Reserach paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Reserach paper - Essay Example President Bush takes over leadership from bill Clinton. Economic wise, taxation is the major player in the field. Principles related to the handling and imposing of tax vary between the two presidents. This is exhibited when the change in taxation is implemented by Bush. He introduces lower taxation rates contrary to the bill that had higher taxation system. America prepares to make control over the world as they aspire to be the best in war technology. The establishment of research in the sector of biological toxins as weapons targeting specific people is established. The control of these toxins is also put in check in order to avoid attacks from within. This is father enhanced by restricting the ownership of some transport vessels. These are done through fast legislations. This document relies on research findings and analysis of the changes during 2000-2001 in the US. There are changes that were realised during this period. Among which, the legislations that were directed towards ensuring safety of the Americans after the attack in Yemen. These included restrictions and developments in research sectors. Some changes involved the attack on the terror groups. This was targeted at eliminating the Taliban and al-Qaeda who were the arch enemies of the states. This was the time when elections held, and to some extent, it disputed within states. Bush emerged the winner as Clinton left office. The economy is said to have had a surplus budget then. This was due to the high taxation rate that was imposed by bills administration. Bush, however, lowered the rates after taking over the office. In this same period, the genetic code was cracked. This gave a lime light to a discovery of drugs to treat ailments related to genetic composition of the humans. The other changes that were realised in this period were the development of legislation that restricted ownership of defined commodities. This was as a result of an attack on the naval ship. Measures were

Oedipus and the Sphinx Essay Example for Free

Oedipus and the Sphinx Essay Know Thyself is sage advice. All Things in Moderation is also a wise saying. King Oedipus, subject of the most tragic story ever written, brought about his own downfall because of his excessive obsession to know himself. And, try as he might, the more he tried to escape his tragic Fate, the closer it got Thus, some say that the moral of the story is, Even if you try to thwart your destiny, you wont succeed. The concept of predestination plays a large role here. For example, if the gods know what will happen, and events are pre-ordained, how can people make free choices or have any semblance of free will? If the gods put challenges in our way that we fail to rise to, are we responsible for the consequences? Would knowing the future, as Oedipus does, cause us to act or behave any differently? The ancient scribe Sophocles wrote Oedipus the King (between 441-427 B.C.E.) for the annual festival where playwrights competed for prizes. These festivals were major civic occasions, with attendance expected of all noted writers. In his play Sophocles goes out of his way to present Oedipus as an extremely capable, beloved ruler. It should be noted that Sophocles never suggests that Oedipus has brought his destiny on himself by any ungodly pride (hubris) or tragic flaw (hamartia), common themes in Greek tragedies. Sophocles also makes a special effort to explain that Oedipus killed King Laius in self-defense, and a major theme in the tragic play is whether one can believe in oracles and seers. The title of the play, from which is derived the story, is often given in its Latin translation (Oedipus Rex), rather than in its original Greek (Oedipus Tyranneus), since the Greek term for king is the English tyrant, which means a monarch who rules without the consent of the people. THE TRAGEDY BEGINS Laius and his wife Jocasta (or Iocasta) were King and Queen of Thebes, a prosperous and famous city state in ancient Greece. King Laius, as many people did those days, consulted Apollos revered oracle of Delphi for advice and to find out what the future held for him. What the oracle announced shocked the royal couple The Delphic oracle said that the Kings son would grow up and kill him! To make matters worse, it was prophesized that the son would marry his mother and produce offspring by her. King Laius and Queen Jocasta were understandably aghast! A short time later Queen Jocasta became pregnant and gave birth to a darling little baby boy. Remembering with fear the oracle of Delphis words, the royal couple of Thebes had the infants feet pierced and tied together thats the meaning of the name Oedipus, swollen feet. (Myth Mans note: this mythical detail makes no sense. It must have been introduced to explain the heros name. (Hold everything, I stand corrected. Here is an informative note sent by reader Adam Johnston on July 1, 2011.) Hey there, Just thought Id let you know that the pointless mythical detail about Oedipus feet being pierced and tied together actually has dual function. It was to ensure that the baby would not survive when exposed to the wilderness. But, more importantly, it is a detail that helps him decipher the answer to the sphinxs riddle later in life. He is a crippled man who walks with a cane, and scholars see this as the assistance he needed to understand the part of the riddle regarding the 3 legs. Just thought you should know! ~Adam (Many thanks to Adam for taking time to bring this to my attention.) Laius and Jocasta knew that their baby son had to be destroyed, but they didnt have the heart to do so themselves. They instructed their most trusted slave to expose the hapless baby on Mount Cithaeron, a wild and beast-filled place where the infant surely would perish. In those days, it was usual to leave an unwanted or defective baby in the wilderness. However, the slave glanced down at the innocent child and took pity on it. Knowing that the royal couple of the nearby city state of Corinth was childless, and desperately desired a son, the slave left the crying infant, its feet still pierced and bound by a pin, in a place sure to be found. Sure enough, a kindly shepherd discovered the baby and brought the foundling for adoption to King Polibus and Queen Merope of Corinth. Oedipus was raised as a son by Polibus and Merope and grew to be a handsome, clever and brave young man, even though he walked with a slight limp from the wounds he suffered when his real parents pierced his feet. One day, while playing with his adolescent friends, he got into an argument with them. They insisted, as mean children sometimes do, that he was a fake son, and not the real child of Polibus and Merope. When Oedipus confronted his parents about this, they denied that he was adopted and swore that he was their legitimate child. They told Oedipus to forget what the mean kids had said, but now he was intrigued. To discover the truth for himself, Oedipus journeyed to Delphi and asked of the oracle, Who am I? The oracle, cryptic as always, replied: You are the man who will kill his father and breed children by his mother. Confused and devastated, the young man started to head back home. Nearing the crossroad, Oedipus decided never to return to Corinth and go to Thebes instead. He dearly loved his parents and thought that by never returning home he would keep them safe and thus overcome his Fate according to Apollos oracle. As he was approaching the crossroad between Delphi, Thebes and Corinth, distraught and deep in thought, Oedipus came upon an old man in a chariot, escorted by a few attendants. It was a narrow passage between two rocks and hard to navigate safely. The crabby old man in the chariot shouted: Get lost! Go away! Get off this road!, striking Oedipus with his long scepter. Adding further injury, the rude, regal old man ran over the young mans sore foot with his chariot wheel. Oedipus angrily grabbed the staff from his tormentors hands and hit him on the head, killing the old man. The same fate befell the attendants, who tried to attack and arrest Oedipus he valiantly fought and killed them too, save for one servant, who ran away in panic when the battle broke out. Hey, he just wanted to cross the narrow passage, thats all! Besides, Oedipus was simply defending himself, and he got there first! Little did Oedipus suspect that the old man he had just slain was his own father, and that the first part of the oracles prophecy had come true

Topics of Discussion in Educational Studies :: essays research papers

Topics of Discussion in Educational Studies I read the article â€Å"Another Look at what young Children Should Be learning† because the title interested me, how do we decide what to teach and when? Who controls the standards for a school? Is it up to the teacher or is it something that the teachers were told to teach? In many cases I understand that it is a mixture of both the teachers influence and what the teacher is required to do. This makes me think back to my own experiences in school, being taught different thing and now I think, why was I taught that? This article came up with some very interesting points about education.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some of these things that I read in the article I can directly relate to my own experience. In my high school and junior high we always had learning goals. They would come up with acronyms to help us remember them and make us do project involving them. In high school they were called the ESLERS, what it stood for escapes me now. I guess the school thought it was a good idea to make sure that every classroom had these learning goals posted on the wall. I thought that was always a little silly, but I can’t think of a better way of using them. It never really helped me personally but I could see how it could help others. Learning though interaction at a young age was also mentioned in the article, I have memories of this in use as well. In my elementary school we would always have these weird things that would be secretly teaching us something. Like our first grade teacher introduced us to algebra in a way. He drew this machine on the board, and then he said that he is putting a number in one side. Then he showed us what came out the other side, and we had to figure out what the machine did. He let us put in different numbers, and it was fun. If I become a teacher I hope that I could be that creative when it comes to teaching.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the article they talk about how some methods of teaching could be good in the short run test scores, but not in the long run education of the student. They say that the amount of drills and practice in reading is a good way to teach reading, but could undermine the students’ disposition toward reading.

Human Resources Functions Essay

The Human Resources Department (HRD) is responsible for Human Resources Planning at ‘Alstom’ and most other big businesses. This means they have a number of main responsibilities to make sure that the business is planned and running well. At ‘Alstom’ the HRD have to plan ahead and make sure they have the correct number of suitable employees for the business. In order to do this ‘Alstom’ set out to fully understand the demand on the labour market in their area. The main things ‘Alstom’ look at are: > Availability of labour > Competition for employment and placements > Local employment trends > Skills shortages These are all very important as they highlight what is going on in the labour market and what may affect the running of ‘Alstom’. Availability of labour shows just how many people there are on offer for employment in ‘Alstom’s’ area, which reveals to them how many people there are to choose from when recruiting. Competition for employees shows whether demand for labour is increasing because competitors are expanding or whether demand is dropping because competitors are having to make redundancies. This also can affect wage rates when recruiting, because as demand increases salary rates are caused to rise. This is because it is harder to recruit the right sort of employees and so companies have to offer better pay conditions in order to attract the right candidates to their business. Local employment trends imply how much labour is available and suggest whether it will be easy or difficult to recruit. It also shows if a local competitor is discarding labour and so provides an advantage for ‘Alstom’ as they can employ these who have been made redundant, as they will have the skills and the experience needed. Skill shortages are very important statistics to ‘Alstom’ as they reveal when the skills needed in their industry are dropping in the labour market, which can be very costly to the business when it comes to recruiting. If the skills they need such as degrees in manufacturing and engineering begin to fall, then wage rates will rise and the competition between ‘Alstom’ and other companies to recruit these graduates will become quite fierce. However, to help this problem ‘Alstom’ are quite fortunate as they have already set up their own training scheme to make sure they are achieving the skills they need. At ‘Alstom’ they also review how labour is progressing within the business. They calculate: > Succession > Sickness rates > Accident rates > Age > Skills & training > Wastage rate – labour turnover This is very important because by using and understanding these factors and statistics it can be seen where ‘Alstom’ may need improving and where things may have to change. For example, if accident rates are high, they may look into why people are so many accidents and what from, etc. By doing this they see if there is anything they can do to help this situation and prevent this from happening as much. ‘Alstom’ can also make better decisions about their staffing from these statistics and can analyze the success of the HRP and improve where it is needed. Recruitment & Selection At ‘Alstom’ it is the HRD’s responsibility to recruit and select employees into the business. At ‘Alstom’ they have four main objectives when recruiting staff, which are all very important. They are important because these objectives outline the essentials that are needed in recruitment and selection to structure a solid foundation for the business. These objectives are: > Helping the growth of ‘Alstom’ > Improving by changing job roles within ‘Alstom’ > Improving by employee internal promotion within ‘Alstom’ > Filling resignation, retirement or dismissal vacancies within ‘Alstom’ When additional or replacement personnel are required, here are what the main responsibilities are throughout this process: > The Recruiting Manager (RM) will complete a Personnel Requisition (job family model, profile & job description). > It is returned to HRD for action. > The Human Resources Officer (HRO) advises the RM on the Personnel Requisition and will consult with them regarding sourcing the vacancy. > The post is advertised internally prior to/parallel with external recruitment procedures (managers are not permitted to contact any external agencies directly without prior agreement from the HRD). > Internal applicants should complete an ‘Application for Internal Appointment’ form – applicant’s manager must authorize. External applicants complete an ‘Application for External Appointment’ form or submit a CV. > Internal applicants are screened by the HRO and forwarded to the RM. Selected applicant interviews are then arranged via HRD. Internal candidates not selected for interviews are notified by HRD. Successful internal candidates have their current manager informed by the HRD and are formally offered the job via their manager. They then have 10 days to accept and the two managers agree on a release date. > External applicants are screened by HRD and suitable applicants are forwarded to the RM for selection. Interviews are then arranged via HRD for short-listed candidates. The successful candidate is issued the ‘New Starter Advice’ by the HRD, in liaison with the RM. The candidate is then offered a placement subject to a pre-employment medical examination and at least one previous employers reference and evidence of qualifications. The candidate then has 10 days to accept after which time the offer becomes invalid. This process is very important to ‘Alstom’ as it makes sure that recruiting and selecting is done accurately and fairly. If this was not done appropriately then the business could suffer as the wrong recruit for ‘Alstom’ may be selected due to the process being carried out inappropriately and poorly. The candidates may also complain if they feel that the process was not carried out professionally and fairly, which would obviously not benefit anyone. Performance Management At ‘Alstom’ they have several ways of measuring and managing the performance of their employees, all of which are very important. They are important because they enable managers to oversee and supervise the performance of employees and make sure they are working to their full potential and so therefore see whether they are benefiting ‘Alstom’ and doing their part to ensure the business operates to its full potential. It also helps ‘Alstom’ to see which employees may need help and what they may need help with. Many of the ways are connected to the training. These are the methods they use: > Standards – At ‘Alstom’ there are set standards for each job role that have to be met in order for the work to be regarded as high performance. There are four sets of standards for different levels. These levels are: Group leaders Middle managers Senior Manager (operations) Senior manager (strategic) These standards for each level are to be met and are used to assess the skills and the effectiveness of the employee as well as to assess whether they are working efficiently enough for ‘Alstom’. These results are then reviewed and worked through in an individual appraisal discussion. > Objectives – At ‘Alstom’ objectives are set and defined and help employers to ensure that employee’s are working to a good standard. Setting objectives also helps the employees by stating the important guidelines, which need to be followed in order for them to do their job well. There are ten objectives, arranged in two groups. Technical Objectives and Business & Personal Objectives. Here is an example of a Business Objective: B4 = Personal Skills To be able to operate effectively in a group endeavor > Self-assessment – At ‘Alstom’ they ask employees to carry out their own self-assessment after reading and understanding the standards. They are given a suggested method and have guidance along the way. This helps both the employer and the employee. It helps the employer to understand what the employee’s own personal opinion of their performance is, where they may feel insecure and want some help, how confident they are within themselves, etc. Self-assessment helps the employee by allowing them to input their own thoughts of their performance, shows where they may need to put most of their effort, assess how they are coping meeting the job’s criteria, etc. Therefore, it helps both the employer and the employee to assess and manage individual performance. > Measuring production – At ‘Alstom’ they also carry out some measurements of production. An example of this is ‘Graduate Retention’. This is an important method of performance management as it shows clearly what ‘Alstom’s’ internal statistics are and helps the business realize and assess where improvement may need to made and which areas are struggling to run well. For example, if graduate retention is increasing then they will need to make changes and improvements to bring this statistic down and therefore benefit the business. Training and development At ‘Alstom’ they have a process for Training and Development (shown on next page). The main responsibility of HRD is to make sure that this process is carried out and that it is fully introduced and explained. Training and Development is very important to ‘Alstom’ as it ensures that employees learn the right skills for the job and it makes sure that they can do their job well and efficiently. It helps employees to earn the skills, qualifications and experience that they want/need and it benefits ‘Alstom’ as it enables them to run better and to a fuller potential and efficiency because their workers are well trained and developed.

