Question 2,6,7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Question 2,6,7 - Essay Example Firm diversification is a central issue of importance to managers. The research literature on the subject of diversification affirms that over the past two decades the growth in the globalization of markets and products by firms has been tremendous. Globalization as a concept is used often to imply a condition of increased mutual interdependence among nations. The given condition depends on a number of factors. First, there is decreased governmental policy on trade barriers. Second, free international movement of capital across borders. Third, there is high volume of foreign direct investment. Fourth, there is migration of the workforce across the borders. Finally, there is exchange of services and goods among the nations involved in trade. However, despite the recorded increase in diversification by firms, the definite factors that contribute to diversification remain debatable among firm managers. The drivers of a firm’s diversification decision-making process can be explained with the aid of two theoretical frameworks. Namely, the Resource Based View and the Transaction Cost Theory. The resource-based view theory offers an understanding of the choice of industries into which a firm diversifies. According to the theory, a firm is best viewed as a collection of resources that enable it to compete against other firms. The theory suggests that the potential of a firm to gain and maintain a sustained competitive advantage relies on its defined resources (Wierseme, 2008). Firms that have the ability to develop unique and difficult to imitate resources, are more likely to engage in diversification compared to other firms with no such unique and inimitable resources. The transaction cost theory of strategic management also offers an understanding of firms drivers for diversification. The theory holds that firms diversify when the firms’ activities can be performed cheaply within the company,

Computer - Aided Instruction Essay Example for Free

Computer Aided Instruction Essay A self-learning technique, usually offline/online, involving interaction of the student with programmed instructional materials. Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) is an interactive instructional technique whereby a computer is used to present the instructional material and monitor the learning that takes place. CAI uses a combination of text, graphics, sound and video in enhancing the learning process. The computer has many purposes in the classroom, and it can be utilized to help a student in all areas of the curriculum. CAI refers to the use of the computer as a tool to facilitate and improve instruction. CAI programs use tutorials, drill and practice, simulation, and problem solving approaches to present topics, and they test the students understanding. Typical CAI provides 1. text or multimedia content 2. multiple-choice questions 3. problems 4. immediate feedback 5. notes on incorrect responses 6. summarizes students performance 7. exercises for practice 8. Worksheets and tests. Types of Computer Assisted Instruction 1. Drill-and-practice Drill and practice provide opportunities or students to repeatedly practice the skills that have previously been presented and that further practice is necessary for mastery. 2. Tutorial Tutorial activity includes both the presentation of information and its extension into different forms of work, including drill and practice, games and simulation. 3. Games Game software often creates a contest to achieve the highest score and either beat others or beat the computer. 4. Simulation Simulation software can provide an approximation of reality that does not require the expense of real life or its risks. 5. Discovery Discovery approach provides a large database of information specific to a course or content area and challenges the learner to analyze, compare, infer and evaluate based on their explorations of the data. 6. Problem Solving This approach helps children develop specific problem solving skills and strategies. Advantages of CAI †¢ one-to-one interaction †¢ great motivator †¢ freedom to experiment with different options †¢ instantaneous response/immediate feedback to the answers elicited †¢ Self pacing allow students to proceed at their own pace †¢ Helps teacher can devote more time to individual students †¢ Privacy helps the shy and slow learner to learns †¢ Individual attention †¢ learn more and more rapidly †¢ multimedia helps to understand difficult concepts through multi sensory approach †¢ self directed learning – students can decide when, where, and what to learn

Hamlet :: essays research papers

Hamlet’s delay in seeking revenge directly correlates to the age in which the play was written along with the notion that Hamlet is brilliant but impatient, these are the reasons for Hamlet’s procrastination. His impatience leads to his death in the end. In Elizabethan times, a ghost was generally believed to be a devil that had assumed the form of a dead person. These ghosts wanted to put into danger the souls of those nearest themselves through lies and other questionable behavior. In Hamlet, when the ghost first appears on the palace guard’s watch, no one affirms that it is the spirit of Hamlet's father, only that it looks like him. Hamlet waits to be convinced that the ghost is indeed the spirit of his late father. When Hamlet decides to present â€Å"The Murder of Gonzago† before the king, he states as his motive: The spirit that I have seen May be the devil; and the devil hath power To assume a pleasing shape; yea and perhaps Abuses me to damn me. However, once he is convinced that the ghost is truly his father, Hamlet still appears to hesitate. Some critics have explained this by analyzing his situation. Because the murder of the late king took place secretly, the Danish court doesn’t suspect Claudius. His reaction to â€Å"The Murder of Gonzago† is significant only to Hamlet and Horatio, and Hamlet cannot kill the king before publicly proving him a murderer (as he is dying, Hamlet's main concern is that Denmark know his reasons for killing Claudius). Also, if Hamlet kills the king without supporters present to uphold the act, he himself might be immediately killed as a regicide. This shows is brilliance in the grand scheme of things. When Hamlet rushes at the king in the last scene, the whole court with one voice shouts, â€Å"Treason! Treason!† although Laertes has already exposed Claudius's bad character. Like the Oedipus of Sophocles, Hamlet is a tragic hero and thus largely determines his own fate. Shakespeare portrays him as an extraordinarily complex young man—brilliant, sensitive, noble, philosophic, and reckless.

Blake Recalls Innocence and Experience Essay

When attempting to penetrate into the deeper themes of William Blake’s cycle of poems â€Å"Songs of Innocence and Experience† it can be useful to recognize that the title of the poems, as well as the subsequent division into sections of innocence and experience carries ironic connotations. Blake’s intention in this cycle of poems, which he subtitled â€Å"Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul† (Ostriker, 1977, p. 104) was to posit the relationship of individual freedom and self-determination as being at one with Divine Will. Therefore, the state of innocence which is referred to in the cycle’s title as well as in the division of poems itself is meant to suggest — not ignorance which leads to innocence — but the innocence which is gained (or reclaimed) by the experience of the Divine. In fact the first poem in the â€Å"innocence† cycle, â€Å"Introduction† makes plainly manifest, Blake’s ironic use of the titular connotations of innocence and experience. The poem’s second stanza reads: Pipe a song about a Lamb; So I piped with merry chear, Piper pipe that song again— So I piped, he wept to hear (Ostriker, 1977, p. 104) The subtlety of Blake’s theme here is so accomplished as to be almost invisible when one reads the lines without carefully probing each word for its connotations. Special attention must be given to each word-choice to extract from the sing-song pleasantness of the poem, the resounding and profound thematic ideas which lay beneath the poem’s surface. The word â€Å"Lamb† for example is capitalized not only to emphasize the mythic and religious ideas which are an intimate part of Christian symbolism, but to inform the reader that â€Å"Lamb† is, indeed, the theme of the entire poem. The repeating of the word â€Å"piped† is intended to show that the Divine voice is always trying to break through to humanity; the line â€Å"So I piped, he wept to hear† reveals that this song of â€Å"innocence† is, in fact, a song of experience: the knowledge that humanity is blind to, or in this case, deaf to, the Divine voice. While Blake emphasizes a state of idealism in his â€Å"Songs of Innocence and Experience† nowhere does he proffer the idea of passive acceptance of the world’s injustices or pain. In fact, passivity to the world’s suffering is defined not in the poems of â€Å"innocence† but in a poem of â€Å"experience† where Blake’s verdict on the lack of empathy in the modern world could be made no more certain or clear. His poem â€Å"London† is a lament for precisely this idea of passive acceptance of world injustice and suffering: In ever cry of every man, In every Infants cry f fear, In very voice; in every ban, The mind-forg’d manacles I hear (Ostriker, 1977, 128). In these lines, the capitalized word â€Å"Infants† denotes a connection to the â€Å"Lamb† of th other poems: in Blake’s â€Å"Songs of Innocence and Experience† the lamb and the child are both symbols of the individuated self, and also of the Divine Will, which Blake, as mentioned, attempts to unify in his poetry. (Ostriker). The phrase â€Å"mind-forg’d manacles† is important because it shows how a lack of empathy and compassion or even concern for the world’s troubles is a function of ignorance, of a bad kind of â€Å"innocence† a worldly oblivion, which stands in sharp contrast to Blake’s idealized state of Divine innocence which is often frustrated by the materiality of ignorance of the world, but is nevertheless, an inheritance, according to Blake, which is due to every living individual on earth. The attainment of a state of ideal innocence in Blake denotes a state of self-awareness and self-identity which steps outside of the concerns of material wealth and social standing and relies purely upon the human heart as its gauge of success and its proximity to the Divine as a measure of its truth. Reference Ostriker, Alicia. 1977. â€Å"William Blake: The Complete Poems†. Penguin Books, New York.

