What Is Political Philosophy Essay Example for Free

What Is Political Philosophy Essay What is philosophy and particularly political philosophy? Philosophy is a broad or specific study of areas concerned with existence, values, ethics, knowledge and reason. The word philosophy is rooted in the Greek word philosophia which literally meant ‘the love of knowledge’ So questioning human existence is one example: Does God really exists etc. Important as well are questions about what we know and what we can know; both constitute the area of philosophy known as epistemology (the theory of knowledge) Ethics is also a part of philosophy dealing with human conduct. What responsibilities do we have to ourselves as well as others? The study of political philosophy asks questions surrounding a just society and or state. David Rafael defines political philosophy as a doctrine or ideology setting up norms or ideal standards for the society. He claims that the ideal philosophy tells us what we ought to be or to do. In this regard political philosophy differs from political science. Political science seeks to explain facts as instances of general laws, but political philosophy is more idealistic. Hence; †¢philosophy- what ought to be done (idealist). †¢science- what actually happens/ based on facts (more realist) In studying philosophy, a central feature or one can say is the most dominant feature is the Western Civilization. Western civilization should not be confused as a geographical concept. As noted by Ebenstein and Ebenstein (2000) â€Å"Its birthplace is the Mediterranean  ¬ Greece, Palestine and Italy. From there it spread through Europe and the Middle East. A penetration into Asia and Africa lasted for several centuries. † Importantly, the spread of the west should not be confused with mere colonial expansion. It’s broader than that. It is the way of thought, Language yes, but religion, ethics, morals, ideas of life and livelihood are only some of the broader areas that the â€Å"West† embodies. E. g. Less than two hundred and fifty years old, the United States is now the centre of gravity of western civilization in terms of economics, politics, culture and military power. In antiquity, Athens, Jerusalem and Rome were the leading points. During the Dark Ages, Byzantium was the most important site of cultural, literal, and administrative leadership. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Paris was the undisputed cultural capital of the West. In the nineteenth century, London inherited that place. New York became the leading artistic, scientific and intellectual clearing-house in the world during the twentieth century, and its place in the year 2000 is being taken, in terms of cultural influence by Los Angeles demonstrating the geographical mobility of western civilization. Western political thought (Philosophy) The tradition is generally associated with historical Greek cultures. In the early days Greece was a divided polis (city-state) which was constantly at war: an example is the Peloponnesian War between the democratic Athens and the Authoritarian Sparta. The Greek World view; intellectual culture and political practice spread as a result of colonial expansion. It spread further when Europe colonized the rest of the world. The Greeks idea of democracy and of course its political traditions spread to other areas with the rise of Macedonia whose leader at the time was Alexander the Great and he was taught by Aristotle. Alexander the great formed an empire that encompassed a federation of Greek states. It included Egypt, parts of India and other territories which we know now as Uzbekistan. The western traditions in Political Philosophy became more dominant in the European conquest, its creation of the plantation system, the dominance of African labour and eventual colonial subjugation of the non-European world. So here we are: how do we identify the defining features of Western Political thought? Ebenstein says that we have to find the things that are so central to the society and strip them away and see if the society exists without them. The Roots of the West are as follows: †¢the Greeks concept of Reason †¢two, the Jewish belief in one God (monotheism) †¢and three, the Christian conception of love. In the Great Political Thinkers (Ebenstein and Ebenstein, 2000) †¢Rationality: â€Å"The belief and use of reason are not inventions of the 20th century. However they argued that the Greeks invented rationality. They noted that Greeks did not start from scratch, as various Oriental people influenced them but they noted that Greek civilizations has it imprinted itself on the rest of the world, was Originally, the Greeks were not derived from earlier people in the direct way the rest of the world barrowed the ideas from the Greeks. The supreme Greek ideal was to think clearly. †¢Monotheism (belief in one God) is the second root of the West, with the resulting concepts of brotherhood of mankind (all men and women being children of the same Father) and one of one world ruled by a higher law which is above human whim and arbitrariness. It could be argued that other societies came close to the concept of â€Å"one God† before the Jews did; but the Jews were the first to build their whole life around their belief in God, and to base their thoughts, ethics, laws and government on this belief. †¢Love (Christian conception) is the third root of the West. Christianity incorporated Greek rationalism and absorbed Jewish monotheistic ethics, and added a new dimension that went beyond both: the principle of love as the basis of people’s relation with God, and more importantly, each other. Here, the point can be made that Greek thought and life put a great value on â€Å"sympathy† (a Greek word meaning â€Å"to feel with†) and friendship, the latter considered by Aristotle, for example, to be the basis of all social and political organizations. The Greeks were intensely interested in love; Plato’s dialogue Symposium is one of the great conversations on love in world Literature. Yet love in Symposium is primarily the mutual embrace of two souls soaring together to the heights of perfection in life of reason. On a lower level, love was seen by the Greeks as a fierce demon, something approaching madness. Similarly, classical Jewish thought emphasizes compassion and charity, and admonishes its adherents to â€Å"love thy neighbour as thyself†. But neither the Greek nor the Jewish conception of love has the unconditional, universal character of Christian love. In Christian thought, love is not in the periphery of life, in the rare moments of ecstasy, but in the centre of life: Love is life itself. EXERCISE QUESTION 1 (This question is only for discussion in the first tutorial and will not be accepted as coursework). What is the meaning of epistemology, ontology, and agency? How do you define and identify yourself? What are the sources of ideas and meanings you have been using to define and identify yourself? What are the epistemological bases of your personhood? Why do you believe what you believe? What beliefs, what set of ideas have shaped your concept of self and who you are and are becoming?

