Warren Buffet Biography Of An American Capitalist Essay

Warren Buffet: Biography of an American Capitalist In the history of investing, Buffett stands alone. He found his interest in investing when he was very young. In fact he bought his first shares at the age of 11 with the help to his father. Buffett was interested in making money since he was child and he made money by selling chewing gum, soda bottles, newspaper and magazine, golf ball and stamps door to door. After graduation, he worked with his father Buffet-Falk Co, then for Benjamin Graham, then opened his own firm Buffet and Partnerships and finally at the age of 35, he became the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Warren Edward Buffett, born to Howard Buffett on August 30, 1930. He was second of the three children and had an extraordinary talent of earning money and managing it. At the age of 6, buffet would buy bottles of Coca-Cola from his grandfather’s grocery store and then would sell it for profit. In 1947, Buffet graduated from high school and joined Wharton Business School in Pennsylvania, when his father insisted for higher education. Later, when was rejected by Harvard Business School for being too young, he went to Columbia Business School because he came to know that Benjamin Graham taught there. In the year 1956, Buffett started a partnership firm Buffet and Partnership with the wealth he had amassed and by attracting other investors. A 26 year old boy, was sole manager, with total discretion. This was the first step on the road that was toShow MoreRelatedThe American Dream of Warren Buffett2711 Words   |  11 PagesGeorgia Agrapidis English 3 CPE Period-1 Research Paper Warren Buffett The popular American capitalist, Warren Buffett, has set the standard for many people by reaching the American Dream for most; from the moment young Warren Buffett was born in Omaha, Nebraska, he had always targeted high and worked harder than anyone, to reach those infinite goals. Many people have different perspectives on what the â€Å"American Dream† really means. To some people, being rich, having fame, a happy family,Read MoreWarren Buffett3200 Words   |  13 PagesWarren E. Buffett, 2005 Teaching Note Synopsis and Objectives Suggested complementary case about investment managers and superior performance: â€Å"Bill Miller and Value Trust† (Case 2). Set in May 2005, this case invites the student to assess Berkshire Hathaway’s bid, through MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, its wholly owned subsidiary, for the regulated energy-utility PacifiCorp. The task for the student is to perform a simple valuation of PacifiCorp and to consider the reasonablenessRead MoreWarren E. Buffett Case6731 Words   |  27 PagesCase Study 2: Warren E. Buffett, 1995 This case was prepared by Professor Robert F. Bruner as the basis for classroom discussion rather than to illustrate effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. On August 25, 1995, Warren Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, announced that his firm would acquire the 49.6 percent of GEICO Corporation that it did not already own. The $2.3 billion deal would give GEICO shareholders $70.00 per share, up from the $55.75 per share marketRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesThree Ethical Decision Criteria 187 †¢ Improving Creativity in Decision Making 188 Summary and Implications for Managers 190 S A S A S A L L L Self-Assessment Library What Are My Gender Role Perceptions? 166 glOBalization! Chinese Time, North American Time 171 Myth or Science? Creative Decision Making Is a Right-Brain Activity 181 Self-Assessment Library Am I A Deliberate Decision Maker? 183 An Ethical Choice Whose Ethical Standards to Follow? 185 Self-Assessment Library How Creative Am I? 190

A Brief Note On The National Mediation Board - 865 Words

Introduction Employees generally seek union representation because they feel their workplace rights from their employer are not being met, or that they have an unfair disadvantage in regards to any needs or workplace desires. They turn to unions to help bridge the gap and ease the power differential that exists between employers and their employees. In order for a group of employees to obtain representation, they must undergo an election process to choose their union or decide if they, as a unit, want a union at all. Here, we will discuss the history of and changes to the manner in which employee votes have been counted to determine an outcome in these elections. 1. Prior to the National Mediation Board’s (NMB) 2010 rule change, what was the primary difference between how election results were counted under the NLRA and the Railway Labor Act (RLA)? For approximately seventy five years the only option an employee had to submit a vote against union representation was to not vote at all. Under the Railway Labor Act, it specifically identifies that â€Å"employees shall have the right to determine who shall be representative of the craft or class† 45 U.S.C $ 152 but does not define that a specific â€Å"no union† choice was available. This was further exemplified by the National Mediation Board who recognized non-voters as representing a no vote and/or being against union representation. Under this pretense and applicable to the ballot which only recognized voting for UnionShow MoreRelatedA Brief Note On The National Mediation Board921 Words   |  4 Pagesif they, as a unit, want a union at all (Cox, Bok, Gorman, Finkin , 2012). Here, we will discuss the history of and changes to the manner in which employee votes have been counted to determine an outcome in these elections. 1. Prior to the National Mediation Board’s (NMB) 2010 rule change, what was the primary difference between how the election results were counted under the NLRA and the Railway Labor Act (RLA)? For approximately seventy five years the only option an employee had to submitRead MoreSocial Welfare Administration10174 Words   |  41 PagesDevelopment Administrative Arrangement for Social Welfare in Tamilnadu Social Welfare based on the Policy Note (Govt of Tamilnadu) Women’s Welfare Programs for Economic Development of Marriage Assistance Programs Women Dr. Muthulakhsmi Reddy Ninaivu Mahapperu Nidhi Uthavi Thittam Institutional Care Partnership with Non-Governmental Organizations Other Schemes for Women Tamilnadu Social Welfare Board Tamilnadu Corporation for Development of Women Tamil Nadu Commission for Women Limited Women RecreationRead MoreKitchen Remodel5809 Words   |  24 Pages * Highly Objective | Weaknesses * Poor Listener * Lack empathy * Rely on advocates to much | Opportunities * Mentor team members * Problem solving * Team building | Threats * Lack of extraordinary people skills * Mediocre mediation skills * Limited scope of knowledge | Communication Style Some of the strengths that were defined by the Speak Strong communication assessment were that I do not overload people with details. I say exactly what I mean and meant exactly whatRead MoreDescribe How to Establish Respectful Professional Relationships with Adults52870 Words   |  212 Pages............................... 114 Appendix II THE FUNDING BODIES Appendix 111 116 MEETINGS ............................................. Appendix IV THE JCT AND THE CCSJC ....................................... 120 Appendix V NOTE BY THE CIC: AN ANALYSIS OF ACTION IN RELATION TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE â€Å"CROSSING BOUNDARIES ’ REPORT (At 15 April 1994) 1 .............................................. 123 Appendix VI TEXT OF THE ClPS PROPOSAL FOR â€Å"Construction Sourcing† Read MorePerformance Management in a Human Resources Framework5375 Words   |  22 Pagestechniques without much internal cohesion†¦ a hodge podge† (p.6). Several authors (McGraw, 1997; Rudman, 2002) compare the differences between PM and HRM, largely with PM directed at the needs of employees and focused on solving day-to-day problems and mediation, as opposed with HRM primarily directed at the needs of management. McGraw (1997) lists twenty-seven points of difference between PM and HRM across four dimensions: beliefs and assumptions; strategic aspects; line management and key levers (p.20)Read MoreAnti-Bullying Prevention Proposal6403 Words   |  26 Pages †¢ One school guidance counselor will act as the facilitator for the anti-bullying program. Major responsibilities will include providing mediation between the student body, parents of students, and school administration. †¢ The assistant principal of student support will act as the point of contact between school administration, the district board of education, and the superintendent of the district. †¢ Three (3) teacher representatives; preferably from the sociology, psychology, and/orRead MorePlachimada Case Study13995 Words   |  56 PagesAnalysis of the Act V. CONCLUSION INTRODUCTION Plachimada is often cited as a prime example of corporate aggression over natural resources and the consequent denial of the rights of the people. It has also been portrayed as the fight against a multi national corporation by a small section of the local population in order to protect basic human rights, such as the right to drinking water and the right to livelihood. What happened in Plachimada is often raised in discussions about the state’s actual recordRead MoreEth 321 Entire Course / Ethical and Legal Topics in Business6122 Words   |  25 Pagesexample National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Social Security Administration (SSA), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Explain the role and function of each agency in a 6- to 9-slide Microsoft ®PowerPoint ®presentation with detailed speaker notes IncludeRead MoreEssay on Eth 321 Entire Course / Ethical and Legal Topics in Business6110 Words   |  25 Pagesexample National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Social Security Administration (SSA), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Explain the role and function of each agency in a 6- to 9-slide Microsoft ®PowerPoint ®presentation with detailed speaker notes IncludeRead MoreASSESSING LEARNERS IN LIFELONG LEARNING7015 Words   |  29 Pagesbasic principles or the acronym AVRFI. Authenticity: All assessment activity must have in place processes to ensure that the achievement is the learner’s/ candidate’s own work. Learners/ candidates must sign a statement to this effect. Awarding Bodies boards have their own rules and regulations about authenticity and tutors/ assessors must make themselves familiar with them and abide by them. Validity: The method of assessment and the evidence provided must be appropriate and capable of demonstrating

