Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Compare and Contrast US Naval Innovation with that of Great Britain Essay

Compare and Contrast US Naval Innovation with that of Great Britain. What is the dichotomy and why - Essay Example From a close look at the navies of the treaties, both the United States and Great Britain navies were subjected to similar agreements that were restrictive of the innovations that they could pursue1. The United States response to the treaties and the agreements is however different from that of Great Britain and this was the result of all the differences observable to date. This paper is aimed at providing a comparison and the contrast between the US naval innovation and that of Great Britain. The paper will be guided by the thesis that United States naval innovations were dependent on logistic and reasoning while those of Great Britain was based on misguided sense of false security and elimination of imminent threat. From the Five Power Treaty that brought together five main powers into a naval agreement. The resolutions made U.S. Navy and the Great Britain navy to take different directions. For the Great Britain and Japan, the fortification clause had a major impact on the naval strategy and designs. For Great Britain, the influence on their innovation was shown by their arms limitations throughout the governments’ successions and policies formulation in relation to the treaties resolutions. Britain, therefore, appeared to focus directly on the benefits of the restrictions on the peaceful existence of the powers. However, United States was more concerned with logistics, their innovations after this treaty stayed relatively the same in the interwar periods. The Treaties of Versailles on its part enhanced further the restrictive force on naval innovation by prohibiting Germany from continued production of the U-Boats which were feared to have been used extensively in World War I2. The restriction on Germany provided a false sense of security to Great Britain making it believe that the treaties were important in eliminating threats. The treaties however failed to notice that if Germany had been

Monday, October 28, 2019

Education, Teacher Essay Example for Free

Education, Teacher Essay How can teachers be advocates for children in and out of the classroom? Teachers play an important role, everyone knows that, but does anyone actually know how much teachers do for us? It seems that teachers are just an authority figure at school, but it is so much more than that. Teachers are in a classroom with about 25 children who thirst for an education. Teachers quench this thirst with the knowledge that they teach in the classroom. Teachers do not just advocate children in the classroom; they continue to do so in the community and the lives of people. Teachers advocate for children in the classroom. â€Å"What students need to succeed in the twenty-first century is an education that is both academically rigorous and relevant to the real world† (Covey). In the classroom, teachers are resource providers, instructional specialist, curriculum specialist, classroom supporters, learning facilitators, mentors and school leaders they are also learners that learn new things each and every day from the children they teach. Children look up to teachers for help, advice, tutoring, and guidance. In the classroom, teachers teach the curriculum they have planned for the day and are expected to help any child that is falling behind or does not understand. Discipline is also a part in the learning process. With all the cheating and various ways of bullying, schools these days have turned into a place you do not want to be at because you feel in danger of getting physically or mentally hurt (Covey). The misbehavior of these cheaters and bullies are preventing their classmates from learning and teachers from instructing the thought out session (Rizzolo). Teachers should always on the first day(s) of student attendance, get off to a good start and execute the rules of the classroom, to avoid this misbehavior from happening. Of course, the classroom rules should tie in with the school policies. When teachers are stating the classroom policies their tone must be stern but not strict, this is to ensure that the students do not take the teacher lightly. The teacher has a role in the community also. Teachers’ role in the community is extremely important, since it is the teachers who are the backbone of the educational system. The whole educational system starts with the school board. The school board comes up with all the school policy that every school must follow. Once these policies are set in stone, administrators interpret them, but the teachers are the ones that personally enforce these school policies and make sure everyone obeys these policies. For teachers to maintain support from the community to keep the school itself running, the community must have a positive observation on the teachers. In order to uphold this positive outlook, teachers must be prepared for the unknown and keep a positive attitude throughout (Nebor). Teachers play a valuable role in todays society. The government creates the standards of living and suggests ways of assessment. Our administrators direct the teachers to teach these standards that the government has created for us. After being directed by the administrators, the teacher educates the students on these standards. Therefore, it can be agreed that teachers are responsible for the society, or in other words is the backbone of society. As stated in the previous paragraph, a teacher is a figure that not only educates on an academic level, but also on a social level in order to create character and citizenship. As time passed, the message that teachers attempt to get across has changed but the meaning behind it has not. â€Å"A teacher must help form society at the foundation† (Covey). For today’s children will be tomorrow’s leaders. Teachers have an impact on the lives of others. Certainly, teachers affect the lives of the children they teach, but how? Teachers give their students encouragement by saying Come on, you can do it youve got this! or Hey, I believe you can achieve more; give it your all! †(Five Ways Good Teachers Change Lives) or other uplifting phrases such as a quote that I live by that says â€Å"Dont give up just because of what someone said. Use that as motivation to push harder. † Like encouragement, teachers also support their students by conveying the belief that their students can succeed at anything they put their mind to. The teacher must care for the students; have the child’s best interest in mind. Being a teacher like the teachers who risked their lives for their students in the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, is not necessary but showing them respect and support and encouragement is. Most importantly, challenge the student. Set high standards and push the student to succeed in everything they set out to do. Call out the best from them by rewarding them with some praising words. Just remember do not speak words of devastation, cause humiliation, express indifference, use authority to cause fear, or act out of anger and frustration, and all will be good. Parents expect a lot from teachers. Parents expect their child to learn from his or her teacher what they cannot be taught at home. Parents want their child to gain knowledge of obedience, traditional values, admiration, good manners, and responsibility throughout their whole school experience (Covey). Parents want to be able to schedule a one on one conference with the teacher to discuss their child’s progress or any problems the child is having, and how they are doing in the class or if they are not doing so well how they can improve. Teacher’s ability to inspire children to learn should be acknowledge for enthusiasm or passion cannot be taught, but it can certainly be transferable. Also, the teacher’s ability to understand the child’s perspectives should also be acknowledged, because good teachers will see what their students need to succeed. Children should be free to make their own mistakes and not be afraid of being punished, how else will they learn if you do not give them any room. Yes children should be able to make their own decision; you should also give them space to express themselves freely. One thing that you can make sure of is wherever they are expressing themselves or making their own mistakes they are in a safe environment. Teachers also inspire one another. Teachers all have a common goal, so why not come together and share. A lesson that on teacher teaches may inspire on if not many other teachers to do/plan a similar lesson. No one teacher can know everything there is to know in this world, so they learn from each other. Social media is a great place for teachers to acquire ideas for a lesson. Sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest are outstanding sites for teachers to connect with students and other teachers (Bort). Students benefit from this by having the opportunity to obtain assignments that they have missed and obtain information. Teachers benefit by having a way to communicate with students out of the class and get a hold of some inspiration (Vartan). Being a teacher is not an easy job. Teachers must always demonstrate leadership in multiple ways. A teacher should do everything that can to ensure that their students grow up to become a mature, responsible, and respectable person. Who knows the student may become the teacher and the teacher becomes the student. Works Cited Bort, Anji. Personal Interview. 13 Feb. 2013. Covey, Stephen R.The Leader in Me. New York: FranklinCovey Co. , 2008. Print. â€Å"Five Ways Good Teachers Change Lives. † Passing the Baton. WebSpark Design, 18 Nov 2009. Web. 16 Feb. 2013 http://www. passingthebaton. org Nebor, Jon N. The Role of the Teacher in School-Community Relations [microform] / Jon N. Nebor Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse, [Washington, D. C. ]: 1984 http://www. eric. ed. gov Vartan, Starre. â€Å"How teachers use social media in the classroom to beef up instructions. † MNN, 2012. Web. 19 Feb. 2013 http://www. mnn. com.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Free Nature vs. Nurture Essay :: essays research papers

What is inborn and what is learned? The discussion as to whether nature or nurture were the driving force shaping our cognitive abilities, was for a long time considered interminable. In the 18th century, Locke and the English empiricists claimed that individuals were born with a tabula rasa and only experience could establish mind, consciousness and the self. On the continent, Leibniz envisaged the self as a monad carrying with it some knowledge of a basic understanding of the world. Until the 1960s, this dispute was still very vivid in the behavioral sciences: B. F. Skinner's school of behaviorism in the USA postulated (as reflexology did earlier) general rules for all types of learning, neglecting innate differences or predispositions. K. Lorenz was one of the protagonists of ethology in Europe, focusing on the inherited aspects of behavior. It was Lorenz who ended the antagonistic view of behavior in showing that there indeed are innate differences and predispositions in behavior where only little learning occurs. Today, it is largely agreed upon that nature and nurture are intimately cooperating to bring about adaptive behaviors. Probably only in very few cases ontogenetic programs are not subjected to behavioral plasticity at all. Conversely, the possibility to acquire behavioral traits has to be genetically coded for. Today, realising that genes and environment cooperate and interact synergistically, traditional dichotomy of nature vs. nurture is commonly seen as a false dichotomy. Especially operant conditioning, i.e. the learning of the consequences of one's own behavior can lead to positive feedback loops between genetic predispositions and behavioral consequences that render the question as to cause and effect nonsensical. Positive feedback has the inherent tendency to exponentially amplify any initial small differences. For example, an at birth negligible difference between two brothers in a gene affecting IQ to a small percentage, may lead to one discovering a book the will spark his interest in reading, while the other never gets to see that book. One becomes an avid reader who loves intellectual challenges while the other never finds a real interest in books, but hangs out with his friends more often. Eventually, the reading brother may end up with highly different IQ scores in standardize d tests, simply because the book loving brother has had more opportunities to train his brain. Had both brother received identical environmental input, their IQ scores would hardly differ.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Present Proposals for Improvements to customer service Essay