Element & Performance Criteria Essay

1. What documentation could you expect to receive when you are asked to undertake a project? Apart from the written documentation, you might need to obtain additional information. What could this be? Why is it important to get all this information before you start your project? Your Answer: You could expect to receive a copy of the contract or agreement, the project brief and project plans. You will also need to know who your stakeholders are and what outcomes are expected, the reporting requirements, inclusions and exclusions, timeframe for milestones, quality standards and resources available to you. You need to understand completely what is expected, what time frame and the resources available and ensure nothing has been left out as you may not be able to ask for extra time or resources once the project has commenced. 2. Why is it important to check out the relationship of your project to both your organisation’s objectives and to other projects? What could be the outcomes if you don’t check these out? Your Answer: You need to ensure your project is in line with your company’s overall objectives to ensure other departments you are working with have ample time to respond to any requests from your team and ensure less disruption to work flow. As you may have some part time staff on your team you also need to ensure project work does not take away them away from their daily duties. You need to make sure that anything you develop works into the established procedures and can easily be adapted to work straight away. Your project wouldn’t be successful if you cannot integrate the end product easily into the company functions. QUESTION 2 0 Satisfactory 0 Not Yet Satisfactory Element & Performance Criteria1.2 1. In any project, there are the direct or formal stakeholders as well as informal stakeholders. How would you go about determining these? Why would you need to know who the informal stakeholders are? Your Answer: You are undertaking a project on behalf of stakeholders so you need to be aware of who they are. You must remember the project mantra is â€Å"satisfying the stakeholders†. Depending on the project you need to work out if it is being undertaken for a customer, a department, funding body, management, sponsor or key personnel to establish their vested interest and better understand the outcomes required for them. As you will need to supply progress reports, you will need to understand who the stakeholder is and what information you can be disclosed to them. Knowing who your stakeholders are can also work in your favour as you can use their vested interest to gain the assets you need. QUESTION 3 0 Satisfactory 0 Not Yet Satisfactory Element & Performance Criteria1.3, 1.6 1. When you are asked to take on a project, you need to know the project brief, but there are many other details you need to have, including items such as legislative requirements, risks, resources and so on. What items should be on your checklist to make sure you are clear on the project, its parameters and the resources available to you? Your Answer: You will need to know the following: Legislative and quality standards – government regulations Physical, human and technical resources available – full / part time staff and how much of their time is available to you. Procurement requirements – limits of authority for sign off and purchase regulations Risks – Physical, financial, technological – a full risk assessment should be undertaken prior to commencement and a comprehensive budget developed. Reporting requirements – who to report to, what needs to be covered and how often reports are expected. How the project integrates into the company QUESTION 4 0 Satisfactory 0 Not Yet Satisfactory Element & Performance Criteria2.1, 2.3 1. If you are setting up a detailed project plan for your project, why must you also set up a risk management plan? How would you go about making sure your two plans are synchronised? Your Answer: Your project plan should work around any identified risks. You should undertake a risk assessment before beginning the project and identify any acceptable risks, ways to avoid or mitigate these risks and if necessary transfer the risk to a third party. You need to work the results from your risk assessment into your project plan eg outsourcing some of the risk or changing strategies to lessen the risks to the project. 2. As you set up your project plan, one of the key components is your timeline. What factors must you consider when determining the timeline? Your Answer: It is best to use a software package for accurate setup. Decide on a schedule that covers from the beginning to the end of the project and list all tasks involved. Sort which tasks can be done in parallel with others and include tasks by outside resources like subcontractors, vendors and other departments. Work out how long each task may take by using past experiences or work out how long it would take you to undertake the task and add 20% for any unseen problems. Be sure to include time for meetings, reports and documentation development. Look at the manpower available for completing the project and schedule times for part time members who also perform work for other departments. This document needs to be flexible with some slack time built into the schedule at various points. QUESTION 5 0 Satisfactory 0 Not Yet Satisfactory Element & Performance Criteria2.2 1.There are many project management tools available to you. Choose five  from the following list and describe the pros and cons of each of the five: †¢cost schedule control system †¢Critical Path Method †¢Gantt and bar charts †¢life cycle cost analysis †¢logistics support analysis †¢PERT charts †¢project management software †¢spreadsheets †¢WHS management system tools Your Answer: Project Management Software Helps schedule the project Assigns tasks Finds the critical path Tracks progress against the time line plan Creates you Gnatt charts for you and automatically updates these charts with adjustments in your plan Gnatt & Bar Charts Shows scheduling information about a project Shows tasks that are part of the critical path Identifies who tasks are assigned to and which tasks are to be completed by people outside of your team Shows the current status of tasks Spreadsheets These are useful for charts of data that need to be created Charts can be created in word processing documents Preforms calculations on data inserted into a document Embedded formulas allows calculations to be in real time and adjusts to any changes made Logistics Support Analysis Shows an analysis of all logistical elements required for each activity Integrates the logistics and supply chain into a seamless operation Reduces costs Increases responsiveness Life Cycle Cost Analysis This is a system of cost evaluation Shows costs throughout the expected life Used to make cost determinations between different systems proposed for a particular need QUESTION 6 0 Satisfactory 0 Not Yet Satisfactory Element & Performance Criteria2.5, 3.1, 3.2 1. What are the advantages of consulting your team members when setting up your project plan? What are the risks if you do not consult them? Your Answer: You can use the expertise of your team to develop a list of tasks, estimate the time needed to undertake these tasks and develop a list of equipment & materials required. As you finalise the project plan communicate with your team members their part in the project and present your plan to them prior to presentation to management. Let them help identify potential problems and suggest any solutions. If your members feel they are part of creating the plan then they will have a greater commitment to completing the project on time and within budget. Involving your staff will get them to buy into the project and will eliminate the idea that it is your plan and giving them an excuse for not meeting timelines or budgets. You want your team to work as a team with enthusiasm to the project for a successful outcome. 2.Describe the techniques you could use to make sure: †¢at the beginning of your project that team members are clear about their responsibilities †¢as the project progresses that all team members continue to be clear about their responsibilities Your Answer: Ensure each team member understands clearly the scope of the project and their individual responsibility. If you have involved the team in the planning and setting up  of the project plan they will understand the aims of the project and what you require from them and the time constraints in place. To keep them on track whilst the project progresses, be proactive and display posters reminding them of the project scope and goals, have weekly status meetings and get everyone to give an update, send a weekly project update email or motivational email and talk to your team members to see where they are up to and help them to get around any obstacles they encounter. Follow up with your team and help guide them in the right direction. You need to have your finger on the pulse a nd know what each member is doing to ensure they stay on track. 3.Some suggested techniques for supporting your project team members are: †¢encouragement †¢feedback †¢learning and development †¢regular project team meetings †¢supervision, mentoring and coaching What are at least five of the key activities you would consider when undertaking these techniques and supporting your project team members? Explain why you would choose these particular five. What communication skills would each activity require? Your Answer: Encouragement – Support your team members and recognise them for their contributions to the project. Help them to get the necessary assistance and guidance to ensure they can perform their tasks. Listening, empathy, understanding are the communication skills required. Provide feedback to members to show what tasks have been achieved and where the budget and timelines are being achieved or missed. Discussion, reporting and presenting of reports and charts to show achievements Provide learning and development opportunities to team members. Get help and guidance from outside the team to help members to get past any problems or road blocks. Coordination, discussion, problem solving and team work would be required in this instance. Conduct regular team meetings and discuss where each member is up to with their required tasks and reward and recognise high performing team members with simple gifts and acknowledgment. Presentation, coordination and discussion will be required during meetings. Supervise,  mentor and coach your team. Your job is to manage the team not do all the work. Your team are the experts in each area and you just need to support them and help them to make everything come together Mentoring, watching, looking and talking would be required when mentoring your team. QUESTION 7 0 Satisfactory 0 Not Yet Satisfactory Element & Performance Criteria1.5, 3.4 1. Projects often start to run over budget, milestones slip, resources don’t reach you on schedule or a key person gets ill. What do you need to have in place to manage these problems? Who might you consult when you hit a problem that you are having difficulty resolving? Your Answer: You need to have identified the potential risks at the project planning stage and factored in some time to deal with these obstacles. You need to deal with each target that is not achieved and establish a plan that can be implemented to get the project back on track. Resources need to be looked at that can be added to the project team or new ways to undertake work need to be thought of. To think outside the box is necessary to establish better ways to achieve outcomes as the traditional company way may be to time consuming when working on a project. The usual company way could be used when full production is undertaken but isn’t necessary during a project. You can approach the stakeholders when you are hit with a problem you can’t easily resolve. They have a vested interest in the outcome and may be able to assist with extra resources or ideas on where items can be procured or sub-contractors that could be engaged. QUESTION 8 0 Satisfactory 0 Not Yet Satisfactory Element & Performance Criteria5.1 1. It is the nature of most projects that there will be mistakes, problems with resources or people, changes in both the internal or external  environments, or even changes in the project scope or brief. Understanding how these happened and how they were managed can become learning experiences, but if they are not documented in some way, they become lost. How could you go about making sure the lessons learnt are not lost? Your: Accurate notes and documentation will ensure lessons learnt are not lost and can be used by future project teams who can learn from your successes and mistakes. Identifying problems encountered and the process used to find a solution and accurate documentation of the solution and the techniques or methods tried is important to have for the company to use in future work or trials. Accurately record what problems occurred, its effects, what you did to rectify the problem and the impact of the changes you made. This will help in the future to improve processes or procedures of the company and may assist future project managers when faced with obstacles.

Stakeholder Mapping The WritePass Journal

Stakeholder Mapping Introduction Stakeholder Mapping .

King Lear Character is Destiny essays

King Lear Character is Destiny essays Character is destiny is a dominant theme that often appears in Shakespearean tragedy. In the play, King Lear this concept is portrayed through the characters of King Lear, Gloucester, and Edmund. The characteristics and the roles that each of the characters have within the society of the play determine the treatment that they receive from other characters as well as their destiny. In the play, Lear demonstrates various characteristics that can be classified as his tragic flaws. In the opening scene, Lears irrational basis for distributing the kingdom between his daughters reveals that he is accustomed to hypocrisy, that he is quick tempered, that he is impatient, and that he is unaware of human limitation. By asking his daughters to publicly display their love towards him, he reveals that he is accustomed to flattery. This also demonstrates that he is proud of his ability to exercise his will quickly and effectively. A.C Bradely comments on this tragic flaw by stating that A long life of absolute power, in which he as been flattered to the top of his bent, has produced in him that blindness to human limitation and that presumptuous self will . In the opening act, King Lear also demonstrates his quick tempered nature through the disowning of Cordelia and the banishment of Kent. When Lear does not hear what he expected from Cordelia, he disowns her as his daug hter without any rational thoughts. This demonstrates that he is accustomed to exercising his will. It also demonstrates that he believes that through his position as a monarch, he can even command human emotions such as love. In addition, when Lear hears what he expects from Goneril and Regan, he rewards them with a large portion of his kingdom. This reveals his gullible, generous, and unsuspicious nature. Overall, Lears characteristics are revealed in the first Act of the play. He is accustomed to exercising his will freely, he is gullible, ...

Poinsettia pH Paper - Holiday Chemistry Project

Poinsettia pH Paper - Holiday Chemistry Project Many plants contain pigments that are responsive to changes in acidity. An example is the poinsettia plant, which has colored flowers (really specialized leaves called bracts). Although poinsettias are perennials in warmer climates, most people are likely to see them used as a decorative houseplant over the winter holidays. You can extract the red pigment from deeply colored poinsettias and use it to make your own pH paper strips to test whether a liquid is an acid or a base. Poinsettia pH Paper Materials Poinsettia flowersBeaker or cupHot plate or boiling waterScissors or a blenderFilter paper or coffee filters0.1 M HClVinegar (dilute acetic acid)Baking soda solution (2 g / 200 mL water)0.1 M NaOH Procedure Cut flower petals into strips or chop them in a blender. Place the cut pieces into a beaker or cup.Add just enough water to cover the plant material. Simmer until the color is removed from the plant. (Personally, I would just microwave the chopped bracts with a little water for about a minute and allow the mixture to steep, like a tea.)Filter the liquid into another container, such as a petri dish. Discard the plant matter.Saturate clean filter paper with the poinsettia solution. Allow the filter paper to dry. You can cut the colored paper with scissors to make pH test strips.Use a dropper or toothpick to apply a little liquid to a test strip. The color range for acids and bases will depend on the particular plant. If you like, you can construct a chart of pH and colors using liquids with a known pH so that you can then test unknowns. Examples of acids include hydrochloric acid (HCl), vinegar, and lemon juice. Examples of bases include sodium or potassium hydroxide (NaOH or KOH) and baking soda solution. Another way to use your pH paper is as a color-change paper. You can draw on pH paper using a toothpick or cotton swab that has been dipped in an acid or base. The instructions for the poinsettia pH paper project are also available in French.