Analysis of Langham International Hotel Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Analysis of Langham International Hotel. Answer: Introduction Langham hotel was first built in between 1863 and 1865 in England by John Giles. This was the first traditional cum luxury hotel of England and today it is known as the Langham Hotels. This hotel has set up its outlets in various places across the globe and all these are performing well. This hotel has set up its image in various parts of the world. Most successful places for this hotel are the East Asia, the Caribbean, the Middle East and the Southeast Asia. One of the outlets of Langham hotel is also situated in the Auckland city of New Zealand. Setting hotel business in New Zealand is not a difficult task but to gain the goodwill in the same industry is the bit difficult. Qualmark is the official New Zealands agency which provides the assurance to the tourists in regards to the quality, luxury, and the trust. Under this agency, any business could be registered through fulfilling all the requirements of the agency. It helps the tourists to build the trust of the hotels and other or ganizations and Langham is one of those enterprises which are registered under Qualmark agency of the New Zealand. This scenario explains that various competitors of Langham hotel such as Windham and Starwood are also planning to build a five-star rating Qualmark rated hotel in the Auckland city center. Hence, to maintain the effective image in the hotel industry, Langham hotel has asked its marketing managers to develop certain adequate strategies to compete with the organization as well as to maintain their effective image in the hotel industry. Current Operating System of Langham International Hotel Langham group of hotels has developed a distinctive goodwill in the hotel industry and in the New Zealand, they have been converted their hotel in a brand through registration under the Qualmark agency. Luxury, comfort, location and unforgettable service are the primary aspects of achieving success for Langham group of hotels. Apart from these basic services, main concentration is on providing additional services with the stay in the hotel as spa, games facilities such as tennis court, golf area, etc. Since the traditional times when it was developed in the England, the main concern of this hotel was to provide adequate quality services and adaptation of various techniques through which continuous improvement in the service offered to the guests could be maintained (Nieves Segarra-Ciprs, 2015). Below are some of the challenges and opportunities faced by the Langham hotel due to an entrance of its competitors under five-star rating and with Qualmark assurance: Lack of Staff: Finding new staff and retention of the key staff members is quite a difficult task for the hotel industry in New Zealand. It reduces the productivity and the efficiency of the organization as well as it also raises the labor turnover ratio. Hence, providing adequate quality to the customers becomes the difficult task for the organization in absence of the appropriate staff members (Hsiao, et. al., 2014). Hygiene: It is observed from the analysis that most of the New Zealand people are suffering from diseases such as diabetes and overweight. For securing their life, New Zealand's public has adopted the technique for ignoring the restaurant's food which will create the negative impact on the hotel industry. This has been a great challenge for the whole industry along with the Langham group of hotels. The entrance of competitors: This is the biggest challenge as well as the opportunity for the Langham international hotel. On the one side, it will create the negative impact on the Langham hotel's business whereas it will also generate more opportunities to grow and make the better image in the consumers in relevance with its competitors. Competition is very important for improving the quality of the products and services. Till the time, an organization will not suffer from competition; they will not focus on improving the product or service quality. Customers also get the opportunity to select the appropriate hotel as per their requirements amongst the selection available (Hon, Chan Chan, 2013). Apart from the challenges and the opportunities faced by the Langham group of hotels in the Auckland city centre, set of strategies are developed by themarketing manager of the Langham hotel with a view to increase the potential of the organization in order to maintain the goodwill of the organization after entrance of the competitors in the same rating of hotel industry (Jones, et. al., 2016). Marketing Mix Strategy It is the strategy used to promote the products and services of the organization. It could be used for the promotion of the existing products as well as to promote the new products and services. Under this strategy, all the specification including the importance and the features of the products and services are evaluated. This technique is included in the promotional campaign in order to gain the confidence as well as to attract the customers (Murshid, et. al., 2016). Product Langham Hotel needs to adopt the strategy of providing adequate quality services which could help them to attract the customers. As Qualmark is already an advantage for the organization but as their competitors are also planning to get registered under the same rating of five-star hotels.Marketing manager of the Langham hotel has introduced the unique strategy of providing customers cab service which will help the customers to reach the hotel easily (Benavides-Velasco, Quintana-Garca Marchante-Lara, 2014). They have launched a mobile application through which customers can book the hotel room in advance without paying anything on advance booking. This will save the cost of the customers to reach the hotel from airports or railway stations. They can request a pick up through sharing the time at the time of advance booking, the cab will be provided to the guests for picking them up and the same procedure will be followed at the time of check out. This will help the Langham group of ho tels to build a separate image in the competitive business environment and it will also result in the competitive advantage for the organization (Shyu, et. al., 2015). Place As Langham Hotel is already situated at the heart location of the New Zealand i.e. Auckland City Centre so, they do not need to focus on this point. Apart from shifting to the location, marketing manager of the organization has adopted the technique of expansion in order to increase the demand for their hotel. Rather situated at the heart location, it may be not reachable for all customers because public is situated at the every corner hence; to provide them feasibility to reach to their hotel easily, organization has adopted the technique for expansion under which another branch of the hotel will be set up in the prime location of the New Zealand. It will generate competitive advantage for the organization as they will be able to target a number of people (Pakdil Kurtulmu?o?lu, 2017). Price Under this technique, a customer should be provided with the adequate quality or the quantity of the services and the products against the money paid by the customers. In order to provide valuable services to the guests of the Langham Hotel, management of the organization has arranged a cab service under which pick and drop facility to the airports and the railway stations will be provided at no cost (Lee, et. al., 2014). Apart from this, they have also adopted the facility of providing customers various unique and valuable services which make them separate from their competitors as well as it will also result in the competitive advantage for the organization. Apart from the cab services, an organization has included various value added services in the package opted by the guests for the stay in the hotel. Adaptation of these services will help the organization in attracting more number of people (Mohammed, Rashid Tahir, 2014). Promotion Promotional techniques contribute their valuable role in spreading awareness amongst the people in relevance with the new services and products launched by the organization. The more potential techniques will be adopted, the more organization will gain the competitive advantage. Social media platforms and other digital media platforms will be more effective in comparison to the posters, banners and another print medium of advertisement. Apart from various communication channels such as marketing manager has introduced a mobile application through which guests can book anytime on their phones, computers only (Pereira Almeida, 2014). Apart from the mobile application, emails and messages have been sent to their regular customers in relevance with providing them the information regarding the opening of a new branch as well as an announcement of unique value added services in the same packages and at the same price. The mobile application will include an offers tab and under that tab, a ll the current and future offers will be disclosed to the customers directly. The offers may differ on the basis of visitors regularity as more offers will be provided to the regular customers as compared to the occasional visitors (Singh Kumar, 2015). People They are the only source of their profitability, growth as well as for the success of the organization. Hence, Langham hotels managers have built an effective strategy through which they can create a valuable goodwill in their customers mind (Hoque, 2013).Occasional customers could be turned into regular customers; they have launched the scheme for first-time visitors under which certain rate of discount will be provided to guests for stay with their hotel. As they are the primary source of the success of the organization, hence; appropriate and reliable steps need to be taken in order to attract them towards the hotel. Apart from the new guests, appropriate and attractive offers need to be launched for the regular customers to keep their interest in the hotel (Maziriri Chinomona, 2016). Processes The process of the service reddening needs to update in order to enhance the customers' experience. For this, a staff of the hotel will be trained in such a manner so that all the requirements of the organization could be fulfilled. Customers' feedbacks need to be resolved on the priority basis and if customers' have suffered anything unethical due to organization's fault then it should be resolved on the priority basis through any mode such as by providing free stay at the hotel or certain rate of discount depending on the severity of the issue (Fraj, Matute Melero, 2015). Physical Evidence Under this step, an organization needs to develop some physical evidence which could help the customers to rely upon the services offered by the Langham hotel are appropriate. Hospitality services could be measured on the basis of customers reviews hence; this is the best approach through which organization could gain the trust and reliability from other customers. Positive reviews from the previous customers will work as the element of attracting future customers (Mok, Sparks Kadampully, 2013). Conclusion Aforesaid explanation concludes the marketing and service plan for the Langham International Hotel Auckland City Centre, New Zealand. There is a quality assurance organization set up by the government of New Zealand in order to protect the tourists interest. Organizations registered under Qualmark are assured by the government in terms of the quality of services as well of the products. Langham hotel is also registered with the same sort of rating and they are enjoying their success adequately in the New Zealand. With the increasing demand of the consumers, Langham Hotel's primary competitors Starwood and Windham are planning to expand their hotel business in the Auckland city center with a view to providing competition to the Langham group of a hotel through providing the same sort of rating and the quality assurance. To maintain the image in the hospitality industry, marketing manager of the Langham Hotel has developed certain strategies including marketing strategy technique with a view to maintaining their goodwill in the New Zealands hospitality market. References Benavides-Velasco, C. A., Quintana-Garca, C., Marchante-Lara, M. (2014). Total quality management, corporate social responsibility and performance in the hotel industry.International Journal of Hospitality Management,41, 77-87. Fraj, E., Matute, J., Melero, I. (2015). Environmental strategies and organizational competitiveness in the hotel industry: The role of learning and innovation as determinants of environmental success.Tourism Management,46, 30-42. Hon, A. H., Chan, W. W., Lu, L. (2013). Overcoming work-related stress and promoting employee creativity in hotel industry: The role of task feedback from supervisor.International Journal of Hospitality Management,33, 416-424. Hoque, K. (2013).Human resource management in the hotel industry: Strategy, innovation and performance. Routledge. Hsiao, T. Y., Chuang, C. M., Kuo, N. W., Yu, S. M. F. (2014). Establishing attributes of an environmental management system for green hotel evaluation.International Journal of Hospitality Management,36, 197-208. Jones, P., Jones, P., Hillier, D., Hillier, D., Comfort, D., Comfort, D. (2016). Sustainability in the hospitality industry: some personal reflections on corporate challenges and research agendas.International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management,28(1), 36-67. Lee, J. J., Capella, M. L., Taylor, C. R., Gabler, C. B. (2014). The financial impact of loyalty programs in the hotel industry: A social exchange theory perspective.Journal of Business Research,67(10), 2139-2146. Maziriri, E. T., Chinomona, E. (2016). Modeling the Influence of Relationship Marketing, Green Marketing and Innovative Marketing on the Business Performance of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMES).Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies,8(3), 127-139. Mohammed, A. A., Rashid, B. B., Tahir, S. B. (2014). Customer relationship management (CRM) Technology and organization performance: is marketing capability a missing link? an empirical study in the malaysian hotel industry.Asian Social Science,10(9), 197. Mok, C., Sparks, B., Kadampully, J. (2013).Service quality management in hospitality, tourism, and leisure. Routledge. Murshid, M. A., Murshid, M. A., Mohaidin, Z., Mohaidin, Z., Yen Nee, G., Yen Nee, G., ... Fernando, Y. (2016). Physician perceived value as a mediating variable between marketing mix strategy and physician satisfaction.Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics,28(5), 780-806. Nieves, J., Segarra-Ciprs, M. (2015). Management innovation in the hotel industry.Tourism Management,46, 51-58. Pakdil, F., Kurtulmu?o?lu, F. (2017). Using quality function deployment for environmentally sustainable hotels: a combined analysis of customer and manager point of view.European Journal of Tourism Research: Volume 16, Year: 2017, 252-275. Pereira, L., Almeida, P. (2014). Marketing And Promotion In The Hotel Industry: A Case Study In Family Hotel And Hotel Group.Conselho Editorial| Editorial Board. Shyu, M. L., Chiang, W. J., Chien, W. Y., Wang, S. L. (2015). Key Success Factors In Digital Marketing In Service Industry and the Development Strategies: A Case Study On Fleur DE Chine At Sun Moon Lake.International Journal of Organizational Innovation (Online),8(1), 171. Singh, P., Kumar, H. (2015). A Study of Hospitality Marketing Mix With Reference To Indian Hotel Industry.Intercontinental Journal of Marketing Research Review,3, 14-23.

