Management Communications with Technology Tools

Managing organizational change and improvement is one of the most complex tasks of leadership. Leaders need to understand the change process in order to lead and manage change and improvement efforts effectively. Leaders must learn to overcome barriers and cope with the chaos that naturally exists during the complex process of change. Managers and other organizational leaders should assist workers and other stakeholders build effective teams by developing new organizational structures and creating a shared vision that focuses on mission accomplishment and developing new organizational structures and creating a shared vision that focuses on mission accomplishment and attainable objectives. When such inspired and informed leadership is applied, organizations can improve performance. As noted by Harrison (1993) use of the process-oriented approach to managerial decision making with its strong managerial emphasis and its objectives-oriented outcomes is the model recommended for decisions with discernible levels of uncertainty attendant on the outcome. Such decisions include those made at middle and upper levels of management both in the private and the public sectors where the consequences are of high levels of significance to the total organization. Included in this category are all decisions of a strategic nature and those involving appreciable commitments of resources directed towards the long-term enhancement of the corporation or institution. â€Å"The process model is ideal for these kinds of decision because it is forward looking in that it has a planning emphasis not apparent in the other models of decision making. The process model is oriented towards innovation and organizational change with a particular emphasis on long-term results. It relies principally on the judgment of the decision maker, but not to the exclusion of computation or compromise to fit special decision-making situations† (Harrison, 1993). According to Alexa Michael (2009) â€Å"a company needs accurate, reliable and timely information on performance, which must flow up through an organization regularly. It should be simple, easy to measure and focused on the long term†. One solution for managing organizational change and improvement according to David Blanchard (2009) â€Å"is developing a set of highly descriptive key performance indicators (KPIs) that include precise times, quantities and other numerical measurements so that everyone is on the same page about what it will take to achieve acceptable on-time, accurate and cost-effective performance levels†. Using a range of KPIs that include financial and non-financial measures to gauge how successful the business is in achieving its goals will improve its performance. The KPIs should be simple, easy to measure and focused on the long term. A company also needs to address the issue of cash-flow management. Managing cash-flow variability tops the agenda for most companies. â€Å"Identifying and fixing friction points that hinder operating capital as it flows across the balance sheet from inventory and payables to accounts receivable† (Driscoll, 2009) is an organizational change critical to a company’s long-term viability. Another organizational change for improvement is the idea of Lean Performance Improvement. Successful lean performance improvement initiatives have front-line workers generating, processing and implementing ideas. Using the high-performance idea system front-line employees drive the lean improvement process with regular and ongoing engagement with daily problems and opportunities. With successful organizational change a company can use this process-focused approach to build their own lean culture. Harrison (1993) tells us that â€Å"the components of the decision-making process for the process model are the functions of decision making which include setting managerial objectives, searching for alternatives, comparing and evaluating alternatives, the act of choice, implementing the decision, and following up and controlling the decision. The process model with its managerial emphasis drawing selectively on the disciplines of economics, mathematics, statistics, philosophy, psychology, sociology, political science, anthropology and law. The process model’s objective-oriented outcome approach best allows for successful adaptation of organizational change leading to long-term success†. The implementation strategy for the organizational change that includes the introduction of key performance indicators (KPIs), lean performance initiatives and cash-flow management will be both top-down and bottom-up. Clear communication that brings employees of all levels on board with the changes being made and how it affects them and the future of their company and job must be made. Ensuring that all stakeholders understand that they have a say in the success of their company and therefore increased success for themselves is paramount. The KPIs will be both financial and non-financial. KPIs will be used to monitor factors that are known to create value within the business. KPIs will help ensure that the following things are in place, â€Å"products and services that are attractive to consumers both now and in the future, clear objectives that are communicated properly to the workforce, desires for continuous improvement, useful management information and effective financial control, efficient services and distribution, good, well-informed managers, and regulatory compliance with minimum disruption to organizational routines† (Michael, 2009). Developing and using a checklist to monitor and asses these key performance indicators will be done. The checklist will be a series of questions that properly answered will help determine whether or not the company is getting value from their business and will eliminate a problem identified by Roger Chevalier (2009) in his article about analyzing performance where part of the problem with the performance was that â€Å"expectations for performance are unclear†. Answering the questions yes or no for both now and in the future will help look at the factors that can improve or destroy the value of the business. Questions such as, â€Å"spreading your buying/selling contracts too widely over time, hostage to one or two buying/selling contracts or customers/suppliers, sure your purchase/sales order books are firm and go forward far enough, buying/selling on a growing/declining trend in real terms, buying/selling any products at a loss, using cross-selling and up-selling techniques to improve sales, monitoring whether your purchases arrive on time and are of the right quality to meet your manufacturing schedules, satisfied that your suppliers’ terms, and your own terms to customers, are competitive, aware of the financial implications of your pricing policy, loyal to good customers/suppliers, scheduling orders to obtain better terms, developing your competitive position, fostering your company’s reputation and brand values, developing your business processes to create more value, enhancing staff skills to improve your competitive advantage† (Michael, 2009). Another strategy to implement that overlaps with the key performance indicators will be the lean performance improvement initiatives. â€Å"A successful lean implementation will result in various operational and financial improvements. Operational improvements include higher quality and productivity as well as lower nonproductive capacity and lead times. Some financial improvements realized from a successful lean implementation include increased cash flows, lower inventory levels, and lower costs† (Searcy, 2009). Successful lean performance improvement initiatives generate significant front-line involvement in identifying and implementing opportunities for improvement. As noted by Robinson and Schroeder (2009) in these initiatives ideas are integrated into everyday work, the emphasis is on small ideas, front-line performance metrics focus ideas on what is important, and both managers and workers are held accountable for their roles in the idea process. The strategy for implementing change with regard to the issue of cash-flow management will focus on forecasting as the key activity to improve. The forecasting of cash outflows and cash inflows both need to be accurate. According to Mary Driscoll (2009) â€Å"the bent of the typical finance function which tends to be accounting-oriented, concentrated on the accurate recording of journal entries and the consolidation of data from across the enterprise for statutory and management reporting†. Also according to the article by Driscoll (2009) â€Å"the key to cash-flow forecasting was more accurate demand forecasts†. Consideration of successful measurement techniques with the key performance indicators (KPIs) will be whether or not the business added value. Use the KPIs to ensure that the selling price covers costs of production and promotion. Use the KPIs to help the business work more closely with customers and suppliers to ensure a competitive advantage (Michael, 2009). Successful measurement of the lean performance improvement initiatives can be achieved by measuring employee morale and productivity. â€Å"Pyromation decided to integrate problem-identification and idea-generation into the regular work of front-line employees. Idea boards were set up, supervisors were trained in idea-meeting facilitation, and weekly shop-floor idea meetings were scheduled. In this way, front-line workers were given the opportunity to use the tools and techniques of lean production that they had been taught. The resulting stream of improvement ideas made an enormous difference. In two years, productivity increased by a third, lead-time was cut by 60 percent, and late deliveries were reduced by 70 percent† (Robinson and Schroeder, 2009). Successful measurement of the strategy for implementing change to cash-flow management will result in ensuring that â€Å"all managers understand that, in addition to the importance of earning a return on investments, the company needs steady cash flow to support operations and our credit position† (Driscoll, 2009). Ensuring the accuracy of cash in-flow estimates will require greater cooperation between management in getting speedy and precise analyses regarding booked sales that can be counted on as income and asking about sales pipelines, pricing, marketing effectiveness and channel viability. The internal revenue growth assumptions will need to be examined closely to ensure accuracy. If the internal numbers do not match industry outlooks the companies position will need to be reevaluated to ensure that it is not taking on a risky position. Managing organizational change and improvement requires leaders themselves to change. The leaders will have to bring in all stakeholders within the company into the management process. The leaders that overcome the barriers that traditional leadership throughout industry has always had in place will succeed in developing new organizational structures that create a shared vision focusing on the mission of the business. The shared vision in turn will improve the performance of the business which in turn increases the viability of the business. Working with the process model today’s leadership can eliminate the old management style of top-down leadership that did not value or effectively utilize the experience and front-line vision of its front-line employees. The process model can also be effectively used within the upper management as they improve the cash flow management of the business. Going beyond the traditional role of the accounting office and interacting with management from sales and production will enable cash flow analysis that carefully examines cash in-flow as well as cash out-flow creating a more solid financial picture of the business. This enhanced view of the balance ledger will enable the business to be better protected financially during turbulent business cycles. Identifying Key Metrics in Performance Measurement of Organizational Change ultimately involves more than just examining numbers on a data sheet. Those kinds of metrics, numbers on a data sheet, are valuable, but only within the context of the environment that they come from. The metrics that measure the human element are still the most important. The key performance indicators (KPIs), the lean performance improvement initiatives and the cash flow analysis all still require the human element to be useful.