Summary of The Changing Demographics of America Essay

Summary of The Changing Demographics of America - Essay Example According to Kotkin this is as opposed to other developed countries such as Japan; South Korea, Europe and China whose population is estimated to decrease. The high young population is attributed by the high fertility and immigration rates. Most of the European countries are estimated to be authentic old-age homes as a high percentage of their populations will be 65 years and above (Kotkin, 2010). According to Kotkin, the high immigration rates and the high fertility rates of US have prompted some critics by environmentalists who are worried by additional 100 million people in the country by 2050. They are calling for national policies to control the high immigration and fertility rate. Colleen Heenam, an author and one of the environmental activists articulates that Americans who favour huge families don’t take responsibility for their prejudicial actions towards population growth which will lead to shortage of the limited resources. Peter Kareiva, a scientist had suggested that the best way to reduce carbon emissions is to give birth to no child (Kotkin, 2010). These critiques forgot to put into consideration that paucity of young people and low population in the country will pose a threat to the country’s labour productivity and be a scourge to the nation’s eudemonia (Kotkin,

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Project Management - Essay Example There is a great time lag between the conception of a facility and the actual construction and startup. Operating at designed capacity can cause rapid wear and breakdowns. Generally, operating at design capacity basically means operating at the organization’s productive limits. The designed capacity is 20,000 kg. Effective capacity Effective capacity of a facility is important in determining the extent to which a facility can produce. It is therefore defined as the ratio between design capacity and the expected capacity of the intended facility.It is worth noting effective capacity is affected by a firm’s production schedule, production mix, maintenance standards and age of equipment’s. The formula for effective capacity is given by: Effective capacity=expected capacity/design capacity. Effective=16000/20000=0.8=80% The effective capacity=16000 Actual output A production facility can produce a certain amount of product at a given time period. The actual amount of product that can be produced by a production facility at given time period is called actual output. This is different from amount that the facility could produce if it were to run at full theoretical capacity. Specifically, the actual output is given by: 60/100X20000=12000 kg Utilization Utilization is the percent of design capacity. It is given by actual output/design capacity =12000/20000=60% Efficiency Effective capacity is the actual output as a percent of effective capacity. It is given by the formula: actual output/effective capacity =12000/16000=75% B) Capacity of a system is its ability to produce goods or enhance the delivering of services over some time period. For a system to realize its full potential a proper capacity planning is inevitable. That is, the long term and short term plans to help the system achieve its full potential. Short term concerns relate to the variations in capacity requirements as a result of random, seasonal and irregular fluctuations in demand; while long term considerations relate to the overall level of capacity. There are several factors that affect a firm’s productive capacity. Some of these factors are within management’s control while others are not. Factors such as physical resources and utilization of labor are within the management’s control. Organization capacity also faces management challenges such as personal issues, technological maximization and output controls. A firm can profit significantly from efficient resources management. The actual output may be even less than the system capacity since it is affected by short-range factors such as actual demand. Therefore, managing actual output is important for effective production of a firm. As a project manager, I will advice the human resource manager to undertake the following strategies in managing the actual output and to cope with major changes in products and services. These options include; developing a new product line, expanding exis ting facilities and construction or phase out production plants. In some instance, the firm may be forced to use phase-in-strategy for introducing the next model of the same product or service to retain and/or improve its actual output. In general, the firm should be comfortable producing between 80 to 90% capacity utilization because of low fixed costs per unit and there is some scope to meet new orders or carry out maintenance and training. Efficiency should hold a more vital role as it can

Macro & Micro Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Macro & Micro Economics - Essay Example This causes the rate of interest to fall or rise respectively. On the other hand the fiscal policies alter the aggregate demand in the economy through the increase or decrease of government purchase components and the after tax share of the GDY which is held by the private sector. The following diagrams would portray a graphical analysis of some of the policy measures that are undertaken and their impacts in the economy (Ashby, 2011, â€Å"Expansionary policies†). In the above diagram the general equilibrium exists at the point if intersection of GDP, ASF and APE. Monetary policies would shift the ASF line to the right. However, it is seen from the diagram that this point cannot be reached as it is impossible for the economy to reach that point. This would consequently require a negative rate of interest but the interest rate cannot fall below zero. This shows that monetary policies independently cannot allow the economy to attain the former GDP. This requires the need for fis cal policies in the economy (Ashby, 2011, â€Å"Inconsistency Problem†). Fiscal policies in the form of government purchases and tax cuts would be able to move the APE line to the right far enough so that the IS curve would be able to intersect the GDP line at a point of low interest level which would be attainable. Thus the monetary policy would shift the ASF line towards the right and this would pass through the point which is now attainable. To summarize it, monetary policy can be effective only with the assistance of fiscal policies in order to help the economy recover from the effects of recession. The picture also reflects the potential problems related with monetary policies. The faint response of APE after changes in the rates of interest coupled with the low level of interest makes it unable to fall enough to provide enough impetus to the APE to revert back to the original level (Ashby, 2011, â€Å"Some Fiscal Policy is needed†). A major problem associated wit h monetary policies can be explained in terms of the liquidity traps. This is a situation in which the economy enters into a severe depression which dramatic fall in prices, reduction in profits, businesses making losses which causes them to draw back from making investments in new projects. However, the problem is likely to arise only at extreme situations. Another concern associated with the economy is the crowding out effect which arises out of expansionary fiscal policies which increases aggregate demand, APE significantly without a corresponding rise in aggregate demand or APE. The main concern about the phenomenon is that the resulting loss of funds causes a rise in interest levels and this consequently crowds out the rise in APE. According to the views of Ricardo (1772 - 1823), fiscal policies also result in budget deficit in the government that is financed by treasury borrowing. Ricardo has put forth the fact that the tax payers would be able to recognize the fact the govern ment will be required to redeem the bonds at the time of maturity and would then levy taxes to compensate for the principle amount of the outstanding debt and also any amount of accrued interest. A number of restrictive policies can be undertaken in order to curb inflation arising out of expansionary fiscal policies. Short term measures would include the intervention of government and implementing direct control over wages, prices, rather than the implementation of restrictive fiscal and monetary policies.

When I was Puerto Rican, by Esmeralda Santiago Essay

When I was Puerto Rican, by Esmeralda Santiago - Essay Example It is clear why the book When I was Puerto Rican has made it onto the bestseller list. Esmeralda Santiago opens up places in our minds by using descriptive narration. It is also a book that reaches out to all cultures as people from different cultures can find something to associate with. The eldest of 11 children Esmeralda Santiago (nicknamed: Negi) grew up in Puerto Rico. At age 13 her single mother moved the family to Brooklyn. Esmeralda was accepted in New York High School of Performing Arts after having only learnt English for two years. She studied in Harvard University and graduated with honors. She received her Masters' Degree from Sarah Lawrence College. She and her husband founded the award wining film and production company Contomedia. Her prestige also lies in the vast amount of dedication she has shown by working with victims of domestic violence. In this same spirit of giving she is also prided for her assistance in founding the Massachusetts based shelter for women and a Youth Service Center. When I Was Puerto Rican is a personal recollection of growing up and having to live in the ever-changing world due to hopes and dreams that need to be fulfilled. It highlights the issues that were important in the author's life, especially in her childhood.

Agriculture in Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Agriculture in Europe - Essay Example Agriculture in Europe Since Europe consists of the world famous country sides, laden with rich and fertile soil as well as a history of popularity in the farming sector, a great portion of the revenue for people also depends on farming. As a continent, Europe is almost as big as the whole of the United States of America and thus the size of the land that they possess is almost the same; however the agricultural production carried out in Europe is much larger as compared to the whole of the United States of America. As compared to other countries in Europe, Spain has a very dry climate thus requiring a great amount of water facilities and irrigation in order to grow crops. Spain and Italy together produce almost half of Europe’s olive oil and wine. Pears are also grown there and exported to other countries. Almost 35% of the area of land in France has been set aside for agriculture depicting the country’s need for and dedication towards the sector. Most of France’s exports including grapes, wines and sunflower seeds go to the United States of America. Germany and Switzerland are countries that need to import their food items from other countries because they focus mainly on the industrial and not the agricultural sector. Thus, more of their workforce is involved in the tertiary sector. Switzerland however has engaged itself a great deal in poultry and dairy farming, being one of the largest producers and exporters of dairy products and rearing of animals like sheep for wool. Iceland undergoes an extreme climate; almost no heat reaches the country and thus it has engaged itself mainly in rearing fish; cod being the largest produce. It exports cod to almost all parts of the world. Countries like Czech Republic and Austria are self-sufficient in terms of producing and consumi ng agriculture due to the large amount of land devoted to farming. Poland on the other hand, produces a great deal of food crops however not enough to feed its own population due to the irregular sizes of farms and the lack of fertile land in a uniform manner. Only about 19% of the people in Poland are engaged in agriculture because the country lacks proper industrial equipment as well as facilities to increase the number in the primary sector. (Utah State University) If there is one country that has significantly reduced its agricultural production, or to rephrase, faced a decline in the amount of agricultural production due to external hazards, it is Belarus. The country suffered the Chernobyl disaster and thus the nuclear fumes spread toxic fumes and wastes to the soil making it thoroughly infertile in this part of Europe. Since the year 1986 when the disaster struck, the arable land in the country faced a decline of almost 10% also contaminating the soil as well as the water pre sent towards the southern part of the country. Yugoslavia is a self-sufficient country but at the same time, the country does not produce anything to be exported elsewhere. Furthermore, it is completely dependent on farming; i.e. its economy is almost fully based in the primary sector because most people are engaged in farming and they tend to produce and consume everything personally, from food to clothing. Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey are some of the largest producers and exporters of agriculture in Europe. Turkey has almost 46% of its workforce engaged in the agricultural sector followed by