Psychological Contracts And Boundaryless And Protean Careers Management Essay

Psychological Contracts And Boundaryless And Protean Careers Management Essay Introduction The way in which academics are treating careers has evolved greatly over the last 30 40 years. In a traditional career model a workers portfolio generally consisted of one, maximum two firms and progression within these was expected to be linear (Levinson, 1978; Super, 1957). Achievement was awarded internally within the organisation and was generally measured in upward promotion and salary payments. (Hall, 1996). The premise of the psychological contract between an organisation and its employee has often been used as a means of analysing changes in the employment relationship (Sturges 2005). The psychological contract has been defined as an individuals beliefs, shaped by the organization, regarding terms of an implicit agreement between the individual and the organization (Sturges 2005) One of the most frequent arguments is that the traditional ideology of job security in return for job effort, or an organizational career in return for loyalty and hard work, has been diminished due to changes in organisations structure such as downsizing, de-layering and outsourcing (Guest, 1998). Miles Snow (1996) also noted that the tall, multi-layer, functionally organized structures characteristic of many large companies have changed Academics and practitioners have noted the importance of re-evaluating the nature of career attitudes (Arthur Rousseau, 1996; Hall, 1976) in a hope to create better understanding and models to map its progression (Sullivan 1999) Relevant literature heralds two new paradigms for the use in examining careers. The Boundaryless career (Arthur Rousseau, 1996) and the protean career (Hall, 1976,2002). As a result of the changing environmental conditions it is theorised that employers can no longer offer lifetime employment (Sullivan, 1999). Therefore these models offer an alternative way to look at careers, careers that become self managed and self influenced and are not bound by any one organisation or indeed industry (Arthur Rousseau, 1996; Hall, 1976) In this work I will begin by looking at the changing nature of the psychological contract looking at employees perceived obligations towards them and how these effect the employer/employee relationship. I will then examine how the changing nature of this relationship has led to the rise of the new Boundaryless and Protean career. I then intend to look at the relationship between the two paradigms before continuing on to look at the limitation regarding current work in the field Discussion Early work on the nature of careers and psychological contracts began in the late 50s and was heavily influenced by the adult development work such as that by Donald Super (1957) and Daniel Levinson (1978). It is argued that the psychological contract between and employee and the employer which contains the perceived terms and conditions that are not noted in the written employment contract (Rousseau, 1989), has undergone major changes. As a result employers and employees are now looking at new forms of career relationships. Levinson (1978) saw the psychological contract as a series of mutual expectations of which the parties to the relationship may not themselves be dimly aware but which nonetheless govern their relationship to each other. Working by the traditional psychological contract, employees were seen to exchange loyalty and commitment for long term or lifetime employment from their employer. However under the newly theorised contract, employees exchange their good performan ce for marketable skills and personal development (Rousseau Wade-Benzoni, 1995). Part of the problem in analysing the changing nature of psychological contracts as identified by Guest (1998) is that by their very nature these contracts are perceptions, expectations, beliefs, promises and obligations A view supported by Rousseau, (1995) who described the psychological contract as a promise made and a consideration offered in exchange for it, binding the parties to some set of reciprocal obligation One problem as identified by Guest (1998) is that the terms expectations and beliefs hold different values to the term obligations. As Guest states failure to meet expectations is rather different than failing to meet obligations as expectations and beliefs are derived from social norms whereas obligations are perceived promises and entitlement. Sturges et al (2002) theorised that over time an employee feels that they are owed more from an organisation due to the time they have invested into staying with them and therefore the perceived employer obligations grow whilst t he employee perceives their obligations as diminishing. A further problem when looking at work relating to the psychological contract is that, as identified by Arthur and Rousseau (1996), who note that only three recent works have approached the subject of the changing in nature of the traditional organizational career boundaries. One of these limited few studies was conducted by Altman and Post (1996) who investigated 25 Fortune 500 executives to examine their perceptions on the altering work relationships. The findings showed that executives recognised the phasing out of the traditional style contract and recognized a new form of contract (Sullivan, 1999) which built on employability and employee responsibility, as opposed to security and a paternalistic style. Despite the enthusiasm by some for the new form of relationship some studies have shown that employees do still expect to receive some form of career support from their management (Sturges, Conway Makenzie., 2002). This theory is also supported in work by Robinson, Kraatz Rouss eau (1994), who suggested that the level of an employees commitment to an organisation, was a result of the employees perceptions of their obligations to organizations and the degree to which they are reciprocated rather than from attachment, loyalty, or satisfaction, as has been most frequently suggested (Robinson et al 1994). Sturges et al (2002) and Robinson et al (1994), also agree that perceived violations of employer obligations leads to a decrease in the importance an employee places on their obligations. A further problem to the psychological contract notion is that a contract breach is a very subjective matter (Robinson 1994, Rousseau and Wade-Benzoni 1995). Robinson (1994) identifies that it is not important if an actual breach took place but rather if an employee perceives a breach to have occurred. A widely mentioned term in literature relating to psychological contract is trust (Robinson et al,1994). Robinson notes that trust can have a great significance on how a person perceives the actions of his employer and states that breaches in trust relate to judgments of integrity and beliefs in benevolence-that in turn reduce employees contributions. However other than Robinsons limited survey there is little to no empirical evidence in relation to the trust relationships between employees and employer. Critics of the psychological contract model contest the usefulness of current literature claiming it adds little to the field (Guest 1998, Robinson et al 1994). Some literature states that the effects of psychological contract breach can be treated as unmet expectations (Guest 1998). Should this assumption be true physiological contract breach research merely mimics prior research relating to unmet expectations (Robinson et al 1994). However, those that support the psychological contract paradigm suggest that differing from unmet expectations a breach of this contract will lead to erosion of trust and the foundation of the relationship between the two parties (Robinson et al 1994) this view is also supported by Rousseau (1996) and Sturges et al (2002). Unfortunately research on psychological contract breach is still itself relatively new and again there is little empirical evidence. What evidence there is will be fairly modern and there is now way to analyse a change over a longer pe riod of time making it difficult to comment on past trends. As stated above the apparent change in psychological contacts has great significance in new career patterns and organizational commitment. Employees are now viewed as a less adaptable resource for organisations and more active investors of their personal human capital (Gratton Ghoshal, 2003 as in Fernandez et al 2008).They will also gain responsibility for some level of career management including the seizure of opportunities and advanced learning with the aim to improve their future marketability (Sturges et al 2002). The changing nature of the business environment, including the globalisation, de-layering and highly competitive markets (as mentioned in my introduction) led to the appearance of new models for the modern career and organisations; The Boundaryless career (Arthur Rousseau, 1996) the protean career (Hall, 1976, 2002) as well as the Boundaryless organisation. Handy (1989) theorises one such configuration in the three leaf clover. The first leaf (the most important for survival) is core staff consisting of managers, professionals and technical staff. These staff are expected to invest personally in the organisation and have high commitment levels. The second leaf is