Strategies Used by Rite Aid Pharmacy Essay Example

Strategies Used by Rite Aid Pharmacy Paper On the second day of the conference, Samson valued her dream of a new store model that was aligned with health wellness and makes the pharmacy the star of the store. Rite Aid had a new marketing theme, With us. Its Personal, This consisted of a more welcoming corner entrance In the store as well as change to the exterior of the store to look warmer and Included a covered drive through pharmacy. The Interior of the pharmacy was to Include wider aisles and nicer waiting areas for customers. At the end of the conference, Samson reiterated Rite Aids six goals: Marketing, merchandising and ammunitions programs supporting Its Neal ; wellness positioning; Hilling, training and retaining quality store associates; Optimizing the chains infrastructure; Unveiling a new store prototype; Rationalizing the store base; and, Pursuing growth opportunities (Long 2004). Rite Aid continues to value the importance of customer service and puts programs in place to stress the importance of greeting customers and assisting them with their purchases. Rite Aid recently implemented new technology to help employees perform tasks faster and easier which will give them ore time to focus on the customer. In 2012, Rite Aid increased the amount of money they spend on training their employees on their customer service skills. (Rite Aid 2012) Another strategic action that Rite Aid has taken to execute its strategy is the consistency of their training to their employees. Rite Aid created the Rite Aid University to bring their entire employee training in one area and under one rooftop make sure that what they are teaching their employees is staying consistent over time. We will write a custom essay sample on Strategies Used by Rite Aid Pharmacy specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Strategies Used by Rite Aid Pharmacy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Strategies Used by Rite Aid Pharmacy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The Rite Aid University has over 75 different training programs from employee management and time management to being taught to use the pharmacy automated dispensing system. (DEER 1998) By keeping their employees training consistent and investing in the newest technology, Rite Aid is taking steps to maintain a cost leadership strategy. Another strategic step Rite Aid has taken is implementing the wellness + loyalty program in 2010. This is a free program for customers that provide incentives to members who enroll based on how many points they accumulate for prescription purchases. You are able to achieve a Fold, Silver and Bronze level in this program. Rite Aid stated that those involved in the wellness + have higher purchases than their non-member customers and they also achieve larger prescription retentions. Wellness + members can also able to receive more rewards and additional savings for future shopping trips. Rite Aid continues to add more enhancements to this program making it more appealing to their customers. They recently added Loader which is a coupon management program and Rite Aid is the first drug retailer to implement this program. This allows customers to save, manage and redeem Rite Aid and manufacturer coupons available throughout he internet via their wellness + card (Rite Aid 2012). Rite Aid has also formed a strategic alliance with NC under which they have opened over 2,100 NC stores- within-Rite Aid-stores NC is a leading nationwide retailer of vitamin and mineral supplements, personal care, fitness and other health-related products. (Rite Aid 2012) Customer Service is the main target for Rite Aid along with technology. Rite Aid stores have implemented a common information system. This new system allows customers to fill and refill their prescriptions in any Rite Aid store throughout the country. Also, customers are now able to order prescription refills over the Internet through www. Irritated. Com or over the phone and they have also added a mobile phone app that gives them the same options as their online website. Rite Aid continues to enhance their technology to better serve their customers. (Rite Aid 2012) All of these steps that Rite Aid has taken are critical to the companys success and helps to keep them on the path of a cost leadership company. Rite Aids strategic alliance with NC, their wellness+ loyalty program and their common information system and new technology could possibly be sources of temporary or sustainable nominative advantage. To evaluate whether they have a sustainable competitive advantage we must use the BRIO framework. First we will we evaluate Rite Aids strategic alliance with NC. We ask ourselves if the alliance is valuable. Meaning, Do resources and capabilities enable a firm to exploit an external opportunity or neutralize an external threat? I believe the answer to this question is yes. Next, we ask ourselves if this alliance is rare, is It currently controlled by only a small number of competing firms? The answer to this question would also be yes. Regarding the question of immutability, do firms without a resource face a cost disadvantage in obtaining or developing it? Yes. Lastly we ask ourselves if a firm is organized enough to exploit the full competitive potential of its resources and capabil ities. I believe that Rite Aid is able to exploit the potential of this strategic alliance. Therefore, Rite Aids strategic alliance with NC is a source of sustainable competitive advantage. (Barney Westerly, 2012). Next, we will evaluate Rite Aids wellness+ loyalty program. I believe this program to be very valuable but due to the brand loyalty. I also believe that this program is rare. Although, Walgreen has a similar program not many other drug retailers currently have a program this beneficial to their customers. Although this program is valuable and rare, I do not believe it would be costly to imitate. Therefore, Rite Aid only has a temporary competitive advantage over its competitors. Rite Aid also incorporates new technology in their stores. They currently have a common information system as well as smart phone applications and online filling and refilling of prescriptions. I believe their use of technology is ere valuable. Most people now prefer to use the internet and their phones for tasks such as these. It is a convenience to customers who do not want to have to go into the store to deal with their prescriptions. Although this is very valuable in the society we live in now, it is not very rare. Many drug retailers are pursuing and currently have the same technology that Rite Aid does. Because of this, Rite Aid only has competitive parity. Rite Aid and Environment Based on my research of Rite Aid, I do believe that the companys strategies and abilities fit within the drug retailer industry environment. Although many strategies they are pursuing are also being pursued by their top competitors, Walgreen and C.V., they are maintaining competitive parity within the industry. These strategies include their development of technology through managing prescriptions online and smart phone applications. Rite Aids main focus is their customer service and they are able to build brand loyalty through their wellness + program. Although Walgreen NAS a salary program, IT Relate AI Is addle to craw In customers to use their program instead then they will build that loyalty with their customers and have the ability to keep them returning for future purchases. In the industry analysis, my group concluded that the drug retailer industry average level of anticipated performance is high due to the Porter five forces model showing that the risk of entry by possible new customers is moderate because the four barriers to entry are somewhat established. The intensity of rivalry within the industry is moderate. Although product differentiation being low increases the threat of rivalry here are millions of people who need drugs so this reduces the threat. The bargaining power of buyers is moderate, as is the bargaining power of suppliers and the threat of substitutes is very high because of general merchandise stores, supermarkets and superstores. Although Rite Aid is not the industry leader in this industry, I believe that they are positioned to keep growing within this industry. I feel that their strategic alliance with NC, who is a well-known nation-wide retailer, will help them continue to grow as well as their continuing use of technology, their ointment to customer satisfaction and their consistency in employee training.

Free Essays on William Blakes Songs Of Experience

William Blake’s Song of Experience The songs of William Blake are probably the most easily understood and the most important of his writing. They are a necessity in order to understand Blake. It has been said that the songs are too short, but they make up what they like in length with quality (Gillham VIII-IX). Out of its context, each song means a great deal less than Blake expected of his total invention. Occasionally, a song may be taken to mean something quite different from what he intended. The songs were not written for our enjoyment or edification alone, but instead for our salvation (Gleckner 37). When read together the Songs of Experience are a reflection of Blake’s view on life (Gillham I). The state of the Songs of Experience is expressed through selfishness, anxiety, insensitivity, and meddlesomeness. They all militate against a generous appreciation of life’s events. We assert our own interest in a way that doesn’t allow us to appreciate worldly happenings and then we are left with interests which are directed toward insignificant things. Nearly all of the Songs of Experience depict people who have defended themselves from life’s experiences without knowing it. They are assertive people who are supposed to be wise, but their assertive wisdom prevents them from being able to see. Blake often depicts experienced man as a greybeard who has lost the use of his senses. His is often lame as well. We deny ourselves a full life in many ways and reading Blake’s poems often brings home the knowledge of our ways of crippling ourselves (15-16). To some degree, we live â€Å"in disguise† because we adopt set attitudes and responses. Our world lies hidden from us because we see only what habit and convenience prepare us to find. The Songs of Experience display our minds working this way (45), and this knowledge is unfortunately accompanied by the realization that there is little we can do to change ou... Free Essays on William Blake's Songs Of Experience Free Essays on William Blake's Songs Of Experience William Blake’s Song of Experience The songs of William Blake are probably the most easily understood and the most important of his writing. They are a necessity in order to understand Blake. It has been said that the songs are too short, but they make up what they like in length with quality (Gillham VIII-IX). Out of its context, each song means a great deal less than Blake expected of his total invention. Occasionally, a song may be taken to mean something quite different from what he intended. The songs were not written for our enjoyment or edification alone, but instead for our salvation (Gleckner 37). When read together the Songs of Experience are a reflection of Blake’s view on life (Gillham I). The state of the Songs of Experience is expressed through selfishness, anxiety, insensitivity, and meddlesomeness. They all militate against a generous appreciation of life’s events. We assert our own interest in a way that doesn’t allow us to appreciate worldly happenings and then we are left with interests which are directed toward insignificant things. Nearly all of the Songs of Experience depict people who have defended themselves from life’s experiences without knowing it. They are assertive people who are supposed to be wise, but their assertive wisdom prevents them from being able to see. Blake often depicts experienced man as a greybeard who has lost the use of his senses. His is often lame as well. We deny ourselves a full life in many ways and reading Blake’s poems often brings home the knowledge of our ways of crippling ourselves (15-16). To some degree, we live â€Å"in disguise† because we adopt set attitudes and responses. Our world lies hidden from us because we see only what habit and convenience prepare us to find. The Songs of Experience display our minds working this way (45), and this knowledge is unfortunately accompanied by the realization that there is little we can do to change ou...

Free French Mobile Applications

Free French Mobile Applications If youre looking for free French apps, youre in luck: there is a wide variety, from dictionaries to learning programs. Heres a list of mobile applications related to French.2Lingua KidsLearn basic French in this app written by and for middle-school students.Classics2GoA small collection of French books.Free French TutorInteractive study tools.FrenchRadioFind French radio while youre on the go.French StartSmall app to begin learning French vocabulary.French Verbs 650Learn French verbs and their English translations.French Word of the Day (Declan Software)A new word every day, with sound file.French Word of the Day (Prometoys Limited)Daily word with translation and sample sentence.French WordPowerDaily word with pronunciation and translation, plus quiz and option to save words.Learn French - French AppsFour apps for learning a bit of French: alphabet, numbers, gender, and phonemes.Learn French by LoquellaLearn and practice French grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation with lessons base d on the Foreign Service Institutes method and materials. Learn French QuickFrench flashcard program.Learn French with BusuuTwenty lessons with option to purchase more.Littrà © French dictionaryDictionary of French from the 17th-19th centuries.Living Language - French for iPadEleven free French lessons, with the option to purchase 35 more.RATPOfficial app to help you make sense of Pariss mà ©tro and bus.SpeakEasy French LiteThe free version includes 169 French travel phrases.If you dont have a mobile device, you might be interested in similar online and offline resources:     French verb conjugator  Ã‚  Ã‚  French vocabulary lessons and lists  Ã‚  Ã‚  French word of the day

Implement and monitor nursing care for clients with acute health Case Study

Implement and monitor nursing care for clients with acute health problems - Case Study Example Harold’s injuries would limit his mobility and would confine him for a while to a bed or to a chair (University of Virginia â€Å"Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation). He would likely need assistance for all his activities – from his waking to his sleeping hours. I would involve Harold’s family in meeting his self-care needs by placing them on shifts. I can ask his wife to sleep in a separate bed, but still be in the same room as her husband in order to assist Harold in his ADLs. However, since Harold’s wife has initial manifestations of Alzheimer’s disease, she cannot be left with Harold for prolonged periods of time. Members of the family can take shifts in helping care for Harold. His children and grandchildren can be asked to assist Harold in performing his ADLs. They can help groom him, assist him to and from the bathroom, and keep him company. This can help ensure that Harold would not be bored and his morale always kept up. This would also ensure that his burns would not get infected or be subjected to further injury. The grandchildren have to be taught the proper ways of assisting and caring for their grandfather by demonstrating to them the proper ways of grooming and assisting in order not to subject Harold to further injuries. 3. Assess metabolism. Burn victims are in a hypermetabolic state. (Hom, et.al., p. 184), which increases their risk for prolonged inflammation, cardiac dysfunction, infection, sepsis, and death (Bankhead â€Å"News by Specialty) 1. Explaining to Harold the debridement process – how the procedure would be undertaken, the risks of the procedure, and the ultimate goal of the surgery. This would help reduce the patient’s anxiety and stress about the procedure (Steele, et.al., p. 55). 3. Instructing Harold on what he can expect during the surgery itself. I would explain to Harold why intravenous access will be needed before the surgery; the surgical skin preparations

Ethical Challenges Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethical Challenges - Essay Example Section II. Background Information on Each of the Organizations II.1 The Society of Professional Journalists Background information gathered from the official website of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) has identified its founding date in 1909 (Society of Professional Journalists, 2013). Its existence is embodied in the simple goal of working to â€Å"improve and protect journalism†¦ (and is) dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior† (Society of Professional Journalists, 2013, par. 1). It reveals a total of about 9,000 members globally and reportedly operates with an annual budget of about $1.7 million (Society of Professional Journalists, 2013). II.2 The International Association of Business Communicators The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) was noted to have been founded in 1970 and was designed to provide â€Å"a professional network of about 15,000 business commu nication professionals in over 80 countries† (International Association of Business Communicators, 2013, par. 1). The organization has boasted of having been able to establish 100 chapters globally and expects the number to continue manifesting an increasing trend. II.3 American Marketing Association The American Marketing Association (AMA) was reported to have been established in 1937 and has consistently grown â€Å"with over 30,000 members who work, teach and study in the field of marketing across the globe† (American Marketing Association, 2013, par. 1). The organization’s mission was explicitly stipulated towards â€Å"leading the practice, teaching and development of marketing knowledge worldwide† (American Marketing Association: Our Mission, 2013, par. 1). Section III. Tabular Listing of Ethical Issues Ethical Issues SPJ IABC AMA Preamble (purpose of the code) For public enlightenment Because professional communicators affect the lives of people To act as stewards in promoting highest standards of ethics Honesty Through seeking the truth and reporting it â€Å"fostering the free flow of essential information in accord with the public interest† (IABC, 2013, par. 7) â€Å"– to be forthright in dealings with customers and stakeholders† (AMA, 2009, p. 2) Do No Harm â€Å"Ethical journalists treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect† (SPJ, 1996, p. 1) â€Å"refrain from taking part in any undertaking which the communicator considers to be unethical† (IABC: Articles, 2013, par. 5) â€Å"avoiding harmful actions or omissions by embodying high ethical standards and adhering to all applicable laws and regulations in the choices we make† (AMA, 2009, p. 2) Acting Independently Avoiding conflicts of interest (SPJ, 1996) â€Å"do not accept undisclosed gifts or payments† (IABC: Articles, 2013, par. 10) Through ethical values of fairness and transparency (AMA , 2009) Be Accountable Provide accurate information and solicit public’s response (SPJ, 1996) â€Å"disseminate accurate information and promptly correct any erroneous communication† (IABC: Articles, 2013, par. 2) Through the ethical value of citizenship, responsibility, and transparency (AMA, 2009) Other Ethical Values Credibility, Freedom of Speech, Cultural Sensitivity, Conformity to Legal Laws, Acknowledging the words of others, Confidentiality (IABC, 2013)

