Sociological Perspectives And The Functionalist Perspectives Sociology Essay

Sociological Perspectives And The Functionalist Perspectives Sociology Essay The first sociological perspective that I will use to try to explain the Bertram family scenario is the functionalist perspective. The functionalist perspective evolved from the work of Emile Durkheim (1858-1917), though it was shaped by Harvard sociologist Talcott Parsons during the mid-20th century.    Functionalism can be summed up simply: the world is a system of interrelated parts, and each part makes a necessary contribution to the vitality of the system (Bohm, 1997: 82). Functionalism examines society through a functional framework which stresses that everything, no matter how seemingly strange, out of place, or harmful, serves a purpose. A useful analogy to use would be all the different parts of the body and how they function to keep the human body alive. All organs in the human body depend on each other and each is vital, performing an overall function. Social systems work in much the same way as an organic system. Societies have established structures within which are es tablished beliefs and practices. All members of society are expected to conform and behave acceptably. The institutional arrangements, for example, political or religious arrangements, exist in society not by choice of its citizens but because they perform a specific function for the social structure as a whole. People within these social structures know and agree on how to behave, living their lives in the right ways from which society benefits (Jones 2003:39). Functionalism holds that everyone and everything in society, no matter how strange it may seem, serves a purpose.   Crime, for example, is viewed almost universally as a nuisance.   Functionalists, however, point out that crime serves several purposes.   Durkheim concluded that crime and deviance serve three major functions for society: deviance clarifies or reaffirms societal norms, it promotes social unity, and it challenges the status quo.   Deviance can bring into question the status quo, forcing society to reth ink previously held norms.   For example, acts perceived as criminal or deviant were critical in shaping the rights movements for African Americans, women, and homosexuals in the United States.   Without questioning the traditional way of treating disadvantaged groups, the norms of discrimination and prejudice could not be broken. Criticisms of functionalism focus on its acceptance and rationalization of social inequality and societal evils.   Since functionalism holds that all aspects of society are necessary, human rights issues like poverty, hunger, slavery, and genocide must be accounted for.   Critics suggest that functionalism can be used as a rationalization of such issues.   The perspective is also criticized for its lack of testability, which is critical for upholding any social science theory.   Several questions stand against its reliability.   Still, it has its strong points, such as its ability to explain crime and deviance.   Functionalism essentially s erves as the most traditionalist of the sociological schools of thought. As with all the other different parts of society family has a role to play in the functioning of society and each family member has a role to play. Mrs Bertram is no longer able to perform the social roles that society expects of her (for example, mother and wife). In the scenario of the Bertram family, Mrs Bertram could be seen to have taken on the sick role. The functionalist perspective of illness is that it disrupts society; it too is a form of deviance. A functionalist perspective would suggest that social services would need to control the deviance by either putting Mrs Bertram into residential care or by providing services for her at home, in order to bring her back in line with societys expectation of her. Similarly the social worker would also expect Mr Bertrams deviant behaviour to be dealt with. The fact that he is leaving his wife alone for extended periods of time and is generally not caring for her as would be expected of a husband could be viewed as deviant behaviour. The Bertrams are from a generation where gender roles were very specific and Mr Bertram is probably struggling with the role reversal, so would need support with this. Mr Bertrams possible alcoholism could also be viewed as a form of deviance that would need to be brought under control by perhaps providing him with support to overcome it. Feminist theory became established in the 1960s. What defines feminism is the view that womens relative subordination must be questioned and challenged (Abbott, Wallace and Tyler, 2005:16). The feministic view is that women are oppressed and their freedom to act and express themselves is limited by the relative power of men, as they tend to possess more economic, cultural and social resources than women. There is a wide range of feminist views due to the failure to agree on ways to explain subordination of women or how women can be liberated or what actually constitutes oppression (Abbott, Wallace and Tyler, 2005). As a result there are many varying feminist perspectives drawing on a wide range of disciplines. According to Abbott Wallace and Tyler (2005) early feminists have focussed on issues relating to questions of power, knowledge and subjectivity. Liberal feminism sees gender prejudice as a matter of individual ignorance (Jones 2003:91). Liberal feminists believe inequalities ca n be eradicated by putting in place anti-discrimination laws and by promoting non-sexist attitudes. Marxist feminists believe that womens subordination serves the needs of capitalism (Jones 2003:92). Marxist feminists argue that subordination of women in capitalist societies is best explained by understanding the economic disadvantages that they face. Radical feminism sometimes referred to as gynocentrism affirms that patriarchy is the key to understanding social structures and patriarchal relations are universal and elemental (Jones, 2003:94). The term patriarch is used widely to refer to a society based on universal male supremacy and female subordination (Abbott, Wallace and Tyler, 2005:33). This perspective is concerned with womens rights rather than gender equality and it emphasises the difference between men and women. Within radical feminism the family is seen as a key instrument of womens oppression through sexual and maternal obligation. Feminists who adopt this perspective are concerned with the way women perpetuate mens control when they become so oppressed by patriarchal ideologies. Feminist theories of social work have been criticised recently for treating women generically and displaying insufficient