contractors consisting of specialist companies who can normally do jobs such as distribution much more quickly and efficiently than in house. The third leaf is made up of the contingent labour force such as part time workers and temporary staff who act as a buffer for the core workers. The benefit of looking to examine an o rganisation in this way is that it enables managers to get a broader picture of the business environment and to be more flexible (Mirvis Hall 1994). Workers can be re-arranged and re-assigned and would hit the floor running (Mirvis Hall 1994) Extrapolating from the Boundaryless organisation these new career models aim to reflect the changing nature of the organisational relationship and psychological contract. Whilst the traditional career was seen as a paternalistic culture of vertical linear progression within just one or two organizations and measured by promotions and pay rises(Levinson, 1978; Super, 1957); the Boundaryless and protean models highlight the need for the individual to actively manage their own career, learning and psychological success. Workers who have protean career attitudes have been described as being intent upon using their own values (versus organizational values for example) to guide their career (values-driven) and take an independent role in managing their vocational behaviour (self-directed) (Fernandez et al 2008). In contrast, a worker who did not hold protean career attitudes would be more likely to be influenced by external values and would be more likely to look for external guidance and direction in their career choices as instead of being more proactive and independent (Mirvis Hall 1994,Hall 2002, Fernandez et al 2008) . Whilst those that show signs of leading a protean valued career style might show signs of greater openness to the idea of mobility and continuous learning, some theorists suggest that mobility and learning may be correlates of a protean career, but not necessary components of it (Fernandez et al 2008). It has been said that a worker considered to be following the Boundaryless career model navigates the changing work landscape by enacting a career characterized by different levels of physical and psychological movement (Sullivan Arthur,2006). While there may be some complementary features of the two models, many treat protean and Boundaryless career models as separate but related ideas. That is, a person could display protean rationales, making self directed and motivated career decisions, yet not follow a boundary crossing path. However, a person could hold a Boundaryless mindset but chose one organization to paternalistically guide their career (Fernandez et al 2008, Hall 2002) A Boundaryless career is viewed as independent from, rather than dependent on, traditional career arrangements (Arthur Rousseau, 1996), as it goes beyond the boundaries of an individual employment setting, involving both physical and psychological (objective vs. subjective) areas of mobility (Briscoe Hall 2005). The Boundaryless career is conceived by assuming that organizations are no longer capable of giving workers the traditional career path including stability and progression in exchange for commitment and hard work (Arthur, 1994; Arthur and Rousseau, 1996). As a consequence academics have identified the end of the traditional career where a person aims to progress through a company gaining power, notability and financial reward and predict workers following a more individualistic approach to goal setting and personal assessment (Arthur and Rousseau, 1996). The Boundryless career has been said to be the opposite of the Organisational Career (Arthur and Rousseau, 1996; Rodrigues and Guest, 2010). Arthur (1994) described in his original work 6 potential aspects of permeability and mobility across organisations: The most prominent [meaning] is when a career, like the stereotypical Silicon Valley career, moves across the boundaries of separate employers. A second meaning is when a career, like that of an academic or a carpenter, draws validation and marketability from outside the present employer. A third meaning is when a career, like that of a real estate agent, is sustained by extra-organizational networks or information. A fourth meaning occurs when traditional organizational career boundaries, notably hierarchical reporting and advancement principles, are broken. A fifth meaning occurs when a person rejects existing career opportunities for personal reasons. Perhaps a sixth meaning depends on the interpretation of the career actor, who may perceive a Boundaryless future regardless of structural constraints. A common theme to all these meanings is one of independence from, rather than dependence on, traditional organizational principles. (Arthur, 1994). One limitation of the idea that Boundaryless careers are the opposite to Organisational careers, is that it oversimplifies the changes in modern career patterns (Rodrigues and Guest, 2010). Moreover as identified by Rodrigues and Guest, (2010) Arthur places great emphasis on the notion of movement across organisational boundaries. Whilst transitioning across organisational boundaries is the defining feature of the new Boundaryless model, works such as Arnold and Cohen (2008) note that this organisational movement is not incompatible with the more traditional model of careers (Sullivan 1999) . Sullivan (1999) also notes that there is evidence to support the idea that this kind of mobility in the boundryless model is already present in America, and was empirically documented in a period perceived to be dominated by the traditional career style. Another study covering areas of career mobility looked at a selection of workers between 1957 and 1972, Topel and Ward (1992 as in Sullivan 199 9) who conducted the study demonstrated that during this period the workers followed (who were based in the states) had held an average of 10 jobs during their careers. Sullivan (1999) also identified a similar study by Hashimoto and Raisian (1985 as in Sullivan 1999) conducted in Japan, (an area often associated with the traditional one company career) found that workers there also had multiple employers over their careers. When Arthur Sullivan (2006) sought to further clarify the concept, and said career mobility can include the physical and/or psychological mobility, they also stated that mobility can be across many levels such as occupational, organisational and cultural(2006). However as noted by (Rodrigues and Guest, 2010) this amendment means that unless there is complete career immobility it is difficult not to classify any career as potentially Boundaryless. (Rodrigues and Guest, 2010) Baker and Aldrich (1996) constructed a measure for the Boundaryless career, they claim that for a career to be truly Boundaryless it would have to rank highly along three career dimensions. These dimensions consist of; number of employers, extent of knowledge accumulation, and the role of personal identity. This model places high value on marketable skills and a high personal identity which are rated just as highly as an employees mobility, ratings on these factors can help to determine whether a person is truly acting on the Boundaryless career. Along a similar line DeFillippi and Arthur (1996) derived a competency model, stating that those following a Boundaryless career build a portfolio of career competencies, this can be achieved by using DeFillippi and Arthurs knowing-why, knowing-whom and knowing how model of career enhancement. Eby et al. (2003) later built on DeFillippi and Arthurs (1996) work and sought to provide empirical evidence supporting it. Eby et al (2003) found tha t the knowing-why, knowing-whom and knowing-how competencies are important indicators of success of ones Boundaryless career. There have also been calls from writers such as Bird (1996) AND Fernandez et al, (2008) for a rethink and re-modelling of career ideas based on knowledge economies and personal knowledge obtainment. While some authors and their work have chosen to look at Boundaryless careers solely examining the physical re-arrangement of the working environment (Fernandez et al 2008) Sullivan and Arthur (2006) advocate the viewing of mobility across two planes, the physical and psychological when conducting research into careers. In her wide ranging literature review on the subject of careers Sullivan (1999) and later Sullivan Arthur (2006) look at what empirical evidence currently exists. Sullivan found that only sixteen studies examined mobility across physical boundaries, whereas only three studies focussed on the relationships across these boundaries (Sullivan Arthur, 2006). Similar findings to that of Sullivan are noted in the work of Briscoe et. al. (2006) who gave empirical evidence for the implementation of both the Boundaryless mindset and organizational mobility preference. Under the new form of psychological contract workers are said to display low levels of both loyalty to an organization and low levels of organizational commitment, what loyalty and commitment that does exist is under the condition that the organisation provides them with opportunities to advance their marketability through training and development (Rousseau Wade-Benzoni, 1995). Gunz (2000 as in Rodrigues Guest 2010) also noted how in a study by Zabusky and Barley (1996) of technicians, they found that the technicians placed greater value on growth and challenging work than they did on promotions. The companies who employed the technicians however had no systems in pace to offer this to them. As Sullivan (1999) identified, the study shows how individual career strategies must be considered within an organizational business strategies. The study also noted the problems of transforming from a culture of advancement (traditional career model) to a culture of achievement (Boundaryless c areer model) (Sullivan 1999). Large volumes of work centred around the changing psychological contract and the Boundaryless career model often gives great prominence to the positive aspects, such as increased opportunities for growth and job challenge (Sullivan (1999). Comparatively lesser amounts (Hirsch Shanley,1996 as in Sullivan 1999) have been focused on the downsides of the model, such as the problems underemployment and the possible reduction in organizational learning and personal development (Sullivan, 1999). One such piece on the negative aspects suggested that Workers who transfer into unrelated occupations often suffer from lowered status and reduced earnings (Markey Parks 1989). As previously mentioned some researchers like to separate the notions of the Protean and Boundaryless careers, However others such as Hall, (1976, 2002) note that those who follow a Boundaryless career approach often have Protean attitudes that help them navigate the organisational landscape. Hall notes that a Protean approach represents a self driven and self motivated approach to managing a personal career, which also builds on values such as freedom and adaptability (Hall, 1976, 2002). Baruch (2004)(as in Fernandez et al 2008) noted that the protean career was: a contract with oneself, rather than with the organization, as individuals take responsibility for transforming their career path, in taking responsibility for their career. Hall (2004) and Hall and Chandler (2005) concluded that the staple parts of the Protean orientation paradigm are: freedom, growth, professional commitment, and the attainment of psychological success, through the pursuit of meaningful work Fernandez et al (2008) Briscoe Hall (2006) identify the potential psychological implications of being highly Protean career driven in their work, they define someone truly Protean driven as on a quest to define meaning and success through the career (Briscoe Hall, 2006) In further research relating to personal Protean career management King (2004) found that being personally in control of ones own career and growth can lead to favourable psychological satisfaction, improved self-efficiency and personal well-being , if ones career goals are met. Further more in the work of Fernandez et al (2008) they identify that Seibert et al. (2001) and Crant (2000) (Bothe found in Fernandez et al 2008) also support the work of King (2004), as their findings suggest that individuals who have a proactive disposition achieve extrinsic career progression and internal satisfaction with their careers Fernandez et al (2008). Arthur (2009) too notes the importance of factoring into work environments and relationships the ability to meet personal goals which would generate both greater productivity and greater career satisfaction for the workers involved As a result of the work on Protean careers further work by Wrzesniewski and Dutton (2001) and Wrzesniewski et. al. (1997) (found in Fernandez et al, 2008) created the idea of career management though job crafting, this notion involves treating employees as creative identity builders (Fernandez et al, 2008) who use personal networks and support from others to achieve own career milestones. Whilst there are high levels of work relating to the potential for workers with protean attitudes, like the work on the Boundaryless model there appears to be little amounts of research relating to the downsides of the protean model, such as the effects of failing to meet personal goals and setting realistic personal goals. As the burden of ones career shifts away from the organisation and falls into the hands of the individual, networking plays an important role in the life of a self driven career (Arthur Rousseau, 1996, Sullivan 1999). The ability to form personal networks aids and supports the process of job mobility and accelerates personal development and job learning (Sullivan 1999). Networking as a tool allows an individual to extend their presence into wide ranging social circles and thus potentially increase job opportunities (Forret and Dougherty, 2004).Sullivan (1999) identifies that existing organisational structures do not support networking activities, therefore individuals forced out of a traditional organisational structure may experience problems in adapting to the new form of career paths. While networking abilities vary from person to person, it has been found through research (Forret and Dougherty, 2004) that networking benefits men more than it does women due to mens perceived abili ty to more effectively influence social groups. Sullivan (1999) also covers in her work the problem and limitations in research relating to women in the changing nature of employment. The high levels of women in part time work and work that is not classed as core workers could be creating an imbalance in research relating to Boundaryless and protean careers. Future research could look into if the increased family commitments of women effect their progress through the two forms of career. Whilst there is much literature being produced relating to the Boundaryless career not everyone is convinced of the evidence supporting it. As Gunz et al write: the trouble with the Boundaryless hypothesis is that it is still just that, a hypothesis (2000). They also note that while some authors advocate that organisational boundaries are diminishing it might just be that the nature of the boundaries are shifting/altering. Gunz et al note that boundaries, rather than disappearing, are becoming more complex and multifaceted. In fact they claim that boundaries of some sort are inevitable. Aurthur (2006) also notes that the much on the subject of Boundaryless careers often focuses on intra-organizational as opposed to inter-organizational changes. A further lack of research has been done on what Arthur (2009) identifies as the lack of legal status and protection mobile workers have under present employment law. Also as identified by Defillippi Arthur 1994 most research has been conducted on what they refer to as core workers and there is little empirical or theoretical work on non-core workers such as part-time and seasonal staff and their employment and career paths. Sullivan 1999 also notes that there has been very few empirical studies relating to the choices made by workers other than new graduates (such as in the work of Arthur and Rousseau (1996)). Although younger workers may provide greater data sets, as the most frequent movement across occupations occurs during the earliest years of a persons working life (Mergenhagen 1991 as in Defillippi Arthur,1994) The reason for this early career movement is suggested to be because younger workers have made fewer career specific investments and therefore feel less committed (Defillippi Arthur,1994). Whilst explaining why much research is conducted on younger workers this argument from Defillippi Arthur also support the earlier theories of Sturges et al (2002) as mentioned above regarding employees increased commitment over time. If the theories regarding younger mobility hold true then as the worlds workforce ages and in Asian areas such as china where there is already and aged population trends of increased job tenure would be expected. This is one area of future possible research. The lack of research conducted during adulthood, despite evidence that adults are making occupational choices throughout their lifetimes (Arthur Rousseau, 1996); proves to be a problem, as relatively little is known as to what motivates these cross organisational movements (Sullivan 1999). Whilst the concept of Boundaryless careers centres on the idea of workers easily moving between various organisations statistical data from Robinson (1997) shows no dramatic increase over the past 20 years in either job movement or job loss. A view supported in the work of Guest (1998) who found that time spent in organizations and in jobs has reduced only marginally, if at all, in the past 20 years, however he does speculate that a reduction in male workers tenure could be hidden by a rise in that of female workers. Rodrigues Guest (2010) also note that research into job stability trends has also been hampered by the variation in non-response rates and changes in the wording of the questions thu s making it difficult for long term trends to be identified. Briscoe et al (2006) notes a further problem in current research where some employees display strong attitudes of Boundaryless and protean models, yet they have no desire for physical mobility. This occurrence identifies a potential flaw in the way the two paradigms are defined and emphasises the need for greater care in outlining the premise. Failure to accurately define the notions could lead to problems in the adaptability of the model. Furthermore, lack of accurate definition could