Physical Education Is Important

DyEsha Robinson EDU 460 Motivational Paper September 23, 2009 Educators across the country are worried that kids aren't getting enough physical fitness. Kids in elementary school may be getting a lot of their activity on the playground at recess instead of P. E. classes. Most grade schools don't have P. E. teachers. Regular teachers can teach the kids physical education, but the state says many of them don't feel equipped to do that. Statistics prove more kids are becoming inactive and overweight. Among youth six to 19 years old, 16-percent are overweight. That's more than 9-million kids across the country. To compound the problem, state officials say as schools strive to meet intense academic standards with programs like â€Å"No Child Left Behind†, schools are de-emphasizing P. E. P. E. encourages kids to find something active they love to do, like dancing, swimming, hiking, even skateboarding, because then they're more likely to develop healthy habits. Put simply, at a time when every penny is being pinched by every school in every district in every county in every state, physical education is taking a beating. The experts and educators say there is no doubt that the erosion of P. E. has been a major contributor to the skyrocketing obesity rates. And, of course, the more kids are unhealthy, the less they can exercise. This is their circle of life. Improving children's health may not be a convincing rationale for school administrators. A big argument for cutting back on P. E. is that it wastes time that kids need to be spending in academics, and that it will reduce test scores, which is the death knell for schools. But a studies show that spending more time in P. E. does not interfere with academic achievement. In fact, in some studies, including ours, there is some evidence that it might even improve academic achievement. Other studies have shown that P. E. boosts brainpower (attention, test-score fanatics) if it's done right. That may be the key to fighting obesity as well—instead of just changing the amount of P. E. kids get, change the type. Learning to manage children's behavior in the outdoor environment might help with classroom management inside. Going outside and participating in a physical activity provides a break from the brain drain of sitting in the desk, so perhaps the teacher benefits as much as the students and everyone goes back in more refreshed and with a more positive attitude. The U. S. Department of Education contends in a newly released study that 99 percent of public elementary schools have some type of physical education built into their curriculum in 2005. But how often students actually engaged in physical activity varies widely. Between 17 and 22 percent of students attended P. E. each school day. Another 11 to 14 percent scheduled P. E. three or four days a week and 22 percent scheduled P. E. one day a week. Exercise creates more alertness in a classroom situation. It stimulates more of the natural uppers in brain, like dopamine, and it improves working memory and problem solving skills. Sources http://www. cnn. com/2006/HEALTH/08/20/PE. NCLB/index. html http://www. newsweek. com/id/130621? digg=1 http://rwjf. org/pr/product. jsp? id=20811 http://help. senate. gov/Hearings/2004_10_05/destefano. http://sports. espn. go. com/espn/otl/news/story? id=4015831

Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram is an enigmatic town popular for its rock-cut temples and monuments. It is also known as Mammalapuram and was one of the most flourishing port towns during the historic rule of the Pallava Dynasty. Till date one can clearly feel its historic charm and grandeur through the rich legacy that lies in its stone sculptures and temples. There are many tourist attractions in Mahabalipuram most of which are historic and dedicated mostly to the Hindu gods and goddesses. Mahabalipuram made significant development under the rule of the Pallavas in the 7th century. The city is said to have derived its name after the Pallava king Mamalla and in the ancient times it was famous as Mamallapuram. It was after the downfall of the Guptas that Pallavas came to prominence and exercised full control over this town. They were very powerful and very astute in their perspective. The Golden Age of the rule of the Pallavas was from 650 AD to 750 AD. Many great poets, dramatists, artists, artisans, scholars and saints emerged during this period. Mahabalipurm is also referred to as the â€Å"open air museum† due to the presence of so many architectural marvels. During the rules of Narsimha Varman I (AD 630-668) and Narsimha Varman II (AD 700-728), most of the temples and rock carvings of this place were built. Although the first kings of Pallava dynasty followed Jainism, the conversion of Mahendra Varman (AD 600-630) to Shaivism resulted in majority of the monuments to be related with Shiva or Vishnu. Mahabalipuram experiences a hot and sweltering climate all year round with a maximum temperature of 35 °C and minimum temperature of 19 °C. A trip to Mahabalipuram can best be enjoyed from October to March; however the monsoons should be avoided. Mahabalipuram is not just about the temples and architecture but it is also about the natural beauty of the surroundings. The long stretch of the beaches dotted with palm-groves is ideal to spend a few moments away from the usual cacophony of the city. A visit to this place is also an educative experience, showing visitors the great architectural achievements of the ancient artisans of India.

The Strengths of Abs-Cbn

ABS-CBN’s strength in content creation allow them to provide more value to their advertisers by way of innovative creative executions across free TV, cable TV, radio, print and the new media platforms (mobile and the Internet). Licensing and branded entertainment, including brand and product integration in our programming, also enhance their airtime revenue potential while GMA Advertisers had lessened spending because of uncertainties in advanced economies but the worst is possibly over, Felipe L. Gozon, chair and chief executive officer for GMA Network, said. ABS-CBN continues to be the number one TV station in June with an average  national  audience  share  of 37% or five points higher than GMA’s 32%, according to recent data from Kantar Media. The Kapamilya Network’s primetime teleserye â€Å"Mara Clara,† which Filipinos followed religiously through the months until its intensefinale  last month, topped the list of most watched regular programs for June with an average rating of 38. 6% Out of the top 15 currently running programs, ABS-CBN took eleven spots and secured the top eight slots. They are â€Å"100 Days to Heaven† (34%), â€Å"Maalaala Mo Kaya† (30. %), â€Å"Guns and Roses† (28. 7%), â€Å"Pilipinas Got Talent† (28. 4%), â€Å"TV Patrol (27. 5%), â€Å"Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin† (26. 6%), â€Å"Rated K† (23. 8%), and â€Å"Wansapanataym† (23%). Joining them in top 15 are â€Å"Gandang Gabi Vice† (20. 1%), â€Å"Goin Bulilit† (20%), a nd â€Å"Mula sa Puso† (18. 8%). Therefore, as consultants, we would recommend you to invest in ABS-CBN since the company has more advertisers compared to their leading competitor, GMA Network. Also, ABS-CBN has more audience shares than GMA. Furthermore, eleven spots were taken by ABS-CBN and the eight slots secured.

Federalist Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Federalist Politics - Essay Example They were instrumental in gaining popular support for a large republic. The Federalist #10 is an important document as it set out the framework for how we view special interests, majority rule, and where the power in government will reside. A major portion of the Federalist papers defined the nature of special interest groups. Madison termed them factions and warned of their ability to wield undue influence. Factions are known by the more modern term special interest groups. By concentrating money and political power a small minority can have a great impact on laws and legislation. Factions can bring about corruption and give a voice to a segment of the population that is unduly loud in comparison with the one man one vote philosophy that underpins our constitutional system. Small, well organized factions can influence local politics, elect friendly delegates, and promote laws that are favorable to their cause. In this process the average voter is shut out from the system of government and it is given over to a form of tyranny. Factions have two main impacts on the constitutional system. It has the causes, which are the organized groups attempting to subvert the system, and the results which Madison termed the effects. Madison was realistic in his analyzing of the causes and effects. He understood that there could be no law against special interest groups working to forward their agenda. ... In creating a constitutional government where factions could have their least effect, Madison examined the Democracy and the Republic. Democracy is inherently the most fair to the majority, and the most expedient. Democracy also carries with it the dangers of mob rule. It locks out the interests of the minority and does not consider individual freedom. A democracy has the ability and the function of eliminating dissent and minority viewpoints. In Madison's view this was the biggest threat of a democratic form of government. While a Democracy carried with it the threat of the majority usurping the rights of the minority, a Republic carries with it the opportunity for rule by a select few. Representative Republicanism was the lesser of the two evils as Madison viewed it. A Republic that was represented by local representatives would help establish a balance between the majority and the rights of the minority. Spreading out the political power geographically and demographically would help deter the majority from gaining absolute rule. Madison foresaw the weakness of a republic becoming elitist and ruled by factions. However, his vision of a large republic helps to minimize the effects of rule by a few special interests. Madison believed that factions could not overtake a large republic. While they may be able to promote local support, on the federal stage the constitutional form of government and the balance of power would limit their influence. When compared to a democracy, a republic was more beneficial to the people. The larger the republic, the less vulnerable to undue influence by factions it would have. Madison's Federalist #10 helped set the tone for our constitutional form of government we have today. While