sensitivity to the complex ways in which other social divisions such as race, age, disability, etc impact on gender relations. (Dominelli 2002) Mrs Bertram could be seen by feminists to be suffering at the hands of a patriarchal society. She has been lured into dependency by Mr Bertrams charming ways. It could be argued that Mrs Bertram found the prospect of marrying into a higher social class rather appealing. Radical feminists argue that all relationships between men and women are institutionalised relationships of power (Abbott, Wallace and Tyler, 2005:35). Mrs Bertram does not appear to be an equal in the marriage and her illness has further exacerbated her powerlessness. Mr Bertram has all control of the finances and probably all major decisions affecting Mrs Bertram, especially as she now lacks capacity, further reinforcing her subordination. It is unclear whether Mrs Bertram has ever worked, if she has not Marxist feminists would argue that this was to the benefit of a capitalist society as she provided, when she was able, free domestic services to sustain her husband. Mrs Bertrams reasons for wanting to stay with her husband may be due to her ideological view of marriage. Feminists argue that married women do not have an identity separate to their husbands (Abbott, Wallace and Tyler, 2005) and she may be trying to hold on to what little she has left of her identity as she is slowly losing her faculties due to the Alzheimers. Her ideological view masks the real subordination she faces at the hands of her husband. This is further reinforced by his neglect of her needs and failure to care for his wife as a husband would be expected to. The psychodynamic theory was pioneered by Freud and later developed by a number of writers. Freud argued that there were various levels of conscious and unconscious thought. The id which is the source of basic urges and the drive to survive. The superego is the conscious, public expression that seeks to convey that we are doing what is acceptable to society. The ego is the part of the unconscious that attempts to mediate between the id and superego. Individuals may not be aware of the interactions within themselves and engage in behaviours that are expressions of their deep unconscious, seeking to rationalise them through the ego and superego. The psychodynamic approach includes all the theories in psychology that see human functioning as based upon the interaction of drives and forces within the person, particularly unconscious conflict between the different structures of the personality (Baker, 2003:39). The psychodynamic approach attempts to explain the motivation of behaviour. Th e basic assumptions of the psychodynamic theory are that behaviour is motivated by conscious and unconscious mental processes, and that behaviour reflects current motivation and past experience (Glassman and Hadad, 2009). The approach claims that early negative experiences may become buried in the unconscious and manifest themselves in how an individual behaves in relationships with people later in life. Bion (1962) cited in Maclean and Harrison (2009) believes that the quality of childhood relationships in early life shapes the development of personality and character. According to Freud various defence mechanisms are developed by people to cope with difficult emotional situations. These defences include denial, repression, projection and displacement. Freud was of the opinion that people could overcome their problems by making conscious those thoughts and motivations hidden in the unconscious. He used several methods to gain access to the unconscious, such as free association whic h involved allowing the individual to say whatever came into their mind and if the client became blocked talking about something this signified something deeper was occurring in their unconscious. Freud also use dream analysis as he believed that unconscious thoughts were revealed in dreams and could be interpreted. Transference was another method used as clients projected and displaced their own thoughts and feelings onto their therapist. The psychodynamic approach is criticised for its subjectivity and gender, cultural and historical bias (Barker, 2003). The psychodynamic approach could be used to better understand Mr Bertram. Problems that are identifiable in the case scenario are his poor management of money, his neglect of his wife and his suspected alcoholism. His behaviour could possibly be a result of what is happening in his unconscious mind due to a negative experience in early childhood. The amount of time he spends at the golf club away from his wife could be explained as him using denial as a defence mechanism against painful emotions. He may have experienced painful losses in the past and this may have affected his unconscious mind. It is possibly too painful for him to accept his wifes illness and his coping strategy is to refuse to accept what is happening. His suspected alcoholism may be due to him regressing to an earlier stage of development where he felt safe or comfortable, possibly the oral stage when developing children focus on oral pleasures such as feeding. It is possible that the stress of his wifes illness h as triggered the regression and he may not even be aware of how his unconscious is leading him to use alcohol to cope. His use of alcoholism could also be explained as fixated behaviour, if Mr Bertram experienced trauma when he was at the oral stage (stage where according to Freud child gains satisfaction from sucking, eating, etc) in his development it is possible that he then became confined to this particular stage. His conscious choice to drink alcohol has its origins in the repressed depths of the unconscious mind (Ingleby 2006:8). His use of alcohol as a way of managing a difficult situation is inappropriate behaviour and generating its own set of problems as he is neglecting his wife and the home is in an awful state. A social worker using this approach would have to proceed with caution as behaviours may not be the result of unconscious assumptions. Behaviourism rose in prominence in the early 20th century through the ideas of thinkers such as Pavlov and Watson. The behaviourist approach lays emphasis on the role of environmental stimuli in determining the way that we act. A key idea in behaviourism is that all individuals enter the world as a clean slate (Ingleby, 2006:5). Social factors are then responsible for shaping the individual. The basic assumption is that humans learn behaviour by learned relationships between stimulus (excites the sense organs) and a response (reaction to stimulus). The main behaviourist theories of learning are classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning occurs when