Pr to “My Left Foot”

Personal Response to Text â€Å"My Left Foot† By Isis Horne â€Å"It would be difficult to exaggerate the degree to which we are influenced by those we influence. † ~ Eric Hoffer. Parents greatly influence their children; most often people forget that children also greatly influence their parents. Children and everything they do have such a colossal impact on a parents life, and we as children are so caught up in ourselves that we often forget that even the most insignificant act in our minds changes everything a parent does or goes about handling it.A wonderful example of how children and parents influence each other is the memoir â€Å"my left foot† by Christy Brown. Children are always watching their parents, how they do things, how they act, and their beliefs. In the text â€Å"My Left Foot† It is suggested that parents influence their children to succeed by believing in them and encouraging them. Mrs. Brown’s actions influenced Christy tremendo usly, she showed that parents effect the way their children turn out. Mrs. Brown showed loyalty to her son when family and doctors said he was an imbecile, and should be put into an asylum.She did not put Christy into an asylum, instead she let him live normally with his parents in a loving home. This Gave Christy the chance to live like any other child would. Her Patience, and compassion for Christy is shown when she sat with Christy for hours trying to communicate with him, and she never gave up trying, and encouraging him. Her patience paid off when Christy was trying to write the letter â€Å"A† on the chalkboard with his foot, she kept encouraging him to keep trying until he succeeded to write the letter, and she was so proud, she cried tears of joy.Through Mrs. Browns Persistence of not letting Christy give up, or allowing others to look down on Christy, he became a published writer, and successful in his life. I have been suffering from Bipolar 1 and psychosis since I was an infant, later on while I was still a very young child I started suffering from post –traumatic stress as well. My mother was always there encouraging me no matter how hard it was going to make things for her. Every time I broke from reality, and the demons where scaring me she comforts me, and encourages me hat they’re not real, and nothing is going to hurt me with her around. Sometimes that worked, but then the demons started saying and threatening to eat her, to dismember her and the like; that made me very scared and so I tried to kill myself for the first time so that the demons would die with me, I was only 7 years old. My crazy mood swings where literally throwing my mothers life out of wack. One moment I would be ecstatic, then not a few minutes later I would be a weeping willow in the pitiful land of depression. It was very hard for my mother to find help for me, but she was persistent.In the Winter of 2010, I faced the worst depression faze I had ever e xperienced. My Mother put me into a hospital because knew I was not safe and she couldn’t protect me. I was kept 4 weeks at that hospital when the discharge limit is two weeks; the doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. I was diagnosed with bipolar 1, with sever psychosis there, and was discharged. Though I was safe enough to be let back into the world, my depression was still at a high peek, my mom found various psychiatrists, but none knew how to help me.My mom kept looking, until she found a treatment program in Calgary call Adolescent Day Treatment Program. They took me in almost immidiatly, and for 8 months I started my slow recovery. Because of my mothers persistence in finding help for me, driving me in from Cochrane to Calgary every morning and back, I was able to overcome my depression, control my demons, I am not in the constant terror that was holding me back from living a normal life anymore.My Mother is a very smart woman, and she always is pu shing me to do my best. She provides such a wonderful life for me, if it weren’t for her influences, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I know that I will succeed in my life, she taught me that. I know that I am smart, and am capable of doing all the same things and more as anyone else. The confidence I gained from my mother and at ADTP had such a positive impact on my life, it’s hard not to see that with confidence there is next to nothing you can’t accomplish in this world.

Comitatus & Chivalry

Comitatus and Chivalry are two concepts that resounded all throughout the Medieval Ages. However, while the two are closely related, there is a clear difference between them. Between the two, Chivalry is perhaps more recognized, but not necessarily more widely-practiced. Bennett in his book, Dictionary of Ancient & Medieval Warfare, traces the origin of Comitatus to reign of Emperor Diocletian where Germanic and Roman commanders were assigned a comitatus, soldiers who held â€Å"direct allegiance to their individual commander, rather than to the army as a whole.(2001, 81)The term later on evolved to describe the dynamics that exists between a warrior and his Lord. Comitatus holds that while both are still in the battlefield, actively fighting, neither lord nor warrior can leave the scene of battle for any reason. Both entered the battle, and both should leave at the same time. This may be where the â€Å"leave no man behind† phrase comes from. This agreement that exists betwe en Germanic Lords and his subordinates is believed to have given rise to the feudal system, where the serfs owed loyalty to their feudal lord.Some scholars maintain that there is no break between the original comitatus of the Roman Empire and the vassals of the Middle Ages (Powicke, 1949, 92) Chivalry describes the virtues practiced by the knights of the Middle Ages. It is hard to place a specific definition to chivalry, but it is a moral and social code which advocated honor, courage, and respect. When we talk of chivalry, we conjure images of a knight in shining armor, ready and able to rescue us from our dire circumstances (Frantzen, 204, 1)Comitatus is a code that binds soldiers to their commanders, while chivalry is a code that binds men to the principles of honor and virtue, wherever they may be. While both concepts refer to relationships and values, comitatus is more about loyalty and courage in battle, while chivalry is more about loyalty and courage in all aspects of life. Chivalry presupposes comitatus, but comitatus does not necessarily mean chivalry.

OPENING DOORS A study of the Read To A Child program in the South Bend Essay

OPENING DOORS A study of the Read To A Child program in the South Bend School Corporation - Essay Example It is unfortunate that 40 percent of all nine-year-olds score below the basic level on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).Moreover, there is a continuing gap between white students and African-American and Hispanic students. While 69 percent of African-American and 64 percent of Hispanic students scored below basic in 1994, only 31 percent of white fourth graders did. This is caused due to various socio-economic conditions coupled with lack of background knowledge of phonemes or speech sounds to the children belonging to this community. This is the reason that several ambitious projects aimed at enabling a child to read at grade level have been initiated both by the government ('No Child Left Behind' and 'America Reads') and volunteering agencies. One such project initiated by South Bend Community School Corporation is "Read to a Child Program" with a mission to ensure that a child develop a love for reading and is able to read well and independently by the end of the third grade. Reading is not developmental or natural, but is learned and requires a lot of practice, caring environment, background knowledge and motivation not only to be provided by the school but also by all the care-givers, parents, grand- parents, relatives, other community members and volunteers. Children who fall behind at an early age (K and grade 1) fall further and further behind over time. Longitudinal studies show that of the children who are diagnosed as reading disabled in third grade, 74% remain disabled in ninth grade (Fletcher, et al., 1994; Shaywitz, Escobar, Shaywitz, Fletcher, & Makuch, 1992; Stanovich, 1986; Stanovich & Siegel, 1994). Treatment intervention research done at The National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) educational research program has shown that appropriate early direct instruction seems to be the best medicine for reading problem. The purpose of providing extra instructional time is to help children achieve levels of literacy that will enab le them to be successful through their school careers and beyond. This paper is meant to study the policies and practices and strategies being employed towards the target of achieving proficiency in reading by our young readers both by the government and volunteering agencies especially in South Block Community School Organization and how effective they have been in achieving the task at hand and what further improvement in the strategies and practices and learning designs are called for in order to make the programs more effective. Located in north-central Indiana, South Bend Community School Corporation is St. Joseph county's oldest and largest school corporation, and the fourth largest school corporation in Indiana and apart from traditional students, it caters to the needs of a significant number of special needs students and students coming from different ethnic background , resultantly the achievement gaps which are differences in the levels of learning among different demographic student subgroups because of their socio-economic conditions and exist nationally, are much wider here than anywhere else. The challenge of bringing these students at par with other students of the same

How Change Management Theories can be Utilize when Planning for Essay

How Change Management Theories can be Utilize when Planning for Incremental Change - Essay Example According to the report it is essential to know about Starbuck’s organizational structure before one can effectively examine how change management theories can be applied in the case of Starbucks when planning for an important incremental change. Since the use of a functional structure could make the company’s response to market and environmental change in a very slow phase, Starbucks is using a combined centralized and decentralized form of authority when managing organizational change.This study outlines that  Starbucks combined using centralized and decentralized form of authority in the sense that the company’s major decision-making power is highly controlled by Schultz. To ensure the quality service rendered by each of Starbuck’s baristas to its valued customers, a regional manager is usually assigned to manage the company’s store managers who are in-charge of managing the work quality and training of each Barista.  Because of the continuou s changes in the U.S. market, the CEO of Starbucks – Mr. Schultz exerted extra effort to communicate to the general public about its effort to improve its business performance particularly in the United States where the unemployment rate remains high and demand for retailed coffee is low. In order to win back the trust of its valued customers and maximize the ability of Starbucks to gain more revenues, Schuartz talks about the need to develop and implement new business strategies that could make the company optimize the use of its available resources effectively.