Story Conflicts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Story Conflicts - Essay Example As a result, she becomes fat, and no body knows why. This shows her concern about society, but she does not want to compromise with her desires. Listening her mother and eating little in public shows her concern about what people think of her. She hates seeing her relatives' reaction when they talk to her. She wishes to be liked by everyone. But usually, when she is alone, desire to eat takes her over and she eat the things which results in increase in fat. At her school she meets a girl, who helps her to reduce her weight. After tremendous struggle with her hunger and dieting, she achieves thin body. Now everyone likes her and she get married. When she becomes pregnant, her hunger takes over, and she starts eating secretly again. After child's birth also she continues eating lot and again become fat as before. This proves that a person may change their thinking for little time, but soon comes back to original life. She maintained her dieting for some years but soon came back to the life of lie, showing one thing and doing something else. She is self centered woman. She never felt any responsibility towards her parents, and now also she is not listening to her husband, who loves her a lot. She does not like to stay with people who interrupt her in doing what she wants, whoever they are. Other story is about a soldier, who returns home years after the war over. His situation is totally different from girl in previous story. After returning back, he compares every situation at hometown with that before going for war. The entire Situation is same except now he dislike many things amongst them. Previously he used to lie about his life at war. He used to attribute himself to the things other had gone through. Previously he used to say or do any thing to please girls, but now he thinks it is not worth saying lie anymore. He feels that he lost every thing, and him self. And this is because of lies he said to everyone. "Krebs acquired the nausea in regard to experience that is the result of untruth or exaggeration, and when he occasionally met another man who had really been a soldier and the talked a few minutes in the dressing room at a dance he fell into the easy pose of the old soldier among other soldiers: that he had been badly, sickeningly frightened all the time. In this way he lost everything." Now he wants simple and straightforward life without any type of complications. Now he wants truth in his life. He wish to get rid of the entire situation created because his untruth and exaggeration about his life and war. Now he does not want any consequences. He believes that things can get good again if he start things what are worth doing. His parents want him to set his aim and settle down to work. His sister wants him to participate in her daily activities. Unlike previous, now he wants to satisfy his parent's and sister's expectation and become good son and brother. Conclusion These two

American Government and History Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American Government and History - Assignment Example There were a series of events including tax resistance against British colonists that led to the formation of a congress that adopted the Independence Declaration. This resulted to the foundation of The United States of America. With constitution amendment, abolishment of retrogressive practices like slavery and the emergence of the Manifest Destiny Doctrine a stable government was formed. This paper seeks to assess the history of the American government. 1. The term government refers to a system through which policies of a state are enforced to control its citizens. The government includes legislators, administrators and arbitrators. These positions are acquired through political discourses. 3. Sovereignty is "an attribute of a state in the form of its complete self-sufficiency in the frames of a certain territory that is supreme in its domestic policy and independence in the foreign one" (Story 88). This enables a state to have authority over another. 4. Hegemony refers to a type of leadership where there is imperial dominance.The ruler uses the implied power to geopolitically mediocre states. Rebellion is thus eliminated without direct military action Theocracy is a means of rule that has raised a lot of debate between the religious rulers and political leaders on who has more power. It is a type of government who are led by religious persons who are divinely guided in their state activities. The source of power is from a supreme being that is God. These leaders must be members of a clergy. Some of the benefits of this type of leadership is it creates a sagacity of community that is more established. There is also an infallible word of law with strict rules, and a respectable and notable leader since authority is from God (Storey 96). However, there are disadvantages that come as a result of theocracy, and they outweigh the advantages. According to Storey (98), perversion of the theocracy by

Informal interview Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Informal interview - Research Paper Example Other things are providing enough training to employees for the work they do, ensuring friendly atmosphere, ensuring adequate recreation, making the employees feel trusted by giving them decision making power, rewarding in group avoiding discrimination, regular meetings, and most importantly no favoritism in the organization discoursing backdoor tactics. The Details of the Interview Interviewer : How long have you been on this job, Mr. Ralph? Mr. Ralph : Well, I have been in the company for ten years now. Interviewer : Could you please tell me what the job of an HR Professional involves? Mr. Ralph : Broadly speaking, it is about proper staffing and proper employee relations. Interviewer : Fine. Would you explain the responsibilities assigned to an HR Professional in common? Mr. Ralph : Sure, the most common ones are coordinating the hiring process of new recruits, arranging orientation for new employees, developing and explaining HR policies, answering the queries of employees, perfo rmance consulting, ensuring safety at workplace, maintaining employee relations and so on. In fact, the list is too long. Interviewer : That is a fairly good explanation MR. Ralph. Actually, what is the qualification required to apply for a post in HR, say, in your company? Mr. Ralph : Well, the minimum qualification, as I generally observe, is a Bachelors Degree in Human Resource Management and certainly, work experience makes one more effective in the job. Interviewer : Fine, what qualities, in your opinion, makes a person a successful HR Professional? Mr. Ralph : I think, the very first quality required for this job is good communication skills. In addition, the person should possess good public speaking skills and writing skills. Good analytical and problem-solving skills are vital for the profession. Interviewer : Could you please explain the secret behind a successful new employee orientation program? Mr. Ralph : Sure, it starts with a welcome letter to the selected candidates . You know, it makes them feel welcomed. Then the orientation starts with giving the new employees a detailed description of the company’s procedures, history, target and work rules in the very beginning. The orientation is a one week procedure in which employees get familiar with the whole organization and the expected role they have to play. Interviewer : Well, Mr. Ralph, How do you make a new employee feel at ease? Mr. Ralph : It is very important to provide the new recruits enough time to become familiar with the organization, chances for open interaction and discussion in the beginning, clearing fears and doubts, encouraging friendship and providing respect. Interviewer : What advice would you give to someone who is going to become an HR Professional? Mr. Ralph : All employees are human beings. This is the basic thing all HR people should remember. Interviewer : Thank you Mr. Ralph for sharing your knowledge with me. The opinion that HR is mainly aimed at the welfare of the employees is shared by Jackson and Mathis (12) who opine the role of HR is to act as an advocate for the employees ignoring the success of the business to satisfy the needs of the employees. However, there are issues to be taken care of while handling employee issues. First of all, as Dessler and Varkkey (582) point out, it is necessary for managers to be familiar state and local statutes while handling em

Adopting Plans Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Adopting Plans - Research Paper Example 114). For instance, an emergency plan for a city may be detailed and require large resources to be implemented. However, a plan for an institution such as a school may be small since it covers a small area and thus requires fewer resources. Although disasters occur unexpectedly some of them can be predicted as a result of past incidences. For instance, emergency operation plans for areas which are prone to natural disasters such as tornadoes or earthquakes may not be the same (Gallant, 2008, p.86). This is because the measures taken to tackle such kind of disasters are different. Therefore planners should conduct an assessment of their jurisdiction to determine the possible emergencies they may face and how they plan to tackle them (Alexander, 2002, p. 182). Finally, it is important for emergency planners to design their own plans because different locations or facilities differ in terms of physical design of their premises. In case of an emergency, the plan should outline the escape routes; identify safe areas where people should go and possible sources of medical aid (Gallant, 2008,

Evaluation porsche 911 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evaluation porsche 911 - Essay Example History Porsche has been a name that flashes as a synonym for amazing cars in the heart of almost all the automobile lovers in the world ever since it was founded in 1931. The brand name and the technology of the world’s most beautiful cars belong to the German Genius, Ferdinand Porsche. An originally motor designing company was transformed into a world class car manufacturer by the great vision of Ferdinand Porsche around the World War II. It was the time when the Volkswagen company had to displace Porsche for his English nativity following which he had to undergo a short-term imprisonment. This incident happened to a blessing in disguise as Ferdinand’s son, Ferry Porsche, took inspiration from his father’s skills and designed his own car which impressed the car lovers very soon. As described on its website, this car, fondly called 356 as its own design project number, changed the conservative approach to the car industry by promoting it as a field of perfect in novations for style and speed (‘Porsche: historical background’). This aerodynamic version with unprecedented power packing grabbed the attention of the world very rapidly and from then Porsche became an identity of luxury. The industrial history of Porsche can thus be ranged from 1948 till date with a number of car models and specifications of engines. An overall evaluation of the company’s profile indicates Porsches firmness in retaining its uniqueness in style and marketing. Porsche cars of different strength and enticing looks came flowing into the market over the years with the makers proving their innovation in the automobile engineering for sports utility vehicles (SUVs) as the company was incorporated to public sector in 1984, around twenty years after the introduction of Porsche 911 model. Porsche 911 A car model running a hit story for over three decades may be possible only with Porsche 911. Observers can find that the switching from its dependence on Volkswagen engines and the modification tag of Beetle brand eventually helped Porsche stand as a stalwart in the car designing field. The incredible power of its engine made it a hot choice for the racers and mountain terrain riders. Moreover, this model bears the credit for being the most sort after car with unchanged model name to capture the world market. Even when the competitors had claims that it had a wrong positioning of the engine, the 911 had the reputation for being the first sports car with a five speed transmission. The name was also a significant choice after the French Peugeot had their right reserved over the use of zero in the middle of any brand name. Thus the originally 901 became 911 when the company made commercial production of 1965 model cars. Porsche 911 design Ferdinand Alexander designed the world’s most iconic Porsche cars. The design of the Porsche 911 was introduced in the market with flying colors and this stunning design assisted this model to d ominate the auto market since its launching. The terrific design of the Porsche 911 benefited the company to win the award World’s Performance Car of the Year 2012. Today, many of the leading sports car makers try to adopt different design features of Porsche 911. The company’s philosophy has been giving particular attention to better design since its establishment. The firm’