we make an association between a neutral stimulus that reliably produces a response, so that the neutral stimulus comes to produce the same response (Baker, 2003:43). It is most well known through Pavlovs experiment where dogs were given food at the same time as a bell was rung. The result was that the dogs wou ld salivate when the bell was rung even if no food was presented. Pairing of an unconditioned stimulus led to an unconditioned response and when the unconditioned response was paired with another stimulus, the stimulus eventually produced a response on its own. Operant conditioning has had a considerable influence on psychology and is used regularly in social care (Maclean and Harrison, 2009). Operant conditioning recognises that the environment effects behaviour. Much behaviour occurs randomly and whether we repeat it or not depends on the response we get. For example, if a person says they want to kill themselves, they may not know how or fully understand what they are saying but whether or not they say it again may depend on the response of those around them. The behaviourist approach is criticised for be oversimplified as it ignores mental processes and limited as not everything can be accounted for by simple learning (Barker, 2003). It is possible that Mr Bertram has learned behaviours over the years due to the responses he has received. As he is from a white upper class background he has led a fairly privileged life. Even though his financial status is now in question he has learned over the years that his exceedingly charming manners are able to get him what he wants. He was able to use his charm to sweep Mrs Bertram off her feet and so far has managed to use this same charm offensive to keep the landlord and social services at bay. If we apply the principle of operant conditioning to the situation we can see that Mr Bertrams behaviour has been shaped by the way that those he has come into contact with have responded by conceding to his charming ways. The consequence has been that he continually uses this behaviour to mask the problems he and his wife are experiencing. I was born and raised in Zimbabwe just before independence and I am the second child of a nurse and a self-made business man. Education was very important in my family and although it went unsaid there was always an expectation that we would be successful in life. The culture I was raised in had a very patriarchal framework and this extended to state policies and procedures. For example, in order for me to obtain a passport or national identity card I had to either go to government offices with my father or a male relative with the same surname or produce my fathers identification documents. My mothers presence or her documents would not have been acceptable. If I view this from a feminist perspective, women in my culture were placed in a position of subordination because of economic dependency and because generally they were constructed as socially inferior (Abbott, Wallace and Tyler, 2005: 28). Despite the fact that my mother worked all financial decisions were made by my father. M arxist feminist would argue that subordination of women in Zimbabwe served and continues to serve to enhance capitalist interests. My mother tended to my fathers every need so that he could go out and be productive at work. Education was a very important part of my life. Emphasis was always placed on the fact that I needed a good education in order to succeed in life. I remember getting very good reports at school while my sister got the opposite. My parents would sit her down every time her report card came home. If I apply the behaviourist principle of operant conditioning to my situation I learned that if I came home with a good report card my parents response would be a positive one. I therefore endeavoured to always have a good report so that that positive response from my parents would be repeated. My background will provide me with insight on how women can feel oppressed even in environments that they are supposed to feel safe, so that I can effectively challenge oppressive practices. My background also helps me understand how responses I may have as a social worker will shape future behaviours of service users to other social workers or professionals. It is clearly important to have an understanding of sociological and psychological perspectives in social work as both make a significant contribution to understanding different service user needs.

Personal Narrative- Meeting God through Strangers :: Personal Narrative

Personal Narrative- Meeting God through Strangers Meeting strangers can often times be awkward, but there are other moments when, if given, a stranger can transform your life. The time frame was approximately six years ago and I was working as a photographer for Sears Portrait Studio. As the photographer, I was always meeting new and interesting people. My job was fairly predictable in that we primarily photographed children; except for one day when that would all change. I was working at the front counter when an older couple approached. Their disposition was gentle and soft. They wanted to know if we were photographing that particular day. I said, "Indeed, we were." I might mention that this couple was so polite in asking that I was a bit caught off guard. I told them we could get them in immediately if they were ready. The lady mentioned that all she needed to do was add a touch of lipstick, fix her husband's tie, and they could be ready. The wife made sure to explain that the portraits would be for their 35th wedding anniversary. They both followed me in to the sitting room as I began to take a few poses. After doing so, I started to notice something peculiar about the couple. I was not a Christian at that time, so all I really noticed is that they weren't like everyone else I encountered. I was in a difficult relationship myself, and after seeing their interaction with one another, it spurred me to ask them a question. I said, "I don't mean to pry, but I was noticing something about you both that seems unique; I was curious what makes your relationship work?" The woman paused for a moment and pondered my question. After a moment she replied with sheer confidence, "God." He was what made their relationship work. I took a few steps back. This was not the answer I was expecting. We continued with the sitting and I met them out front to finish up the sale. I told them that "it was nice to meet both of them and I appreciated their advice." But, before I got that full sentence out, the lady reached out and embraced me. I knew at that moment, God had a hold of me and that he was using this couple as a vehicle to my salvation. These "strangers" are my family today.

