Amys bread case study Essay

1. Who are the main players (name and position)? The main Player in this is Amy Scherber and she is the manager and owner. Another main character is Toy Kim Dupree and he is Amy’s assistant manager. 2. In what business or businesses and industry or industries is the company operating? Amy’s bread is in the business of selling bread products both wholesale and retail. They sell primarily to high quality restaurants, hotels and food shops. 3. What are the issues and problems facing the company? (Sort them by importance and urgency.) It is hard to make a large profit because Amy pays her employees a higher amount then the other business in her field. She also has to employee about four times as many employees to complete the same job due to the intensiveness provided on each batch of bread. The company is also struggling with the idea of wither to expand or stand pat with their business. 4. What is the primary problem for the company/organization in this case? The primary problem in this case is the idea of expansion. The problem is that they do not know if they should expand or stand pat. If they do expand how are they going to centralize their business. Are they going to do strictly wholesale or wholesale and retail. 5. Why have the problem (s) you cite emerged? Identify the causal chain (the events or circumstances that caused the problem-Some will be Internal Weaknesses, others EXTERNAL Threats). This main problem has occurred because they are currently located in a storefront that is not adequate to provide the needs of all their potential customers. The main weakness here is that they are in a bad location for advancement. In their current location they are completing all of the orders that they possibly can. 6. What are the characteristics of the industry that the company is in and how is the industry changing over time? When Amy’s Bread first open bread baking was a growth industry. The U. S Department of Commerce reported there was a 12 percent increase in the consumption of specialty breads per capita. This industry is also very tough to get into there are a great deal of company’s that already have been working with restaurants for a long time. The other problem with the industry is that because it was a growth period many new bakers were trying to enter it and earn a name for them. So the computation for customers is high in the industry and only growing more competitive. 7. What is the firm’s strategy for differentiation, enabling them to compete within the context of their industry? Amy had a clear goal she wanted to be famous for making a great product and for creating a good place to work. Amy’s product itself was different because she set the highest standards on her quality. They also do not use any machines in the shaping of their bread. Every load of bread was hand crafted and shaped which was why her payroll was so high but it set her breads apart from the average shop. 8. What are possible solutions to the problems you have identified? Possible solutions to her crisis on where to go or wither to move at all are one she could not move and be satisfied where she is. The second option is she could move to a building that she would be able to produce large amounts of wholesale goods at and not concentrate on retail goods. The third option is she could move to an even bigger place where she could sell retail product and still meet her needs for wholesale. 9. What are the advantages and possible disadvantages of your solution(s)? If she stays pat then she will be able to turn a marginal profit and meet the needs of her current customers. The disadvantages would be that she would then miss out on opportunity to sell to all the customers that she has on her waiting list and her retail business would not be any bigger. In second option they would be able to meet all her wholesale needs. The disadvantages would be that she could not sell retail customers any more and she would be paying more for the property. In the third option she would be able to sell both retail and wholesale. She would be in a newly developing retail market with access to foot traffic. She would also be able to meet all her whole sale needs. To top it off she would be able to design the layout of the building to fit her exact needs. The disadvantages of this are that it is very expensive. She would get everything that she is looking for but at a substantially higher price then the other two options. 10. Are there any possible problems with your suggested recommendations? What contingencies need to be accommodated? My recommendation would be to choose the third option. It is the most expensive but Amy has already demonstrated that she has a sharp business minded and is able to build business and promote it. The retail space will help spread the word of how good her bread actually is and word of mouth is the best advertisement they could have. The biggest problem that they could have is if they start to loose customers. A second problem would be if the market begins to shift away from the cravings of bread. Or another problem could be that they simply do not add enough customers to be able to afford the new space. Case Study Analysis Narrative Format Case title: Amy’s Bread Student: Nicholas Mustico Date: 3-18-2013 Course: Management Principles Firm Overview and Introduction to the Case (Use this and all headings in your narrative) In this first section of the narrative, you will provide a brief description of the case subject firm and circumstances for your reader. YOU are the expert. Your analysis is reliant on the fact that you’ve read the case at least three In the case study of Amy’s bread you get a complete overview of the company. It discusses where they started how they started and the experience that the owner Amy Scherber has. Amy Scherber is the centerpiece of the company she is the founder, owner, manager, and lead baker/chef for Amy’s bread. Amy is also the main person in charge of the company’s finances and business discussions. Amy is now facing the problem of wither or not she is going to expand her company. She has been able to entrench her business in the tough industry of baking breads. This is a business that is very completive and hard to establish yourself in. Now that she has become establish she has to decide wither she would like to expand to meet consumer’s demands or stay where she is and be happy with what she has accomplished. Internal perspectives (Use this and all headings in your narrative) This section of your narrative is used to explain to your reader the internal, factual information about the case subject organization and the problems you’ve identified. Additionally, in this section you need to describe the causal chain. How did the problem arise? What caused it? The problem in this case would not be a problem if the company had not become as successful as it has. If the company had not become so popular then the small storefront that she had originally solicited would never have become a problem. They did become popular though and now they have to adjust to what they would like to become. No one knows if she had selected a larger site if she would have ever been able to get herself going but if she had then this problem may never have occurred. Her company now is at a point where they cannot satisfy one additional customer due to space constrictions. Amy’s problem is a hard one to decide on but for a company it is a good spot to be in if you have too much potential business. It is always better to have too much opportunity then too little. * External perspectives (Use this and all headings in your narrative) In this section you will describe the characteristics of the industry in which the subject organization operates. Identify any changes over time, which you believe contribute to the problems you’ve identified. Has the Firm’s Strategy for differentiation within their industry caused, Added to or exacerbated the problems you’ve identified? Amy’s bread is in a very complex and difficult industry to work in. She is in a field that has been â€Å"well farmed. † What I mean by that is that there have already been people there doing what she is trying to do. The business she is trying to sell to unless they are newer then her have all already put someone in place to fulfill their need. She then would have to show these businesses that she is that much better then her computation that they have already employed. Amy’s strategy for differentiation is basically being better then the computation. She is striving to have the highest quality, freshest, and most innovative bread selection. She had made it a point that she will not sacrifice quality for anything else including profit. Amy was lucky, or smart enough to enter the backing industry when it was on the rise. Consumption of grains had just begun to rise when Amy entered the industry. The U. S Department of Commerce reported there was a 12 percent increase in the consumption of specialty breads per capita. This industry is also very tough to get into there are a great deal of company’s that already have been working with restaurants for a long time. The other problem with the industry is that because it was a growth period many new bakers were trying to enter it and earn a name for them. So the computation for customers is high in the industry and only growing more competitive. This main problem has occurred because they are currently located in a storefront that is not adequate to provide the needs of all their potential customers. The main weakness here is that they are in a bad location for advancement. In their current location they are completing all of the orders that they possibly can. Then again this is not a problem that most business would not want. Solutions (Use this and all headings in your narrative) In this section you will provide a proposed solution to the primary problem/ secondary problems you’ve identified. Possible solutions to her crisis on where to go or wither to move at all are one she could not move and be satisfied where she is. The second option is she could move to a building that she would be able to produce large amounts of wholesale goods at and not concentrate on retail goods. The third option is she could move to an even bigger place where she could sell retail product and still meet her needs for wholesale. If she stays pat then she will be able to turn a marginal profit and meet the needs of her current customers. The disadvantages would be that she would then miss out on opportunity to sell to all the customers that she has on her waiting list and her retail business would not be any bigger. In second option they would be able to meet all her wholesale needs. The disadvantages would be that she could not sell retail customers any more and she would be paying more for the property. In the third option she would be able to sell both retail and wholesale. She would be in a newly developing retail market with access to foot traffic. She would also be able to meet all her whole sale needs. To top it off she would be able to design the layout of the building to fit her exact needs. The disadvantages of this are that it is very expensive. She would get everything that she is looking for but at a substantially higher price then the other two options. My recommendation would be to choose the third option. It is the most expensive but Amy has already demonstrated that she has a sharp business minded and is able to build business and promote it. The retail space will help spread the word of how good her bread actually is and word of mouth is the best advertisement they could have. The biggest problem that they could have is if they start to loose customers. A second problem would be if the market begins to shift away from the cravings of bread. Or another problem could be that they simply do not add enough customers to be able to afford the new space. Case Model Insert a copy of your case model at the end of your narrative. Model the problem and solution by drawing a diagram. Identify the problem, what is causing it, what is making the problem worse (or potentially hiding the problem), and what can be done to mitigate or eliminate it. Use the strategy models to help you think through the steps that must be taken to intervene and solve this problem.