New Hires Essay Example for Free

New Hires Essay Introduction Carl Robins, who is a new recruiter for ABC Inc., hired 15 new trainees with the intention to have them start on June 15th. As the start date gets closer, Carl discovers that all the trainees are not prepared to start their employment. Most of them do not have all the paperwork required for employment and none of them have visited the clinic for their mandatory drug screening. Carl needs to contact the new recruits immediately so they can complete all the prerequisites for employment. Also, Carl needs to get in contact with someone for more training on the applicant hire and training process. Background Carl Robins is a new employee with ABC Inc. He has only been with the company for six months and has just experienced his first hiring process. Carl hired 15 new employees thinking they would be able to go through training on June 15th and begin working sometime in July. After Memorial Day, Carl was reviewing all the paperwork for the new hires. He discovered that none of them are ready to start on June 15th. Some of the applicants did not have their applications completely filled out and some of them were missing transcripts, also none of them had their mandatory drug screenings done. Furthermore, all but three of the orientation manuals were missing and he found out that the training room was booked all through June. Key Problems Some of the key problems are that the new hires are not prepared for their start date of June 15th. It is the responsibility of the recruiter that the new hires are completely ready for their start date and have everything they need in order to be successful in the company. The recruiter is responsible for the two main problems. The fact that Carl is a new employee himself  could rationalize the fact that none of the new hires are ready for their orientation start date. Alternatives A recommendation for Carl would be to search around his office for all the missing paperwork as it could have just been misplaced. Also, some of the new hires could have completed the drug screening he just hasn’t seen the results of them yet. However, he should only spend a few hours looking for the missing paperwork as time is running short. Another solution would be for Carl to set back the start date for the new employees since the training room is booked for the whole month of June. This alternative is not recommended however because it will set back the new hires a month; as they will not be able to start until August. Also, Monica is counting on the new employees starting in July. This solution would also be harmful because Carl is still new to the company and having to push the start date back a month because of a few mistakes he made would not look good in management’s eyes. Carl should also remind the new employees of the company’s drug policy and that if any of them were to fail the drug screening their employment would be terminated immediately. Carl could also push back the start date from June to July to give himself more time to prepare the paperwork, also the training room is booked for the entire month of June. He has the option to get in contact with all the recruits and assure that they get all the missing paperwork in and get to the clinic for their mandatory drug test. Not only do the new recruits need to take a drug test but they also need to pass the drug screening in order to be fully hired into the company. Also, Carl waiting until the last minute to review their paperwork added fuel to the fire and only made matters worse for everyone. If he reviewed all the applications ahead of time, it would have given him plenty of time to make sure all the paperwork was put together properly and all the testing was done. With this being Carl’s first time doing the recruiting process for this company; he might not be familiar with the rules and hiring process itself. Carl seems to be the root cause of the new hires not being ready for their start date of June 15th. Proposed Solution Carl should contact all new hires immediately to make sure that all the requirements for the company are met and that all the new hires are prepared  for their start date before it approaches. Monica is really counting on these new recruits beginning their work in July and not just starting their training in July. If the date of orientation had to be pushed back, it would reflect poorly on Carl and he might get in some trouble with management over it. Recommendations Apparently Carl was not clear on all the hiring procedures of a recruiter. It is recommended for Carl to get retrained on the hiring and training process of new recruits. Getting retrained will hopefully ensure that this problem never happens again. It is also recommended that Carl talk to Monica about a new place to hold the orientation because the orientation room is already booked. Him and Monica need to sit down a figure out a place to hold the orientation that would be big enough to fit all 15 new hires. Conclusion In conclusion, careful research has been done on what alternative methods should be taken to ensure Carl get everything completed and ready for the new hires start date. A lot of thinking has gone into this paper and I have attempted to think of every possible solution to Carl’s predicament. It is apparent that Carl may have had too much to deal with for his first time dealing with the recruiting process to effectively complete his duties as a recruiter for the company. Carl should have had a checklist with his and made himself a timeline for when everything had to be completed. It was analyzed that Carl could either push back the date of the orientation to July which is not highly recommended and should only be used as a last resort, or Carl should immediately get in contact with the new recruits and help them get all the paperwork they need ready for the start date. If they can’t drop it off at the office Carl should ensure that it either be faxed or mailed to him before the start date of June 15th. If Carl had a checklist and ensured everything was filled out and completed beforehand he could have done his main job which is finding the best employees for the company.

Advantages of Traditional Budgeting Systems

Advantages of Traditional Budgeting Systems Traditional budgeting is one the first budgeting systems created. Traditional budgeting system is still commonly used in many organizations today. The reasons why organizations still using traditional budget, this is due to framework of control. The role of the budget is to give focus to an organization, and help the coordination of activities and enable control. Large companies might struggle to plan, coordinate and control their dealings without a budgetary system. Even smaller companies can benefit from the budgetary system to ensure the direction of the business, and how it can reach its goals. Second reason is its organizational culture; for the fundamental method of operating, it may not be possible for the organization to move away. Moreover, by their nature, budgets are a centrally coordinated activity within a business, and often the only one which brings together all aspects of the company. Budgets are often the one process which covers all areas of organisational activity (Otley, 1999). Third reason of an organization still using traditional budgeting system is the need to decentralise; this is recognized that banks institutions and other financial institutions are more suitable candidates for decentralisation than other types of businesses. For an example, Norman Macintosh observed that branch managers at Transamerica Finance Corporation had a great deal of freedom to run their operations according to standard operating procedures. Similarly, another example is Svenska Handelsbanken, the largest bank in Sweden sets parameters for branch managersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ discretion and then motivates its staff using competitive devices such as branch league tables (Alexa Michael and Technical Information Service, 2007). This approach can be successful in organizations where people work in similar but in independent units. However, it does not follow that this level of decentralization can be adopted by all organizations. Every organization is unique and it may be impossibl e to change the company culture to provide the necessary decentralisation. Successful decentralisation also depends on a great deal of trust being invested in teams throughout the organisation. Due to economic uncertainty, traditional budgeting has its limit. The disadvantage of traditional budgeting is it has insufficient external focus. Traditional budgeting is seldom focusing on strategy and is often conflicting. Besides that, it is time consuming and costly to put together, and also limit responsiveness and flexibility, whereby this is not good for economic uncertainty situation. This is because it often discourages change and only adds little value, budget tend to be bureaucratic and discourage creative thinking and requires too much valuable management time. Traditional budgeting system has an adverse impact on management behaviour, which can become dysfunctional with regard to the objectives of the organisation as a whole. Johnson (2005) explains that most budgets are not based on a rational, causal model of resource consumption, but are often the result of protracted internal bargaining processes. Conformance to budget is not seen as compatible with a drive towards continuous improvement. Under economic uncertainty, inflexibility is somehow seen as the key failing factor of traditional budgeting, and organizations are being urged to move towards continuous budgeting systems to enable speedy and coordinated adaptations to actual and anticipated changes in the economic (Neely et al, 1997). Continuous budgeting system gives companies the agility and capability to follow changes in market situations, and to cope with economic uncertainty while keeping an eye on strategic objectives (Lorain, 2010). Continuous budgeting system solves problems associated with infrequent budgeting and hence results in more accurate forecast. It is also more responsive to changing circumstances under economic uncertainty. Some companies use a continuous budget which means that a ongoing 12 months budget is presented by consecutively adding a new budget as each current month expire, such a process allow management to work at anytime, within the present 1 month component of a full 12 month annual budget. Continuous budgeting system make the planning process less irregular, rather than having managers go into the budget getting period at a specific time, managers are continuously involved in planning and budgeting process. The advantages of a continuous budget under economic uncertainty situation include, eliminating a fiscal year mind set by recognizing that business is an ongoing operation and should be managed accordingly. It also allows management to make corrective steps as forecast business cond ition change such as in economic uncertainty. It helps to reduce or eliminating the budget planning process that occurs at the end of each fiscal year. Another recent survey jointly conducted by the American Productivity Quality Centres and IBM Global Business Services has found that companies focusing on planning, budgeting and forecasting as a business strategy are higher performers in all area than those focusing on cost accounting, control and cost management. The study also showed that high performing organizations tend to complete their budgeting cycle in 30 days compared to 90 days in low performing organizations and most of the high performers used continuous budgeting system when the economic in uncertain (Kinney and Raiborn, 2008). Another example in the article author has mention how Kenyan business sail through under economic uncertainty. Kenyan have experience challenging times with business struggling to plan and price their product carefully so as not to erode the profit margins that they had planned for. Having exchange rate problems. Smart cfos employ a budgeting, principally a set of procedures used to develop budget. Author mention that Kenyan organization have limited resources and and they need to effectively plan and use them. This is why they implement budgets to help provides a means to achieve this. Budgets provide a useful benchmark of performance and help control profit and operations when compared to actual performance. The resulting variance guide management in appreciating what they need to do in the subsequent period. Employee performance and managerial performance is usually measured on qualitative terms, but budget gives a new meaning to evaluate performance through numbers and helps in r ewarding high performers and correcting the low performers. Due to the economic downturn, a number of well run companies have adapted to their specific circumstances and prepare master budget that comprises of performance financial statement, a capital budget, and a financial budget. However, some organizations have adapted to the concept of continuous budgets. With the fluctuation of the dollar, business are emploting a variety of techniques of budgeting to ensure that they make profits.