affect the relevance for researchers if the models cannot accurately put to use on real life situations. (Briscoe Hall, 2005, Fernandez et al, 2008) Fernandez et al, 2008 have also described what they see as researchers inability to fully explain their empirical findings with the protean and Boundaryless metaphors as already happening, which according to Briscoe Hall (2005) is causing a slight rumbling and backlash against the two paradigms. Conclusion As demonstrated in this work there are large and ever increasing amounts of work relating to the changing nature of employment relationships and career patterns. In the past decade the field of careers has produced much work to support the understanding of managers and employees regarding the employment and career relationships. No doubt thanks to recent global economic problems we can expect to see yet more work released over the coming few years. As discussed the changing nature of the relationships between employees and their employer has had significant coverage, however I identify 2 areas where there is potential for future research. The first of which was in the trust relationships between employees and employer. Further research on this area can help to further the psychological contract understanding and its values. A second area of research concerns the perceived value of contract breach. Whilst there is work concerning this matter as noted there is little empirical evidence of the consequences and frequency of this breach. Within the model of the Boundaryless career there is room for further research regarding the nature of people changes. Current work is focused from an organisational point of view and much research is quantitive. As a result there are few studies relating to what motivates people to make changes and whether the motivator affects the magnitude of change. Furthermore varying and dilute definitions of the Boundaryless career have been noted as a potential problem for future researchers, a re-conceptualisation of the definition may make it more adaptable in future. Whilst work on the protean career gives good explanation of its potential benefits, like the work on the Boundaryless career, little evidence has been published of potential problems and downsides of the model. An area for future research could include work on the consequences of failing to meet personally set objectives or how effective/inhibitive self critique may be for an individual. A further area to look into that is currently under represented in the literature is that of the non core workers, such as part time and temporary staff. This group is made up also of a disproportionate amount of women which would need to be taken into account when analysing the findings. The final area of indentified research relates to the current abundance of empirical evidence relating to young, often newly graduate workers and their career mobility choices. Whilst I have mentioned that this group is most prevalent to making cross-organisational career movements they are over represented in the l iterature meaning there are few studies on older workers. This has consequences for geographical and industry areas with an ageing population as career trends may be different to that of younger organisation or region. To summarise there is much useful and thought provoking work relating to the changing nature of careers and its applicability to nearly the whole of the population and all business makes it a fascinating area for reading and research. The continuing environmental changes and ever increasing literature means that changes and progression in the subject are likely to be fast paced and wide ranging. References List Altman, B. W., Post, J. E. 1996. Beyond the social contract: An analysis of the executive view at twenty-five larger companies. In D. T. Hall (Ed.), The career is dead long live the career: 46-71. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Arnold J, Cohen L (2008) The psychology of career in industrial and organizational

The pathophysiology of a disease: COPD

The pathophysiology of a disease: COPD This assignment will discuss the pathophysiology of a disease process of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It will also show how biological, psychological and the social aspects of the disease that can have an affect on an individuals day to day life. COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This is a term used for a number of conditions; including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD leads to damaged airways in the lungs, causing them to become narrower and making it harder for air to get in and out of the lungs. The word chronic means that the problem is long-term. COPD is a condition which mainly affects people over the age of 40, and COPD has a higher prevalence occurring among women than men (NHS-Choices, 2008). COPD is also a condition that is long term and incurable that can have a serious affects on health and quality of life, its not fully understood why COPD develops. (Marieb, 2003). The student will also incorporate local and national health and social policies, including frameworks that are in place in relation to the patients illness. The student identified a patient named Mrs J. She was admitted to hospital due to exacerbation of COPD. Her primary diagnosis is Osteoarthritis of the Hip but also had symptoms of emphysema. Mrs J is a 55 year old women and is married, Mrs J also has an older child whom she has become quite dependant on and felt lik e she had impacted on her childs life and had become a hindrances. Mrs J has become more breathless as her condition develops over time and more so while she was lying in bed unable to carry out her daily activities such as doing the housework, leisure activities, also looking after her appearance as she normally would have done at home. COPD is becoming one of the fastest leading causes of disability (NHS choices, 2008). According to British Lung Foundation, (2010) a recent survey, 83% of COPD patients said their COPD slows them down, 79% said they had to cut down their activities and 56% said their condition has a great affect on their families. COPD is the most common respiratory conditions in adults in the developed world and poses an enormous burden to society both in terms of direct cost to the healthcare services and indirect costs to society through loss of productivity. Recent analysis estimated that National Health Service (NHS) spends  £818 million annually in the Unite d Kingdom (UK). (British Thoracic Society, 2006). However 50% of the cost is accounted for by poorly managed exacerbations resulting in frequent re-admissions to hospital (Coakley Ruston, 2001). Mrs J condition would of been triggered by her heavy smoking, the toxins from her cigarettes has made her bronchioles (airway and lungs) become inflamed and narrowing the airway, this will lead to irreversible damage to the respiratory system by obstructing the bronchial airflow and hindering gaseous exchange within the alveoli (Munden, J, 2007). Mrs J suffers from many symptoms due to her smoking these include shortness of breath, a persistent cough, yellowish green sputum, signs of cyanosis to her lips, also Mrs J has continued to smoke as she thinks the damage has already been done so her condition. The vast majority of COPD patients are smokers. By stopping smoking patients can slow the rate of decline in lung function and thus improve the patients prospects in terms of symptoms and survival. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence guidance on COPD states that All patients still smoking, regardless of age, should be encouraged to stop, and offered help to do so, at every opportunity. These deliver a small dose of medicine to the lungs, causing the airway muscles to open up. Bronchodilators are also effective in preventing over-expansion of the lungs. Short-acting beta2-agonists are the most commonly used short acting bronchodilaors for COPD. Their effects last for about 4 hours. Short-acting antichloinergics are also used as bronchodilators. Long-acting beta2-agonists are similar to the short-acting agonists described above but their effect lasts for 12 hours. Lomg-acting anti-cholinergics need only be taken once a day. The NICE guidance recommends that short-acting bronchodilators should be used for the initial treatment for breathlessness and exercise limitation and goes on to say that, if this isnt having an effect then the treatment should be intensified using eith er a long-acting bronchodilator or a combined therapy with a short acting beta2-agonist and a short-acting anticholinergic The respiratory system is the major part for gases exchange to take place, it allows takes the air that enters are bodies when we inhale and travels through the respiratory system, exchanging oxygen for carbon dioxide and expels carbon dioxide when we exhale (munden, J, 2007). In the NHS there is a tool to calculate the smoking load and the packs in a year this tool is called smoking pack tool, this was used to see the damage that Mrs J had caused by smoking for so many years. This is because the seriousness of the disease depends on how much and how long the individual has smoked for. Mrs J has been smoking now for 45 years and on a average day having up to 40 cigarettes a day and is not