Laboratory Method

Laboratory method Lesson 42: Different Methods of Plant Propagation Reference: Effective Technology and Home Economics II By: Luz Villanueva Rojo Julia Garcia Cruz Dr. Cristina Villanueva I. Preparatory method Motivation Let the students guess the picture. Jot down their guesses on the board. Reveal the picture. 1. Have you tried planting a seed? 2. Have you tried propagating a plant using different kind of method? Orientation to the Work/Activity Read this  Respiratory ActivityMarcotting is another way of plant propagation where in the stems are included to take roots while still attached to the mother plant. Presentation of the Materials 1. Young plant 2. Knife 3. Moistened soil 4. Plastic 5. Coconut husk 6. String 7. Pot Procedure 1. Remove a ring of the bark below the node 3-5 cm long. 2. Scrape the cambium layer but not too deep into the wood to prevent healing before root formation takes place. 3. After the callus formation has taken place, wrap the surface with moist soil and coconut husk. . Cover securely with plastic and tie both ends using string, water the marcot regularly to prevent the drying and hardening of the soil. 5. When enough roots grow cut off the marcot just below the ball of soil that holds the root. 6. After cutting the marcot place into a pot big enough to provide sufficient room for the roots. 7. Place in a cool and shady place. 8. Precautionary Measures 1. Be careful in using the knife. 2. Make su re that your hands are covered with plastic when touching the soil. . Wash hands after the activity. II. Supervise Work Period or Laboratory Visit each group and observe if proper handling of tools is applied and steps are being followed correctly. III. Culminating Activities †¢Each group will have their representative to report the result of their experiment. †¢How is marcotting different from seed propagation? †¢What have you conclude after the experiment? †¢Do the process at home and produce a new plant.

Modern Day Church’s View of Suicide as Opposed to Islamic Views Essay

Suicide, the foreknowledge that a person’s death will result from self caused actions, has reached epic proportions in recent decades. The World Health Organization states â€Å"more people are dying from suicide than from all the armed conflicts around the world. † (Donnelly, 106). This practice presents an ethical dilemma that is ultimately a matter of values and how they are reasoned. Religion provides a framework through which these views can be expressed. It is especially important to understand the Christian and Islamic perspectives on suicide by tracing their primary texts and traditions. The Biblical View of Suicide As the primary text of Christianity, the Bible has a code of moral instructions, spanning from the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament to the Sermon on the Mount and the great commandments in the New Testament. What gives moral values such as love and human dignity, and the commandment â€Å"thou shalt not kill† such compelling force is more than the forbidding of murder, even self-murder. These precepts reveal the obligation to demonstrate practical respect for the value of human life (Mahohel, 2). Although there are several suicides mentioned in the Bible: Saul(1 Samuel. 31:4); Ahitophel(2 Samuel 17:23);Zimri (1 Kings 16:18); and Judas (Matthew 27:5), the Bible doesn’t specifically condemn suicides. However, it does condemn murder in the 6th commandment and that is what suicide is: self-murder. A Christian who commits suicide will not lose salvation and end up in hell because John 3:16 demonstrates that a person is eternally secure. Romans 8:38-39 says that no circumstance can block God’s love to Christians. Therefore, if no created thing can separate a Christian from God’s love, then a Christian who commits suicide is a created thing and not even suicide can prevent God’s love. Jesus died for all sin. If an authentic Christian were to commit that sin, Jesus died for it. Nevertheless, it is self-murder and constitutes a serious sin against God (Stewart, p. 31). Suicide in the Christian Tradition The Christian tradition repects life. Although the early Church issued few official dictums against suicide, the prevalent viewheld that suicide was seen as murder and sometimes worse. In the 4th century, Augustine was the first to make that prohibition absolute, denouncing it as a â€Å"detestable and damnable wickedness,’† (Stewart, 34) echoing the other church fathers such as Tertullian, Justin Cyprian, Clement of Alexandria, and Lactantius who all rejected suicide. John of Chryostom issued a statement that posited if it were base to destroy others, it was much worse to destroy oneself(Amundsen, 98). Although Christian leaders praised martyrs who held onto their faith even unto death, they criticized those who rushed too eagerly to a martyr’s death. The goal of martyrdom was to remain faithful, not to intend one’s death (Ibid, 109-111). Aquinas and the medieval Church expressly prohibited acts of suicide. In his Encyclical Letter (March 25, 1995) Pope John Paul II states: â€Å"The Church’s tradition has always rejected suicide as a gravely evil choice. † The present day Church still adheres to that perspective because of two predominant frameworks. The first says that man and woman are created in the image of God, â€Å"Imago Deo,† (Genesis 3:26) and as such, share in the Divine likeness. Thus, humans participate in dominion over the rest of the physical creation, commissioned to exercise active stewardship and initiative as God’s vice-regent. Not only are humans God’s creation, they are His property, defined by such terms as potter-clay and shepherd-sheep. Since life belong to God, it is wrong to take it. Additionally, there is a Christian perspective which states that life is a gift from God. The ultimate moral foundations of Christian doctrine: creation, sin, salvation and fulfillment reinforce this view. The decision to die is God’s alone (Stewart, 33). The case versus suicide states requires that God’s gift of life is not an outright gift, but a restricted one, and humans are not to consume or destroy it at their discretion. In this perspective God will demand a full account for determining when to choose to end life. The suicide equivocally tells God that He will simply have to take the deeds performed in the body instead of regarding life as a trust, by not abandoning it, or denying that God is worthy. The choice of suicide seems to violate the duty to live life in a way which indicates gratitude towards what has been given ( Camenish, 216). Since God is transcendent, ultimately all things, even suffering will be made well. The Qu’rannic View of Suicide The Qu’ran expressly prohibits suicide, regarding all life as sacred. The sanctity of human life is accorded a special place. The Qu’ran states that the first and foremost basic life of a human being is the right t Take not life, which God has made sacred, except by way of justice and law; thus doth He command you, that you may learn wisdom (Qu’ran 6:151) Additionally, the Qu’ran states: If anyone slew a person, unless it be for murder, or for spreading mischief in the whole land, it would be as if he slew the whole people-and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of a whole people. (Qu’ran 5:32) Thus, the Qu’ran is totally clear where it stands on the taking of life. The Islamic Tradition and the View of Suicide In light of the Qu’rannic perspective of respect for human life, how then did the popularity of suicide bombers come to pass? Blowing oneself up and frequently killing innocent victims in such a terrorist manner absolutely refutes the Qu’ran. Yet a religious perspective can supersede the traditional perspective. This religious perspective is jihad, or the call to a holy war, first issued by the founder of Islam, the prophet Mohhammed. Mohhammed received a â€Å"naskh,† a new revelation which replaced the previous ones in the Qu’ran. Surah 9:5 cancels all previous revelations, admonishing his adherents to practice war and coercion to the present day. Basically Surah 9: 5 posits that Muslims must fight anyone who chooses not to convert to Islam. Because Islam is a religion of works, the jihad is a great duty and honor that aims to convert the infidel by force. Jihad is behind every suicidal terrorist who commits these acts in the name of Islam. If doesn’t matter if they win or if they die in the jihad, because they will be successful regardless: if they win, they receive victory; if they die, they are honored by God. Modern jihad came from Sayib Qutb, born in 1906, who visited the U. S. and saw that the Americans were not totally devoted to religion and that the American Muslims also had a lack of conviction. He started the radical Islamic movement that reverberates to this day. Bin Laden and Al Qaida learned their suicidal techniques form the movement of jihad in Iran, Eygpt and Sudan (Gabriel, 1). In Ha’aretz newspaper (December 9, 2001) Sheik Akramek Sabri said that sucide bombers are justified and should be encouraged, critizing other religious leaders who issued an Islamic ruling (fatwa) against suicide attacks. The sheik of the Mosque of Cairo ruled that Islamic law does not condone suicide attacks against innocent victims. A prominent mufti in Saudi Arabia issued a similar opinion. However, Omar Rahman, leader of al Jihad and the mastermind behind the World Trade Center bombing of 1993, noted that jihad and killing are the head of Islam and that if they are taken out, so is the head . By following the philosophy of submission, a Muslim is one who submits to Allah, the suicide attacker appears to be around for a long time(Ibid, December 9,2001). Overview Although both Christianity and Islam’s official positions prohibit suicide, the present day outcomes differ. While the Bible has the sixth commandment and other verses and the Qu’ran has 5:32 and 6:151 which respect life, Christianity remains consistent through the ages in viewing suicide as negative. For Christians, life is a gift and thus humans are God‘s property. Islam , however, has further revelations which supersede the previous ones found in the Qu’ran. These additional revelations include a call to jihad or holy war, thus making self-killing permissible and even honored. Conclusion It is necessary to study the frameworks of both Christianity and Islam to obtain more than a superficial view of their perspectives of suicide. Although Church tradition doesn’t change it’s position of self killing in Christianity, as shown by the early church fathers calling it an abomination and stating that killing oneself is even worse than killing others down to the later medieval church and Aquinas stating that it is unnatural ; thus forbidding the taking of one’s own life. Pope John Paul II’s encyclical letter states that suicide is a â€Å"wicked sin,â€Å" holding life sacred and as a trust. Current church traditions, while not as harsh and proclaiming true Christian suicides will go to heaven, nevertheless compare Christians with God as a figure of authority. He is the owner of the Christian, their creator and the potter who molds the clay, the shepherd who guides the sheep. Additionally, God has given all humans the gift of life, which is to be regarded as a sacred trust and not to be tampered with through the early taking of it. Only God, and God alone, can determine when life is over. If a Christian takes their life prematurely, they are robbing God, telling Him He must be satisfied with only the works they have performed to that stage. Since Christianity has at its heart the major doctrines of creation, sin, salvation and fulfillment, nothing can separate the Christian from God, either in this world or the world to come. God is both immanent and transcendent and He will make all things ultimately turn out for the best, thus reassuring the Christian to hang on and not commit suicide. On the other hand, official Islam proclaims one message while practicing another. The Qu’ran states that all life is sacred and that all humans have dignity. Several verses refer to this fact. However, even though Mohammed wrote these verses down, he also wrote additional verses that failed to be consistent with the original message. These verses , which he wrote after an added revelation, replace the earlier ones of respect for one’s own and other life. Through these additional revelations, Mohammed thus started the concept of jihad, or holy war. Using this concept he encouraged fellow Muslims, who are followers of Allah, and must submit to His teachings, to commit these holy wars, to convert or kill the infidel regardless of whether one’s own life was lost in the process. From the early 20th century, when Muslims visited the U. S. and saw what they perceived as less than perfect devotion, the jihad was operating at full force. Although present day sheiks and muftis in several countries have issued fatwa against suicide bombers and the taking of innocent life, suicidal terrorists continue, thinking that they are honoring Allah and their cause by killing themselves and others. References Amundsen, C. (1967). Medicine, Society and Faith in the Ancient World. Baltimore: John Hopkins. Cavadini,B. (1999). â€Å"By the Renewing of Your Minds,† Theological Studies, Vol. 60.Camemish, P. (1998). â€Å"Suicide,† Journal of Religious Ethics,17, no 1, Spring. Donnelly, J. (1998) Suicide: Right or Wrong. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. Gabriel, M. (2005)â€Å"Islamic Terrorists,† CNN Fact File, Virginia Beach, Va. Mahohel, J. (2003). â€Å"Christian Doctrines and Ethical Issues,† Theological Studies, vol. 64 Neusner, J. (2000) Jewish and Christian Doctrine. London: Routledge. Pope John Paul II. (1995),†Encyclical Letter,† Evangelium Vitae. March 25. â€Å"Terrorism,† (2001). Ha’aretz newspaper, December 9. Smith, G. (2005). â€Å"The Insurgent Word: Suicide. † Swans Commentary, September 12.