Changing Pattern of Consumer Behaviour

Changing Pattern of Consumer Behaviour Today organizations need a deep insight into consumer behaviour and its changing patterns in order to survive in the market place. Large organizations have highly trained individuals recruited to collect information about the consumers constantly changing needs and trends so that they can get focused on what is required by consumer; so that they can cater those needs as accurately and efficiently as possible . Harrods is one of the worlds most well-known department stores situated on Brampton Road in Knightsbridge, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England; It was established in 1849 as a small grocery store with only two helpers. Today, it offers its customers with everything from food to fashion, furniture to sportswear plus 20 in-store restaurants serving every kind of cuisine imaginable from pizza to sushi. Services range from piano tuning to fitting saddles. Must-see sights include the Food Halls, the Egyptian Hall and the Pet Department. (Visit London) Harrods after tenure of great success has lately seen a falling trend in its sales. Harrods, therefore, has further studied the behaviour of its consumers more closely in order to know the reasons of this unfortunate decline in sales. This report contains an analysis of this study, external influences and how they can be used positively to augment the sales; It mentions the strategies Harrods can use in order to get the same honourable and prestigious position back in the marketplace. Task 1: Impact of External Influences An insight into the behaviour of consumers at Harrods Harrods is a high end departmental store which offers a great range of products and services. Once opened as a small grocery shop has now matured to become a good example for posh and glamorous shopping, complementing itself on its motto Omnia Omnibus Ubique which means that All things, for all people, everywhere. It is famous about Harrods that you can buy anything you can name at Harrods, from a hair pin to furniture. (go there guide) Consumer behaviour is a study of when, how and where people buy or do not buy certain products or services. When buying a product, consumers usually go through several stages which can be named as need recognition, information search, evaluation of different purchase options, purchase decision and post purchase behaviour e.g. a need arise when you see your current television set is out dated and pretty old fashion or may be its broken. You decide that you want a new television and then start looking for different options transferring yourself to the next stage and you start looking for which television to buy and from which place; this is the stage when Harrods should come in the mind of a consumer. Then a consumer evaluates between different available options which Harrods has advantage of providing consumer all under one roof and then finally he buys a product. (East, 2008) Harrods is considered a glamorous shopping place. Though nearly everything is available at Harrods but the target market segment that Harrods focuses on is the upper class. This is the market segment the management at Harrods keeps in mind while carrying out its marketing activities. People visiting Harrods may belong to any age group but majority of them belong to the social class A and expect a service that is up to the mark. They expect that the product available at Harrods would belong to the highest of the qualities available. Marketers define four types of buying behaviours and it is based on the type of products that the consumer intends to buy. All four types of buying behaviors can be witnessed in the consumers at Harrods as a vast range of products are available at Harrods. Complex buying behaviour This where the person purchases a high value brand and inquires about a lot of information before the purchase is made. This may be when a consumer is buying a very expensive outfit of Paul Smith Black at Harrods Habitual buying behaviour This is when somebody purchases a product out of routine e.g. a daily newspaper, sugar or salt. This is applicable for a consumer buying grocery from the grocery section Variety seeking buying behaviour It is when the person likes to shop around and try out with different products. Some consumers at Harrods do not have the particular brand in mind beforehand when they shop for any product so they experiment different brands. Dissonance reducing buying behaviour This is the type of behaviour when buyer is extremely concerned with the purchase of the product, because the purchase is expensive or occasional. An example could be buying expensive furniture at Harrods. (Micheal.R.Solomon, 2005) The management at Harrods needs to keep all these consumer behaviour theories like what makes consumer buy a product, what kind of behaviours can they adopt while shopping at Harrods in mind and factors can cause a change in consumer buying patterns in mind while they take their management decisions. They specially need to be aware of the expectations of their consumers and what exactly they want from Harrods in order to improve and find the loop holes which might be leading to a fall in sales. External Factors may influence Buying Behaviour Consumer behaviour can be affected by various factors that may be highly uncontrollable by marketers. These external factors may include the opinion of your friends, the values and the way you are brought up, the media, the culture, certain groups you interact with etc. All of these external factors are mentioned in details with respect to the consumers of Harrods as follows: Culture Culture does influence consumer behaviour; culture is defined as our attitudes and beliefs. The point that we need to know here is the way these attitudes and beliefs are developed. As a person matures, a child is influenced by his parents, siblings and other family members who may educate them about rights and wrongs. They learn about their religion and culture, which helps them develop these opinions, attitudes and beliefs.. (Micheal.R.Solomon, 2005) Geographical Culture Harrods needs to understand the culture of people living in London. The way they are brought up and what their values are. Do people living in London like to go to glamorous shopping places like Harrods? Are they comfortable shopping at such high end places? What are their buying trends and do they prefer large shopping places over small ones? Can people living there afford to buy expensive or do they usually spend this much on average? All these questions need to be answered in order understand the psyche of consumers living in London and cater them according to their needs. If we go back into history, UK is a class based society and some remains of such behaviour are still existent. People who belong to a high class do like to show off and go to high end places but as time is passing this frame of mind is changing. This change of mind may be one of the factors leading to fall in demand for Harrods. Subculture Subcultures can be defined as members that possess beliefs, values and customs that set them apart from other members of the same society. There can be nationality, ethnic, racial, geographical or religious sub cultures. People belonging to various parts of the world and belonging to various sets of beliefs and norms live in London, which leads a complex set of people who may have different beliefs and norms mixed up. Understanding and catering to all of them is not very realistic but Harrods needs have knowledge regarding major subcultures so that its products are designed according to it and their do not hurt anyones beliefs and norms. (Leon G Schiffman, 1997) Global Culture In order to make sure that the products it is offering is in line with the Global culture, Harrods needs to study the global trends of buying behaviour as well. Generally people around the globe have started preferring large shopping malls over small specific buying areas. This facilitates a consumer in a way that all the products are available under one roof. As people are getting more and busier with their work lives, this saves time. Moreover the world is also moving towards better quality products and services. Designer clothes and fashion apparel are getting popular. Brands are getting global. This trend of customers goes in favour of Harrods. Multinationals have the brought the consumer base to one platform which in a way has helped marketers to understand complex behaviours. (my library) Reference Groups Reference group is an actual or imaginary individual or group concealed of having significant relevance upon an individuals evaluations, aspirations and behaviour. Marketers have seen that reference groups can strongly influence buying behaviours. Reference groups are particular set of people some people may look up towards to that have an impact on consumer behaviour. So they can be only a band like the Savage Garden or your direct family members. Marketers have grouped reference groups into classes to comprehend the way the influence more clearly. (Micheal.R.Solomon, 2005) Types of Reference Groups Normative: Some group and individuals are more powerful than others and affect a broader range of consumption decisions. A very good example would be family. Your upbringing really has a strong influence on your likes and dislikes, definitions of right and wrong. Family values and practices usually do not change and develop basic standards of behavior. If a family is used shop from department stores rather than individuals outlets or it may be particularly Harrods then this practice may be passed on to further generations as well and this how the cycle goes on. (M.Khan, 2007) Comparative: These are the people you compare yourself to and can relate to e.g. friends, neighbors or a club you are a member of. Some of these may be ones you aspire and want to imitate. A person may start shopping from Harrods because a friend of his shops from Harrods and he likes it very much and recommended him as well. (M.Khan, 2007) Reference groups can further be divided into direct and indirect reference groups: direct are the ones you have contact in person with and indirect may be the ones you may not have direct contact with such as celebrities. (Balythe, 2008) Marketers cannot directly manipulate your direct reference groups or use them for their benefits but indirect reference groups can easily be used by marketers. Harrods needs to study about its consumers reference groups and use them in its favour. If Harrods serves its existing consumers really well they will automatically prove to be a resourceful reference group for some potential consumers. They can also use celebrity endorsements referent powers. (Wagner, 2003) Opinion leader Opinion leaders are the people who have greater knowledge about a certain thing than a lay man so you respect their views and that may influence consumer behaviour. Most of the times it would really affect the behaviour if the thing to buy is a highly technological product, may be a hi-tech computer and the opinion leader in that case may be a computer expert. (CL Tyagi, 2004) Economic Environment Economic environment has a great influence on buying behaviour. People usually spend more during good economic times and during an economic boom and likewise less during recessions. Lately aggregate demand around the globe felt due to global recession. People were out of jobs and businesses were heading towards a downfall which left people with less disposable incomes on hand to spend. This may also be one of the factors leading to Harrods reduced sales. (Angus Deaton, 1980) Competition Competition is another factor which influences the consumer behavior. This provides consumers with more options available so they start comparing between the available options and selects the one which benefits them the most. Harrods has a few potential competitors mentioned below: Selfridges There is store called Selfridges Co. It is also one of the largest areas in the world with 540,000 sq.ft of selling area. It is located on the Oxford Street which is a prime posh location. Like Harrods, it is also famous among consumers for providing a large range of products and services. The difference between Harrods and Selfridges could be that Selfridges is more focused towards entertainment as it has 15 bars, cafes and restaurants inside the area. It has two more smaller department stores, one in Manchester and the other in (business week) Marks and Spencer Another strong competition would be Marks and Spencer (MS). It is a British retail chain and it has 330 department stores and over 340 food location all over UK. It does not operate in UK only but has over 300 locations in countries including Indonesia, South Korea, India and China. The factor that differentiates M S from Harrods is that it core range consists of mid-priced household items, fashion apparel and other products whereas Harrods is designed for the best or may be for everything rather a narrowed specific price range. M S has been in this market for more than 100 years and has been ranked as the no. 1 supplier of women wear. Moreover, the company makes 90% of its sales in its home country which certainly is UK. It can give Harrods a tough competition if Harrods get even a little bit lenient in its services (business week) Fortnum Mason This is 300 year old department store. It is very famous for its food which includes jams, teas, and sauces. It also supplies Queen with annual Christmas puddings. It has five restaurants and though it generates most of its sales from food but it also sells gifts, luggage, household products, cosmetics etc. Though its product range and the area of focus are not exactly same as Harrods but it can be counted as a competition and was mentioned by a number of consumers at Harrods. (business week) Task 2: Recommended Positioning Strategy Perception A study of human perception can also help marketers to understand the consumer behaviour. Perception is the process by which people select, organize and interpret their sensations; where sensation is how are sensory receptors (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, fingers) to