Cardiovascular disease Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Cardiovascular disease - Term Paper Example This is usually in the legs. The symptom of the disease is pain in the legs when one is walking. The pain is like cramp that is felt as it comes and goes (Braunwald, 2007). Coronary heart disease occurs in the body of an individual when the flow of blood that is rich in oxygen is reduced or blocked by fatty material in the coronary artery. The coronary arteries are essential for supplying the heart with blood, when they are blocked; it results to the condition of a heart attack. The infection leads to chest pain, a condition referred to as angina (Braunwald, 2007). Aortic disease is a condition that results to weakening of the walls of the aorta and makes the blood vessel to bulge outwards. The condition is then associated to pain in the chest, the back or in the abdomen. The most common disease that is associated to aortic disease is aortic aneurysm. There are risk factors that make one more likely to get the condition. The several risk factors that are associated to cardiovascular disease include high blood pressure, being physical inactive, obesity, and high levels of cholesterol in the blood, diabetes and family history with infection by the disease (Hampton, 2003). With consideration of age, the elderly are likely to develop the condition as compared to the young. Prevalence in sex shows that men are more exposed to develop the condition as compared to women. Men are able to develop the condition at an earlier age as compared to women. Age is a risk factor that is associated to the disease. The risk is estimated to be 82% for those that are older than 65. The risk of stroke is observed from the age of 55. The explanation that is given to the age and risk of cardiovascular disease is relation to serum cholesterol level. In the large population the serum total cholesterol level increases with increase in the age. Cardiovascular disease through research has been considered a being health problem. A

Agriculture in Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Agriculture in Europe - Essay Example Agriculture in Europe Since Europe consists of the world famous country sides, laden with rich and fertile soil as well as a history of popularity in the farming sector, a great portion of the revenue for people also depends on farming. As a continent, Europe is almost as big as the whole of the United States of America and thus the size of the land that they possess is almost the same; however the agricultural production carried out in Europe is much larger as compared to the whole of the United States of America. As compared to other countries in Europe, Spain has a very dry climate thus requiring a great amount of water facilities and irrigation in order to grow crops. Spain and Italy together produce almost half of Europe’s olive oil and wine. Pears are also grown there and exported to other countries. Almost 35% of the area of land in France has been set aside for agriculture depicting the country’s need for and dedication towards the sector. Most of France’s exports including grapes, wines and sunflower seeds go to the United States of America. Germany and Switzerland are countries that need to import their food items from other countries because they focus mainly on the industrial and not the agricultural sector. Thus, more of their workforce is involved in the tertiary sector. Switzerland however has engaged itself a great deal in poultry and dairy farming, being one of the largest producers and exporters of dairy products and rearing of animals like sheep for wool. Iceland undergoes an extreme climate; almost no heat reaches the country and thus it has engaged itself mainly in rearing fish; cod being the largest produce. It exports cod to almost all parts of the world. Countries like Czech Republic and Austria are self-sufficient in terms of producing and consumi ng agriculture due to the large amount of land devoted to farming. Poland on the other hand, produces a great deal of food crops however not enough to feed its own population due to the irregular sizes of farms and the lack of fertile land in a uniform manner. Only about 19% of the people in Poland are engaged in agriculture because the country lacks proper industrial equipment as well as facilities to increase the number in the primary sector. (Utah State University) If there is one country that has significantly reduced its agricultural production, or to rephrase, faced a decline in the amount of agricultural production due to external hazards, it is Belarus. The country suffered the Chernobyl disaster and thus the nuclear fumes spread toxic fumes and wastes to the soil making it thoroughly infertile in this part of Europe. Since the year 1986 when the disaster struck, the arable land in the country faced a decline of almost 10% also contaminating the soil as well as the water pre sent towards the southern part of the country. Yugoslavia is a self-sufficient country but at the same time, the country does not produce anything to be exported elsewhere. Furthermore, it is completely dependent on farming; i.e. its economy is almost fully based in the primary sector because most people are engaged in farming and they tend to produce and consume everything personally, from food to clothing. Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey are some of the largest producers and exporters of agriculture in Europe. Turkey has almost 46% of its workforce engaged in the agricultural sector followed by

Development of LED Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Development of LED - Research Paper Example The light-emitting diode produces light that is uniformly dispersed, and the output of the light is equally dispersed over the lens that makes them brighter than the lamps of incandescent. Light-emitting diodes are efficient in energy and can produce a light output of up to ninety percent while producing very little heat while the bulbs of incandescent generate heat by using ninety percent of there energy. An additional loss of energy is experienced in the lamps of incandescent when it comes to its use in the traffic signal. This is so as it only produces white light which has to be filtered for a traffic signal. On the other hand, light-emitting diode produces light that are colored, therefore, dose not need any filtering out. All the energy produced is intense around one colored band, and no energy is wasted on colors that are undesired. The need for finding a way to the reduction of the energy consumption and reduction in the global warming is the drive for the development of energy saving electrical device. The innovation of the light-emitting diode has greatly contributed to energy conservation. However, the little problem face by the device is that it dose not operate efficiently in regions that experience snow and in the very cold environment. However, the technologies in developing heat sink which will transfer heat that is produced at the junction to the recommended areas of the light fixture the problem will be solved. The device will work well in all the climatic condition (Gu, Alex and Nadarajah, pg 1-10). Light emitting diodes are p-n junction devices that are constructed using semiconductors such as gallium phosphide, gallium arsenide, or gallium arsenide phosphide emitting light in the far IR (940m), red or yellow and red or green regions respectively. In a light-emitting diode, the light color depends on the semiconductors used band gap, as the gap increases, the light changes from red, orange, yellow,

Investigating a simple pendulum Essay Example for Free

Investigating a simple pendulum Essay In a way, I think that my experiment was successful. Most people would say that it would not have been a successful experiment if their results did not exactly match some of their predictions, just like my results, but I think that my experiment was a successful one because it made me realise that results will not always match predictions and it is fine to get results different from those you expected because it gives you more things to investigate when doing your evaluation. I think that my experiment was quite a fair one seeing as each test was done three times and an average result was taken. When I was testing the variables, length, mass and amplitude, I only tested one at a time, keeping the other two variables the same. I performed the experiment in the centre of the work bench, so the pendulum could not hit anyone passing by or and walls or other objects. As I said earlier in my obtaining evidence part of this coursework I think my results may have been slightly inaccurate seeing as the precision of my results depended on my hand-eye coordination which could not have been the same every time I judged when to stop the stopwatch. I think that my results would be quite easy to reproduce seeing as they all follow the expected patterns and were all taken three times and an average was also taken. I will now be attempting to explain why I think that my results did not match those of the equation: One of the reasons for this may be that my results could have been slightly inaccurate. Another reason may have been that the apparatus that I used was not as accurate as it could have been. If we look at the table of results for the formula, we can see that as the length increases, the difference between the actual time taken for one swing of the pendulum and the formula result gets closer. This could mean that the formula is meant for slightly larger lengths than 10 and 15 centimetres, maybe something such as one metre and above. Or it could mean that my results are inaccurate, especially those with shorter lengths, seeing as they swing faster and are obviously harder to get accurate results for. And now I will be attempting to explain why I think that the formula: , did not give a constant result. The reasons are the same as the ones for the above formula, that my results may have been slightly inaccurate and that the apparatus I used may also have been inaccurate. And again, if we look at my table of results, the results of the formula seem to get closer to a constant as the length increases. This could mean that the formula is meant to be used for slightly larger lengths than those that I investigated or it could mean that my results are slightly inaccurate, again especially with those smaller lengths, seeing as they are harder to time as they swing a lot quicker than the larger lengths. If I had to do the experiment again, I would use some different equipment and I would only investigate length as a variable seeing as I now know that it is the only variable that affects the time taken for one swing of the pendulum. The piece of equipment that I would want to change most would be the time measuring device that I used. A good time measuring device would ensure both accurate and reliable results, which is what every experiment needs to be truly successful. The best device I can think of would be a light sensitive one which starts a timer when the beam of light is broken, by the string passing through it, and stops it when the beam is broken again. Using this method would not only ensure accurate and reliable results, but it would allow me to get the time taken for one swing only and not the average of ten swings divided by ten. But such a piece of equipment would be very expensive and would also be very hard to set up, so I therefore think that it would not be possible to use a piece of equipment like the one described above. From looking at my results, I would also change the lengths of the strings that I would time, seeing as when I compared my results to those given by the formulas, the shortest lengths of string gave the most out of place results. I would probably test lengths of around one metre to one and a half metres. When I got these results I would also compare them to the two formulas I have used throughout this coursework. If I had more time I probably would have done each test five times instead of three to be more sure of reliable and accurate results. I would have also tested a wider range of lengths and then I would have been able to see if my predictions were totally correct or whether they were slightly wrong. From testing more lengths I would also have been able to find out whether the formula: , worked and also whether the formula: , gave a constant result. And just as a final thought, even though I know it would not be possible, I would like to investigate the effect that gravity would have on the time for one swing of the pendulum. I think that gravity would have an effect on the time taken for one swing of the pendulum seeing as it features in the same equation that helped me to predict that only length would effect the time taken for one swing of a simple pendulum.

