Assignment - Assistive Technology Plan Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

- Assistive Technology Plan - Assignment Example Research ability is limited due to his physical disability, and his performance in social science and liberal arts courses is below average. He has a need for more physical activity, but it has proven difficult to make this happen. Due to his lack of involvement in extra-curricular activities, James has a hard time making and maintaining strong relationships with his peers. He is easily angered and frustrated at not being to participate in some everyday activities, yet he appears to be losing the desire to do so altogether as well. His physical skills continue to deteriorate, as he does not exhibit much physical exertion at all during the normal course of a day. James has two older brothers and a caring mother and father at home. All indications are that the family structure provides a nurturing environment that has contributed greatly to James’ successes to this point. The older brothers have always assisted with James when they can and they spend a great deal of time with hi m, while being permitted to carry on with their daily lives independent of the family as well. Goals of the AT Plan: The Assistive Technology Plan for James involves providing him with devices that will assist his researching and writing skills moving forward. In addition, some devices should be considered that encourage James to become more physically active and more socially involved. Finally, the AT Plan will not neglect his current strengths in the fields of math and science and, as such, will include devices aimed at furthering his interest and ability to excel in these disciplines (Beard, Carpenter, and Johnston, 2011). . Materials and Methods Potential Barriers/Missed Opportunities AT Solutions Example: Printed textbook or worksheets Student with a visual impairment has difficulty seeing small text. This student would benefit from using a text-to-speech program, such as Kurzweil 3000 (http://www.kurzweiledu.com/k12.html) so that text can be converted to files and read aloud t o the student.   Further, the student could benefit from having an electronic magnifier for text-based resources used in the learning environment (Beard, Carpenter, & Johnston, 2011, p. 75). 1.Lab reports and mathematical formulas   Because James has difficult with mobility, it is often difficult for him to manipulate lab reports and math formulas to see what is expected of him. A device that magnifies visual aids to the point it is more accessible to James would be beneficial to him as he strives to continue to develop his math and science skills. 2.Reading social science and liberal arts materials, particularly when doing research Because it is not only difficult for James to hold reading material for long periods of time, it is also cumbersome for him to read large amounts of material on the computer, microfilm, or via another medium. There are devices that convert text to voice. This could prove beneficial to James so that once he finds material relevant to a particular topi c he is interested in researching, he can better focus his attention by listening to the text and taking notes as needed. This would eliminate his need to try to manipulate texts, the computer, or papers to suit his physical limitations. 3.   Computer Typing It is quite labor intensive for James to type. In addition, it is even more difficult for him

Working With Teams Essay Example for Free

Working With Teams Essay The scenario is inaccurate coding and lack of patient information which delays payments for the doctor. As head of the billing department a process will be implemented to solve problems on this issue. The current process is not working and because of the loss of productivity, a team was assembled to solve problems. The goal is to find where the error is, and recoup the loss revenue. The first person to question would be the front office personal who checks in a patient upon arrival. After getting the insurance card and demographic page, it is important to compare that information on file to be certain it is accurate, and up to date. A copy of the insurance card should be taken at every visit. Even if the patient were there just there a few weeks ago, it is important to establish a routine of quality. Second, the front office personal should check the insurance carrier to see if a referral is necessary. However, most insurance carriers do not require a referral for family practice it is advantageous to determine if the doctor is in network. When the patient is called back to their examining room, the medical assistant will ask for the reason for the visit. It is up to medical assistant to write down the signs and symptoms of the patient. The documentation must be detailed and recorded properly on the patients face sheet. The department manager of nurses should be scrubbing the documentation before it is submitted to the billing department. For example, if a patient has a routine check and the physician decides to order labs, the lab draw must be documented; even though it was not the reason for the visit. The communication starts with the first point of contact, which is the front office. This person must be detailed, efficient and willing to ask questions without hesitation. They do not assume or fill in the blanks. They are assertive and responsible, to answer staff questions. Without this, the team will spiral downward like a domino effect. For example, the check out personal will not be able to excuse the patient without collecting the co pay. The co pay is not determined unless the insurance is entered correctly by the front office. According to Veean (2012) â€Å"We are paying more attention to electronic devices than to one another. The person to person communication between doctor and staff; and doctor to patient is decreasing. The answer to the question, is we can save health care by utilizing a balance of words and computers†. The team will be organized by personality types. Keeping in mind the group of people has a variety of experience, skills and talents working to help each other achieve a common goal. The group has the task of problem solving why the billing codes are incorrect, and where the missing link is for payment. According to Chong (2007) â€Å"team performance can be positively correlated with the teams that are organized based on their individual characteristics†. Each person will be responsible for their role. Selecting the team by department will make sure all employees are contributing to their individual duty and this will equal success. There will be one leader, a couple of nurses to scrub the documentation for errors, two administration personal to make sure the demographics and insurance information is correct. A person from the billing department who will run a report from the last 120 days. The doctor also needs a friendly reminder, to document according to the procedure. The doctor must know that treating patients is not their sole responsibility in an office. Consequently, all team members were selected according to their talents and skill level. How well they communicate with written and verbal communication. According to Cheesebro, (2010) the ability to solve problems and think critically are good traits to have. They have a desire to accomplish the task and be held accountable for their performance. The potential for conflicts would consist of pointing fingers and judging without investigating. A person might already know who the employee is that started the problem and approach the person, unprofessionally. The process needs to be redefined and no one should be singled out as the culprit. Furthermore, a conflict may ignite if communication is not open. Hence, one person might feel an idea or strategy is not helpful to reach the goal. Although, good teamwork creates a positive environment. If there is a heated disagreement, it can lower the mood, and demotivate the rest of the team. However, according to Cheesebro, (2010) Conflict is healthy in certain situations, because it will bring a team together. Research has shown, employees who feel part of a strong team are happier and more productive. An acronym for team is: trust, empathy, attitude and mutual respect. In conclusion, the best way to avoid future billing failures is to call the insurance company. According to University of Florida, College of Medicine, (2010) Cigna, United Health Care, Medicare and Medicaid will notify the billing office the reasons for denial. It could be as simple as the birth date does not match what is on the enrollment application. A modifier was not placed after an International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision (IDC-9) code. Perhaps the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) was entered as a 4 digit code instead of a 5 digit code. Even though a report will catch this error, if a person overlooks uploads it electronically anyway, it will be denied. The rules for assigning these codes are complex, and have a significant role in coding; so that payment can be received. For example, if a bill for CPT 31256, nasal/sinus endoscopy would not be supported by ICD-9 826.0, closed fracture of the foot. This claim would be rejected and sent back. In most offices, it is presumptuous to label the front office as the reason for failure in payment. It could be anyone’s guess the reason; hence a team approaches to solve the mystery of lack of payment is effective to problem solving. A person from the billing office would concentrate on these rejected claims, repair the error’s, and return them for payment. They will have 15 days to reprocess the claims, and recover the blunder.

Produce a new look for a website. Essay -- Computer Science

Produce a new look for a website. 3.1.2 Formal Report =================== The problem that was in need of solving was to produce a new look for wow.com to target the 17 to 25 year olds. The look that the company were trying to aim for was young, energetic, dynamic and flexible. I firstly set out by comparing some current documents such as flyers, letters and invoices. This helped me as I could gather the best parts from these documents and use them to give me ideas to create new ones. The documents that I selected had to be 3 of a kind that were from three companies with two of a flyer and a letter. I the started off by researching and designing a logo for the new look wow.com. I produced four prototypes of the logo and selected the best one that I felt had got the right look that I wanted. The final design included two people which I felt really stood out from the rest of the designs. The next task was to design the letterhead to update the old style into the new look. I used the documents that I collected at the beginning to give me ideas on how to design it. These where then used as templates for my design, my design for the letterhead was pretty simple as I felt that I didn’t want to overcrowd the sheet. I then brought an example of a staff newsletter and used it to get some ideas from. I then went about designing the staff newsletter for wow.com. It contained four pages which included a front cover, two article pages and a fun and game...

The Problem of Technical Improvement Of Education Essay -- Teaching Ed

The Problem of Technical Improvement Of Education ABSTRACT: What follows considers the problem of technical improvement as one of the main problems in the philosophy of education. I consider technology in connection with transferring from substantial comprehension to comprehension of the process itself. The creation of educational technologies is the expansion of educational freedom, from freedom inside action to freedom inside reflection. The connection between education and technology ensures creating and modifying a particular, non-formal, and humane pedagogy. Profound comprehension of different tendencies and processes in contemporary education is one of the main problems of the recently appeared and developing philosophy of education. Intensifying technological inclinations in up-to-date pedagogical theory and practice must be subject to understanding first of all, to my mind. Not long ago the application of the tecnological approach to education was impossible. The very phrase 'teaching or educational technology' seemed absurd. For a very long time pedagogy has been considered the field absolutely contrary to technical or mechanical kinds of activity. People always thought that profession of a teacher was connected with creation, intuition, unique and unpredictable person communication. The whole history of pedagogy, examining different kinds of educational process, has always been giving a teacher the leading role. Any programs, systems, methods should only support a teacher in order to expose his own potential, they should not substit ute the teacher's place, not determine studies. However, the experience of the recent years has shown that any reinforcement of external formal pressure directed to limitation of cre... ...chnology and education gives a possibility to create an form an other anti mechanistic, humane way of being. Its implementation demands not only practical and theoretical, but also philosophical knowledge. Sources (1) Sheler M. Forms of Knowledge and Education, Gnosis, 1994 (2) Dmitrienko V., Lyurya N. Education as a Social Institution, 1989. (3) Bespalko B. Items of a Pedagogical Technology, M., 1989. (4) Vartofsky M. Art and a Technology are opposite models of Education? M., 1988. (5) Vodopyanova E. Prospects of the Future Education, "Education in Siberia", 1994. (6) Anisimov O. Notional Means of the Theory of Activity and Thinking, M., 1991. (7) Rozin V. Philosophy of a Technique and Cultural and Historical Reconstruction of a Technical Development, "Questions of Philosophy", N3, 1996. (8) A New Technocratic Wave in the West, M., 1986.