prepared to quit as she feels the damage is already done. Mrs J smokes for comfort and feels that its all for her pleasure, she has become very isolated, her chronic bronchitis makes her breathless when doing actives and is not able to do her daily activities therefore is becoming depressed. Do this having a huge impact on her mental and social parts of her life. Patients with COPD have traditionally been divided into pink puffers and blue bloaters based on their physiological response to abnormal blood gases. The former work hard to maintain a normal pO2 which is why they puff away. They tend to have a barrel-shaped, hyperinflated chest and breath through pursed lips. The latter are blue because of hypoxia and polycythaemia. They are often obese and have water retention. This is why they are bloated. The blue bloaters are dependent upon hypoxia for their respiratory drive and to give oxygen and deprive them of this will lead to signficant hypercapnia and acid base imbalance. Although this concept is widely taught and acknowledged academically, in clinical practice patients tend not to be clearly in one or the other of these two categories (NICE Clinical Guideline (2004) Patients like Mrs J with airflow limitation clinically they have become known as pink puffers and blue bloaters (Kleinschmidt, 2008). Mrs J falls under the term blue bloaters as she linked to chronic bronchitis due to cyanosis which is a blue tinge to the lips, which occurs from poor gas exchange. pink puffers has been linked to emphysema as the patients may be showing signs of weight loss, using their accessory muscles with pursed lips giving them a reddish complexion, they may also adopt the tripod sitting position (Kleinschmidt, 2008). Although these conditions separate the patient may present with slight variations of them both, however they do differentiate through their underlying process, signs and symptoms (Bellamy Booker, 2004). Airways and air sacs within the lungs are manly elastic, with the air we breath the lungs change shape with inhalation they expand and return to the normal shape after they have been stretched with air. Mucociliary clearance is an important primary innate defense mechanism that protects the lungs from deleterious effects of inhaled pollutants, allergens, and pathogens. Mucociliary dysfunction is a common feature of chronic airway diseases in humans. The mucociliary apparatus consists of three functional compartments, that is, the cilia, a protective mucus layer, and an airway surface liquid (ASL) layer, which work in concert to remove inhaled particles from the lung. The nose and nasal cavity are composed of ciliated columnar epithelium cells which contain goblet cells and cilia, the goblet cells are responsible for secreting mucus which is able to trap the finer particles from inspired air and the cilia which are fine hairs that can trap larger particles. The cilia carrys the particles by a sweeping motion this is swept to the mouth or nose where it can then be swallowed, coughed or sneezed out of the body in order to prevent these particles from entering the lungs (Munden, J, 2007). The two major sources of mucus secretion in the respiratory tract are the surface epithelial goblet cells and mucous cells. In lungs, goblet cells are present in the large bronchi, becoming increasingly thin toward the bronchioles. The submucosal glands are restricted to the large airways with their density decreasing with airway calibre. In chronic respiratory diseases, such as COPD and asthma, submucosal glands increase in size (hypertrophy), and the number of goblet cells is increased (hyperplasia), becoming more dense in the peripheral airways, via a phenotypic conversion of nongoblet epithelial cells (metaplasia) (Rogers, 1994;Jackson, 2001). The increased of goblet cells density to ciliated cells in the bronchioles, under the conditions of hypersecretion, this impairs clearance of mucus. Lung histology from patients affected by COPD and asthma also shows the presence of edema, which can further reduce airway caliber and compromise lung function. A marked airway infiltration of macrophages and granulocytes is also present, principally neutrophils in COPD and eosinophils in asthma (Postma and Kerstjens, 1998). In clinical studies, these inflammatory parameters have been shown to correlate with a reduction in lung function (FEV1) and an exaggerated bronchoconstriction [airway hyperreactivity (AHR)] to nonspecific stimuli (Postma and Kerstjens, 1998). Smoking has many effects on the airways. Inhaled smoke destroys the cilia that are important for moving mucus to the throat for swallowing. As a result, mucus accumulates in the bronchioles and irritates the sensitive tissues there, causing a cough. Coughing is vital as it is the only way smokers can remove mucus from their lungs and keep the airways clean (Rubin, 2002). This is characterised by the smokers cough. Constant coughing to clear the sputum has an effect on the smooth muscle of the bronchioles which becomes hypertrophied (enlarged or overgrown). This in turn causes more mucus glands to develop. The goblet cells are replaced within the small airways (bronchi) with Clara cells they are another form of secreting cell these are important they form ciliated cells and to help regenerate the bronchiolar epithelium, they produce hypophase component and a protease inhibitor these help protect the lungs by mopping up debris (Stokley et al, 2006).To accomplish gas exchange the lung has two components; airways and the alveoli. The airways are two branching tubular passages that allow air to move in and out of the lungs, the wider segments of the airways are called the trachea and the two bronchi going to the right and left lung. The smaller segments are called the bronchioles and at the end of the bronchioles are the alveoli which are thin walled sacs like a bunch of grapes; small blood vessels (capillaries) run in the walls of the alveoli this is where gas exchange between air and blood takes place. (Matterporth Matfin, 2009). Rogers, 1994;Jackson, 2001 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, NICE Clinical Guideline (2004); Management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults in primary and secondary care COPD. BMJ Clinical Evidence. www.clinicalevidence.com, accessed 10 June 2009 Textbook of Medical Physiology (10th edition) Guyton, A.C. and Hall, J.E. (2000) W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia; London. Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease; September 2005. Britton M; The burden of COPD in the U.K.: results from the Confronting COPD survey.; Respir Med.2003 Mar;97 Suppl C:S71-9. [abstract] Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, NICE Clinical Guideline (2004); Management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults in primary and secondary care Lacasse Y, Goldstein R, Lasserson TJ, et al; Pulmonary rehabilitation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006 Oct 18;(4):CD003793. [abstract] Barr RG, Bourbeau J, Camargo CA, et al; Inhaled tiotropium for stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2005 Apr 18;(2):CD002876

The Old Man And The Sea :: essays research papers

The Nobelprize winning book: The old man and the sea, has been written by Ernest Hemingway and was published in 1982, though the original American print had been published in 1952. The title is exactly what the book is about. It is a short story. The story is written in one continuous whole and is written from the view of the writer, it is very realistic. The description of the setting are the dominating factor in this book. The author spends a lot of time, for describing the sea, and what takes place. There are a lot of dialogues in the book. Example:"Who gave this to you""Martin. The owner""I must thank him""I thanked him already," the boy said."You don't need to thank him.""I'll give him the belly meat of a big fish," the old man said. "Has he done this for us more than once?""I think so""I must give him something more than the belly meat then. He is very thoughtful for us."The next fragment I find really representative for the whole book, because it is a fragment in which the old man is talking to himself, like he does all the time, and he is saying how great the fish is, which he does quite a few times too."He is a great fish and I must convince him, hethought. I must never let him learn his strengthnor what he could do if he made his run. If I werehim I would put in everything now and go untilsomething broke. But, thank God, they are not asintelligent as who kill them; although they aremore noble and more able."The book is about an old man, who goes out fishing (his profession, not as a sport) one day. He decides to go really far out, before the sun comes up. Then one of his lines goes under, and he hooks the fish. But the fish is so strong, that he can't pull him up. The old man thinks that if he lets the fish pull his boat, a sailing-boat the size of a rowing-boat, the fish will go out of strength and die soon.But it's a very very strong fish and he keeps pulling for a day and a half. Then the fish gets out of strength and starts circling around the boat, a sign of tiredness. But when the fish is close to the boat the old man sees how big he really is, he thinks he is about 1500 pounds.