Introduction: In this assignment I will research a business through either the Internet or visiting the actual location and describe what type of customer service does that business have. I will pass judgement by listing all the facilities that the business has installed to facilitate and benefit their customers. I will base my research on the Legoland theme park in Windsor as it has a lot of factors to talk about in my assignment and will prove quite interesting in my understanding in what good customer service is. For task 2 I will describe the Acts of Parliament that protects customers and relate each Act according to how it will affect an customer at Legoland. I will then take another business and I will observe all the factors that has been asked of me to do, such as make notes like the â€Å"friendliness that the business makes to its customers† to questions like â€Å"What are the conditions of hygiene to the customers†, all of which will be taken in to account into an overall conclusion to how that business gives satisfaction to customer service. I will visit Mc Donald’s in Hounslow, being as its a very busy environment it will test their behaviour to all the elements that could effect their service and observe how they deal in those predicaments. I will then interpretative my opinion on how Mc Donald’s could improve there business through an oral presentation. Read more:  Advantages of Off The Job Training For task 5 I will obtain information on how an organisation monitor customer service and explain on how Legoland would take out to improve and increase sales for the long term future. Task 1 and Introduction to Legoland I have chosen to visit Legoland Windsor as my organisation, Legoland has 150 acres of wooded landscape. It is set on a beautiful site, nine million families within our target age range. The lego group was founded in 1932 by â€Å"Ole Kirk Chitarisen who started life as a carpenter. today Lego is consistently the only European toy manufacturer in the worlds top ten best sellers list. The Lego group is always being innovative. Manufacturing new designs and different techniques of satisfying children’s fundamental needs. The lego group is still a family owned business. Around 1.2 – 1.4 million people visits Legoland per year. It has all a child aged 2-12 needs. It is near to main motorways and there are several means of access to Legoland. There are many advantages, for example the effect on the local economy. I am visiting Legoland in order to investigate how the business treats its internal and external customers and what methods they have to solve customer complaints. External customers are people that buy or visits. They are private individuals and businesses Legolands main external customers are families, grandparents with children, children from school trips and foreigners. There are 12 – 14 million visitors every year. It is a great idea for parents to take their children to Legoland as it meets their needs. Legoland has five themed activity areas with forty interactive notes and is full of fun for children aged 2 -12. The services that Legoland offer to its customers. * Toilet facilities: Children always need to go to the toilet nearly each hour of the day therefore , there should be a sufficient amount of toilets around the site. * Baby care Centres: This area is a private area for mothers to changed their baby or to breastfeed. It is ideal for mothers as it is convenient and they can rely on them in case of a emergency. * Lockers: Legoland offers lockers to the public as it saves them carrying their luggage around and they know that it is safe. They are non-refundable coin operated lockers . There are a high amount of lockers provided. * Pushchairs and wheelchairs hire: Both pushchairs & wheelchairs can be hired from Legoland. They have a charge but is fair. To make pushchairs & wheelchairs give more access Legoland have provided slopes instead of steps and wide gaps for access in the attractions. For example freestyle workshop. * Public telephone: There are public telephone located on the mini map. This is very pleasing as not everyone has mobile phones. This may be ideal for parents making calls to a taxi firm or friend to pick them up. * First Aid: There is only are first aid centre on the map. This is unpleasant as first aid centres are vital as children may cause injury to themselves and need assistance promptly. * Lost Parents: There are two lost parents sites located. This is a vital need as children need to know where they are and how far they are. A child may get lost and will not know what to do. Normally if a child appears at a lost parents centre, they announce it on speakers around the site giving a full description of a lost child. * Automatic cash machines; There is one cash machine on site. This is useful as parents do not have to visit banks to withdraw cash. Parents would not have to worry if they run out of money. * Restaurants and cafes: There are eight restaurants & cafes in Legoland. This is pleasing as parents and children will have the benefit of eating when they are ready. They would not have to walk far to find a restaurant. The internal customers of Legoland are the employees, support staff and those who work within the organisation. Their needs would be: * A pleasant environment to work in: The employees would require an environment in which it is clean, safe and suitable. * An average salary: All employee want to earn a sufficient amount of money, so they can purchase more goods/services, or of a higher quality of goods or services. Their salary must be able to cover for their own running costs, food and needs. * Uniform: Some jobs require the employees to wear a uniform. The employees would have to wear the uniform as it is presentable and is a form of advertising. It pleases customers & alerts them that the employees are available. * Changing area: Employees need an area in which they can change their clothes into their uniform. Their has to be a male/female changing room. This is convenient for the employees, as they will not have to wear their to and from work. * Lockers: Employees need locker to store their valuables and to reduce the risk of theft. The employees feel a little safer as they know their goods are store somewhere safe. * Toilets: Staff need toilet facilities as this is a basic need. * Car park: Staff who drive need to know where they can park their vechiles without worrying. In some staff car – parks, only the staff have an entrance to it. Business communication Oral. An event when I spoke to an member of staff at Legoland was: 1) At the main entrance, I went to guest services to ask on some more information on Legoland and perhaps that they might have a student information pack, they replied and gladly and gave me a booklet on all the information on the Legoland Corporation. My opinion of the customer service of Legoland. During my visit to Mc Donald I discovered that many of staff were exhausted, unhelpful and bored. There were not many members of the public as the weather was unpleasant. Due to the poor weather, most of the attractions and shops were closed I went on a few attractions to test the staff’s reaction. For example, we went on a ride called â€Å"the ferrous wheel†. The woman working there was being very sarcastic as the ride was for all ages but aimed at younger children but still didn’t give her the right to tell me and the people I’m with â€Å"I hope you not come back†. We went on another ride called â€Å"casserole†. The man who was supervising the ride who was opposite us and phoned the person on the other side of the path and they both started laughing and making jokes, which quite rude and uncomfortable The procedures Legoland adapt to handling customer complaints are. * Listening to the customers complaints. * Try to assess the situation. * Let the customer fill in a customer complaint form * Reassure the customer saying sorry and it will not happen again An situation where a complaint was proceeded. A man came into a restaurant to purchase a cup of coffee for 85p. He begins to drink and realises that the coffee has gone cold. He goes to the server and tells him that his coffee that he just purchased has been cold when he bought it. The server Written communication I got this leaflet from a library. It has all the information the public need to know about Legoland. It has six different languages for everyone’s needs, it gives the statistic information, opening times, advance booking, season passes and where how to get there. It is a very vibrant and bold leaflet. This leaflet is all you need to know about Legoland. It has a big and colourful writing for children to read and uses words like â€Å"excitement†, â€Å"hours of fun† â€Å"nothing better†. These words are emphasised many times to make Legoland sound fun and interesting. Legoland manufactures many leaflets in order to persuade little children and parents to visit. LEAFET * Here in a leaflet, I got from the front desk It tells the public when the opening times are for certain attractions. The second Leaflet is a addition feature that Legoland have added as their last and closing days to their seasonal year. It is shown in a very bright and vibrant layout with space Legoland character shooting a space war over the miniature site attraction. It would attract people into to going to this event but the thing that would put people off is the times that the fireworks will be displayed which is the late evening so some people might need to leave, so they have to miss that event, if it was some other special event that can proceed in the day then the turn out could be large. N/A N/A These are the four acts which protect customers 1)Consumer protection Act 1987 This act states that all goods brought should be safe to use, and prices should not be displayed in a misleading way. Legoland would have to abide by these rules. For example, the price of goods should not be displayed in a confusing way. The price should be bold so customers can clearly see and understand them. 2) Sales of goods act 1979 This law declares that goods should be: * Merchantable quality (Fit to sell, have no faults or damages) * Fit for their purpose (suitable for the purpose for which they are sold) * As describe (must match description given) For example, at Legoland the goods sold should have no faults or damages. If a women purchases a key ring and discovers that there is a crack in the glass that contains a picture of Legoland, she can take it back either to received a refund or exchange, Legoland may lose customer loyalty through damaged goods so they must maintain high quality products. 3) Trades Description Act 1963. The code conveys that traders must give an accurate description of their goods & services. Legoland must show clearly their goods & services they sell. For example, In the leaflets it describes the goods it sells. 4) Health and safety at work Act 1974 This act states that External customers can sue if they: * get injured because he/she sold a faulty product * suffer financial lost/distress, because of poor workmanship, professional negligence * Injure themselves because lack of care by an employee due to unsafe fittings. For Example, a customer walks into Burger king and slips over and breaks his arm. There were no signs of safety to alert the customer. The customer can sue the business for this. Task 4 Intro: In this part of the assignment I am going to observes the customer service at McDonald. This requires me to purchase something from the fast food chain and take in all the details which will help me explain what are my thought on the overall service of that particular restaurant. ________________________________________________________________ During my visit to a well known restaurant I discovered that many of staff treated their customers very well. I went into a restaurant called â€Å"McDonald†. The service was satisfactory as they treated me in a good manner. There were limited amounts of food to choose from. They had a chicken burger, chicken nuggets, beefburgers & chips, all in total of 6 meals to choose from. I thought there would be more of a variety to choose from. I paid 79p for a medium portion of chips. its was not filling at all, whereas if I went to a general fish and chip shop the portions that they give for 79p is quite handsome and leaves you quite full. The time it took to order an potion of chips was very quick as it was almost instant. It took almost for the cashier at Mc Donald’s to despense the money I gave her in order to give me my order about 40secs, which was very impressive. I was in a long queue to test the amount of time it took to place my order. It took 3 mins to place my order in a queue with 7 people ahead of me. The hygiene of the restaurant was only satisfactory as the place was over crowded and I think due to the poor weather conditions most staff were ill and tired to meet the standards of cleanliness required by the Health and Safety Act to their customers. Despite the hygienic of the restaurant the ergonomics of the seats and tables and all other design features to the chain restaurant is in general quite good. For a family of four could easily seat together in a booth that is to assist a number of people at once to sit. The tables is on average in the right height to eat, and the seats just complement the table with the right height. The only disadvantage to the comfort to the seats is that its 100% plastic and that can be quite uncomfortable if sat down for a long time, but due to the constant redesigning to the restaurants it may just be a costing objective. In overall comfort to the restaurant is very welcoming and due to the winter they have set the climate to a comfortable temperature. The hygiene of the lavatories was at a high standard. No matter how busy it is, Mc Donald’s always maintained the lavatories clean and the all the way into the mensroom neat. The floors are always mopeds and the cubicles are always smelling fresh. The access for the disabled people is just satisfactory. As I walked in I noticed instant that the space between the tray and bin stand and the parallel table was quite close together, and if I just squeezed through a person going the other direction then someone in a wheelchair is going to have a frustrating time getting to order and finally having a place to eat in McDonalds. There is a disabled toilet which is at a very good standard, so Mc Donald’s are to facilitate disabled people but there ideas would need to have concerns on how they are meant to get in their restaurant. Mc Donald’s have always been concern for the environment. From when a customer opens there boxed burger to reading the sheet that covers the tray, Mc Donald’s always mentions and expresses that all there packaging and wrapping is produced from recycled paper and other materials. The majority of the disposable rubbish is always mention to be recycled too. The surrounding environment to Mc Donald’s is clean and members of staff take shifts into picking up any other rubbish that surrounds Mc Donald’s. The bins around the restaurant are always being replaced with an empty black bag, and on the outside of the restaurant which is the front, is a bin which is always being monitored by the staff. The safety of the restaurant was excellent as they had taken all precautions to prevent accidents from occurring. For example a sign symbolising that theirs a wet floor was put up, this was to reduce the risk of injury. The improvements that Mc Donald’s need to take in to action are: The three improvements to customer service that I have chosen are: a) Friendliness b) Availabilty of Goods and services a) Friendliness When I went into Mc’Donalds the staff did greeted me nice but in self forcefully way. As I ordered my fries the cashier almost shouted and said â€Å"Is that all† I quietly replied â€Å"no that would be fine†. Then when I received my order She said â€Å"Thank you enjoy your meal† even when I ordered a portion of fries and in the way she said it was in a insincere way. The way that the staff at Mc Donald’s could improve its courtesy to their customer would be to hire more cashiers and give them a longer break as on the day I went to the restaurant it was a very busy day and the amount of customers and stress combined can did lead to satisfactory behaviour. b) Availability of goods. From time to time McDonalds do have a wider variety of extra value meals but only for limited time period such as the new Chinese themed meals. As in a any other working day you would go into have lunch at their restaurants you would find yourself limited amounts of foods to choose and soon enough you would become fed up of eaten the same thing time and time again. Mc Donald’s could improve this by introducing more different extra value meals and fixing them into the ordering system in the restaurant so they become a regular fixture. How businesses monitor customer satisfaction Legoland monitor the number of customers by looking at their level of sales. If their sales are low, this means that the numbers of customer’s visits are low. This may be due to high price unhelpful or rude staff or validity of goods/services. Legoland monitors the level of sales by seeing if the sales have increased. This means that more customers are buying more. If the sales are rising this may indicate that customers that customers are happy with the service or find the goods at a reasonable price. Legoland monitor feedback by asking their customers to fill a form on their service. If a customer went into a shop to purchase a magazine and was unable to find it, he/she says thank you. This is a method of feedback as the customers was happy with their good/service. Some businesses issue surveys to their customers because then they can detect if people are happy with their good/service. Legoland monitor repeats business by checking the name and address of a person and how many times his names appears. For example a man buys a jumper on credit card. It shows the name and address. Another day, the same man returns and purchases a jacket, his name will appear again. Therefore the company can conclude that this is a frequent customer.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Nexity and the Us Banking Industry