Human Resources Administration - Week 7 Scenario Assignment

Human Resources Administration - Week 7 Scenario - Assignment Example The main elements in a workplace include the human resources and other aspects of production like time and efficiency in duties (Jagdev 67). In this context, John is skilled and knowledgeable in his area of expertise. However, he has a weakness in articulating his expertise skills with other aspects of production in the workplace. The main problems are concerning his relationship with team members and the efficiency of documenting company data in an orderly manner. Some of the opportunities that can help John develop his competence include administering training programs to subordinates, leading and directing projects and attending workplace-competence related seminars ( Jagdev 72). Administering training to company subordinates will enable John to integrate his teachings into his workplace practices. John will be expected by the trainees to lead by example; hence, he will have the responsibility of upholding his teachings. In addition, attending workplace-competence seminars like those concerning teamwork will facilitate his understanding on the principles of workplace competence. Lastly, the opportunity of leading proj ects will improve his skills on data collection and documentation of the resulting information. This will help him to become organized (Jagdev

Slow Internet Surfing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Slow Internet Surfing - Essay Example Although spyware potentially harm computers in many ways, the most obvious effect of spyware infection is on surfing speed. When we get connected, the spyware automatically begin sending personal information without the knowledge of the computer user. In this way, the computer user believes he is receiving and sending his required information although in reality, his personal information is being uploaded without his notice or permission. This stealth process slows down the net surfing significantly and the user wonders what might be the actual problem for this dead slow speed. Apparently, computer users tend to believe that this problem can be overcome through installing anti-spyware software as all of the anti-spyware promise to search and destroy every kind of spyware within no time. However, it is not that easy, nor a recommended approach. In fact, the computer user has to be extra cautious while giving information online. Here are a few steps that are helpful for effectively blocking and preventing the spyware from infecting computers. Every time we visit a website, some temporary files are downloaded automaticall

Kettle Mountain Mining Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Food & Beverage Revenue Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Food & Beverage Revenue Management - Essay Example Established in 2004, Red Bamboo offers a casual and relaxed atmosphere but guarantees an enjoyable dining experience. The star of the restaurant is the food, so people are encouraged to visit in relaxed garments or casual attire. The restaurant is conveniently situated in the heart of Central Dublin's food and restaurant district. The restaurant can conveniently seat around sixty to eighty-five guests and is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner: As in any food business, Red bamboo also encountered problems in controlling yields and revenues, especially in its initial year of operations. The management then decided to use an effective yield management mechanism to address the problems which will eventually affect the overall operations of the restaurant (Kimes, 1989). Yield management is an approach aimed at improving revenues and increasing the course of consumer demand. In order to achieve these goals, yield management utilizes the fundamental stratagem of giving the precise service at the right point in time to the right consumer at the appropriate price (Kimes, 1989). Each segment of this approach entails definite tactical levers that enable the management to come up with an efficient and advantageous yield management plan. The factors that greatly affect the outcome of this strategy are best known as the 4 Cs which are cost, clock, calendar and capacity. Calendar procedures entail control over the timeframe when the transaction/reservation is made. Clock-related strategies rotate on the timing of the service delivered to the customer. Capacity issue is associated with effectively selling seating that is on hand based on the existing demand. Last, cost refers to the appropriate value of the service (Kimes, Chase, Choi, Lee, and Ngonzi, 1998). It is imperative to provide a measurement tool or give definition to the sale which is the outcome of the service provided. For Red Bamboo's case, the management referred to it as available seat per hour or seat/hour (Kimes, 1989). The guiding principle for an effective yield management plan is to take full advantage of the revenue that could be made on the available seat/hour (Kimes, 1989). For purposes of easier identification, management referred to this as REVSH. Being able to quantify in a time-related approach the goal of the process, the management of Red Bamboo then refocused on the specific stratagem levers that will impact REVSH. Among the levers that were initially identified are the following: meal preparation, menu plan/design, operational process, labor setup, etc. Red Bamboo's management first looked into the physical capacity of the restaurant. Red Bamboo conveniently seats sixty persons in its main dining hall, twenty in the bar and when weather permits, can seat around fifteen in an outside patio/area. When the revenue management plan began, Red Bamboo's menu consisted of twelve appetizers, twenty-five entrees and six desserts. In order to ascertain baseline information on mealtime length, arrival sample and REVSH, data was collected on an hourly fashion; though point of sales and observation by the staff. From these collected data, the management then estimated the average periodic meal duration by calculating the standard deviation and variance during meals (Miller, Dopson, and Hayes, 2004). It was found out that the average meal duration of customer was one hour

Integrated Marketing Communications Programme for the Ashcroft Essay

Integrated Marketing Communications Programme for the Ashcroft International Business School at Cambridge and Chelmsford - Essay Example These campuses attract not only students from the East of England but also in mainland Europe. With its commitment in making the higher education accessible to all, the university is tapping the global market by creating an extensive network of contacts with several institutions across the world. In line with the continuously changing challenges in the market environment as well as the increasingly tight competition within the local and international school industry, the university has to put in extra effort in strengthening its existing marketing communications programme. This study will discuss about the proposed strategy for the AIBS’s market segment, the characteristics of the student body, multi-cultural issues, and the chosen cost of methods using several communication methods. Another highlighted topic is the importance of measuring the effectiveness of each marketing communications used. Comparing the proposed strategy with the ones used by a similar establishment would be useful in determining the possible outcome of the proposed strategy. The market segment of AIBS includes international students planning to enrol in business related courses. The current market of AIBS has a total of 3,000 undergraduate, postgraduate, and professional students. AIBS employs over 80 ‘full-time’ professional teachers to handle the students. The students were given the option to study on a full-time or part-time basis. Among the 3,000 students, 2,000 are foreign or international students coming from more than 100 different countries worldwide.3 Working students are composed of 20% of the total population. Based on UKCOSAi statistics regarding the international students in UK Higher Education (HE)ii, there are a total of 268,295 international students all over England; accounting for a total of 84.26% all over UK. Among the 268,295 international students, 13% or 34,878.35 students are

Mason Multi agent model to visualize the bonus culture strategy over Dissertation