Economic Reforms in Asian Countries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Economic Reforms in Asian Countries - Essay Example Supply and demand determines prices and the state intervenes only at the margin. (Craig, 2002). Market socialism refers to an economic system that combines both capitalism and socialism in its practice. (Guo, 2005). It is an economic system where economic law is in direct conflict with political monopoly because it each prevents the recognition of the other. (Guo, 2005). Loss making and less liquid firms can be bailed out from financial distress by the government through the transfer of funds from profit making firms to the insolvent firms under market socialism. (Guo, 2005). Also, the leadership style adopted by chief executive officers or managers is the bureaucratic leadership style and subordinates or employees have no option than to respect the rules and regulations laid down by the manager if they want to keep their jobs and advance their careers. (Guo, 2005). Business success and the concern for customers is not the primary objective of operative business. (Guo, 2005). Therefore market socialism does not allow for competition among firms and as such there is doubt as to how far such an economy can go. To better understand whether the reform has taken a capitalistic of a market socialistic approach, we will carry out a review of some of the reforms in a selected number of Asian Countries including; China, Vietnam, Korea and Laos. China Following the fall of Mao's followers between 1976-1978, market reforms began in China with the reformers taking over the entire party-state apparatus. (Guo, 2004). Two groups of reformers existed the radical and the moderate groups. The two groups had similar objectives of improving the economic performance Chinese socialist economic system, promote economic modernisation, and improve the standards of living of the entire population, with the major difference being the scope and pace or extent of reforms. (Guo, 2004). Moderate reformers were of the view that China should be launched in the direction of a planned or state controlled economy and restricted the operations of the market to agricultural goods and inessential public sectors, industries or areas. They emphasized that the market should be regarded as a support mechanism for the allocation of resources and determination of prices. (Guo, 2004). In addition, the moderate reformers advocated a slow approach to the reforms process with allowances for adjustments during which imbalances could be resulting from the reforms process could be rebalanced. (Guo, 2004). The moderate reformers also desired to exert strict administrative control over certain important aspects of the economy especially investment and foreign exchange. (Guo, 2004). Finally, the moderate reformers stressed the importance of the basic principles of socialism put forward by Lenin, Marx and Stalin (planned economy, public ownership the factors of production, and distribution according to labour). (Guo, 2004). On the other hand the radical reformers defined socialism in a less restrictive way and excluded the planned economy as one of the basic principles of socialism. However, while maintaining the dominant position of public ownership, they recognized the need for flexibility so as to allow for the existence of a diversified ownership structure (Guo, 2004). There were a lot of

Discuss in what ways have these two technological innovations had an Essay

Discuss in what ways have these two technological innovations had an impact on international relations - Essay Example In addition to its ability to connect the different IT systems, internet also facilitates people on individual level to connect to one another. Internet has provided people living in different countries with the most cost-effective means to interact with one another more often. Thus international relations have been promoted through internet both on the level of a common man in the society and the nation as a whole. Since the introduction of internet into the society, it has been frequently used by the virtual organizations to create online democracy. Input for the decisions that affect the national and international political scenario is retrieved from the internet voters. Where this has generally provided the concerned authorities with a fairly convenient means of getting the public opinion on one hand, it has also, on the other hand, limited the representation of a significant population that is uneducated on the use of internet. It is noteworthy that a vast majority of the intern et users all over the world belong to the elite minority that represent â€Å"a fairly narrow spectrum of political discourse relative to local contest, rather than witnessing the emergence of cyberspace democracy or the incipient triumph of the internet in promoting civil society and democracy† (Moon-Gi 58). This speaks of the fact that the internet is yet far from being a setting for the democratic society that wants to share its views and make an impact through the cyberspace. The expansion of the cyberspace has conventionally had a huge impact upon the nature of political dialogue amongst the nations in general and their economic development in particular. Another prime driver of the online activity is the social sustainability. Cyber democracy requires increased representation of all communities of the society. Nuclear Bomb With the creation of nuclear bomb, the nature of war has undergone an altogether change. The world would have been a much different place to live in had nuclear bomb never been invented. Perhaps, there would have been more frequent breakouts of wars both within and among the countries all over the world. In the past, success in the war fundamentally depended upon the manual strength. People used to fight with arrows, swords and guns. Nuclear bomb has obviated the need to make use of any of these ancient weapons in the contemporary wars, yet nations tend to find other ways including dialogue and reconciliation to settle their disputes with their rivals rather than starting the war because there is no â€Å"winning the war† when it is a nuclear war. The nuclear war is just as harmful for the nation that is attacked as it is for the one that attacks, provided that both of them are nuclear powers. Since the division of the Indian subcontinent into India and Pakistan in 1947, tensions between the two nations only strengthened. The two countries have twice had a war with each other once in 1965 and the second time, in 1974, whe n East Pakistan got separated from its Western wing and became Bangladesh. At the time of division, it was decided that the cities with Muslim majority would make part of Pakistan. Kashmir, the Indian-held place with a majority of Muslims into it has conventionally

Humanistic Era Reflection Paper ( Evolution of Management) Essay

Humanistic Era Reflection Paper ( Evolution of Management) - Essay Example The legislative acts such as Labor Management Relations Act and National Labor Relations Act were introduced because of employees increasing dissatisfaction. Along with the mentioned acts, many other were also introduced to resolve the issue of employees’ requirements and their fulfillment. According to Huston and Marquis (2008), many theories related to the working situations and other employees’ needs were proposed by theorists but these theories were not successful in giving the required outcome. Labor Management Relations Act Labor Management Relations Act, also called the Taft-Hartley Act was introduced in 1930s. The ambition behind introducing this act was to restrict employers to take unjustified actions against employees. Because of revolts by employees from different working industries, the influence of labor unions got improved. US federal government also started taking interest in the issues. The act also shows concern towards a consistent relationship betwee n management and labor union. The persecution of employees who are not part of the union, unacceptable membership charges, rejection of any deal with the management without considering its justness and unnecessarily suppressing of employers are some of the highlighted unjustified labor union actions in the act. Hughes, Kapoor and Pride (2009) inform that according to the act, the employers and management are authorized to inform the workers about merits and demerits of being a union member by giving the right knowledge to the workers. The strikes, which are precarious in terms of health and security of the nation, can be called off by the President of America according to the act. In addition, the workers are free to be a member of the union or reject it with their will. National Labor Relations Act National Labor Relations Act, also called the Wagner Act was introduced in 1935. This act gained existence in the period of Great Depression. Due to Great Depression, the employers have to minimize their functionalities, due to which, employees faced career uncertainty. Unions got active in order to support employees to get their rights. According to Jackson and Mathis (2007), collective bargaining was promoted by the US government under the Wagner act. The employees were not required to be a part of labor union to get their rights as they had the right to just management because of the act. According to Bohlander and Snell (2009), the Wagner Act highlighted certain unjust labor actions such as persecution of employees in terms of using their rights, keeping bias against the workers and rejection of the notion of collective bargain for opting for the workers’ spokespersons. Theorists Mary Parker Follett informed in her theory that management should be authoritative with employees or not over them. Employees and employers should form a relationship in which, they share authority and make decisions likewise. In this manner, processing and business functions wi ll be eased out. She introduced the term participative management in her essay, â€Å"The Giving of Orders†. Huston and Marquis (2008), inform about the theorist, Elton Mayo and his Harvard acquaintances who introduced Hawthorne effect. According to Huston and Marqui

Science and religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Science and religion - Essay Example In this book, Allison perfects the art of fiction in her creative writing. She uses an innovative and exact language gauge. The book highlights just how tough and demeaning a woman’s life can become within a short period of eight years. She tells the story from the perspective of women, although she barely gains credibility from the adult world. The book attempts to provide a complicated history of an impoverished southern family while presiding over her distinctions between the dreams of life and its nightmares. She is overwhelmed by the weakness of her barren surrounding that contains thieves, drunks, and crazies. Her story elaborates the rich history of her people; it shows how severe human conditions can be especially on the part of young women caught up in the barrenness of the society. Anny’s father is sexually abusive, and readers cannot escape to capture the sad chapter of her life. Anney meets Glen while working as a waiter she later marries him. Glen is a young man who genuinely hates his father. Anney loses the child she was bearing and is unable to bear any more children; glen starts to beat his stepdaughter to take out his frustrations. From a spiritual perspective, the story wobbles between evil and good, reality and daydream, and life and death. Anney is attracted to religious promises given by the local revivalists. She however feels the broad spiritual loneliness that come along with her death wishes. Her predicaments test her well beyond her level of endurance and her eight-year-old child. She experiences continuous vulnerability due to the gruesome life she experiences. Her life is full of sick and murderous bloodsuckers that hold her life at ransom. The strength of her spirituality is no match for the inhumanness she experiences in the hands of individuals who pretend to love her. Apart from Bone’s spiritual experience, which proves too difficult to silence, Bastard out of Carolina presents an expert’s

Second Grade Experience Essay Example for Free

Second Grade Experience Essay During my second year in elementary school, due to the fact that I was doing so horribly in my grades, my parents decided to send me back to El Salvador to bring up my grades. In El Salvador, I lived with my grandma, my cousins, my great aunts and uncles, and most of my family. The schools in El Salvador were so much more different than the schools in America. Since El Salvador is a poor country, the schools couldn’t afford to serve lunch and the houses were much smaller. In America, most kids did not really walk or play outside; they were usually kept locked up in their room, sipping on juice and watching tv. But the kids in El Salvador; they knew how to live their life with meaning. Every single day, as I made more and more friends, I would go to the soccer field and play games outside. We would play tag, soccer, baseball, soft ball; pretty much any kind of sport you could imagine. The soccer fields in El Salvador were the place where I, eventually, learned to play softball. Softball is like baseball but is usually referred to as, â€Å"baseball but for girls. † After learning how to play softball, I decided to join a small softball team that was formed in my second grade class of elementary school. Being on that team, allowed me to be at the fields even more and taught me to love the sport. The idea of fresh air, blue skies, grass stains, balls, and bats made me excited and energetic. Every time I hit the ball with my bat, I ran as fast as my legs could take me, striving to reach the home plate and score a point for my team. Running on the fields all day and hanging out with friends, giggling at our innocent, naive quirks and remarks gave my childhood, memories of freedom and promise. I now look at life like a baseball diamond; you just have to hit the ball and keep running until you finally reach home plate and win.