Introduction of Nexity3 I. External Analysis3 A. Industry and Demand Analysis3 B. PEST Analysis6 II. INTERNAL ANALYSIS9 A. Resources View Analysis. 9 B. Value chain analysis10 III. Nexity Financial analysis12 A. Nexity bank business model and strategies. 12 B. Nexity Financial Analysis. 13 IV. SWOT ANALYSIS15 V. TOWS ANALYSIS16 Conclusion17 Introduction of Nexity Nexity is an online bank, which was initially called the People State of Grand and it was opened in February 2000. Its headquarters are located in Birmingham, Alabama, USA.Currently, David Long is the President of Nexity and Greg Lee the CEO. The turnover represented an amount of $13,018 millions in 2003. Banking online is a very good opportunity for the banking industry, there was a projection of 67 million of American using it by 2007 compared to 38 millions by 2003. There were a lot of players in this competitive market but Nexity had a generic strategy of differentiation by spreading its geographic and demographic custom er base throughout the US. External Analysis Industry and Demand AnalysisHistorically, there was a rebound of the banking industry and rapid growth in this area after the Great Depression and World War II, with the hope to keep the industry from being highly concentrated. Indeed, the US banking industry was a fragmented and dispersed system but it changed in the 1980’s. These changes were due to financial legislation which wanted to lead to a more integrated financial system in US in terms of activities and products The deregulation led to consolidation and consequently to new rivalry.Helped by the Gramm Leach Bliley’s Act offering extended banking but also by the changes in communication and information technologies, the US banking industry knew a merger mania and a lot of acquisitions were done. All had the same goal : to develop a more national brand recognition in a market newly concentrated. But scandals also appeared due to these new changes. Concerning the size of the industry, it is obvious that the concentration could be seen between 1980 and 2002.Number of institutions declined from 14,434 to 7,887 contrary to their branches which raised a lot from 38,738 to 66,185. However it is important to make the distinction here between two types of banks. At first, there were the brick-and-mortar banks and then appeared the virtual ones, such as Nexity. Now, let’s compare Nexity in the US virtual banking environment by a review of the main actors performances in 2002. |Institution |Assets (in thousands) |Deposits (in thousands) | |E*Trade Bank $17,453,676 |$9,157,328 | |ING Direct |16,142,091 |13,112,826 | |NetBank |4,280,899 |2,479,421 | |Principal Bank |1,967,342 |1,826,018 | |BMW Bank of North America |1,149,732 |156,983 | |National Interbank |645,448 |528,516 | |Nexity Bank |501,167 |368,523 | |American Bank |472,181 |336,288 | Here we can see that Nexity is the 7th virtual bank on the market in terms of assets. More important, we also notice that E*Trade Bank and ING Direct are the first and second ones, with a huge gap separating them from the others, among which competition is really hard. Porter’s five forcesEven though there are less and less institutions since the 1980’s, there is still a high rivalry among the competitors in virtual banks. Clients are more and more oriented to the more rentable channels like internet and ATMs. Virtual banks consequently deliver a lot of services but only through internet that allow to reduce costs in occupancy and salaries in order to offer better rates of interest (to 3 times better than averages). Virtual low-costs positioned banks compete against other virtual banks with good customer service, in-house costumer data and service center operations, strong management teams, a good mix of attractively priced products, and low marketing costs.It’s a price competition which includes lower margins directly. What about the entry barriers with potential entr ants? It is a low threat. The largest barrier to entry is the expenses in founding a bank: a new bank needs to raise 8-12 million to begin operations. But start-up costs for virtual banks are much less expensive than for traditional banks: virtual banks could begin operations for millions less than traditional banks (no offices, etc. ) , even though they’ll have to invest a lot in marketing and advertising budgets in order to attract depositors at the start-up time. The second barrier is loyalty to older, larger, and more established brand-name banks.Here we can talk about a network effect. And third, an existing bank holding company provides investments and backing for the new bank by spinning off a separate banking entity. Concerning the substitutes, the only ones could be traditional banks because people need safety and want to be sure about their money by advices. There would be a switch from virtual banks to brick-and-mortar ones, because people are deceived or want to e xperiment again the first one, with a better consideration of its advantages. But there is less possibility for this than the opposite because people want more and more to gain time. That’s why there is a low threat of substitutes. Clients are the buyers.They have a relative bargaining power especially on the rate of interest on borrows. The first have an interest to bargain and have a bargaining power because of the rate of interest as a complement revenue and because banks need liquidity to operate. He can have some influence on the bank with other clients. Word of mouth works a lot with a service you use daily. Brand recognition also can be negative. Suppliers: They are the companies that provide inputs/services that banks purchase in order to be able to borrow and lend money. It can be a safety certificate for online web, labels†¦etc. With an environment impacted by scandals, they can have a bargaining power but it is still relative because there are a lot of supplie rs. ==> Internal rivalry, Buyers and Suppliers are the strongest forces in the US online bank industry, whereas potential entrances and substitutes are the weakest.Key Success Factors can consequently be defined for this industry: forecasting all the marketing and communication budget for implementing and then keeping talking about the bank for new customers; using the more rentable channels for the customers; offering low rate of interest in borrowing and high for revenues to client and convincing people of the value of virtual banks ; implementing more and more safety with technologies. PEST Analysis One of the main points in the external analysis is the PEST analysis. The goal of this part is to determine which are the main external forces affecting the US banking industry.Then, we will introduce and analyse in the following development which factors impact directly positively or negatively this sector in dividing them on the political, economic, social and technological views . On the political view, the US government has a place of protagonist in the current US banking system. In fact, US government launched series of laws which have completely changed the US banking landscape such as the Reigle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. The first one allowed a bank holding company to buy another bank anywhere through the United States without taking into account the state law. The second one allowed affiliation between banks, securities firms and insurance company.Logically, this deregulation, or the opening of state market that it includes, has strongly impacted the US landscape in increasing the competition on the national area. Moreover, the deregulation led to a merger mania that is to say institutions use a process mergers and acquisitions in integrating vertically and/or horizontally in order to have more costumers and so to gain market shares, and to develop the range of products and services. Finally, t he impact of the US government could be seen as an opportunity for banks (the biggest currently) which got out as leaders to the deregulation and merger mania because the market is bigger but as an threat for banks which went to bankrupt.It’s significant to notice how the Fed affects the economy and the US banking system through the actions on the real interest rates. In fact, because the Fed can set the nominal funds rate as a sole supplier of reserves for US banks. But it can influence too the real interest rate thanks to the set of the monetary policy that will operate in the future (the monetary policy of tomorrow influences the real interest rate of today). Then, the Fed has a direct impact on the level of the real rates and consequently on the whole of economy. For example, if the real rates are lower, the activity of banks will increase because borrowing costs will decrease and investments from households will increase in order to buy goods or services.Increasing of co nsumption from householders will boost the different industries which will invest in capital, in production capacity or in labour (decrease of unemployment). Reducing real rates will get investments as common stock more attractive and will boost the US internal business in limiting imports because the foreign exchange value of the dollar is reduced and so, the foreign product get more expensive. On the economic point of view, multiple factors should be taken into account. One of the most significant points is the interest rate which is developed upside. Finally, that represents an opportunity if the real rates are declining and rather a threat if it is growing. Moreover, other non-negligible point is the purchasing power of households.In fact, according to some economic theories, an increasing part of households’ consumption is oriented to service expenses on the one hand, and, on the other hand, other certain part of it matches to savings. Generally speaking, a growing purch asing power represents an opportunity for banks because deposits increase and the banks are more resources for investments on financial markets. But it’s essential to notice that two significant elements have a direct impact on the purchasing power of households: the unemployment rate and the inflation rate. Effectively, if the unemployment rate is increasing and/or if the inflation rate is superior to the increasing rate of wages means that the global purchasing power is decreasing.Social factors impact directly the US banking system because of the diversity of the population, the demography, the differences of client expectations concerning bank services†¦ all of these elements play a role on the behaviour of the clients. The first point that we have to take into account is the fact that an average costumer want to have trust and confidence in his financial institution. That’s why banks have to reassure their clients about the financial health of the institution , about the quality of the offered services and about the security of the operating system. That is a positive impact for oldest bank which have developed a brand name and focused on a client-loyalty strategy or for biggest institution which bring proof to the financial health. But through the analysis of the demography, we can categorise the population.For example, old people prefer to keep a physical contact with the banker in opposition to youngest people which have more confidence and more ability to make financial operations on new channels as internet. Moreover, we can distinguish clients in function of their expectations: long-term engagement combined with quality of services against short-term engagement with profitability (hit-an-run costumer for example). This categorisation of the population linked to a particular behaviour can be seen in parallel to the age, race, social level, kind of job occupied†¦ then we can say that it’s more an opportunity for tradition al banks which offer a largest range of products and channels.Concerning the technological factors what is significant to put in relief is the technological improvements perceived as an opportunity for banks and the threat of hackers linked to this news technologies. In fact, thanks to the technological improvements, banks have more and more ways to meet the consumers themselves and these needs. Banks use different ways to satisfy clients such as ATMs, debit cards, call centers and telephone banking, wireless banking and internet sites. These are channels to keep a constant contact with the client for different reasons and to be all the time available to respond to any demand. Moreover, banks develop strategic technology partnerships (like Fiserv for Nexity for example) in order to save the cost of technology and to have the last updated software.Updating software limits the risk of hacking and restores confidence of clients about the security on the account financial information. B ut even if a regular updating software and a reinforcement of the security, the threat of hacking stays pervasive. Furthermore, with the development of internet, we have seen emerged a new kind of competitors for the traditional banks which are the virtual banks as Nexity or ING Direct. INTERNAL ANALYSIS Nexity gets the opportunity to growth quite fast and its profitability could be High. In order to understand the most appropriate strategy of the company, we will try to highlight its different aspects by presenting its Resources View Analysis and its Value Chain. A. Resources View Analysis.As the matrix exhibit 7 shows us, the company benefit of a high improvement of its assets that reinforce its capacity to provide a high level quality range of products Tangible asset: Due to its activity, the company owns few tangible asset. In fact, its services allow it to only get some offices from its acquisition of People bank of Alabama with 30$ in asset. The company have also a competitive