Impact of Information Technology on Customer and Supplier Relationships in the Financial Services Essay

Information technology plays an important role to support the relationships between customers and suppliers in financial industry. Different industry faces different competitive and different business practice. Besides, we can use information technology to determine the opportunities and threats to the relationships between customers and suppliers. In this research, it focus on the financial service industry that is motivated by three factors which are the paucity of research in customer and supplier relationships in service industries relative to manufacturing industries, the sheer size of the financial service sector relative to other service sector and the potential for information technology to positively impact firm performance through channel expansion, cost mitigation and service level enhancement. Financial service industry includes all Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes starting with the digit six. In this research, we only focus on those services typically classified as â€Å"financial†. Financial service companies are the earliest commercial users of information technology. Economic forces and technological advances, especially Internet has driven this consolidation across international boundaries and across type financial services. The financial service companies are relatively unique in regard to their value chains. Without possessing any intermediate product can add value to the finish product. The financial services industry has been doing business electronically for many years. Some customer and regulatory statutes demand the use of paper-based transaction audit trails and reporting those transactions. However, the industry leaders will pressure them to adopt electric distribution and information management methods. This report concerns on electronic connectivity, alliances and partnerships. There is a lack of understanding of and available insight into the emerging role of e-business as a delivery channel and customer connection mechanism make a great concern of many organizations. Research Methodology The first phase of methodology is to identify the current and potential role of information technology to support relationship among customers and suppliers in financial services. It included 5 steps which are definition of scope; determination of survey methodology and identification of sample; creation of a survey instrument; administration of the survey; and analysis of survey responses. In this phase, they limited the scope to the immediate suppliers and customers of the subject companies. So the respondents no need to identify suppliers of their suppliers or customers of their customers. In this research, it conducts two interviews in several sectors. Due to the availability of contacts, three of the subjects worked in mutual fund industry, one in retail banking, two in each insurance carriers, institutional investment companies, and brokerage. Eight of them were conducted by telephone and another two were chosen to supply written responses. The typical respondents are senior managers and vice president. Interviews were recorded manually by interviewer so that it is confidentiality and security. Analysis The collected data were analyzed using qualitative techniques. It seeks to conceptualize theory from data rather than proposing theory. The method involves organizing and understanding interview transcripts, collected documents and observe social or business practice. The methodology involves extracting theory from one case study and studies to augment, refine the theory by using subsequent case. Since the sample is limited, they only drew inferences upon a convergence of ideas across industry sectors. Findings / Results Based on the results of interview, there are consistent patterns in the thought, planning, and implementation processes of various participants. They have group the result into five categories. First is how information technology supports existing customer and supplier relationships. Second and third are the opportunities and threats they foresee when they expand their business. The fourth session is the drivers of change. Finally, they examine how manager predict the future respect to the relationship among their customers and suppliers. The analysis of current activities begins with an examination of the partnerships that support inter-organizational business activities within the respondent’s respective industries. There is high degree of interdependence among various financial service industries. A non-linear relationship among the parties is clearly shown. Besides, the relationships demonstrate a high level of complexity and variability. Existing audio response and Web-based account access functions reduced the cost of delivery for many customers account services. There are many opportunities to strengthen the relationships with customers and suppliers. One of the opportunities is to improve customer service levels by providing new form of service delivery, rapidly response to customers, and improve customer confidence. Besides, information technology creates opportunity to increase switching costs for their customers. By this, they can add more value to the transaction. It includes the assimilation of information that supports the investment decision and motivates the transaction execution. Furthermore, information technology also creates the opportunity to extend the world-wide relationships of both customers and suppliers. Similarly, the opportunity exists to create a new relationship with suppliers to create, purchase and provide new products and services. Some respondents believed that the ability to demonstrate technological leadership is one of the opportunities to improve market perception. Besides opportunities, there is a variety of threats to their existing relationships. It includes security risks, network and systems instability and the difficulty of integrating different systems. An opportunity to create a new channel and relationship can create a threat of disintermediation for others. A related threat is the commoditization of product, because it is common in all industries. Many financial service companies have historically relied on existing customers to build profit margins and create loyalty. Besides, the respondents feared the risk of adopting the wrong standard. Since the technology is moving rapidly. So the standards are changing so fast. Another threat is the challenge of keeping pace with escalating technological and business change. The greatest threat is they worried that they may unable to move fast because they cannot see the upside potential and downside risk of inactivity. Evolving customer expectations also impact the e-business strategies. Nowadays, customers demand access to real-time data and expect to access at any time and any place. Besides, improvement in security technology are also driven change. Many respondents believed that internal and public network reliability is improving and will facilitate more rapid expansion of services. There are two primary areas for future investment in inter-organizational integration by respondents. First path is expanding commitment to existing forms of technology to deliver new or expanded functionality. Second area is investing in new technology forms and enhances the inter-organizational relationships. All respondents emphasis on development of technology-enabled education and advice services. Linkage of inquiry and advice functionality to available tools is a vital component of service level expansion and customization. The need to integrate new technology and service with existing system are motivating those firms to pursue more alliances both software and hardware suppliers. Conclusion In the conclusion, there is less linear in the relationships among customers and suppliers in financial services compare to manufacturing industries. And there is a high degree of interdependence exists among the sectors of financial service industry. In this research, there is many findings have been predicted. The participants believe that opportunity for cost savings and service enhancement resides in expansion of customer account maintenance via the Web. Maintenance and education in new form of functionality place more control. So the responsibility is in hand of customers. One discerning manager pointed out, â€Å"we’re now doing business on the customer’s terms, not the terms dictated by our firm or our industry.† Managers interviewed shared many concerns about how to competitive threats and the risk of expanding e-business activity. They fear the capabilities of new, competitors rapidly enter new markets without the millstone of legacy system and traditional organizational cultures will block the progress of industry incumbents. It will cause imbalanced cost structures with new services and pricing. The managers predict further opportunities to improve quality of service, reduce costs, reach customers worldwide, and provide new services. Some managers believe that demonstrating technology leadership was a important component of establishing industry leadership and promoting customer acquisition and loyalty. It has many limitations in this research first it has short term applicability. This is because the longevity of the obstacles is unclear. Another limitation is that it is descriptive rather than prescriptive. Lastly, the conclusion is drawn in this study by small size of sample. This study is very important for both researchers and practitioners. Besides, this study also help managers in financial services industry to identify and analysis the opportunities, risk of building relationships with their customers and suppliers through electronic commerce. A better understanding of the treats and opportunities to existing relationships allow them to response customers more rapidly, accurately and cheaply.

