers back to the old favorites with a simple lure: they're cheaper — or at least a better value. Coke's campaign includes 16-ounce plastic bottles of Coke, Coke Zero, Diet Coke, Sprite and Fanta for 99 cents. The new size could draw people lo oking for a bargain, in that a 20-ounce bottle costs $1. 25 to $1. 50.An ad campaign called â€Å"Open Happiness† and tied to the â€Å"Coke Side of Life† ads launched on â€Å"American Idol† last week. One spot features two students sitting across from each other in a library and flirting by drawing competing images of Coke bottles and on their arms. â€Å"A lot of people have left the category,† Beverage Digest editor John Sicher said last week. â€Å"Also, a lot of young people have not entered the category, so these ads may help Coke both recruit new young consumers and re-recruit some lapsed ones. † Coke plans to run three ads during Sunday's broadcast of the Super Bowl football championship on NBC.PepsiCo spokeswoman Nicole Bradley said PepsiCo would air five to six minutes of commercials for bottled drinks during the Super Bowl, making it the biggest advertiser for the game. The ads will feature Pepsi, Gatorade, PepsiMax and SoBe Life Water. With the launch of its new logo, the company also has increased its number of drink ads on billboards and in other public places such as subway stations, bus stops and on tops of taxis. In recent years, as U. S. soda sales fell steadily — including 2. 5 percent in the third quarter last year at PepsiCo,  while Coke doesn't break out soft drink performance — the two turned to other bottled drinks for growth. PepsiCo refocused its drinks portfolio around bottled Lipton teas and Starbucks coffees, its Aquafina bottled water, Izze sparkling juice drinks and others.Coke made the biggest drinks acquisition in industry history in June 2007 when it bought Glaceau's VitaminWater for $4. 1 billion. Though its products contain plenty of sugar, the brand had attracted health-conscious consumers with drink names such as Power-C, Defense, Endurance, Rescue and Multi-V.But CEO Muhtar Kent said last fall that soft drinks are the â€Å"oxygen of our industry. † The chief exec utives of both soda makers indicated they were refocusing on soft drinks last fall as consumers felt the weight of a recession but it had not yet been officially declared. PepsiCo's push is â€Å"complementary† with the trend of shoppers trading down, the company's North American beverages chief Massimo D'Amore said Tuesday. He declined to say the company was appealing to consumers' pocketbooks. â€Å"We will not communicate on price,† he said in an interview. â€Å"Value to consumers is much broader than price.It's not the primary focus of our marketing. â€Å"D'Amore told reporters gathered Tuesday to hear details of the company's Super Bowl plans that Pepsi's drink portfolio is the â€Å"exact ammunition† it needs to win in the current climate. Chief Executive Indra Nooyi has said the company — which also owns the Frito-Lay, Tropicana, Gatorade and Quaker brands — aims to slow the decline of U. S. soda sales. Both companies are grappling with how to hold on to consumers that have grown wary of the high-fructose corn syrup that is used in a wide variety of bottled drinks, from soft drinks to bottled teas and energy drinks.David Schardt, senior nutritionist at the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, said â€Å"the companies' latest campaigns are not going to improve public health if sales of sugar-based sodas do rebound†. â€Å"We already drink too many of our calories† he said. ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF AN OLIGOPOLY MARKET STRUCTURE 1. INTRODUCTION 1a. ARTICLE SUMMARY Not many corporations can boast of a 100 Year rivalry. The beverages industry witnessed such intense competition between Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.One can say that the competition between the corporations was and still is  so intense that it could be likened to sibling rivalry. The product offerings of both companies are so similar, if Pepsi were to offer a new product it wouldn’t be surprising to see Coca-Cola follow suit. Pep si has always taken the lead in developing new products, but Coke soon learned their lesson and started to do the same. The companies not only compete in soft drinks, but also have branched out to other beverages including coffee, juice drinks and even water. As the companies lose their market share in energy drinks and pricy bottled water in recent years; now they refocus on soda pop to draw customers back.PepsiCo is innovative with launching a marketing campaign of new logos while Coke’s campaign is price strategy with a range of cheaper products. The fact is each company is coming up with new products and ideas in order to increase their market share. The creativity and effectiveness of each company's marketing strategy will ultimately determine the winner with respect to sales, profits, and customer loyalty. 1b. JUSTIFICATION OF THE TOPIC Pepsi and coke control over 75. 3% of market (as shown in the figure 1).These two companies have significant control over the direction of the market in terms of price, quality and taste. This clearly indicates that the industry has a duopolistic structure. It is not easy to enter into the market as it needs a large investment and can expect the big players to crush into the competition. The presence of barriers to entry protects the present players from competition from new firms. The companies compete on product differentiation either through product itself or through heavy advertising to reduce the elastic of demand for their product.Clearly the industry is oligopolistic with the market shared between these two firms, and the oligopoly characteristics of high concentration ratio, fewness, high barriers entry, product differentiation and mutual interdependence apply. Figure 1 Source: Beverage Marketing Corporation, New York. Retrieved from www. beverageworld. com > â€Å"data and statistics† on 4/10/2008 2. ECONOMIC ANALYSIS A firm under oligopoly faces a kinked demand curve (see figure 2). The point of th e kink is the point of the established market price.The kink of the demand curve suggests that a competitor would react asymmetrically to price increases and price decreases by the firm. Suppose the price is established at $1. 