Mason Multi agent model to visualize the bonus culture strategy over the traders' incentives - Dissertation Example As the global economy begins to record significant rise over the years, businesses and organizations are doing everything possible to get their fair share of the rise in profits. These people are indeed right to react as such as the world saw worse forms of economic meltdown in the past five years. However, it takes the putting together of a lot of factors to earn a place in the world’s current climate. To producers and manufactures, determining the economic desires of their traders and customers and reacting in a manner that meets these desires is very crucial. It has been said that one of the best ways producers and manufacturers can satisfy their traders and customers is by putting in place very attractive incentives. Incentives come in different forms and it has been argued that the kind of incentive put in place for traders and customers actually determine the kind of behavior that is going to be displayed by traders and customers in their service to manufacturers and pro ducers. To this effect, it has also been argued among most corporate researchers that the bonus culture is a kind of incentive that has massive impact in ensuring that traders dance according to the rhythm of their masters. This is basically to say that bonus culture is an effective way of motivating traders. All said and than, it is important for entrepreneurs and corporate managers to have systems in place that checks the behavior of traders and the impact it makes on their business. The research problem covers three major important components of literature. Firstly, there is the issue of the multi-agent based model. With this, it is worth emphasizing that the multi-agent model shall be the Mason Multi agent model. With the model understudy, the researcher shall have the opportunity to analyze the impact of the technological growth that the world is experiencing now. This is to say that the mason multi-agent model is an innovation in information and communication technology that has come to ease the task of assessing the performance of any business or corporate outfit. The second concept shall be on issue of bonus culture as relates to traders. Under this, the research shall draw a line between bonus culture and trader incentive to see if it is actually possible adopting bonus culture as a workable form of incentive for traders and other business associates. Finally, the issue of trader behavior shall be looked at. Trader behavior is actually going to be the foc al point of the research. This is because the first two concepts are all related to trader behavior in one way or the other. In the light of this, the Mason multi-agent model shall be used to analyze the behavior of given traders of a given organization over a given period of time. Depending on the outcome of the visualization of the model on the trader behavior, the bonus culture shall be employed as an intervention for either bettering the trader behavior or improving it. Main Objective The research has been set out mainly to have an intervention in place to better the behavior traders of a given company. The progress of the intervention shall be analyzed using the Mason Multi-Agent Model. To achieve this all important objective, there are a series of specific objectives that need to achieved in order achieve the overall objective. Specific Objectives The review of related literature, collection of data for the research as well as data analysis shall be done based on the specific objectives set below. More to this, the achievement of the specific objectives shall amount to the achievement of the overall main objective of the research. The specific objectives are: 1. Explore the meaning of the Mason Multi-agent model 2. Find the role of the Mason multi-agent model in business monitoring and evaluation 3. Identify the different behaviors that could