The Effect Of Media on Politics †Political Science Essay

The Effect Of Media on Politics – Political Science Essay Free Online Research Papers The Effect Of Media on Politics Political Science Essay Mass media can be defined as venues for messages that are created for consumption by large numbers of people. The media has remarkable impact on politics. However the impact may not always be good. If used against politicians it can easily, but not always, destroy his or her career, but if the media likes that one politician it can take his or her career to new heights. An example of how the media is bad for politics is the recent Dan Rather â€Å"report† on George Bush. His report stated the Bush did not serve in the National Guard; however he retracted that statement because of false information. The media helps to cover up what politicians do not want us seeing, or what activists feel is too violent for us to see. The media can also exploit politician scandals, ruining their political career. The media without a doubt plays a huge role in American political affairs, but it also plays a role in international political affairs as well. The media is not always good for international political affairs though, an example would be the Vietnam War. However the media in international political affairs can have a positive effect, like when the Filipinos were being killed in their native homeland. The media helped to comfort Filipinos living in the United States. The media has a tremendous effect on politics and the politicians themselves. It is within human nature to believe what is told to us. We tend to believe the media because research is done by them and they are a main source of information. Dan Rather, who does the CBS â€Å"Evening News†, was accused of a counterfeit story that could have brought down George Bush, particularly because it was released right before the election. The report focused on George Bush’s service in the National Guard, and weather it actually happened or not. It was later discredited because documents it relied on were artificial. Another example of how the media is terrible for politics is it can be very one-sided. Most of the larger news stations are owned by an extremely rich democrat or an extremely rich republican. Stations such as NBC, Viacom, ABC, CNN, CBS, and FOX and newspaper corporations such as Gannett, Knight-Ridder, The New York Times, Times Mirror, and The Washington Post are all owned by wealthy individuals, and at times can be very biased. â€Å"†¦these ties cannot help but seriously bias and compromise news coverage (1)†; therefore the whole truth is not given. If the media is allowed to have free reign about what they are allowed to say, it could easily bring down the career of any politician it is against. An example of how the media is good for politics, but bad for the American public is September 11. There were accusations made that the Bush administration and the Saudi Arabians, who had flown the planes into the world trade center, have close family ties and that Bush essentially snuck them out of America. Only a small article was released by the New York Times, and the rest of the media questioned what Bush would do about these atrocious attacks on the United States. Nevertheless, the media can also be good, when it comes to the war we are involved in right now. They cover up what politicians and activists do not want us to see because it may be too grotesque. In 2004 13 political detainees were executed at Abu Gharib, however it was deemed unfit to show the American public. Also in May 2004, businessman Nick Berg was beheaded at the hands of Islamic militants. The media helped the politicians cover up the reality by not letting these graphic pictures be shown. Some argue d that it should be allowed to be seen because it affects the American public, others argued that it is too graphic and could disturb the minds of America’s youth. Excessive violence in the media is a perennial boogeyman trotted out by politicians for each new election cycle. (2)† Sometimes the media is not always good for politicians. It impacted the sex-scandal of ex-president Bill Clinton and his mistress Monica Lewinsky. The media jumped all over the chance to either smash or defend Clinton. The scandal was elaborated on, some accusations were false, and others were just exaggerated. Since the media elaborated on the story, it tainted Clinton’s political record, and now it is something he is known for. The media tries to work its way around the truth, or elaborate on the actual facts. The media not only plays a role in American political affairs, but international political affairs as well. Sometimes media coverage in international political affairs can be for the better or for the worse. During the Vietnam war, people were all for it as first, but when reporters and television stations started showing what was actually happening the public turned against the war and against president Johnson â€Å"†¦the Pentagon was thereafter much more careful to control what foreign correspondents and TV crews would be allowed to see and report. (3)† When the president of the Philippines, Marcos, was having his people killed, the media stepped in and helped when thousands of Filipinos were dieing. Due to the extensive news coverage 500,000 Filipinos living in Southern California were offered reassurance and did not have to return to their homeland to protect their families. The media is also covering our war with Iraq right now. Many people disagree with Bushâ €™s decision to declare war on Iraq; most are calling it a war for oil. Reporters are over in Iraq filming and doing interviews with soldiers and people who live in Iraq. The media coverage has practically left the country divided on the issue because they withhold some of the information from the American public. The media also covers non-American involvement in other countries that allows us to see what is going on. A recent example of this would be the hostage situation at a school in Russia. Getting up to the minute information like this gave Russian immigrants or those who have family in Russia, somewhat peace of mind. The media plays a vast role in American and international political affairs. The media should have more clearly defined restrictions as to what they can write or report. Due to the first amendment, they have free reign to write whatever they feel, as long as it is not slander. The media should be obligated to tell the truth and not manufacture or elaborate stories, even if it does not sound as good. It has and will continue to destroy the careers of some and make the careers of others. Even though most of the television news stations are owned by wealthy individuals, they should not be so biased. The media and the politicians only want us to see what a perfect world we live in, so the tend to hide the truth or work there way around it. The media undoubtedly has an enormous role in domestic political affairs; however it does play a role in international political affairs as well. The media additionally covers non-American involvement in other countries. The media has its positive and negative effects but, politics would not be what it is without the me dia. Research Papers on The Effect Of Media on Politics - Political Science EssayRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionQuebec and CanadaCapital PunishmentNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceTwilight of the UAW

Numerical Expressions

Numerical Expressions Numerical Expressions Numerical Expressions By Sharon There are many expressions in English which reflect our need to classify and put a value on items. Here are a few: First water This is most often heard in the phrase a diamond of the first water. The expression means the best quality. The best diamonds are nearly as clear as water, and this is the origin of the expression. Second fiddle This expression means a secondary role, as in She played second fiddle to her best friend. The lead violinist sounds the notes that guide the rest of the orchestra, so this position is more important than the second violin or second fiddle. Third degree When youre given the third degree, you get a verbal grilling. No ones quite sure where the expression originates, but a popular tale has it that the third degree of masonry was difficult to attain and candidates had to answer a lot of questions in order to attain it. Fourth estate The fourth estate is the press, as distinct from the other three estates in the UK. The other three are the spiritual lords, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Fifth column This expression is reportedly of Spanish origin. During the Spanish Civil War, a general who was leading four columns of his army to fight, claimed to have a fifth one in Madrid. The expression refers to a group of people who support their countrys enemies. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Congratulations on or for?"Certified" and "Certificated"8 Great Podcasts for Writers and Book Authors

african american lit paper

african american lit paper african american lit paper African American Literature Paper Sarah A. Perkins March 2, 2015 ENG/301 African American Literature Paper African-American literature is literature that was written and published in the United States by African – American writers. Much of this writing began during the American Revolution and has continued to flourish and thrive throughout Western society. Many of the themes and issues explored within this literature include the role of African Americans in society, racism, African culture, civil rights, slavery, and social equality. Many African American writers would expound upon these ideas through various literary conventions and forms to help build their stories and create a relationship with the readers. Some common literary conventions that can be found in African American writing are the use of imagery, character, and language. Some common literary forms were oral forms, visual forms, and auditory forms. Jourdon Anderson, W.E.B. DuBois, and Maya Angelou are three prominent African American writers that composed masterful works using some of the various literary conventions and forms stated above. Jourdon Anderson was a writer during the post – American Revolution era. His work â€Å"To My Old Master† (1865) is a letter that he wrote in response to his former slave owner requesting that he come back to work on his farm. Jourdon- , who was emancipated at the time and had moved to Ohio to find work, responded with this letter which soon became an immediate media sensation after its publication in the New York Daily Tribune in 1865 (Breed, A., 2012). In the letter Anderson tackles two themes common in African American Literature: Slavery and freedom. These themes are clearly seen through Anderson use of tone and language. At first glance the letter seems nothing more than a polite response to his former master’s request. But it is clear as one continues on that Anderson’s harbors antipathy for his former master. In the opening paragraph, he states, â€Å"I have often felt uneasy about you† (Anderson, J., 1865). He applies the word â€Å"uneas y† as a euphemism to disguise his abhorrence for his former master without explicitly stating it. By doing this, he maintains his polite language and demeanor yet successfully drives home his sense of anguish at his former oppressor with his sarcastic tone. Since this work is written as a letter, it is clearly oral in form. Which means that, by design, this work is meant to be read aloud with stress on specific syllables and words to emphasize the meaning. For example, Anderson states â€Å"As to my freedom, which you say I can have† (Anderson, J., 1865). The parenthetical he uses, â€Å"which you say I can have† provides a sense of sarcasm to the reader/listener because Anderson is underlying the fact that his former master still believes that he has control over Anderson’s life. He then continues to clarify his thought by adding the statement, â€Å"there is nothing to be gained on that score, as I got my free papers in 1864 from the Provost-Marshal-Ge neral of the Department of Nashville† (Anderson, J., 1865). When read aloud, this statement is very definitive and final in nature, lending to his thesis: I am free and I never again will be a slave. W.E.B. DuBois was a poet during the early Twentieth Century. His work, â€Å"The Song of the Smoke† (1907) was a poem that was written tackling the themes of African Americans in society and social equality. It is often understood as an affirmation of Black pride and Black acceptance. This poem was first published in 1907 in the magazine known as Horizon, one which he himself edited. (Thompson, E. 2001, p.215). DuBois employs the use of imagery and language to emphasize his thesis: African American lives are important and impactful. He opens the poem with, â€Å"I am the Smoke King/I am black!† (Dubois, W.E.B., 1907, L/1-2). Here he uses the image if back smoke against a grey visage. We can see that DuBois is using the contrasting elements to show that, despite the

Race and Gender Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Race and Gender - Essay Example In families where mothers work outside, most of the fathers have dominated childcare (changing the infants’ diapers and bathing the infants); indeed, results showed that such infants achieved average social skills and enjoyed the external stimulation from their fathers, as they were as skillful and loving as the infants’ mothers were (Blau et al 2006). There is a preference of equalitarian marriage where both spouses share work responsibilities, home making and child rearing (Lewis & Sussman, 1986). Other family members including the offspring’s have also been involved in different tasks within the family. For example, in the African rural settings, the male children could look after the livestock owned by the family, and other communities allowed their females to build houses for the male counterparts for example the plain and highland nilots. Policies affecting paid work and family Different family members are concerned with different tasks and certain policies both traditional and corporate affect their performance. Maternity policies apply to the expectant mothers both the young and adult mothers (Blau et al 2006). Such a policy ensures that, for example, in the corporate sector, the expectant mother is subjected to a maternity leave for a defined period before and after childbirth. This ensures that the mother does not strain in terms of performing certain family duties. This is also evident in the traditional society setting as the family members perform family tasks while the expectant mothers have maximum rest. The social policy has a number of parental leaves that are usually granted to either the mother, father or both members. The... The report stresses that nonstandard employment defines poorly paid, insecure, and unprotected type of employment, which in essence cannot support any given household because of poor pay. This type of employment entails part time, temporal, on-call work and both the worker and employer face different advantages and disadvantages. Workers with scarce expertise or skills may benefit as they are given managerial and overseer posts in the employment. The female gender benefits from the part-time nature of the work and they can balance between the work and their family care. In general, the employees are not fixed to the employers timetables throughout as it provides flexibility to other chores. This paper makes a conclusion that structured flexibility provides opportunities for some groups that would be excluded, such as expectant females. The employer can perform the desired work at their own convenience because they only offer the opportunity when it arises, and this reduces the costs incurred. The author declares that the worker faces job insecurity, as there is no guarantee for full time employment, and hence financial instability of the workers. Incomes from the nonstandard jobs are low, resulting into low living standards of the workers. Discrimination and abuse occurs due to gender, for the women who work as house helps, they are usually subjected to sexual harassment by their employers, the workers health is not guaranteed as they work at their own risks, workers are not subject to benefits such as pensions, health care and medical coverage.