A Study On Employee Engagement Strategy Management Essay

A Study On Employee Engagement Strategy Management Essay Engagement is about creating opportunities for employees to connect with their colleagues, managers and wider organisation. It is also about creating an environment where employees are motivated to want to connect with their work and really care about doing a good job. Why is employee engagement relevant to ITC? Almost all examples quoted in the consultant findings demonstrate an out-and-out lack of employee engagement; moreover, the opposite appears to be the case. At this point, it is important to note that a global survey by BlessingWhite Intelligence (2008) on the state of employee engagement found that that â€Å"Indian workers are among the most focused and satisfied in the world†. In the Asia-Pacific groupings, full engagement for Indian employees reaches 34% in comparison to the lowest of only 10% for China. Moreover, over 65% of respondents said ‘yes when asked if, assuming they had the choice, they would hope to remain within their organisation in 2008. From this, the apparent lack of employee engagement and retention issues apparent within ITC would appear to point to something we are doing wrong as a company. The first question should be: Why is employee engagement important? Links between employee attitudes, employee management and business performance have been repeatedly demonstrated in CIPD (2009) research, and the Aberdeen Group (2009) reported only this year that 82% of ‘Best-in-Class organisations attributed employee engagement initiatives directly to transformations in revenue and / or profitability. Employee engagement spills into the concept of the ‘psychological contract. The ‘psychological contract is a popular framework within which aspects of the employee relationship can be studied (Bratton Gold, 2007; 14). Guest and Conway (2002) define it as â€Å"the perceptions of the two parties, employee and employer, of what their mutual obligations are towards each other†. These obligations tend to differ from individual-to- individual and are often imprecise / unspoken and inferred â€Å"from actions or from what has happened in the past, as well as from statements made by the employer†(CIPD; Employee engagement; RevisedNovember 2009). This contract forms the basis for employer brand (The psychological contract. Revised January 2009) and often employed to promote in staff retention and recruiting drives. For all of the latter reasons, ITC should pay close heed to this contract. After all, taking account of the emotional needs of the employee ought to be a consideration when we consider they are the only resource within our organization that can simply â€Å"walk out†, taking their skills and possible opinions of negative employer brand with them. Customer service issues With regards the consultant reports of customer service issues, several studies have found that employee engagement is an important variable on this front. The CIPD (2009; 2) reported that Visa Europe figures show that employee engagement levels ran parallel with an increase in customer satisfaction. Likewise, it seems institutive that an increase in customer satisfaction would henceforth lead to an increase financial performance. In a recent study within the customer service industry by Chi and Gursoy (2009), empirical support for this link was indeed presented. On the engagement level, while they found employee satisfaction did not appear to impact on financial performance directly, they did find an indirect relationship between the latter, with customer satisfaction acting as the mediator. Storey, on the other hand refers to engagement as EIP (employee involvement and participation) and stated that it is â€Å"thought to contribute to improved levels of worker satisfaction and commitment and, subsequently, organisational performance.† From this it would appear that engaged and satisfied employees are a requirement for customer satisfaction, with customer satisfaction being the strongest indicator in financial performance. It would also appear, however, that all three variables are required to be woven into the same fabric for overall business success. For ITC, without employee engagement / satisfaction, there will little customer satisfaction, and without customer satisfaction there will be no success. The obvious lack of ITC employee engagement at this moment in time is a worrying factor with regards this tripartite equation. Therefore, the obvious question should be how do we tackle employee disengagement, how do we go about driving employee engagement? Employee engagement drivers According to the CIPD (Employee engagement; Revised November 2009), there is no absolute list definitive of engagement ‘drivers. Their research has shown, however, the key employee engagement drivers are: Opportunities to feed employee views upwards Feeling well-informed about what is happening in the organisation The employee believing that their manager is committed to the organisation Most writers agree that one of the most important factors at play with regards employee engagement is reciprocal communication between management and the requirement to keep all employees well informed, etc. As you might imagine, these factors are also very much involved in the psychological contract; it is also suggested that, in a crisis, â€Å"mutually recognised expectations are best shaped by honest communication and solid information† (Dietz 2009). At this moment in ITC history, we might be described as being on the verge of crisis point. Intranet 2.0 One suggestion that appears oddly lacking in ITC since its inception is our lack of corporate Intranet. All of the key engagement drivers suggested above can to some end be addressed with the implementation of an Intranet solution, this of course would not solve all of our problems, but it would at least supplement any other measures we ultimately put into place. This Intranet should not be of the antiquated variety, that is, one where static pages existed, with the sole purpose of providing information. We should be embracing all that Web 2.0 tools have to offer (i.e. highly dynamic / interactive internal social networking tools, instant messaging, wikis, blogs, discussion forums, and RSS feed technologies, etc.). Intranet 2.0 is still very much in its infancy, so the ability to introduce a rich networking environment is very much in line with core business strategies of innovation and creativity. We also have a largely young workforce, and Web 2.0 technology tools are something the younger generation have grown accustomed, and this acquaintance can be employed to our advantage in the recruitment field. When it comes to the employees call to connect with managers, the desire to believe in their commitment, and having the opportunity to have views fed upwards, the sharing medium of Intranet 2.0 is ideally suited to help facilitate these key engagement drivers. Web 2.0 tools flatten company hierarchy by providing a transparent path of communication between employees at all levels, from the Company Director down to the shop floor worker. It can provide staff across geographical location, irrespective of position or intellect, the opportunity to ‘float ideas on new products ranges, best practices, working procedures, etc. via live suggestion boxes. These ideas can appear in real time and will open to further comments / suggestions by all staff. Intranet 2.0 can also provide a channel for feedback on organisational news announcements, strategies, etc. This type of feedback can help â€Å"managers to gain insight into the needs and motivations of employees† (BlessingWhite, I nc. 2008). Indeed, employee attitude surveys[1] can be a regular feature of the system, the results of which can used to measure employee engagement and gauge feeling amongst the workforce, all of which can help ITC identify areas to focus improvement towards. The ability of such an Intranet to training and development tool cannot be underplayed. It can provide the workforce with the most up-to-date product information, tutorials, and marketing material, etc. This information does not have to appear in the way it did pre-Web 2.0, where static pages were displayed across the organisation, meaning each employee would be required to wade through pages in order to arrive at the relevant ‘nugget of information. Intranet 2.0 provides levels of personalisation to the point of providing â€Å"each employee with news updates focused on their job role† (Nielsen, J. 2009). This would be of particular benefit when it comes to areas such as the customer complaints we have been receiving from the call centre regarding staff not being â€Å"up-to-date† on products. For example, this type of system has capability to consistently display individual staff with the most â€Å"up-to-date† products details and Q A scripts, etc. As this Intranet 2.0 proposition is based on helping the flow of communication across the entire organisation, then logically, we would require all staff to have appropriate access to such a system. Head Office, call centre and retails staff are likely to have ready access to PC, laptop, mobile phone technologies in order to do this. In the factory, however, such access is very likely limited. To get around this, deployment of PCs / touch-screens at specific locations throughout the factory is recommended; perhaps inviting factory floor staff to use the system during lunch breaks, etc. Following the suggestion that we allow all employees across the site access the canteen, situating access in this area would also make sense. Web 2.0 technologies and business performance Beyond the obvious communication-flow benefits of Web 2.0 technologies, recent findings by the Aberdeen Group also provide positive figures for their business performance benefits. Saba (2009) reported that they found that 52 % of organisations who employed social networking tools, blogs, and wikis achieved ‘Best-in-Class compared to only 5% for those who did employ them. They also provided figures for Web 2.0 tools relation to employee engagement. They found an 18% average year-on-year increase in employee engagement for organisations employing Web 2.0 technologies in comparison to a mere 1% for those who did not Bratton, J. and Gold, J. (2007) Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice BlessingWhite, Inc. (2008) The State of Employee Engagement 2008 PDF download under heading of ‘Asia Pacific Overview Website: http://www.blessingwhite.com/research.asp?pid=1 Chi, C. G. and Gursoy, D. (2009) School of Hospitality Business Management, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4742, United States International Journal of Hospitality Management 28 (2009) 245-253 Website: http://www.sciencedirect.com CIPD (2009) An HR directors guide to employee engagement; Discussion paper PDF file available at: http://www.cipd.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/8DD2561A-D3E3-4E63-9F63-EF74736A17B1/0/hr_director_guide_employee_engagement.pdf CIPD (Revised January 2009) The psychological contract http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/empreltns/psycntrct/psycontr.htm CIPD (Revised November 2009) Employee engagement -How do employers build an engaged workforce? Website: http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/empreltns/general/empengmt.htm Dietz, G. (2009) The psychological contract during the downturn Website: http://www.management-issues.com/2009/8/10/opinion/the-psychological-contract-during-the-downturn.asp Guest, D.E. and Conway, N. (2002) Pressure at work and the psychological contract. London: CIPD Lombardi, M. (2009) Human Capital Management; Employee Engagement is Critical for Organizations Today Website: http://research.aberdeen.com/index.php/analyst-insight/human-capital-management?start=8 Nielsen, J. (2009) Jakob Nielsens Alertbox: 10 Best Intranets of 2009 Website: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/intranet_design.html Saba, J. (2009) Web 2.0 in Talent Management Website: http://research.aberdeen.com/index.php/human-capital-management/86-human-capital-management-insights/588-web-20-in-talent-management

Gillette Marketing Plan Essay -- Business Marketing Analysis Managemen

Gillette Marketing Plan Gillette's $9.2 billion global business began on September, 1901 by the name of "American Safety Razor Company. In 1902 it was names Gillette Safety Razor Company. The Gillette Company today is the global market leader in nearly a dozen major consumer products categories, principally in the grooming, alkaline battery and oral care businesses. It is the largest known company for producing razors and other shaving products. The five different business units Gillette focuses on are Blades & Razors, Duracell, Oral Care, Braun and Personal care. This project deals with the production of a disposable razor with incorporated gel. Gillette is the largest well known company for producing razors. The company receives the greatest profits from that operation. Gillette sells products in over 200 countries and has approximately 28,700 employees, 70& from which are outside of the US. Manufacturers operate at 31 facilities in 14 countries and 40% of sales come from NEW products for 11 consecutive y ears. The Gillette Company's Vision is to build Total Brand Value by innovating to deliver consumer value and customer leadership faster, better and more completely than their competition. This Vision is supported by two fundamental principles that provide the foundation for all of our activities: Organizational Excellence and Core Values. Organizational Excellence is accomplished by superior and continually improving performance in every area and at every level of the organization. Gillette's performance should be guided by a clear and concise strategic statement for each business unit. Excellence requires hiring, developing and retaining a diverse workforce of the highest caliber. The three core values that define the ... ...ategic direction of the company of holding the leadership position n the grooming market. Also, this strategy will fit with Gillette's major, sustainable, competitive advantage of being an industry innovator (3). Manufacturing the "Sensor 3 Gel" will add value to the organization, as it will reposition the Gillette Company as the undisputable industry leader. The "disposable razor" target market will be male population across the world. In 2002 more than 1.7 billion men over 15 years old removed hair daily with over 80% using a blade and a razor (2). These numbers show that there is a large market for razors worldwide. The "disposable razor" will first be manufactured with a regular shave gel to appeal to a large group of men. But in the long run, new and more focused groups will be targeted. Different shaving gels for different type of skins will be introduced.