Different Learning Styles Essay -- Education Educating Learn Essays

Different Learning Styles Students have different ways to learn. Some people are hands on learners or visual learners. Teachers try to adapt the way they teach; to the way their students learn the best. The information that is being taught should be made fun so that the students remember the information. Schools are also using new technology to help students learn. Different learning styles have different effects on people. Different learning styles are the talk of many school districts from near and far. The study of different learning styles has gone back since the late 19th to the early 20th centuries. We all know that people have different ways of learning, so teachers try to teach the way their students learn the best. There are different types of learning styles for example: visual, audio, and kinesthetic. Auditory is of or pertaining to hearing, or to the sense or organs of hearing; as, the auditory nerve. Visual is having the nature of or producing an image in the mind. Kinesthetic is the sense that detects bodily position, weight, or movement of the muscles, tendons, and joints. (www.dictionary.com) There have been different studies on which ways of learning are effective for people. The CAI (computer-assisted instruction) did a study "that focused on an issue that indicated that all students, regardless of learning style, obtained higher science achievement scores when taught via CAI approach than via auditory (lecture) or visual (reading) method." (Martini, 1986) This approach is good because people may be in a special education class because they are not grasping what is being taught in their class, but it can really be the way it is being taught. They... ...0, 2003. Newspaper Article: 10. Straker, Heather. May 22, 1998. It's not what you know; it's how you get to know it. Times Educational Supplement. Issue 4273, p24, 1/4p. Retrieved on October 3, 2003. http://www.tes.co.uk. 11. Bob Salisbury. August 11, 2002. Teachers should teach. Times Educational Supplement. October 3, 2003. http://www.tes.co.uk. Internet Resources: 12. Matters of Style. November 5, 2003. http://www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/Papers/LS-Prism.htm What?s YOUR Learning style? November 5, 2003. http://www.usd.edu/trio/tut/ts/style.html 13. Activity 9 Different learning styles. November 5, 2003. http://online.curriculum.edu.au/the_cms/tools/new-display.asp?f=7886&seq=6495 14. Understanding Different Learning styles. November 5, 2003. http://www.ndt-ed.org/TeachingResources/ClassroomTips/Learning_Styles.htm Different Learning Styles Essay -- Education Educating Learn Essays Different Learning Styles Students have different ways to learn. Some people are hands on learners or visual learners. Teachers try to adapt the way they teach; to the way their students learn the best. The information that is being taught should be made fun so that the students remember the information. Schools are also using new technology to help students learn. Different learning styles have different effects on people. Different learning styles are the talk of many school districts from near and far. The study of different learning styles has gone back since the late 19th to the early 20th centuries. We all know that people have different ways of learning, so teachers try to teach the way their students learn the best. There are different types of learning styles for example: visual, audio, and kinesthetic. Auditory is of or pertaining to hearing, or to the sense or organs of hearing; as, the auditory nerve. Visual is having the nature of or producing an image in the mind. Kinesthetic is the sense that detects bodily position, weight, or movement of the muscles, tendons, and joints. (www.dictionary.com) There have been different studies on which ways of learning are effective for people. The CAI (computer-assisted instruction) did a study "that focused on an issue that indicated that all students, regardless of learning style, obtained higher science achievement scores when taught via CAI approach than via auditory (lecture) or visual (reading) method." (Martini, 1986) This approach is good because people may be in a special education class because they are not grasping what is being taught in their class, but it can really be the way it is being taught. They... ...0, 2003. Newspaper Article: 10. Straker, Heather. May 22, 1998. It's not what you know; it's how you get to know it. Times Educational Supplement. Issue 4273, p24, 1/4p. Retrieved on October 3, 2003. http://www.tes.co.uk. 11. Bob Salisbury. August 11, 2002. Teachers should teach. Times Educational Supplement. October 3, 2003. http://www.tes.co.uk. Internet Resources: 12. Matters of Style. November 5, 2003. http://www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/Papers/LS-Prism.htm What?s YOUR Learning style? November 5, 2003. http://www.usd.edu/trio/tut/ts/style.html 13. Activity 9 Different learning styles. November 5, 2003. http://online.curriculum.edu.au/the_cms/tools/new-display.asp?f=7886&seq=6495 14. Understanding Different Learning styles. November 5, 2003. http://www.ndt-ed.org/TeachingResources/ClassroomTips/Learning_Styles.htm

Immersive in Multimedia

IMMERSIVE MULTIMEDIA Introduction to Immersive Multimedia The history of Immersive Multimedia began with the concept of Virtual Reality. In the late 1960s, the desire of computer scientists and artists was to create, digitally-made ‘near-to-reality’ experiences through Interactive Multimedia. This became known as Virtual Reality. Virtual Reality, today, is a computer-created environment that a user can experience through the senses of sight, hearing and touch. Immersive Multimedia is a combination of multimedia elements and interactivity in Virtual Reality. Immersive refer to omputer generated simulation of reality with physical, spatial and visual dimension. This interactive technology is used by architechs, science and engineering research and the arts, entertainment, and video games industry. Virtual Reality system can simulate everythings from walk through of a building prior to construction to simulations of aircraft flight and three dimension computer games. Immers ive technologies and virtual reality are powerful and compelling computer application by which humans can interact and interface with computer generated environment in a way that imics real life sense engagement. As 3D and immersive technology becomes more integrated and available for a wide range of application. It require well designed user interfaces and innovative content for the next generation of computer games and integrated technology like mobile devices distributed web systems and desktop application. Example Of Immersive Multimedia Education Business Entertainment IMMERSIVE MUTIMEDIA IN ENTERTAINMENT Example Of Immersive Multimedia in Entertainment Virtual Football Virtual Gliders Aircraft Virtual Games Counter Strike Virtual Games Formula 1 Virtual Games Adventure Kayak Games Virtual Truck Games VR has a lot of positive benefits. It gives disabled people the opportunity to join in activities not usually available to them. In virtual worlds, people in wheelchairs, for example, can have a freedom of movement that they do not have in the real world. At the moment very few people can afford to buy a VR system. But as the technology advances, lightweight helmets and more powerful computers will take VR into ordinary homes. Virtual reality has very important uses in all types of architecture and industrial design. Computer Aided Design, or CAD, has been an important design tool since the mid 1970s, because it allows the user to draw three- dimensional images on a computer screen. However, unless you have a VR helmet and glove to project the images on to, you will not be immersed in your virtual world. 3D Viewing 3D viewing enable users to view the screen in 3D form and real. This Make the media more Attractive to users. For example a users will felt the movie like happen on this surrounding if he view on a 3D screen. Virtual reality developed out of the technical community, rom a vision of what was technically possible and from the requirements of certain technically demanding applications. Of course, some of the creators had visions of applications far beyond the needs of their funding sources, but generally the community has explored virtual reality as a human-computer interface technology. REFERENCE ?http://library. thinkquest. org/26890/virtualrealityt. htm ?http://liquidnarrative. csc. nc su. edu/classes/csc582/papers/vrae. pdf ?http://images. google. com. my/images? hl=en&source=hp&q=virtual+reality&btnG=Search+Images&gbv =2&aq=2&oq=VIRTUAL