Operations Management in Business Essay

In writing this assignment the template provided by the college has been used helping in completing the Assignment in the correct format. Information for this assignment has been collected from various sources such as academic pieces of writing from textbooks and lecture notes. Information on the company has been gathered from the organisations website, journal articles and government statistics. References will be provided at the end of the assignment under the referencing section. LO1: Understand the structure and aims of business organisations LO1.1 Explain the importance of operational management Operation management can be identified as a complete set of managerial activities employed by the organization to transform resource inputs into product and service outputs. So the resource inputs are the factors of production such as materials, parts, supplies, technologies, capital, human resources and information. The transformational process is that set of activities through which operations managements produces output that is value to a customer or client in the organization’s external environment. So the concept of adding value is critical to operations management. So when operations add value to the original cost of the resource inputs, where a business can generate profit or non profit org can provide public services  to the society. So no organization can be successful unless they manage their operations efficiently. An organization has to manage its operations in an effective manner so that customers will get a satisfactory output. Read more:  Operations Management Essay Why an operation manger position is important to Kingslice 1.To take capacity decisions: That is as operation manager, has to decide how much capacity will be needed and need to identity how flexible capacity should be. 2.To take facilities decisions: So operation manger has to decide where should facilities be located and also how many facilities will be needed and what size they should be. 3.To make workflow and technology decisions: Operation manger should decide what workflow layout would be best for Kingslice and also what technology should be used. 4.To make materials and inventory decisions: How often should inventory be ordered and how large should inventory levels be. 5.Have to make quality decisions: As a bread producing company how Kingslice can achieve best quality outputs and what level it should be. So as the operation manger in Kingslice it is really important to concentrate on productivity and profitability. So as the operation manager I have to look at Quality, Efficiency and Effectiveness issues in the company. †¢Quality Standard: As it is expected to produce various kinds of breads to meet customers’ needs it is very necessary to maintain standard quality in products. Eg: Wholemeal bread, White bread, Gluten-free bread. To ensure quality, the right ingredients must be bought at a reasonable price to be competitive among the rivals. So the Economic Order Quantity model will be an effective tool in this case. †¢Efficiency Standard: Should reduce wastage and need to produce the right amount of breads according to sales. It is very important that all the equipments need to be up to date according to new technology bakers should be well trained. †¢Effectiveness Standard: This will help Kingslice to generate more profit and will attract more investors in to the organization. So having skilful staffs and proper equipment will help to lift up the effectiveness in Kingslice. LO1.2 Explain the need to produce safely; on time; to cost; to quality and within the law Operational efficiency is the ability of an organization to deliver products or services to its customers in the most cost-effective manner possible while still ensuring the high quality of its product, service and support. To improve operational efficiency it’s important to analyze the current situation of the company, which occurs when the right combination of the people, process and technology come together to enhance the productivity and value of any business operations, while reducing the cost of routine. It is important for, Kingslice as bread producing company to, -Decrease operational cost and optimize efficiency -Manage and develop product quality and ensure regulatory compliance -Generate a real time demand driven sales and operational planning process âž ¢Safety Kingslice should guarantee that safety of all staffs. Staffs need to carry out a health and safety trainings which will be useful be more cautious at work and react efficiently to safety issues. Equipments should be service over period of time to prevent any danger. âž ¢Cost Minimising wastage will help Kingslice a lot. So the saved money saved could be used in other departments which lack facilities. Avoiding unnecessary cost will help the company to stay competitive. âž ¢Time Producing the bread on time will help Kingslice honouring its contacts to the retailers. By this act, other retailers can switch to Kingslice. âž ¢Quality Customer and retailers feedback need to be taken in to consideration seriously so that we can identify which areas need to improve the most. Having regular meetings with staffs is another form of feedback where ideas can be discussed as well as issues in how to improve quality. âž ¢Legislation To maintain our competiveness and reputation in the market Kingslice need to stick on to the law. Health and safety policy should be respected by giving the staffs the necessary equipments to work. There are laws that protect the environment; at Kingslice we should try to recycle waste. LO1.3 Explain the link between operations management and strategic planning Operations management deals with designs, management with products, processes, services and supply chains. It is considered that the acquisition, development and resources utilization that company needs to provide the goods and services to fulfil their customer’s needs. So basically it is the acquisition of resources and processes them into finished goods according to the customers’ wants and the business goal. Strategic planning is a method for a company planning the present based on the projections what will be needed in the future. So it is a road map to direct the business from where it is now where it will like to be Strategic planning gives a clear view on: †¢How resources should be allocated. †¢The issues need to be addressing. †¢The strengths and weaknesses. . Strategic Planning Process Link between Strategic Planning and Operation Management In Kingslice, as the operational manger should be able operate following operations strategies, †¢Ability to produce bread at low