VARK Analysis Essay Example for Free

VARK Analysis Essay Learning is a process that may occur consciously or unconsciously. Differences in the process through which different people accept/acquire information, process and interpret it, greatly influences the way individuals will react to the same stimuli. These differences carry on with an individual into the educational system and depending on an individual’s preference, their performance in school is greatly influenced-both academically and socially. There are several learning modes that individuals may ascribe to, the common ones being visual representation, audio representation, reading and writing and activity. This paper seeks to discuss these modes as brought out through the VARK analysis and give recommendations on how to make the best out of a particular learning mode. Learning Style To understand a concept, some people may prefer to observe others doing the same thing, others may prefer to be involved while others may prefer to read about it or be told about it by another person who they may regard as having a better understanding. These are learning styles that we employ to gather and process information. According to Keefe (1979), a learning style can be defined as â€Å"the composite of characteristic cognitive, affective, and physiological factors that serve as relatively stable indicators of how a learner perceives, interacts with, and responds to the learning environment. † As an individual, I particularly prefer to learn by being involved physically or doing something practically. This helps in embedding a concept or procedure to memory and allow for troubleshooting. Information gathered from literature is visualized and sometimes put in form of diagrams or patterns that can be easy to remember. Charts and graphs also serve as easy ways to grasp ideas being presented. In class setting, I prefer to look up information on my own, reading from different sources until a concept is understood. Occasionally I may enquire of others after exhausting all other avenues. Comparison of learning strategies According to the VARK analysis, individuals are considered to be able to take in and process information in through four channels; visual, aural, reading/writing or kinesthetic. No single way can be considered better than the others but understanding ones acceptance and processing channel can help in developing a study strategy to help the individual be able to improve the speed and learning efficiency. Any combination of the above learning preferences results in a multimodal (VARK) learning preference which may -in my opinion- be deemed more desirable than the single preference learning style. Being multimodal, having all preferences, allows the learner to be able to cope with learning challenges better as they are able to switch between preferences to the one most applicable in a given situation. This mode though may become a hindrance in itself in that the individual may be unable to decide fast enough onto which mode to switch into thereby resulting in delay in decision making or being out of sync with the learning environment. Following VARK analysis I am considered as multimodal with higher preference to kinesthetic, visual and reading/writing and least to aural which I consider as a true evaluation. Further analysis classifies me as a whole-sense multimodal individual – score over 25 – who makes use of several strategies before making a final decision (Fleming N. D. , 2010). This in itself is identified as a weakness due to the indecisive nature that results from taking to long to decide when presented with information through only one channel. Changes needed Though slowness in decision making is being viewed as a weakness, in some instances it is an advantage in that it prevents rash decision making and allows more time for reflection on any given topic. A most critical change required is in self-confidence, a capacity to take risk and act on the information at hand. This I consider as the most critical since in hospital setting, incase of a casualty case, there is not enough time to verify all information and instant decisions have to be made to save a patient. Another would be to determine the objectives of learning a particular subject and this would allow for faster decision making as it would allow for assumption to be made when only trying to get an idea (Bradford K. , Stewart K. L. , 1992) Summarization VARK analysis though not a learning strategy in itself, is a helpful tool in identifying ones own weaknesses and thus be in a position to identify the course of action to be taken. Instances where an individual is not able to integrate into a new learning environment can easily be dealt with since the individual knowing their strengths and weaknesses would easily try to adapt themselves to the environment or if possible change it to their preferred one. It also increases ones confidence when learning as clarification may be sought in a way the learner feels most comfortable with. Conclusion Though this analysis does give one a powerful tool with which to strategize their studies, it is important to understand that the outcome of studies depends entirely on that individual’s willingness to change their strategies to take advantage of their strengths and work on their weaknesses. It is also to be understood that learning styles in themselves are just preferences that an individual has and are not sure guarantees that presented with information in such a way they will instantly understand it. Although everyone has a preferred way of learning, it is possible for everyone to combine several strategies in order t achieve a set learning goal. ? References Flemiming N. D. (2010). VARK: A review of those who are multimodal. Accessed July 11, 2010 from http://www. vark-learn.com/english/page_content/multimodality. htm Keefe, J. W. (1979). Learning style: An overview. In NASSPs Student learning styles:Diagnosing and prescribing programs (pp. 1-17). Reston, VA: National Association of Secondary School Principals. Overview of Learning Styles, (2010). Accessed July 11, 2010 from http://www. learning-styles-online. com/overview/ Stewart, K. L. , and Felicetti, L. A. (1992). Learning styles of marketing majors. Educational Research Quarterly, 15(2), 15-23.

Comparing and contrasting two Poems on the theme of childhood By Essay

Comparing and contrasting two Poems on the theme of childhood By Seamus Heaney. Comparing and contrasting two Poems on the theme of childhood Having read the four poems from Seamus Heaney's collection "Death of a Naturalist", I have decided to Compare and contrast the two poems that I like best, which are "Death of a naturalist" and "Follower". Both of these are childhood stories set in the countryside. These reflect how Heaney felt about different aspects of life in his surroundings. This is one of the reasons that I have chosen these two poems the idea of the countryside makes me feel at home with these two poems. They are both set in the open air, which creates an open atmosphere. "Death of a Naturalist" is the first poem I chose to write about because of the overall effectiveness of the poem. This poem has been written in paragraph like stanzas, this gives me the feel of making the poems look full of descriptions; it also looks very exiting looking at all the stanzas are crammed into one. As you look at the poem you can see effective use of vivid similes such as "Frogspawn grew like clotted Water" Frogspawn that grows like "clotted water" shows you the fullness of the frogspawn it also shows us that the frogspawn is racing and covering the pond water very fast it also gives me an impression that he enjoys seeing the frogspawn growing and covering the pond as he enjoys collecting frogspawn "I would fill jampotfuls of the jellied specs" This shows the enjoyment of a young child collecting and watching something grow. We see the use of positive phrases "There were dragon-flies, Spotted butterflies... " The use of commas and short sentences give us an understanding of the child's ... ...od jobs around the farm. The last lines in the poem make us think about what has happened to his father. "It is my father who keeps stumbling Behind me, and will not go away" the effect this creates by saying his father is weak and falling away behind him tells us that the roles have been reversed. After looking at these two poems many things are very similar in the way they have been written: the language and form are authentic language of farming by this I mean that the poems have got a use of old farm language an describe things in a farming form. Heaney also leaves the reader with a final line to think about. By reading the two poems Heaney now feels that it is time to break away from his past and he also feels different from his family. I think this because he is looking back and writing about the past and he is able to write about the future.

Critique of “Against Gay Marriage” Essay

In his essay â€Å"Against Gay Marriage,† William Bennett, a great spokesman for conservatives and former Secretary of education under President Reagan, maintains his conservative stance that allowing same-sex couples to marry would have a harmful and lasting effect on our society’s intrinsic values and, in his view, would stretch the â€Å"fragile† institution of marriage beyond recognition (409). Bennett, as the title indicates, presents a powerful argument â€Å"Against Gay Marriage.† He argues that allowing gay marriage would change the meaning of marriage, the ideal of marriage as being an â€Å"honorable estate,† and would have a large role in molding sexuality (409). One does not have to agree with Bennett to appreciate the strength and honesty of his mind. Still, although he raises thoughtful objections to same-sex marriage, his claims overall read more like an outline, lacking specifics and expert opinions, referring to one organized, caref ul study, and committing a number of logical fallacies that muddy and diminish the effectiveness of his argument. Throughout his essay, Bennett makes many underlying assumptions about same sex couples and the legalization of homosexual marriage. From the beginning, Bennett states that even entertaining such a debate â€Å"would be pointless,† were it not for the â€Å"confused time† we find ourselves in (409). Bennett does concede, however, that arguments made by homosexual advocates such as Andrew Sullivan are â€Å"intelligent† ones, and even â€Å"conservative,† and â€Å"politically shrewd† (409), when touching on the idea that allowing gay marriage would actually promote healthy long term relationships. Sullivan does an excellent job of arguing his point that legalization of gay marriage would in fact,  help promote healthy relationships and monogamous tendencies, which in his essay he states that the legalization of gay marriage would in fact also encourage homosexuals to â€Å"make a deeper commitment to one another and to society† (409). From here though, for William Bennett the views expressed in his editorial piece are clear cut, simple, and largely dismissive in their tone. Besides this claim, to Bennett there are no reasons in his mind why gay marriage should be legal. Bennett admits, though Sullivan’s argument is shrewd, Sullivan is not right. In fact, Bennett would insist and has an underlying assumption in his essay that gay marriages will weaken the institution of marriage even more and will not be truly monogamous and committed to each other because of the â€Å"openness† of gay relationships and that homosexuals have â€Å"less restrained sexual practices† (410). Bennett’s continuous assumptions that gays cannot be truly monogamous and committed shows that to him there exists no room for compromise on the matter, and weakens the strength of his argument. Bennett also throughout his essay makes many fallacious arguments for example, in his opening, Bennett makes a very strong assertion if not an outright overstatement, when he says that recognizing homosexual marriage would symbolize the potent change in the interpretation and characterization of marriage, and â€Å"would be the most radical step ever taken in the deconstruction of society’s most important institution† (409). Of course, Bennett is respected for his personal opinions, but the reader may wonder if any studies or expert opinions exist to support Bennett’s view, to which he has none. This yet again takes away from the strength of his argument because, unlike in Ryan Anderson’s â€Å"Marriage: What It Is, Why It Matters and the Consequences of Redefining It† where claim after claim Anderson presents the reader with numerous statistics and expert testimony on why marriage should not be changed and the repercussions and â€Å"dangers† of gay marriage being legalized. Anderson presents the argument that marriage exists to bring a man and a woman together as husband and wife, to be father and mother to any children they create. Anderson states that marriage increases the chances that the man will be devoted to both the children that he helps produce, and to the woman with whom he does so. Anderson then backs this up with testimony from Maggie Gallagher, a popular social conservative  commentator, that joining sex, babies, and moms and dads, is the role of marriage and helps explain why the government rightly respects and addresses this feature of our social lives. In the next paragraph, Bennett wanting to suppress the movement toward the redefinition of marriage, cites the rather peculiar example of two brothers: â€Å"On what principled grounds could the advocates of same-sex marriage oppose the marriage of two consenting brothers?† (409). By citing two homosexual brothers, Bennett commits the â€Å"straw man† fallacy. That is, he reasons from an exceptional case that defies logic and, once recognized, does little for his argument. Who else has ever seen such an extreme example? Is this a real pair of brothers, or are they merely made up and cited for the sake of argument? Whether or not these brothers are fictitious is never stated, but as Andrew Sullivan puts it in his essay â€Å"For Gay Marriage†, the right to marry has been appropriately denied by the state to close family members and relatives because â€Å"familial emotional ties† are too powerful to permit a marriage contract to be entered freely by two independent adults (404). In this regard, Sullivan believes homosexuals do not fit into the same category. To believe that the realization of allowing same sex marriage would lead to the further breakdown of laws governing familial misconduct, such as incest or polygamy, is outlandish. It appears that one logical fallacy breeds another, as in the very next paragraph, Bennett co mmits what seems to be a glaring over-generalization. He states â€Å"Nor is this view arbitrary or idiosyncratic† (409), to say marriages, especially in today’s society, cannot be whimsical or happen by chance because that’s what has gone on for thousands of years or what the major religions state is ridiculous. Even though at one point marriage was seen as a way to increase survival chances and secure your livelihood, it is no longer viewed that way. We no longer live in the middle ages or the 1800’s. People today marry for love and their emotional bonds with people, and love’s intrinsic value is to be random and can happen to anyone. Nor should religious traditions dictate whether gay marriage should be legalized or not, as today there are numerous homosexuals in all branches of major religions; there are gay bishops and preachers, this shows that both religion and homosexuals can coexist and be beneficial to society. Bennett’s final strong claim about gay marriage is that the legalization of  same-sex marriage will lead to teens being confused about their sexuality, conservative parents will be denied their rights to instill their values about sexuality to their children, and that heterosexuals are better parents than their homosexual counterparts. Bennett makes many over generalizations about the impact the signals of legalizing gay marriage would send to teens. Bennett almost contradicts himself with the inclusion of the quote from Harvard professor E.L. Patullo, â€Å"a very substantial number of people are born with the potential to live either straight or gay lives† (410). Many people are born with the potential to lead gay or straight lives, it is a choice, and the legalization of gay marriage would not cause societal indifference, but would rather foster a welcoming environment for young gays to come out into rather than living in fear or shame because of the hate and reper cussions of being homosexual. Bennett also over generalizes the findings of an article about teenagers and adults being interviewed about being gay and bisexual. Fifty kids and dozens of parents and counselors does not speak for the whole population of a country, but also shows the weakness of Bennett’s argument as it shows the lack of actual education there is in much of the country on the subject of homosexuality. Bennett also makes assumptions about how conservative parents will lose the right to teach their kids their views on sexuality if same sex marriage were legalized. Just because gay marriage would be legal and the subject of homosexuality would be taught in school more does not mean at home parents could not teach their children their values. If parents did however, cause an uproar and keep their children from being exposed to certain views on homosexuality just because they didn’t want that to happen, they would be viewed as â€Å"intolerant bigots† (411). Finally Bennett makes a glaring assumption and overgeneralization stating that it is far better for a child to be raised by a heterosexual couple rather â€Å"than by, say, two homosexual males† (411). In the Film â€Å"Daddy & Papa† it shows four separate families, all homosexual males, and how they all care, love, and are just as capable of raising children as heterosexual couples. They want nothing more for their children than what any heterosexual couple would want for their kids, the best possible life. Bennett may believe that the legalization of gay marriage will destroy the  institution of marriage, but time after time homosexuals have proven they are just as capable of fulfilling the duties of marriage as heterosexuals, and it is a part of our society today. To have equality for all citizens, it is a right that will soon have to occur. Work Cited Sullivan, Andrew. â€Å"For Gay Marriage†. Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 11 ed. Ed. Suzanne Phelps Chambers. Boston: Longman, 2011. 404-407. Print. Anderson, Ryan T. â€Å"Marriage: What It Is, Why It Matters, and the Consequences of Redefining It.† _The Heritage Foundation_. The Heritage Foundation, 11 Mar. 2013. Web. 25 Sept. 2014 _Daddy & Papa: A Documentary Film_. Prod. Johnny. Symons. Dir. Johnny. Symons. By Johnny. Symons. 2002.