Domestic Violence and the Police Essay

In this essay I have chosen to study and discuss an article about domestic violence in Britain. The aspects I have chosen to concentrate on are the police response to domestic abuse, recent government initiatives and the financial and logistical problems faced by women who are trying to escape from violent domestic situations. The statistics relating to domestic violence are very disturbing. According to the Women’s Aid website, one incident of domestic violence per minute is reported, with an alarming two deaths a week perpetrated by a current or former partner. In addition to this, they report that one in four women have suffered some kind of violence in the home. The statistics, from the British Crime Survey 2012, only represent reported violence, and associations who support women that have suffered violence, suspect that many more incidents go unreported(Walby & Allen, 2004). So what the definition of domestic violence? The government definition of domestic violence is â €Å"Any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional), between adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality†. Domestic violence is not a new phenomenon. Before the 1970’s it was something that happened, but was kept firmly behind closed doors and treated as a private matter. The rise of feminism in the 1970’s and the work done with battered women in refuges at that time, led to a heightened awareness of the problem. Studies completed by feminists at the time claimed to have found a link between the dominance of men in society and the way that incidences of domestic violence were ignored or denied. Conservatives at that time debated the findings and claimed that violence towards women had more to do with the fragmentation of family life and â€Å"dysfunctional families†. They also claimed that the statistics were flawed and that actually men were also victims of domestic violence. Straus and Gelles 1986(cited in Giddens), suggested in their report that men were less likely to report domestic attacks, so it was not possible to make a fair comparison. Feminists retaliated b y pointing out that attacks on women were being regularly beaten by their husbands, whereas men were usually only attacked as a â€Å"one off† incident, and that often the woman was defending herself or responding to repeated attacks. (Rawthorne 2002,cited in Gibbens). Feminists could also argue that the police force  itself is a patriarchal. The fact that the police force is still male dominated with only 36,443 female officers out of a total of 137,139, indicates that it is still a male dominated profession, which may make it difficult for the majority of officers to empathise with the plight of women in an abusive situation. So why does domestic violence occur? Dobash and Dobash (1980) found that one of the major factors that cause domestic violence was the husband’s belief that the woman was failing to keep the house properly. With an increase in the number of women working it would not be unreasonable to expect men to do their share of housework, but a study by Arlie Horschchild(1989)(cited in Giddens), found that in reality, working women still do most of the daily chores and it is considered to be their responsibility. Feminists argue that violence against women is symptomatic of a patriarchal society’s attitude to women. Mackinnon (1989) claimed that the subordination of women is the central reason for men’s violence to women and children. Functionalist theorists such as Talcott Parsons (1956) (cited in Giddens) stated that one partner in the family should stay at home to assume the â€Å"effective† emotional role. In the vast majority of households, that person is usually the woman. Feminists argue that this disadvantages women as they then do not have an income of their own to enable them leave if they need to. In recent years reported domestic violence figures have decreased but unfortunately they have started to increase again. Professor Sylvia Walby (UNESCO Chair in Gender Research at Lancaster University), published a report in February 2012 that stated a rise in the number of cases of domestic violence, and voiced concerns about funding cuts to women’s’ refuges and services. She fears that the recession, combined with local government cuts to services that keep wome n safe, may be leading to the current increase. Evidence in the past has indicated that spousal abuse is more prevalent between low-income couples (Cherlin 1999 cited in Giddens). William Goode (1971) felt that whilst men on higher incomes can control women by holding the purse strings, men who are unable to exert this financial control use violence instead. If this is the case, the recession may well lead to many more incidents of domestic violence as couples struggle financially and men face redundancy. The article I have chosen features a lady who was being abused by her husband and how she tried to get away from her situation. It is disturbing to read that that the police  completely failed to assess the situation adequately and left the women unsupported and vulnerable to further attack. Logic would suggest that as this lady had two small children, the man should have been the one made to leave. Instead the policeman involved implied that by staying, she was inviting further violence! The police also did not offer to remove the lady and children to a place of safety, or arrange any sort of support for her. In response to this kind of incident, the Association of Chief Police Officers has worked with the CPS to produce a â€Å"charging checklist† (appendix 1) to enable police officers to get a clearer picture on how to obtain a watertight conviction in cases of domestic violence, and to ensure that the officer has thought about the safety of the complainant. Importantly, the form also records previous incidents of a similar kind. This would have helped Sabina Akhtar (also mentioned in the article) who was murdered by a former partner, despite several appeals to the police to help and protect her. The British Crime Survey found that, while for the majority of women leaving the violent partner stopped the violence, 37% said it did not. 18% of those that had left their partner were further victimised by other forms of harassment. 7% who left said that the worst incident of domestic violence took place after they had stopped living with their partner. Worldwide figures show that 44% of female homicides are perpetrated by a current or former partner, compared to only 6% of men.(Human rights website). Unfortunately, the current system of allowing bail to the perpetrators, gives them the opportunity to re-offend. The current government has acknowledged that domestic violence is still a big problem in this country. The Home Secretary has allocated more than  £28 million for specialist services to tackle violence against women and girls until 2015. Problems caused by cultural beliefs such as forced marriage and female genital mutilation, have been given a higher profile with specific units being set up to help the victims of such crimes. They have chosen several key areas to focus on, the first being early intervention This is aimed at young people to ensure that they understand the importance of healthy relationships and understand that they have the right to say â€Å"no†. This campaign has been heavily advertised on the television and in schools. Professionals are being trained to spot early signs and risk factors of domestic and sexual violence, child sexual abuse, and h armful practices. The system itself disadvantages women experiencing abuse. There are problems with the way domestic violence is recorded and dealt with by the police. According to the article there are currently eleven cases that being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. The police are accused of failing to take women’s fears seriously and of failing to provide protection for women who are being abused on a regular basis. The government and the police have acknowledged that attitudes to women and domestic violence are still in need of change. Under the new government initiative, the police have been given new powers to help domestic violence victims break the cycle of abuse including piloting Domestic Violence Protection Orders which allow police to ban alleged abusers from returning to the victim’s home for several weeks. In conclusion, it appears that the problem of domestic violence is starting to be brought out into the open. The sad fact is that even if a woman leaves her abusive partner she still is not safe. She often has to give up her home and sometimes even her family to get away. There also the question of financial support. Very often, abusive men control the finances as they use this as another way of keeping control of their partner. According to the Refuge website, men have been known to force women to give up their jobs, take out loans in their name, and generally run up debt. This makes it harder for her to leave because not only has the woman got no money to support herself and her children, but she also has debts against her name. Although the government has made dealing with domestic violence a priority, they are also cutting funding to councils and other associations. It remains to be seen how effective their new policies are and whether they continue to provide funding to enable the services to function.

Hitler and Nazi Germany essays

Hitler and Nazi Germany essays In July 1932, Hitler and the Nazi party won 230 seats in the Reichstag elections, becoming the single biggest party in the Reichstag. Ein volk, ein reich, ein fuhrer. This phrase, which means one people, one state, one leader forms the elemental foundation of the Nazi identity. The Nazis governed Germany with a fascist outlook, they believed unity was important. Numerous factors contributed to the Nazi identity, these factors reinforced the concept of unity and they are reflected in the actions taken by the Nazi government. After the loss of World War One, the social atmosphere in Germany was one of bitter resentment. He and future-Nazis were confused about the loss of the war. As far as they knew, Germany had been winning the war until their leaders (the Weimar government) inexplicably called for peace. Like many other Germans, the Nazis believed the stab in the back myth. They thought that the Jews were involved in a world-wide conspiracy against Germany, that the Jews were the enemy within. Inevitably, along with the loss of the war came the Treaty of Versailles which set the terms of peace between Germany and the Allies, this was signed by the Weimar government in 1919. The terms of the treaty destroyed Germanys status as a super-power in Europe. The terms included: military disarmament - no army or navy, only a small defence force of 100,000 men was allowed; considerable loss of territory - thirteen percent of land was taken; huge sums of reparations were to be paid to the Allies and Germa ny was forced to accept all blame for the war. The condition of life in Germany deteriorated rapidly due to the inflation that occurred following the signing of the Treaty. The Nazis, as fascists, believed in a strong state and the Treaty had greatly weakened Germany. In the Treaty they saw the indispensable need to rebuild Germany and to reclaim the lost land. They wanted to...