advantage thanks to the location of its call centre that facilitate the exchange of data between the main office and the call centre. Intangible asset: By getting a top tier award from Bankrate for its High yield on money market accounts and certificate of deposit, the company proves to its customers its efficiency and in capacity to provide good quality products.By acquiring People bank of Alabama, Nexity has get as well a know-how of over 100 years, which gives it a significant advantage compare to its competitors, as it has enjoyed the different expertises made by the former company so it has been able to produce High quality products but also reinforce the formers one adapting them to the new requirement of the market, and it remains also a good point for its advertising with it customers: they can focus it with the over 100 year of experience which people are sensitive with. It also ahs the Web Trust Seal accreditation that is a certification from the services of the American Institute of Certificate Public Accountant and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accounts. It proves that its website delivers safe services. So it reinforces the trust its customers give it but also can be very useful in order to attract new one and to spread its market.Capabilities  : By getting its break-even point in only 18 month, Nexity has a strong competitive advantage compare to most of its competitors that usually get it in 3 years average. That is to say the company can invest money in R&D for example in order to create and provide highest quality product. It proves that the company realises large economy of scale, that it is highly efficient to get result and it is as well relevant that it is very successful. Its renowned customer service, which has a very good image with its Customer, as it remains friendly and quick, allow the company to keep its customers as they trust it to give them High quality services.It is the result of the proximity between the main office and the call centre: employees are able to provide High quality answers to customers as they keep being updated about the characteristics of the products and services and the evolution of them. The competitors cannot give as quick answer as Nexity does because they might have their call centre farer away from their office, and maybe abroad, sot hey cannot give more relevant answer as Nexity does. By reimbursing customers using other ATM than Nexity’s ones, the company can meet some weaknesses as it costs it quite a lot of money Value chain analysis Firm infrastructure: The firm has a main office with all the facility costs to support, and its call centre with the same type of costs.So all those generic costs are not a constraint for Nexity and they can concentrate their budget to the R&D or to the improvement of its strengths such as the customers service. Human resources management: The main cost is due to the call centre as the company is very focused to give a high custome r service. Technology development: Nexity website is highly renowned as it gets the Web Trust Seal accreditation, which is a proof of quality for a company that uses the Internet for its distribution channel Inbound logistics: As the company provides services, it only has to increase if necessary its tangible and intangible assets. So it has not have to deal with any inbound logistic and it is a strength for its economy of scale politic. Operation:This might be the main department of the company as employees from the call centre with present the different product but also supply strong customer services; and those to point are the most important one for the firm to provide a competitive advantage compare to its rival. Marketing and sales Focusing on an Internet-based advertising channel like Bankrate. com, the company invest quite a lot to improve its visibility in order to attract as many people as possible throughout the 50 states of the USA. The fact that Nexity proposes a lot of products and services constraints them to spend a lot because they want to provide the best services. This is the result of adopting a differentiation strategy based on reducing costs. Services:The company provides a strong customer service in order to keep them as they can be very versatile and find another bank if they are unsatisfied. So it is very important for Nexity to be focused on that and the fact that call centre employees are close to the main office give them a qualitative advantage as people mainly remains satisfied. Nexity Financial analysis A. Nexity bank business model and strategies. Nexity bank is a virtual bank wich works only on internet and earns money from interests rates based on loans. Nexity is build from traditional banking practices, that means this bank is able to deliver all the advantages and financial products[1] as a normal bank but with no branche.David Long and the others managers decided to applied for their bank the  «Ã‚  Blue Ocean Strategy  Ã‚ » wich links at the same time  «Ã‚  differentiation and low costs strategies  Ã‚ ». One can talk about blue ocean strategy, because the market was not established and competitors were not really present in this sector. This strategy aims to create a new market space and to make competition irrelevant. Nexity’s builders knew that, if they were able to propose at the same time good quality products with attractive interest rates coupled with an efficient call centre they will earn market shares and money. These criterias permited to develop the Nexity’s strengh, and one can observe that the differenciation is based on these same criterias  : an efficient call center and good quality product at the lowest price.If Nexity has attractive interest rates, is just because, it doesn’t have to pay high overhead costs (no branche) so Nexity can pay more interest on deposits and charge lower rates on loans. This is the second part of the  «Ã‚  bleu ocean strateg y  Ã‚ », the  «Ã‚  low costs  Ã‚ » strategy because adopting this concept Nexity attracts price-sensitive consumers. Nexity has the lowest interest rate for the cheking but has the highest for One-year Certificate Deposit and Money Market. That means, Nexity wants to keep its consumer. Nexity doesn’t want to be a simple bank where consumers only want to check their accounts. Nexity prefers to have people whose need loans and are engaged with the bank. Moreover, Nexity proposes bank’s services and bill pay online.With these offers, the bank aims to work with people between 32 and 49 years old, with an income average of $81,600 and investible assets of $320,300 and these persons spend at minimum 27 hours per week on the internet. So these people have money and spend many time on the internet that permits to the bank to benefit of  «Ã‚  good quality  Ã‚ » consumers. Finally one can underline that Nexity adopt also the  «Ã‚  low cost strategy  Ã‚ » for its ad vertising. In fact they did all their advertising on the Internet so they benefited of a huge advertising compaign at the lowest price. Nexity Financial Analysis. Previously, one observed the strategies employed by Nexity in order to become an important actor in the US (virtual) banking industry. Now, it’s important to know if these strategies are efficients or not.Firstly, if one look at the bank net income growth, one can observed that the net income had grown by 181% in 3 years, from $-3,032,000 in 2000 to a profit of $2,461,000 in 2003. This is really important growth wich reflects the good health of the business. [pic] Evolution of the net income between 2000 and 2003 One can also observe if the bank respects its strategies. The turnover has grown by 250% in three years wheras the overheads grown by only 16%. So Nexity respects the strategy of keeping overheads costs low in order to offer interesting interest rates. If one looks at the distribution of the turnover betwee n the interest income and noninterest income, it can observe that the Nexity makes 97. 1% of its turnover with interest rates and only 2. 79% with the noninterest rates. Secondly, it is interesting to observe some financial ratios  : – The coumpound annual growth wich gives the annual growth rate. And for Nexity, this ratio is around 30%. It is a good indicator for the company’s development. – The return on equity, wich is relevant for a bank because it gives the bank’s profitability by revealing how much profit the bank generates with the money shareholders have invested. For Nexity, the ROE passed from -32,71 in 2000 to 12,99 in 2003. One can easily observed that in three years Nexity learnt how to make money with shareholders investments. The efficiency ratio evaluates the overhead efficiency structure of a Financial institution. Banking is no different from any industry. If the bank wants to survive the bank has to keep overhead costs down.The effic iency ration permits to measure how the bank is operating, how much money the bank must spend to generate each dollar its bring on. In the Nexity case, this ratio is getting lower and it is good for the bank ans its shareholder. . In fact the ratio passed from 230. 69 in 2000 to 63. 54 in 2003. Lower the ratio, better it is for the bank. So, one can conclude that Nexity respects its commitments because the bank makes money from interest rates and keeps its overhead costs low. SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGHTS |Large range of product | | |High satisfaction of customers | | |High quality of customer services | | |Many awards from Bankrate( high quality of products | | |High efficiency of the website( Web Trust Seal Accreditation | | |Strong expertise thanks to the acquisition of People’s bank of Alabama (over 100 years of | | |experience in the Banking sector) | | |Growth of its assets (over + 400% from July 00 to July 2003) | | Good compound annual growth | |WEAKNESSES |Some costs can b e avoid (ATM reimbursements) | | |Increase of other borrowed funds that has to be controlled | |OPPORTUNITIES |Impact of the American government with the deregulation of the market ( advantages for | | |leaders | | |Internal rivalry buyers and suppliers | | |Forecasting all the marketing and communication budget | | |Bank and bill pay online customers present the most interesting profiles (high income and | | |lots of investable assets) | |THREATS |Hard to attract new customers as they rely a lot on their old financial institutions. | | |Hackers | | |New competitors should appear | TOWS ANALYSIS |STRENGHTS |WEAKNESSES | | |Large range of product |Some costs can be avoid (ATM | | |High satisfaction of customers |reimbursements) | | |High quality of customer services |Increase of other borrowed funds that has| | |Many awards from Bankrate( high quality of products |to be controlled | |High efficiency of the website( Web Trust Seal Accreditation | | | |Strong expertise thanks to the ac quisition of People’s bank of | | | |Alabama (over 100 years of experience in the Banking sector) | | | |Growth of its assets (over + 400% from July 00 to July 2003) | | | |Good compound annual growth | | |OPPORTUNITIES |Improve the advertising on internet and traditional media channel in |Open a new office in another state in | |Impact of the American government with the deregulation |order to get new customers |order to understand the market of the | |of the market ( advantages for leaders |Make advertising on the financial media (magazine, news papers†¦) in |western state that have a different | |Internal rivalry buyers and suppliers |order to target a segment that have high income and asset to invest |demography (different insurance depending| |Forecasting all the marketing and communication budget |(managers, directors, institutions†¦) |on the state( natural disaster) | |Bank and bill pay online customers present the most |To hire a good communication manager t o improve the visibility | | |interesting profiles (high income and lots of investable|Propose investment solutions in order to propose high yield products | | |assets) |(for institutions and high income) | | | |Improve more and more the quality of services given by the call | | | |centre to customers | | |THREATS | | |Impact of the American government with the deregulation | | | |of the market ( advantages for leaders | | | |Internal rivalry buyers and suppliers | | | |Forecasting all the marketing and communication budget |Improvement of the quality of the web platform in order to propose |Invest in getting its own ATM system in | |Bank and bill pay online customers present the most |safe services |order to avoid reimbursement and do | |interesting profiles (high income and lots of investable|Improvement of the back up system |economy in long term keep doing its | |assets) | |strategy based on low costs | |People are mistrustful with bank on line | | | | | | |Even if we could sugg est many recommendations, we would choose the SO strategy: the company has to reinforce his strengths as the market can involve positively and it can really propose a competitive advantage compare to its competitors based on the low prices of its products. Nexity would need to be focused on improving its marketing and communication but as well the quality of the websites to win the trust of customers. Conclusion As one said in this paper, Nexity bank has many strenghts which allow it to be one of the learder on the market. Moreover they apply correctly the blue ocean strategy which allow them to generate more profits and to count more clients, but senior executive can not stay on these basis. If they want Nexity to be the number one into this business they have to improve their capacity of attractiveness towards potentials clients.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Acer 6886 Position Though Advertisement