99 for a six-pack of either Pepsi or Coke. Let's consider the demand curve for Pepsi. If Pepsi increases its price to $2. 49 per six-pack, it will lose some of its market to Coke along the AB component of the demand curve. Pepsi will be able to sell 500 six-packs a day instead of the original sales level of 1000.Coke is likely to stay at $1.99 and enjoy the additional sale, as some people who were originally buying Pepsi will be switching to Coke. If Pepsi lowers its price to $1. 49 to gain an advantage over Coke and increase it sales to 1500 six-packs, it may not succeed. The increase in sales by Pepsi to 1500 can only happen if Coke did not react to Pepsi's price cut. However, Coke is likely to match the price reduction by Pepsi to protect itself against los s of market share. As the result of price cuts by both Pepsi and Coke, there will be an increase in sales by both — at least partially at the expense of smaller competitors.The sales of Pepsi increase to 1300 six-packs per day from the original 1000. This is along the BC segment of the demand curve. Therefore, there are two demand curves facing Pepsi—AB relatively elastic for price increases and no reaction by Coke, and BC relatively inelastic for price decreases and price matching reaction by Coke. This explains the kinked demand curve for Pepsi and similarly for Coke. Notice that the kink in the demand curve is at the established market price. It is also important to realize that the established price tends to be maintained.Neither Pepsi nor Coke will be inclined to raise their price since it would cause loss of sales and market share to the rival. Also neither of them is particularly interested in lowering the price and starting a price war since the outcome is loss of profit for both in favor of consumers. The profit maximization level of output can be determined by adding to the demand-MR model the cost curves for a firm under oligopoly. The profit maximizing level of output is 1000 six-packs of Pepsi, where MC = MR. Pepsi can sell this quantity at $1. 99 according to the demand curve.The average total cost of production at 1000 level of output is $0. 99 per six-pack. Therefore the company is making $1000 a day of economic (or excess) profit as illustrated in Figure 3. An interesting observation is that the profit maximization of oligopolies, generally, occurs at the kink of the demand curve, which in-turn represents the established market price and market shares of the oligopolies. Another observation is that moderate changes in the cost conditions of oligopolies do not cause a change in their profit maximization quantity and price as long as they are in the vertical range of the MR curve.This implies that technological improvements that lo wer the cost of production or change in the price of inputs encountered by an oligopoly would not lead to a quantity or price change. We therefore suggest that under an oligopoly market prices are rigid. Firms especially avoid lowering their price from fear of igniting a price war. Instead oligopolies resort to non-price competition such as advertising. Price wars can and occasionally do occur when one of the dominant firms in the oligopoly market experiences a significant decrease in its production cost and attempt to increase its market share.Coke and Pepsi know that they are spending millions of dollars on advertising just to counter each other’s ads. Advertising game will provide us with a modeling framework within which to show the choice that the managers of oligopolistic firms face. ( see figure 4) Although it would increase both firms’ payoffs if both play â€Å"Less Advertising†, this cannot be easily achieved. According to the above payoff matrix, play ing â€Å"Intensive Advertising† yields a higher payoff for Coke no matter what Pepsi does. In other words, â€Å"Intensive Advertising† is Coke’s dominant strategy.Similarly, â€Å"Intensive Advertising† is also Pepsi’s dominant strategy. Given that there is no guarantee the other player plays â€Å"Less Advertising†, each player will play â€Å"Intensive Advertising†, which is the unique Nash equilibrium of this game. 3. CONCLUSION Sales of carbonated soft drinks have been declining in US for several years, as consumers turn to a growing number of new beverages like enhanced waters, sports drinks and energy drinks. But the problems have accelerated in a volatile economy, with consumers eating at restaurants less and buying fewer grab-and-go beverages.In addition, consumers are increasingly choosing tap water over other beverages at restaurants and at home to help save money and the environment. Both companies have also relied on fin ding new markets, especially in foreign countries. Although the goal of both companies are exactly the same, the two companies rely on somewhat different marketing strategies. The companies must be willing to accommodate their â€Å"target markets†. They have to always be creating and updating their marketing plans and products. Gaining market share occurs when a company stays one-step ahead of the competition by knowing what the consumer wants.