Cfrb Radio Station Essays

Cfrb Radio Station Essays Cfrb Radio Station Paper Cfrb Radio Station Paper History of CFRB CFRB is Toronto’s oldest and longest running radio station. It was founded by Roger’s communication giant Ted Roger’s in the year 1927, and is still going strong to this date. Even through many programming changes, countless numbers of different hosts, and several different formats, they have still managed to remain a powerhouse in the Toronto market. The history of the station is very interesting, and is the reason radio is the way it is to this date. In the year 1925, the demand for a new and more powerful way of receiving and transmitting radio was needed. Ted Rogers, founder of CFRB invented the first batteryless radio receiver, which was a revolution at the time. The machine was designed with the purpose of using an ordinary electric current, and converting it into an energy source that could transmit radio. To demonstrate the power of this device, Rogers put forth an experimental radio station in the year 1927. The station was called â€Å"9RB† and would launch in February of that year for three hours. Within the three hours of the scheduled programming, there was an opening speech from Attorney General W. H price, and a live performance of Jack Arthur Conducting an orchestra from within the city. That night, â€Å"9RB† became CFRB, standing for â€Å"Canada’s First Roger’s Batteryless†. The station originally began on the frequency of 1030kHz, but moved to 960kHz in the March of the same year. At the time the station shared frequency with CKGW, a Christian Radio station. As time progressed, it would be clear that CFRB was dominating the signal, and CKGW would move to another frequency. February 19, 1927 marked the starting point of a historic powerhouse radio station. Over the years that CFRB has been running, they have seen many strong talents pass over their airwaves. One of the earliest talents that they hired was Wes McKnight. Wes McKnight began in the station as their lead sportscaster. He joined the station in 1928, just one year after it began, and did sports broadcasts for over thirty years. He was the voice of the Toronto Argonauts during his time period at the station, and covered all of the Grey Cup games that took place. He hosted such shows as Sports Commentary and conducted many sports interviews for the station. He would later go on to become program for station. Another notable talent for the station was Jim Hunter. He was the stations first full time newscaster, and delivered the news every day on the station until his death in 1949. Hunter was best noted for his coverage of the collapse of the Moose River mine in Halifax. He updated the public every 20 minutes about the collapse, for a total of 129 hours. He continued his updates until the 3 men trapped were saved, 3 days later. One of the most esteemed and profound announcers to be with CFRB was Wally Crouter. He joined the station in 1946, and stayed with the station for 50 years, until his retirement in 1996. He always had something to keep the listener`s attention, and remained interesting by having special guests on the show, and attempting to ease the listener into their day, with informative but less harsh news and information. He did this by staying away from the more racy subject such as sex, politics, and religion. One of his most esteemed moments in the radio stations history, was when he covered Hurricane Hazel devastating Southern Ontario. Even though thousands of people were left homeless and hundreds dead, Crouter still managed to make it to the station by 6 am, and begin his broadcast day. He helped thousands of listeners maintain hope, and gave constant updates on to where help could be found, and which offices and schools were closed etc. Crouter became known as a family man, and became a very prominent figure in CFRB`s history. When he retired on November 1, 1996, it was announced as Wally Crouter day, and a huge retirement party was thrown in his effort. The station took a hard hit that day, and it was some time before they found stability in the market again. A great quote from Wally Crouter, that states exactly who he is and what he stood for was: â€Å"I always tried to put myself in the place of the listener ts the most personal time of the day. The radio is on while youre doing your morning ablutions, getting dressed, having breakfast with the kids coming to the table Ive had a surgeon write me to tell me that, when he had three serious operations to do in a day, he started off by listening to my show so he could achieve the right relaxation and focus he need ed. † Overall, CFRB had many interesting hosts on the show, and managed to keep their listeners attention with a variety of informative and provocative news. In terms of formatting, CFRB was always a very malleable and changing station. With each addition of a new host, or a new feature, the I. D of the station seemed to change as well. When the station first began, it was seen as mainly and news and sports station. It shared signals with the Canadian National Railway, and often did live coverages of orchestras, symphonies, and musical theatre. From the 40`s to the 80`s the programming was all over the place, with sports broadcasts, news, and different special events within the city and Canada. As the 80`s progressed, it was clear that they needed to find a niche format. The establishment of AM640, the Fan590, and 680 News, made this clear. CFRB could no longer cover all aspects of radio, with so many other stations establishing themselves as leaders within certain sections (sports, weather, traffic etc. ). By the 90`s, the station had become fully news/talk. Once again, the station began to find its niche with the Toronto market, still hanging on to many of the listeners that they had had early in their career. They again stabilized their lineups, with such hosts as Mike Stafford, John Oakley, the Motts, and Bill Carroll. As the 90’s progressed, CFRB had begun to hit another rut. The majority of the listeners that had been loyal to the station for over 50 years, were now in their 60’s. They were no longer spending money, and CFRB was losing money on advertising. In August of 2009, the station announced that it was about to undergo some major programming, and scheduling changes. In September of 2010, the station announced that it would be therein known as â€Å"Newstalk 1010†. Many of the long time staff members were fired, with the exception of Bill Carroll. The new line-up consisted of John Moore, Jim Richards, former conservative leader John Tory. Bill Carroll later left the station in February of 2010, and was replaced by Jerry Agar, a well known Canadian talk show host that worked mostly in the states. Mike Bullard would later join the show, who is a well known comedian. Overall CFRB went through many format changes, all in an effort to meet their target demographic. The target demographic for CFRB has never changed, nor has the target audience. The station however had to go through many format changes in order to meet these needs. The target listener were males and females aged 25-54, with medium incomes. As time by though, the 25-54 years olds had either died off, or were getting closer and closer to the 54 aged range. This was bad news for CFRB, as they were losing thousands of dollars on advertising. They could no longer support the 54 and up listeners, and had to re-amp again to meet the needs of the 25 year olds. This is the main reason as to why CFRB labelled themselves at Newstalk 1010, and changed most of their talent bank. In the last BBM rating chart, Newstalk 1010 held up fifth spot in the Toronto market, as opposed to the number one spot that they had held for over sixty years. They currently hold a 4. 1% share of the Toronto market, with a total Cume of 1,080,700 listeners. In terms of other news stations, they trailed behind CBC Radio 1, and 680 News, who held 7. 0% and 7. 1% of the Toronto market respectively. They each had a total cume of around 1,800,000 people. The other news station that CFRB was ahead of in the last BBM ratings chart was AM640. AM640 held a mere 2. 3% of the Toronto market, and had a total cume of 1,032,700 people during the designated listening period. The new target demographic for CFRB is males aged 25-54, which is only somewhat successful so far. Overall, CFRB has always been going after the same demographic, but has had to re-amp and change the format of their station, programming, and talent several times in order to do so. In the next few years, it is clear that Newstalk 1010 is going to have to go through some more major changes. They have taken a hard hit in the last little while with all of the programming changes, and with the loss of Wally Crouter in the last decade. They must make a conscious effort to earn more time spent listening with their audience, in an attempt to beat 680News and CBC radio 1. The reason 680 news has a higher average quarter minute, is because people are constantly tuning in and out of their station. They have a very well known hot clock, and people know exactly when to tune in for weather and traffic. Newstalk 1010 must establish themselves as well as 680news, and find a niche within their target audience. Since they had been so well known for so long, and then re-amped out of the blue, their loyal listeners find it hard to trust the station since they have morphed so many times. Lately, Astral as a whole has been a major part of the Toronto community and has helped out with donations to many world effort reliefs. One of their biggest acts in the last year or so, was helping with the relief of the Haiti earthquake. In order to boost their ratings, and get back into the jockey for top news station again, CFRB Newstalk 1010 is going to have to go through some major changes, and keep up the strong effort they have been displaying within the last decade or so. Overall, it is clear to see that CFRB has been a very influential station within the Toronto market. They have seen many great talents pass over their airwaves, including such radio hosts as Wally Crouter, John Oakley, Mike Stafford, Jim Hunter, Gordon Sinclair, and Wes McKnight. Wally Crouter remained a strong morning show host for fifty years on the station, and Wes McKnight is best known as their main sportscaster. The station has progressed through a variety of formatting as well. With more and more stations popping up in the Toronto market, it was clear that they needed to establish themselves within a niche. They could no longer cover sports, news, and local events. By the nineties they had become an all news/talk station. Overall, they are fighting for the number one news station with the CBC and 680 News. In order to gain the top spot, they must build their listenership up again, and gain a loyal fan base as they had in the past. Overall, it is still considered and fine radio station and one of the best of its kind. Word Count: 1,924 Sources: top_line_radio_reports_-_toronto_10-07-2010. pdf (application/pdf Object) Canadian Communications Foundation Fondation Des Communications Canadiennes CFRB Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Rogers Recollections: A Chronicle of Excellence and Achievement Vintage Toronto Ads: Wallyamp;apos;s World Torontoist Rock Radio Scrapbook: Aircheck of the Week