Acer 6886 Position Though Advertisement Positioning Acer 6886 will be easy to position though advertisement to existing customers. Most people while purchasing devices online will be required to register with their email address. Through this, the company has an opportunity to send articles as the customers have subscribed.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Acer 6886: Position Though Advertisement specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Weekly newsletters, manuals and software’s that are compatible to Acer are sent to the customers’ mailbox, describing how they should use their laptops. By purchasing the laptops, they have proved to trust the models and automatically become Acer’s loyal customers. This medium is suitable to position Acer 6886 to the existing customer. A guide can be sent to them containing the new features available in the new version. The guide book can have picture of the model and its performance rate. University st udents and young adults’ reason for purchasing Acer 6886 is mainly for education purposes. They can also be interested in it for entertainment. The best area to position this new model to young people is through social networks. Majority of this age group get involved in social media and there is a lot that can be exposed through them. Facebook is an example of social network that allows organizations and companies to do advertisements. This is the best place to position the awareness of Acer 6886 considering it will appear on their â€Å"wall†. The advertisement can be linked back to the website where they will have a clear views and details of the model (Gurevitch, 2010). Acer 6886 can be positioned for people who would prefer to do their work at home through magazines and newspapers. Adults aged between 25 and 29 can subscribe for magazines to be sent to their home addresses. Newspapers offer sections for advertisement and Acer can utilize this opportunities. Every adult in Canada is able to purchase newspapers since it contains a lot of information. An individual is able to be connected to Acer while seated in their living room. The details they need would be included in the page. With all the features of the Acer6886, it would be easy for the wealthy customers to do away with desktops. Desktops are bulky while laptops are portable. The new version connects everything that is within your influence into one spot. The best way to position a high-tech laptop like Acer 6886 is through billboards advertisement. The billboards are usually placed along major highways. This is strategic since it gives the customers a chance to see the adverts along the roads as they drive to various places of destination. There is a single means of positioning in all categories of people targeted in the segments in this type of advertisement. It serves as a means of communication through persuasion towards a product. In the modern world there are different means of c ommunication but advertisement is suitable.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It might be costly but one is guaranteed that the message has passed across. The existing customers would better-placed in terms of subscription for Acer’s products because they already have their contacts in their database. As for young adults and university students, social network will work to catch their attention. 80 percent of these groups are in social networks. Face book and other site like Google have columns for advertisement. Through one advert you are able to target a big number. Newspapers are very cheap and contain a lot of information. Many adults depend on newspapers as a source of needed information regarding what is happening around the nation and the world. Busy adults avoid spending a lot of time watching televisions, and it is because of this that newspa pers come in handy. Newspapers and magazines are easily accessible from stores and bookshops. Getting into social networks, reading magazines and checking subscriptions from the mail are not popular acts for rich people (Clow Baack, 2007). References Clow, K.E., Baack, D. (2007). Integrated Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing Communications (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education. Gurevitch, L. (2010). The Cinemas of Transactions: The exchangeable currency of GC attractions across audiovisual economies. Journal of Television and New Media, 5, 367-385.