Communication Leaflet Essay

Idea occurs: this is when you think of an idea that you want to communicate. We all communicate for a reason, which is usually to pass on information to another person. Message coded: once we have thought of an idea we compose this within our thoughts, how we are going to say our idea to the recipient in a way the recipient will understand. For example, is the message going to be spoken to them, do they speak English. Is the message going to written down for them or are we going to use sign language, if so, what signs are we going to use to portray our message. Message sent: idea/message sent to the recipient. Message received: message is received by the other person. The recipient senses they have a message, for example either by seeing the message you’re signing or have written to them or hearing the message you’re speaking to them. Message decoded: recipient looks at the message and has to process what you have communicated for them to understand what has been spoken, signed or written, the message could be misunderstood easily by interpreting words differently. Message understood: the message has been received, decoded and understood by the recipient. If it has been communicated clearly, for example if there were no barriers within the communication cycle, the recipient will show their understanding by replying to your message. As the conversation continues, the sender of the message will then become the receiver of the replied message and so on and so on. Example of a message being sent using the Communication Cycle. The cycle will only continue if both parties understand what one another are sending, they can only do this by listening and processing what is being sent, understand then you can reply appropriately. In the communication cycle, things don’t always go smoothly and communication can break down when the cycle is broken. The cycle can break if the sender is unclear when they are sending their message or the receiver can misunderstand the message due to other distractions and then assume something else was being sent. Working in health and social care, your communicational skills are one of the most important skills you’ll need and use everyday. When communicating with patients/service users it is important they understand what discussions are taking place so they can join in them and it is equally as important for you to understand them so you know what they need and the choices they want to make. Communication barriers There are so many barriers that could affect communication between people. For example: Noisy surroundings: these can be a barrier as you may not be hear what is being spoken over the noise. For example, The manager of a care home was having a staff meeting when they were distracted with a noisy drilling and hammering sounds from workmen using loud tools in the room next door.. To overcome a noisy distraction you could ask the workmen how long they are going to be and if it isn’t too long you may take a break or postpone your meeting until they have finished. You could ask if they could delay theirs works for the remainder of your meeting. If this is not possible, rearrange your meeting for a later day, move room location for the remainder of the meeting. Disabilities: A physically disabled person attending their eye appointment and there is no lift at the opticians. To overcome this barrier you would enquire to see if the have another means to transporting the service user up the stairs and if this was not possible, enquire if the appointment could take place downstairs and if this was not possible, arrange an appointment where they can accommodate a wheelchair. Cultural differences: same meaning but different beliefs in different cultures. For example, eye contact when initially greeting some cultures is important but continuing eye contact is seen as a sign of disrespect. Some cultures like you to introduce yourself, they like a smile and a shake of hands. They are particular with the way they shake hands, extend the hand out and gently touch the other person’s hand, they don’t like the strong grasping shake of hands that the some cultures have. Bad lighting: bad lighting can be a distraction for example, someone who is visually impaired and wears glasses is at a meeting and the bright florescent lights are reflecting off their lenses or flickering distracting their sight. To overcome this barrier, you would enquire of any disabilities people may have, such as visual impairments or epilepsy and would not use lighting that will affect their condition or change room locations if the problem of flickering lights persists. Jargon: is technical terminology used by professionals for example, when a doctor uses full medical terminology when speaking to a service user and they do not explain what they mean in a way the service user can understand. Slang: is wording and phrases that are used by service users that could have several ways of being misinterpreted by others, for