Pick n Pay’s Essay

What is your strategy to reverse Pick n Pay’s loss of market share? Pick n Pay lost market share in part because it opened materially less space than some of its major competitors. A significant proportion of its capex was invested in supply chain technology infrastructure in recent years, which by its nature doesn’t drive sales compared to stores. Our capital focus is now on new stores and refurbishment, which will drive sales and, in time, profitability. Over the past year we have refreshed, without substantively altering our strategy. Our overarching ambition is for the Group to become the â€Å"Retailer of choice for all South Africans†. This builds on Pick n Pay and Boxer’s brand strength and strong store portfolio. Importantly this refreshed strategy does not represent a major departure from the strategy that has been followed for the past five years. We have seven themes geared to ensure that the business can grow sustainably and profitably. There is a balance of growth-driven priorities, focusing on space, customer, franchise and product, and those largely focused on improving efficiency such as replenishment and store operations. The â€Å"One Pick n Pay† initiative ties these together to ensure that the business works well as a unified whole. Strategic priority: Grow selling space ahead of the market There is substantial competition for retail space both within South Africa and in other African markets. Ensuring that Pick n Pay increases its overall share of trading space over the long term is an important strategic priority. Over the past three years our space growth has lagged that of our competition particularly into the faster growing lower income areas and small stores. This not only directly reduces our market share but also puts pressure on like-for-like sales growth. We will continue to develop store formats and channels that meet customers’ changing needs both in Pick n Pay and Boxer, in South Africa and beyond. Additionally we continue to build a pipeline of new sites, whether greenfield or through acquisition that will ensure we meet our aspirations. Strategic priority: Build deep customer relationships The launch of our customer rewards programme Smartshopper gives us a  significant opportunity to get to know our customers’ shopping habits and preferences substantially better than we do today. Since its launch in March 2011 the programme has been a great success. After just one year we now have over five million active cardholders, exceeding our initial target by two million. This enables us not only to know and understand each customer a great deal better, but to communicate with our customers in a different and more engaging manner. We have direct access to the vast majority of Smartshopper customers by either sms or email, which means that we can send targeted marketing communications directly to them. We can also ask for feedback directly from them. All of this translates into a very valuable two-way dialogue with our customers. As a result we are designing and executing marketing campaigns which are more relevant to our customers. We are extracting insights from their shopping habits data in order to tailor our product ranges and more accurately serve them. All of this will assist us in growing our sales volumes significantly. Strategic priority: Revolutionise Pick n Pay’s product offer During the past 12 months we have invested considerable time and resources in building a single specialised category buying division. Prior to the establishment of this division, Pick n Pay’s sourcing activities were distributed across the operating regions. This led to fragmentation of the Group’s buying scale, with each buyer having a wide range of products to source. Our new specialised category buying division is made up of category teams each of which is responsible for the end-to-end profitability of a specific product category. They are tasked with developing a product range that meets all customer needs, sourcing those products at the lowest possible cost, constructing shelf layouts that help customers find what they are looking for easily, building a promotional plan that generates customer excitement, increased volumes and higher margins, and ensuring that Pick n Pay’s prices remain hig hly competitive. Included in their responsibilities is the task of improving our Pick n Pay branded offer.

Medical Tourism Promotional Action Plan

Promotional Action Plan Medical Tourism Marvin Wilcox Saint Leo University Our marketing plan for 2013 will focus on several mediums that are aimed at providing detailed information on the company and services provided, reaching new targets and offering incentives to previous clients and maximizing exposure. Five venues were chosen to take full advantage of our budget of $100,000 . The following is a synopsis of each venue: 1. Building a website 2. YouTube videos 3. Social Media 4. Mass Mailing 5. Local Business Networking with AmbassadorAction Plan #1 * Action Item:A fully functioning professional website based in the U. S with search engine optimizing (SEO) at a cost of $25,000 to be implemented March 1, 2013. * Objective:With 87% of travelers using the internet for a bulk of their travel planning, medical tourism needs to take advantage of this opportunity to capture consumer attention. Increasing our search engine optimization (SEO) makes it more likely that someone will find you r business online. This will be our broadest advertising measure targeting that 87%. Description:Our website will be equipped with a language translator with languages relevant to the geographic chosen. The website will present a strong brand by stating who we are, why we are better and the quickest means of contact. It will also present testimonials to provide credibility and build familiarity and trust based relationships. * Target Market:250 million underinsured Americans and the 20% of 250 million Americans that have pre-existing conditions. in addition to the 750,000 Americans that already travel abroad for medical and dental services.Also the 38% of Americans that is open to health care abroad. * Metric:For the first 90 days of the website, we expect further inquiries of 35% of all site visitors, 50% registration to a free monthly newsletter and 68% of those visiting partnered tourism sites to be redirected. Action Plan #2 * Action Item:Monthly uploads to YouTube beginning Mar ch 1, 2013 in support of the official website. The service is currently free of charge. * Objective:To convey credibility through video testimonials consisting of 3-5 min in length.To present information about tourism, the forgotten half of medical tourism and to create familiarity and confidence through a personal connection. * Description:The videos will show satisfied and happy clients reporting the variance in cost between domestic and international medical procedures and how the money saved can be used towards vacationing in the same locale. Also, the videos will contain information about destinations, things to do, restaurants and attraction to enjoy the full experience of being abroad. Target Market: The 92% of consumers around the world that say they trust recommendations from family and friends above all other forms of advertising. The 85% of 30- to 50-year-olds and 51% of 65- 75-year-olds that are active social media users. * Metric:The method will be proven successful if we receive booking from 20% of the viewers. Another measure is for 65% of the viewing public follow the link to the official website and 50% of that number result in hard inquires, bookings or subscribers to the newsletter. Action Plan #3 Action Item:We will engagement potential clients on a personal level via Skype. The service will cost $168 for one year of unlimited international use. * Objective:To make potential customers feel they are receiving individualized and attentive care by a brand they can trust before they even step a foot in a hospital. Also, it is important to us to strengthen relationships and trust. This will provide a light consultation with professional to provide answers and resources for some the most frequently asked questions. Description:This medium provides presence or the availability and willingness of our professional to communicate. We will use it for high quality of voice and especially for its free PC to PC service. Other supporting features include video conferencing, SMS, voicemail, long distance conferencing and inexpensive calls during travel. * Target Market: There are 500 million Skype users worldwide with 40 million users logged on during peak hours. Our target market are generally individuals between 45-65 who have a medical need for surgery and are looking to save money by travelling abroad.The secondary target is those that request a face to face question and answer session via Skype and have been redirected by our website. * Metric:Optimization will be recognized when 25% of site visitors and 5% of peak users request a professional consult session and of that number a minimum of 25% booking. Action Plan #4 * Action Item:Our firm will engage in local business networking with ambassadors. This service requires hiring two individuals specializing in international tourism and medical administration at a total of $75,000 per year. Objective:To facilitate procurement of visas, booking travel and airport pick up and drop of f. We also wish to broker consultations with professionals, accommodate for post-operative recuperation and arrange travel insurance. * Description:Our ambassadors will be responsible for networking with travel agencies, medical and dental professionals and insurance companies. They will act as liaisons on behalf of the firm to foster relationships with supporting organizations. Their main goal is to streamline the process of informing and preparing a client for participation in our program.They will also develop a working relationship with local medical professionals for redirection of the underinsured. * Target Market: There are 2466 travel agencies in Virginia available for a mutually beneficial cooperation of professionals. Also, healthcare providers seeking to lower costs by 80%-90% in India or 50%-70% in the middle-east. * Metric:Realization of our efforts acceptable when sales from networking opportunities for the period of one year reach 6 times the cost of the action item. Action Plan #5 Action Item:We will run a direct mailing campaign with promotional rewards for referrals and a budget of $1500 to begin March 15, 2013. * Objective:We will attract customers by introducing our company, informing the public of our products and services, generate customer loyalty and make sales. Offer invitations to visit a local office, official website or webinar of our firm. Finally, we will offer discounts on first time bookings and referrals. * Description:Our firm will conduct our direct mailing through USPS.The main visual content will be of a popular Asian or Middle-Eastern vacation resort and a medical professional in uniform. We will offer a message of physical recovery in peaceful fun surroundings. The emphasis of the material will focus more on the vacation aspect than the medical procedures therefore inscriptions referencing entertainment and amenities will be larger than those concerning medical practices. Also, the material will include a picture of a gro up of Westerners (Americans and Europeans) in ordinary middle class attire to symbolize the affordability of our products and services. Target Market: Primary for this venue will be ordinary working Americans with a median income of $60,000 yearly, adequately to slightly under-insured between the ages of 45-65. Secondary for this venue are those with ongoing medical issues that travel abroad at least once every 5 years with incomes upward of $100,000. * Metric:Progressive indicators will be an increase in call volume, website visits and return request forms for more information. The expected result is a 10% verifiable response volume that results in either referrals or bookings.

Conventions, The Skull Beneath The Skin

P.D. James claims to have used â€Å"the well worn conventions of the mystery to subvert them, stretch them, use them to say something true about characters, about men and women and the society in which they live† in her book ‘The Skull Beneath the Skin'. She sought out to rewrite the ‘cosy' style and she achieved this by challenging the traditional conventions. The Skull Beneath the Skin’ is almost a hybrid text because it is Contemporary but also blends classic ‘cosy’ style conventions with hard-boiled characteristics. Firstly, the fact that James has made the detective female is a significant subversion, it conveys the changing times in which it was written, 1982. During this time, roles of women and their social roles and barriers were changing rapidly, and this is reflective in the novel. As well as challenging the role of women in society another obvious challenge to the genre of crime writing is the denouement is not performed at the end of the novel, as is usually the case for many traditional ‘cosy' novels, but is instead closer to the middle crisis and unravelling of the case. Cordelia does not perform the resolution herself and no other guests are present during its unfolding. Instead, Ambrose undertakes the denoument, much to the embarrassment and fallibility of Cordelia. Other slight subversions of the genre include the fact that Cordelia Gray has an uneasy past and she lacks the intellectual capacity of the traditional cosy detective and the isolated setting at Sir Ambrose Gorringe's Victorian castle is a convention of the cosy but the blending of the cosy with the gothic genre challenges the norm for crime writing. On the other hand occasionally a convention was seen to be adhered too which is often hard to avoid. In the Skull beneath the Skin Society is left unstable, as Ambrose was never put behind bars. The killings weren’t really justified by the characters, or justified in a way we could understand as normal people. This convention holds true to Contemporary Crime Fiction.