The 8 Most Common Mistakes You Make on ACT English

The 8 Most Common Mistakes You Make on ACT English SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Over the past five years, I've tutored dozens of students on the ACT and seen them miss the same types of questions over and over again. The ACT English section really only tests a handful of concepts, so it's easy to make the same exact mistake onthree or four questions- which really hurts your score. Don't worry, though! I've come up with eightsimple rules you can follow to help you avoid the most common problemson the ACT English and automatically raise your score 1-2 points. Use my ACT English strategies and practice on a lot of realistic questions, and you'll raise your English score. A lot of common mistakes revolve around going with the answer that sounds right rather than the choice that follows the rules. To help you spot the difference, I'llgo through the mistakes most students make in order of frequencyand explain how you can avoid them: Avoiding NO CHANGE Not removing redundant or irrelevant words Insertingtoo many commas Incorrectly punctuating independent clauses Mixing up it's and its Using they instead of he or she Glossing over the question Missing modifier errors Mistake #1: Assuming Every Underlined Portion Includes an Error NO CHANGE seems like it must be wrong, but it's actually correct slightly more than 25% of the time. Don't automatically rule out choice A orF, and don't second guess yourself if you have NO CHANGE as the answer for multiple questions in a row. Instead, if you can't find an error and think NO CHANGE might be the best choice, look at the differences between the answers and try to determine whattypeof question it is. Are all the answers verbs? It's probably a verb tense or subject-verb agreement question. Does each answer have commas placed in different locations? It's likely a comma question. (Keep in mind, however, that some questions test more than one concept.) Once you know what kind of question it is, you can determine whether the original version avoids the error. Is the verb properly conjugated? The commas properly placed? The trick to not being confused by NO CHANGE is treating it like any other answer. If the best version of the underlined portion is the original one, then pick A. For more information on the frequency of NO CHANGE, check out our full analysis. Mistake#2: Leaving in Extra Words Relevanceand redundancy are two of the least intuitive concepts on the ACT English section. Questions that test these topics require you eliminate totally grammatically acceptable phrases that often seem to add information. The key to understanding how to approach these questions is recognizing that not all information is useful. Take a look at this example sentence: Every spring, I go through my yearly house-cleaning ritual and clean my home. This sentence is perfectly grammatical and easy to understand. However, it repeats certain ideas unecessarily. "Every spring" is by definition "yearly," so we don't need the second word. Moreover, the "ritual" is explicitlydescribed as "house-cleaning," so "and clean my home" is redundant. Every spring, I go through my house-cleaning ritual. If an answer restates something that's already been established or adds information that isn't directly related to the point at hand, it's probably wrong. Try taking the extra wordsout and see if the sentence still makes sense (both grammatically and logically). If so, pick the answer that leaves out the unnecessary words. Don't be afraid to choose OMIT the underlined portion, if you think the passage works without the whole underlined section. For a more in depth take on redundancy questions, see our full post on the topic. Mistake #3: Adding Unnecessary Commas Many students believe that you should put a comma any place in a sentence where there's a pause, but this approach will result in your missing a lot of questions. Take a look at the following example: I know Callie thought that accusing Jon, of stealing the headphones, would just cause more problems. These commas may seem correct, but they're actually unnecessary. Although this sentence is fairly long, it doesn't require any commas at all: I know Callie thought that accusing Jon of stealing the headphones would just cause more problems. The truth is that commas are only necessary in very specific situations. A good rule of thumb is "When in doubt, leave it out!" If comma questions are tripping you up, our complete guide to commas on the ACT can help you understand when you need them and when you don't. This is not a wise attitude to take towards commas. Mistake #4: Connecting Independent Clauses Incorrectly One of the most common ACT English comma issues is called a comma splice, it occurs when a comma is used to connect two independent clauses (this sentence is an example!). There are four correct ways to connect two complete thoughts: a period, a semicolon, a colon, and a coordinating conjunction with a comma. Let's look at some alternate versions of the sentence above: Incorrect: One of the most common comma issues is called a comma splice it occurs when a comma is used to connect two independent clauses. Incorrect: One of the most common comma issues is called a comma splice and it occurs when a comma is used to connect two independent clauses. Correct: One of the most common comma issues is called a comma splice. It occurs when a comma is used to connect two independent clauses. Correct: One of the most common comma issues is called a comma splice; it occurs when a comma is used to connect two independent clauses. Correct: One of the most common comma issues is called a comma splice: it occurs when a comma is used to connect two independent clauses. Correct: One of the most common comma issues is called a comma splice, and it occurs when a comma is used to connect two independent clauses. For more information on comma splices and other forms of run-on sentences, take a look at our in depth article. Mistake #5: Confusing It's, Its, and Its' The differences between can seem complicated, especially if you haven't studied them in a while, but they're actually quite straight forward. Its, with no apostrophe, is a possessivepronoun. It's equivalent to "his" or "her," which you'll notice don't have apostrophes either. It's, with an apostrophe before the s, is a contraction of "it is" or "it has." Contractions always have to have an apostrophe to replace the dropped letter or letters. Its', with an apostrophe after the s, isn't a real word. This construction will appear as an answer on the ACT but it's always wrong. When trying to determine whether the word needs an apostrophe, you should replace it with with "it is" (or "it has," depending on context) and see if the sentence makes sense. If so, "it's" is correct. If not, "its" is. Let's go over an example: The cat pinned back its' ears to show displeasure. We know "its'" can't be correct- we just have to determine whether it should be "it's" or "its." Let's plug in "it is" and see if that makes sense: The cat pinned back it is ears to show displeasure. That version doesn't make sense. "Its" is the correct choice, since the pronoun is meant to indicate that the ears belong to the cat: The cat pinned back its ears to show displeasure. For more information on its vs. it's and other apostrophe issues, check out our post on punctuation. This deer may be confused, but you don't have to be! Mistake #6: Using They or Their as a Singular Pronoun When we speak, we routinely use the plural pronouns "they," "their," and "them" to refer to individuals on uncertain gender (e.g. the child, the teacher, the inventor).In written English, however, this usage is considered a pronoun agreement error: the noun is singular, but the pronoun replacing it is plural. Take a look at this example sentence: Incorrect: At the end of many fantasynovel, the protagonist must face their nemesis in single combat. Correct:At the end of manyfantasy novels, the protagonist must face his or hernemesis in single combat. Though it may seemoverly complicated, the second version of the sentence correctly matches noun and pronoun. Pronoun agreement is frequently tested and can be tricky, so consider checkingout our complete guide to pronoun agreement on ACT English. Mistake #7: Not Reading the Question Because most of the questions on ACT English revolve only around underlined portions of the passage, it’s easy to gloss overquestions when they appear. However, as with the other sections of the ACT, it's extremely important to carefully read the questions and think about what they're asking. Usually, the best indication of the answer is right there in the question. This ruleis especially vital toanswering questions that ask about which version of a sentence or phrase is best. It can be tempting to simply pick the answer you think sounds best, but this approach will usually give you the wrong answer. Instead, look atwhat the question is asking for, e.g. "specific details" or "information that sets up a contrast." The ACT English section includesa pretty wide range of questions that usethis format, so if you're struggling with these types of questions take a look at some of our general advice on the ACT English questions and passages. Mistake #8: MisplacingModifiers Misplaced and dangling modifiers- descriptive words or phrases that are incorrectly placed in a sentence- are another type of weird error that oftendoesn't seem wrong. Nonetheless, the ACT includes them fairly frequently, so keep this key rule in mind: a modifier must be next to whatever it modifies. Incorrect: While walking, the banana peel tripped me. Correct: While walking, I tripped on the banana peel. Dangling modifiers (which, like the example above, are introductoryphrases that are separated from the thing they're modifying) are especially tricky. Be on the lookout for sentences that begin with descriptive phrases- they must be followed by the noun theydescribe. For further details on both dangling and misplaced modifiers, see our grammar guide to ACT Englishfaulty modifiers. Keep on going towards the score you want! (Image: Piermario/Flickr) What's Next? Take the time to get comfortable with other frequently tested concepts like subject-verb agreementandpronoun case. Looking to build a study plan? Read our complete plan to studying for the ACT, review what the ACT English actually covers, and take a practice test (or five!). If you're aiming especially high (or even if you aren't), make sure to check out these 9 key strategies from a perfect scorer. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Discussion pages addition Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion pages addition - Research Paper Example Using scientific methods of study, the phenomenon involves investigation of the physical relationship that exist between animals and their immediate physical environment, as well as ecological relationships and interactions to other organisms. Of these studies the animal behavior includes aspects such as how animals feed for themselves, avoiding of predation and survival, deciding on who to mate with and the cycle of reproduction, and subsequent mothering ability and care for the progeny. Departing from the popular view of studying the animal behavior, the scientific method is a more systematic method of animal study using scientific methods and has evolved over the ages to be referred to as ‘Ethology’ a term that has evolved to find acceptance around the nineteenth century by French zoologist Isidore Geofrey. When describing animal behavior using scientific view, (Butler) provides four critical elements that scientific study of animal behavior must address, these include: causation, the development of the behavior, function, and the concept of evolution of that behavior. (798) The foraging behavior of animals especially the chameleon has received numerous popular and scientific arguments to suggest how the chameleon feeds. Of these, scientific theory becomes most preferred classifying the chameleons as active feeders and ambush forager or an intermediate class commonly referred to as the ‘cruise forager.’ (Peter, Anthony and Jay 3255) These animals have been studied both scientifically and by popular views. To this extent different studies use different terminologies to explain the behavior of chameleons. The scientific studies have their own ways of classifying and identifying the different species of chameleons; while the popular views have their own ways of analyzing the behavior and spices of chameleons. This is to say that, animal behavior can be studied differently. This is scientifically and by popular view of

Brazil and Venezuela Economic Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Brazil and Venezuela Economic Governance - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that  it was the period from the second quarter of 2005 to end months of 2006 that preceding repeated presidential elections, the idea of â€Å"swing to the Left† or â€Å"new Left† was introduced in the Latin American political history. This gave rise to a new notion in the Left government of the region polarizing two social coalitions, one being a â€Å"social democratic Left† such as that of Brazil and the other being a â€Å"populist Left† illustrated by the democratic system of Venezuela.This study highlights that  under the leadership of Luiz Inà ¡cio Lula da Silva, the Brazilian economic governance became more inclined towards chasing the traditional macro-economic policies being practiced in the nation generating robust financial surplus owing to its agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In relation to its democratic governance, the nation began encouraging it’s regional as well as local capacity aiming dynamism in its socio-economic structure, even though the employment rate and other social growth factors were recorded to be worthy of deep concern. Where the aforementioned attempts made by Brazil demonstrates the main features of the governance in a   Ã¢â‚¬Å"social democratic Left† country under the influence of Latin America’s â€Å"Left Turn†, the policy measures adopted by Venezuela with the leadership of Hugo Chà ¡vez demonstrate a quite distinct picture of the â€Å"populist Left† region.   

GRP Systems Ltd. (GSL) - Supply Chain Management Essay

GRP Systems Ltd. (GSL) - Supply Chain Management - Essay Example This also helps it retain its competitive advantage in the future. Table of Contents About GSL Competitive analysis- SWOT analysis GSL’s competitive advantage and SCM Stakeholder analysis- BCG Matrix Conclusions and recommendations References GRP SYSTEMS LTD. – SUPPLY CHAIN ANALYSIS This report analyzes GRP Systems Ltd. (GSL) market in terms of its competitiveness to assess its ability to cater to a high-end market for 500-1500 pe in the sewage water treatment niche. This analysis is important for GSL’s sustenance in the present market conditions where its core business of catering to 50-500 p.e. (population equivalent) market is soon becoming obsolete with 500-1500 p.e. market gaining importance in the region. The company’s strengths and weaknesses and its supply chain management will be analyzed for this purpose. About GSL GRP Systems Ltd. (GSL) is a South Coast, England based manufacturing company that has grown from providing repair and maintenance ope rations to sailing yachts to suppliers of septic tanks for small properties which are not yet connected to the main sewage system. Over the last 6 years, GSL has become a key player in the ‘package’ sewage treatment services which they identified as a niche market. It provides services to water treatment plants, pubs and hotels among others. It serves its niche market with a 50-500 p.e. with its small ‘package’ sewage treatment solution and has a 25% market share in England and Wales. The solution includes sinking a tank into holes dug in the ground and filling the tank with structured media in which bacteria are allowed to grow that feed off the sewage to neutralize water. Competitive analysis- SWOT analysis Strengths- GSL has a 25% market share in England and Wales for its small ‘package’ sewage treatment solution that offers low cost treatment of water. This segment of the market has few players and the company has a strong hold since 6 year s with potential to expand to the 500-1500 p.e. segment. Its speed of service is its major strength which the company is yet to leverage on to gain a higher market share. Its pricing is also a key strength as it offers cost-saving tanks that can be buried underground unlike the costly steel tanks that are installed above ground which is mostly disapproved. GSL’s technical expertise is also considered on par with the required standards although the tanks are not as robust as the steel tanks. Weaknesses- GSL is short of leveraging its core competencies in expanding its market to the higher-end niche of catering to 500-1500 p.e.. It is also short of manpower as it uses limited manpower who are experts in their respective fields. High lead times for sale and delivery of the services along with low profitability (5%) and high overheads (20%) is a constraint on the company’s business. Procurement of inventory for the tanks along with high cost of labour is another factor res tricting GSL’s growth. Opportunities- GSL can leverage its core competencies in terms of low cost ‘package’ sewage treatment solutions to expand its business to cater to the higher end market of 500-1500 p.e.. GSL can also try to devise effective strategies to address the need to cater to custom design solutions through its expertise that it can leverage along with its effective delivery. The company can also train its staff to meet the

International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

International Marketing - Essay Example l have to make decisions based on the interests of its customers, governments, employees and other key partners in the different markets it will operate in. There are various operational actions that will vary with particular business environments that need to be taken into consideration. Differentiation of products or services offered by the company will therefore have to follow highly integrative guidelines for the success of its operations. For instance, Ooredoo is a communication company and therefore it will have to take into account the various communication habits of the different countries it intends to establish itself. The company will also have to be aware of legal provisions that are aligned to ethics which may be varying. Recognition of the mentioned and many more will enable the organization effectively strategize on its expansion plans. Secondly, the belief system of various countries may have an impact on the business strategy. The company will have to incorporate the various moral values and principles into its business culture according to the needs of the customers and society it will operate in. For instance, honesty, integrity and trust may be some of the varied values that may be differently preferred to by various customers according to their country of origin’s belief system. As a result of the beliefs, there might be consequences the company will have to face in the different regions of operations. The cultures of communities have a potential of pushing businesses to align to their demands. Same is the social components that have a connection with ethical concerns. Different countries, for instance, have consumer lobby groups that may demand for certain ethical standards to be met by companies. An organization like Ooredoo will therefore have... This paper stresses that factors in international trade are also important to the expansion planning process. The company will, for instance, have to take note of the various restrictions or economic barriers that exist in the target markets. For business to operate effectively, it will be important for the company’s management to examine the socio-cultural influences on product consumption and the values that are attached to service in the respective regions. Lastly, given the challenges of globalization noted above, the strategic positioning of the company with regards to different market issues will be important. The company will have to engage in product differentiation and market segmentation strategies, for example, so as to penetrate different markets. This paper makes a conclusion that ethical and globalization concerns raised above are therefore significant for the success of Ooredoo’s internationalization plans. The company will have to involve its research and design department to ensure that all the issues are well understood before management arrives at viable projects. With the opportunities presented by globalization and market liberalization, it is evident that so long as the company will be able to understand and act on different ethical and global perspective concerns, success will be more than guaranteed. As a leader in the provision of communication products, it is important that it maintains this position even in the identified international markets.