Working in groups at the work place Essay Example for Free

Working in groups at the work place Essay Organisations all around the world provide remarkable but extraordinary workplaces for millions of people. The majority of workplaces require employees to interact towards other fellow employees and the public. Working together with other employees generates a group. There are many ways to define a group, A group may be defined as a collection of individuals who are interdependent in some way (Johnson and Johnson, p15; 2003). According to this definition, working at the same organisation is the event, which affects them all, and it initiates the individuals to work together. The natures of groups produce a relationship between each individual, which expands from the interaction with one another. Not everyone will get along or have the same opinions, but this teaches everyone to appreciate the fact that all individuals are different and to identify the various cultures. In the workplace when the group gets along, it should improve the effectiveness of the relationships between the people identified. This will help the group to have a high morale and will improve the companys reputation. Lenards, is a well-known poultry shop, which serves a variety of fresh chicken. It is a multi-award winning company, considered to be one of Australias leading fresh food retailers and a pioneer in the kitchen ready market(Dias, 2002). I am currently working at Lenards located at Middle Park, and have been employed there for approximately six months. During these six months, I have particularly become close to two fellow employees, Donika and Nick. I have also formed a good relationship with my manager Ray. The objectives of this report will identify in individuals such as personality and attitudes, behaviors individuals demonstrate that leads a person to believe that they have those personalities and attitudes, the level of morale existing between people in the workplace and the indicators of morale that are present and any cultural and social differences that has an influence on the relationships of these people. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES Ray (Supervisor) Ray is of great importance to the team at Lenards as he is in charge of the businesss daily operations. Therefore his personality and attitudes reflect strongly upon the business. Managers need to be aware of their own attitudes, assumptions and beliefs, as well as being sensitive to their subordinates perceptions, needs and motivations. (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg, Coulter, 2003, p.11). Rays duties reflect upon his personality, which makes his duties easier to perform. One important personality for managing is planning. Planning is where the decisions are made and are the essence of a managers job (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg, Coulter, 2003, p.174). The decision making process is a set of eight steps including identifying a problem, selecting an alternative, and evaluating the decisions effectiveness. Ray tries to be aware of the stores problems by making sure the employees are serving the customers the right way, and checking that all the procedures are carried out properly. When he identifies a problem within the team, he will usually inform the group about the problem so that no one else makes the same mistakes. Organising is another major behavior for managing. This helps the business to be more organised with team responsibilities and also individual responsibilities. At the beginning of the day Ray sets out what he wants to be done, how it will be best to do it and when it should be done by. The challenge for managers is to design an organisational structure that allows employees to effectively and efficiently do their work while accomplishing organisational goals and objectives. (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg, Coulter, 2003, p.274) Leading, is concerned with the subject of behavior and the actions of people at work. It is important for managers to be good leaders so that they have good control over the employees and the business. These areas look towards attitudes, personality, perception, learning and motivation it also includes norms, roles, team building and conflict (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg, Coulter, 2003, p.384). Ray is an understanding person, who tries not to judge. For example, if we are late for work and have a good reason for it he will understand and wont go further into the situation by being nosey. He also gets along well with every customer and does not treat any customer differently no matter of their looks, or culture, etc. Job satisfaction refers to an individuals general attitude towards their job. (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg, Coulter, 2003, p. 389). Rays high involvement as the manager of Lenards has made him extremely motivated and displays positive attitudes. Organisational commitment is an individuals orientation towards to the organization in terms of loyalty identification and involvement. (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg, Coulter, 2003, p. 59). Ray participates in the workplace daily and he shows a considerably high commitment to the workplace. He understands the different cultures of all employees and does not treat anyone different. All managers are required to perform duties that involve people (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg, Coulter, 2003, p.11) Ray does his job very well by performing the duties that involve people at a great level, he interacts well with all the customers by starting conversation and offering bonus cards and cooking guides, he always tries his best to make every customer smile. Morale is basically the need for a manager or supervisor to give their employees direction, guidance, support, encouragement, praise and recognition for work. It is understood that Rays morale is the highest out of all the workers in the business. He shows a cheerful attitude towards employees and is always willing to perform certain tasks for the daily operations. Nick (High Employee) As one of the main employees that make up the staff of Lenards, Nick contributes greatly in the food preparations and daily operations. His personality seems to be much more conversant compared to the rest of the employees. Nick is more tranquil, meaning that he is calm, easy-going and open-minded at the same time. He is always cooperative towards the group and the customers. Human or interpersonal skills represent the ability to work well with and understand others, to build cooperative effort within a team, to motivate and to avoid conflict. (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg, Coulter, 2003, p.11). Nick has developed many skills over the many years that he has been employed at Lenards for. This makes him more conversant meaning that he is much more experienced compared to the rest of the group. Nick is someone that the group members rely on if Ray is not around. The team is very reliant upon Nick because of his great knowledge towards the business and the skills that impact upon the business. A person, who is tranquil, is easy going and calm towards many situations. It is important for group members to portray tranquility so that they can keep there cool at times of frustration. Nick is an outgoing person but at the same time he stays calm and on task. Cooperation is important within a group and a businesss customers. Instead of an individual completing there own duties on there own, the group can work together as a team to complete all the tasks in an organised way. This means that each individual can get help from others where needed. The primary goal is to get along sufficiently well to achieve the goals and do the tasks. (Birchall Colwill, 1996, p70). Nick cooperates well with every team member by helping everyone complete tasks, and by identifying and informing us of something we are doing wrong. He also cooperates well with the customers by coming to a conclusion with a customer who has a problem. Nick, being a thinking and also a feeling person, tends to be logical but always considers others feelings, having both feeling and thinking dimensions giving strength. He is always organised and also understanding. Nick shows that he is a well-organised employee. He always asks questions like are you busy or do you need any help at all with that? He is careful with his words (as to not offend or dishearten other co-workers) and always likes to help other people if they are in need. Organisational commitment is how much a person contributes in doing task and the loyalty towards the business. Nick, having work there for over 5 years, shows that he is loyal towards the business and always contributes as much as he can, thus is highly committed. It is understood that Nick is very spirited within the business as he has considerably high morale. Morale is the mental or emotional condition of a person or group, as indicated by the level of enthusiasm, confidence, cheerfulness, or the like. Nick shows morale through his confidences and cheerfulness at work, where he loves to interact with others. He always shows that he wants to work and is very confident in doing daily tasks. Donika (Employee) Donika shows great deal of personality and is possibly the most complex employee at Lenards. She is an extremely outgoing person she loves interacting with others but is not always aware of people and/or things around her, this becomes one of her weaknesses, feeling. Other than this she is perceiving, but has equal strengths. A feeling person is a person who is more aware of people, problems and situations around them than being logical and objective. This means that the person places more value in people and their life. Donika does not show a lot care for much more than just the job she does, but she likes to know about other employees weekends, problems and loves interacting. At times she can be a bit judging towards people, for example, she may comment about customers after they have left, such as saying something like, That person had stinky breath. Perceiving is where an individual always thinks twice before acting or always want to know more about the task given or problem before making solutions for the problems or task. Perceivers like to take in new ideas and perspectives with others but tend to have a weakness in planning and organizing within the workplace. For example, Donika is a less organised employee by not putting her full effort into a task. For example, when it comes to the end of the day and we have just had a rush of customers leaving all our duties out the back unfinished, she will do a lazy job by not washing thing properly so that she is not late to leave work. Having equal strengths with intuition and sensing means that the person can see possibilities, likes new ideas, enjoys solving problems, can work in complicated situations, likes to establish facts and has minor errors. Having balanced strengths in this dimension could give a person great personality to work with. An example of this can been seen in the workplace at Lenards where Donika likes to invent and discuss new ideas and would like to question others opinions on whether or not the new ideas would be successful if implemented. One day Donika noticed that where the knifes are placed could become a hazard. The knifes are placed on a magnetized holder, Donika suggested that we purchase or create something which would be more safe which the knifes would not fall out of. When she came up with this idea, she informed the management after suggesting it to the rest of the employees. It is understood that Donika has a high morale towards the business organisation as a whole. Morale as said before is a state of individual psychological well being based upon a sense of confidence, usefulness and purpose. The confidence she shows is considerably high. She also likes to motivate and encourage others to work faster and effectively. Donika holds a cheerful attitude towards the job. Deema (Employee) During the six months which I have been employed at Lenards for, I have formed good relationships with the employees and the manager. Human or interpersonal skills represent the ability to work well with and understand others, to build cooperative effort within a team, to motivate and to avoid conflict. (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg, Coulter, 2003, p.11) This makes my job enjoyable and bearable to anticipate. I differ from the group at Lenards in many ways, but I can relate to the employees in many ways. My culture becomes some of the many differences that I have with the group. My family background is stable and has brought me up to be understanding, friendly, cheerful and easy to talk to. On the other side of my personality I can be impatient, unmotivated and unorganized at times. By understanding peoples situations, it helps them to feel comfortable to interact with one another. When there was a new employee, I understood his situation as I had been in the same place before, so I tried me best to help him and make him feel comfortable in his new work place. When others interact with me, I try to put my self in the same situation so that I can understand what they are talking about. By being understanding upon peoples situation is one of the aspects of friendliness. By being friendly towards the group I feel that I enjoy work much more by interacting with one another. By being friendly towards the customers I have realized that they become happy with the service and tend to come back. From being impatient, certain situations become irritating to handle. For example, when customers are picky with what they want, while there are many other customers waiting behind them. While being at work I have to try my hardest to be patient with customers, and try to ignore the irritation I get. Many of times I can become unorganized by coming late to work but other than that I tend to work hard and motivate myself by interacting with the employees and customers. Morale is the spirit of a persons mind where the person can be affected by confidence, cheerfulness and willingness as stated above. I always work with a cheerful attitude, but may sometimes have the will to conduct certain tasks; rather I may need to be instructed to do so. I do not have full confidence in all assigned task so I can sometimes be unsure of what to do in certain operations. The morale I have mainly comes from my enjoyment of interacting with the group and customers. CULTURAL AND SOCIAL DIFFERENCES Culture and society can single everyone out from each other. Culture, can be defined as A deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concept of universe and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people the course of generation through individuality and group striving. (Samovar Porter) The cultural differences within Lenards are of great importance to how people act and explain things. People are raised with different cultures and these changes the way we act, explain and differentiate between different cultures. Culture serves as a sense-making and control mechanism that guides and shapes the attitudes and behaviour of people. (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg, Coulter, 2003, p. 559) As we go through the workers it is understood that the manager and employees have certain cultural differences within the business. All the employees at Lenards have different backgrounds, I am from Iraq, Ray is Australian, Nick is from New Zealand and Donika is Italian. This proves that a group can work together regardless of each others backgrounds. Having a different social status between workers could really contribute in the way workers act within the organisation. Ray, being the manager of the business organisation uses his status to influence others in the workplace. He acts controlling at times to express that he is dominant but does care for employees opinions. As for Nick, he always respects all employees and customers. He listens well to what everyone has to say, when consulting the manager he always asks relevant questions and discusses any problems in a very formal way. Donika appears to talk naturally to anyone with any social differences within the business; she cares less of what status you are as she thinks that all people are equal in the workplace. Deema, being the least experienced in the organisation tends to respect all people and talks formally and respectfully towards every worker within the business. After going through and analyzing the social differences between the workers, it demonstrates that there is a considerably high difference between them. They all show different attitudes to different social statuses within the workplace. The group at Lenards is all different from one another. We all have our own beliefs, cultural and social differences, but it does not stop us from interacting with each other. There are times when we all agree on things and times when we dont. For example, Ray and Nick always leave the radio on Triple M, and myself and Donika always ask to change it to B105. It never causes a fight because we all understand that we like different types of music and we all share the radio stations. CONCLUSION All organisations require for employees to work in a group. For this to be effective, the members in the group should all get along, understanding each others differences which may relate to culture or society. Just because people work together in the same work group does not mean the share common interests (Birchall Colwill, 1996, p4). All individuals may share many qualities with other people, but they still have their differences, the majority of these come from cultural and social beliefs. It is important for groups to accept each others beliefs so they can interact with each other. Good morale associates with group performances and makes the workplace a happy place. For employees to have good morale, they need to enjoy their job, and when employees enjoy their job they then demonstrate a great attitude towards customers, to influence the return of everyone who is served. I believe that the group at Lenards has a high morale. This is due to the fact that we all get along well; pressure is not put on to anyone, and no one ever seems to complain about working. The customer response is good and we have many regular customers, who very rarely complain. I think that a great influence for the groups high morale is from Ray. Most reasons why employees have low moral is if they dont like their employer. Ray is easy going and does not boss us around, and all of us get along well with him. Human relations is a process by which management brings workers into contact with the organization in such a way that the objectives of both groups are achieved. (Hodgetts, 1987, p6) Overall, it is vital for group associations to accept each others differences so they can interact together with good team work to produce a good morale to the society. BIBLIOGRAPHY * Richard M. Hodgetts, 1987, Modern Human Relations at Work third edition, Florida International University, New York. * Luft, J. (1970, 2nd Ed.) Group processes; an introduction to group dynamics. Palo Alto, CA: National Press Books * Georgia Birchall Jenni Colwill, 1996, Working Relationships, Alice Graphics, Melbourne. * David W. Johnson Frank P. Johnson, 2002, Joining Together Group theory and group skills, Pearson Education, Inc. USA * Stephen P. Robbins, Rolf Bergman, Ian Stagg, Mary Coulter, 2003, Management third edition, Pearson Education, NSW * L. Dias http://www.lenards.com.au/ 2002