Writing An Academic paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Writing An Academic paper - Essay Example Magill v Magill is a recent legal case. Therefore, my research efforts would be targeted towards websites where I could read the case and the judgments that were tendered, as well as articles in law reviews dealing with the implications of the case. I would also refer to text books that contain materials on the general subject matter of the case, in this case paternity and tort. In the case of a book debt, I would first read financial websites and articles to gain an understanding of the subject and then look into legal websites to find articles dealing with the subject matter and my notes drawn from these sources would form the basis for my arguments and conclusions. I would first of all research Magill v Magill(2006) on Google. This would provide me with an idea about the case itself. The link http://www.canadiancrc.com/Magill/ Magill_High_Court_Media_release_09NOV06.htm provides me information which lets me know that the case of Magill is an Australian case which deals with paternity fraud and the tort of deceit. The CCH website deals primarily with business law while the LBC website has materials primarily on housing law, therefore I would not look into these websites, where it is unlikely that information on torts could be found. However the Australian legal website is likely to be a good source for specific information about the Magill case, as also the Lexis Nexis and/or Westlaw websites. On the Lexis Nexis Academic website, I go to the Legal link. The search terms I enter are â€Å"Magill v Magill† while the sources I specify would be the International Law Reviews combined. However, this search also pulls up several articles on another Magill case which concern intellectual property. So I refine my search by entering Magill v Magill within quotes, and requiring that the word â€Å"tort† be found in the documents retrieved, in order

Answering Questions on Digital Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Answering Questions on Digital Media - Essay Example Employing Graphic Design in VJum Amel design in the creation of R-Shief Labs makes it more appealing and conducive for the event at hand. This makes the poster give a different feeling of the overall event hence pull attendance in large numbers. VJ Um Amel is a media designer, is undertaking her PHD studies, and the maker of R-Shief Labs. Her performances and compositions consist of visual performance that is live, Media Graphics Planning and Designing, database Illustrator artist, and analyzing of network. She considers that a successful art panorama and digital knowledge are solutions to the 21st century autonomous performances. The volume of Ingenious Mechanical Devices by Ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari was done in the year 1206. It was debatably the most inclusive and meticulous anthology of the most modern acquaintance concerning automated apparatus and technicalities. The work methodically tabled out the technological advancements of a diversity of devices and machineries that both ty pified and extended obtainable acquaintance on robotics and automation (Al-Jazari, 6). Donald Hill, who decoded and had completed mainly to propagate the significance of the above-mentioned text, asserted, it is unfeasible to exaggerate the significance of Al-Jazari's vocation in the account of engineering. Until contemporary periods, there is the absence of another manuscript from whichever cultural and intellectual area that offers an equivalent prosperity of directives for the design and proposal, construction and assemblage of equipments. Al-Jazari at his times did not merely incorporate the methods of his Arab and non-Arab forerunners, but was also imaginative. This paper depicts al-Jazari's perspectives of work as a noteworthy input to the account of robotics and computerization as it facilitates a significant re-evaluation of typical concepts and the conservative history of computerization and consequently of robotics (Hill, 67). Al-Jazari's vocation of art is depicted as com mendable of what is termed as Islamic automation, where the concepts of power that have educated the conservative history of computerization and robotics are replaced by submission and compliance to the pace of the devices. In relation of Al-Jazari convictions of Islamic Automation to VJ Um Amel‘s project R-Shief, both employ the aspect of computerization, highlighted and encouraged the methodical progress of science and expertise in technology. They both employ the aspect of Islamic programming in their viewpoint of composition. Therefore, the connotation of anything in account or history is not permanent and monotonous, as it is opportunely understood in conservative historical techniques. The straight historiographical performance typically searches the origin, in which there is, Foucault asserts, an effort to confine the precise real meaning of things, their crudest potentials and their cautiously cosseted identities since this search supposes the subsistence of motionless forms that precede the peripheral world of misfortune and progression. Hill asserts that one major distinctive characteristic of the Islamic nations was an invariable striving after organization in order to put up machinery that would do without human intrusion for elongated periods. He affirms, numerous kinds of management, a number of which are deliberated of as fairly modern, were engaged to attain these outcomes:

How do YOU attempt to balance their responsibilities for child welfare Essay

How do YOU attempt to balance their responsibilities for child welfare and crime control To what extent are they successful - Essay Example Youth crime has become a significant problem in England especially in the socio-economically backward areas. A large number of youth come across some form of offending behavior in their lives whether as a perpetrator or as a victim. Most youth commit offence though the nature of the offences may not be serious. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the minimum age of criminal responsibility is set at 10 years while the boys and girls aged between 14 and 18 years are considered young adults. (Hollin et al 2). Sufficient evidence is available to prove that among children frequency in offending starts from the age of 8 and reaches the peak during the adolescent years at around the age of 16-17 years. Excessive levels of bullying and fighting, shoplifting, destruction to property, absence from school, defiant and provocative behavior, setting fires, physical attacks, graffiti and sexual assaults are some types of offending (Liabo and Richardson 14). The frequency in offending drops shar ply at the age of 18 years and there is a strong possibility that the young offenders actually emerge as law-abiding citizens. Siegel and Welsh (282) have observed that the participation and the frequency of offences by young offenders decrease as they age. However offending does not totally vanish; it exists in the form of underage driving and consumption of alcohol (Hollin et al 2). A report conducted by Civitas (The Institute for the Study of Civil Society) showed that every year around 70,000 school aged children entered Youth Justice System with half of these first time offenders being young adults. The report also stated that both male and female were proven guilty of offence; however the number of male offenders was greater with theft and physical attacks on people being the greatest number of offences committed by the youth (Natale 2010). In England the offending youth have a love-hate relationship with the public. The public strongly condemns the offending actions of the yo ung adults and considers them a threat to the lives and property of the public. On the other hand, the public also raises a hue and cry over the treatment meted out to the young offenders on the hands of law enforcement agencies. In early England, the young offenders were awarded the same punishment for petty offences as an adult. A child forced to steal a piece of bread out of hunger was a thief as was a grown up person who stole a valuable object. The outlook of the English Justice System has changed significantly and now young adults who offend are not treated as hardcore criminals. The Youth Justice System was established to deal with offending children and young adults and is very different from the adult justice system. According to the Youth Justice System, the young offenders should not be isolated from the society rather the whole community should work together to make them law abiding citizens. It believes that arrests and jail sentences do not stop the young offenders fro m re-offending rather it has been observed that often young adults turn into criminals when sent to prison. If offending is traumatizing for the victims, it also deeply affects the young perpetrator who often is not aware of the severity of his actions until it is too late. The children and young adults who offend need the support and help from all corners so that they do not re-offend and emerge as responsible citizens of the future. Why do Youth Commit Offence There are a number of reasons for which the young offenders commit crimes some of them being peer pressure (bullying), problems at home such as lack of discipline at home, violence at home, financial problems, poor housing, lack of communication between parents

Star Alpha Medicines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Star Alpha Medicines - Essay Example An example of a situation that human could suffer from his own innovations in the field of medicine is the case involving a drug called TGN1412 in England, where 6 lives were threatened in March 2006. This incident highlighted ethical issues in clinical study design and safety monitoring. The main stakeholders in the case given include the StarAlpha Medicines, with its research and Development Department directly involved, and Country X with the direct participation of its citizen specifically the poor women who will be the potential subjects of the clinical trials to be carried out. StarAlpha Medicines could benefit a lot if the CEO's suggestion will materialize. The said pharmaceutical company, as the future main distributor of the drugs being developed, will be able to achieve skyrocketing sales. Also, if the strict procedures in clinical trials being observed in Europe will not be followed and taken for granted, instead it will be carried out in country X where a more favorable conditions for clinical trial are offered, it will be an effective mean of cost-cutting on the part of the pharmaceutical company - less expense but big revenues. Country X on the other hand, will reap both the positive effects and the possible negative outcome of the test. If the drug will be administered to poor, sick women, and the result will be successful, then Country X has found a cheap and easy way of providing treatment to its sick citizens. However, if the wellness and safety of the women to be subjected to the study will be overlooked, instead of being recipients of good health and a cure to their illness, they will be exposed to potential and real health risks. It could be possible that their health will be more endangered or that their system could possibly develop a negative response to the drugs which could then end to severe complications. Administering the drug without following a strict procedure in taking the needed test for its effectiveness and safety could be reasons for overlooking important concerns to its effects to the human body. A series of physiological reactions could take place beyond the control and knowledge o f the pharmaceutical industry. Problems not anticipated by the Research Department will be to the expense of the patients' welfare, the poor citizens desperate for cure to their illness are the ones who are always at risk, the ones who will mostly suffer the consequences of irresponsible clinical trials. Clinical trials, obviously subject human life into studies with the objectives that meaningful outcome will be achieved or for hypothesis being tested to be proven or disprove. These trials involve people - it could be a mother with kids leaning on her, a father with a family depending on him, or a boy who spends his day in the hospital bed when he should have a cheerful and sunny day in the park. These subjects are people with hearts that beat, with life worthy of utmost respect. And so, that's why ethics in the practice of medicine need to be of important considerations. Ethical considerations could be influenced by philosophical, religious, moral or legal perspectives and beliefs. In the conduct of clinical trials, one of the important elements to be

Self-Awareness And Effective Communication Essay

Self-Awareness And Effective Communication - Essay Example The article also gives tools for developing self-awareness. The first idea is being open to critical self-reflection (Self-Awareness Workshop, n.d). The self-reflection process involves examining one's thought, emotions, and behaviors. After reflection, willingness to change is essential though a difficult step in achieving applicable self-awareness. I approve the ideas presented in this article. Self-awareness is essential for not only effective communication but also the quality of life in general.The communication process involves encoding a message by the source, the channeling process and decoding of the message by the recipient. Effective communication involves presenting one's idea or information in a way that minimizes problems in all the stages of communication. In the current work environment, there are various modes of communication used. Effective communication using all these modes become a necessary skill. The article â€Å"Communicate at your best† presents tool s and tips to improve one’s communications skills to achieve full effectiveness. It focuses on listening, report writing, email writing, presentations and meeting management (Manktelow, 2011). What I found particularly helpful was the self-assessment section after each area discussed. The sections encourage reflection and make the ideas presented applicable. I was able to improve my skills by identifying my areas of weakness. This article also included additional sources that offer more information on the subject.