Reading Responses 11 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reading Responses 11 - Assignment Example Neighbours as well as strangers all came together to assist in donating blood and in whatever way possible. The military also responded fast in assisting the injured. The investigation for those responsible for the evil acts became put in place so as to bring them to law. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 will though become arched in the cultural life of Americans. The president through the speech appreciated members of congress who had also condemned the attack. The president mentioned the unity, and the partnership of America and its friends and allies in the struggle to ensure peace and security as well as condemning the terrorist attacks. The speech by President Bush following the 9/11 attacks evokes a few questions; will terrorism ever be brought to an end? How best can the government deal with the issue of terrorism as well as ensure the best possible protection to its people? Does terrorism bring the best of out of people, the unity, the care and the

International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

International Marketing - Essay Example l have to make decisions based on the interests of its customers, governments, employees and other key partners in the different markets it will operate in. There are various operational actions that will vary with particular business environments that need to be taken into consideration. Differentiation of products or services offered by the company will therefore have to follow highly integrative guidelines for the success of its operations. For instance, Ooredoo is a communication company and therefore it will have to take into account the various communication habits of the different countries it intends to establish itself. The company will also have to be aware of legal provisions that are aligned to ethics which may be varying. Recognition of the mentioned and many more will enable the organization effectively strategize on its expansion plans. Secondly, the belief system of various countries may have an impact on the business strategy. The company will have to incorporate the various moral values and principles into its business culture according to the needs of the customers and society it will operate in. For instance, honesty, integrity and trust may be some of the varied values that may be differently preferred to by various customers according to their country of origin’s belief system. As a result of the beliefs, there might be consequences the company will have to face in the different regions of operations. The cultures of communities have a potential of pushing businesses to align to their demands. Same is the social components that have a connection with ethical concerns. Different countries, for instance, have consumer lobby groups that may demand for certain ethical standards to be met by companies. An organization like Ooredoo will therefore have... This paper stresses that factors in international trade are also important to the expansion planning process. The company will, for instance, have to take note of the various restrictions or economic barriers that exist in the target markets. For business to operate effectively, it will be important for the company’s management to examine the socio-cultural influences on product consumption and the values that are attached to service in the respective regions. Lastly, given the challenges of globalization noted above, the strategic positioning of the company with regards to different market issues will be important. The company will have to engage in product differentiation and market segmentation strategies, for example, so as to penetrate different markets. This paper makes a conclusion that ethical and globalization concerns raised above are therefore significant for the success of Ooredoo’s internationalization plans. The company will have to involve its research and design department to ensure that all the issues are well understood before management arrives at viable projects. With the opportunities presented by globalization and market liberalization, it is evident that so long as the company will be able to understand and act on different ethical and global perspective concerns, success will be more than guaranteed. As a leader in the provision of communication products, it is important that it maintains this position even in the identified international markets.

Db5 hhrr Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Db5 hhrr - Research Paper Example This involves removing the employee from the organization’s list of workers. This form of punishment should be used only when the mistake done by an employee is grave or when they have been warned about their mistakes severally. Yet another punishment that employers can impose on employees is suspension (hr.ubc.ca, 2013). As opposed to termination, when an employee is suspended, they are relived of their duties and seize to enjoy some of the benefits and privileges they previously enjoyed temporarily. The employer can also demote an employee for the mistakes they commit. When an employee is demoted, they lose some of the privileges they previously enjoyed and have their pay cut. This type of disciplinary action is also severe and should be reserved for serious cases. Instead of issuing such weighty disciplinary actions against an employee, an employer may issue a warning to an errant employee. The warning should carry weight and should serve to deter the employee from engaging in further inappropriate activities. Warnings should always be issued privately and should be accompanied by counselling aimed at instigating improved performance (entrepreneur.com, 2013). An employee can also be assigned an unpleasant task as a disciplinary action (hr.ubc.ca,

Sport Obermeyer Essay Example for Free

Sport Obermeyer Essay From a quality standpoint, production in Hong Kong would be ideal considering the repair rate in China is five to ten times greater than it is in Hong Kong. Although the costs of repair are relatively low, Obermeyer is a high quality apparel company, and its customers in all likelihood want durable products. Not only would this keep customers happy in the short term, but it would greatly increase the chance that they would return for more Obermeyer products in the future. Thinking strategically in the long term, Obermeyer may want to begin training workers in China to bring them to the quality of workers in Hong Kong. Despite the fact that there would be training costs involved, the improvement in long run quality and productivity of the workers would be balanced considering their wage is more than twenty times lower. If these workers were then able to produce faster, Obermeyer could produce fast enough at the low cost and ship product before the import quota is filled. Since there is an import quota in goods coming from China, it may be more beneficial in the long run to have the first round of orders produced in China before the quota runs out. On that same note, the minimum order quantity in Hong Kong is half that of China, and so there is a less likely chance that Obermeyer would have unsold products at the end of the season. One benefit from a materials procurement standpoint is the fact that six of the nine components needed to produce a parka are manufactured in Hong Kong. By assembling the parkas in the same country, transportation costs and lead times could be decreased, minimizing the possibility of the bull whip effect for those products. Also, the preparation for manufacturing in China takes longer than in Hong Kong, another benefit to having first round orders produced in China and second round in Hong Kong. One of the major advantages of producing in China is the fact that the total landed cost is less than the cost of production in Hong Kong. In the example of the Rococo Parka, TLC was $60. 08 in Hong Kong compared to $51. 92 in China, the difference being $8. 16. This number is important to look at relative to the cost of the loss on unsold parkas, which is 9 dollars. This means that the cost of an unsold product produced in China is a mere 84 cents as compared to the full 9 dollars in Hong Kong. Clearly the cost of overproducing in China is far less than in Hong Kong, in fact, it is than 1 percent Obermeyer’s price.

International Business Skills

International Business Skills International Business Skills In modern business, what makes some people more successful than others and more valuable to the company is not only their knowledge in the field but most importantly their competence in using certain soft skills. These skills can be developed and learnt so as to facilitate an organization to thrive towards success but also to enhance personal characteristics and capabilities of people. The module in International Business Skills has given me the opportunity to develop skills I already had so as to enable me succeed in my future career but also in my academic performance. The eight topics studied are complementary to each other and have therefore provided a solid foundation for development. This learning log introduces the topics by stating how they are relevant to international business; it then emphasises how the seminars have been beneficial to me and how I will be able to develop and apply the skills I have acquired during the sessions. Emotional Intelligence Over the past years, corporations have started to look for more varied qualities in the people they employ. Emotional intelligence is important as it is relevant in people working at different parts of international business such as in management development, recruitment interviewing and selection, customer relations and service. It provides a way of understanding and assessing people thus it is vital where it concerns human resources. Reflecting on the seminar, I believe that I can now separate between two main areas of competencies. On the one hand there is a personal aspect, which requires competencies such as self-awareness, self-regulation and motivation. On the other hand, there is a social aspect, which concerns bringing humanity and compassion at work by conveying empathy. Learning how to manage both personal and social capabilities will help me become more successful in my work but also in my everyday life. Being a very emotional person, I have sometimes found that my emotions keep me back from my work when faced with certain challengers who affect me emotionally. The seminar has taught me how to manage my emotions and motivate myself, be more adaptable but most importantly on how to suspend judgment, be optimistic and try to find ways in bettering myself and becoming successful. I have learned above all to understand myself and then understand others and their feelings. As emotional intelligence is vital in developing many skills such as networking, teamwork or leadership I had the opportunity to put into practice what I have learned. In teamwork, I was able to show self-awareness by assessing my behaviour and how this would affect others, and then by exercising self-management by being adaptable, optimistic and having emotional self-control. By showing social awareness I was able to meet my teams needs and also understand their emotions and their perspective. Learning about emotional intelligence will help me when it comes in employment opportunities. For example if I establish good rapport and a strong relationship with my manager and show him that I do not only have good training or expertise in my domain but I can also handle myself as well as others, then this will increase my opportunities of getting promoted to higher levels in the company. Cross-cultural teamwork Working in teams has proven to be essential in contemporary business due to increased competition in the global arena. In the module â€Å"Issues in Management† I have learned that especially in knowledge based businesses, the collective practice of people on a certain task has demonstrated better outcomes than individual work since with the interaction of people there is better exchange of knowledge and efficiency in task completion. However, in cross-cultural teams certain barriers such as language, clash of personalities, cultural backgrounds or different ways of approaching problems may restrict members in integrating in a team. Dealing with different people from diverse backgrounds and cultures may cause problems but the need to work collectively for the achievement of the same task can make people come together and bring about compromising for the mutual benefit of the group. The cross-cultural teamwork seminar has proven to be vital for my understanding of how teams are formed, how they function and the different stages of team development they undergo. The four stages of team development provided insight to the common traits of relationship building I had observed in previous teamwork. Learning about the storming stage gave me confidence to confront uncooperative behaviour in a positive way by trying to bring balance and harmony in the team so as the team will undergo successful development. My personal academic experience always had to deal with teamwork. Throughout the years I had noticed that in a team each person would always take up a role, for example that of a decision-maker or an implementer. Learning about Belbins team roles validated my observations by illustrating how each member contributes to a team through certain roles they adopt. This has helped me in dealing with my â€Å"Issues in Management† assignment where each team member was assigned a particular task based on his/her abilities. Moreover, through the Belbins Self- Perception Inventory I had the chance to assess my â€Å"best team roles† and as a result raise my awareness of the informal roles I adopt within a team and how they might be valued by other team members. This gave me an explanation as to how I contribute in a team and why I react in specific ways, especially in situations where there are no effective leaders in the team and I automatically take initiative. It is indubitable that the knowledge I have acquired through this seminar will help me in my next teamwork assignment since above all I now know myself better but I am also more aware of others. After working with a multicultural team in the practical exercises I now have a better understanding of the different particularities of each culture. I have also learnt to adjust my behaviour so as to facilitate the smooth collaboration towards the successful completion of a task through effective team working. Therefore, I will be able to overcome any difficulties that may arise with ease when working in an international business environment which will involve interacting and working with people from different cultures. As a result, this practical session gave me the opportunity to put theory into practice by being conscious of my behaviour and the different development stages we underwent as a team. Cross-Cultural leadership In international business working with and leading groups of people from different cultures is common in multinational projects. For me, being an effective leader means directing successfully the people you work with by the means of motivation towards the accomplishment of a mission. Knowing how to do things right is what characterises a leader and having the capability to be both an effective manager and leader in a business will undeniably lead a business towards success. The importance of emotional intelligence in successful leadership cannot be refuted since leaders have to deal with other people and relationships. As a result, effective leaders primarily need to have self-awareness and self regulation in order to be able to lead a group of people. The seminar taught me that the key to earning someones trust and to building a relationship with a team is to show empathy and to understand their emotions. This knowledge will facilitate me as a leader in managing relationships effectively and in implementing change where needed. Leading a multicultural team is not an easy task. I came to know this when working with a multicultural team this year. After the seminar, I realised the mistakes I had made and how I had been sending across the wrong messages to them unintentionally. Even though I tried to communicate with respect, the fact that I was not flexible in my way of working to fit in with their culture preferences created stress and panic in the team. They felt under pressure and that they could not work by the hectic working plan that I had set. After the seminar I had the chance to remedy my actions by recognising that my own perceptions and opinions may not be shared by others but also made me realise how differently some cultures might perceive power and leadership. I therefore became less assertive and I motivated them to co-operate and show commitment by satisfying their psychological needs. I achieved this by giving them more responsibility and by letting them make choices more often. I then showed my appreciation and recognised the significance of their work. In the future I will aim to strengthen my emotional leadership by being conscious of the particularities found in other people and also by constantly practicing and gathering feedback from peers. In this way I will be able to identify my strengths and weaknesses and try new ways to improve myself. I will then be able to correct my mistakes on the spot so as to become an effective leader. Win-Win Negotiations Negotiations are considered to be an integral part of our everyday lives, particularly of our jobs. It is a skill that everyone may possess to some degree, however, it is essential to develop and cultivate this skill through learning and practice. In business, negotiation skills are constantly tested through completing contracts, sales, team building but also negotiating on salary issues. Win-Win negotiations refer to both parties emerging as winners from their negotiation. Therefore, knowing how to persuade but also please the other party is essential for a successful and rigid negotiation process. The seminar has been vital in improving my negotiation skills by teaching me what makes a good negotiator. It has helped me correct my biggest mistake by emphasising that an effective negotiator does not only think of what he wants out of the negotiation but is also capable of identifying the needs of the other party. Learning how to use specific tactics but also being able to change them in order to facilitate the negotiation process has been the main competence I have gained. This has reinforced my creativity as well since finding different methods of negotiation and possible solution requires creative thinking in order to produce unique ways of persuading. My creativity was put into practice during the case study exercise when I had to make a decision which would result in mutual benefit and when I had to find different methods of solving the problems raised. In summary, the further development of this skill will help me gain lifelong success in my life and career in business. I will be able to apply my negotiation and communication skills when having to influence people with regard to salaries and contracts or be able to increase the sales and profit of the company. My learning will be supported through further developing my negotiation skills when working in teams in my academic work. When working in such an environment I will implement and develop a plan with possible scenarios that could be followed to reach my objectives and at the same time satisfy the others needs. As a result, my skills will be strengthened to such a degree that in the future I will understand my opponents position ahead of time and be able to use different tactics to reach my goals. Numerical Skills One of the reasons people go into business is to make money hence when working in a business environment, you are bound to come across numbers at some point; that may be the profits of the company, balance sheets, interest rates or exchange rates. Having only a literature background, I have not had much exposure to numbers. My numerical skills have been fairly poor since the last time I had to do work with numbers was in high school. Undeniably, I could not build on any skills I previously had or on any knowledge since this was completely new to me. However, the two sessions of Financial Mathematics have proved to be of valuable importance since I have now developed some abilities in calculating basic financial mathematics equations which will be necessary in my future career. The exercises we had to complete have given me the ability to apply and use numerical skills within a business context. I can now do exchange rate calculations which will be vital when working in an international business environment which might involve transactions between different companies across different countries using various currencies. This session has prepared me to interpret business information with ease since I am now familiar with the diff erent terminology and with the different formulas needed to calculate potential investments. Moreover, this session has complimented on the theory of finance which was taught in Issues in Management. My interaction with numbers has made me more confident since I now feel that I can manage basic financial numerical exercises which I will come across in my future career in business. As a result, I will be able to support and keep developing my learning by interpreting the Markets Data column in the Financial Times which will also keep me up to date with the world economy and finance. Networking Networking is considered to be an essential way of creating contacts and connecting with people in order to share information and build a mutually beneficial relationship. Working in a business will require networking skills since employees may have to attend conferences, seminars or even some social events where making good personal contacts is essential in building the business. As an extrovert and a social person, I have never faced any particular problems when interacting with people. I have always found it easy to talk to people that I have never met before. Nevertheless, the seminar on networking has helped me improve the communication skills I already have by emphasising the importance of body language and outlining the ways we can establish non-verbal rapport. I have learned to use small actions that we make unconsciously, such as smiling or nodding, in a conscious way so as to build and maintain rapport effectively. In this way, I will ensure that I am expressing interest in the matter discussed. Moreover, I have learned how to control my body language so as to transmit efficiently the desired messages to other people. This has been managed and further developed by continuous observations of interaction in between others and myself. Furthermore, the people bingo exercise was a successful way in conveying how people move from one person to the other in search for information but also how they build relationships based around a mutual benefit. It is indubitable that the networking skills seminar has taught me how to get prepared before a networking session and how to research on the desired future contact so as to make a good impression when conversing with them. I had the opportunity to practice and improve this skill in the â€Å"Executive Insight† session which brought me into contact with senior level directors from a range of international firms. The skills I developed through this session will be essential in building my future career in business but will also help me reach my targets through building relationships with important people. Presenting with presence Usually managers consider presentation skill as a desirable quality in employees. It is of vital importance in a business since if an employee representing the firm does not have the presentation skills to explain an idea, a project, a service or a product to others, then these ideas or projects may remain in the conceptual stage and the service or product may not be sold. Throughout my education, I have had to prepare a number of presentations. However, I always have difficulty in presenting with ease in front of an audience. Not knowing the correct method of delivering and structuring my ideas makes me less confident and nervous when presenting. The presentation skills sessions made me realise that having to do a presentation is not only about presenting ideas in a structured way but it also has to do with capturing the audiences attention using different techniques. The main concern in presentations is having the audiences complete attention until the end. The seminar taught me how to overcome the problem of loosing the audiences attention by getting them involved in the presentation but also by using power point presentations in an amusing way. After this experience, I had the chance to put my knowledge into practice in the daily seminars by consciously monitoring myself and others when presenting. Whenever I felt that the audience lost concentration I used a â€Å"hook† such as a real life example or a rhetorical question to grab their attention. The seminar presentations also helped me become confident when having to do a presentation unexpectedly which could happen in any company. Moreover, I am now more aware of what is expected of me when I am put on the spot, how to control my body language so as not to show my nervousness to the audience and also how not to lose the aim of the presentation by being clear and concise. Presentations are based on how effectively and efficiently the presenter delivers the main ideas concerning the topic presented. What is therefore required on my behalf is to continue developing my communication skills by observing other presentations and thinking of ways to improve them but also by keeping up to date with technology so as to make attractive presentations using appropriate means such as power point presentations. Art and Business As demonstrated in the module â€Å"Global Shift†, today more than ever, globalization is forcing businesses to be more transnational, multi-cultural and increasingly competitive. In order for an international business to confront the global challenges it constantly faces, it needs to be innovative by developing unique and original ideas. Therefore, art and creativity play an essential role for successful markets to stay ahead. This seminar taught me how creative thinking and success is born when the environment you work in is equally creative. This was conveyed through the example of â€Å"SOL† and â€Å"Red Bull†. By having a creative atmosphere at work, creative thinking is promoted in employees resulting in unique ideas being generated. By attending the seminar I learned to be a risk-taker since by doing so I will have the possibility to innovate. In the past, I always feared to express an idea that I had in my mind because I considered it to be silly. Now I know that often good ideas are initially considered to be as such. As a result, I now always express my ideas in class when we are asked to deal with a problem. I have learned to think from different perspectives and always re-think things during breaks because creative and imaginative thinking usually comes at a time when people are more relaxed. In the future I will use brainstorming more often since as it has been portrayed in the s eminar, simple ideas can be developed through innovation into successful new business ideas, such could be the case of the iPhone. Even though in my opinion imagination cannot be taught, it can certainly be promoted when working in a creative and more flexible environment. Creativity might also arise by listening to the ideas of other people and trying to connect them with your own. In past work experience I have had, seeing miserable faces in companies made me think of ways I could change this if I had to manage the workforce. After researching some creative businesses such as Google, the seminar gave me the incentive to aim in inspiring and making a difference in the working environment of my colleagues when attaining this future career goal. I will achieve this by creating an exciting environment for them to work in so as to motivate them to come to work with pleasure. This will certainly promote hidden talent which will contribute towards success.