cost †¢Ability produce in accordance with specification and without error †¢Ability to do things quickly in response to customer demands and thereby offer short lead times between when customers orders a product and when they receive it. †¢Ability to deliver products in accordance with promises made to customers †¢Ability to change the volume of production †¢Ability to change the mix of different products Eg: Wholemeal bread, White bread †¢Ability to innovate and introduce new products Eg: Gluten-free bread, Multi-seed bread Applying the SWOT analysis in Kingslice, -Strengths: Get the best out of the staffs and equipping well trained staff and technology. -Weaknesses: Need to reduce the wastes and have to follow or standard recycling method. -Opportunities: Innovating products and change package design will help to increase the sales. -Threats: competitors and health and safety issues LO1.4 Produce a systems diagram to illustrate a typical business LO2: Understand the link between operations management and strategic planning LO2.1 Explain the ‘Three Es’ (economy, efficiency and effectiveness) In this 3 Es’ theory it is often referred to Value of Money. †¢Economy –Minimising the cost of resources (doing things at a low price) This covers financial side of work carried out. It is measured by considering the cost of resources consumed into value of output delivered. †¢Efficiency –Performing tasks with realistic attempt (doing things the right way) This can be measured in terms of the inputs required to generate the outputs. So if a task can be finished with less resources, the efficiency is been improved. †¢Effectiveness –The point to which objectives are met (doing the right things) This can be measured by setting up a target before a task begins and then evaluating whether the targets have been achieved not. †¢Integrating 3Es use of the resources in improving quality o f the products and the customer service in Subway So this 3Es are interrelated so as operations manger when dealing with improving quality and customer service its necessary to consider all 3. So I can suggest following, †¢Benchmarking against other rivals for indications as to whether we are â€Å"economic enough†, â€Å"efficient enough† and â€Å"effective enough†. †¢Comparing with other parts of our organization †¢Measuring and interpreting trends over a period of time †¢Aiming to continuous improvement So I would suggest following measures to improve above qualities in Subway, †¢Economy Performance Measures: Maintaining a cost per unit Comparing the actual cost input with planned input †¢Efficiency Performance Measures: Minimising the waste Make sure staffs well trained Equipment must be up to date †¢Effective Performance Measures: Storing the right amount of stocks Identifying the best selling meal depending on the location Identifying the target customer group Responding to customer feedbacks LO2.2Explain the tension between cost minimisation and quality maximisation. Cost minimisation aims to achieve the most cost efficient way of delivering goods and services achieve the essential level of quality. Customer is the main root in Tesco Plc, without them they cannot survive in the completive market. While offering good customer services and the good quality products need to have an idea about the cost minimization of the product as well. So in this case I realised major out flow of the company is marketing and branding cost. Therefore I have to identify better marketing and branding technique to drop overall Tesco marketing and branding cost for our products. But marketing is very vital to survive in this competitive market (ex.Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose) Thus have to look any alternation cost to reduce rather than cutting marketing cost. I came with an idea to reduce production cost at controlling, †¢Minimise the extra over time, †¢Minimise unnecessary utility expenses †¢Management ordering –then we can reduce transport cost and increase the sales in an efficient way. †¢Hence some Tesco expresses don’t have their own bake off it will be good move to build their own bake off to control waste, cost and provide high quality products. In the mean time I have given my attention to best customer services throughout our entire retail shops. By  advising all retail managers to look after extra satisfactory stock at any time and maintain all warehouse activities including production ,servicing and manage of chilled foods and grocery items while minimum of wastage and maximising customer satisfaction towards highest profitability margin while in according to control the safety features. To increase the customer services I manage to conduct, †¢Proper training programme to all our staff. †¢Evaluate the retail shops and individual staff by’’ mystery shopper’’ †¢Well experience new staff recruitment, LO2.3 Evaluate the significance of the five performance objectives that underpin operations management Strategy in a business organization is essentially about how the organization seeks to survive and prosper within its environment over the long-term. The decisions and actions taken within its operations have a direct impact on the basis on which an organization is able to do this. The way in which an organization secures, deploys and utilizes its resources will determine the extent to which it can successfully pursue specific performance objectives. Slack et al. (2004) argue that there are five operations strategies: 1 Cost: The ability to produce at low cost. 2 Quality: The ability to produce in accordance with specification and without error. 3 Speed: The ability to do things quickly in response to customer demands and thereby offer short lead times between when a customer orders a product or service and when they receive it. 4 Dependability: The ability to deliver products and services in accordance with promises made to customers (e.g. in a quotation or other published information). 