Effects of Osmosis on Living Tissue Essay

What is the effect of osmosis on a slice of potato in varying salt solutions? Six different concentrations of salt water (0%, 0,4%, 0,8%, 1,2%, 1,6% and 2,0%) will be used in order to observe how the inserted potato slice changes. The length of the potato slice will be measured before and after leaving it for 24 hours in the various solutions. Hypothesis: Salt solutions will be hypertonic to the potato cells thus decreasing it in size as placed in higher solutions. Materials: †¢ 6 petri dishes †¢ Fresh potato sticks †¢ Dissecting razor blade †¢ Ruler †¢ Distilled H2O, 0,4% NaCI solution, 0,8% NaCI solution, 1,2% NaCI solution, 1,6% NaCI solution, 2,0% NaCI solution Procedure: (Obtained from the worksheet) 1. Obtain 6 Petri dishes 0.4% NaCl; 0.8% NaCl; 1.2% NaCl; 1.6% NaCl; 2.0% NaCl. 2. Add enough of the appropriate liquids to nearly fill each of the Petri dishes. 3. Obtain six fresh potato strips. Using a razor blade, angle cut one end of each strip to a beveled point. 4. Measuring from the tapered end, carefully and precisely angle cut each strip to a length of 70 mm so that both â€Å"points† are on the same side of the strip. 5. Place one measured potato tissue strip into each of the prepared Petri dishes. Cover the dishes and leave undisturbed for 24 hours. 6. After 24 hours, remove the strips of potato, one at a time, immediately measuring the length (mm) of each. Data Collection: Group 1 Test Solutions (% salt) Initial Length li (mm) Final Length lf (mm) Change in Length ∆ l (lf – li) (mm) Rigidity of the Strip Distilled H2O 30 mm 33 mm +3 mm Solid, Hard 0,4 30 mm 32 mm +2 mm Solid, hard 0.8 30 mm 31 mm +1 mm Flexible 1.2 31 mm 31 mm 0 mm Flexible, soft 1.6 31 mm 30 mm -1 mm Very flexible, soft 2.0 31 mm 30 mm -1 mm Very flexible, soft Group 2 Test Solutions (% salt) Initial Length li (mm) Final Length lf (mm) Change in Length ∆ l (lf – li) (mm) Rigidity of the Strip Distilled H2O 42 mm 46 mm +4 mm Hard 0,4 42 mm 44 mm +2 mm Hard 0.8 42 mm 41 mm +1 mm Flexible 1.2 42 mm 40 mm -2 mm Flexible 1.6 42 mm 39 mm -3 mm Flexible 2.0 42 mm 39 mm -3 mm Very flexible Data Processing: Group ∆ l (mm) Distilled H20 ∆ l (mm) 0.4% NaCl ∆ l (mm) 0.8% NaCl ∆ l (mm) 1.2% NaCl ∆ l (mm) 1.6% NaCl ∆ l (mm) 2.0% NaCl 1 +3 mm +2 mm +1 mm 0 mm -1 mm -1 mm 2 +4 mm +2 mm +1 mm -2 mm -3 mm -3 mm Average ∆l (mm) +3.5 mm +2 mm +1 mm -1 mm -2 mm -2 mm Result: In both groups the size of the potato increased when put into distilled H2O, 0,4% solution and 0,8 solution. From 1,2% solution and upward, the size of the potato stayed the same or decreased in both groups. One last similarity is that from 0,8% solution onwards the rigidity of the potato strip changed from hard to flexible and soft. Conclusion: Different concentrations of solute do affect the length of the potato strips. Our data shows that water moved from lower solute concentration to higher solute or descriptions of trends shown concentration. Hypertonic solutions, which have higher solute concentration and therefore graphs. The explanation should contain lower water concentration, cause the cells to lose mass and shrivel because water moves out observations, trends or patterns of the cell through the plasma membrane. This was the case with the slice left in salty where revealed by the data.the sample lost 9.09% of its original mass. Hypotonic solutions, on the contrary, have lower solute concentration and higher water concentration and cause the potato cells to expand because the water moved into the cells. In this case, the distilled water and the tap water samples were hypotonic to the potatoes and hence the potato slices gained 54.4% and 17% mass respectively. These results also indicate that the distilled water was more hypotonic than the tap water compared to the potatoes as the water mass gained by the potato slice was considerably higher in distilled water.

Interactiv Digital Media Censorship essays

Interactiv Digital Media Censorship essays Video games are a media, just like any other. They not only affect culture, they are also affected by it. They carry certain limitations that exist on no other media. And yet, they are under the most attack. The people for censorship are not surprisingly over forty-five years of age. They first video game ever made was in 1979, almost twenty-five years after the birth of many of the pro censorship crowd. They truth is that while most people overlook it, video games carry a voluntary rating system. These ratings are much more visible than the top left corner of a television screen, or the fine printed text on a movie poster or CD case. These labels are clearly visible on the front, back and bottom of the video game box. These labels even tell you why the game is rated as it is. When parents or anti-violence advocates lay the blame on a game and its developers for being too violent, it is usually the parents fault. In many cases, parents have gotten angry with retailers who refuse to sell a Mature Rated Game directly to an eight-year-old, and not realizing that the seller is refusing sale for a reason. Even now, parents have control to limit a games violent content. Many games have settings that allow parents to remove excessive gore and strong language. As of yet, the most controversial game has been Grand Theft Auto III. This game allows you to rise through the criminal ranks of the seedy underbelly of Liberty City (a city very similar to New York). The thing the most protesters focus on is what can be done within this game. The developers were so flexible with their design that the only a few criminal acts are not possible. As disturbing as that is, it is disturbingly true. The game has obviously been rated M for Mature with warnings of extreme violence. Of the many different types of video games, the ones that take the most blame are the first person shooters or FPS, as they are commonly called. Da ...