The Role of Nature in the poetry of William Wordsworth Essay -- Litera

In William Wordsworth’s poems, the role of nature plays a more reassuring and pivotal r ole within them. To Wordsworth’s poetry, interacting with nature represents the forces of the natural world. Throughout the three poems, Resolution and Independence, Tintern Abbey, and Michael, which will be discussed in this essay, nature is seen prominently as an everlasting- individual figure, which gives his audience as well as Wordsworth, himself, a sense of console. In all three poems, Wordsworth views nature and human beings as complementary elements of a sum of a whole, recognizing that humans are a sum of nature. Therefore, looking at the world as a soothing being of which he is a part of, Wordsworth looks at nature and sees the benevolence of the divinity aspects behind them. For Wordsworth, the world itself, in all its glory, can be a place of suffering, which surely occurs within the world; Wordsworth is still comforted with the belief that all things happen by the hands of the divinity and the just and divine order of nature, itself. In William Wordsworth’s poem, Resolution and Independence, Wordsworth describes the moods of the poem through the description of nature. The first appearance of the speaker, himself, is shown in (line 15); where he classifies himself as a traveler who has been seduced, as he states, â€Å"The pleasant season did my heart employ† (line 19). We see the traveler as a bright and joyful person as Wordsworth’s characteristics of nature as a means of description continues throughout the poem. As the poem progresses, the speaker’s attitude changes in (line 26), where he tells us that his mood is lowered. It is here that the speaker presents himself as â€Å"a happy child of earth† in (line 31); as once again Wordsworth... .../ Of the unfinished sheepfold may be seen / Besides the boisterous brook of Greenhead Ghyll,† showing the growth of human beings in relative notion to nature. William Wordsworth has respect and has great admiration for nature. This is quite evident in all three of his poems; the Resolution and Independence, Tintern Abbey and Michael in that, his philosophy on the divinity, immortality and innocence of humans are elucidated in his connection with nature. For Wordsworth, himself, nature has a spirit, a soul of its own, and to know is to experience nature with all of your senses. In all three of his poems there are many references to seeing, hearing and feeling his surroundings. He speaks of hills, the woods, the rivers and streams, and the fields. Wordsworth comprehends, in each of us, that there is a natural resemblance to ourselves and the background of nature.