Debate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Debate - Essay Example The days where nothing could be done to stop or slow the occurrence of death are in the past. Now, there are multiple machines and procedures that can slow or even prevent death. These machines can provide us with functions needed for a person to continue living. II. Pro prolonging life opening statement Human beings, with all their abilities to create objects, cannot summon nor command the retrieval of lost lives. Traditionally, perpetuation of life means continuation of generations; while extending life of people means they are given more time to spend their days with their loved ones, regardless of their medical status. There are positive implications associated with prolonging lives, both in general and individual sense. This debate considers prolonging life a valuable right of individuals protected both by law and by moral ethics in existing societies. By preserving life, individuals from any socioeconomic status are given the respect they deserve. Moreover, the sanctity of life is said to be embedded in the clinical practice of health care professionals, where they are in oath in continually preserving lives, and not the way around. III. Arguments in favor of prolonging Life A. Value of prolonging life Life is valued according to inherent traits that man, alone, possessed, including the ability to experience emotions, rational capabilities, and simply having the consciousness seemingly absent in non-moving forms of life (Bayertz, 1996, p. 206). In spite of poor rational capabilities and consciousness possibly exhibited by patients in critical units, their ability to feel is still presumed intact, as such, sanctity of preserving such exclusive attribute is one of the things to be protected. No one have the right to eliminate such valuable feature in every person. B. Cost Factors 1. Prolonging life is never of limited resources Current medical reports demonstrated less significant difference, in terms of cost-containment, in limiting life support utilizatio n for sustenance of critical patients compared with restricting life support utilization as adherence to bedside rationing to priority patients (Luce & White, 2007). The report demonstrated that limiting measures in life support has minimal impact on the so-called cost-efficiency in intensive care units. The act of prolonging life of individuals as means of effective care can even have a constructive impact on program expenditure of hospital institutions. Reduction in death rates as a measure of clinical outcome improvement generates positive hospital revenues, as institutions save from offering services through departmental programs, providing extra finances for other hospital operations (â€Å"Financial Results,† 2009). Hospital efficiency and longevity are also secured when the patient has the â€Å"appropriate level of care† (Luce & White, 2007, p. 1106). This is one valid proof that substantial reduction in mortality figures by providing effective care through pro longing life can boosts hospital resources. C. Ethical 1) The RIGHT to LIFE is protected by Universal Human Rights As accorded by human rights advocates, the state (including its citizens) must protect life, at all cost. Article 3 in the Preamble of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (n.d.) had clearly shown its support in preserving to one’s life. Moreover, Cruzan v. Director (1990) is the landmark case that upholds the right to life. There, the

Answering economics questions Explain why each of the following Essay

Answering economics questions Explain why each of the following statements is false. For each write the correct statement - Essay Example Thus, competitive profits are only those which are excess profits after the total costs are covered. Q7) Banana computer company has fixed costs of production of $100,000, while each unit costs $600 of labour and $400 of materials and fuel. At the price of $3000, each $10 reduction in price, banana computers increases 1000 units, calculate the marginal cost and marginal revenue for banana computers and determine is monopoly price and quantity. Q9) Explain the error in the following statement: "A firm out to maximize its profit will always charge the highest price that the traffic will bear". State the correct result, and use the concept of marginal revenue to explain the difference between the correct and the erroneous statements. It should be noted that the aim of the monopolist is not to maximize profit and not maximize the price. Monopolists can only do this by identifying the price level which yields the highest profits. This occurs at MC = MR which is not often the highest price that a monopolist can charge. Charging an overly high price reduces the quantity demanded and will increase the marginal cost resulting into a shrink in profit. Q1) Review collusive oligopoly and monopolistic competition, which are two theories of imperfect competition discussed in this chapter. Draw up a table that compares perfect competition, monopoly, and the two theories with respect to the following characteristics: (a) number of firms; (b) extent of collusion; (c) price vs marginal cost; (d) price vs. long run average cost; (e) efficiency. Factors Monopolistic competition Collusive Oligopoly Number of Firms Large number of sellers Few large producers Extent of Collusion No collusion Control over price but mutual interdependence Price vs. Marginal Cost Price increase will lead to a substantial decrease in demand, thus, higher MC Price increase wi

MGM465-0801A-05 Business Strategy - Phase 2 Individual Project Essay

MGM465-0801A-05 Business Strategy - Phase 2 Individual Project - Essay Example Due to non-availability of statistics from authoritative sources, it is not possible to map the progressive fluctuations in purchase activities of new and existing commercial premises. However, there is a progressive rise in the successive years in construction cost for commercial buildings. The number of new commercial buildings constructed from 2005 onwards is not available. However, the construction costs for construction of new private non-residential buildings for 2005 and 2006 were $256,644 million and $295,715 million respectively. The factors responsible for home improvement were preference for larger and more luxurious living spaces, significant number of homeowners opting for remodeling of kitchen and bathrooms, and in many cases new homeowners opting for home improvement within first two years of purchase. The total remodeling expenditure in USA in 2005 amounted to $280 billion of which $188 billion was for Home repairs and improvement. (Financing Guidebook for Energy Efficiency Program Sponsors, December 2007). It is necessary to improve efficiency by shaking up the top-level management. There cannot be tolerance for stagnant and loss-making centers, divisions and departments. Improve efficiency by working out a policy of rewarding good performance. Managers who do not perform must shape up or ship

Employment Law Compliance (Principles and Strategies) Essay - 1

Employment Law Compliance (Principles and Strategies) - Essay Example ts Act of 1964 applies to all businesses with fifteen or more employees; while most businesses will fall into this category, there are some small businesses that may employ fewer than fifteen employees (McGraw-Hill, 2013). The same is similar for the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) as it applies to businesses with more than 25 employees (McGraw-Hill, 2013). The size and expanse of a business may also change the laws and regulations that apply to it. A medium size business will not only have to comply with federal laws but also the state and local laws that apply to each area that the business is located in. For example, Arizona enforces a different minimum wage requirement than does Michigan, as do many states. Oftentimes a states’ minimum wage law will depend on the cost of living in that area; it is important for a business to know what these wage requirements are to ensure compliance with employees’ wages. Also, other laws also have state specifics that expand on federal laws. Referring again to Arizona, the Legal Arizona Workers Act (LAWA) is an expansion to the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) which states that it is illegal to hire or retain an employee that is considered to be an illegal alien within the United States (McGraw-Hill, 2013). LAWA further requires that all employers use the E-verify system, a free web-based system to verify employment, to determine the hiring ability of a candidate (Arizona Senate Research Staff, 2013). These state specific laws would only be applicable to those businesses that reside or partake in business within said state; therefore they would only apply to a small business if they were in a given state, and then to those medium and large businesses that have expanded into those areas with specific mandates. It is important for a business to comply with all laws and regulations that apply to a business to ensure penalties are avoided. Finally, large businesses have the broadest of laws to comply with. Many

MGM465-0801A-05 Business Strategy - Phase 2 Individual Project Essay

MGM465-0801A-05 Business Strategy - Phase 2 Individual Project - Essay Example Due to non-availability of statistics from authoritative sources, it is not possible to map the progressive fluctuations in purchase activities of new and existing commercial premises. However, there is a progressive rise in the successive years in construction cost for commercial buildings. The number of new commercial buildings constructed from 2005 onwards is not available. However, the construction costs for construction of new private non-residential buildings for 2005 and 2006 were $256,644 million and $295,715 million respectively. The factors responsible for home improvement were preference for larger and more luxurious living spaces, significant number of homeowners opting for remodeling of kitchen and bathrooms, and in many cases new homeowners opting for home improvement within first two years of purchase. The total remodeling expenditure in USA in 2005 amounted to $280 billion of which $188 billion was for Home repairs and improvement. (Financing Guidebook for Energy Efficiency Program Sponsors, December 2007). It is necessary to improve efficiency by shaking up the top-level management. There cannot be tolerance for stagnant and loss-making centers, divisions and departments. Improve efficiency by working out a policy of rewarding good performance. Managers who do not perform must shape up or ship