Office Automation Systems

Office Automation Systems Office automation systems are computer based information systems that collect, process, store and transmit electronic messages, documents and other forms of communications among individuals, work groups and organizations. Such systems can increase the productivity of managerial end users and other professional and staff personnel by significantly reducing the time and effort needed to produce, access and receive business communications. An overview of office automation systems are given below: Office publishing systems are word processing and desktop publishing systems. Image processing systems are image processing, optical scanning and storage, document management and interactive video systems. Electronic communication systems are electronic meeting, tele-conferencing and telecommunicating systems. Office support systems are electronic calendar, ticket file, notebook, directory system, work scheduling and task management systems. The above are described in brief: Office Publishing Systems Word processing It is the use of computer systems to automate the transformation of ideas into a readable form of communication. It involves manipulating text data to produce information products in the form of documents (letters, memos, forms and reports). Desktop publishing Organisations can use and develop publishing systems to produce their own printed materials. They can design and print their own newsletters, manuals, brochures and books with several types of styles and graphics and colours on each page. Voice store and forward systems It is also known as voice mail or structured verbal-response exchanges. It has the capability of storing verbal data and/or communicating it to another location. It is one of the latest systems and found useful to corporate houses and the society at large. Electronic Meeting systems If electronic meeting systems are used, people may not appreciate spending money on travel to attend meetings away from their normal work location. It involves the use of video and audio communications to allow conferences and meetings to be held with participants who may be scattered across a room, a building or a country. Teleconferencing Participants at remote sites key in their presentation and responses whenever convenient for their online terminals or workstations which are connected to a central conference computer. Since all participants dont have to do this at the same time, this form of EMS is called computers conferencing. Sessions are held in real time with major participants at remote site who take part with voice input of questions and responses. Telecommuting It is the use of telecommunications by workers to replace commuting enabling them to work from their homes. It is also used to describe the use of telecommunication to carry on work activities from temporary locations other than offices and homes. Some people consider telecommuting as the creation of virtual offices. Multimedia Another evolving set of technologies for systematically managing graphics, drawings and photographs in addition to text and data are multimedia datamanagement systems . Some of these are called hypermedia systems. Image Processing Systems Image processing systems, also known as electronic image management system, allow users to electronically capture, store, process and retrieve images of documents. Image databasemanagement systems are becoming more versatile. The LAN-based image processing systems are also being common, which include several servers each dedicated to a specific function. Document Management Systems These systems are sophisticated image processing systems. These often interface with other office systems such as word processing, desktop publishing, electronic mail, voice mail etc. These systems allow digitized ‘voice notes to be attached to specific document images and may have other special features as well as the ability to store multi-colour documents and colour photographs. The Automated Office Office automation is defined as a separate sub-system or included within information processing. It includes a wide range of support facilities for knowledge work and activities.