Components Of A Computer System Cpu Information Technology Essay

Components Of A Computer System Cpu Information Technology Essay The central processing unit is the serving of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program. It is main part carrying out the computers roles. The central processing unit transfers out each instruction of the program in order, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU has many different purposes which can be moving data from one location to another, building decisions and jumping to a new set of orders based on those decisions. The CPUs speed is a measure of MHz (megahertz) or more recently GHz (gigahertz). A chip with a megahertz rating of 900 MHz would be able to complete 900Million cycles every second. The types of CPU: AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) Intel Celeron RAM (Random Access Memory): RAM is a memory facility which provides space for your computer to read and write data to be accessed by the CPU (central processing unit). When people mention to a computers memory, they usually mean its RAM. The programs and data that we use are stored in the RAM temporarily so that the processor can access them fast. RAM is used to load and run programs or applications on a computers are operating system. Extra RAM means more applications and programs can be run simultaneously. The speed is measured in MHz, (or megahertz). The capacity of RAM is measured in bits, bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes and the typical capacity of RAM in a PC is 512MB to 8GB. There are other types of RAM which are; SDRAM (synchronous dram) DDR(double data ratter) Rambus Dram (RDRMM) ROM (Read Only Memory): Is a class of storage media used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware. The BIOS software is built into the PC, and is the first code run by a PC when powered on (boot firmware). The primary function of the BIOS is to load and start an operating system. BIOS software is stored on a non-volatile ROM chip built into the system on the mother board. The first job for the BIOS is to initialize and identify system devices such as the video display card, keyboard and mouse, hard disk, CD/DVD drive and other hardware. These are the types of ROM: Mask-Programmed ROM (MROM) Programmable ROM (PROM) Erasable-Programmable ROM (EPROM) Electrically Erasable PROM (EEPROM) Input devices: Input devices are any piece of computer hardware equipment used to provide data and give in information to the computer. They allow us to enter the information and data into the computer.E.g. Mouse: Is an input device which inputs information by clicking the mouse and being able to move the arrow in the monitor by using the mouse. Mouse can display mainframe data records that contain a leading 4 byte record length counter. With proper options, mouse can add carriage returns to fixed length records. Types of mouse: laser mouse mechanical mouse cordless mouse KEYBORAD: The set of typewriter like keys that enables you to enter data into a computer. Computer keyboards are similar to electric-typewriter keyboards but contain additional keys. It control the computer and purposes includes a plurality of sets of two or more keys arranged for receiving the tips of the finger of a hand of an operator, the keys of each set have such a small superficial touch area and are clustered together. So as to be substantially comprehended and selectively operated by a single finger tip of an operator. There different types of keyboards: Ergonomic Keyboards Wireless keyboards Illuminated keyboards Output Devices: Output Devices are used to communicate the outcomes of data processing carried out by information to the computer to the outside world. Which we get information out of the computer. E.g. Printers will print anything that in on that is on the monitor onto paper. This can be pictures, words and numbers. Monitor Monitor is a device that displays images or symbols generated by computers, an output device that is a part of your computer display system. They Serve as the visual display to help you navigate your computer. Also to display text and graphics, produced by a computer. The resolution is the measurement of the number of pixels that a computer displays, also called a computer monitor, can show at one time. Monitors that display more pixels offer a sharper, brighter image. Monitors are measured in inches, diagonally from top left to bottom right. Types of monitors: CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) Monitor LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) Monitor Printers: Printer is a peripheral which produces a text and/or graphics) of documents stored in electronic form, usually on physical print media such as paper or transparencies. It lets you to get a hard copy of a document, or picture. DPI (dots per inch) most printers print 600 dpi printers print 600 tiny little dots across one inch and 600 dots vertically for one inch. The higher the resolution of your printer or image setter, the greater detail you can print and the better appearance of your output. The speed of printers is measured in print-per-minute (PPM) for example, laser printer ratings range from 6 to 15 ppm, inkjets are rated 4 ppm and up for black text, and photo-quality inkjets range from 0.3 to 12 ppm, depending on the job. Types of printers: Laser printers Ink-jet printers Dot matrix printers Disk Storage devices (Backing store) Disk Drives are used to record information from the computer onto a floppy disk or CD. Hard Disk Drive: Hard disk drive (HDD) main storage used to permanently store all including the operating system, data, files and programs on the computer. Most hard drives are permanently stored in an internal drive bay at the front of the computer. Capacity per HDD increasing from 3.75 megabytes to greater than 1 terabyte. The typical capacity of hard disk in a PC is uses a 400 to 500 GB drive. Types of Hard Disk: Desktop Hard Disk Types: 3.5, IDE and Sata Interfaces Laptop Hard Disk Types:2.5, 1.8, IDE, Sata, SCSI Server Hard Disk types:3.5 Sata, SCSI Optical Disk Storage CD/DVD/Blu-Ray CD Disk: A Compact Disc (CD) is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store sound recordings exclusively, but later it also allowed the preservation of other types of data.It is used to store data, video or music. So that makes it a storage device. A standard CD has a capacity of about 74 minutes of standard CD audio music. There are extended CDs that can actually exceed this limit and pack more than 80 minutes on a disk. CDs are capable of storing up to 700 mb. The types of CDs are: CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. CD-R a CD-R (Compact Disc-Recordable) is a variation of the Compact Disc invented by Philips and Sony. CD-R is a Write Once Read Many (WORM) optical medium, though the whole disk does not have to be entirely written in the same session. CD-Rewritable disk, a type of CD disk that enables you to write onto it in multiple sessions. One of the problems with CD-R disks is that you can only write to them once. DVD Disk: DVD (Digital Video Disc) is an optical disc storage media format, which are of the same dimensions as compact discs (CDs), but are capable of storing almost seven times as much data. The storage capacity of a DVD is approximately 4.7 GB (gigabytes). A dual layer doubles the storage but requires a dual-layer DVD player/recorder to use the dual-layer media. The types of DVDS: DVD-R DVD-RW DVD-ROM Blu-Ray Disk: Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The format defines as its standard physical media a 12Â  cm (same as DVDs and CDs), 25 GB per-layer optical disc, with dual layer discs (50 GB) the norm for feature-length video discs and additional layers possible later. The capacity of Blu-ray disk is 25Â  GB (single-layer) 50Â  GB (dual-layer). USB Memory Stick USB flash drives are computer devices that inputs information that is saved on the USB and inputs it in to the computer when you insert the USB. Also typically removable and rewritable, and physically much smaller than a floppy disk. USB drives range in capacity from megabytes up to 256GB and offer much more storage than writable CDs and DVDs. Operating system Is software, containing of programs and data, which runs on computers and manages the computer hardware and runs common services for active carrying out of various application software. Operating systems are responsible for everything from the control and allocation of memory to recognizing input from external devices and transmitting output to computer displays. They also manage files on computer hard drives and control peripherals, like printers and scanners. An operating system also has a vital role to play in security. Its job includes preventing unauthorized users from accessing the computer system. Examples of operating systems: Windows Vista Windows 7 Task 2: Types of computers: Desktop PC (personal computer) Is a personal computer any common-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals and which is planned to be operated directly by an end user with no principal computer operator 3 common applications of desktop PC: Access the internet Most time used in offices e.g. Microsoft office used to alto of things: like writing letters, posters etc. Starting your own home business, e.g. selling items through online auction websites. Laptop A laptop computer or simply laptop, is called a notebook, is a small personal computer designed for portability. Usually all of the interface hardware needed to operate the laptop, such as USB ports, graphics card, sound channel, etc., is built in to a single unit. Laptops hold high capacity batteries that can power the device for general periods of time, attractive portability The main purpose of a laptop computer is to be portable. 3 common applications of Laptop: Can be used away from an outlet using a rechargeable battery. Connect to any network, including wireless network Answer email on the train, plane, or passenger seat of a car Palmtop A computer small enough to hold in one hand and operate with the other. Also called a hand top, these ultra-small computers may have particular keyboards or keypads for data entry applications. 3 common applications: Send an email Create text message Access internet Network Server A network server is a computer planned to process requests and carry data to other computers over a local network or the Internet by using the same network. 3 common applications: Web server a static content to a Web browser by loading a file from a disk and serving it across the network to a users Web browser. Chat Server enables a large number of users to exchange information in an environment similar to Internet newsgroups that offer real-time discussion capabilities. Fax Servers a is an ideal solution for organizations looking to reduce incoming and outgoing telephone resources but that need to fax actual documents. Supercomputer A supercomputer is a computer which performs an amount of speed which is far above of other computers. Known constantly changing the world of computing. Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as problems involving important physics, weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modelling .A particular class of problems, known as Grand Challenge problems, are problems whose full solution requires semi-infinite computing resources. Task 3 Diagram flows around a computer system: Backing store (Disk storage devices) CPU Central Processing Unit Main memory (RAM) Output devices Input devices When clicking on the mouse or typing on the keyboard its sends information to the CPU. Once the information is recognise on to the CPU, The CPU sends informations on to the output device and will appear either on the printer or monitor When the PC is turned on the RAM sends information to the CPU and sends information to the backing store When you save work on to the PC the backing store saves it sends the information to the CPU then to the main memory and is saved there

The Native American Experience as Portrayed Through the Essay Titled, A

The Native Land Imagine living in a place where you feel free, and safe all of your life, and then one day it’s all taken away from you. Native Americans have always depended on the land to take care of them. Had the Great Spirit forsaken them? These are the thoughts that pondered the mind of Seattle as he answered to the Governor of Washington, in the essay titled â€Å"Address†. What was the purpose or message behind Albert Bierstadt’s painting titled â€Å"Among the Sierra Nevada†? How are these two separate works associated? To understand the relationship that these two works share we must look at them from today’s perspective. The Address is a Political Science/ History piece that addresses problems, and states facts about the way of life for Native Americans the beauty of the land and how Americans were to take that away from them, while Bierstadt’s painting is able to show us the piece and serenity to the earth and within ourselves. Although the text and painting have different backgrounds, they are both similar a different in many ways. Both the text and the painting challenge the relationship between land uses, background of ancestors, and power. The painting and essay display similar expressions of darkness to light. The mountains represent the downfall of Native Americans fore fathers being forced westward out of their land (Seattle, 55). Bierstadt’s painting depicts the freedom of Native Americans being driven out of their homes and lands, interrupting their peace. â€Å"Yonder sky that has wept tears of compassion upon my people for centuries untold, and which to us appear challenges and eternal, may change† (Seattle, 55). This statement illustrates even though they are the same people inside their way of thinking about wha... ...sion Native Americans made a connection with the earth that was an ongoing affirmation to be close to nature. To witness the beauty of the land and all it had to offer them. Seattle’s address took a strong and powerful stance against the Americans, not only did he stand up for his people but he showed the wrong in the Americans. The essay and art work have affected the progress and solidity of the Native American culture in the past and the present. Each piece possess vitality, power and a drive to move forward, they also coincide on different levels where as to the message, that they bring forth understanding the environment and relationship between land, and man.† At night when the streets of your cities and villages are silent and you think them deserted, they will throng with the returning hosts that once filled and still love this beautiful land† (Seattle, 57).