basic stimuli such as light, colour, sound, odor and texture. Like a computer system human mind also processes the information in order to perceive things. (Martin E Evans, 2009) This is the age of sensory marketing. Marketers make use of impact of sensations on consumers product experiences. They use vision, hearing, touch and taste in order to create an image of the brand in the minds of the consumer to create a competitive advantage. Marketers try and create brands unique association with the sensation. (Hawyer, 2008) Harrods may use a certain trade dress which is colour combination an organization uses so frequently that consumers start associating that brand with that colour combination. Whenever they see that colour combination around their mind recalls the brand in sub-consciousness. This is how marketers create an image that can last very long in the minds of the consumers through our sensations; as consumers start associating those brands to different things. Consumers perception about the brand consists of both its functional attributes as well as the symbolic attitudes. Functional attitudes may include its price; its features etc. and symbolic may include its image. Marketers have discovered that consumers evaluation of a certain product is more dependent on what it means rather than what it does. This meaning has more to do with products market position and it may be more to do with our expectations of the product as communicated by its colour, packaging and styling rather than the product itself. (Kathy Niel, 2007) Therefore, Harrods should use these tools of sensation in order to create an image of Harrods that consumers cannot forget; an image that stays in the minds. It should create a certain sensation so that consumers can associate the brand with that sensation. This automatically attracts a consumer towards a brand as it creates a certain impact in the minds of the consumers that lasts for very longer periods of time. Attitude Attitude is actually a learned behaviour. They may be favourable and unfavourable attitude for a product or a service. Marketers say that attitudes have the quality of motivation, they can lead consumer towards certain behaviour or can even stop him from doing so. Harrods should try and develop a positive attitude about itself in the minds of the consumers. (Micheal.R.Solomon, 2005) Harrods have had certain issues which may lead to a negative attitude. Harrods in order to maintain its glamorous image threw a lady out from the store. Eilene Kadden, from California, was ejected from the store because she did not have the right image; she was too fat. Such kinds of incidents adversely affect the image of the brand and such incidents can lead to negative attitudes for the brand in the minds of the consumers. Harrods should respect its customers irrespective of race, colour, ethnicity and physical attributes of a person. Tri-Component Attitude Model According to this model attitude consists of three components which are cognitive, affective and conative components. (Micheal.R.Solomon, 2005) The cognitive component consists of persons cognitions i.e. his knowledge and perception about the brand. This may be formed by a combination direct exposure and from other sources. Harrods should create a positive impression in the minds of the consumers through its image, service and behaviour. The affective component is more about the feeling of the consumer. How related and emotionally attached he is to the brand. A family might be shopping from Harrods from last three generations and may develop an emotional attachment to the store. These emotions can further affect the actions of the consumers. They van be negative as well. The Conative component deals with the actual behaviour of the consumer, it is also called the consumers intention to buy. This model can help Harrods to develop a positive attitude among its current and targeted consumers. Harrods should try to factually as well emotionally create a positive feeling about the brand. Self Self-concept is the beliefs that customer holds about himself. It can be positive as well as negative. At times you feel that a part of you is more positive. People buy products which they can relate to themselves. What is the reason that social class A is the major consumer at Harrods? It is that all the products are designed keeping the social class as a target market segment and so they can relate to it. Positioning Strategy This is the way a brand portrays itself and places itself in the minds of the consumers. Positioning a brand is a very crucial task. This is what can either make a brand or break a brand. When a marketer targets a certain market segments, it intends to different itself from the other brands through its competitive advantage. How to Position When a brand is to position itself, the very first step when a business decides to enter the market to describe the market in which the brand is to enter and to struggle. The market where Harrods is to compete is London. It is posh area where people spend money to avail highest quality products and services. The next step would be to collect information from the relevant consumers about what perception do they have regarding the competing brands in the market. Harrods needs to understand what attributes regarding the shopping stores are most favourable in the minds of the consumers. It needs a complete knowledge about the likes, dislikes, preferences and frame of mind of the relevant consumers it intends to target. It needs to determine the share of mind of all the competing brands which are mentioned above including Selfridges, Marks and Spencer, Fortnum and Masom. It needs to rank the competitors and the attributes which would be hard to compete. At the end it needs to position its elf using the combination of the preferable attributes and attributes of the brand itself to capture a territory in the minds of the consumer. Era of Marketing This is the age of Marketing. Marketing a brand is becoming more important than the product itself. The Marketers study the market in detail, segment the market into different segments based on demographics and psychographics and then select the most profitable segment as the targeted segment. All the products and services are then designed keeping that particular segment in mind. All the decisions are also taken in accordance to that particular targeted segment. (Gerit Antonides, 1998) Harrods instead of taking decsions keeping the products and services in mind, needs to take decisions keeping the preferences of targeted consumers in mind. If a certain brand in preffered and renowned in US but people in UK prefer other brands over it which may even be of slightly lower quality, opting for that brand of better quality would not be sensible decision. Harrods has taken some bad decesions in the past to save its glamorous image; it has kept a range of brands which are not even liked by most of the people in London which is a failure for Harrods to understand the psyche of its consumers. Suitable Positiong Strategy for Harrods The three major positioning concepts known among the marketers and they are functional, symbolic and experiential position. Functional position is when the firm shows itself as the solution to problems. It promotes the benefits that can provide and gain a favourable position. Symbolic postioning is when a organization uses its image, belongingness and egoistic image which provides the comsumers with social meaningfulness. This is the kind of positioning suitable for an organization like Harrods and this is what it has been doing in the past as well but a certain change is needed to make this symbolic position better. These changings would be mentioned further in the report. Experiential position is when an oraganization makes use of the consumers sensory and cognitive stimulation and the concepts of perception to create an image in the minds of the consumers that consumers can relate to. Harrods Current Positioning Harrods has positioned itself as a high-end, glamorous, luxurious and high end department store. It has not positioned itself as a department store but as an unforgettable experience. Harrods has a reputation for excellence and a motto Everything for Everybody Everywhere. Consumers know it as a place where you can buy everything. From sugar and potatoes to luxurious cars, everything is available at the Harrods. The major component or competitive advantage that Harrods has used is its grand image and variety. Repositioning Harrods Some of the Harrods policies to maintain its high end image has in turn adversely affecting its reputation. The incidents of forcing people out due to their physical appearance and strict dress code rules make customers inconvenient and lead to a negative impression. Harrods need to add a component of humbleness in its positioning statement. The feeling that one gets when he hears about Harrods is of arrogance and attitude. A tinge of humbleness needs to be added to the image in order to create a positive impression. Harrods should try and create an image of an environment friendly organization. People once protested against Harrods selling animal fur. Such kind of incidents would not happen if you have you have a complete knowledge about youre the culture and values of targeted consumers and people around. Harrods should encourage the brands operating inside the store to promote green environment and produce as many environment friendly products as they can and take steps for protecting the environment from every kind of pollution. This will lead to a responsible image about in Harrods in the minds of the consumers which will definitely in turn improve the sales. Online and Offline Positioning Messages As mentioned under the heading of repositioning Harrods, Harrods needs to promote a tinge of humbleness with its glamorous image. The current motto used by Harrods is Everything for Everybody Everywhere and All things, for all people, everywhere which portrays that literally everything is available at Harrods. Messages like Everything that you need because we care! would promote an image of care and responsibility on part of the organization. This would portray that the organization is not selfish about its own benefits only. The attitude of the employees in the store will automatically depict the position and set a mark in the minds of the consumers. Moreover for offline positioning, Harrods can launch campaigns for environment protection. It can sponsor such activities in order to create an impact and show that it actually cares and contributing towards the society. Conclusion Harrods is a very famous and well known brand. It has successfully achieved its targets and continuously improved and expanded over the years. Its management worked efficiently to satisfy the needs of its consumers. It was clear and focused on the segment it was targeting and therefore tailored its products accordingly. Due to some external factors and some of the bad decisions that Harrods took declined its sales. The image that Harrods was enjoying is slightly damaged but its not late to make for the mistakes in the past. Moreover, every firm needs to innovate and re-position itself according to changing environment. Harrods in order to earn its position back needs to make slight changes in its positioning. It should get more humble towards its customers and promote environmentally friendly products. Task 3: Individual Critical Reflection on Learning Outcomes Critical Reflection on Learning Outcomes Before the start of the module, I was not sure of whether it will further enhance my learning or not. The theories I was to expected to apply in the module were the ones I had already studied several times so I was not looking forward to any further new learning and experience. As I started working on the module and started gathering information about Harrods, I realized that my perception about the module was entirely wrong. Though I didn.t learn anything new in the module but it gave me an opportunity to apply what I have learned in a real life situation. All the concepts and course material that I studied in the course was practically applied to solve the given problem of reduced sales. Moreover, while I was studying for the course I had an impression that most of the concepts mentioned in the course books are only for theoretical purposes and are not used or helpful to the firms in real life situations. My opinion was proven wrong while I working on the module as I saw that firms do use these concepts and they do help them in understanding the behaviour of consumers which is critical for their success. This module was a great experience. Though collecting information and analysis was a little tough and tiresome but it was worth it. The data collection on the external factors influencing the consumer behavior was really difficult; classifying it and coming up with useful results and conclusions was even more troublesome. This module specifically enhanced my analytical skills and improved my confidence of practically applying theoretical knowledge. References Angus Deaton, J. M. (1980). Economics and consumer behaviour. Balythe, J. (2008). Consumer Behaviour. business week. (n.d.). Retrieved august 27, 2010, from business week: http://investing.businessweek.com/research CL Tyagi, A. K. (2004). Consumer Behaviour. East, R. (2008). Consumer Behaviour. Gerit Antonides, W. F. (1998). Consumer Behaviour. go there guide. (n.d.). Retrieved august 2010, 28, from go there guide: http://www.gothereguide.com Hawyer, W. D. (2008). Consumer Behaviour. Kathy Niel, S. P. (2007). Consumer Behaviour Implications for marketing strategy. Leon G Schiffman, H. H. (1997). consumer behaviour. M.Khan. (2007). Consumer Behaviour. Martin E Evans, G. F. (2009). Consumer Behaviour . Micheal.R.Solomon. (2005). Consumer Behaviour: buying, having, being (8th ed.). my library. (n.d.). Retrieved August 28, 2010, from my library: http://www.accessmylibrary.com Visit London. (n.d.). Retrieved August 28, 2010, from Visit London: http://www.visitlondon.com/attractions/ Wagner, S. (2003). Understanding Green Consumer Behaviour.