Case Study: Psychopathic Genes

Case Study: Psychopathic Genes Many people are afraid of the concept of death and what happens after life. But, many arent aware of the people that take life from others. Killers roam our streets but, arent easy to spot. They blend in with our looks and sometimes personalities. It is only possible to tell by their actions, for example when they have committed a gruesome crime. Little is known about psychopaths, many assume they are inspired, pressured or forced into doing what they do. Many of the killers have hard time in their life, as do normal people, but their problems accumulate, which add up to their emotions and do the unthinkable as we refer it to. As in the case of Marybeth Tinning who murder her 4-month daughter with a pillow mentions after the deaths of my other children I just lost it. However, there has been study and theories to show that psychopathic traits can be found in genes. Daniel M. Blonigen and his crew took 626 pairs of 17-year-old male and female twins from the community. And resulted wi th this Psychopathic traits were indexed using scores on the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire. Symptoms of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology were obtained via structured clinical interviews. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate genetic and environmental influences on psychopathic personality traits as well as the degree of genetic overlap between these traits and composites of internalizing and externalizing. The Twin analysis revealed significant genetic influence on distinct psychopathic traits (Fearless Dominance and Impulsive Antisociality). Moreover, Fearless Dominance was associated with reduced genetic risk for internalizing psychopathology, and Impulsive Antisociality was associated with increased genetic risk for externalizing psychopathology. So, studies have been done to show that both genetic and environmental factors play a role in a variety of behaviors in humans. What is a psychopath? Many people dont know much about psychopaths or what it is. They know them by the way the media portraits them to be. O. Lilienfeld says that there are three big myths that are untrue; one is that all psychopaths are violent. Researched by psychologists such as Randall T. Salekin, indicates that psychopathy is a risk factor for future physical and sexual violence. Second, all psychopaths are psychotic. In contrast to people with psychotic disorders à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦psychopaths are almost always rational. They are well aware that their ill-advised or illegal actions are wrong in the eyes of society but shrug off these concerns with startling nonchalance. Third psychopathy is untreatable. Although psychopaths are often unmotivated to seek treatment, research by psychologist Jennifer Skeem of the University of California, Irvine, and her colleagues suggests that psychopaths may benefit à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦from psychological treatment. The real term for psychopath is Antis ocial Personality Disorder, psychopathy and sociopathy are generally considered subsets of ASPD, it was given by American Psychiatric Association, its the term used for a personality disorder characterized by an abnormal lack of empathy combined with strongly amoral conduct but masked by an ability to appear outwardly normal. The main characteristics of a psychopath are the lack of sympathy / remorse for others, even including love ones. Other characteristic features: superficial charm, self-centered self-important, need for stimulation prone to boredom, deceptive behavior lying, conning manipulative, little guilt, cruelty to animals, callous with a lack of empathy, living off others or predatory attitude,   poor self-control, promiscuous sexual behavior, early behavioral problems, disregard for safety, impulsive lifestyle, irresponsible behavior, blaming others for their actions, short term relationships, juvenile delinquency, breaking parole or probation, and variety of    criminal activity. There are two types of psychopath that are easily distinguished. The two types of psychopath are Fearless Dominance and Impulsive Antisociality. Beth Terrel quoted Professor Dr. Stephen Benning from Vanderbilt University. The two seem to be different in their own ways but are still psychopaths. The fearless dominance is often a paradoxical mix of charm and nastiness, cool and calm under pressure, the FD type is not easily rattled. They lack the same kind of anticipatory anxiety that most people have so, instead of thinking they do it. Fearless Dominance is associated with a number of things our society considers desirable or good: high verbal I.Q., high performance, and economic success. The FD type is often charming and socially influential. He or she relishes directing other peoples activities and basking in their admiration. The FD type is sexually adventurous and often takes risks. Its not that they cant feel fear or anxiety; its just that it takes a much more extreme situation to elicit those emotions. FD types live for the thrill, the excite ment, the adrenaline rush. The Impulsive Antisociality type is an aggressive, unorganized, and a suspicious person. An IA types doesnt generally make plans, and they dont think societys rules are worth following. They often abuse drugs, and like the FD type they often are extremely sexually active. Its not the thrill that motivates the IA type, its the relief of boredom, alienation and because of the need to do something. They are extremely reactive and have a lot of raw, aggressive energy. Usually, they have a long history of antisocial behavior, such as brawling and vandalism. These are the two types of psychopaths. Fox reported that there are three genes that may play a strong role in determining why some young men raised in rough neighborhoods or deprived families become violent criminals. One gene called MAOA that played an especially strong role has been shown in other studies to affect antisocial behavior, said sociology professor Guang Guo, who led the study. I dont want to say it is a crime gene, but 1 percent of people have it and scored very high in violence and delinquency, Guo said in a telephone interview. The other two genes are called the dopamine transporter 1 (DAT1) gene and the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) gene, which are also associated with bad behavior, but only when the boys suffered some other stress, such as family issues, low popularity and failing school. Guo said These results,..link molecular genetic variants to delinquency, significantly expand our understanding of delinquent and violent behavior, and they highlight the need to simultaneously consider their social and genetic origins. Three examples of genes that have a role in psychopaths. An article Child Psychopaths, the author back fires by saying that its the parents fault, they are the ones that created a psychopath. Psychologist Lonnie Athens takes the approach that antisocial behavior results from a series of evolutionary stages. He came up with the idea that people become violent through a process that he calls violentization, which involves four stages: brutalization and subjugation, belligerency, violent coaching, and criminal activity. First, this person is a victim of violence and feels powerless to avoid it. Then he is taught how and when to become violent and to profit from it. Then he acts on that. If a person from a violent environment does not become violent, it is because some part of the process is missing. He connects a serial killers, Gary, actions were formed from violence and lack of empathy by the instability and brutalization of his family life. But, there is evidence to say that environmental influence isnt the key to a full developed psychopa th and there is still genetics that contribute to there actions. Young children can be spotted for some psychopathic symptoms. Some mental health professionals say they can recognize early markers in kids as young as toddlers for what may later develop into psychopathy. Experts also emphasize that not all children who appear to be at risk for psychopathy go on to become psychopathic adults Studies show that a significant portion of children who show psychopathic traits often referred to among researchers as callous-unemotional traits, which include not being concerned about others feelings and not feeling bad or guilty as early as the preschool years have the same traits when they are teens. And adolescence is a time when they are more likely than other kids to exhibit extreme behavior problems, aggression and delinquency. These teens with significant CU traits are then more likely to become psychopathic adults. Other studies resulted with some brain malfunctions when doing something they shouldnt be doing so, they wont feel remorse or have fear like a normal person would. Scientists interviewed hundreds of prison inmates, to learn about what makes them tic, and which parts of the brain lead them to live an emotionally disconnected and often violent life. They resulted with faulty wiring in the limbic system (the brains emotional center) and the amygdala (which generates fear) make psychopaths able to do horrendous things and feel nothing, and never fear danger or consequences. They also believe that genes contribute 50 percent of the puzzle and life experience the other 50 percent (Heatherturgeon). Meaning environmental factors still play a role. In another study done by Dombeck stated available data regarding the causes of psychopathic personality suggests that both nature and nurture are at work there as well. He interviewed prison inmates and did a Psychopathy Checklist, asked about thier history of their abuse experience, and a few other questionnaires. He resulted with this: Our findings indicate that a history of  child abuse  or neglect relates positively but weakly to global psychopathic features. Abuse is unrelated to the core affective and interpersonal traits of psychopathy but relates preferentially and moderately to the impulsive and irresponsible lifestyle or externalizing features of psychopathy. Dissociative experiences do not significantly mediate this relationship. Our findings call into question etiological models positing that early abuse and neglect shut off affective responding, thereby resulting in individuals who possess the cold and callous features of primary psychopathy. So, abuse was not found to predict psychopathy as a whole, but an abuse history did predict a certain feature of psychopathy; namely the tendency to be impulsive. So, what can be the cure for such genes or the process to prevent such horrific crimes from psychopath? Its also possible for some kids with CU traits, particularly the youngest ones who have the greatest capacity to change, to simply grow out of them. CU traits are most reliably assessed starting at age 4, but even 2 year old can exhibit signs that they are lacking early empathy, says Paul Frick, chair of the department of psychology at the University of New Orleans who studies youth behavior problems (Stenson). The Fitness First Club: Marketing communications The Fitness First Club: Marketing communications With the background information I have been given in this assignment, I have created a key objective for the Fitness First club. I will gather a report that reviews and analyses the marketing communications activities of Fitness First, and outlines recommendations for future communications activities. My aim at first place is to increase the number of members aged 10 35 by Jun 2013, I will also propose to use more personal selling to develop new accounts, this will increase the amount of trials and encourage other members to join a fitness club and be made aware of other promotions. Fitness First is one of the largest health club group in the world. It has 540 branches worldwide and having more than 1.7 million members in 21 states. Fitness First clubs campaign to encourage more people to find out what fitness regime works for them by using former spice girl as the face of the week fitness international. In the UK, it holds 160 fitness clubs with over 405,000 members (Source: Wikipedia). Here is the background information on factors that have impact on Fitness First Political In the UK and worldwide government policy has potential influence on the market, specific initiatives could benefit the industry, but theres also a broader push on the part of the government to try and promote healthy eating and exercise, possibly resulting in more people seeking gym membership. Early this year the government encouraged people to get fit ahead of the Olympic to come. Economic The economic factors such as utilities prices and wage rates will affect numerous aspects of Fitness First, the fitness costs will rise and members may need to prioritise their spending as cuts are made on their disposable income, especially in the prospect group. Not a lot of people are willing to spend much in the fitness club when they could on their own practice physical exercise at home, however price will be reviewed in order to well compete in the market and encourage subscribers to join Fitness First. Social Lifestyle factors such as growth in convenience foods and home entertainment have resulted in more muddy lifestyles; consumption levels of alcohol are rising which will effect gym participation and subscription. In todays celebrity cultures, theres lots of pressure to be looking good in the social life and have better appearance; It has influenced the way people are improving themselves to build six pact bodies to attract more females from the mens view and such are also the desire of some women encourage their men not to be obese. Technological Its important that Fitness First has up to date machines to compete with others and satisfy the needs of the members. Fitness First also uses technology to target the public in an effective way, text messages with special offers and online free trial vouchers and also create a page on the socials network (Source: Fitness First). Legal: Fitness First should examine legal requirements pursuant to the code of practice and should not use high pressure tactics to make sign a membership agreement or take unfair advantage of the lack of your understanding if you do not comprehend certain documents. Fitness First must display a sign that says about the health risks that may affect participation in fitness services. The Signs shall be clearly visible for anyone entering the fitness center. Environment: Fitness First should build in an ideal environment for the well-being of the planet and its members by seeking to reduce the environmental footprint of the equipment and invest the most on self-power cardiovascular machineries. Where the proper motion of the user produce all the energy needed to operate the machines, it will attract new customers by providing clean machines that are free of toxic substances, which is environmentally friendly material ( Source: athletics business). Task2. Marketing communications mix Like many fitness clubs devote themselves to schedule a marketing plan, research shows that promotion for health club is managed by using telephone (telemarketing) Radio (radio advertising) Biz (business membership programs) Mail (direct mail and email marketing), TV (cable advertising) News (newspaper advertising), etc (Source: fitness360). Looking at the previous campaign made by Fitness First when taping in the power of digital marketing, including display advertising and affiliate marketing. Their goal were to ensure that the skills of a professional fitness and qualifications remain relevant by increasing the number of downloads, due to the evolution of mobile advertising, Fitness First took rapid action to introduce click-to-call extensions with the current locations of users, which was essential for success and having the most competitive position in terms of mobile advertising. O2 been the selected mobile telephonic provider in the UK worked alongside with Fitness Firsts by l aunching a mobile marketing campaign for Fitness first club. The campaign was to offer five days free subscription and personal training session via SMS to O2 customers who live in specific postal codes near Fitness First clubs (Source: Mobile Marketing). The use of the site for the target consumer maximizes both efficiency and relevance of the offer. By creating this campaign in favor for Fitness First, O2 launched brand communication opt-in on O2s customers who are interested in health, wellness and sports, aged between 18 and 35 years. O2 provided a daily email with qualified leads in number of mobile customers and postal codes to call the client and make an appointment. The use of this highly targeted medium of communication helps to ensure maximum effectiveness of campaigns, which proves to be moving one of our tools to acquire the most successful to date. Fitness First has also launched an affiliate displaying ads on Facebook and campaigned display advertising targeted Adjug w ith the use of PPC (Pay Per Click) which is the most common form of internet marketing currently in use worldwide. The purpose of using PPC was to send instant traffic to any website niches most commonly used to send targeted traffic to a page using only keywords related to the product page of the advertiser or trying to sell. It is also very useful for testing long-term strategies of SEO and ensure that your targeted keywords will convert. PPC is a fast and effective way of generating revenue to almost any website. However, if done incorrectly, it devalue your site very quickly and you will lose money, some of the biggest PPCs networks are Google Adwords, Google Maps, Google advertising investments Yahoo, Microsoft AdCenter and Facebook. As a result of these actions, downloads increased significantly (Source: Latitude) The tools used by Fitness First have been tested and proven that promotion is custom designed in particular relation with demographics region, time of the season, current members and other information gathered from the clubs profile before starting of the promotion. When analyzing the marketing campaign of Fitness First thought it lead them at the extend they were expecting to be. Nevertheless, I still find some improvement needed to be done to acquire more subscriber in their fitness club, because not many people are on the O2s network also taking an account of internet marketing, was of good use in the point that technology is mostly used in this 21st century we living on but it could have been far more better to also make the use of other medium channels such as TV, Radio etc. Why so? Because everyone in the UK, living in their own house uses at least one of these tools to be informed of what is happening in the other side of the world. Task3. Marketing communication plan Knowing that digital marketing, including display advertising and affiliate marketing worked well for Fitness First, I will in this section shield the strategic day to day aspects of setting up my plan into action to enhance more the advertising portfolio of Fitness First, without pulling apart what have been done by Fitness First, where the use of my judgment and discretion on deciding how to schedule and plan activities, calculating costs and measuring progress will be outlined. Here is how I am going to illustrate my idea of marketing campaign. Every fitness and health club plans is designed base on the personal exercise and nutrition history Ill suggest to employ a pull up strategy, with most prospects aged between 10- 35 mostly targeting primary school to Higher education to offer them services that encourage students. I will also suggest targeting the affordable sector of the market with a competitive pricing. The marketing communications mix will be divided around objectives, message, and media. The objectives will aim to provide Fitness First consumers, access to sport and exercise opportunities to the top range facilities by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Fitness First will have to work with its local partners in education and people to share information, knowledge, skills and expertise, for example with schools, Higher Education an arrangement of work placements for students will be assigned and will share good practice at national competitive sporting events. My message should sound making bold statements to draw the attention of people, in belief of my commercial messages by organizing a public speaking and fitness group to bring people together to motivate each other by allowing people to be aware of what we are attend to do and reminding them of our existence. To achieve this, Ill suggest the use of current staff and get them trained and have sufficient knowledge to encouraging people to subscribe, by telling their own experiences regarding the good effect since they j oined the fitness club and how physically fit must you be. In so doing, people will understand my overall message, where the key point is to promote physical exercise, sustain encouragement and then for sure people might now develop the need to join Fitness First club.( source: sales-and-marketing-for-you). Media: when hoping to bring a new product or in my case to promote a new service, that will be ruining at Fitness First, you need to carefully consider possible ways to promote your product. However, using different mediums such as Radio, Bus, TV and social network (source: ehow), in order to increase brand awareness. The adverts will show the benefits of healthy lifestyles, giving people the idea about getting in shape. However: Population trends by socio economic group are an important influence on ability and prosperity to spend on fitness club membership. Consumers from the socio economic groups are the most likely to use health and fitness clubs regularly, most are light TV viewers so this medium is not an effective target, Radio is likely to be more effective. (Source: sales-and-marketing-for-you).The use of social media has exploded in recent years as a way to raise awareness and generate free traffic it includes sites and services such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and many others. The main advantages are that it is free to communicate and has a capability of going viral and reach a vast numbers of people without additional effort ( source: clickbank) The cost of the marketing will certainly play a big part in what I am intend to do. Bad sales and marketing is as a general announcement focused on no one in particular. In order to maximize a huge return profit, it is always good to approach the marketing plan with consideration and not devote a lot of money on a single marketing channel or campaign. I will instead try to shape up a range of successful publicity approaches over a time, I will also outline its cost, and how much money will I have to spend on advertising campaign? How long and how much each communication method will be balanced against the marketing communication budget. I will at first place, be concerned about the break-even point before developing any sales and marketing program, including advertising cost. I will also find out how much is each new customer and exiting customer worth to the fitness club? When observing the lifetime value of the health and fitness club subscriber, I will use approximation such as fi guring out, how long each customer stays with Fitness First, where the contract will be given for 1-3 years for the new subscribers. Once I know the number and frequency of sales I derived from the average customer, I can then use profit margin to estimate how much each customer worths to the fitness club and how many customers is needed to obtain the specific marketing campaign, in order to consider it as a success: However, to run the campaign of Fitness First, I found that the cost for ITV 1 Yorkshire channel per month is of  £48336, people will be target on the daytime services of 11am to be aware of the services, the local radio station is of  £160 per month with 8 short spot adverts of 15 seconds per day, cinema advertising will be of  £900 per month along with billboard advertising  £1920 the month and the cost of transport advertising is of  £6360 per month ( Source: Blackboard). My message needs to reach customers, therefore the out home advertising buses will be these that are seen on high street shops and go to different places of the city, where middle and junior management of the social class are living. Based on my research, I will therefore recommend 9 months of advertising on radio, buses and billboard along with 4 months advertising on ITV1 Yorkshire and cinema the total average budget for the advertising will be estimated at the price of  £232,188.00 for a whole 9 mo nths period advertisement of all these chosen mediums where the first 5 month will be to remind the people on the existence of Fitness First along to inform them what Fitness First is planning of doing and after the 5 months period have gone Fitness First will now differentiate itself from other competitors by adopting a unique approach and machineries that are of people expertise, when visiting the fitness first club and then persuade them by meeting the needs of people with the choice of services and materials that are environmentally friendly. Report Executive Account Statement To: Brand Spanking Agency 29/10/2012 I Daniel Kevin AMATCHA, I am please to submit my report describing on how I intend to promote the fitness and health club. The purpose of this report was to gather sufficient information to render professional opinion about advertising your health and fitness club. This assessment includes research and figures concerning the cost of the whole month budget when using the mass media to promote the fitness club: however. I have also included the PESTEL analysis, which is an effective way to analyse external impacts on the health and fitness club, and planned the strategic action that will be of good use for the marketing communications mix as I separated into discussions around objectives, message, and media. I have also introduced a marketing communication plan on how to work side with the marketing mix, which I have designed along with its schedule and plan activities including the cost of the advertising. You may also find on my plan the monthly statement budget and the chosen mediums to promote Fitness First club for 9 months period. Bibliography: Source: Wikipedia//>> article//>> Fitness First//>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitness_First viewed on the 17/10/12 Source: Fitness First//>>  © Fitness First 2012//>> http://www.fitnessfirst.co.uk/ viewed on the 17/10/12 Source: athletics business//>> home//>> articles//>> hot topics//>> environmental issues//>> Fitness Facilities Go Green//>> written by Amy Scanlin, on October 2007//>>http://www.athleticbusiness.com/articles/article.aspx?articleid=3278zoneid=1 viewed on the 17/10/12 Source: fitness360//>>campaign types//>> services/>> sales and promotions//>> © 2012 fitness marketing systems //>> http://www.fitness360online.com/fitness-marketing-services/on-site-membership-promotions viewed on the 24/10/12 Source: Latitude//>> where I am//>> home//>> whom we work with//>> Fitness First//>> http://www.latitudegroup.com/what-weve-done/who-weve-worked-with/fitness-first-2/ viewed on the 17/10/12 Source: Mobile Marketing//>>News//>> Analyses//>> O2//>> Fitness First campaign//>> written by David Murphy released 4 years ago //http://www.mobilemarketingmagazine.co.uk/content/o2-launches-fitness-first-campaign viewed on the 17/10/12 Source: 2.warwick//>>fitnessfirst//>>pdf//>>context analysis and promotional//>>http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/alumni/services/eportfolios/bsqjfb/fitnessfirst.pdf viewed on the 17/10/12 Source: sales-and-marketing-for-you//>>marketing communication plan//>>Copyright  © 2012//>>http://www.sales-and-marketing-for-you.com/marketing-communication-plan.html viewed on the 17/10/12 Source: ehow//>>ways-promote-new-product//>>http://img.ehowcdn.com/author-avatar/studio-image/ver1.0/Content/images/store/0/5/10f337f6-807a-4881-a57c-27efbd75408f.Small.jpg by Larry Amon//>>http://www.ehow.com/way_5162681_ways-promote-new-product.html viewed on the 17/10/12 Larry Amon Larry Amon has been working in the computer field for more than 10 years and has experience writing scripts, instructional articles and political commentary. He has been published online, as well as in NRB Magazine and Delmarva Youth Family. He started a nonprofit media organization in 2000. Source clickbank//>>common ways to promote products//>>http://www.clickbank.com/help/affiliate-help/affiliate-guides/common-ways-to-promote-products/ Source: Blackboard//>>x-stream.leedsmet.ac.uk//>>http://x-stream.leedsmet.ac.uk/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_33250_1%26url%3D Viewed on the22/10/12 Source: myadbase//>> guide//>>advertising radio station//>>http://myadbase.com/guide_final.php?page=advertising_radio_station viewed on the 20/10/12 Source: ukbusiness//>> UK Business forums//>> Business forums//>> General business forum//>>http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=49219 viewed on the 26/10/12 Source: outdooradvertisingltd//>>Bus stop advertising//>> http://www.outdooradvertisingltd.co.uk/pages/bus-stop-advertising.php viewed on the 26/10/12 Source: sunriseradio//>> advertising//>> http://www.sunriseradio.fm/innerpage.php?rank=2 viewed on the 24/10/12