example, the elder service users may say they have water problems, and they are meaning they have toileting problems, we may think they mean tap water problems. Slang can be used when all parties understand. Language barriers: someone who doesn’t speak in a language you understand, for example, they are foreign or they can only communicate with sign language. To overcome a language barrier, enquire what language they communicate and have in place a signer if needed or a translator. Body language: is an aid to expressing what we want to communicate, verbally and none verbally. Body language that can be misinterpreted, for example, a manager stood at their office door with their arms folded may be seen as they are angry when really they are stood there listening as they are waiting for a visitor. Aggression: an aggressive attitude is often a barrier as this behaviour is frightening to others and can be intimidating. Mobile phones: ringing at the wrong time, for example, you are at Sunday mass with a service user and whilst your at the alter with the service user, your mobile phone rings. To ensure mobile phones do not ring, put signs in place to ask people to kindly turn their mobiles on silent if they cannot turn them off for any reason.

The 9 Absolute Best Books on Writing by the Pros - Freewrite Store

The 9 Absolute Best Books on Writing by the Pros - Freewrite Store Today’s guest post is by  Matt Grant.  Matt is a Brooklyn-based writer and editor.  His  work has appeared in  Literary Hub,  Book Riot,  HuffPost, and  BookBrowse.  Find Matt  online, or follow him on  Twitter  and  Facebook. As a writer, as with any form of art, you need to constantly hone your craft. Education plays a big role in self-improvement, but you don’t have to be an MFA candidate to keep learning. You can pay for classes (which often cost and arm and an leg), or try to find free options online. One great way to find free (or at least cheap!) advice you can learn at your own pace is to read books on writing. Many prominent writers, publishers, English professors, and grammarians have written books on their craft intended to help writers improve their craft. And who better is there to learn from than the experts? Below are nine books to add to your shelf today that will help you in all phases of your writing journey. Reading Like a Writer,Francine Prose Technically a book on reading, Prose’s book is written with writers in mind. Her entire argument is that before there was such a thing as creative writing instruction, the only way writers learned their craft was from reading other writers. Prose’s practical and straightforward book will give you a deeper appreciation for good literature in general, and what it takes to write good literature specifically. She has sections on sentences, paragraphs, narration, character, dialogue, and more. Along the way, she stocks her advice with examples from literary titans, even including an entire section at the end called â€Å"Books to be Read Immediately.†    How to Read Literature Like a Professor,Thomas C. Foster Have you ever read a â€Å"great† novel and felt like you’re missing out on a hidden layer of meaning? If subtext often goes over your head and you have a hard time deciphering metaphors, this book may be for you. Foster, a professor of English at University of Michigan-Flint, has provided a fun and easygoing guide to â€Å"reading between the lines.† With chapter titles like â€Å"Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires,† and â€Å"It’s My Symbol and I’ll Cry if I Want to,† Foster’s book is a fun, lighthearted take on literary analysis. It’s a helpful guide for how to deconstruct motifs, themes, images and other symbols in great novels, which you can turn around and apply to your own work.      The Elements of Style, William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White No writer’s library is complete without a stylebook, and The Elements of Stylehas been thestandard stylebook since 1918. You probably recognize E.B. White as the author of beloved children’s classics Charlotte’s Weband Stuart Little.William Strunk, Jr. was his English professor at Cornell University. Strunk wrote the original version, which White later expanded. This is an extremely practical book to carry around, just over 100 pages, and it easily fits in your pocket. It focuses on usage, form, and even lists commonly misspelled words.    Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Anne Lamott Lamott’s wonderful book is both a memoir and writing advice guide. Her emotional and honest take on the writing life is refreshing. In it, she tells a story from her childhood about her ten-year-old brother freaking out over a huge report on birds that he’d had three months to complete. Overwhelmed by the task and unsure of where to begin, Lamott recalls her father putting his arm around her brother and telling him to just take it â€Å"bird by bird.