Feminist Literary Criticism and Lysistrata Essay -- Literary Analysis,

Classically, women playwrights are almost completely absent. There were virtually no women writers at all up until at least the seventeenth century. This fact originally led feminist critics to disregard the classical period. In an article titled â€Å"Classical Drag: The Greek Creation of Female Parts,† Sue Ellen Case states that because â€Å"traditional scholarship has focused on evidence related to written texts, the absence of women playwrights became central to early feminist investigations† (132). Despite this absence of female writers, feminist critics analyze the role of women in ancient Greece in other ways. Recently, feminist writers have been able to delve further into the classical period by examining female characters from the works of male playwrights. The construction of women in male literature is extremely important. Peter Barry, in his chapter on feminist literary criticism in his book Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory, asserts that observing the female characters in works by men is important because it provides â€Å"role models which indicated to women, and men, what constituted acceptable version of the ‘feminine’ and legitimate feminine goals and aspirations† (122). Looking into the roles of the women within the works helps us determine the kind of role women and men occupy in relation to each other in addition to the personal characteristics of the women. This insight into the relations between men and women adds a new layer of knowledge for feminist critics. The depiction of women by women writers differs greatly from the depiction of women by male writers. Women, as represented by men, represent stereotypes of actual women. That is, â€Å"the feminist critic may assume that the images of... ...ial and cultural evidence of the role of women in ancient Greece. Despite the fact that he is indeed a man, Aristophanes does a good job capturing certain aspects of his female characters: their drive to succeed, their natural coquettishness, the general desire to end war diplomatically, and their devout servitude to the gods. Aristophanes also has a very firm grasp of the social situation of women in his time. For example, he knows where the line of rebellion would be drawn: if the husbands forced the wives into having sex, they must relent. He knows how the ultimately defer to their husbands’ judgment, particularly in political matters. Lastly, he knows that their concerns are chiefly domestic. However, he generally misunderstands or misrepresents many aspects of the female character. The feminist literary critic would be quick to point these discrepancies out.

Computer Impact on My Chosen Profession :: Technology Technological Society Essays

Computer Impact on My Chosen Profession My chosen profession that I am going to college for is Computer Information Systems. I am not quite sure of the exact job title I would like to get from this. I do know that I would like to be in charge of a business’s technology, be in charge of keeping the systems working, training employees how to use the programs and deciding which new programs would be best for the business. Computers have had a very positive effect on this. For inventory businesses, computers allow the business to immediately know when new products are available by looking on the internet. They are provided many valuable pieces of information about the product, such as quality, price, and so on. The business can quickly and easily buy inventory over the internet and track it as it is being shipped. Once the business receives their inventory they then sell it individually to their customers. Many businesses have websites which allow the consumer to go to the business’s website and do similar to what the business did to get the inventory. They can view product information, see the newest products, and quickly order online. The customer is given an order confirmation number that allows them to check the status of their purchase as it is being shipped and see if there are any delays due to backorders or other problems. IBM is soon going to be marketing middleware that will help enhance these aspects of the business . The middleware will allow a business to manage their product information that exists over a variety of systems. The software will allow for product attributes and locations to be more accurately shared. Many companies still give out inaccurate information about their products because of insufficient technology. This middleware will help solve this business problem allowing businesses to enhance their performance and customer service. This will very positively affect businesses (Beth Bacheldor-InformationWeek.com). Many businesses such as health insurers pay for outsourcing services that run their servers and help with any problems and questions about the systems. Now businesses are demanding much more from their outsourcers.

Questions about map

List four questions about map objectives that would influence the design of a map. What am I making this map for and what am I trying to accomplish? Who will be viewing? Why will it be used? Is there privacy issues surrounding the project? 2. What factors should be considered In evaluating the balance of a map? Placement of features, the size of features, alignment of features, usage of space 3. What types of colors generally work best for maps? How can the psychology of colors be used to enhance a map's meaning?Pastels and earth are good for big map areas. Bold colors are good for emphasis. Some things have associations with colors. For example green for plant life or blue for water 4. List three common pitfalls that amateurs make when creating legends. Cryptic filenames, poor formatting of numeric numbers and not adjusting neatness for balance 5. What is a geographic coordinate system, and why is it a poor choice for creating maps? This is a bad method for making maps because of t he distortion the system makes when projecting the map.A geographic coordinate system does this cause it is a system based on a sphere. 6. What four properties are distorted by map projections? Which tend to be preserved by conic projections? What distortions are present in TM and State Plane projections? Area Shape Direction and Distance can all be distorted. TM and state plane are better for small area mapping as they tend to preserve area and distance. 7. Examine the map projections on the inside front cover of this text.List which projection(s) might be suitable for a (a) map of a county, (b) map of the united States, c) United States map used to calculate travel distances, and (d) United States map used to calculate areas. A)= TM or state plane b)= Equidistant Conic or Lambert conformal conic c)= Equidistant Conic d)= Albert Equal Area Conic 8. When does a north arrow not point up? When should a north arrow not be used? If a projection messes up the direction a north arrow cann ot be used as It does not conform with the data. A gratuities grid can be used to show north 9.If you have an Archive license and wish to create and use annotation In different AP documents, how would you need to store It? An annotation Is stored as a feature class In a sedateness. 10. What Is the difference between the map scale, the scale range, and the reference scale? Map scale- Is the ratio of units from the map to the world Scale range- controls the range of the scale at which the features are allowed to appear Reference scale- scale that determines at which symbols or text labels appear at their assigned size CHI GIS By Will-Huber 2. What factors should be considered in evaluating the balance of a map?Placement rejection(s) might be suitable for a (a) map of a county, (b) map of the United States, a projection messes up the direction a north arrow cannot be used as it does not 9. If you have an Archive license and wish to create and use annotation in different map documents, how would you need to store it? An annotation is stored as a feature class in a sedateness. 10. What is the scale= is the ratio of units from the map to the world Scale range= controls the range of the scale at which the features are allowed to appear Reference scale= scale that determines at which symbols or text labels