5 Flexibility: The ability to change operations. Flexibility can comprise up to four aspects: †¢The ability to change the volume of production. †¢The ability to change the time taken to produce. †¢The ability to change the mix of different products or services produced. †¢The ability to innovate and introduce new products and services. Operations strategy has a vertical relationship in the corporate hierarchy with business and corporate strategies, and horizontally with the other functional strategies, most notably with marketing strategy. Operations strategy might come about in a top-down or a bottom-up process with regard to business and corporate strategies. Similarly, an operations strategy might be developed in response to market requirements (i.e. market-led) or be based on the capabilities of its operations. Slack et al. (2004: p.67) argue that an operations strategy concerns the pattern of strategic decisions and actions, which set the role, objectives, and activities of operations’. Their use of the term ‘pattern’ implies a consistency in strategic decisions and actions over time. LO3 Understand how to organise a typical production process LO3.1Explain linear programming Linear programming is the process of taking various linear inequalities relating to some situation, and finding the â€Å"best† value obtainable under those conditions. Let X be the number of items produced in Basic and Y be the number of items produced in Deluxe. Let P be the profit from both Basic and Deluxe. Then; 10X+ 15Y= P A maximum units of capital is 100. Then; 100≠¥4X+5Y——————requirement 1 Maximum labour availability is 60 hours Then; 60 ≠¥2X+4Y 30≠¥ X+2Y——————-requirement 2 The number of items of the products should be greater than or equals to zero. Then; Y≠¥0 and X≠¥0 Graphical method is used to solve the problem 3 points are available and the 4th point should be derived from the graph Point (0,15) , (0,0) and (25,0) is available , X=16.7 and Y= 6.7 substituting in P= 10x+15y P=167 + 100.5 =267.5 Therefore the maximum profit = 267.5 LO3.2 Evaluate critical path analysis and network planning Critical path analysis is a step by step technique for process planning. This is series of activities determining the earliest completion of the project and schedule network analysis techniques used to identify the schedule flexibility and the critical path of the project schedule network diagram. The critical path is the longest path (sequence of activities) in a project schedule network diagram. Because it is the longest path, it determines the duration of the project and hence the finish dates of the project given the start date. CPA requires careful planning so projects can run smoothly. Improve efficiency and cash flow, therefore materials can be ordered to arrive only as they are needed. Critical path analysis †¢May be used as part of the decision making process. †¢Enables a firm to plan and monitor operations. †¢Time related – identifies the maximum time for an operation to be completed. †¢Identify potential problems in implementing operation. †¢Identifies where and when resources (including human ones) are needed. The approach is in three parts. †¢Create the network – break the overall task down into discrete activities and then create a logical network showing the relationship between the activities in terms of what follows or precedes what. †¢Calculate the timings – make estimates of the time required for each activity and calculate the total time required for the project and the critical path – the path of activities which must happen to estimate if the project is to be completed on time. †¢Update and monitor progress – this is where critical path analysis is really important in areas such as constructions. Having  formed the network and made the estimates and initial calculations, the progress of the activities can be monitored and the whole network updated as work progresses, to ensure that the project completion is not delayed. Example- The following tasks, estimates and precedence have been agreed in a project. TaskActivityEstimated datesprecedence AWrite project initiation document3- BResearch site one4A CResearch site two2A DDocument requirements – site one6B EDocument requirement – site two5C FDefine non – functional requirements2A GDefine agreed requirements3D,E,F HWrite invitation to tender4G Total days29 So we can prepare a project network for this project. After that we can be able to identify which activities are on the critical path of the project. Observing this path we can be able to infer the estimated elapsed duration of the project. The project network for this project- Critical path = ABDG H = 3 + 4 + 6 + 3 + 4 = 20 days In order to complete to this project take 29 days normally but after applying  critical path can be able to finish this 20 days and we can save 9 days from this. LO3.3 Explain the need for operational planning and control Operational planning and control decisions involve arrangement and control of labour, materials, and capital input to produce the required quantity and quality of production most efficiently. Operational planning and control are based on forecasts of future demand for the output of the system. But even with the best possible forecasting and the most finely tuned operations system, demand cannot always be met with existing system capability in a given time period. †¢Unexpected market trends †¢new product developments †¢competitors’ actions Can throw the forecasts off and problems in the operations system can reduce capacity. At these times, shorter term managerial decisions must be made to allocate system capacity to meet demand.   Long term planning involves factors such as fixed capacity planning and product planning. These decisions will affect the organization in the long run. Medium and short term planning involves variable capacity planning, product forecasting, operations scheduling and inventory management. Operation manger organises the operations functioned be allocating responsibilities and creating structures. To ensure business will run smoothly in the long run following planning and controls have to take in to action âž ¢Routing: _ decides the quality and material type _organizing production control forms _investigating which part of the product need to produced or bought âž ¢Scheduling Preventing unnecessary delays and completing operations successfully and efficiently. _Master scheduling _Manufacture scheduling âž ¢Despatching How the process and operations are done through the route sheets. _Centralised Despatching _De-centralised Despatching âž ¢Follow up and expediting âž ¢Inspection LO4 Be able to apply relevant techniques to the production of an operational plan for a typical business LO4.1 Produce a set of clearly defined operational outcomes Companies achieve operational outcomes by reducing or avoiding costs. We can use SMART tool to define the outcomes †¢Specific: Clear and definite terms describing abilities, knowledge, values, attitudes and performance. †¢Measurable: It is feasible to get the data and data are accurate and reliable so it can be assed in more than one way. †¢Aggressive but Attainable: Has potential to move the organization forward. †¢Results-oriented: Describes what standards are expected from customers. †¢Time-bound: Describes where organization would like to be within a specific time period †¢As the Operations Manager at Curry’s, †¢When a customer orders for any