Film (movie) analysis paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Film (movie) analysis paper - Essay Example But because of the desperation of losing her job as a florist and being impregnated by boyfriend who hesitated to marry her, she took the risk and became a drug mule. The backdrop of the movie provides a broad understanding of the life in rural Colombia, where Maria spent her earlier life. The plot of the film gives a dark feel of the life in the rural environment which includes the overpopulated rural households that struggles to fend for themselves in a country where social mischief caused by drug trade has slumped economic progress. Poverty, socio-political injustice, and violence continue to play a significant role in shaping the social wellbeing of the small country and served as a justification why such a nice girl such as Maria is driven into the drug trade. In addition to the socio-cultural background of poverty that drives people into drug trade, Joshua Marston, the movie director also oriented the audience about the kind of environment Colombia has that induces people to part of the trade etiher as a pusher or a mule. It depicted the pervasiveness of the drug in the country that made the industry so accessible to anyone in despair. It provided the audience understanding that people are not really born drug mules or drug addicts but rather they are just induced and conditioned by their surrounding. Columbia has such an unhealthy environment that makes drug so common that the fear of the criminal and health consequence of being involved in the trade is dulled by its commonality. And this explains why Maria who is such a nice, smart and driven girl would go into the dangerous and illegal drug trade. In contrast, the film also showed the environment of New York to underscore how abject the environment of Colombia is. The greener pastures presented by New York City also inspired the young Colombians to engage in the perilous business, in the hope that one day they will

Friday Night Lights Movie Essay Example for Free

Friday Night Lights Movie Essay I strongly believe that it is important for parents to be involved in the extra-curricular activities of their children. This builds encouragement for the son/daughter, and makes them respect their parents even more. Yet at the same time there is a line that must not be crossed by the parent. Once you reach the point of getting physical and abusive, you know that the line has been crossed. There has to be some sort of understanding that your child is not going to be perfect at everything that he or she does. The important thing is the effort that they put into it, not the outcome of their performance. As a parent you must also realize that this is your child’s life, not yours. Parents should try to understand that support is a great way to build confidence. This is vital to building discipline and a stronger relationship between parent and son/daughter. In the movie Billingsley’s dad takes it to a whole different level. He wants everything Donnie does to be absolutely perfect, ultimately trying to live within his son. Donnie’s dad finds the need to humiliate and harass his own son in order to build some sort of toughness, and expects that this method will make him play better. This is definitely not the way to solve the problems Don was having on the football field. I understand that his dad was a drunk with an attitude problem, but that certainly does not give him the right to treat Billingsley that way. Just imagine the frustration and discouragement building inside of Donnie. Trying to have fun playing football must have been near to impossible for him. Donnie probably had a lot of negative emotions and tons of pressure while playing, worrying how his father would react to not living up to his expectations. Any mishaps Donnie would have on the field should have been left for his coach to address, not his dad. His dad should have played his part as a loving parent and supported his son, no matter the outcome.