Current Trends in Technology Essay Example for Free

Current Trends in Technology Essay School is no longer limited to simple reading, writing and arithmetic. The use of technology has expanded the prospect for education, giving us never-ending possibilities. Therefore, technology deserves significant school attention in order for students to possess technological survival skills. The positive effects of how it can be used in the classroom to enable learning for teachers and students will be explored as well as the need to ensure job stability in the future. What lesson ideas can teachers do using technology? Assign a digital presentation. Students can express themselves more clearly using technology. Technology can be used extensively for language arts. Student reports no longer have to be limited to a written report. Students now are able to have access to unlimited books online. Therefore, teachers are only limited by the student’s ability to access a computer. Web quest is also a tool used for literature exploration. Teachers are able to use media clips to show in class. Videos are available online that help many teachers provide a visual aid to the lesson that they are teaching. Power point presentations enhance instruction in the language arts classroom by storing daily objectives in a PowerPoint presentation and begin each class session by sharing the daily objectives. Creating PowerPoint presentations for essential notes and providing students the slides using the handout option will prevent students from focusing on simply copying the notes from the board or overhead. They will listen to teacher comments and make meaningful notes in the spaces provided. The amount of information on each slide should be limited to one or two important bullets. Students should be encouraged to use PowerPoint presentations when they are required to present to the class. Their self-expression and creativity can be explored with the program’s design options. Reading strategies can be done with the use of technology. During reading teachers can help students activate prior knowledge and generate predictions in order to comprehend text. Teachers can do this when they introduce a reading lesson or topic. Using a multi-media approach, the teacher shows pictures, slides, or clips that is similar to the story concept. Real life connections can also be made with the help of these visuals, as well as helping them create mental images. Students can be asked to make predictions on what they think the story is about. Their answers and responses can be recorded and played back to them after the story is over. This stimulates their interest in the current reading lesson. They will be keener to paying attention and listening. They will be eager to hear their responses played back to them to see if their predictions were correct. Internet provides access to public domains. It also gives students the freedom to read some of the greatest written books and materials. Using websites provides students with a greater knowledge of historical and social foundations in which many pieces of literature rest upon. Printouts of short stories found on line can be distributed to the class. They can be required to read the text and highlight the story concepts such as setting, characters and etc. Teachers and students can also set up a blog that is viewed by their class only. This allows the students to express their ideas and thoughts with the teacher and vice versa. Students can share ideas with classmates and also read one another’s post. This helps tighten the bond between teacher and student and bring classmates closer together. They will all have something in common that they are a part of. There are a number of strategies that can be used in the teaching of reading for students. If a teacher is uncertain how they can integrate technology into their reading instruction, there are many websites that gives lesson plans and ideas. Technology also can be used with writing. Teachers are able to have advance writing instruction with the help of technology. Projectors can be used for students to see the writing process modeled by their teachers. This gives students a chance to see how the procedure works from rough drafting to final revisions. There is a lot of software available that help kids make their story come alive. Programs are available that read their story back to them. How awesome is that? Kids can hear what their writing sounds like and this offers a chance for them to critique it even farther. Microsoft Word is a poplar application program that is used widely in education. This program allows and helps students recognize grammatical and spelling errors. This provides students with guidance on writing a correct composition. It also guides students as well as help them overcome and accomplish the task of terminology difficulty. They are provided with a vast selection of terms. Websites are available that demonstrate proper organization and correct format for writing. It helps with the building and organization of thoughts for a paper. These websites serve as a learning tool. They assist teacher and students in recognizing rational and well thought-out writing ideas. Researching these web sites inspire students with many writing ideas they may have been blocked from. Not to mention, the expansion of the writing curriculum for students with disabilities have greatly been expanded. These students are now able to use voice and touch screen programs as a way to express their ideas. This method is much more effective than the use of paper and pencil. These programs assist these students in developing language skills as well as writing skills. The internet allows for the publishing of student’s work. This procedure makes the idea of an audience more real to them. It can motivate students to become authors and possibly encourage a future in the writing field. There are many websites that offer contests for student’s writing. Teachers should take time to find challenges for their students and inspire them to write for profit. There are many schools that don’t have the privilege of having available reference books. Many publishers have made their reference books available online. Another way to get students to write is student produced newspapers. This is a great practice for their writing skills. It also allows them to be creative, productive and organized. Technology can be used as a written language convention. Students reinforce their grammar skills with online games and activities. This is a way students can have fun with dry material. Oral language can be improved with the use of technology. PowerPoint presentations allow students to organize their speeches and make the audience follow along with the presenter and the teacher to assess a student’s performance. Project based learning can greatly be increased with the use of technology. This is a way students can use technology in proportion to real life situations. Students are able to make decisions in small groups based upon their design, problem solving, resolutions, and analytical measures. This allows students the freedom to be n charge and have full control over their own project. They will be digging deep into those critical thinking skills in order for their project to run smoothly. It gives them more creative independence. This serves as a hands-on learning experience in order for students to answer and relate to the main ideas and standards of the subject area. These encounters are related to e veryday life. Students will be able to take what they’ve learned and apply it in their own life. Students are also able to get involved with projects which connect classes together around the world. The internet provides structure and resources for students to do research on an international level. The use of technology broadens student’s horizons, their goals and beliefs. They can actually connect to another part of the world. They can learn cultural information about places they’ve only heard about. It gives them a chance to explore what’s out there in the world from inside their classroom. What better way for a child to learn about new things than being in a school environment? This is safer for our kids. It takes down the risk of them exploring outside of school on their own. A lot of children don’t know what’s out there because they’ve never been exposed to new surroundings. Children tend to stray away more so out of being curious. Why not fulfill that curiosity by exploring it in class? Project based learning allows children to feed their curiosity by allowing them to choose and have control over what they want to learn. What about drugs, sex and weapons? These are all subjects that kids can explore using technology as a guide. They can research the most harmful drugs in the United States and compared it to the harmful drugs in another country. Teenage pregnancy rate and STD’s can be compared or examined around the world. Weapons that are used to kill children and or our soldiers can be brought to the student’s attention. These subjects are also crucial one’s that need to be discussed with our youth. Students can present their information and their results to the class. They can also come up with a way they feel these problems can be solved or minimized. There might be a student who’s considering having sex, once they research and see the effects of sex up close and personal (i. e. regnancy and STD’s) maybe their mind will be changed. Another one might be interested or all ready taking drugs. They will gain knowledge about what drugs really do to your body. Guns are growing more and more poplar. Students can see first hand the consequences of these weapons. The innocent lives that is lost due to carelessness. As a result of the use of technology, project based learning can be upgraded trem endously and provide a whole new level of learning experiences, which will be beneficial to the student in the long run. Technology can be used to provide visual learning. Digital storytelling challenges students to take their written ideas and translate them into a visual medium. They could write a script then produce a video. Teachers can create rubrics for assessing students, writing and speaking. Teachers can use projectors in the classroom to show photographs, videos or slides. These visual aids keep students engage in the instruction they are receiving. A teacher can integrate a video to go along with the lesson they are teaching. A student can only get so much from a lecture. Most people are visual learners. A video can reemphasize the information that the teacher is trying to convey. That allows those students who weren’t able to grasp the understanding or the concept of the lesson an alternative measure. Teachers can also use technology as visual aids by printing out statistical information for students to see. They can make printouts of graphs and charts to reiterate a particular subject. There are many websites available that provide many resources and tips teachers can use to create hands-on visual aids in their classroom. This will be a great way to allow students to work together as a team. It will decrease isolation among students. They all can work in teams to research a project on the internet. Teachers can also ask students to use the internet to come up with an audio visual project they can share with the class. Students have fun and learn more when they can see what they are learning. Point blank students will be excited and eager when they are able to participate and contribute to their own learning. Shouldn’t they be able to donate and feed their own minds? Technology as visual aids is a way they can connect their interest to learning. Another visual aid that the teacher can use is handouts. Handouts are a way to reinforce the instruction that is given. It gives students a general overview of the material as well as identifying the key points. This will cut down on confusion and students will be clearer on the focus points. Visual aids, especially audio visual help many students that have different learning styles. This strategy brings mode of students who don’t have the so called, â€Å"norm† learning style. In history this can be used for students to see some of the places they are iscussing. Students can view pictures and artifacts through the web that will really make the lesson come alive for them. They will be like, â€Å"Wow this really happened! † or â€Å"Wow this really did exist! † There are many websites that provide simulations for certain subject areas for students. Science is a subject where there is no limit to what students can explore and research with the help of the i nternet. Students can look up all types of animals and insects. This will be much more fun than just reading about them in their textbooks. They can even print out certain information they have found, with teacher approval of course. Visual aids are an awesome way to turn a classroom into an adventurous experience instead of a place. Teachers can benefit tremendously from the use of technology. Technology can help boost the relationship between students and teacher. It affects the way teachers instruct and give a lesson. Technology is a level where students and teachers can relate and identify on. Teachers can use computer tools to reorganize record keeping and clerical tasks, in order to free up time for instruction or professional development. Teachers are able to keep track of grades, behavior and other classroom information with the use of a computer. This information can be saved and always be available for the teacher to pull up at the demand of a parent. This cuts out paper work that can often be misplaced. Teachers can input their lesson plans and goals on the handout for parents to have a record as well. Therefore isolation will be decreased by using e-mail and the Internet to communicate with colleagues, parents, and the outside world. What grown up doesn’t have an e-mail? E-mail is a great way for parents to communicate with teachers effectively when face to face is not possible. Teachers are so busy; often they don’t have the time to call each individual parent. Simple questions and information can be exchanged through e-mail. This mode also help out working parents who can’t often answer a phone call when their busy. A click in their e-mail and this problem can be eliminated. Professional development activities can be increased by taking distance education courses, accessing educational research, and accessing classroom materials such as lesson plans. Teachers will be able to take courses that their principal may suggest through the use of the internet. They can also take classes that can help further their education online. Also, teachers will not have to leave their classroom when they are looking for additional activities for their students. They can search the internet for educational ideas that will help productivity in their classroom. Teachers can find video clips and other materials that will go hand in hand with their lesson plans. These can serve as great visual aids and teaching tools when giving instruction. If a student poses a question that the teacher may be unclear of the answer, they can look it up together. There are a wide variety of tools that are available to help teachers transform their classroom into a more exciting place for learning. Smart boards are growing more and more poplar. These non traditional boards are a way for teachers to transmit information from their computer screen to the class. Their also software available that help teachers set up websites for their class. Teachers can create websites that are designated specifically to the concept they are teaching, for the purpose of helping their students. This eliminates those web sites teachers are not comfortable with their students exploring. The teaching of technology to our kids will help secure them a successful career in the future. In a demanding economy, technology skills are required to stay ahead. Jobs are being lost everyday. Why not ensure our children a spot in the years to come? Technology is used even in the simplest profession. Students not only need to learn the skills that are evident in the workforce today, but also be ready and prepared for the technology changes that will happen in the future.