† The same advice applies to writing, Lamott says, as writers take their work one word, sentence, and book at a time. What’s more, Bird by Birdwill disabuse you of any notions of overnight success in literature.    Several Short Sentences About Writing,Verlyn Klinkenborg Klinkenborg is a creative writing professor at Yale University, and his short, breezy book is one of best books on writing I’ve ever read. Written in short, snappy sentences laid out like poetry, Several Short Sentences About Writing aims to have writers focus on writing good, clear sentences. And that’s it. Klinkenborg argues that great sentences will lead to great writing, and that good sentences can make even the most boring and mundane subject seem fascinating. He encourages writers to think of each sentence as its own entity on the page, separate from everything that comes before and after it. At the end, he includes a section of bad sentence examples, culled from his years as a writing professor. I’m just glad he wasn’t mine!    On Writing Well, William Zinsser Zinsser’s On Writing Wellis a pretty classic college textbook for writing classes, so if you slept through English, now might be a good time to revisit it. As a former reporter for the New York Herald Tribuneand the author of 17 nonfiction books, Zinsser’s area of expertise is nonfiction. The first two sections of his book are a more narrative version of The Elements of Style,but the third focuses on different forms nonfiction writing can take. Zinsser shows what goes into good interviews, memoir writing, sports reporting, and travel writing. This volume is essential reading for anyone wishing to write good, compelling nonfiction.    On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King If you think Stephen King is enjoying a renaissance right now with the film versions of The Dark Towerand Itin theaters, you don’t know his work very well. King is one of the most influential and iconic authors of the 20th century. His stamp is everywhere you look and has been for a long time. In this acclaimed book that is â€Å"part memoir, part master class, by one of the bestselling authors of all time,† King shares the habits and practices that have solidified his place in American literary history. King’s prose is personable and reads like you’re talking to a good friend in person. On Writingis great for King fans and aspiring writers alike.    Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting, Robert McKee Now wait a minute, you might be asking, how is a book on screenwriting helpful for prose writers? Well, read McKee’s brilliant Storyand you’ll see why. This is not just a book about screenwriting, but how all great stories are structured. After an introduction that takes you through the principlesof good storytelling – why do people find certain story elements compelling? – McKee breaks down, using examples from some of the most influential films in cinematic history, essential story elements. There’s the Inciting Incident, Three-Act story design, and the crisis, climax, and final resolution. If none of this sounds familiar, pick up this essential guide for writers of any genre who want to tell well-structured, compelling stories.    Bonus: What We See When We Read, Peter Mendelsund Another book on reading? Absolutely! All writers are good readers. This delightful book, told mostly through pictures, is all about the phenomenologyof reading – how words, which have no concrete images attached to them, can nevertheless conjure images in a reader’s brain. It’s an essential reminder that the writer’s work is bringing images to life with our words.    When in doubt, a writer’s first stop should always be books. While we don’t all have personal, constant access to writing experts to ask their advice and opinions, we do have the next best thing: their books. Not to mention all the literary classics throughout history that you can learn a lot from just by reading. So don’t hesitate - head to your local library or bookstore today and pick out some of these titles!    There you have it, the books by the pros to get you writing like a pro. Which books on writing are your favorites? Which books did we miss? Let us know in the comments!    Matt Grant  loves to write about writing, business, and all forms of popular  culture – books, film, and television. Matt started writing DVD reviews for  Pop Matters  in 2012, and in 2016, he followed through on a life-long dream by launching a part-time writing business at  www.mattgrantwriter.com. Since then, Matt’s work has appeared in  Literary Hub,  Book Riot,  HuffPost, and  BookBrowse,  and he has several ongoing clients.  His first personal essay,  Swimming Lessons,  is being published in LongReads at the end of August. Matt is also currently hard at work on his first novel, a comedic take on fantasy tropes for young adults. When not writing or reading, Matt works in youth development as an after-school program director  for one of the largest middle schools in Manhattan. Matt lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Katelyn.