Critical Analysis Of The Strategic Issues Faced Starbucks Marketing Essay

Critical Analysis Of The Strategic Issues Faced Starbucks Marketing Essay The aim of this project report is to critically analyse the strategic issues being faced by an organization. The organization chosen for this task is the company Starbucks, which will be analysed using relevant concepts reviewed in the module using appropriate theory and models. The analysis will include assessment of the external and internal factors and also the competitive forces influencing the company Starbucks. This will be accomplished by the application of PESTEL analysis and the PORTER 5 FORCES model. A combined analysis would be carried out by undertaking a SWOT analysis for the organization. The project report would also include analysis of the Starbucks Corp using the ANSOFF Matrix and the BCG Matrix to suggest the strategic choices the company needs to make to counter the strategic issues outlined by this report. The report structure would start with a brief introduction to the company Starbucks followed by the strategic issues faced by the firm. The issues are outlined before in the report based on the analysis which has been carried out using the above models. After discussing the current and recent issues facing Starbucks the company analysis would follow which would be supported with relevant theory and application of suitable models. After completing the industry analysis conclusion and recommendations would be provided for Starbucks to counter the strategic problems. STARBUCKS AN INTRODUCTION The Starbucks Company was founded in Seattle in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker and Zev Seigel with a vision to educate American consumers about the fine coffee drinking experience. In 1987 Howard Schultz took over the Starbucks Group, he wanted to create the Italian espresso bar experience in America by creating a personal relationship between the customers and their coffee. Just within a couple of years they grew from a small coffee business house to a multi-million dollar player in the industry by buying only the best coffee available and providing the people with an unmatched store experience. As standing, Starbucks is number one in the speciality coffee industry, with more than 12,000 shops in more than 35 countries. The Starbucks mission statement is To inspire and nurture the human spirit one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time. Freshly brewed coffee is the main product offered by Starbucks along with other drinks which include cold and hot teas, cakes and pastries. The Starbucks coffee comes in a many varieties each possessing a different taste, aroma and flavour. In addition to its extensive product offerings, Starbucks has many brands including; Starbucks Hear Music, Tazo Tea, Starbucks Entertainment, , Ethos Water, Torrefazione Italia coffee and Seattles Best Coffee. The successful management of all of these brands pulled together constitutes the Starbucks portfolio. Starbucks is also one of the most globally conscious corporations in the world.  Ã‚  In 2006 Starbucks donated $36.1 million in cash and products, volunteered 383,000 hours in local communities, required growers to use strict environmental guidelines, used 20% renewable energy in stores, and actively recycled in almost 80% of stores in US and Canada. Starbucks has established itself as the coffee leader in the world and has done so on a socially and environmentally conscious platform.   STRATEGIC ISSUES FACING STARBUCKS The major challenge that Starbucks is dealing with is the current financial crisis in the world economy forcing them to call closures of many stores around the world. Another challenge that Starbucks is dealing with is competitors. There are numerous coffee shops all over the world and being able to stand out to generate customers is important. Their main competitors are Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, and Nestle in the US and brands like Costa Coffee and Caffà ¨ Nero in the UK, the two major markets for Starbucks. It is important that for Starbucks to know their competitors and what they are currently doing. Also Starbuck coffees are priced higher than other market competitors because of Starbucks only purchasing the highest quality coffee beans for their product, thus increasing the price of the drink giving the competitors a cost advantage over Starbucks. Also Starbucks inadequate marketing strategy on advertising is a hindrance in the business growth opportunities. They prefer to build the brand by promoting the drinks cup-by-cup with customers. The advertisement ends until they drink the coffee, reducing the chances to attract valuable customers. Starbucks also does not emphasize on distributing their products to supermarket because of being concerned with the quality of the coffee; if the coffees were packaged into plastic bags. Also the rigorous expansion strategy followed by Starbucks can take a toll on the firms brand image. As corporations grow there can be a tendency to focus too heavily on increasing output and locations, and less focus on quality and brand image. Starbucks needs to stay with its values and ideals that have made it successful. Also Starbucks policy of not franchising can be a cause of concern for the firm. Franchising would allow the company to open many new stores with less risk, and make considerable profits in doing so. Because of this the firms research and development costs would fall making use of the franchisee knowledge of the local market in terms of geographic, , psychographics, demographics, and the local country regulations. STARBUCKS ANALYSIS This part of the report would analyse the working of the business by application of PESTEL analysis, Porter 5 forces, the BCG Matrix, SWOT analysis and the Ansoff Matrix. PESTEL ANALYSIS POLITICAL Taxation policy High taxes levied on farmers in the bean producing countries, would consequently increase the rate at which Starbuck would buy the coffee beans and any such fluctuations in the taxation policy would certainly be passed on to the consumer, who now would have to purchase the end item at a higher price. International trade regulations and tariffs Trade issues would affect Starbucks directly when exporting and importing goods. When the government of the trading country imposes a tariff it would not only resulting in an efficiency loss for Starbucks but such large income transfers can also become inconsistent with equity. This extra charge would have to be borne by the consumers. Government stability A change in government policies has a direct impact on the taxation and legislation framework. Also the countries in political turmoil or civil war should be considered with great caution when considering probable market ventures. Employment law Reduction in the licensing and permit costs in coffee bean producing countries would consequently lower production costs for the farmers and any such saving would subsequently pass on to Starbucks when purchasing the raw materials and finally to the customers. ECONOMIC Interest rates High interest rates would mean putting off the investment and expansion plans of Starbucks, which would result in fewer earnings for the firm. Low interest rates should have the opposite effect. Economic Growth In periods of negative growth, the consumer incomes would fall leaving less disposable income thus impacting sales for Starbucks. Inflation rates Business costs will rise in times of inflation which would ultimately have to be borne by the consumer. Competitors pricing Competitive pricing from competitors would impact Starbucks pricing that would drive down the profit margin as they try to maintain their market share. Exchange rates If the currency value falls in a bean supplying country, Starbucks would get more for the same price, when importing the goods. This saving would be passed to the end consumer. SOCIAL Population demographics Identification of the target population at which Starbuck needs to aim their products is a significant factor in the business operations. The marketing campaign undertaken would focus accordingly. Coffee is a luxury product in some ways, so the people with the most amount of disposable income should be targeted. Working Population A large number of workers in big cities now go out for lunch and meals. Starbucks can cash this to their advantage and promote the shop as a place where people can meet and eat, boosting the sales. Location A good location which is easily accessible is vital to ensure that the customers visit the shop. TECHNOLOGICAL IT development Starbucks launched its first-generation e-commerce website in 1998. As a result, scalability and performance have improved, and the company now has the tools it needs to profile and target customers, analyse site data, and deliver new features to the market in the shortest time possible. New materials and processes Technology developments in coffee making machines and the computer systems that Starbucks use to operate their cash registers would enable the staff to work swiftly and efficiently. This results in customers being served quickly thus creating potential for serving more people in the day. Rate of technological change Technology is advancing at an astounding rate. Starbucks will need to invest majorly just to stand their ground in the always expanding and developing market, and also to try to stay ahead of competitors. ENVIRONMENTAL Pollution problems Starbucks customers create a lot of waste by disposing off the cup and the contents incorrectly. The material for the cup should be carefully selected to make it as biologically degradable as possible. Planning permissions Planning permission may not be granted to Starbucks if the construction would harm the environment. The land may be protected. Work disposal There are strict laws in most countries pertaining to waste disposal and non-adherence to these could lead to Starbucks being sanctioned, which would affects them financially and also tarnish the reputation of the brand name. Environmental pressure groups Starbucks should be aware of the influential and physical power of groups such as Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace. Any violation of animal or environmental rights by a company is usually followed by a swift and attention-drawing protest from one of the groups. Brand image and customer bases are often irreconcilably tarnished due to the actions of these groups. LEGAL Trade and product restrictions Starbucks need to follow the trade laws of the countries where they have established businesses. They must ensure that they are not in violation of any local laws. Certain countries impose a tariff that has to be paid accordingly when importing or exporting goods and this must be taken into account as well. Employment laws Each country has different employment laws, like limiting the number of hours a person can work per week, varying levels of minimum wage etc. Starbucks should be aware of such factors when considering business expansion. Health and Safety regulations By not maintaining high standards they would be liable for damages if found in violation as it is a legal requirement for them to enable that their staff and customers are safe when they are in their stores. Land use Starbucks have to abide by the laws of the building authorities when constructing shops or altering purchased sites and if found in violation of land rules, it can be panalised by the local authorities. PORTER 5 FORCES ANALYSIS 1. COMPETITIVE RIVALRY Starbucks is the leader in retailing and roasting of specialty coffee in the world. Major competitors include Costa coffee, Caffà © Nero, Seattles Best Coffee and secondary coffee providers such as McDonalds, Burger King and Dunkin Donuts. The competition is nowhere near to Starbucks volume of operations and sales. Consumption of coffee is not dependent on the price of the product but also on the differentiation between each product and several value adding variables such as the quality of customer services, brand, brand recognition and image of the company. Hence, Starbucks is not majorly sensitive to movements of other firms in this segment. 2. THREAT OF NEW ENTRANTS Starbuck is the world leader in its industry and has controlled access to distribution channels. Starbucks have extreme control over such distribution channels because of setting strict guidelines for the suppliers to follow. Starbucks is also constantly innovating and showing strong product differentiation to hamper the possibility of new entrants. However, the entry barrier for the industry is relatively low and any big firm where capital is not a problem could be a potential entrant. Some of the more current and on-going threats of new entrants include fast food chains such as McDonalds, Burger King and Dunkin Donuts which can become a major problem in the near future. 3. BARGAINING POWER OF BUYERS A big threat to Starbucks is the absence of switching costs in the speciality coffee industry, customers face no switching costs in switching from Starbucks to Costa Coffee or Caffà © Nero for a cup of coffee. Also a threat to Starbucks is the ability of customers to brew their own coffee. Starbucks tries to counter this threat by offering the Preferred Office Coffee Providers and also provides directions for making the perfect cup of Starbucks coffee at home, the perfect cup of course includes all ingredients which have to be purchased from Starbucks. Also with new entrants and competitors such as McDonalds who claim to offer premium roast coffee of reasonable quality for lower price, thus giving the customers some bargaining power. 4. BARGAINING POWER OF SUPPLIERS Coffee is the second largest traded commodity in the world. Central and South America produce majority of coffee traded. Starbucks depends upon both outside brokers and a mutually direct contact with exporters for supply of premium coffee beans. The quality of coffee beans sought by Starbucks is very high, proving to be a potential threat to the company. Only suppliers which meet Starbucks coffee standards are able to supply to the giant company. The supplying industry only has few firms which can deliver the quality giving them considerable bargaining powers. However, Starbucks counters this due to its massive size and being the primary buyer and also because of the importance of Starbucks business to any individual supplier as it would account for a large percentage of the total suppliers sales, thus reducing the bargaining power of suppliers. THE THREAT OF SUBSTITUTION Substitute products are the products that can pose as a trade-off for the product being offered by a company. In the specialty coffee industry, substitute products can be soft drinks, tea, energy drinks, fruit juices and other caffeinated drinks. Here innovation would play a huge role. To counter this Starbucks have given their menus a complete revamp and have differentiated so many of their products which are now part of the main product line. The menu includes various teas, hot and cold coffee, baked goods and various confectionary items. The only true direct substitute for specialty coffee would be the basic coffee, which is of lower quality than specialty and as such does not present any threat. BCG MATRIX RELATIVE MARKET SHARE HIGH INDUSTRY SALES GROWTH RATE HIGH STARS ( Growth Strategy ) Global stores Market Penetration and Development Backward, Forward or Horizontal Integration LOW CASH COWS ( Stability Strategy ) Product Development and Differentiation Diversification U.S Stores ANSOFF MATRIX Present Product New Product Present Market Market Penetration: Hotels, Grocery Stores, Businesses, Schools, Airlines and Industries Cafeteria Product Development: New Bold Fresh Lunch Programmes and Salads e.g. fiesta chicken salad, fruit and cheese platter New Market Market Development: Opening of stores all over the world. Expansion strategies into Brazil, Russia, Romania and India. Diversification: Music CDs, Clothing, Coffee Mugs and other accessories. SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGHTS Strong brand name Large retail distribution system Quality product Extensive product list Good supplier relationships Massive capital funding Valued and motivated employees WEAKNESSES Dependence on single source of business/income Prices relatively higher than competitors Strong dependence on suppliers Merchandise sales in stores Over reliance on home market Aggressive expansion leading to failure OPPORTUNITIES Overseas business expansion Business expansion into untapped U.S. markets Extension of brand name to new products and business lines Product range diversification to more food items THREATS Strong competitors with massive capital funding capabilities like McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts Economic conditions may make consumers unwilling to pay higher prices Political conditions overseas may limit business expansion U.S. speciality coffee industry approaching saturation RECCOMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION Starbucks has to effectively pursue a Focus-Based Strategy in conjunction with differentiation and a cost leadership based strategy. Being a lower cost store will increase the difference between Starbucks and provide it with a competitive edge. At present, Starbucks competitors are attempting to specialize in the coffee business, therefore Starbucks must pursue focus strategy to increase its strength. Starbucks must reduce their product price by producing a new product of coffee using cheaper beans or can come out with special discounts and promotions to reduce cost, thus increasing sales enabling Starbucks to enter new low cost markets and increase profitability. Also needs to focus on building alliances in new markets/countries to reduce management focus and benefit from the local and experience curves. Should focus on advertising the brand through internet services for users to access, do road shows, hand out brochures etc. so that consumers become more aware of the brands strong international presence and brand name. Market penetration and market development will help increase the sales. Access unexplored distribution channels like making available packaged Starbucks coffee for consumers by displaying it nationwide in various convenience and shopping stores and not only Starbucks stores. Starbucks must adopt twin policies of Product Development and Product-Market Diversification to counter the stiff competition in international markets. It is important to understand this in the product development phase as they would need to focus solely on making their existing products better. The company can demonstrate product and market diversification through research and development coupled with creativity and innovation. Product differentiation has proven an excellent defence against threats such as bargaining power of buyers. Developing new products will offset such potential risks. A strategy should be formulated to tackle the competition by entering into agreements, long-term contracts, with the food service companies that they are competing against. This way their coffee would be sold at these outlets and they would gain access to new markets and increase sales while decreasing competition. Starbucks should continue to be a first mover into markets with new products and ideas. Being a first mover of new products into new international markets will be an excellent way for Starbucks to build customer loyalty and uphold its image as an innovative company. Starbucks should continue to locate their operations in high traffic areas, high visibility areas. The company should continue to take excellent care in picking locations. It is extremely important that Starbucks international stores reflect uniqueness in their location and layout. Having locations in a variety of locations will ensure large market exposure.