Monday, October 21, 2019

The People Party Essay

The People Party Essay The People Party Essay The People Party The issues that we are against are Education, National Security, and Gun control. The reason why we disagree with those three things because they both destroy the government. We all believe in tough gun control restrictions and very hard requirements. Such, as you have to be 25 years old, can’t have a felony for any kind. Only, handguns are able to be sold in gun shops semi-automatic and automatic are sold privately or go in a public auction. We take a firm stand in abortion. The "People’s Party" thinks it’s wrong to kill a human life. Tougher on convicted felonies and more jail time with more funds to police officers. Also believe in vouchers for schools and parents. We believe there we have to a tougher status for illegal Mexicans, but a simpler process to immigration. Never or we saying forget Mexicans, but America is a melting pot to reflect society. I forgot to mention Government should control gun handling instead of the states, it’s a nationwide issue. Next, on the war in terror we have to have a tighter security influence, and help stop bickering. Also, we believe in cooperation among all countries, with treaties and world aid if possible. We most invest heavily in training and supplying are armies from the difficult challenges of the 21st century. Also invest heavily in our information and intelligence around our allies. This means have a heavy influence around the world, and kept our interests together. Also being in NATO and the UN and cooperating with them to kept

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Blue Borax Jewels

Blue Borax Jewels Borax beads are used to identify certain metals using the bead test. Make blue borax beads that resemble small jewels. Keep the jewels or use them to examine the characteristic blue color produced by cobalt. Borax Bead Materials boraxcobalt chloridewire loopcandle, gas burner, or alcohol lamp Procedure Gently tap the wire loop against a surface to make certain it is clean of any residue. Heat the loop in a flame to burn off any contaminants.Dip the hot wire loop in a small amount of borax. The heat of the loop should melt enough borax on contact to allow you to form a small borax bead. Heat the loop with borax in the flame until a white glassy bead forms. Remove the loop from the flame. Tap the loop against a surface to dislodge the borax bead. This is a white bead of pure borax, which you can now compare with the blue bead youre about to make.Making a blue bead, or a bead from any metal salt, follows much the same process, except you need to incorporate the metal into the bead. To make a blue bead, mix a small amount of cobalt chloride into a bit of borax. You may need to crush the cobalt chloride to grind it. You can use the back of a teaspoon to achieve this.Once the cobalt chloride and borax are mixed together, heat the clean wire loop and press the hot loop into the mixture. R eturn the coated loop to the flame to produce a blue bead. Tap the loop against a surface to free your bead so you can examine it. If you hold the bead up to the light, you should see a lovely translucent blue. If your bead is black, you used too much cobalt chloride. You can repeat the process using more borax/less cobalt chloride. The blue color is characteristic of the metal ion used to produce the bead, which was cobalt. More Colored Jewels Try using other metal salts to produce colored beads: copper sulfate - copper - blue greenferric ammonium sulfate - iron - yellow or golden brownmanganese salts - violetnickel salts - brownchromium salts - light green Learn More Bead Test to Identify Metals

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Journal Entry Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Journal Entry - Personal Statement Example Unit six was another important learning package for me because it really relates to my area of work in real estate. I work for Qatar Diar, hence, I feel that the lessons on product and price as the focal points of a marketing mix help me in my position as an executive assistant in the department of contracts and procurement. Combining the concepts of market research and marketing mix can be very efficient at the workplace. The organization can source for information using surveys, personal interviews and focused groups to determine the type of product the market requires, in my case this would be housing, and the pricing that is favorable depending on the quality of the product. On a personal level, learning about market information and research enables me to provide my director with relevant information as to the type of materials that the company should procure to enhance the quality of the company’s product and give it a competitive advantage over its

Friday, October 18, 2019

Israeli-palestinian conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Israeli-palestinian conflict - Essay Example This movement spread in many spheres of Jewish life such as culture, religion, secularism, politics, labor and revisionism. The spread of this kind of nationalism came to the world as a surprised and shock the foundations of several other religious forces such as Islam and Christianity which considered Israelis to be a thing of the past. The arrival of the Zionist forces in the mainstream politics and religion gave way to businessmen especially in the field of agriculture and farming (Beinin & Stein 2006). This was the start of the Jewish settlement in their ancient regions or what they called their homeland. Israeli-Palestinian conflict has its roots both in politics and in religion. Ever since the war of 1948, the Israelis have outnumbered the Palestinians in Jerusalem leading to an intrusion of the Zionists in the Palestinian politics which caused a severe damage to the established structure. Both Palestinian Muslims and Christians were affected by this invasion which came to them as a shock. It is Zionism which is keeping the Israelis to fight for their entire life. One wonders whether the Israeli Zionism had taken an extremist approach towards attaining the land or had the opposing force, that is, the Palestinian Nationalist Movement become ineffective (Caplan 2010). The places of exile were perfect for the Israeli’s to settle. Babylon and Egypt are regions full of resources and riches. But it was religion which drove the Jews towards the Holy Land of Jerusalem. It goes without saying that the means adopted by the Israeli forces to date are highly illegal although the Arab neighboring nations are not reciprocating the way they should be doing politically (Dowty 2004). Unfortunately countless number of people are killed ruthlessly every passing day. Many billions have already died in the past but the issue of Palestine remains until the followers of all the main religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam come together to put some sense into each othe r. It is also observed that when the solutions are presented for the conflict between the two nations there is a one sided image portrayed greatly depending upon the opinions of the UN, British, American or Israeli government. The conflict worsened as the Israeli forces pushed them next to the Arab state so that it could meet a larger end. The agreement to join hands with the opposing party meant a great deal of chaos. This was however overlooked because Israel’s demand for the partition depended upon the initial behavior of the Palestinians when they first offered some joint endeavor. The above mentioned issues still remain among the two nations. Palestinians were conveniently swept away from politics especially those who had a business approach to politics. Since the regions of occupation are of interest for all the three religions there is no reason why the people should be callously treated. With the end of World War II there were more than sixty thousand Jews who entered the land and started taking over the farmers and Bedouins who induced fear among the Jews for causing disturbance in the hierarchy the Muslims (ProCon.org 2004). Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Jordan came to the rescue of Palestine. The war of 1948 was fought bravely and with complexity. Israel must recognize one critical point that whatever maybe the solution of these problems, any decade long period of war can bring peace in one of the

Middle aged women and their health (this is for a womens health class) Annotated Bibliography

Middle aged women and their health (this is for a womens health class) - Annotated Bibliography Example This was changed to have a focus on what could be accomplished in everyday life at a moderate level. This article, researching physical activity, was conducted using questionnaires and interviews. There were 2, 341 participants. This study was not considered experimental since it did not require the use of a control group. Since this study was based on self-reporting from the participants, there is always the concern of the accuracy of the results. I would suggest repeating the study using a smaller number of participants and conducting it in a supervised setting. One thought would be to have the participants video themselves while cleaning to monitor the time spent, the level of activity and the number of days a week. The fact that the results were totally based on statements from the participants automatically leads to questions of accuracy. This article focused on bone density. The authors conducted research to determine if long term estrogen use has an effect on bone density. The research showed that it takes at least seven years of estrogen use after menopause in order to make a positive impact on bone density levels. It is questionable whether or not estrogen has any effect on women 75 years old and older. This research project had two distinct groups of participants; those taking estrogen and those who did not. This study could be considered experimental in that there was a control group and the results were compared between the two groups. The only component that is dependent upon the participants is the actual taking of the estrogen. This, however, can be verified through medical testing. The results were determined through the medical testing of bone density, so I consider the results of this research more valid that the previous study. An important factor about this study is the length of time that a women must take the estrogen in order for it to be effective in

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Googling Out of Control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Googling Out of Control - Essay Example In other types of industries, the Googley way of working could potentially spell disaster for sales and overall business success. This paper will show whether the Googley way of working is actually sustainable long-term for the company and will discuss whether or not this way of working could provide higher benefits for different companies in need of change to their organisational structures or systems and processes. Historical theorists such as Frederick Taylor believed in a scientific method for business in which people should be observed over a period of time and then determining, through these observational findings, which method of training is best for performing specialised jobs in the organisation (Bloisi, Cook and Hunsaker, 2006). Combined with the scientific approach, Taylor also viewed workers through a mechanistic standpoint, believing that workers were often inherently difficult and uncooperative and often lacked the ability to absorb knowledge and information successfully. This classical view of management is still at work in many different industries today which have strong leadership hierarchies where virtually all decision-making starts at the top and trickles down the organisation. Google has managed to break away from this classical type of management model where workers are heavily controlled and observed and has given their workers considerable autonomy in most of their own d ecision-making concepts and job roles. It may only be in an environment where change is constant and there is a need for flexible and rapid decision-making where this chaotic type of leadership concept is going to be successful. For example, many of the main global automakers are experiencing sales declines in their auto sales, especially noticeable in the United States. Automakers in this category such as Ford and General