Services Marketing Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm

services marketing integrating customer focus across the firmChapter 01 Introduction to Services Multiple Choice Questions 1. (p. 4)  In the simplest terms, _____ are deeds, processes and performances. A. Attributes B. Experiences C. Services D. Goods E. Benefits Difficulty: Easy 2. (p. 4)  The maintenance contract offered by Sears on its Kenmore refrigerators, dishwashers and microwaves is an example of a(n) _______. A. Service B. Experience C. Attribute D. Good E. Benefit Difficulty: Easy 3. (p. 4)  When Heather goes to the local gym, she has a personal trainer who helps make sure she is using the equipment correctly.The personal trainer is an example of a(n):   A. Service B. Experience C. Attribute D. Good E. Benefit Difficulty: Easy 4. (p. 4)  Many people when they go on vacation are choosing to leave their dogs in posh pet resorts that offer a variety of activities for the dogs, such as swimming pool frolics, nature walks and hayrides. Dog owners are paying $17 per nig ht for basic boarding at the pet resorts and up to an additional $20 for the other activities, which would be collectively classified as:   A. Goods B. Values C. Services D. Satisficers E. Attributes Difficulty: Easy 5. (p. )  _____ is a key determinant of whether a product offering should be classified as a product or a service. A. Physicality B. Audience passivity C. Tangibility D. Perception E. Abstraction Difficulty: Easy 6. (p. 4)  Which of the following is an intangible component of a car repair shop? A. Replacement parts B. Employee uniforms C. Barrel for storing recyclable motor oil D. The training the mechanic has received E. Customer waiting area Difficulty: Easy 7. (p. 4)  Which of the following is an example of a tangible component provided by a hotel? A. Wake-up call B. Guest rooms C. Room service D. Express check-out E.Guaranteed reservations Difficulty: Easy 8. (p. 3, 11)  Which of the following is NOT an example of a service business? A. Amusement park B. H otel C. Bank D. Department store E. Soft drink bottler Difficulty: Easy 9. (p. 17)  Extron Electronics makes coaxial cables for connecting computers to all types of peripheral devices like printers, modems and fax machines. For the benefit of its customers, Extron provides a laminated card with pictures of all the possible cable connections that a customer could need. With this card, a customer can order from one to any number of connectors with as many feet of cable as is needed.Orders can be placed using a toll-free number, a fax number or an e-mail address. Company reps are also available 24-hours a day in case the customer is not sure which drawing on the card matches his or her needs. Orders are shipped within 48-hours of receipt. If a customer is not completely satisfied with his or her order, Extron has a 100 percent satisfaction guaranteed return policy. Which of the following trends that has influenced the development of services marketing concepts and strategies as illus trated by Extron's focus on customer service? A. The increasing importance of service industries to the U.S. and world economies B. The increase of government regulation of service industries C. The growth in information-based technology D. Increased competition in professional services E. Manufacturing firms are placing increased emphasis on providing services Difficulty: Moderate 10. (p. 7)  Which of the following trends has directly influenced the development of services marketing concepts and strategies? A. The decreasing importance of service industries to the U. S. and world economies B. The growth in information-based technology C. Decreased competition in professional services D.The fact that manufacturing firms are placing increased emphasis on providing services E. None of the above Difficulty: Moderate 11. (p. 8)  On his way to work today, Terry saw a billboard for a physician's group that specialized in vascular surgery. In his local newspaper there was a full-page a d for a medical clinic that performed similar surgery. Then in his mail, he got a brochure from yet another medical clinic asking him if he wanted to get rid of ugly varicose veins. Which trend that influenced the development of services marketing concepts and strategies is illustrated here?A. The increasing importance of service industries to the U. S. and world economies B. The increase of government regulation of professional service industries C. The growth in database marketing D. Increased competition in professional services E. Professional firms are placing increased emphasis on providing services Difficulty: Easy 12. (p. 10)  Which of the following statements about services is true? A. A service economy produces services at the expense of other sectors B. Service jobs are low paying and menial C. Service production is labor intensive and low in productivity D.Service is a necessary evil for manufacturing firms E. The skills needed for managing services differ from those u sed for managing manufacturing businesses Difficulty: Easy 13. (p. 14)  Without good mailing lists, businesses cannot engage in effective direct-marketing advertising. On average 20 percent of the U. S. population moves annually. Return Path is a company that provides changes of addresses to businesses. It takes a business's mailing list, compares it to address changes that it gathers daily in its database and makes any necessary corrections.Return Path is a part of which trend in the services marketing industry? A. The increasing importance of service industries to the U. S. and world economies B. The decrease of human interaction as a result of widespread use of technology-based services C. The growth in the use of technology-based services D. Increased competition in the direct-mail industry E. The fact that direct marketing firms are placing increased emphasis on providing services Difficulty: Easy 14. (p. 14)  Garrett and Hugh were having breakfast when they decided they wa nted to have pizza and watch a video that night.Garrett turned on her computer, brought up the site of a local video store and ordered the movie Cold Mountain to be delivered to her doorstep at 7 p. m. Next she logged on to her favorite pizza restaurant's Web site and ordered a large pepperoni pizza and a bottle of her favorite soda to be delivered at 6:45 p. m. Garrett and Hugh enjoyed their evening. The next morning the video store had someone pick up their tape at Hugh's office. Which trend that influenced the development of services marketing is illustrated here? A. The increasing importance of service industries to the U. S. nd world economies B. The decrease of human interaction as a result of widespread use of technology-based services C. The growth in the use of technology-based services D. Increased competition in the entertainment industry E. The fact that manufacturing firms are placing increased emphasis on providing services Difficulty: Easy 15. (p. 30)  Which of the following statements has been suggested as a plausible explanation for the customer perception that service quality is declining? A. Technology-based services, which are superior to human-based services, are not being implemented enough B.Services are leveling the playing field and consistently trying to offer the same level of service to every customer C. Companies are decreasing their reliance on self-service and increasing the use of human interaction in the performance of services D. Customer expectations are higher because of the excellent service they receive from some companies E. Even though it is Easy to provide consistent, high-quality service, many companies do not want to do it Difficulty: Moderate 16. (p. 30)  Which of the following statements has been suggested as a plausible explanation for the customer perception that service quality is declining?A. Increasing use of technology is perceived by many customers as less service because there is no human interaction B. Companies provide unclear tactics for customers to follow when dealing with service providers C. Delivering consistent, high-quality service becomes routine D. Customers have no concept of what conditions produce to quality service E. Too many talented employees are left mired in front-end jobs that do not challenge them Difficulty: Moderate 17. (p. 15)  Which of the following statements about how technology has positively influenced service is true? A.Technology provides vehicles for delivering existing services in more accessible, convenient, productive ways B. Technology facilitates basic customer service functions C. Technology facilitates transactions by offering a direct vehicle for making purchases D. Technology provides an Easy way for customers to learn and do research about products and companies E. All of the above statements about how technology has influenced service are true Difficulty: Easy 18. (p. 14)  Which of the following statements describes how consumers and employees are responding to technology-based services? A.Services can readily calm fears that privacy may be sacrificed if technology is used B. An infusion of technology can lead to an increase in human interaction C. The payback for investments in technology is a certainty D. Employees are often reluctant to integrate technology into their work lives E. All of the above statements describe how consumers and employees are responding to technology-based services Difficulty: Easy 19. (p. 20)  The most basic and universally cited, difference between goods and services is:   A. Heterogeneity B. Perishability C. Intangibility D. Comparability E. DivisibilityDifficulty: Easy 20. (p. 20)  The characteristic of a service that means that it cannot be seen, felt, tasted or touched is:   A. Intangibility B. Heterogeneity C. Divisibility D. Perishability E. Compatibility Difficulty: Easy 21. (p. 20)  On a recent visit to The Home Depot store, a sales associate greeted Gigi when she entered the store, helped her locate the items she needed to repair her gutters and suggested how she could prevent gutter problems in the future. The assistance provided by the sales associate illustrates the ______ of services. A. Intangibility B. Comparability C. Divisibility D. PerishabilityE. Compatibility Difficulty: Easy 22. (p. 20)  In India weddings are timed to occur when Venus is in the ascendant and Jupiter is strong. This day is deemed lucky. In 2005, almost 15, 000 couples in New Delhi had their wedding on December 25, the day astrologers announced would be the best day for a wedding. The service provided by the astrologers is an excellent illustration of the _____ of services. A. Intangibility B. Comparability C. Divisibility D. Perishability E. Compatibility Difficulty: Easy 23. (p. 20)  Last November, Andrew and Jana went to talk to a wedding consultant about planning their June wedding.The consultant congratulated them on thinking ahead and then began to ask th em questions about what kind of wedding they wanted. She gave them a book that contained all the information they needed to plan a memorable wedding. They met with the consultant regularly to talk about how the plans were coming and made more decisions with her help. The consultant helped them with everything from invitations to wedding reception favors. She even went with Jana to select her wedding gown and her bridesmaids' gowns. The sort of assistance provided by the wedding consultant illustrates the _____ of services. A. IntangibilityB. Comparability C. Divisibility D. Perishability E. Compatibility Difficulty: Easy 24. (p. 21)  Which of the following statements describes a marketing implication that results from the intangibility of services? A. Customers participate in and affect the transaction B. Service quality depends on many uncontrollable factors C. Services can be readily communicated D. There is no sure knowledge that the service delivered matches what was planned a nd promoted E. Services cannot be inventoried Difficulty: Easy 25. (p. 21)  The characteristic of a service that refers to differences in employees' performances is:   A.Intangibility B. Heterogeneity C. Divisibility D. Perishability E. Simultaneous production and consumption Difficulty: Easy 26. (p. 21)  The first time Terry brought his car to Auto Lube to have the oil changed he was very satisfied with the service. The service manager consulted him several times while his car was being serviced, asked him if there were any problems with the car, recommended when additional services should be performed and answered questions directly and politely. However, when Terry went back to Auto Lube after three months to have his oil changed again, he was not satisfied with the service.The manager spoke to him only when he arrived and when he paid his bill. In addition, the manager was impatient and unfriendly during the interaction. Terry's experience at Auto Lube illustrates the ____ _ of services. A. Intangibility B. Heterogeneity C. Simultaneous production and consumption D. Perishability E. Divisibility Difficulty: Easy 27. (p. 21)  The first time Alexis went to take golf lessons, she had a golf pro who was very patient with her and who was able to pinpoint what she was doing wrong without making her feel uncoordinated. Her second golf lesson was not nearly as helpful.The golf pro who gave the lesson wanted Alexis to watch what he was doing and imitate his swing. He was unable to verbalize his instructions. Alexis's experience with the two golf instructors illustrates the _____ of service. A. Intangibility B. Heterogeneity C. Simultaneous production and consumption D. Perishability E. Divisibility Difficulty: Easy 28. (p. 21)  Two roommates both registered for an introduction to business class. At midterm, one roommate found his instructor so boring that he was thinking of changing his major to history. The other roommate had a charismatic teacher and loo ked forward to going to class.This heterogeneity of instruction demonstrates:   A. How difficult it is to synchronize supply and demand with service B. That customer service depends on employee actions C. How customers affect each other D. The fact services cannot be readily communicated or displayed E. Why services cannot be inventoried Difficulty: Easy 29. (p. 21)  Weddings have always been lavish in India. Vandana Mohan is New Delhi's most successful wedding planner. The average New Delhi middle-class wedding in 2005 cost $20,000 with one recent wedding costing more than $10 million.Because budgets vary as do the desires to show off one's ability to engage in conspicuous consumption, Vandana Mohan sometimes finds it difficult to maintain his reputation for lavish and beautiful weddings. The problems associated with the planning of weddings illustrate the _____ characteristic of services. A. Versatility B. Heterogeneity C. Simultaneous production and consumption D. Perishabili ty E. Intangibility Difficulty: Easy 30. (p. 21)  Parents everywhere are very busy and often cannot spend time with their children.In the Netherlands, children who want a bedtime story can call the telephone service and request to listen to one of twenty prerecorded fairy tales. The phone company charges $7 per story. Because of the prerecording of the stories, this bedtime service reduces the problems typically associated with the _____ characteristic of services. A. Versatility B. Heterogeneity C. Simultaneous production and consumption D. Perishability E. Intangibility Difficulty: Easy 31. (p. 22)  Which of the following is a marketing implication that results from the heterogeneity of services? A.Services cannot be returned or resold B. Services cannot be patented C. Services cannot be inventoried D. Mass production of services is difficult E. All of the above are marketing implications resulting from the heterogeneity of services Difficulty: Easy 32. (p. 22)  Because of t he _____ of services, service producers find themselves playing a role as part of the product itself and an essential ingredient in the service experience for the consumer. A. Comparability B. Intangibility C. Heterogeneity D. Simultaneous production and consumption E. Perishability Difficulty: Easy 33. (p. 2)  Due to the _____ characteristic of services, customers can affect the transaction and how others perceive the transaction. A. Comparability B. Intangibility C. Heterogeneity D. Simultaneous production and consumption E. Perishability Difficulty: Easy 34. (p. 22)  The Offshore Sailing School in Jersey City, New Jersey offers a basic sailing course, which takes place in three days over two weekends, for $495. Students enrolled in the course attend classroom sessions that cover the theory and technology of sailing and receive hands-on sailing instructions in the water that introduces them to all fundamental sailing kills. Student participation in the Offshore Sailing School' s classroom sessions and hands-on sailing instructions illustrates the _____ characteristic of services. A. Versatility B. Heterogeneity C. Simultaneous production and consumption D. Perishability E. Intangibility Difficulty: Easy 35. (p. 22)  For their wedding anniversary, Beth and Rick wanted to go skydiving. They enrolled in a skydiving class at the local airport at a cost of $260. After a 30-minute training course in which everything that was going to happen to them was carefully explained, Beth and Rick were sent up in an airplane with two skydiving experts.Each was placed in a harness arrangement with one of the experts and did what is called a tandem dive. With a tandem dive, Beth and Rick get to enjoy the experience without having to worry