The Reconstruction Period :: after the Civil War, 1865 - 1877

The period after the Civil War, 1865 - 1877, was called the Reconstruction period. Abraham Lincoln started planning for the reconstruction of the South during the Civil War as Union soldiers occupied huge areas of the South. He wanted to bring the Nation back together as quickly as possible and in December 1863 he offered his plan for Reconstruction which required that the States new constitutions prohibit slavery. In January 1865, Congress proposed an amendment to the Constitution which would abolish slavery in the United States. On December 18, 1865, Congress ratified the Thirteenth Amendment formally abolishing slavery. The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated less than one week later. Andrew Johnson, Lincoln's Vice President, briefly continued Lincoln's policies after Lincoln's assassination and in May 1865 announced his own plans for Reconstruction which included a vow of loyalty to the Nation and the abolition of slavery that Southern states were required to take before they could be readmitted to the Nation. Black codes were adopted by midwestern states to regulate or inhibit the migration of free African-Americans to the midwest. Cruel and severe black code laws were adopted by southern states after the Civil War to control or reimpose the old social structure. Southern legislatures passed laws that restricted the civil rights of the emancipated former slaves. Mississippi was the first state to institute laws that abolished the full civil rights of African-Americans. "An Act to Confer Civil Rights on Freedmen, and for Other Purposes," a very misleading title, was passed in 1865. Other states quickly adopted their own versions of the codes, some of which were so restrictive that they resembled the old system of slavery such as forced labor for various offenses. The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands (or the Freedmen's Bureau) was organized to provide relief and assistance to the former slaves, including health services, educational services, and abandoned land services. Congress passed an act on March 3, 1865 to establish the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands. The program was administered by the Department of War and was first headed by General Oliver Otis Howard who was appointed to the position on May 13, 1865 by President Abraham Lincoln. Although Congress responded with legislation that led to the Civil Rights Act of 1866, States kept on the books laws that continued the legacy of the black codes and, therefore, second-class citizenship for the newly freed slaves.

Technology and Power :: Essays Papers

Technology and Power Effective communication can both create empires and destroy them. For the former, communication is a necessity in connecting the parts of an empire, so to keep the whole sizable. An empire must keep in contact with its armies, outposts, and inner areas so to maintain order to be able to adjust its defenses in response to an enemy attack. It must also, when still growing, be able to conquer new lands and people. For the latter, unless its defenses are in communication with back up forces and resources, the only victorious defense is one that results from a battle of attrition. This essay will exam two forms of one communication technology: encoding. It will be remembered that one class or race is without representation, and has not the advantages of the press or the telegraph to bring it into communication with the intelligence of the world, and is seldom heard except in the cry of alarm and conflict along the Western frontier. --Brigadier General Nelson A. Miles, United States Army, March 1879* Though written specifically about the conflicts that the United States had with the Native Americans throughout the Nineteenth century, General Miles' statement is a fact applicable to every conquest ever made. The ability to communicate effectively with one's forces during a conquest is, except perhaps, in cases where the conquest consists mainly of battles of attrition, a key factor of victory. A commander must have accurate, updated intelligence reports informing him of his conquest's military abilities and locations, any skirmishes between forces, supply routes, etc. This communication ability, as well as every piece of weaponry or tool used by the conqueror, is a direct result of human ingenuity, specifically as it is applied to technological advancement. In the second half of the 19th century, as the Western world embraced the Industrial Revolution, our nation's political powers focused their eyes on the vast lands of the Western frontier. To better understand the needs for communication technology in this conquest, let's first get a little history lesson on what happened. During this conquest of the West, an Apache Chief known as Geronimo led the Chiricahua Apaches in a series of revolts against the American tyranny that had seized Apache lands, herded its people into a Reservation, then abolished the Reservation to reclaim the land for white Americans.

PC Specification Instructions and Requirements Essay

For the specified case study, create a summary of user requirements and a PC Specifications Table in Microsoft Word 2010. A copy of that case study appears at the bottom of this document. This Word 2010 document will include a two-paragraph summary that classifies the user type and identifies the PC category(ies) that will be recommended and Word tables that identify and contain the hardware and software requirements to meet the selected case study requirements. Students are expected to conduct external research to adequately address all aspects of the assignment requirements. Any outside sources should be correctly cited in APA style at the end of the table. Students will need to include specific requirements from the case study to show why each item is being recommended. Each element listed below must be incorporated into the assignment – omissions will result in loss of points. This project is valued at 14 possible points and the final total of points will be adjusted in the rubric after it is graded to reflect 14 possible points for this project. Writing Quality for the Two Page Narrative * Grammar, Verb Tenses, Pronoun Use, Spelling, Punctuation, and Writing Competency. *Remember: spell-check, then proofread. Better yet, have a friend or colleague read it before submitting it. Read it out loud to yourself. * Remember: there is not their, your is not you’re, its is not it’s, too is not to or two, site is not cite, and who should be used after an individual, not that. For example, â€Å"the person WHO made the speech† not â€Å"the person THAT made the speech.† * In a professional paper one does not use contractions (doesn’t, don’t, etc.) and one does not use the personal you or your. Use the impersonal as I have in the previous sentence. It is more business-like than saying, â€Å"Also in a professional paper you don’t use contractions.† * Use the impersonal as in the sentence immediately above. It is more business-like than saying, â€Å"Also in a professional paper you don’t use contractions.† Requirement| Points Allocated| Comments| Set normal text to Arial, 12 point.| 0.25| This is the font in normal paragraphs. Heading and title fonts may be a larger size.| Title Page which shows title and author’s (student’s) name.| 0.25| The title must be, â€Å"PC Specification for_[insert user name]†| Write a brief 2-paragraph narrative that categorizes the user type, identifies the category of PC (s) required, and summarizes your recommendations. | 0.5| Two well-written, concise and organized paragraphs not to exceed one-half a page.| Create a table that shows the various required hardware components. The table should have all the necessary columns, rows, and column headings to show the following: * Input Devices – Identify each type and show which specific user requirements are met * Output Devices – Identify each type and show which specific user requirements are met * Communication Devices – Identify each type and show which specific user requirements are met * Storage Devices – External (including portable) storage devices and show which specific user requirements are met * Other Peripheral Devices – Identify each type and show which specific user requirements are met| 2.0| The table must be labeled â€Å"Hardware Table.†| Create a table that shows the various required system unit features. The table should have all the necessary columns, rows, and column headings to show the following: * Processor – Include type and clock speed and state how processor type and clock speed meets specific user’s requirements in the mini case * RAM – Include type and amount and state how RAM type and amount meets specific user’s requirements in the mini case * Adapter Cards – Identify each type and show which specific user requirements are met * Ports – Include types, how many of each type, and show which specific user requirements are met * Storage Devices – Identify internal system unit storage devices, size of hard drive, and state how each storage device and the hard drive size recommended meets specific user’s requirements in the mini case| 2.0| The table must be labeled â€Å"System Unit Features Table.†| Create a table that shows the various required Application Software. The table should have all the necessary columns, rows, and column headings to show the following: * Identify types, recommend specific product names, and show which specific user requirements are met| 2.0| The table must be labeled â€Å"Application Software Table.†| Create a table shows that the various required System Software. The table should have all the necessary columns, rows, and column headings to show the following: * Operating System – Identify a specific operating system and version * Utility Programs – Include a comprehensive list and state how each utility program meets specific user’s requirements in the mini case| 2.0| The table must be labeled â€Å"System Software Table.†| Create a table that shows the required Internet connectivity and Web-hosted applications and services. The table should have all the necessary columns, rows, and column headings to show the following: * Identify the specific type of ISP that should be used for Internet connectivity * Identify the specific Web services that should be used * State how the ISP type and Web services that were identified meets specific user’s requirements in the case study| 1.0| The table must be labeled â€Å"Internet Connectivity & Web Services Table.†| TOTAL:| 10| | The final total will be scaled to reflect 14 possible points. PC Specification Mini Case Your office has outgrown its old desktop machines and is in the market for new PCs, but would like some guidance on what to purchase. The Chief Information Officer (CIO) wants to ensure that the office obtains PC machines that meet the requirements stated below. You, as the IT Procurement Officer for your small educational company, have been tasked by the CIO to procure 5 PCs. The CIO has defined some capabilities that the PCs will need to have to ensure optimal performance. These tasks and system needs are collectively the office’s requirements. The requirements are as follows: 1. Create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and send and receive email 2. Participate in online chat rooms to include video conferences, web courses and forums (the CIO is a part-time professor at a local university) 3. Create and edit audio and video files and share video and audio files via emails, bulletin boards and in chat rooms 4. Create small databases to manage all audio, video and photo data 5. Take high quality digital photos and videos and download them to the PC as well as scan and edit the photos. 6. Print documents to include photo quality color printing 7. Save documents to pdf and other image formats 8. Transfer information (audio, video and photos) between PC machines 9. Manage the CIO’s schedule by using an online calendar and day planner 10. Utilize the internet to make online purchases, conduct banking services and research new audio, video and photo editing methods using a broadband service. 11. Connect all required peripheral devices you deem necessary to the system unit 12. Protect the PC and all components from dirty electrical power including under voltage (brownout or blackout) and overvoltage (power surge or spike) 13. Manage and protect the system, data, and information while working on the Internet including scanning all incoming emails, email attachments, and files downloaded from Web-based sources; firewall, virus and spyware (security) protection; and checking websites for phishing and fraudulent activities

Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients

Unit 2 Project: Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients Tracy Brown Kaplan University Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients When considering effective ways to cut government spending, each state should start requiring mandatory drug testing among all its welfare recipients. Cutting welfare benefits to known drug abusers will allow benefits to be doled out more effectively and efficiently to those Americans that are truly in need, diminish drug use in those poverty stricken communities that tend to rely on welfare assistance and take a chunk from the government’s out of control spending.I think that this is an effective thesis statement because it clearly outlines my paper and it states what side of this discussion I have chosen to represent. It is stated clear, concise, and to the point. Because mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients is an issue that is not in full effect, it may be difficult to find opinions from â€Å"reliable† sources concerning such legislation. It may also be difficult to determine long term effects of such a program like cuts in spending and reductions in drug abuse. I will be researching government websites both nationally and locally.I would also like to contact local government representatives to perhaps get an opinion about the idea of said legislation. In addition, because this is such a new topic, there are many newspapers to research that will have the latest on states that want to begin developing the idea of mandatory drug testing. It will be difficult to avoid logical fallicies on this topic. Because I am coming down on one side of this discussion and want to persuade my audience, I will want to use comments and information from those that view it as I do.Using statistics that are deemed factual will help in showing that these are not just biased opinions from politicians that are simply looking for another vote. If I were to begin to persuade a city council meeting or write a letter to my local government represe ntatives about the importance of mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients, I would begin by saying: Welfare is not an entitlement! It was never intended to be as such.When President Roosevelt enacted the Social Security Act in 1935, it was during the great depression, when 25% of Americans were unemployed. Since then welfare has generously extended its hand to millions of Americans (2012). When someone is benefitting from these programs, and is not deemed disabled, it should be viewed as a â€Å"hand up† not a â€Å"hand out†. It is an issue all over the country that welfare is being abused by its benefactors. Cards are being used for ATM withdrawals, to purchase liquor, buying cigarettes, and even gambling in casinos.Food stamps are being openly traded for drugs (Camden, 2011). Not to mention the deception that is occurring about how many dependents a recipient is responsible for. To be subjected to a simple urine test to receive money and benefits from the U. S, government is not too much to bear. It is no different than obliging to mandatory drug testing for a job. Florida state governor Rick Scott has stated that in his state alone they will save 9 million dollars a year because of benefits being cut due to mandatory drug testing.With these kinds of cuts in spending nationwide, it is sure to reduce government spending a great deal. Not to mention the effect it will have on drug abusers. Florida state governor Rick Scott has implemented drug counseling on a volunteer basis for those benefactors that test positive (Delaney, 2011). Cuts in spending, responsible distribution of benefits and reductions in drug abuse, this sounds like a win-win scenario for us all. References Author Unknown, (2012), The History of Welfare, Retrieved from: http://www. elfareinfo. org/history/ Delaney, A. , (2011, November 27). Rick Scott Backs Drug Tests for Welfare Beneficiaries, Public Worker, and Himself, Retrieved from: http://www. huffingtonpost. com/2011/ 09/27drug-testing-welfare-_n_983235-. html/ Camden, J. , (2011, February 04). The Spokesman-Review, Abuse of Welfare Electronic Benefits Transfer Cards Targeted, Retrieved from: http://www. spokesman. com/stories/2011/feb/04/abuse-of-welfare-electronic-benefits-transfer/

Sports Day Event 'Give It a Go' Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sports Day Event 'Give It a Go' - Essay Example Aims and Objectives Engaging students in sports events in order to bring the best in them making them Good leaders, Team builders and discipliners. To promote healthy competition amongst students of the Childwall Valley Primary school (Lang-8 2011). A good psychological and physical health for students To encourage interaction (communication skills) between the students and Parents so they can learn from one another (Bigelow, Moroney and Hall 2001). Work plan of Event The event requires extensive preplanning, which is not possible with the help of the School staff as well as Students. For the success of the event the Sports Instructor of the Childwall Valley Primary School will be given the task of short listing students participating in the event and under which aspect will they be participating (Gomez 2011). The heads of departments need to be patient with allocating some time from their classes during the last two weeks of the Sports Event. Parent volunteering is welcomed and high ly respected for the event. The event will have an opening ceremony, gymnastics and cheer leading squad, field sports, relay races, tug of war and event ceremony with prize distribution (Lang-8 2011). Persons in charge of event Responsibility Name Head of Sports Event Daniel Roffman (Sports instructor) Speaker and Disciplinary head at Event Rachel Mike Gymnastics and Cheerleading Kathrine Jones Field Sport Rohit Adwalia and Hilton John Drinks and Food Parent Volunteers Nurse Kamila Scott Score Board (Spectator) High School Volunteers Award and Closing ceremony Rachel Fo (Director) (Merriam Webster 2012 ) Equipment Required Equipment Required Whistles Boundary Ropes Hurdle Exercise Mats Microphone and Speakers Baseball kit Cricket kit Basketball Nets kit Soccer Goals and kit Stop watch Relay sticks Score board Trophy and prize distribution gifts (Sports Equipemnet Supplies 2012) Explanation of Event The event will take place in the premises of the Child Valley Primary School’s Playground. This option was feasible and convenient as it is economical and will avoid transport issues for students and teachers. The School bus will pick students from the bus stop for the event at nine in the morning. The organizers of the event will be in school from seven in the morning preparing for the event. Safety is the most important aspect for this event. Therefore, the school Medical nurse will be available at the ground at all times during the event (Omelianovych 2010). The event will start at 10 in the morning with the Opening Ceremony and the settling of the students with energy drinks and water bottles. Then, the cheer leading squad and gymnasts will perform their exercised performance. Shortly after this, the races and rallies will take place around the ground with the help of the sports instructor and parent volunteers. The high school students will maintain a Scoreboard throughout the event for the avoiding confusion at the end of the ceremony (Omelianovych 2010 ). The Baseball, Basketball, Cricket and Soccer will be played in the teams made during practices for the event. After the last game of Soccer students will be given a break of twenty minutes to rest and change. The ending ceremony will take half an hour with the awards being trophies, medals and certificates for volunteers (NSW Department of Planning 2009

The Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status (SES) and Corporal Essay

The Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status (SES) and Corporal Punishment - Essay Example Despite significant support for such broad generalizations, many questions remain regarding relations among SES, parenting, and child growth. The expressions physical punishment and corporal punishment are employed here as synonyms to refer to an action by parents intended to cause the child physical hurting, but not injury, for purposes of correction or control of misconduct. The 1975 and 1985 National Family Violence Surveys discovered that about 95% of American parents use corporal punishment as just cleared. This is consistent with a large number of other studies (Straus, 1991) and with the faith that corporal punishment is used by parents with tots or young children. Public health advocates have described corporal punishment as "a form of interfamilial violence associated with short and long-term adverse mental health outcomes" (Stewart et al., 2000, p. 257). Corporal punishment in the United States presents a complex picture, with high but decreasing rates of general approval, and a population increasingly divided regarding its use (Straus & Mathur, 1994). The approval of corporal punishment in the United States decreased dramatically from 94% in 1978 to 68% in 1994 (Straus & Mathur, 1996). Whereas in 1978 there was almost universal approval in the United States for parents spanking children, regardless of demographic variables, by 1994 disagreements were evident, with greater approval noted among African Americans, Southerners, and those with fewer years of formal education (Straus & Mathur, 1996). Unfortunately, data concerning Latinos are limited. Frequently, Latinos are simply excluded from the sample or are miscoded as African American or White (Ortega, Guillean, & Najera, 1996). The actual use of corporal punishment in the United States is also decreasing (Dart & Gelles, 1992; Straus, 1994). Even so, corporal punishment is still used widely, and Giles-Sims, Straus, and Sugarman (1995) have reported that "almost all children in the United States are spanked by their parents at some point in their lives" (p. 170). For parents to give up corporal punishment, they need to establish an effective alternative system of instruction and discipline. Research supports the notion that three kinds of parenting behaviors constitute such a system: those that promote the parent-child relationship, those that reinforce positive behaviors, and those that decrease undesired behaviors (Howard, 1996). Parents who resort to frequent or severe corporal punishment are likely to rely too much on punitive techniques, without using the other methods. They may underutilize other ways to gain compliance: through building their relationship with their children, reinforcing positive behaviors, and decreasing undesired behaviors through means other than punishment (e.g., distracting the child). Male gender, lower socioeconomic status, comorbid analysis of ADHD, positive parental history of mental illness

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 10

Case Study Example Basing on this, this paper has developed a SWOT analysis of FedEx. A SWOT analysis is a managerial strategic program aimed at analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an organization so that decision makers can enact policies basing on information at hand. From the DI case, the weaknesses of the organization are highlighted, and in all, they are internal, and based on employees negligence. This report will highlight that. The table below shows the SWOT analysis of the organization. Political instability in various countries and regions of its interest might affect its operations. For example the Arab Spring crises that started in Tunisia to Egypt that led to overthrow of these governments through mass participation. Poor judgment by its employees on appeasing aggrieved clients can lead to customer dissatisfaction for example Poor customer relationship skills witnessed by the supervisor sending chocolates instead of offering an apology to aggrieved customers. Loses arising from inefficiency of their services through paying of refunds and compensations to clients for expenses arising from the company’s negligence. For instance DI lost $ 600 in paying trade booths which were to be used for showcasing the undelivered goods (McDougall and Charles, 48). Risk negative publicity and therefore affecting their profitability due to their inefficiency in handling DI shipments. This is portrayed by Anita Kilgour expressing her disappointment and unhappiness at how the organization handled her orders. From this analysis, we can conclude that FedEx is a strong company with minimum weaknesses in its operations. It is also a technology oriented company and because of this, it is a market leader in provision of courier services. Despite its strengths and position in the market, the company can improve on its weaknesses by improving on the terms of the money back guarantee system, to give