Early Inventors and Innovators of Electricity

Early Inventors and Innovators of Electricity The history of electricity begins with William Gilbert, a physician who served Queen Elizabeth the first of England. Before William Gilbert, all that was known about electricity and magnetism was that the lodestone possessed magnetic properties and that rubbing amber and jet would attract bits of stuff to start sticking. In 1600, William Gilbert published his treatise De magnete, Magneticisique Corporibus (On the Magnet). Printed in scholarly Latin, the book explained years of Gilberts research and experiments on electricity and magnetism. Gilbert raised the interest in the new science greatly. It was Gilbert who coined the expression electrica in his famous book. Early Inventors Inspired and educated by William Gilbert, several Europeans inventors, including Otto von Guericke of Germany, Charles Francois Du Fay of France, and Stephen Gray of England expanded the knowledge. Otto von Guericke was the first to prove that a vacuum could exist. Creating a vacuum was essential for all kinds of further research into electronics. In 1660, von Guericke invented the machine that produced static electricity; this was the first electric generator. In 1729, Stephen Gray discovered the principle of the conduction of electricity. In 1733, Charles Francois du Fay discovered that electricity comes in two forms which he called resinous (-) and vitreous (), now called negative and positive. The Leyden Jar The Leyden jar was the original capacitor, a device that stores and releases an electrical charge. (At that time electricity was considered the mysterious fluid or force.) The Leyden jar was invented in Holland in 1745 and in Germany almost simultaneously. Both Dutch physicist Pieter van Musschenbroek and German clergyman and scientist, Ewald Christian Von Kleist invented a Leyden jar. When Von Kleist first touched his Leyden jar he received a powerful shock that knocked him to the floor. The Leyden jar was named after Musschenbroeks hometown and university Leyden, by Abbe Nolett, a French scientist, who first coined the term Leyden jar. The jar was once called the Kleistian jar after Von Kleist, but this name did not stick. History of Electricity - Ben Franklin Ben Franklins important discovery was that electricity and lightning were one and the same. Ben Franklins lightning rod was the first practical application of electricity. History of Electricity - Henry Cavendish and Luigi Galvani Henry Cavendish of England, Coulomb of France, and Luigi Galvani of Italy made scientific contributions towards finding practical uses for electricity. In 1747, Henry Cavendish started measuring the conductivity (the ability to carry an electrical current) of different materials and published his results. In 1786, Italian physician Luigi Galvani demonstrated what we now understand to be the electrical basis of nerve impulses. Galvani made frog muscles twitch by jolting them with a spark from an electrostatic machine. Following the work of Cavendish and Galvani came a group of important scientists and inventors, including Alessandro Volta of Italy, Hans Oersted of Denmark, Andre Ampere of France, Georg Ohm of Germany, Michael Faraday of England, and Joseph Henry of America. Work With Magnets Joseph Henry was a researcher in the field of electricity whose work inspired many inventors. Joseph Henrys first discovery was that the power of a magnet could be immensely strengthened by winding it with insulated wire. He was the first person to make a magnet that could lift 3,500 pounds of weight. Joseph Henry showed the difference between quantity magnets composed of short lengths of wire connected in parallel and excited by a few large cells, and intensity magnets wound with a single long wire and excited by a battery composed of cells in series. This was an original discovery, greatly increasing both the immediate usefulness of the magnet and its possibilities for future experiments. Michael Faraday,  William Sturgeon, and other inventors were quick to recognize the value of Joseph Henrys discoveries. Sturgeon magnanimously said, Professor Joseph Henry has been enabled to produce a magnetic force which totally eclipses every other in the whole annals of  magnetism, and  no parallel is to be found since the miraculous suspension of the celebrated Oriental impostor in his iron coffin. Joseph Henry also discovered the phenomena of  self-induction  and mutual induction. In his experiment, a current sent through a wire in the second story of the building induced currents through a similar wire in the cellar two floors below. Telegraph A telegraph was an early invention that communicated messages at a distance over a wire using electricity that was later replaced by the telephone. The word telegraphy comes from the Greek words  tele  which means far away and  grapho  which means write. The first attempts to send signals by electricity (telegraph) had been made many times before  Joseph Henry  became interested in the problem.  William Sturgeons  invention of the electromagnet encouraged researchers in England to experiment with the electromagnet. The experiments failed and only produced a current  that weakened after a few hundred feet. The Basis for the Electric Telegraph However, Joseph Henry strung a mile of fine wire, placed an intensity  battery  at one end, and made the armature strike a bell at the other. Joseph Henry discovered the essential mechanics behind the electric telegraph. This discovery was made in 1831, a full year before  Samuel Morse  invented the telegraph. There is no controversy as to who invented the first telegraph machine. That was Samuel Morses achievement, but the discovery which motivated and allowed Morse to invent the telegraph was Joseph Henrys achievement. In Joseph Henrys own words: This was the first discovery of the fact that a galvanic current could be transmitted to a great distance with so little a diminution of force as to produce mechanical effects, and of the means by which the transmission could be accomplished. I saw that the electric telegraph was now practicable. I had not in mind any particular form of telegraph, but referred only to the general fact that it was now demonstrated that a galvanic current could be transmitted to great distances, with sufficient power to produce mechanical effects adequate to the desired object. Magnetic Engine Joseph Henry next turned to designing a magnetic engine and succeeded in making a reciprocating bar motor, on which he installed the first automatic pole changer, or commutator, ever used with an electric battery. He did not succeed in producing direct rotary motion. His bar oscillated like the walking beam of a steamboat. Electric Cars Thomas Davenport, a blacksmith from Brandon, Vermont, built an  electric car  in 1835, which was road worthy. Twelve years later Moses Farmer exhibited an electric-driven locomotive. In 1851, Charles Grafton Page drove an electric car on the tracks of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, from Washington to Bladensburg, at the rate of nineteen miles an hour. However, the cost of batteries was too great and the use of the electric motor in transportation not yet practical. Electric Generators The principle behind the dynamo or electric generator was discovered by  Michael Faraday  and  Joseph Henry  but the process of its development into a practical power generator consumed many years. Without a dynamo for the generation of power, the development of the electric motor was at a standstill, and electricity could not be widely used for transportation, manufacturing, or lighting like it is used for today. Street Lights   The arc light as a practical illuminating device was invented in 1878 by Charles Brush, an Ohio engineer and graduate of the University of Michigan. Others had attacked the problem of electric lighting, but a lack of suitable carbons stood in the way of their success. Charles Brush made several lamps light in series from one dynamo. The first Brush lights were used for street illumination in Cleveland, Ohio. Other inventors improved the arc light, but there were drawbacks. For outdoor lighting and for large halls arc lights worked well, but arc lights could not be used in small rooms. Besides, they were in series, that is, the current passed through every lamp in turn, and an accident to one threw the whole series out of action. The whole problem of indoor lighting was to be solved by one of Americas most famous inventors. Thomas Edison and Telegraphy Edison arrived in Boston in 1868, practically penniless, and applied for a position as night operator. The manager asked me when I was ready to go to work. Now, I replied. In Boston he found men who knew something of electricity, and, as he worked at night and cut short his sleeping hours, he found time for study. He bought and studied Faradays works. Presently came the first of his multitudinous inventions, an automatic vote recorder, for which he received a patent in 1868. This necessitated a trip to Washington, which he made on borrowed money, but he was unable to arouse any interest in the device. After the vote recorder, he says, I invented a  stock ticker, and started a ticker service in Boston; had 30 or 40 subscribers and operated from a room over the Gold Exchange. This machine Edison attempted to sell in New York, but he returned to Boston without having succeeded. He then invented a duplex telegraph by which two messages might be sent simultaneously, but at a  test, th e machine failed because of the stupidity of the assistant. Penniless and in debt, Thomas Edison arrived again in New York in 1869. But now fortune favored him. The Gold Indicator Company was a concern furnishing to its subscribers by telegraph the Stock Exchange prices of gold. The companys instrument was out of order. By a lucky  chance, Edison was on the spot to repair it, which he did successfully, and this led to his appointment as superintendent at a salary of three hundred dollars a month. When a change in the ownership of the company threw him out of the position he formed, with  Franklin L. Pope, the partnership of Pope, Edison, and Company, the first firm of electrical engineers in the United States. Improved Stock Ticker, Lamps, and Dynamos Not long afterward Thomas Edison released the invention which started him on the road to success. This was the improved stock ticker, and the Gold and Stock Telegraph Company paid him 40,000 dollars for it, more money than he had expected. I had made up my mind, Edison wrote, that, taking into consideration the time and killing pace I was working at, I should be entitled to $5000, but could get along with $3000. The money was paid by check and Thomas Edison had never received a check before, he had to be told how to cash it. Work Done in the Newark Shop Thomas Edison immediately set up a shop in Newark. He improved the system of automatic telegraphy (telegraph machine) that was in use at that time and introduced it into England. He experimented with submarine cables and worked out a system of quadruplex telegraphy by which one wire was made to do the work of four. These two inventions were bought by  Jay Gould, owner of the Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph Company. Gould paid 30,000  dollars  for the quadruplex system but refused to pay for the automatic telegraph. Gould had bought the Western Union, his only competition. He then, wrote Edison, repudiated his contract with the automatic telegraph people and they never received a cent for their wires or patents, and I lost three years of very hard labor. But I never had any grudge against him because he was so able in his line, and as long as my part was successful the money with me was a secondary consideration. When Gould got the Western Union I knew no further progress in telegraphy was possible, and I went into other lines. Work for the Western Union In fact, however, lack of money forced Edison to resume his work for the Western Union Telegraph Company. He invented a carbon transmitter and sold it to the Western Union for 100,000 dollars, paid in seventeen annual installments of 6,000 dollars. He made a similar agreement for the same sum for the patent of the electro-motograph. He did not realize that these installments payments were not good business sense. These agreements are typical  of Edisons early years  as an inventor. He worked only upon inventions he could sell and sold them to get the money to meet the payrolls of his different shops. Later the inventor hired keen businessmen to  negotiate  deals. Electric Lamps Thomas Edison set up laboratories and factories at  Menlo Park, New Jersey, in 1876, and it was there that he invented the  phonograph, patented in 1878. It was in Menlo Park that he began a series of experiments which produced his  incandescent lamp. Thomas Edison was dedicated to producing an  electric lamp for indoor use. His first research was for a durable filament which would burn in a vacuum. A series of experiments with a platinum wire and various refractory metals had unsatisfactory results. Many other substances were tried, even human hair. Edison concluded that carbon of some sort was the solution rather than a metal. Joseph Swan, an Englishman actually came to the same conclusion first. In October 1879, after fourteen months of hard work and the expenditure of forty thousand dollars, a carbonized cotton thread sealed in one of Edisons globes was tested and lasted forty hours. If it will burn forty hours now, said Edison, I know I can make it burn a hundred. And so he did. A better filament was needed. Edison found it in carbonized strips of bamboo. Edison Dynamo Edison developed his own type of  dynamo, the largest ever made up to that time. Along with the Edison incandescent lamps, it was one of the wonders of the Paris Electrical Exposition of 1881. Installation in Europe and America of plants for electrical service soon followed. Edisons first great central station, supplying power for three thousand lamps, was erected at Holborn Viaduct, London, in 1882, and in September of that year the Pearl Street Station in New York City, the first central station in America, was put into operation.

Analyze 7Ps in Year 10 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analyze 7Ps in Year 10 - Essay Example Prices- athletic footwear sells their products at competitive prices and offers discounts to their wholesalers. Those who make internet purchases are also charges reasonable prices for shipment to ensure that the costs are kept affordable. Promotion-athletic footwear has adopted diverse promotion methods which ensure that targeted customers are made aware of their quality products and their offers. Distributors have played a pivotal role in using direct marketing to promote company’s products. Media advertising, online marketing and celebrity advertising have all been used by the company. Place – the shoes of athletic footwear company have wider market coverage. The shoes are available in North America, Europe Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The availability of the shoes in wider regions makes the sales of the company high and helps in maximizing the return. The growth areas also guarantee increased demand of the products. Availing the shoes at locations where customers can access and buy them is thus a strength enjoyed by the company (Pride & Ferrell, 2008). Packaging- shoes sold by athletic footwear are branded in a distinct manner that makes the products admired and attractive to the target market. Moreover, those entrusted with making the sales have better skills of persuading the customers and marketing the products. Positioning- the focus of the company in enhancing the quality of their shoes and their strategic goal of expanding their sales in Asia pacific and Latin America will ensure future growth and better performance. Producing in two locations further ensures continued supply of shoes in the market and makes the company gain an edge over their competitors. People- athletic footwear company has customers across the four regions and their production employees in their two production areas. The qualified managers ensure that there is optimum utilization

Long term project of French spirit promotion in Germany Essay

Long term project of French spirit promotion in Germany - Essay Example Initially there has been a rumor that Ubi-France intended to purchase more number of shares towards acquisition of the German rival groups. The business situation was therefore tensed, and business relationship between France and Germany stained. Such rumors have been refuted by the officials from the Ubi-France, rather the officials have stressed over the need to secure market shares and achieve customer satisfaction. The company has adopted and implemented â€Å"the use of operational ideas and successful experiences from their operations in France†, and has integrated the after purchase services with the sales network, aimed at the establishment â€Å"of a comprehensive and high-efficiency sales-service network† (Warren, 2001). The German consumer market venture has recorded sales of more than twenty thousand units on monthly basis, which is forty percent greater than the previous solo performance of the company. Ubi-France has felt victim of the sociolinguistic challenges within German market. The multinational companies including Ubi-France have been accused for their involvement in such practices which generate â€Å"creativity-driven shock values, controversy and extreme individualism commonly accepted in the North American and Western European markets†. Ubi-France has experienced severe tribulations due to its â€Å"advertising language as culture-blind and bona fid†, and German market created great hurdle for the industry. It has been important for the company to implement congruence of the values, and avoid the existence of the cultural values in the organization in an implicit manner. It has been observed that the categorization of the organizational, departmental and employee values and behaviors on the basis of the cultural affinity has generated satisfaction among the employees, and has developed positive impact on their â€Å"commitment, absenteeism, turnover, mora le and