The Economic Agency of Women in Malthus’ Essay on the Principle of Popu

The Economic Agency of Women in Malthus’ Essay on the Principle of Population It is difficult to examine the question of the division of labor within the household in Malthus’ writings as it seems to be entirely outside the scope of his work. Though his conclusions are predicated on the relationship between men and women, from reading his writing one has the distinct impression that women are not really a factor. In spite of this, an examination of the implications inherent in Malthus’ analysis is revealing of some basic assumptions he makes regarding the economic role of women. With particular regard to the question of agency within the marriage, Malthus’ arguments and conclusions are in opposition to the arguments put forth by Smith in his Lectures on Jurisprudence. Malthus builds his argument upon two axiomatic statements: â€Å"First, that food is necessary to the existence of man. Secondly, that the passion between the sexes is necessary and will remain nearly in its present state† (Malthus, 1798, Ch 1). Though he does not identify it as such, Malthus makes a third assumption: â€Å"Population, when unchecked, increases in a geometrical ration. Subsistence increases only in an arithmetical ratio† (Ch 1). What this creates, in his model, is a society that is driven by population pressures to expand and held back by a variety of checks. These checks divide into two basic categories, preventive and active. The active checks are what Malthus terms â€Å"vice† and â€Å"misery† and are interesting for the purposes of this paper only in that they are unavoidable aspects of every society. The preventive checks, however, are all predicated on members of society delaying marriage. These preventive checks, while the y vary in the speci... ...besides the cost they incur on the men who father their children. In conclusion, we return to Adam Smith’s model of marriage in his Lectures on Jurisprudence. For him, marriage was predicated on the next generation. It was a tool, not only to provide for the next generation as with Malthus, but for the very existence of children capable of inheriting and continuing the family line. Malthus creates a much more dismal perspective of children, the only product of women, as mere dead weight. In providing the next generation, women merely increase the pressure of population on the food supply, with no consideration on a micro level of the advantages of child bearing. References Malthus, Thomas R (1798). Essay on the Principle of Population [Electronic Version]. Retrieved September 19, 2003, from http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/ public/MalPopu.html

The Effects of the Ageing Population on the British Welfare State Essay

Introduction Since the year 1800, the global population has grown from one billion to the estimated current population of 6.5 billion. By the year 2070 the world’s population is expected to continue to grow to 10 billion people. The major increase in population has occurred in the past 50 years, and based upon the United Nations (2007) estimates and projections up to the year 2050, it is believed that the population burst experienced worldwide over the past half century will have slowed down in the northern and contemporary countries, whereas the population will continue to increase in less developed countries and southern nations. While the large population is taxing enough on the already fragile economic markets of the United Kingdom, the fact that this population is rapidly ageing and will rely heavily on the British Welfare State is of concern. Through the examination and use of both printed and online sources, the population trends and their causes are presented, and the impact on, an d implications for, the British welfare state are discussed. 1- Population Trends In Britain and the rest of Europe, the population is forecasted to decline (Appendix A) with two noticeable trends focusing on the increase of the elderly, as well as the decrease in youth and people of working age. 1.1- The Ageing Population According to a BBC news report (2011), the number of individuals over the age of sixty could rise by 40% in the next thirty years. The office of National Statistics (2009) has on record that from 1984 - 2009 there has been a one percent increase in the elderly, which equals roughly to 1.7 million. The biggest increase seems to appear in the aged 85+ category. Since 1983, the number of people in this category has doub... ...jor economic shortfall due to low fertility and mortality rates. Though there are several objectives that could be implemented, such as increasing worker productivity and growth, all possible improvements will still require a heavier amount of taxation and reduction in public spending and will rely upon the rapidly failing health of the general population. Possible solutions to this significant problem are delaying the retirement age, increasing working hours, allowing for increased migration and the privatization of health services. However, every one of these ideas will likely be met with heavy resistance. If the youth and working population does not save more for their retirement, and prepare for the future, the economic fallout of the ageing population will be a worse crisis than that of the 2007-2008 financial crises and, possibly, even the Great Depression.

Review and Critical thinking Essay

Review Questions Syncopation is placing emphasis or accents on beats that are unexpected, or, alternatively. Is music that combined the music of marches with the rhythms of African music. The instruments used for ragtime are used in jazz. Cornetist who helped to create jazz music . His music had a loud piercing sound that be heard in the distance. Bebop had faster rhythms and more complex harmonies. A form of jazz that emphasized improvisation. In hot jazz multiple musicians did improvisation, In classic it was one. Critical Thinking Questions Both use improvisation at some point. A difference is that classical music try not to improvise but jazz music use it all the time. A characteristic of jazz is that it uses a of improvisation. Another characteristic is that it has influence from its african roots. What they mean by that is that jazz is America’s music, it was created in america and was given a lot attention. Even the government gave attention to it. Buddy bolden was one of the people to create jazz, not much is know about his music, but some people that heard his music have said it was a loud piercing sound that can be heard from a distance. Improvisation is creating music in the moment by responding to the other players around you. Jazz music uses improvisation almost all the time, most jazz pieces use improvisation.