Tell me, what is sociology, anyway Why bother to study it (Please be Essay

Tell me, what is sociology, anyway Why bother to study it (Please be convincing in your answer) - Essay Example Systematic methods of empirical observation/data and critical analysis are used to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity, in order to apply this knowledge for the study of social processes and human behavior. Sociology is non-ethical because it deals with the study of events as they are, and not what they should be. The scientist has no technique by which he can determine what the ultimate values of a society should be. The knowledge attained by him is instrumental. Fundamental assumptions are involved in all the investigations of knowledge, which are accepted without testing. The assumptions or pre-suppositions of science are given in the following: 1. There is an object world quite different from the subject world. 2. The truth of the object world can be explored by an unbiased investigation by man and by employing what is known as the â€Å"scientific method. Mechanics of Sociology: A) Scientific Rationality Scientific Rationality is identified in Sociology and science addresses the modern world, comprehends through logical thought and reasoning, creates suppositions, and verifies them through means of experimentation and scientific method.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Googling Out of Control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Googling Out of Control - Essay Example In other types of industries, the Googley way of working could potentially spell disaster for sales and overall business success. This paper will show whether the Googley way of working is actually sustainable long-term for the company and will discuss whether or not this way of working could provide higher benefits for different companies in need of change to their organisational structures or systems and processes. Historical theorists such as Frederick Taylor believed in a scientific method for business in which people should be observed over a period of time and then determining, through these observational findings, which method of training is best for performing specialised jobs in the organisation (Bloisi, Cook and Hunsaker, 2006). Combined with the scientific approach, Taylor also viewed workers through a mechanistic standpoint, believing that workers were often inherently difficult and uncooperative and often lacked the ability to absorb knowledge and information successfully. This classical view of management is still at work in many different industries today which have strong leadership hierarchies where virtually all decision-making starts at the top and trickles down the organisation. Google has managed to break away from this classical type of management model where workers are heavily controlled and observed and has given their workers considerable autonomy in most of their own d ecision-making concepts and job roles. It may only be in an environment where change is constant and there is a need for flexible and rapid decision-making where this chaotic type of leadership concept is going to be successful. For example, many of the main global automakers are experiencing sales declines in their auto sales, especially noticeable in the United States. Automakers in this category such as Ford and General

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

RXD Marketing Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

RXD Marketing Plan - Assignment Example Within a span of two years, the products had spread across the world enabling RXD to set up fourty stores. With the increased demand in ballerina shoes, the company intends to put some of its stores in France. Ballerina shoes come in different forms depending on the purpose unto which it is to be put into. Some of ballerina shoes are; loafer, indoor accessories, snowfall and Tonka. This paper is going to cover the market exploration of ballerina shoes in France. The French people like luxurious lifestyle. They are in love with social places like eating and drinking joint. This culture is very common among the urban population. Material comfort goes hand in hand with this kind of living. RXD has to select a reference group which will help her do the sale of her products in this new market. The company needs to address some of the concerns in mind and more so those that pertains to the longevity of their product in the market of France. In a bid to realize this, RXD plans to engage the professionals, modern women and the fashion designers. The company also intends to take advantage of the France flexible business laws favouring sale of shoes and shoe manufacturers. The customer’s life cycle needs to be put into consideration. In this cycle the customer’s age and stage will be analysed. This will determine their reach, acquisition, conversion, retention and loyalty to the product. Since there are no stores for any of the RXD products, customers will be the first to be reached. The occupation and economic states the country’s population of the target customers’ will have to be considered. The company targets a fourteen million people aged between twenty and fourty years old. This population is believed to be stable enough to by the shoes. The customers’ way of living, opinions, attitudes and cognitions as well as their self concept will have to be considered. The lifestyle of professional ladies for instance

Monday, October 14, 2019

The Welcome Table Essay Example for Free

The Welcome Table Essay Understanding â€Å"The Welcome Table† One of the main focus points of all literary works is the theme of the story that is being read. To identify a story s theme you must look beyond what is happening in the story but look at what the story is really about. In this short paper I will be covering the theme of â€Å"The Welcome Table† and examples of certain elements of the story. Theme of â€Å"The Welcome Table† When reading writings of any kind you must try and understand what the story is really about instead of looking too much into what the story is being wrote about. For lots of pieces of literature that was written in the era before the 1950’s when writers had an underlying meaning for their writings that weren’t noticed unless read closely. In the short story â€Å"The Welcome Table† written by Alice Walker, you see the plot immediately start when an older black lady is at the front steps of a white community’s church. The story is obviously written in a time when black people where thought to be unequal to white people. Considering that the author of this short story was born in 1944 and growing up in a time when racism against black people was at the highest point. Throughout the entire story the theme is racism. Many of the people in the story saw the old lady as an invasion or maid, to the young usher telling the lady that this wasn’t her church. Then after the ladies in the church practically made the men throw this harmless old black lady out of a church, you could tell the theme had to be about race. The tone throughout the entire story that these people had against this old black lady, was not necessarily hatred but of disgust. The women made their husbands grab this old lady and take her outside into the cold. I wasn’t like this one old black lady was there to hurt anyone of disrespect the white people in any way but to come to church. As we look father into the story after the old lady is outside she sets the tone for more of an uplifting tone. As she is standing on the front of the church in the cold singing a sad song, she sees Jesus. As she is walking with him she is overjoyed and sings and uplifting song. Even though these people have disrespected her by kicking her out of a church, her faith is unbroken and she is doing as Jesus tells her to. Even though the story ends with the black families seeing her walking alone down the street, one can only think that she died somewhere and went to heaven to be with Jesus; almost like he was leading her there. There are many symbols in this story that can be referenced to many things. The story seems to be written during the winter since there was reference to it being below freezing outside. Winter is closely related to Death, and for me I let my mind wander to the death of the old lady, even though the story did not say that, that is what I have come to the conclusion. One of the other major symbols I see in this story is when the old lady first saw Jesus. She kept looking to see if he was carrying the lamb, like in the picture that she had. The lamb refers to gentleness, and since they were at a white church, the white referring to life. Even though the white people were so disrespectful to her and put her out in the cold she still kept her faith. See was ecstatic when she saw Jesus coming down the road, and made sure she got his attention so he would not miss her. Winter was there for the old lady and she knew it, so she went to the church to make her peace with Jesus and it just so happened that he was coming for her. Even though the white people were so cruel to her and the theme of this story is racism, the story also says don’t give up on what you believe even if it seems unrealistic. The old lady believes in Jesus, and the white people were not going to affect that no matter how they treated her.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Human Rights And The Western Concept Sociology Essay

Human Rights And The Western Concept Sociology Essay Since the beginning of Human Rights until recent Human Rights issues, the interpretation and concept of Human Rights have been diversified significantly. Western construct have played a big role in the creation of Human Rights and in questioning the meaning of universal rights. The rights one has because one is human is a clear and concise meaning of human rights, which is an appurtenance to an individual, where certain parts are not included, such as benefits. The western ideology of Human Rights have greatly inputted in Human Rights through various concepts that have been introduced to non western societies. These various concepts of western construct have influenced Universal Human Rights, where western politics have greatly altered the concept of Human Rights, also through colonisation which is particularly affected Indigenous communities, and by western cultures and societies. The western construct of Human Rights is eminently viewed in Human Rights, which are present in both we stern and non western societies. Human Rights have gradually been altered and changed to insert western values and political thoughts into non-western states and societies. The western political emphasis for the right to development and to freedom from hunger is predominate in Africa as a rightYet, some of these rights do not correlate within societies in Africa. In result of this, many African leaders repudiated western political emphasis of Human Rights into their societies and designed their own Human Rights Charter, or also known as the African (Banjul) Charter on Human Rights, to suit their society.3 Even though the African Charter was created to suit the African society, western political influence is still clearly evident in the charter. Individual freedoms and rights as values has lost its significance in non western political thought, which is much of a variance, though non western societies have trouble determinating this significance that would be easier in western societies. Political influence is widely viewed in Human Rights and it influences the rights that are also used in non western societies. The western concept was also brought through colonisation and it too affected the Human Rights significantly. It is how the western ideology was introduced in non western societies. Colonialism creates the basis and idea of Human Rights throughout history. The colonisation of certain states that have Indigenous People has influenced the Human Rights that are present in their societies. The fleet that arrived in countries with Indigenous People, particularly Australia, were asserted in the Indigenous Community without their permission, thus resulting in ascendancy in the communities. Bringing civilisation and the religion of Christianity was a priority for the fleet, to introduce them with their style of Human Rights. Though, this occurrence ended in a bloody way by killing and damaging many of the Indigenous People in order to universalise universal moral values. Indigenous People were greatly affected through colonisation all due to insertion of western construct of Human Rights, wh ich resulted in many casualties questioning whether basic Human Rights have been breached just for introducing the western construct of Human Rights. The post colonisation period, many Indigenous people have been ridiculed and degraded in society. Many rights, which are of western construct, are evident in the Indigenous society, where it lacked some rights or in some cases the rights did not fit in. Group rights, which are rights intended for a group of people, created problems in the Indigenous community. Group rights were mainly to do with economy and social class, rather than individual problems such as racism and ethnicity. Some speculate that if the existence of Group Rights was not evident, ethnic integration would not have been as difficult, and an end to ethnic hostility would have been seen.6 Indigenous People are seen to be excluded from the social life and economic opportunity, through practical questions such as why are their health conditions worse? et cetera. Only a handful of governments apologised to the Indigenous People, which brought them closer to the western society and the reconciliation process was starting to take effect.6 Colonisation was seen to affect Indigenous Communities and result in western rights implemented into their societies. Through colonisation, western culture has been introduced and changed, through Human Rights, in non western societies and cultures. It differs greatly from the cultures evident in non western societies. Indigenous Rights, in Latin America, was seen to be the main priority. It focused on the state abusing the Indigenous people and pushing for Indigenous people to have rights to their land and culture The Spanish community and people in Latin America have been introducing western culture into the Indigenous community of Latin America, thus implementing the Human Rights as a western construct. It is evident that in Universal Human Rights, the cultural imperialism is dominant by the west. The argument brought by Fernando Teson is that domination of certain attitudes seen in cultures, are accordingly appropriate and moral. Another point Teson argues is that ethnocentrism that relativists view are not supplying the same basic rights to non western cultures as opposed to the western culture s receiving those rights. Western culture has been a big influence in the non-western cultures and societies, it change the rights significantly in the non western society and adapted the western idea and thought but in the same time the western construct of rights was viewed differently in the non western cultures. The western society has also greatly impacted on the non western society, with the influence of western life and living which altered the Human Rights, and thus impacting it on the non western society. Human Rights, to a certain extent, accepts the idea that they are rights of the human in society. In 1789 the French recognised and stated the fundamentals of Human Rights which are evident in society, suggests that society too is in power to deliberate those rights, stating that western society can change and dismantle any specific right in any society.Edmund Bourke creates one of the most protruding historical criticism of the notion that Universal Human Rights derives from western construct and western societies that are implemented into non western societies. He argues that the French revolution changed the rights of many individuals and groups in society into a western for of rights. Bourkes Reflections on the Revolution in France, states a large argument of traditional communitie s and problems in traditional values, such as religion and loyalty, creates problems, disorder and integrity of western societies, thus the western societies alter many of the rights in order to suit their desires and to comply with the way they live Western society has changed many of the traditional concepts in non western society, thus the western society impacting greatly on non western societies with Human Rights. It is evident that the western construct has greatly impacted and significantly changed and altered the idea of Human Rights. These Human Rights are being implemented into non western societies, and the eastern oriental community are having to follow these concepts and ideas. The ironic title of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is much seen as a western creation of Human Rights. The examples shown in this essay argues the idea of western construct in the universal human rights through various factors such as politics, culture, colonisation and society.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