about when to open the parachute. The skydiving expert does that for them. This tandem jump illustrates the _____ characteristic of services. A. Versatility B. Heterogeneity C. Simultaneous production and consumption D. Perishability E. Intangibility Difficulty: Easy 36. (p. 22)  Which of the following statements describes a marketing implication that results from the simultaneous production and consumption of services?A. Services cannot be returned or resold B. Service quality depends on many uncontrollable factors C. Employees affect the service outcome D. Services cannot be readily displayed or communicated E. There is no sure knowledge that the service delivered matches what was planned and promoted Difficulty: Easy 37. (p. 22)  _____ refers to the fact that services cannot be saved, stored, resold or returned. A. Intangibility B. Heterogeneity C. Simultaneous production and consumption D. Perishability E. Incompatibility Difficulty: Easy 38. (p. 2)  In India weddings are timed to occur when the stars and planets are in certain positions, which are deemed lucky. In 2005, almost 15,000 couples in New Delhi had their wedding on December 25, the day astrologers announced would be the best day for a wedding. Wedding planners had to prepare all year for this one date instead of planning lots of weddings throughout the year. The service provided by the Indian wedding planners illustrates the _____ characteristic of services. A. Versatility B. Heterogeneity C. Simultaneous production and consumption D.Perishability E. Intangibility Difficulty: Easy 39. (p. 22)  An attorney who charges a client for a missed appointment is taking into account the _____ characteristic of services. A. Heterogeneity B. Simultaneous production and consumption C. Incomparability D. Perishability E. Intangibility Difficulty: Easy 40. (p. 22)  Bob Wilson owns and operates Flashdance Skating Rink. Last Monday afternoon, he had rented the rink out for a birthday party that was cancelled at the last minute due to a flu epidemic that had sickened three-fourths of the children who were invited.While Wilson kept the deposit, he did not get the skate rental fees or the snack food money he had anticipated from the rent al. Wilson lost money as a result of the _____ characteristic of services. A. Heterogeneity B. Simultaneous production and consumption C. Incomparability D. Perishability E. Intangibility Difficulty: Easy 41. (p. 20)  Which of the following is a marketing implication that results from the perishability of services? A. Service quality depends on many uncontrollable factors B. Employees affect the service outcome C. Synchronizing supply and demand is difficult D. Customers participate and affect the service outcomeE. Service delivery and customer satisfaction depend on employee actions Difficulty: Easy 42. (p. 23)  Which of the following is NOT an element of the traditional marketing mix? A. Production B. Place C. Product D. Price E. Promotion Difficulty: Easy 43. (p. 24)  In addition to the elements of the traditional marketing mix, the expanded mix for services includes:   A. Positioning, personalization and process B. People, physical evidence and process C. Personalization , procurement and people D. Profit, production and psychology E. People, partnerships and positioning Difficulty: Easy 44. (p. 4)  Which of the following is an example of the people element of an airline company's services marketing mix? A. Pilots B. Baggage handlers C. Customers D. Flight attendants E. All of the above Difficulty: Easy 45. (p. 24)  Andreason Removal Company removes asbestos from old houses and buildings. Which of the following is an example of the people element of services marketing mix? A. Federal inspectors who check behind Andreason's employees to make sure the job is done properly B. People in the community where it disposes of the asbestos C. Physicians who have studied the dangers of breathing asbestos D.People who hire the company to remove the asbestos from their property E. Suppliers who provide the uniforms and masks to protect Andreason's employees from the asbestos Difficulty: Easy 46. (p. 24)  When Alicia and Jordan dined at Formia Ristorante, a contemporary Italian restaurant in New Jersey, they both enjoyed Formia's coy, smart and embracing atmosphere. Formia creates this atmosphere with a single large dining room that measures 20 by 60 feet and contains 14 roomy tables. Ceiling fans slowly swirl as candlelight dances across the tables that are attentively cared for by servers.Vertical pink and white florid patterns emerge from old wainscoting. Finally, Formia's two-page menu offers guests a range of pasta, chicken, veal and seafood entrees, in addition to nightly specials that are handwritten and presented on large index cards. Alicia and Jordan experienced the _____ element of Formia Ristorante's services marketing mix. A. Product B. Production C. Process D. Place E. Physical evidence Difficulty: Easy 47. (p. 24)  Ruth recently visited a day care center that is convenient to her work. Ruth is thinking of letting the day care workers care for her infant son while she is at work.The first thing Ruth noticed when she wa lked in the door of the facility was the smell of urine. There was a dead plant in the window. Three babies were crying and no one was paying them any attention. Other children that Ruth could see looked listless. In this example, Ruth experienced the negative side of the _____ element of the day care center's services marketing mix. A. Product B. Production C. Process D. Place E. Physical evidence Difficulty: Easy 48. (p. 24)  Historically, the Japanese have had poor dental care. As part of their beauty regimen, the Japanese do have a habit of lightening and whitening their skin.Teethart has developed â€Å"tooth manicure† salons, which allow Japanese to match their teeth coloration to their skin. Each treatment takes place in a small booth, which contains an ergonomically-designed chair, muted lights and New Age-style music. The walls are painted calming shade of blues and greens. Teethart uses the _____ element of its service to reduce stress associated with dental proce dures. A. Product B. Production C. Process D. Place E. Physical evidence Difficulty: Easy 49. (p. 24)  Historically, the Japanese have had poor dental care.As part of their beauty regimen, the Japanese do have a habit of lightening and whitening their skin. Teethart has developed â€Å"tooth manicure† salons, which allow Japanese to match their teeth coloration to their skin. A personalized whitening mouthpiece is developed for each patient. The mouthpiece is placed around the teeth and a cleaning solution is added. The patient listens to soothing music and sits in a comfortable chair while his or her teeth are whitened. Monthly treatments in this spa-like environment reflect the _____ element of Teethart's service mix. A. Product B. Production C. Process D. Place E. PromotionDifficulty: Easy 50. (p. 24)  Yesterday, Mike went to the dentist for his 6-month check-up. Two weeks before he went to the dentist, he called the office to make an appointment. The day before his ch eck-up, the office's receptionist called him to confirm his appointment. When Mike arrived at the office, he checked in with the receptionist and then waited in the waiting room for 15 minutes, reading a magazine, before being greeted by the dental hygienist, who escorted him to an examination room. The dentist entered the room, greeted Mike, examined Mike's teeth, took a set of x-rays and asked the dental hygienist to clean Mike's teeth.When his teeth were cleaned, the hygienist told Mike he should return in 6 months for another check-up. Mike experienced the _____ element of the dental office's services marketing mix. A. Product B. Personalization C. Process D. Place E. Physical evidence Difficulty: Easy True / False Questions 51. (p. 6)  Corn, bricks and paper clips are three examples of tangible dominant products. TRUE Difficulty: Easy 52. (p. 5)  According to the concept of derived services, the value derived from physical goods is really the service provided by the good, n ot the good itself. TRUE Difficulty: Easy 53. (p. 0)  The development of services marketing concepts has been strongly influenced by professional services like doctors and attorneys. TRUE Difficulty: Easy 54. (p. 12)  Despite the importance of services and the bottom-line profit potential for services, consumers perceive that overall the quality of service they are receiving is declining. TRUE Difficulty: Easy 55. (p. 10)  The deregulation of industries has actually lessened the demand for services marketing skills. FALSE Difficulty: Easy 56. (p. 16)  Technology is creating a demand for ethnocentric services. FALSE Difficulty: Easy 57. (p. 7)  All businesses and organizations that operate on the Internet are essentially providing a service. TRUE Difficulty: Easy 58. (p. 22)  Because a product is tangible, it cannot be inventoried. FALSE Difficulty: Easy 59. (p. 22)  Because the production and consumption of services is simultaneous, the mass production of services is d ifficult. TRUE Difficulty: Easy 60. (p. 22)  A primary issue that marketers face in relation to service perishability is ensuring service quality over time. FALSE Difficulty: Easy 61. (p. 21)  Pricing is easier when marketing services than when marketing goods. FALSE Difficulty: Easy 62. p. 24)  The seven elements of the marketing mix for services are product, promotion, place, price, process, physical evidence and people. TRUE Difficulty: Easy Short Answer Questions 63. (p. 4)  What do deeds, processes and performances have in common? Those words together define what a service is. Difficulty: Moderate 64. (p. 4)  What do tax preparation services, law offices, dental practices and architects have in common? They are all industries classified as part of the service sector. Difficulty: Moderate 65. (p. 6)  What is the key determinant of whether a product is a good or a service? Its intangibility.Difficulty: Moderate 66. (p. 6)  Luke Rison has developed a great new massag e therapy that can completely alleviate the pain produced by the typical migraine headache. He wants to patent his massages. What is wrong with this plan? A massage is a service. Services are by definition intangible. Intangibles cannot be patented. Difficulty: Moderate 67. (p. 6)  Weight loss centers provide moral support and weight-loss aids to those who believe they need to diet. The centers often use before and after pictures of their most successful cases to overcome problems associated with which service characteristic?Intangibility. Difficulty: Moderate 68. (p. 20)  Keith overheard two women comparing the way the dog groomer clipped their poodles. One claimed the groomer did not cut the hair between her dog's toes as was advertised, but that everything else about the cut was perfect. The other groused that the groomer left the hair on her dog's tail too long, but at least the hair on his feet had been cut. Which characteristic of service were the two women discussing? Het erogeneous. Difficulty: Moderate 69. (p. 21, 22)  Briefly explain why it is impossible to mass produce a service.Services are typically produced and consumed at the same time. Difficulty: Moderate 70. (p. 22)  Imagine you own an ice skating rink that operates in Aspen, Colorado. What is your primary concern when considering service perishability? Your inability to create an inventory when demand for your service is low. Difficulty: Moderate 71. (p. 22)  Maria Kingsley is a fortune teller. She is concerned because today two of her clients missed their appointments to have her read their Tarot cards and she had plans for the money she would have earned. With which characteristic of services is Kingsley most concerned?Perishability. Difficulty: Moderate 72. (p. 24)  A service provider is studying other services to see how they achieve and maintain service quality. The service provider has looked at nurses, concierges, massage therapists and department store customer service rep resentatives. With which element of the services marketing mix is the service provider concerned? People. Difficulty: Moderate 73. (p. 24)  Which elements of the services marketing mix are influenced by the techniques used to recruit and train new employees as telemarketers? People and process. Difficulty: Moderate 74. (p. 4)  Which element of the services marketing mix is influenced by the health inspector's report that is prominently displayed in all restaurants? Physical evidence. Difficulty: Moderate 75. (p. 24)  Which elements of the services marketing mix is being used when the guy preparing pizzas in the front window of an Italian restaurant tosses the pizza dough in the air? People and process. Difficulty: Moderate 76. (p. 24)  An airline is concerned with whether its passengers are satisfied with how their luggage is handled before, during and after a flight. With which element of the services marketing mix is the airline concerned?Process. Difficulty: Moderate 77. (p. 16)  How are customers and employees responding to the proliferation of technology-based services? Technology is providing vehicles for delivering existing services in more accessible, convenient, productive ways. Technology facilitates basic customer service functions such as bill paying and order tracking. Technology also facilitates transactions by offering a direct vehicle for making purchases. Technology also gives customers access to a wealth of information. Through self-service technologies, customers can serve themselves more effectively.On the downside, customers worry about privacy and the confidentiality of their personal information. Customer technology readiness is also an issue with some customers who prefer to be laggards. With technology infusion, there is a loss of human interaction, which may be seen as a negative by both customers and employees. For employees, technology can provide tremendous support in making them more efficient and effective in delivering services. Customer relationship management and sales support software are broad categories of software that can aid front-line employees in providing better service.Employees can use the information available through technology to customize services and create greater customer satisfaction. Not all employees are eager to integrate technology into their work life either because they don't want to change or they don't see value in the new technology. Difficulty: Challenging 78. (p. 17)  What does it mean when someone says, â€Å"The Internet is a service†? All businesses and organizations that operate on the Internet are essentially providing services-whether they are giving information, performing basic, service functions or facilitating transactions.Thus, all the tools, concepts and strategies learned in studying services marketing have direct application to e-business. Although the Internet has changed how people do business and what offerings are possible, it is clear th at what customers still want is basic services. Difficulty: Challenging 79. (p. 20-22)  List the four characteristics of service and discuss how each would impact the marketing of a chain of fitness centers that is being started by six former Olympic athletes. Student answers will vary.They need to look at intangibility, heterogeneity, simultaneous production and consumption and perishability issues and relate each to its marketing implications listed in Table 1. 2. The following is a possible answer. Intangibility-If they develop some unique weight-training or aerobic exercise program, they cannot be patent it. Moreover, it could be easily copied by competitors. The service itself is difficult to promote because they can only show the results of using their fitness center.Pricing will also be complex because of the intangibility of service-people have to believe they are getting their money's worth. Heterogeneity-Employees must be carefully trained and even then inconsistency of service is a possibility, especially if an employee has to work overtime. There are many uncontrollable factors that determine the effectiveness of the fitness center, including the motivation level of the customers. There is no way the athletes can be sure customers are receiving the services exactly as they are being promoted-what if an aerobics instructor is sick.Simultaneous production and consumption-Patrons who sign up but don't attend miss the benefits of the program as do patrons who talk others into boycotting instructors who require a full commitment. Employees who are not committed to fitness and miss exercise classes also can cause problems. Perishability-Fluctuating attendance in terms of time of day and day of week will make it difficult to provide the service. If members are not there at the time the class is offered, that class cannot be resold. Difficulty: Challenging 80. (p. 24, 25)  Stakeholders are defined as all the people who have an interest in the success o r failure of a firm.With this definition in mind, comment on the following statement: â€Å"All stakeholders are a part of the people element of the services marketing mix†. People who would have an interest in the success or failure of an organization would include its employees, suppliers, stockholders, distributors, legislators and government officials, consumer advocates and people in the community. The people element includes all human actors who play a part in service delivery. Therefore, the two terms are not typically synonymous. The people element of a service is limited to employees and customers. Difficulty: Challenging