particular product online it will be delivered next day, so as the operational manger if we can improve that same day service. It will enhance the quality of customer service provided by Curry’s. †¢Reviewing all the shifts and rescheduling the staff rota. So we can put more staff in the busy periods so it will help to provide excellent customer service because customers won’t be waiting in the long queues to get served. †¢Customer Returns have a bad effect on the business so as operation manger need to ensure the customer to remain faithful to Curry’s. Discount vouchers, Percentage discounts can be issued to the customer. This will satisfy customers. †¢Some customers experience problems in going through the catalogues. By having trained staffs, it is promising for them  to offer help to the customers who wish to use their assist in deciding which particular product the customers are looking for. †¢As the operation manger, need to compliance with budget and stability in curries. LO4.2 Produce a network plan and indicate the resultant critical path TaskActivityEstimated datesprecedence ASearch for suppliers and prepare storage10- BObtain quotation and get the approval 20A CPlace Order5B DInform The accountant 10C EReceive Goods20D G H FReceive invoice15A GChecking goods and acceptance5F, C HMake payment15A Total days LO4.3 Explain how quality could be defined and maintained Quality means different things to different organizations depending on the context. In curry’s quality is more likely to mean service excellence and customer care which is measured in terms of meeting customer expectations and customer satisfaction. http://www.iia.org.uk/en/Knowledge_Centre/Resource_Library/quality.cfm †¢how to ensure the overall quality standard in curry’s -Providing vision and direction to achieve results. -Making decisions using accurate data and facts. -Delivering value through the development of individuals -Managing process through an integrated approach -Increasing efficiency -Focusing on customers and anticipating future needs -Continuous improvement Quality management tools, standards and models -ISO 9000 series -Total quality management -Investors in people -Service excellence -Six sigma †¢To achieve quality standards in curry’s need to, -Provide quick response to customer feedbacks and problems -Have fully trained staffs -Revise supply chain of the products if products, defects higher than the returns expected per day. -Have up to date software’s and hardware’s to provide after sales services if required Conclusion and recommendation Operations management is a broad area of business management that involves labor relations, statistics, manufacturing control, and policy creation, among other things Being a good operation manager demands lots of hard work and dedication as he/she has to demonstrate how he/she manage scarce resources, time, cost, quality and so on. Planning and control has to be carefully monitored and in case the latter go out of hand it is impossible to keep the business on the right track Reference Investopedia. (2011). Operations Management. Available: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/operations-management.asp#ixzz1j2qL9mmN MIT Sloan School of Management. (2012). Operations Management. Available: http://sloan.mit.edu/omg/om-definition.php. Operations Management. (2012). Operations Management. Available: http://www.operationsmanager.com/operations-manager-fields/operations-management-careers/attachment/opmgmt_graphic/. Angell, Linda C., and Robert D. Klassen. â€Å"Integrating Environmental Issues into the Mainstream: An Agenda for Research in Operations Management.† Journal of Operations Management. August 1999. Weiss, Howard J., and Mark E. Gershon. Production and Operations Management. Allyn and Bacon, 1989. Bateman, Thomas S., and Carl P. Zeithaml. Management: Function and Strategy. Richard D. Irwin, 1990. Ashim G. (2009). Organisation’s External Environmental. Available: http://www.practical-management.com/Organization-Development/Organization-s-External-Environment.html. Slack, N., Chambers, S. and Johnston R. (2004) Operations Management (4th Edition), Harlow: Pearson Education. Basic Decision Making Tools. (2012). OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT. Available: http://www.masterclassmanagement.com/BusinessManagementCourse-BasicDecisionMakingTools.html Bailetti, A. J., & Litva, P. F. (1995). Integrating Customer Requirements into Product Designs. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 12(1), 3-15. Productivity Press. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VD5-3XX6S36-23/2/23228d6294be75b53b3295d8b9d9e2c8 Hart, C.W. (1996). Made to Order. Marketing Manage- ment, 5(2), 12–22. Marc L. Songini. (2000). Just-in-Time Manufacturing. Available: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/54131/Just_in_Time_Manufacturing?taxonomyId=126&pageNumber=2. Team quest 2010 http://www.teamquest.com/solutions/itil/service-delivery/capacity-management/index.htm Schniederjans, M. & Q. Cao. (2001). Analternative analysis of inventory costs of JIT and EOQ purchasing. InternationalJournal of Physical Distribution & Logistics, (31), 2, pp. 190-117. Duncan H. (2012). Project

Indecision, Hesitation and Delay in Shakespeares Hamlet...

A tragic hero is defined as a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat. The hero in these tragedies is often presented as a noble however, flawed character whose demise is often impart to their own decisions, often due to their previously mentioned flaws, error in judgment and imprudent actions. Written in the early 1600’s Shakespeare wrote one arguably one of his greatest and highly controversial plays, the tragedy known as Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Shakespeare in his play introduces us the pays one of his most popular, enigmatic, and dynamic characters the tragic hero Prince Hamlet. Hamlet is presented to us a sensitive, religious, loyal, moral, intellectual, and young†¦show more content†¦With Hamlet’s tragic flaw being his inability to act, he is plagued throughout the play by his immense intelligence and philosophical nature, which causes him to overanalyze each situation, rendering him unable to carry out any action in response. This is evident in the play by the frequent delay of acting out his father’s revenge due to the uncertainty of the evidence pertaining to his uncle’s crime. Hamlet’s inability to act creates a discourse between hamlet and his consciousness, generating an abundance of stress, which causes him to become increasingly frustrated as the play progresses. This frustration leads to him at moments in the play to behave in a rash and impulsive way