Whole Foods Strategy

The company I will be presenting is Whole Foods, case number seven. Whole Foods is a supermarket chain based in Austin, Texas which emphasizes natural and organic products. As of September 2009[update], the company operates 302 stores: 291 stores in 38 U. S. states and the District of Columbia; six stores in Canada; and five stores in the United Kingdom. External assessment: There are over one hundred thousand grocery stores in the United States, with a wide variety of types. Stores range from very small neighborhood stores, to huge two hundred thousand square foot stores. Currently, the only major competitor to Whole Foods is Trader Joe's. As of 2008, they had roughly 300 stores in twenty five states are still growing. Most of their stores are located in California and the upper east coast, and some single stores spread out across the United States. Trader Joes usually has lower prices than Whole Foods, but their stores are generally smaller in size and in selection. Another supermarket that is new to the industry, but growing at a rapid pace is a Wegmans. With over 70 stores in the New York area, this store had 4. billion dollars in sales in 2008. Wegmans is consistently rated near the top of Fortunes annual list of the 100 best companies to work for. With the organic foods market growing at such a fast pace, new stores, small and large are always popping up. A couple examples include the Fresh Market chain which has 86 stores in 17 states, and the Central Markets which have 8 stores in Texas. In addition to the unique, organic centered grocery stores, companies such as Walmart, with over 100 billion dollars in sales, compete for the same customers that Whole Foods does. Kroger and Safeway round out the list of the highest grossing grocery stores in the country. Due to the economic downturn, Whole Foods has tried to lower some of its pricing to compete with all of the other growing stores in the market. SWOT: Strengths: Despite the economic downturn, Whole foods has a strong financial performance. Revenues have grown by a rate of 17 percent over last year and this increase was driven by 14 percent square footage growth, excluding the recently acquired Wild Oats locations. Whole Foods recorded sales per gross square foot of $923,an increase of approximately 7 percent over last ear. The Strong revenue growth has helped the company to pursue its expansion plans and improve its bargaining power in the market. The company has also grown through mergers and acquisitions, with approximately 32 percent of its existing square footage coming from take-over’s. In August 2007, Whole Foods merged with Wild Oats markets. Since the organic foods retailing industry is mostly comprised of small local chains, mergers have provided the company access to locations and they have retained experienced team members. The company offers a broad product selection in all its stores and its larger stores, also have catering services where customers can purchase made-to-order foods. Whole Foods emphasis on fresh food gives the company an edge over its competitors who usually just offer packaged foods; this large product portfolio allows the company to address multiple customer segments. Weaknesses: The company has a weak international operation with just three stores in Canada, and six in the UK. The company’s operations in the UK and Canada are not yet large enough in purchasing and distribution, resulting in relatively high product prices. Also, Whole Foods relies heavily on word-of-mouth publicity, which is a disadvantage in comparison to its competitors who use print, television and online media. The company spends small amounts on advertising and marketing compared to its competitors. In 2007, the company spent 0. 5% of its total revenues on advertising. Opportunities: Natural and organic food products are one of the fastest growing categories in food retailing. There is growth in the demand for organic foods because of the increasing preferences among consumers for healthy food. The US organic food market grew by 12. 3% last year to reach a value of $15. 9 billion and is expected to hit 24 billion this year. Although organic products represent just about 2% of the total food and beverage sales in the US, the market is growing approximately 20% annually. More consumers are preferring natural, fat-free and healthy food products. Food items containing trans-fat are losing market share to low calorie, low fat, natural and organic products. Increasing customer preference for organic foods is likely to impact the company’s sales, given its leading market position in the organic grocery segment. Threats: Whole Foods’ competitors include natural foods supermarkets, specialty supermarkets, warehouse membership stores, small specialty stores and restaurants. In addition, some traditional and specialty supermarkets are also expanding more aggressively in marketing a range of organic foods, thereby competing directly with Whole Foods for products, customers and locations. For example, Wal-Mart announced that it will focus on the organic segment. They aim to become the low-price leader in organics, not just in food but clothing, electronics and other household products. Wal-Mart has already doubled its organic range in fresh produce, dairy and dry food items during 2006. Some of these competitors have greater financial or marketing resources than Whole Foods, and may be able to provide greater resources to promoting and selling their products. Increased competition may have an adverse effect on profitability as the result of lower sales, lower gross profits and/or greater operating costs such as marketing. Discussion of Strategic Alternatives: Faced with unprecedented economic challenges and numerous competitors, Whole Foods needs to take an aggressive approach to offset any challenges. By anticipating continued interest in healthy eating, Whole Foods should target children as their new customer base with the development of an organic line of products designed for children. With increased competition and economic conditions in the state they are, Whole Foods needs to expand their marketing strategy towards a more broader, interactive one. The use of Facebook and Twitter could be useful tools on the local, and global level to communicate with current and future customers. Whole Foods needs to also continue its commitment to the environment. Expanding on already in place programs, such as eliminating disposable plastic bags, charitable donations and green power use, Whole Foods should take part in programs that promote animal welfare on farms and ranches. Value perception is one of the most important strategies that needs to be focused on if Whole Foods is going to overcome competing with low cost competition . Providing coupons, budget conscious recipes, and money saving tips are what customers value. A in store value guide can help customers locate the best deals in the store. Along with a friendly and educated staff, these strategic alternatives can provide Whole Foods with the tools necessary to overcome the challenges it currently faces.