Essay Comparing Hemingways A Very Short Story and Fitzgeralds This Si

Comparing Hemingway's A Very Short Story and Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise When you first read a tragic, melodramatic love scene you feel like your heart is breaking too. Sometimes you cry. It is only after the initial rush of feelings that you begin to feel cheated. Usually the kind of writing that gives you the urge to be demonstrative does not stay with you as long as something more subtle. In Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise, the reader is presented with such a love scene in the form of a play. I admit to having sobbed for a solid minute after reading about the ill-fated romance between Amory Blaine and Rosalind Connage. However, the same subject, with different characters, told in a much more concise, objective manner in Ernest Hemingway's A Very Short Story had a much deeper effect on me. It may be that the honesty of experience had much to do with the differences between the stories. This Side of Paradise is often seen as a loosely based autobiography, but there is no direct basis in reality for the Amory and Rosalind episode. Fitzgerald did have a turbulent relationship with his wife Zelda, but the tragic parting in the novel and Rosalind's later marriage to another man firmly place the story in the realm of fiction. Hemingway's account of the meeting and parting of two lovers, on the other hand, comes directly from his own life. While there is a feeling in This Side of Paradise that Fitzgerald is trying too hard to make the story realistic, Hemingway's account cannot help but convey the honesty that is generally found when a writer draws directly on his own experience. The style and structure of the Hemingway story also make it more believable and more effective. Even the... ...ing in a taxi cab through Lincoln Park," that Hemingway's protagonist tried to forget about his lost love by indulging in the more shallow gratification of easy sex. Fitzgerald's Amory Blaine turns to alcohol instead, but the concept is the same. However, after nine pages of Amory's bar exploits we have already begun to forget what the problem was in the first place. Two more disparate accounts of a short-lived love would be difficult to find. Each is successful in its own way. The Fitzgerald version elicited an immediate and powerful reaction from me, but it was the Hemingway story that made me understand the subject more deeply. While A Very Short Story, at first glance, may seem unable to convey the depth and breadth of feeling of the longer Fitzgerald passage, it actually accomplishes its aim more quickly without sacrificing meaning.