Kant Moral Ethics Essay

Immanuel Kant’s moral theory can be best explained by comparing it to a math equation. Kant’s moral system will always hold true no matter what the circumstance just like how two plus two will always equal four. According to Kant, our lives should be lived according to maxims that can be willed into universal law (Kant, Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals, p 303). However the action regarding a moral decision is not judged by the consequences of that action, rather by the motive of that action. Kant’s the method of moral reasoning starts off by first realizing the principle the rational agent is acting under. To fully understand what this means, a rational agent is to be defined as an entity who is capable of making rational decisions regardless of their natural inclinations. This condition excludes such examples as, animals, infants, and people in a coma from being considered to be a rational agent because they do not show the capacity to reason. After realizing the principle the person is acting under, determine if the reason is morally right. In order to determine if the maxim is ethical and able to be willed into universal law, it must pass three tests: autonomy, respect for humanity, and the kingdom of ends. Autonomy describes the feeling of accomplishment. This can be illustrated as a man who promises his wife that he will take off the weekend from golfing and file their tax reports. By keeping his promise to his wife he not only feels the satisfaction from finishing their tax report but also, more importantly feels good about following through with his promise. Autonomy is important because if the husband breaks his promises and lives his life as a promise breaker then this maxim is clearly self-defeating. The entire maxim of promising to break promises does not pass the test of autonomy therefore could never be passed as a universal law. However, if after passing the autonomy test, then a principle must also respect everyone else’s autonomy. In order to respect humanity, make decisions that show an overall concern for rational agents. If by treating them as a rational agent, then the principle will not affect another person’s ability rationalize. In order to do this, it is never acceptable to treat a rational being as merely a means (Kant, Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals, p 307). That is to say, the act of rape treats the rational agent as a means to sexual gratification. The act of rape does not respect the agent as a rational being and could never be willed into a moral universal law. However if a principle was able to pass the first two conditions, then it is necessary to subject it to the kingdom of ends test. The kingdom of ends is composed of a group of rational agents all with different objectives in life. The importance of having different objectives in life insures that all perspectives and backgrounds have been covered. These agents have been given the responsibility of creating a free society. A free society entails laws that every rational agent in that society would agree upon. If the principle is not a measure that the kingdom of ends would enact, then the principle, by Kant’s definition, is immoral. Let us analyze the principle of apathy. Living an apathetic life does indeed pass the test of autonomy and by showing indifference to other rational agents it also passes the test of humanity. However, apathy would not pass the kingdom of ends, as no rational being would accept such a maxim. As a result, an apathetic life could not be passed as universal law. As an example, we will refer back to the persecution of Jews during World War II. Say a man is hiding a Jew in his house and the Gestapo comes knocking on door. However, as the Gestapo questions the man of the whereabouts of the Jew, the man cannot lie and say that no one is hiding within his house, but at the same time, if he were to tell the truth he would be indirectly bringing harm upon himself and the Jew. The man should question the Gestapo about what they plan on doing to the Jew once they have located him. According to Kant, consequences have no relevance, although if all possible consequences were known, then it would be permissible to lightly take them into account. Since telling the truth by giving the Gestapo the whereabouts of the Jew would bring direct harm, it is permissible to lie. The maxim would be to never lie unless the truth results direct or indirect harm. This maxim respects autonomy and human nature and would be pass the kingdom of ends test and thus can be willed into universal moral law. Now take the case of Harry and Sally, according to Kantian moral reasoning, should Sally seduce Harry? If Sally were to seduce Harry by taking him back to her place and having sex with him, she would be using him as a means to her ends. By Sally using Harry simply as a means to achieve her ends, that moral decision is breaking a fundamental Kantian principle. Using people as only a means is never acceptable. The difference between Sally seducing Harry into sex and Sally having consensual sex with Harry is the difference of deception and coercion. According to Mappes, deception and coercion are the methods for sexually using someone (Mappes, Sexual Morality, p. 166). The whole idea is based off the respect for an individual person to voluntarily make their own decisions. By deceiving someone, it is clearly misleading a person to make a decision that they would not have made, had it been on their own regard. However the objection can be made that Sally should do what ultimately brings her pleasure. Using Utilitarian morality, something that results in the greater pleasure, or avoidance of harm, of the populations involved is morally correct. Even though Harry is somewhat apprehensive of the whole casual sex idea, he is not defiant or strongly against it. It can even be reasoned that Harry might even enjoy himself once him and Sally are having sex. And also, casual sex is perfectly okay if there is no lying, deceiving, or exploiting (Elliston, In Defense of Promiscuity, p. 170). I believe Elliston’s definition of deceiving is different that Kant’s definition. Kant covers all and any type of deception as immoral. Elliston agrees that deception is indeed immoral, but his definition of deception would be a man telling a woman he does not have herpes when indeed he does. As long as sex is consensual, there is no harm. Sally would only be seducing Harry back to her house under, say, the premise to watch a movie, however when the actual act of intercourse happens, Harry is not being deceived at all. Even with the arguments above, Sally would ultimately be using Harry simply as a means to achieve her ends of sexual pleasure. By using Kantian morality, Sally should not pressure Harry to going home with her nor should she try to seduce him. Kant reasons that human beings have been given this gift of free will to act as the dividing line between humans and animals. Animals are considered animals because they lack the ability to rationalize. What then, is the ultimate value and purpose of having a free will? If the point of having a free will was to seek pleasure and avoid harm, then we are nothing more than animals and have wasted this ability to reason. Instead, humans have free will so they could follow moral law. Therefore, follow moral law even in situations where social laws or natural inclinations could conflict. By following Kant’s moral reasoning, what we do in our lives is right not only because we ourselves believe it to be right but also since we have willed it to become universal law, it could not possibly be wrong. The maxims that we base our lives on are intrinsically good because we are able to will it into universal law. Therefore, moral decisions made using Kant’s ideas can be applied universally. Kant’s ideas show respect for humanity and people’s decisions are not made for selfish pleasure seeking reasons by treating people as a means, but rather they are made based on universal morals and by treating everybody as an rational agent. By following Kant’s moral reasoning a rational agent will be able to make the right decision when faced with any type of moral dilemma.

Creative Writing: Continue the Story of “The Other Time” by Peter Appleton

Creative Writing : The Journalist’s visit Continue the story (The other time, by Peter Appleton) †¦ â€Å"Yes. † she answered blankly. At first sight, the man standing in front of her wasn’t impressive, nor a surprise. â€Å"Hum, yes uhm, my name is Scoop, Scoop Appleton. And, uhm, I am here as a journalist from the Sunday Blare. You see, we find your†¦ story†¦ very intriguing, interesting. I am sure you have had other people come and ask you for details, but we are extremely serious in this relevant loss and we know that for you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What. That it’s horrible for me? That I should want to kill the judges? That I should want fight my sadness by shouting injustice?! Look. Talking drama will not change a thing. Your offer does not interest me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She said this staying calm and not caring but still with an incredible force in her voice. Scoop was still under shock of her beauty and character. He only managed to get a few words working their way out of his mind. â€Å"Yes I understand, but I am sure our offer will cover the emotional difficulty this would imply†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Paul is dead. That’s basically it. Your money will not get him back, and I don’t see how your article will be beneficial for me or change other’s point of view. † â€Å"It must be hard to be like this on your own now. We can help you to have an easier time. We know that it is during mourning that people need some help, support. And we can give you that. We think people need to know the truth, the injustice here. This might change everything! All we want is your story† â€Å"We surely have never been rich, and now I need money more than ever. But I am not interested in your money. † She said firmly. Surely she has her principles, Scoop thought, but her loss must be raging inside her. â€Å"We understand. We know it must be hard for you. But we are not looking for problems. We think you are an intelligent woman who has the right to be heard. I’m sure your husband was a good man, and your life must have been lovely in your lovely home†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He could see from where he was standing that the furniture inside was neat and classical. No particular style elements, just a random English house like any, maybe even neater than the rest. â€Å"Let’s not stay standing here if you’re planning to talk a lot. She suddenly added, interrupting him in his maybe-too-obvious peaking. Scoop, shaken up by the surprising invitation calmly followed her. He could hear that behind the hard side she was showing, there was maybe a desperate need to talk, to have a human contact. He tried to grasp as many details as he could, walking towards the lounge area. â€Å"Sit here, Ià ¢â‚¬â„¢ll make some tea† She said calmly, walking to the little kitchen bloc. There was nearly a friendly tone in her voice. But Scoop tried to stay in his professional attitude, even if he seemed more clumsy than at ease. Sitting down, he noticed how this sitting chair had used fabric. This must be someone’s chair. Maybe it was her husband’s. He could picture the man sitting here, resting after a hard day of work, while she would be making dinner for her love. The few words she had said about her husband had made it clear to Scoop that she loves him, that he had been a good husband. There seemed to be a special light coming in the house. A warm, orangy light, giving a cozy home feeling. But also a feeling like the one you get when you’re in your grandparent’s old home, after they have left the world. A feeling of silent memories, of peace but also of emptiness. â€Å"Mrs. Rhiannon. It’s important that you understand that we do not seek for drama. We don’t want do abuse your story or your name in any way. We just consider your loss as a relevant tragedy and want to understand at best what kind of man your husband was. † â€Å"Yes. Surely I understand Mr. Appleton† she said, sitting down with two cups of tea in the opposite chair. Scoop was surprised she had remembered his name. â€Å"But you see, I don’t want any more fuss. Some things will just remain as they are. My man was a good man. I have learnt a lot from him. And one thing his personality has taught me is that there’s no need to do something un-useful. And I think causing another stir will only make me and you loose credibility and respect. I am sad, but I don’t want anger words to be shown as my story. He was a good man, we had plans, we had a future. But things happened and now it’s all changed. And I’ll just have to adapt. † â€Å"But telling your story will make people reconsider the trial. Maybe this could change the country’s legal system and stop injustice from happening! â€Å"I don’t think there is a problem in our legal system. I don’t think we will make anything better by showing a picture of me looking at his picture and tell how devastated I am now. One of the only things I still have is my pride. And as a principle, drama would not make me or my husband proud of myself. † â€Å"Ok, I understand Mrs. Evans. â⠂¬  He noticed the way she looked at her husband’s picture hanging on top of the chimney. It was like he was still there to watch her. Everything in the room was tidy and clean. She must have made time pass by cleaning up everything. He could see though that there was an unusually big pile of papers on the corner of the desk behind her seat. Maybe she had been busy organizing some things, a job or maybe a closer investigation on the case†¦ â€Å"I was wondering Mrs. Evans, if you don’t mind telling. How has it been for you since, uhm, since Mr. Evans’ uhm, departure. Do you know what really happened? Why there was a fight? † â€Å"I have to say, I have mostly stayed here since. I don’t like the way people look at me now. They think my husband was a violent psychopath. But I don’t blame them, they didn’t know him and they don’t know what happened, but nor do I really. I think it’s all in the past and that I should start moving forward now. When I’ll start my new job things will get going again. † Scoop could feel this was coming to an end. He wasn’t going to hear much more. But he still had so many questions. And his boss would hate him to not get a story back. â€Å"So, thank you for the offer, but no matter what amount of money, I just don’t want a story about me. Thank you for coming by. † â€Å"It was a pleasure Mrs. † He said standing up. He had been so attentive for every little detail that he hadn’t even touched his cup of tea. When she took the cups back to the kitchen, he saw that there was a distinctive ring mark on her annular but no ring to be seen. â€Å"I don’t mean to be intrusive Mrs. Evans, but what have you decided to do with your wedding ring? I can see you took it off†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Uhm, that was when I was washing the dishes. Yes. Uhm. And then you rang at my door. So uhm, yes. † He could see how uncomfortable she suddenly was. Maybe she had had to sell it to get some living money. It must be a sensitive subject anyway. â€Å"Oh yes of course. Thank you again for letting me in. But you know that if any time you change your mind, we are the first you can trust! † â€Å"Right, right. † She said with the same not blank but not curious tone she had when she opened the door. Clearly talking in the entrance made her somewhat emotion-less. She still had some suspicions about the press, Scoop thought. Suddenly his eyes caught something on his way out. Above the mantel, hanging on the wall in the hall, there was a tiny gold box with blue velvet inside and a gold, shiny medal. He turned around to ask her while pointing at the shiny thing. â€Å"What is this beautiful metal? Did you win it? Was it your husband’s? What did he get it for? † He asked, maybe with a little too much enthusiasm. â€Å"Oh that. They pinned that on him the other time he killed a man. † Scoop was speechless. She walked him to the door, said another goodbye and closed it. For her he had been quite a revelation. He wasn’t so talky and intrusive as the others. And he left her space to be human, not just a drama storyteller. Now she wasn’t going to tell anything, but she could see he had an eye for detail, unlike some others. She’d have to keep the story well hidden to not get any more fuss. And she’d start by taking of the medal. The one reminder for how things had started to go bad for Paul. He was too nice to kill when he left. And war had made him go very far away from who he used to be. If only he was still sitting on his chair, as he used to. He was still walking at the same speed to his car, and just couldn’t stop wondering, how much there is behind this whole story. He was now very intrigued. The intelligent irony, the pride, the strength of the beautiful queen had fully fascinated him. He felt a sudden need to find more about her. She looked strict but still so naturally smashing. He could see she was trying to hide she was having a hard time accepting the death. By keeping the photos, the seats, the medal exactly as it was before, she has to face it each day, alone. As if she was waiting for him to come back. But she knew. Her eyes, as beautiful as they were had been crying and her ring had been taken off. And there was her intelligence, her rationality that had stroked him too. She knew what was best to do. That’s why she hadn’t accepted their offer. He was now sitting in his car, looking at the house. He would have to go soon, he knew she’d watch him leave. But something was just making him stay, he felt the need to wait a bit, as if waking up fro a dream. The house was simple but very tidy, she took good care of it. But she must be feeling lonely, vulnerable, with no family, no surroundings and no people to be there for her, even though she seemed so loving. The love with her husband must have been strong, from her reaction in court. But Scoop was thinking there must have been something he or she was hiding. A good man wouldn’t suddenly have killed another because of alcohol, he had fought for our country! But maybe that was the problem. Maybe killing men there had changed his way of living, being, seeing things and people†¦ But this will be something for which he’ll have to dig deep to find the answer. Will she one day change, get on with her life, tell her story? How is she going to live? She seems so out of this world. Her beauty, her strength, her voice,†¦ so surnatural and oh so enchanting! He could see the lace curtains move up, it was time for him to leave. He didn’t want to scare her forever. She might always cal back. One thing for sure is that there was a lot more to find out about Mr. Evans. M. P.