Marketing Strategies of IBM Essay

Introduction This study aims at examining the use of theoretical marketing approaches in the practical business scenario. In this domain the marketing strategy of IBM has been considered on empirical grounds. It is by the use of marketing theory and concepts that the study evaluates the marketing strategies of IBM and its role in fulfilling the firm’ overall goals and objectives. Four specific aspects of marketing strategy evaluation are assessed in this study. Initially the proceedings are related to the importance and the use of information in successful marketing strategies by IBM. This is followed by a discussion on IBM marketing strategies in relation to its organisational strategy. The paper also makes an analysis of the application of IBM marketing strategies in global context. Lastly e-business strategies of IBM in the marketing domain are assessed. Evaluation of marketing strategy of IBM International Business Machines Corporation, better known as IBM, is a multinational IT company involved in the manufacture and retail of computer hardware and software applications, and IT consulting services. Employing the best talents in the industry, IBM is today the largest as well as the most profitable information technology employer in the world. Despite of the adverse economic conditions, the firm achieve a significant increase in its net revenue and income in 2008 compared to previous years. Well – devised and efficient marketing strategies have been the key to IBM’ global success. The company strongly believes that devising effective marketing strategies requires making appropriate decisions that can well enhance all kinds of competitive advantages and can create all kinds of new sources of value for the purpose of improving the organisational revenue growth. According to Luq Niazi, Leader of Strategy and Change at IBM, â€Å"when the leaders of an organisation think about their business as components, it becomes clear which ones they need to own – and which they do not†. This clearly indicates the great emphasis that IBM places on the performance and  decision making capabilities of leaders in devising effective marketing strategies. In addition, the firm also considers understanding the requirements and needs of customers as crucial for developing effective marketing strategies. Understanding the innovative demands of customers lies at th e core of developing effective marketing strategies. Based on IBM’ market share and dominance in the IT industry, the firm can be aptly described as a ‘market leader’. Being a market leader, an important marketing strategy which IBM uses against its competitors is the defensive marketing warfare strategy. The defensive marketing strategy involves the firm employing tactics to maintain its market share. There are several tactics that firms use for defending their market share, such as fortification, counterattack, mobile defence and strategic retreat (Ries and Trout, 2005). Being the courageous market leader that IBM is, the firm adopts the best defensive marketing strategy which is â€Å"self attack†. IBM’ strategy is â€Å"cheaper and better than IBM†. Aware of IBM’ tactic, customers wait for IBM’ new prospects as they know that the Big Blue will constantly introduce new and better products which makes the firm’ own products obsolete. Another key marketing strategy employed by IBM for sustaining its market leadership is product differentiation strategies. Product differentiation can be achieved using a variety of factors such as distinctive products, reliability, durability, product design etc (Kurtz and Boone, 2006). IBM uses a product differentiation strategy based on quality of performance. In line with its quest for further growth and market leadership, the firm adopts a diversification strategy. The importance of IBM’ growth strategy has heightened in the current economic situation with companies in the computer industry having faced a massive drop in the industrial production and productivity of computer hardware and the future growth for this segment also appearing dim. In such a context, IBM has strategically reduced its exposure to hardware by diversifying into software and services. IBM also realises the importance of maintaining good relationships with its customers and in line the firm lays great emphasis on trust – based marketing strategies. Trust based marketing strategies stress on the need for organisations to gain ethical hold over consumer dealings and also be honest and open about its products and the services. For IBM, adoption of this strategy has been very effective in developing its brand  identity and image. In all of its marketing activities, the firm strives at building customer trust and loyalty. Importance and use of information in IBM marketing strategy The importance and use of information is vital for gaining success. In line, IBM adopted the strategy to take up Social Networking to the work place. It is an absolute means of sharing ideas, complains and letters of appreciation in public. By means of adopting networking opportunities, IBM established its strong hold over competitive market. It is through the provision of Social Networking (SN), that IBM established its commitment to technology and developed an enterprise – wide SN mindset. IBM is the first major IT supplier that has got potential provisions for SN and is in the process of changing the entire enterprise along with a credible application to address the market. By means of investments made in the SN domain, IBM has gained enough market strengths in the enterprise lineage, global services, deep pockets and above all in gaining loyal customers. By success of SN, IBM proved to be a fine player in the domain of information networking. The proceedings have added many advantages to its organisational global services. SN for enterprises have been implemented with enough marketing strategies and this is what is providing IBM with technical expertise in the field of organizational/adoption issues. The launching of more facilities related to SN are relevant to the competition of the market. The launcher came up with a new idea and launched it much before the though had developed in anyone’ mind. The second big thing to the adoption of marketing strategy is the IBM’s mindset in the launching of Lotus Connection. It is an information networking process with collaboration-centric approach to SN and helps in information sharing and uninterrupted workflow. By few minutes of exploration anybody can well get hold over its functionalities. IBM kept it easy and user friendly; the basics of marketing strategies. When it comes to the use of information system in IBM, the adoption of unique kind of marketing strategies is predominant. The basic approach is in being innovative and adopting something that is very user friendly and easy for the customer to adopt. Complicacies in the same field can lead to failure of  the same. This is the reason that IBM lays emphasis over making it simple, easy and sharing more than the consumer can expect. Once there is a kind of trust and sense of being facilitated gets into the consumer, he hardly will opt for any other company and this is what IBM believes to the core. Application of innovative ideas in the field of information sharing units can be of great risk, but under the marketing strategy of IBM, this risk has been taken again and again with enough success. IBM marketing strategy in relation to Organisational strategy The strategic effectiveness of an organizational strategy can be measured using SWOT analysis. This is a structure that figure out strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of a particular company. Incorporating the Johnson and Scholes’ model for corporate strategy into this structure creates three success criteria for evaluating a firm (Rifkin, 2001). These are as following; Suitability can be assessed to identify the factors that will support the strategies. Feasibility is all about the adoption of executing the strategy into practical field. Acceptability is something that will determine the reactions that the organisation will receive by the execution of the strategies. At IBM, employees are greatly encouraged to initiate creative marketing tactics. The application of SWOT and the Johnson and Scholes model proves that IBM has got enough potentiality in developing well crafted assessment about itself. Its main strength lies in identifying its weaknesses. The approaches are all very professional and the marketing persuasions are well structured as per the organ isational structure. As per the declarations made by the official site of IBM, the basic marketing strategy in relation to organisational strategy adopted by IBM is more concerned about the proceedings led by HRM. The perspectives of organisational dealings are strategically adopted to meet the demands of HRM. The typical business culture of IBM is customer centric and in hence a substantial amount of responsibility is placed on the HR department. It has been marked that on traditional ground many IBM executives along with aspiring general managers are selected for the purpose of improving sales force and market oriented projects. It can be well marked as Samuel J. Palmisano, the current CEO, IBM; initially joined the company in the position of a salesman. With his determination and marketing strategies he achieved the position that he currently occupies (Spooner, 2002). Though it  is unusual for a CEO’s profile, but in IBM, growth of the organisation and the people working for it are directly proportionate to performances led in the field and the adoption of the marketing strategies which respond adequately to competitive pressures. Global context in IBM marketing planning In the global context, IBM has proved itself as a strong contender by managing to sustain in the most difficult situations. It has overcome the twists and turns it initially faced in adjusting to the ‘bricks-and-clicks’ business structure. Overcoming all the hurdles IBM is now achieving milestones through the advantages forwarded by brick-and-click enterprises. It is through this enterprise structure that IBM has transformed into a major player in terms of getting hold over global marketing plans. Its formulisations are inclusive of creating a global brand blueprint. It is a mode that usually gets expressed locally and after attaining some success approaches on global grounds. IBM always follows the process of establishing central framework and then architects the relevant consumer experiences to gain consistency with the brand. IBM always concentrates in gaining single view from its consumers and that helps in assessing the risk factors of global marketing strategies (R ometty, 2001). In order to meet the diversified point of views, IBM follows the structure noted below; Process of analysing the context of ‘when’, ‘where’ and ‘how’ the appropriate and relevant customer data can be collected. This is an approach that is done under the provision of practical market survey. The means to create absolute governance framework with special attentions led over management policies and overall practices. These are the sources that are collected through the purpose of encouraging customer centricity added by the scope to safeguard customer privacy. Approaches led by institute consistent processes for target customer is the next step. In this process the relationship led by the management across all the domains of sales and provided services of the organisation are scrutinized professionally. The process of appointing efficient team leaders and strong management initiators. IBM also appoints a leader who can perform as a single customer advocate and is very much accountable for all the sorted touch points. The marketing strategies adopted by IBM to meet global demands and competitions are well inclusive of a robust infrastructure. It has the provision for optimising flexibility and  a hub-and-spoke architecture for collecting consumer demands on global arena. There is also well marked acknowledgement for all the innovative ways adopted by the partners of IBM. Developments attain by the partners of IBM in global terms is also directly related to the marketing strategies followed by IBM. IBM understands the fact that partners can add much hold over the local market and can reach the consumer with more in-depth formulations. This is the reason that they believe in developing capitalized relationship with these partners for future opportunities. IBM and e-business strategies The motive of any electronic business is to efficiently meet consumer demands through internet networking. The internet provides a medium for businesses to reach out to customers globally at very low costs. It is an exclusive means adopted through the dealings related to information and communication technologies. In case of IBM the role of e-business is very strong. Through e-business strategies, IBM is equipping itself with all kinds of external activities and is applying determined relationships for respective business dealings; with individuals, diversified groups and corporate clients. According to ‘Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance?’; a book by a former CEO of IBM, Louis Gerstner (2003), IBM’ approach for e-Business strategies is handled by specialised e – business teams operating under IBM’s marketing department. It is through its e-business strategies that IBM is able to link its internal as well as external data processing systems with greater efficiency and flexibility. E-business helped IBM in reaching closer to its consumers, conveying the message of reliability and in urn enhancing customer loyalty to the brand. The proceedings led by IBM for the development and implementation of e-business concentrate on the diversified functions occurring through electronic capabilities. IBM is also a part of the entire value chain proceeding for more profitable dominance over the local as well as global market. There are some predominant sectors where the e-business strategies are applied to gain more trust and money from the consumer. These activities are noted below; electronic purchasing supply chain management processing orders electronically handling customer service cooperating with business partners These proceedings add special technical standards in the e-business structure of IBM. The firm also utilises e-business strategies to exchange of data between its partners and associate companies. As a matter of fact the e-business strategies of IBM are not much different from the other marketing strategies. The basic difference however depends over the expansion of management for sending and receiving contracts from the consumer. It is under this strategic implementation that IBM has adopted many local dealers to be a part of its services. These dealers are of course selected through some professional modes. The reputations of these dealers are marked by IBM first before offering the partnership. In terms of services for each product sold through e-business, IBM provides appropriate training to all those people who are a part of this structure. With strategic planning IBM is also into the dealings related to integrated intra and inter firm business proceedings. Conclusion From the above discussions, it can be derived that the marketing strategies adopted by IBM are built on the structure of trust – based marketing, defence marketing warfare, product differentiation and diversification marketing strategies. It is through the appropriate use of these theoretical approaches that IBM has established itself very strongly in the traditional marketplace as well as in the burgeoning online marketplace. IBM strives at fulfilling the needs and expectations of its customers and in enhancing customer trust and loyalty. The products and services provided by IBM can guarantee their utility to the customer’s satisfaction. In a nutshell, IBM is a courageous risk – taker that places great emphasis on innovative ideas for further growth. In line, the firm explores the consumer’s domain through proper hold over local and global proceedings. References Emerson, W.P. (1996) Building IBM: Shaping the Industry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. Gerst, Louis V. (2003) Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance? Leading a Great Enterprise through Dramatic Change. Harper Paperback Ham, A. and Rastelli, L.G. (2002) Marketing – Essential techniques and strategies geared towards results, John Wiley and Sons Inc, USA. IBM Global Business Services, http://www-935.ibm.com/services/uk/index.wss/home [retrieved on 19th Nov. 2009] Kurtz, D. L. and Boone, L.E. (2006) Principles of Marketing, 12th edn, Thomson South-western, USA. Ries, A. and Trout, J. (2005) Marketing warfare, Pearson, UK. Rifkin, J. (2000) The Age of Access, Putnum Books, New York Rometty, Ginni (2001) Five marketing tips for the digital age. http://www.935.ibm.com/services/au/index.wss/ibvstudy/igs/a1006209?cntxt=a1005848 [retrieved on 19th Nov. 2009] Spooner, John G. (2002) IBM meets lowered estimates. Staff Writer, CNET News April 17, 2002 http://news.cnet.com/IBM-meets-lowered-estimates/2100-1014_3-885259.htm [retrieved on 20th Nov. 2009] Find out more from UK Essays here: http://www.ukessays.com/essays/marketing/marketing-strategies-of-ibm.php#ixzz3JFUjpwpr