Crimes Against Information Systems Analysis Essay

Crimes Against Information Systems Analysis - Essay Example Cyber-terrorism is the new crime preference to inflict havoc on the masses of society. Watson (2002) defines cyber-terrorism as "the use of cyber tools to shut down critical national infrastructures (such as energy, transportation, or government operations) for the purpose of coercing or intimidating a government or civilian population." (p.8) Over the years, the level of cyber-terrorism has evolved. Years ago, hackers attained satisfaction by simply breaking into a system (Wilmot, 2004). However, Littleton (1995) still regards hackers as dangerous and further implies imminent danger by questioning the ability of a hacker to become a cyber-terrorist. Wilmot (2004) contends that hackers' abilities to "crack passwords or find a back door route through a security firewall" shows that hackers can easily use a simple act to corrupt data in high technology. (p. 287). Though hackers implement a more simplistic form of cyber-terrorism, and their trespassing is not as harmful as modern day cr ackers-those who seek to disable networks or systems-both hackers and crackers pose danger to the world that holds critical information. However, the sophistication of cyber-terrorists' methods correlates with the degree of their motives. An intent Motives and Methods of Cyber-Terrorists An intent of cyber-terrorist includes causing a devastating amount of damage, while remaining elusive. To illustrate the elusiveness of a cyber-terrorist, Littleton (1995) uses two examples from the late 1980's. The identification, trial, and conviction of Robert T. Morris transpired only because he spoke of his creation, the 1988 Internet Worm, to several people. Rather, the author of the famous Michelangelo virus remains unidentified and escaped consequences altogether. The low risk of being captured coupled with the benefit of easily gaining access to restricted areas makes the crime of cyber-terrorism more appealing to criminals. Motives of cyber-terrorists range from mischief to malice. Today's juveniles have joined the cyber-terrorist realm by defacing Web sites. However, Watson (2002) regards the less serious crimes as highly consequential. When a site is defaced, its information is altered. Misleading information ultimately deceives viewers of the site and result in decrease of confidence and capital for owners of the site. Both hackers and crackers gain access to exclusive information by deciphering protective codes (Wilmot, 2004), which Littleton (1995) claims is not hard to do. A mischievous hacker seeks to only occupy an area considered off limits. On the other hand, a malicious cracker not only breaks codes to enter off-limits areas, but he or she seeks to vandalize or defile the area by causing immediate damage or planting viruses which slowly infiltrate and destroy systems that operate as critical infrastructures (Morris; Wilmot, 2004). Impact of Cyber-Terrorism According to Wilmot (2004), citizens cannot function without the critical infrastructures of their communities. One part of the critical infrastructure extremely vulnerable to cyber-terrorism is the public safety system. Branches of the public safety