American Pride

â€Å"For Americans, September 11 was a terrifying day of abject horror for both themselves as individuals and for their nation as a whole† (Gillespie 3). As we all can agree that America hasn’t been the same since that day. The day when the south and north towers of the World Trade Center came crashing down making a distinct organization marker to describe our country’s history as â€Å"before 9/11† to â€Å"after 9/11. †After this Americans were questioning their own individual identity, national identity and patriotism towards their country. Americans needed guidance, encouragement and strength and that’s where some music industries came to the rescue and stepped up. Yes, there were a few artist that did play tributes or wrote songs for September 11, 2003, but there was one that took out unlike the rest, Toby Keith. Toby Keith’s song â€Å"Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue† expresses inspiring American patriotism with the relevance of what Americans faced after the tragedy of September 11,2003. Toby Keith has always been seen as a successful musician for all music genres with his major record labels and touring all around for almost eight years. Keith was always humble about his fame and fortune when others ask he would respond that he is â€Å"no different than anybody else† (Gillespie). Six months before September 11, a tragedy had hit a lot closer to home for Keith’s father was killed in a hit and run accident. All the anger, frustration and sadness was overwhelming for Keith. Instead of attacking someone or something with anger or blame he decides to write the song â€Å"Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue† that would have much more meaning behind the lyrics. Keith decides to write this song as an outline for a story after 9/11 and includes his father who was an Army veteran. He uses a process of â€Å"unconscious and conscious identification† for his listeners to take from the song (Gillespie 12). Consciously his listeners will see his opinions and judgment for our nation and army while unconsciously they will take their own meaning by to their personal experience on 9/11. From the very beginning, Keith sets a high state of pride and patriotism. He begins the song by saying American men or women â€Å"will always stand up and salute† defining their support for our nation(Keith). He didn’t want to just have focus on the national patriotism but relate to his father and the people who serve in our troops. He begins to mention the fact that we do have soldiers who have died for the country but justified it so that we can sleep â€Å"in peace† at night(Keith). Toby is clearly a â€Å"proud supporter of our army† standing by that our troops are fighting for a reason(Gillespie 9). He continues to tell the story of his father, who lost his right eye in the army, and yet still flew the American flag out in their yard till the day he died. Seeming to be random to add in his song but Keith is telling us to still stand by our nation even if something does go wrong. Of course corresponding to September 11, Keith calls the nation to act on after we have been â€Å"fallin’ under attack†(Keith). For us to tell the intruders that were going to â€Å"lit up your world†(Keith). To act â€Å"like the fourth of July,† when we take action. Him choosing these concrete words of a certain national independence holiday enfaces that he wants us to act like our â€Å"our fathers and forefathers did† to get the independence we live in today. He also carries in the song the â€Å"notion of sacrifice, service and freedom† as a response to September 11 events(Gillespie 10). Keith sings how now that the nation that he loves has had a â€Å"mighty sucker-punch came flying in from somewhere in the back† relevance to terrorists crashing into the World Trade Center towers. He tells how â€Å"the bulldog will fight† relating it to our United States army ordered to war by the President Bush(Keith). You can clearly hear the angry in his voice when he continues to say that we will talk about how the army is going to fight for justice when he describes that they will feel as if the â€Å"world is raining down† on them(Keith). Music is essentially a medium process of an individual or community’s identification expressed within the music. Keith’s song can definitely be said he interplays with the recognition on individual’s level and community level for our nation. He elaborates, narrates and communicates on the remembrance of September 11 and our national patriotism that followed. He spoke louder than any other artist could that inspired many to take a stand for our nation which made an everlasting difference.

Advertising and Promotion Strategies for Small and Medium Enterprises Assignment

Advertising and Promotion Strategies for Small and Medium Enterprises - Assignment Example From this paper it is clear that European definition tells small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) employ lesser than 250 persons. That enterprise must have an annual turnover not more than 50 million euro. The annual balance sheet must not be more than 43 million euro. Size can be slightly differs in terms of numbers of employee in different countries. In case of Germany Small and medium enterprises can have maximum up to 255 numbers of employees. In the case of Belgium that number differs. It is 100 employees can have maximum. In India a small enterprise is an enterprise where the lowest level of investment in plant and machinery must be more than Rs. 25 lakh but must not greater than Rs. 5 crore. In India a medium enterprise must have an investment more than 5 crore and less than 10 crore. This study declares that the SMEs in Poland contributes almost 50% of their GDP. In the year 2011 small companies 7.7%, and medium companies 10.4%. SME’s contribution to polish national GDP is very much competitive with large scale industry. In UK there are almost 4.8m SMEs. This SME’s are generating 60 per cent of the total employment. This sector is contributing 50 per cent of total GDP. This sector is contributing same as UK i.e. 50% of the total German GDP. The contribution of SME’s in French GDP is almost 44%. It is a sector which contributes large portion of every country GDP. Advertising is a form of marketing communication used to persuade, encourage and manipulate a bunch of listeners, viewers or readers sometimes or a specific group to take some purchase related or continue to take up some activities. Advertising can be defined as paid, one-way marketing information persuading from an identified sponsor distributed through different channels of mass communication to promote goods, services or ideas.