American Transformation, 1800-1890 Essays -- collapse of colonialism, n

Overview What major political changes did Western Hemisphere nations face in the nineteenth century? (The Earth and Its Peoples, 633) The collapse of colonialism created various challenges for the newly free nations of the Western Hemisphere, in the 19th century. The rise of Personalist leaders, resurgence of Native American resistance, and immigration all affected the political environments of North and South America during that time. Young nations like The United States, Argentina, and Brazil found it difficult to manage themselves under their new constitutions. Regional separations and movements for women’s and black rights added to this difficulty, creating new political groups and questioning national identity. Perhaps the most significant political change in the 19th century, the regionalization of western states challenged the growth of their respective identities. As Bulliet says, â€Å"after independence, new national governments were generally weaker than the colonial governments they replaced.† In Spanish America, initiatives like Gran Columbia failed because of debate over economic policy, power struggles, and other interprovincial conflict. The lands of New Spain (1521-1821) were wide and varied, and many of the natives never desired to live under such a flag to begin with. This was illustrated with the Caste War, a string of many battles that were waged between the Maya and the Spanish over rights and land in the Yucatà ¡n area of Mexico, starting in 1847. Regionalism also affected the United States. The size and composition of states influenced the drafting of the constitution. The smaller states, along the East Coast, feared that their say would be repressed by lar ger states. The states and western territori... ...ves are as responsible for their oppression as those who oppress them. The third resolution voices, â€Å"the servile submission and quiet indifference of the Women of this country †¦ are the fruit either of ignorance or degradation.† This seems quite logical, although, from what I’ve read, I think it was a combination of the two. Through the words of these resolutions, I can see the precursors to the feminist movement of the 60’s. When learning about the reception of these resolutions by the constitutional convention, part of me isn’t surprised, given the prevailing views at the time; another part of me is shocked that these men can simply ignore the wrongs that have been so clearly laid out in front of them. It reminds me that we have wrongs that are allowed in today’s society, which may be more subtle, but no less important, and are ignored by our representatives.

Communication in care settings

This piece of work is about two main theories and they are Tuckman's theory and Egan's theory (SOLER). Also the effects of communication on care workers and service users. This will be explained in more detail. Communication cycle- is very important in our lives, there are lots of ways to communicate nowadays and the list becomes bigger each day. There are lots of ways to communicate but the main structure of the cycle is still the same as it was. First it's you express yourself then you listen and hear, then they express ones feelings then they listen and hear. And then it goes round like a cycle. http://www.surrey.ac.uk/Skills/pack/enc.html Tuckman's theory- This stage was developed in 1965's and the last stage was added in the 1970's. There are 5 stages and they are forming, storming, norming, and performing. Forming is when the individual themselves is very nervous, scared to show their real feelings so they may just agree with someone to kind of ‘make them happy'. In this stage the individual doesn't show their personality as they may not feel comfortable round others in their group. http://www.businessballs.com/tuckmanformingstormingnormingperforming.htm The second stage is storming at this stage the individual start to show their real feelings and their personality starts to show. This is because they start to relax and be comfortable around others in their group. Also others in the group may start to have conflict were they have different opinions about ideas, and they don't agree on others about their ideas. The third stage is norming at this stage individuals start to relax and become more comfortable around others in their group. Also it's when they get ideas to together and agrees on one, and individuals then start to know what is accepted from them and start to get on with what they have to do within the group. The fourth stage is when all individuals in the group know what their role is in the group and start to work towards their own goals. Then they work together to get the task finish that was set.Sentence and Verbal Communication The fifth stage and the last stage was added after in 1977 and that was called adjourning is when the tasks is finished with a positive outcome, and then the group breaks up and everything has been fulfilled, and they all move on with a happy attitude with what has been achieved. http://www.businessballs.com/tuckmanformingstormingnormingperforming.htm Scenario: To make the individual benefit from this theory would be by making sure the individual is introduced in the group session that he goes to and that he feels comfortable in the environment. This theory may not be beneficial for all individuals it depends on the situation and if it suits them for example some that has learning difficulties as they may not be able to handle being in a group of people at one time, also people that have mental health problems. Open posture is when you body shows that you are listening to the service user. Showing that you are interested in the conversation, also it can show that you care about them. Also things like putting your arm around the service user by showing that you care and that you are there to listen and comfort them. This can put a bond between you and your social worker. Tone- the tone of your voice is very important as it affects the way the service user responds to you. Your voice should sound something like: – Clear (able to hear) – Upbeat – Welcoming – Under control – Warm feeling to the voice. http://www.impactcommunicationsinc.com/pdf/nwsltr_2001/ICINwsltrph0106.pdf for example if the care worker's tone is loud and moody and sounds like they're not bothered then the service user will want to get out of the room as they feel that the care worker doesn't care and has no respect. This also can make them feel scared and humiliated as the care worker isn't showing that they care and are bothered about them. But on the other hand it can be that the care worker is talking nicely with a tone that as a warm feeling to it, and that is upbeat and is clear. The service user feels that they are cared for respected for, this makes them want to say and makes them comfortable in the situation so will open up and tell you what's wrong with them also they feel more relaxed and calm. http://psychology.about.com/od/nonverbalcommunication/a/nonverbaltypes.htm Body language/posture- this is important in communication because it can show lots of information through it, as it can show your feelings and your attitude through it. For example: – Arms/legs crossed- this can come across as doesn't want to know, doesn't care, but in different circumstances it can mean that they are scared to open up and can show as an barrier meaning ;don't come to close to me'. – Head down- this can come across as shy, doesn't want to know about the problems issues you have. Also showing no eye contact can be real rod if the service user is talking to the care worker and there's no eye contact can show that you aren't listening to them. And may feel uncomfortable – Nodding- this show that you are listening to the service user and that you understand what they are saying to you. This can make the service user feel reassured that somebody understands them and that they aren't alone.

Alignment of HRM and Business strategies Essay

The essence of HR is very strategic and when properly aligned, HR contributes to a successful strategy and the financial underline. The alignment between HR and the strategy of an organization starts with a strategy-focused professional. Secondly, the HR system has to be created in alignment with the organization’s strategy. HR needs to ensure that employees are strategically focused (Becker & Huselid, 2001). Every element of the HR function, from hiring, compensation, reviews, training, etc. , needs to be developed in order to enlarge the human capital in the organization. Once the gap is recognized, HR needs to measure itself to guide itself, and show what it’s worth as an ongoing strategic segment. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of HR strategic role expansion will prove itself to be worthy or not as a benefit to the bottom line. HR is viewed as the people department and/or resource. The organization’s people ultimately determine the effectiveness of strategy development, implementation, and subsequent competitive success. A strategic approach that is aligned with HR ensures that an organization’s employees, skills, and abilities contribute to the achievement of its business goals (Huselid, Jackson, & Schuler, 1997). HR Data warehouse – Selected Candidate will be responsible for design, implementation and systems expertise of the data warehouse components focusing primarily on business objects Xi. The scope of technical expertise includes design and development of BO reports, security set-up of medium to high complexity levels as well as the ability to coordinate projects with business personnel and other members of the project teams within the organization to ensure that system requirements, deadlines and priorities are clearly defined and achieved. HR Associate is the best HR related job opening I would prefer to apply in FORD Motor Group. I believe it is an incredible opportunity – a company in transformation can provide invaluable experience for human resources professionals. I also get to partner with the organization to build a skilled and motivated team and enabling them to perform at high levels. With exciting products, a long history and a bright future this job position will surely allow me to expand my professional horizons. An organization needs to acknowledge that HR is important to its business success. In order for HR to achieve this recognition, it must have the right people in place to carry out a strategic initiative. HR needs to define the competencies and skills that it will need to be a strategic contributor. Outstanding HR personal will need to build their business knowledge, financial skills, as well as consulting skills. Furthermore, HR personal will need to become technologically oriented, so they can be free from routine administrative work, as well as leverage information about the workforce. Enabled by technology, HR will be able to play a more strategic managerial role (Frangos, 2002). Advertise job positions in locations and forums with a widely diverse audience and readership. Opt for local and regional papers, magazines, trade publications and television. Recognize the cultures that may already be present in the workforce. Not confusing diversity with minority. Make sure to include everyone in my attempts to celebrate diversity. Network with various diverse organizations will provide with the opportunity to showcase the company and its diverse workers. Using such forums to emphasize the company’s dedication to diversity will likely increase interest from diverse individuals.

Xbox

Get Free Xbox Live Membership Codes This method requires a glitched code I personally bought, the code doesn’t work when you try to redeem it, however to the employee’s at Xbox is shown on their screen as Active and working but does not tell them what the code is actually for (1 month, 3 month, 12 month, 4k msp etc. ) I know what you’re thinking already, bullshit? No, try it yourself below. Note: They could ask for the code anytime, so be ready. Make sure you’re signed in on a NEW silver account every single time you do this or it will not work.Also, on the Silver account fill out billing info with a fake address name, ect. Also, edit your bio and motto and everything else such as your gamerpicture so it looks like a real account. *Don’t just rush into this method without following the directions stated above or it will not work! * K8F3V-78HXG-YRRJ4-TW8XQ-RR7M3 1. Go to Xbox. com and get on Contact Us -> Support 2. From the drop down menu, choose Xb ox Live -> Prepaid Codes 3. 3.In the description type â€Å"Help with prepaid codes, very confusing† Or something along those lines. *Change what you write here everytime! * 4. When they welcome you, just go with what they say, act normal. Tell the Agent a scenario, say you got your code for you birthday from your mother. You got the code, wrote it down on a piece of paper and planned to use it when you needed it. Then, say that you tried to use it and it gave you an error code on the xbox. (Be creative with this story, make it convincing! ) 5.Tell them you can’t take the card back because you trashed the card after you wrote it down on a notepad on your computer for covinence. 6. If they ask you to troubleshoot the issues just don’t reply for a while, then tell them it didn’t work, or if they ask what the code was tell them it was for whatever you’re wishing to obtain. 7. If they ask what the error was when redeeming, the error on xbox. com is â⠂¬Å"This code is not valid† and the error on the console is â€Å"This code isn’t valid. Please enter a valid code. † 8.They will probably go on for a while asking you different questions , just answer the questions and feed them the lies you think they want to hear and you’ll be fine. 9. Eventually they should either : Offer you a 1 month code as they can’t give you anything else because you don’t have the original card, escalate the request for you and you will receive your desired code via email in a few days OR they will tell you they can’t do anything (If they say this to you, you have failed. You should just end the conversation then X it off and try again in an hour or so)