Four Functions of Business: Case Study of Asda and Kwik-Fit

Four Functions of Business: Case Study of Asda and Kwik-Fit Functional areas of business operation Introduction This paper studies four distinct functions of business and how they interrelate. The chosen areas are human resources, distribution, marketing and customer services. Human Resources The function of human resources is to provide a focus and strategy for the efficient management of business employees. Employee management is a primary task of modern corporations. If not dealt with appropriately, employees can have an adverse effect upon the success of the business (Alan Price 2003). Employee satisfaction affects all areas of the business. For example, if an employee is happy at work it will show in the customer service they provide. It also helps promote the business, justify the marketing and promotion message and ensure the smooth running of the distribution function. Distribution Distribution is the function by which the product or service is moved from the manufacturer to the end user (P. Kolter 1991), ultimately the consumer. This can be represented by physical methods, such as transportation and storage or, in a service industry, the method by which that service is packaged and delivered. A breakdown in the distribution process affects customer services, as the business may not be able to deliver the product or service required. The marketing function would be undermined, as promises made cannot be kept. Ultimately, this situation would de-motivate employees, as they are the ones receiving consumer complaints. Marketing Effective marketing and promotion is essential as a method of ensuring the message regarding products or services attracts the attention of the consumer. (George Belch 2004). The marketing function is to deliver a message that is seen, believed and remembered. A successful marketing campaign is heavily reliant upon the efficiency of other business functions. If the business cannot deliver the goods, customers will stop listening to the promotional message. Similarly, if the employees have not received training in customer care, a marketing campaign suggesting consumer care is paramount will not be believed. Customer Services Delivery of customer services is probably the most crucial function. The consumer adds value to the success of the business by purchasing their product or service (Sean Kelly 2005). Therefore, every business has to build and maintain a close relationship with consumers. They have to deliver what the customer needs at a quality and price that meets their requirements. In a competitive marketplace, the correct level of customer service is essential if a business is to achieve a growth in market share. Two organisations, Asda Plc., and Kwik-Fit Insurance Services have been chosen to demonstrate how these functions work in practice. Asda The Asda supermarket chain is a subsidiary of the American Wal-Mart retailer, one of the UK’s leading supermarket chains, with over 150,000 employees. Human Resources Asda’s HR strategy is built on the basis that every employee (All about Asda, 2006) â€Å"plays a part in making the business a success.† To achieve employee satisfaction, retention and succession, Asda runs a programme that provides training covering every area of the business, including in-store and external processes, as well as company policy and customer care. The business is committed to achieving in house succession and to promote this aim, it includes management training as part of its HR programme (See Asda Website Training page). Understanding the need for employees to feel an affinity with the business, Asda encourages staff to take an active part in work meetings, which take place in-store, regionally and nationally, where views can be expressed and discussed. The core of its HR function is to gain the best from employees by encouraging involvement with the business at all levels. Distribution Asda works closely with suppliers to maintain efficient distribution services. This ensures levels of goods required are fed through warehousing centres and to individual stores in a manner that maintains consistent product availability for customers. To allow for regional variances, the business delegates an element of the distribution decision-making process to local store management. Marketing Faced with changing consumer demands (Sean Kelly 2005), Asda now focuses its marketing and promotion on the dual aspect of quality at the right price. This has enabled the business to achieve second position within the grocery industry. Customer Services Asda has consistently sought to improve its customer services. In addition to staff customer care training Asda has expanded the product range throughout its stores. Internet shopping and expansion of till services, including self-service options, are other areas of the business where customer service improvements have been introduced. Kwik-Fit Insurance Services KFIS is an insurance call centre based in Glasgow. Although it was founded with the view to concentrating on the motor industry insurance, the business has expanded into more general areas of insurance. Human Resources To compete with other local call-centre operations, KFIS had to completely revise its HR strategy. This was partially achieved through improving the working environment. Like Asda it introduced training programmes to improve employee standards and encourage involvement. In addition, KFIS operates a â€Å"guardian angel† scheme (Jill Boulton, 2004), where existing staff act as mentors to new recruits. It also appointed a â€Å"minister of fun,† to organise staff social activities. The success of these measures has been reflected in business results. Distribution Unlike Asda, KFIS does not have a need for a physical distribution function. The distribution element here is to ensure the insurance products offered are designed to match consumer requirements. As the service KFIS offers is distributed through call centre operators, the importance of staff and producer knowledge levels is essential in distributing the correct range of products to the end user. Marketing Whilst much of its marketing is directed through Kwik-Fit auto centres, and dependent upon the quality of their service, a significant proportion of promotion is undertaken through advertising and the call centre operators. For example, when engaging with a customer an operator may attract them to other insurance products. In this business the interaction between employee and customer is an integral part of the marketing process (George Belch 2004). Customer Services The customer service aspect of KFIS is more directly linked to the reaction of the employee than with Asda. In a call centre situation consumers instantly judge the services they are receiving by their perception of the operator. The operator’s reaction, explanation and provision of the most appropriate product, and efficiency of service, will determine whether the customer is satisfied and will remain loyal to the business. HR director (Keren Edwards 2006) believes that the strategy in place in the business is contributing to the success in terms of customer retention. Conclusion From the information within this paper it is clear that every function described is dependent upon, and influenced either positively or adversely by the others. If one function, for instance, customer services, does not perform at its most efficient, the result will affect the other functions. Customers will stop believing the marketing, resulting in fewer products sold, parts of the distribution function becoming redundant and a reduction in employee moral and efficiency. References All about Asda (2006). Asda People. Asda Plc. Retreived 19 January from http://asdacares.gpalm.co.uk/people/people_load.html Armstrong, Michael (2006). A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. Kogan Page. UK. Price, Alan (2003). Human Resource Management in a Business Context. Thomson Learning, UK. Kotler, P. (1991). Marketing Management. FT Prentice Hall, 7th Ed. UK Belch, George. E (2004) Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective. McGraw-Hill Inc. U.S. Kelly, Sean. (2005) Customer intelligence From Data to Dialogue. John Wiley Sons Ltd., UK Boulton, Jill (2004). Kwik-Fit hires fun guy to keep staff smiling. The Scotsman, Friday 21 May 2004. Edwards, Keren (2006). Keep Fit Scheme. People Management Scheme. UK. 6th April 2006. Caffà ¨ Nero: Strategy and Balanced Scorecard Caffà ¨ Nero: Strategy and Balanced Scorecard Introduction The aim of this essay is to design a strategy and two balanced scorecards for a coffee shop company called Caffà © Nero to compliment their mission statement. This will be done after conducting extensive secondary research to gain a clear insight into what a balanced scorecard involves as well as looking into how Caffà © Nero operates. This will hopefully provide knowledge of potential benefits and difficulties to consider when attempting to successfully implement scorecards for both Headquarter and Store Levels for Caffà © Nero. In addition to this, for each scorecard, a strategy map is used to demonstrate how each key performance indicator (KPI) contributes to the overall vision of the company. Finally both levels are then assessed on its contributions to Cafà © Neros strategy and a conclusion is drawn on the main points outlined throughout the essay. What is the Balanced Scorecard? Kaplan introduced the balanced scorecard in 1992 with the aim to translate strategy into action, he stated, The balanced scorecard translates an organisations mission into a comprehensive set of performance measures that provides the framework for implementing its strategy. (Kaplan Norton, 1996: p88). Having understood an organisations vision and strategy, the balanced scorecard aids to develop creative objectives to help measure performance. These objectives can be split into four main perspectives: Financial, Customer, Internal Business Process and Learning and Growth all of which link together to form a strategy map. Implementation of the Balanced Scorecard Benefits and difficulties Bourne Bourne (2007) presents reasons to why once implemented the balanced scorecard can fail. It is beneficial for Caffà © Nero to be conscious of potential problems that may arise in the near future when implementing their balanced scorecards. Looking at the difficulties and problems portrayed by theorists and other organisations experiences should present Caffà © Nero with a competitive advantage. The opportunity of being able to use other organisations failures and theorists advice to overcome the issues presented is valuable. It is particularly important as large amounts of time and money from the company are being invested into this performance management tool. One potential problem is the complexity of the system, resulting in unachieved objectives which will affect the overall vision and strategy of Caffà © Nero. Organisations are faced with de-motivated staff as they steer away from the main objectives that are originally assigned. Although, this is a common problem for the majority of companies when introducing the scorecards, Caffà © Nero is aware of this problem and can therefore take this into consideration throughout the design stage. In particular consideration would be beneficial, in terms of the strategy map when linking the objectives together, so that they are easy to follow and comprehensive for the whole company. As for overcoming the complexity issue, Caffà © Nero can focus on their employees with training, conferences, group and one to one meetings to ensure that every employee within the organisation fully understands what a balanced scorecard is. Their objectives and how they are being measured as well as how each pers pective interlinks in achieving Caffà © Neros strategy. Drury (2004) suggests another difficulty with the scorecard, he identifies that the assumptions of the cause and effect relationships are being excessively vague as well as lacking empirical support. Further research has concluded that is it difficult to link non financial data with future financial performance if at all. Caffà © Nero needs to consider this, as their main objective is to achieve future revenue growth both within the UK and internationally. So perhaps with measures and objectives that are assigned, should be more focused around revenue and financial aspects where possible. An additional difficulty concerning the perspectives shown within the management tool is that it does not factor in other aspects of the business to incorporate customers, employees, suppliers and other environment perspectives. Although Caffà © Nero is not restricted to adding additional perspectives, it could complicate the scorecard further making it difficult to achieve all objectives assigned and some may overlap with existing objectives. Traditionally, when implementing a scorecard the assumption is, the decisions sit with the senior management throughout the design stage as they fully understand the ins and outs of the organisation. Although this may be the case, it is not always in the best interest of the organisation to design a scorecard that only looks at all levels of the business from a top heavy approach. To overcome this Caffà © Nero can be smart and ensure that all functional representatives of their hierarchy from store-level to headquarter level are included within the design. This in turn will show teamwork in working together to understand where each individual fits in to the overall strategy in order to meet the companys objectives. Although the scorecard demonstrates various difficulties that Caffà © Nero should be aware of. Not all is bad; the on-going popularity of the balanced scorecard from other organisations makes it extremely hard to not notice some of the benefits of this management tool. One important trait of the scorecard is its use of effectively combining all the separate elements of the company into one simple model, with help from the strategy map. The tool is also able to help employees and the company to understand how everything interlinks and contributes to the overall strategy. For example, looking at how employees from Caffà © Nero store-level are able to contribute and work with headquarters objectives by improving customer service at store-level in aid to reduce customer complaints for headquarter level at the other end. This management tool is also enabling managers to consider all objectives and measures together as a whole by looking at the bigger picture. Therefore Caffà © Nero can take advantage of these benefits and make necessary improvements to the costs of the company with cost reductions at headquarter level. Lynch (2009) comments that the real benefit of the scorecard is the linkage between strategy and implementation. Most theorists argue that the main goal of the majority of organisations is a form of shareholder value added. Caffà © Nero should consider this when implementing both scorecards. By looking into both quantitative and qualitative measures within the strategy, they should hopefully determine the expectations of their shareholders within performance measures in their strategy and scorecards to achieve growth in shareholder value. Caffà © Nero Strategy Grant (2008) outlines various strategies an organisation can adopt when trying to achieve growth. Having viewed this, Caffà © Nero is more geared towards a business strategy, as it concerns the company with competing within a particular coffee shop market. To prosper within this market it is important to concentrate on establishing a competitive advantage over rivals. To support this Caffà © Nero should base their strategy around product differentiation, by providing customers with quality ranges of espresso that is exclusive to Caffà © Nero stores, will only contribute to concreting a competitive advantage for the company. It also works on shielding Caffà © Nero from their prices being levelled down to the bottom part of the price spectrum, due to potential competitive price wars of the same product between their competitors. This is an important strategy to implement as due to the increase of popularity of coffee shops it is likely for these price wars to occur. As a result, Caffà © Nero can look to improve further, with the quality of their products as well as launching new products in the future as part of their strategy. This can be achieved with product innovation to cater to larger consumer base within the market, hopefully contributing to the growth in both revenue and size within the UK and internationally. Cafà © Nero is well known for its acquisition of Aroma which increased the amount of sites they owned to 106 by 2002; this made them the largest independent owned coffee shop. The company now has 400 stores operating in various locations within the UK, Turkey and the Middle East. Caffà © Nero should now look towards the future of the company, by expanding the number of sites owned. Therefore it is important that part of the strategy should reflect in achieving expansion both internationally and UK based. Caffà © Nero will incorporate this in the scorecard within the financial perspective at headquarter level, as Kaplan and Norton (1996) states that the designing of the strategy of the company is combined with the process of the balanced scorecard. However Caffà © Nero may be faced with great difficulty with trying to implement their strategy due to the diversity of locations they operate in. As it is harder to standardise a scorecard for all site levels throughout the business internationally, as culture and expectations of customers and employees may be different throughout locations. This can be said the same about different locations within the UK. For example Londons objectives may incorporate a faster pace of service to compliment their busy, on the go customers in comparison to another site in a quieter location that may prefer much more of a mellow approach, at a slower pace and friendlier atmosphere where everyone is a community. Caffà © Nero tries to incorporate all of these elements within the overall strategy. Balanced Scorecard Strategy Map The following models demonstrate Caffà © Neros scorecards for both headquarter level and store-level. As well as strategy maps to illustrate how each objective will link together. It is important to note that although the scorecards produced are for the same company, they may differ in objectives for each level, to incorporate all personnel throughout the company. Objectives of headquarter level will focus more on the overall performance of the company, in terms of how they can grow in revenue, size and customers. The model will also focus on innovating products and retention rates of employees and customers. Where as, with the store-level objectives will be more centred around individual stores in terms of customer service, delivery times and empowering and motivating staff with training and incentive programmes. Once the following scorecards have been implemented for Caffà © Nero, it is then important to ensure that everyone throughout the company understands the balanced scoreca rd and where they are contributing to achieving Caffà © Neros vision. As well as considering how all of the objectives from each level will interlink between the two scorecards. This can be done through training centres, conferences and meetings. Scorecard Evaluation Having designed both scorecards (Figure 1 and 2) an evaluation will be conducted to explore both the similarities and differences presented within each models. Additional to this, supporting evidence will add weight to justify reasons for selecting objectives and indicator to contribute to Caffà © Neros overall strategy. Financial Perspective The first objective shown in the financial perspective (figure 1 2) is revenue growth this relates to achieving an increase in growth in some form or another. To drive revenue growth Caffà © Nero objectives concentrate on diversifying into new markets internationally and within UK. As well as branching out into new customer markets and increasing the number of stores owned by Caffà © Nero. Each of these objectives chosen all tie in with Caffà © Neros overall strategy of expansion of the business in the near future. The key performance indicators incorporated into this perspective help to measure each objective for the company. The main similar measure here is (F1 F4) percentage of increase in revenue growth in the overall company and individual store-level (F5). To achieve these objectives they would have to be based upon implementing bonus and incentive schemes for employees so that they are motivated to achieve targets set. They would also need to target larger segments of new customer markets by advertising in new locations such as near to universities to appeal to students or offices to appeal to the working customers. However a drawback of this measure is due to the population suffering from the effects of the recession and the economy resulting to a decrease in disposal income. Meaning growth in revenue for Caffà © Nero will be delicate as new potential customers may not be as opened to trying new coffee shops then their norm as well as lifestyle changes that will affect the amount of r evenue that each store generates. This is why a mark up % was not included in aid to limit other problems such as the affect on shareholder value, as incorporating percentages would put further pressure on the company in case they were unable to achieve resulting to shareholders expectations to decline. Another important objective within the financial section is (F6) improve operational efficiency, which is reducing wastage costs for the business. It is important to achieve this objective as it saves the company money and better for the environment. This can be done by providing more awareness of how to reduce wastage i.e. not leaving taps of water on just for the convenience element for coffee shops. Being aware of waste problems presents benefits as in turn this will maintain the companies overall brand image, which links in will the customer perspective (C3 figure 1) of maintaining brand image. Customer Perspective It is important to measure this objective (C3), as it involves the public with collating feedback and results in reference to how the general public perceive Caffà © Nero as a company. This objective also gives the company an opportunity with participating in charity and environmental work that will help several organisations as well as portraying a better image for the company. This is with the intention to increase in revenue and customer satisfaction, as customers like to be involved in supporting good causes. This is why it was important to incorporate this within the headquarter scorecard. Figure 2 also looks at customer retention (C5), customer satisfaction (C6) and customer profitability (C4) as main objectives to achieve. Each of these objectives link with each other, for example if the customers are satisfied with the service and products offered by staff then they are likely to come back time after time. Creating customer loyal will result in increasing customer retention rates hopefully leading to customer profitability. Therefore ensuring customers are provided with great customer service and high standards of quality products will cement this relationship with customers and employees. Where the employees are concerned this is incorporated into the internal process and learning and growth perspectives. It is significant to note that both levels differ in objectives as the store-level is more involved with direct customer improvement as they adopt a more personal approach with more of a face to face relationship. Therefore objectives will be focused around the service element. In comparison to the headquarters that will look more to indirectly improving service by site quality, reducing complaints and activities involving improving brand image. However one similarity between them is that they are measured by customer feedback in one form or another. Internal Business Processes Perspective The first objective presented in figure 1 is (IP1) innovating products involved, this objective is important for businesses to maintain as their strategy and brand image pride themselves on producing unique high quality products in espresso and food. Therefore it is important for Caffà © Nero to innovate new products in order to compete within such a popular market. To measure this objective Caffà © Nero will look at increase in sales from new products in order to measure if they are successful or not. For that reason employee should be aware of the new products that are available by offering them at pay out areas in order to advertise new products, which links into objective (IP4) developing internal product knowledge. This will be achieved by daily staff meeting and work booklets to test staffs knowledge. Again, this perspective demonstrates some similarities between figures 1 2. Objectives are set to improve on delivery times for customers (IP2 IP5), this is aid of achieving h igh quality of service to link to customer satisfaction (C6), retention (IP3) and profitability (C4). If customers are dissatisfied they will go elsewhere which will affect growth in revenue (F1). To measure delivery times, focus as obtain comparing where Caffà © Nero are in terms of the market, as customers will have a certain level of expectations. However if Caffà © Nero are able to excel over this, it will create customer satisfaction which in theory will lead to more business from that customer. Also by ensuring there is a balanced customer to employee ratio in each site helps to improve delivery and customer service for customers as waiting times will decrease. Learning and Growth Perspective This area focuses on employees in terms of creating objectives to maintain training, in aid of retaining employee loyalty (LG1), improving both job and employee satisfaction (LG2), increasing employees capabilities in skills (LG4) as well as motivating and empowering employees (LG5). In theory these objectives should participate to maintaining a customer centric focus (LG3). Within this perspective, there are many differences between the scorecards as store-level focus on individual needs of employees to drive employee satisfaction. In comparison to headquarters which looks at overall achieving programmes to assist employee satisfaction, presenting a common objective in both scorecards. To measure these objectives appraisal and one to one meetings are used to assess their performance and how to improve in growth in revenue for the business. Each level is assessed by individual employees at store-level and individuals stores for headquarter level. Olve (2003) looked into how incentive and reward programmes can be aligned with scorecards in order to promote realization of intended strategy. This has been incorporated into the learning and growth stage of the scorecards. In aid to attract employees attention, to perform well at store level, contributing to the overall objective of increasing revenue growth for the company. Although there are many differences between the models as each scorecard targets a different audience, it is important to note that they both interlink to together to achieve Cafà © Neros objectives. As store-level focuses on direct customer service it is important that they get it right to achieve sales, retention as well as maintain a happy working environment for staff as getting these objective help to achieve objectives set for headquarter level. In terms of employee retention, training programmes, customer profitability and satisfaction as well as product innovation Conclusion To summarise the main points of this essay, it is essential to consider the information available in order to successfully design and implement a scorecard for a company. As statics show that 70% of balanced scorecards fail due to lack of research within their own individual company and the scorecard. The second point was to fully understand what Caffà © Nero wanted to achieve in regards to their strategy, as it is vital to not incorporate everything as this will only present more problems then benefits. Thirdly, when designing the scorecards for Caffà © Nero, it was crucial to ensure that they were easy to follow for all members of the organisation, as every objective interlinks and filters up the model in a form of a chain. If one objective is not met then this will affect the rest of the model creating a cause and affect relationship throughout the scorecard. For example consequences may lead to losing customers due to bad customer service, lack of high quality products and product knowledge due to limited training. As to measurements within the scorecards Caffà © Nero tried to be realistic so that they are able achieve their strategy as unrealistic measurements can disadvantage a business, as the costs of implementing balanced scorecards is a large investment to make as large amounts of money and time is needed. It is also important that Caffà © Nero adopted a trial and error approach so they could keep reviewing their scorecards to ensure they were aligned with their strategy. Overall a balanced scorecard is an affective management tool to translate strategy into a vision. Word Count: 3299