or acting in an inappropriate manner, contradicting his methodical and reserved disposition. It is the consequences of these â€Å"inappropriate† actions that resurfaces at the plays end, to haunt the character, as Hamlet’s inability to act while using his renowned logic and intelligence ultimately leads to his eventual demise at the plays conclusion, due to his inability to act both â€Å"effectively† and â€Å"appropriately† in critical situations. What makes Hamlet so intriguing as a character in his avoidance in the actions we expect him to carry out, as he constantly postpones his actions in order to acquire more insight and certainty about current situations and about what he plans to do in response, and the following consequences of his decision bringing about two of the plays majorShow MoreRelated Indecision, Hesitation and Delay in Shakespeares Hamlet - Procrastination and Indecision1770 Words   |  8 PagesHamlet – the Hesitation and Indecision  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Is there a plausible explanation for the hesitation by Hamlet in carrying out the ghost’s request in Shakespeare’s Hamlet?    Lawrence Danson in the essay â€Å"Tragic Alphabet† discusses the hesitation in action by the hero; this is related to his hesitation in speech:    To speak or act in a world where all speech and action are equivocal seeming is, for Hamlet, both perilous and demeaning, a kind of whoring. The whole vexed questionRead More Indecision, Hesitation and Delay in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay1334 Words   |  6 PagesHesitation in Hamlet   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   William Shakespeares Hamlet is tragic because all of the enmity being the product of one mans inability to make decisions. I believe the play is showing the steps of hesitation a person goes through who cannot choose, and the resultant angst. This one man is Prince Hamlet. Throughout the play he comes into situations where he just cant move himself into action. In Act I, Scene 5 Hamlet has an encounter with a ghost who explains that it is Hamlets deceasedRead MoreEssay on Indecision, Hesitation and Delay in Shakespeares Hamlet1964 Words   |  8 Pagesmothers incestuous liaison, why did Hamlet wait so long to act decisively?   Theories abound. Hamlet had an Oedipus complex. Hamlet was mad rather than merely pretending to be. Hamlet was an intellectual pansy. Hamlet was an existentialist. Etc. T. S. Eliot went so far as to say that the play itself was flawed, Hamlets Problem actually the authors own, insoluble.   I believe that the Problem is actually ours. Perhaps the real issue is not Hamlets hesitation, but our unwillingness to understandRead MoreEssay on The Character of Hamlet in William Shakespeares Play1618 Words   |  7 PagesThe Character of Hamlet in William Shakespeares Play Some critics have stated that the appeal of Hamlet to the audience is his many human weaknesses, the most notable being his indecision. His deliberations and procrastinations are particularly high-lighted when he is faced with the task of revenge. The law and Christianity, around the early seventeenth century, were clear in condemning personal revenge as an attempt by man to arrogate the prerogatives of God. Hamlet’sRead MoreEssay about Indecisiveness in Hamlet839 Words   |  4 PagesShakespeares Hamlet is truly a great play to analyze. It is also unique in that a play based on revenge we dont see any action until the end. Hamlet has immediate suspicion and proof of his fathers murder and does not act. This poses the question, why does it take so long for Hamlet to kill Claudius? Hamlets apparent indecisiveness to act is due to his constant habit of over thinking in addition to several conscious and subconscious distractions. Immediately following Hamlets conversationRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Hamlet As A Tragic Hero1251 Words   |  6 PagesHamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies. Hamlet himself is commonly known as a tragic hero in the play. He knows he possesses the flaw of indecision but cannot overcome it, and this is a weakness that eventually causes his downfall. Therefore, this paper will discuss his own fate by examining some of his characteristics. Different people have their own understanding towards Hamlet. As a tragic hero, some think he is young, brave and thoughtful; some think he is conscientious, becauseRead MoreEssay : The Tragedy Of Hamlet1515 Words   |  7 Pagessight of the now. Dont we just muffle ourselves by allowing overthinking to take control? William Shakespeares The Tragedy of Hamlet forces its protagonist to deal with the crossroads. Prince Hamlet has just returned to Denmark to attend his fathers funeral after being away in Germany for school. As time goes on, Hamlet begins to suspect that foul play is the cause of his fathers death. Hamlet proves to be an excellent example of a hero in a tragedy as he allows his paralyzing fear of the unknownRead MoreThe Tragic Flaw Of Shakespeare s Hamlet1734 Words   |  7 PagesJacqueline Borutski ENG4U Mr. Froome April 11, 2016 The Tragic Overuse of Logic in Hamlet Logic is man s most valuable asset; it is what pushed humanity past other species and helped develop humankind into what it is today. Without such logic and reasoning, humanity would not have evolved into the strongest and most powerful beings alive. It is what has enabled us to dominate the world, create civilization, unlock the secrets of the universe through math and science and reveal the true natureRead MoreHamlet And Laertes By William Shakespeare1469 Words   |  6 PagesShakespeare’s characters Hamlet and Laertes, in the play Hamlet, attempt to attain revenge for their fathers, but contrast in their approaches to achieving revenge, and their view of life as a whole, their failures revealing the inevitability of fate. Just as Hamlet’s inaction hinders him from achieving his goal of killing Claudius, Laertes’s impetuosity similarly leads him astray from his goal their inability to achieve these goals. The power of fate is thereby revealed through the futil ity of humanRead MoreComparing the Characters of Faustus and Hamlet1767 Words   |  8 PagesBoth Hamlet and Faustus contain a clash of themes and traditions, all catalysed by Religion. This is used to establish a theme of deception, which greatly impacts the protagonist’s procrastination. Procrastination is considered to be Hamlet’s tragic flaw, however Faustus’s flaw is considered to be his hubris. Hamlet is in fact a play adapted by Shakespeare, not by name. But there are several scriptures that can be identified to being similar to the plot. One is called Saga of Hrolf Kraki. Believed