Management Information System at Dell

Management information system involves the information system and the organization. MIS begins where computer science ends. Computer scientists deserve accolades for developing and delivering even more advanced forms of information technology: hardware technology; software technology; and network technology. Yet because no technology implements itself, there is more to MIS than just information technology. MIS has dimensions. The four interrelated dimensions of MIS are as follows: First, MIS involves not just information technology, but also its instantiation; second, MIS involves, as reactive and inextricable elements, both an information system and its organizational context; third, MIS involves information technology as a form of intellectual technology; and fourth, MIS involves the activities of a profession or corporate function which are integral to the essence of what MIS is (Currie & Galliers, 1999). Dell Computer Corporation: Company Background Dell Computer Corporation is a major manufacturer of personal computers, computer peripherals, and software. Among the leading producers of computers in the world, Dell sells its products directly to customers through the Internet and mail-order catalogs rather than through retail outlets. The company is based in Round Rock, Texas. At Dell Computers, customers are brought into the product planning and manufacturing processes, with all employees encouraged having contact with customers. Through effective collaboration across boundaries, ideas can be shared about product designs and value propositions. The result is faster and more customer-focused product and service innovation. To produce the capacity for this, considerable attention must be placed on organizational structures, processes, skills and culture. Such elements may need a radical overhaul in established companies (Dennis & Harris, 2002). Dell was founded in 1984 by Michael Dell. In 1983, during his freshman year at the University of Texas, he bought excess nventory of RAM chips and disk drives for IBM personal computers from local dealers. He resold the components through newspaper advertisements at prices far below retail cost. By 1984, his sales totaled about $80,000 a month. In April 1984, Dell dropped out of school to launch his company (Ford, Honeycutt, & Simintiras, 2003). The new company soon began manufacturing its own IBM-compatible computers under the name PCs Limited. Because Dell sold computers directly to users through advertisements in magazines and catalogs, the company could price its machines lower than those sold through retail stores. Sales reached nearly $6 million during the company’s first year, climbing to $34 million the following year. By 1987, Dell was the leading mail-order computer company in the United States. In that year, it created a sales force to target large corporations and began adding international offices to capture the direct-mail market outside the United States (Ford, Honeycutt, & Simintiras, 2003). While the company continued to grow rapidly; Dell experienced a series of setbacks that hurt profits. In 1990, the company began selling computers through retail stores, an effort it abandoned in 1994. In 1991, Dell launched a line of notebook computers, but quality problems and inadequate production planning forced the company to stop selling for a year. In 1994, Dell launched a new line of notebook computers and expanded efforts to increase overseas sales. Dell also began focusing on the market for servers, which used the computers to run local area networks. By the late 1990s, Dell was firmly in place as the world’s number one direct seller of computers. More than 50 percent of the company’s computer sales transactions took place via its website, which generated worldwide sales in excess of $40 million a day (Ford, Honeycutt, & Simintiras, 2003). Information Processing Tools Information processing or Data processing is the analysis and organization of data. It is used extensively in business, engineering, and science and an increasing extent in nearly all areas in which computers are used. Businesses use data processing for such tasks as payroll preparation, accounting, record keeping, inventory control, sales analysis, and the processing of bank and credit card account statements. Engineers and scientists use data processing for a wide variety of applications, including the processing of seismic data for oil and mineral exploration, the analysis of new product designs, the processing of satellite imagery, and the analysis of data from scientific experiments (Thierauf, 1978). Data processing is used extensively in business, engineering, and science and to an increasing extent in nearly all areas in which computers are used. Data processing is divided into two kinds of processing: database processing and transaction processing. A database is a collection of common records that can be searched, accessed, and modified, such as bank account records, school transcripts, and income tax data. In database processing, a computerized database is used as the central source of reference data for the computations. Transaction processing refers to interaction between two computers in which one computer initiates a transaction and another computer provides the first with the data or computation required for that function. Most modern data processing uses one or more databases at one or more central sites (Thierauf, 1978). Transaction processing is used to access and update the databases when users need to immediately view or add information; other data processing programs are used at regular intervals to provide summary reports of activity and database status. Examples of systems that involve all of these functions are automated teller machines, credit sales terminals, and airline reservation systems (Thierauf, 1978). The information processing tools that Dell uses include computers, the internet, maps, spreadsheets, models, and databases. For the operational level of Dell, the most appropriate tool for information processing is maps. Through the said information processing tool, decisions on how to operate the organization can be initialized and made. Maps can be used to determine which country/place information will be acquired from, it can also assist in determining the demographic level of people and information will be gathered. Maps can be in the form of charts that can also provide necessary information. The information gathered in turn can assist in helping to decide how an organization will be operated. For the tactical level of Dell, the most appropriate tool for information processing is databases. Through the said information processing tool, the records that can assist in finding out the strength and weakness of the company can be used to determine the tactic that will be used by the organization. For the strategic level of Dell, the most appropriate information processing tool is the internet or World Wide Web. Through the internet, trends and strategies by other companies can be known. After analyzing the trends and strategies used by other companies, an appropriate strategy can be formulated to use by the organization. Inventory control systems Individual businesses need, first and foremost, an efficient inventory control system. This implies the minimum amount of inventory that will provide the consumers with what they need whenever and wherever they need it. Effectiveness of the inventory system means basically having an inventory mix that is most likely successful in satisfying consumer needs (Samli & Sirgy, 1995). The inventory control systems used by Dell is up to date and reliable to prevent problems to arise. The inventory system of Dell makes sure that anything the consumer need will be available to them at any given time. It is also what the company uses to know if certain products are still available or misuse of the inventory system may cost problems to the company. Conclusion Management information system involves the information system and the organization. Dell benefits a lot from the management information system. The system helps the company create strategies that will help the company conquer any problems and threats from competitors. The system also assists the company in processing the needed information. Management Information Systems also helps a company to create or update its inventory control system. Recommendations Since the MIS of a company is a vital part of its operations and its survival in the modern world, it must be well updated and it must compete well with MIS’s competitors. The MIS of a company should be created from high standards so that it can be of stiff competition against its counterparts. The MIS system should help the company to achieve its goals and assist the company in reaching its potential

Perception about consumer behaviour with respect to the environmental Research Proposal

Perception about consumer behaviour with respect to the environmental issues, is there influence of the environment courses of - Research Proposal Example (Ayres, 2012) Over the period of time, consumers have become ethical in nature with their buying decisions mostly being affected through their ethics. Global consumers now understand the consequences of their actions more clearly due to availability of more information and globalization effects. Environmental as well as ethical issues which were initially not highlighted are now being highlighted and discussed in public to better inform the consumers. There have been serious discussions regarding consumers in developed countries buying such diamonds and consequently helping finance war in such war torn countries in Africa. Considering the overall improvement in the consumer perceptions and knowledge, this research will attempt to explore and understand as to whether the industry has an impact on the consumer behavior. This research will further explore the efforts undertaken to stop this process and the overall degree of success achieved in this regard besides exploring as to how it can be stopped and whether awareness should be raised about it or not. (Campbell. 2004.)Â   The overall rationale for choosing this topic is based upon the fact that diamond industry generates more revenues by selling less therefore the overall flow of funds through blood diamonds may be higher and can be used extensively to finance the war. Further, this research is also significant in the sense that it presents a real life example of how industry wide phenomenon can actually have an impact on the consumers and their buying decisions. Literature Review There are many countries within Africa which depend upon diamonds as one of the key source of economic progress and revenue. For such countries, the revenue generated by selling diamonds in international market can help them achieve economic development and progress. However, for some countries, the revenues generated through selling these diamonds are diverted towards the purchase of guns and ammunition to support the war in many A frican countries. The diamonds which are sold for the purpose of financing the war are called blood diamonds or conflict diamonds. (Campbell,. 2004) In the wake of development in the product development and technology, today’s consumers are faced with multiple choices to buy a large number of goods and services at relatively affordable prices. The variety as well as the prices therefore allowed consumers to buy large volumes of such products and services and resultantly their supply also depends upon how much demand is being generated in international market. (Fram, and Baron, . 2004) The overall history of blood diamonds originates from Sierra Leone wherein a group with the name of Revolutionary United Front (RUF) attempted to capture the diamond mines to fund their struggle to restore democracy within the country. However, this trend flourished in other countries also wherein warlords used it as a credible source for earning revenues to fund their war efforts. Diamonds are considered as luxury goods and buying them at higher prices often involve an uncompromising consumer behavior from the buyers given the luxury and degree of prestige attached with it. Over the period of time, this issue and ethics related with