How to Start a Community Service Project :: Community Service Essays

A continuous community service project involves many pieces that have to fit together perfectly in order to complete the puzzle. The first step is to determine your idea for your project. Then you have to find a way to sponsor your funds. Next is the step where you pinpoint which organization your community service project is going to benefit and all the event details. Finally, it is time to put your community service project into drive. Your community service should be one to benefit the people of a community. To start off, you need to come up with an idea for your community service project. Try looking in books for ideas or search your community for answers. Ask yourself, "What could my community benefit from?" Is there something your past family could have benefited from if someone has implement a community service project for them? If you are a club president wanting to start a community service project, ask your fellow members what ideas they have. Another source is elder care home and non profitable organizations. You could also ask those places if they need any help or if there is any community service project ideas they want someone to perform for them. Is there a certain concern you have for your community and would like to help out? You can always do something someone has don before and continue their project. These are all things to help you think of an idea. There are so many places you can look in order to find an idea. The ideas are innumerable and there is always s omeplace and someone who needs help. Some examples may help you understand the ideas of what to do for your project. Once example is starting a bingo night at an elder care or children's home. It is an easy task that many people do and that all people love. If someone in your family was in a orphanage, you could as a local orphanage how you could help. Tragedies are always occurring, and you could help raise money for a relief organization. If you are starting a community service project for a club at school, you could always do an activity within the school like monthly teacher appreciation or a weekly tutoring session. There are so many paths you can take when building a trail of community service projects.

Friday, October 11, 2019

The appeal of Chopin’s The Story of An Hour

The appeal of Chopin’s The Story of An Hour, for me, is the its surprise ending. Its unexpectedness is further heightened by the quiet start of the plot and the gradual build-up towards what the reader thinks would be a predictable ending, only for the writer to take everything away from the heroine—and from the reader, too. Chopin uses Mrs. Mallard’s point of view so we experience the narrative through her. When the story opens, we learn of Mr.Mallard’s death but this fact is only hinted at. Later on, we join her in her grief, from the weeping â€Å"with sudden abandonment† to the intermittent sobbing that finally puts her sleep. When she awakes, Mrs. Mallard feels an emotion she could not place, and the reader begins to be as bewildered as she is. Chopin describes this yet unnamed sensation with metaphors such as stating how â€Å"her bosom rose and fell† until the exclamatory exclamation of â€Å"free, free, free! We exalt with her realiz ation and sympathize as she describes how she felt repressed in her marriage.However, this joy is short-lived when she sees her husband—alive after all. There is the suspenseful moment filling three paragraphs of her sister knocking hard upon the door. Chopin waits until the final paragraph to spring her surprise so that we also share in Mrs. Mallard’s shock and simply gape in disbelief when we read the final line describing how Mrs. Mallard â€Å"had died of heart disease—of joy that kills. †

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Nvq 3

201 Understand employment responsibilities and rights in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings Task A – Short Answer Questions Ai: Imagine you are a newly appointed supervisor/manager within your service. You need to update your staff handbook to reflect current employment law. Identify three different sources of information you could use to enable you to do this. The existing hand book, changes in the law since the last update, latest health and safety requirements. Once you have identified a reliable source of information:Aii List three aspects of employment covered by law. My contract and working hours, my rights at work, holidays and time off. List three main features of current employment legislation. Minimum wage, Health and Safety policy, Training Aiii Briefly outline why employment law exists. To oversee the workplace safety and standards, fair wages, retirement and pensions, employee benefits, to name but a few. Employment law dea ls with both the employer and the employee’s actions, rights and responsibilities, as well as their relationship with one another.Task B Your work role For this task you will need the following: †¢ A copy of your contract of employment or employment agreement. If you don’t have a written contract of employment eg if you are employed as a personal assistant, discuss your terms and conditions with your employer and make notes to help you to complete the task; †¢ A recent payslip or pay statement; †¢ Access to your workplace policies and procedures or notes from a discussion with your employer if you are employed as a personal assistant.Bi Describe the terms and conditions of your employment as set out in your contract of employment or employment agreement. Job description – defining the role, responsibility level. Entitlement – rate of pay, holiday entitlement, retirement and ill-health benefits, bonus/overtime rates, uniform and/expenses all owances. Responsibilities: working hours, dress code, reporting illness/absence, annual assessments, complaints procedures, notice periods for leaving/dismissal, requirements to change working hours.D: General: Other part-time work, confidentiality clauses, using company equipment for private use (eg phones, computers, vehicles) general codes of behaviour and adherence to certain corporate practices, health & safety regulations. Bii Describe the information which needs to be shown on your pay slip/ statement. Company name, my name, NI number, Hourly rate, hours worked, Tax Code, Date, Amount earnt before deductions, NI paid, Tax Paid and Net Pay. Also shows Gross Pay to date, NI to date and Tax to date.Biii Identify two changes to personal information which you must report to your employer. Name and address Biv Describe the procedure to follow if you wanted to raise a grievance at work. You may describe this in writing or produce a flow chart or diagram. Bv Explain the agreed ways o f working with your employer in relation to the following areas: 1. Data protection 2. Grievance 3. Conflict management 4. Anti-discriminatory practice 5. Health & safety 6. Confidentiality 7. Whistle blowing Bvi Explain how your role contributes to the overall delivery of the service rovided. Bvii Explain how you could influence the quality of the service provided by; Following best practice within your work role; Showing respect at all times, having respect for residents privacy and dignity when bathing or assisting them in toilet routines. Knocking on doors and waiting before entering a room. Not carrying out the requirements of your role. If a carer wants the clients to do as they are told rather than being given choices and respect, then their quality of life becomes miserable and they will dread that particular ‘so-called' carer being around.Bviii Describe how your own work must be influenced by National factors such as Codes of Practice, National Occupational Standards, Legislation and Government Initiatives. Bix a) Identify two different representative bodies which influence your area of work. b) Describe the role of the two representative bodies you have identified. Task C Career Pathway Create a career pathway plan for yourself, indicating what opportunities are open to you as you progress in your chosen career. Indicate what you will need to learn or any qualifications you might need to gain in order to achieve your goals.Identify sources of information to help you achieve your goals. I am currently a Senior Carer and would like to work up to Deputy Manager or even Manager. To become a Senior carer I had to be trained to do dressings, be a leader, how to deal with a death and admittance to hospital. How to use lifting equipment like a hoist properly. To become a deputy manager I will need to have passed my NVQ level 3 and have previously worked as a Senior Carer or even Head of Care. Task D Presentation or reportPrepare a presentation or repor t on an issue or area of public concern related to the care profession. Your presentation or report should include: †¢ A description of the issue or area of public concern raised †¢ An outline of the different points of view regarding the issue or area of public concern raised †¢ A description of how the issue or area of public concern has affected service provision and methods of working †¢ A description of how public opinion is affected by issues and areas of concern in either the health, social care or children’s and young people's sectors