Pursuasive Policy

To persuade my audience that the fight against bullying begins at home. Central Problem Statement: Due to the increase in bullying in schools, there is a need to prohibit bullying and create a safe and educational environment. INTRODUCTION Attention Step (Pathos) l. Bullies. Dictionary. Com defines bullies as a blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people.I will now share a true story with you and I want you to think to ourselves If this story poses as the definition. A few years ago, on the evening of September 9th, 2010, a boy of Greensboro named Billy Lucas committed suicide by hanging. Earlier that day Billy had been suspended from school for cursing at the bullies that were harassing with â€Å"gay† discourse. Channel 8 news reports that a day before Billy committed suicide that his sister told a good friend of Bills that â€Å"He had a chair pulled out from underneath him and was told to go hang himself. Lat er that evening that Is Just what he did. Reveal the Topic II. There are a few absolution policies that are set In the school systems that prevent bulling from occurring, only to limit it. Relevancy (Logos) Ill. Most schools pretty much have the same policy with in their school system, which is called the Anti-Bully Policy. This policy basically states that any student or employee will not be abused psychologically or physically. Credibility I have had personal V. Experience with this as my friend was a victim In a bullying case.Unfortunately for him, he awaited the same fate as Billy as he committed suicide after being pushed to the edge. Preview For the next few minutes, I will share about the frequency at which bullying occurs without interference not only in the state of Indiana but the entire country. I will also state the obvious by saying the policies set in now are ineffective and new policies with new strategic plans need to be unveiled in order to save lives. BODY Need Ste p (Claim) l. Bystanders don't take the necessary actions to prevent bullying from proceeding In schools.Assertion 1: Bullying Is a concerning issue that happens everyday, whether it is reported or not, it happens. Evidence Logos: A. According to a study done by the Response Ability Act, 86% of children have witnessed bullying at least once (RAP Project) Evidence Logos: B. In 2008, there was a study done right here in Indiana that showed how bullying cases led to suicides. From the ages 10-19 there were an astonishing 1,819 suicides relating to bullying In school, which means there are way too many people not doing anything about It. Evidence Pathos: C.As I have already stated, before I moved here, I had a friend that would constantly be bullied and even while I was around, which made me he bystander. This went on for some time until I saw on the news that my friend had committed suicide. It broke my heart because I was just as guilty as the bully for not doing anything to stand up f or what was right and I have regretted not taking action ever since. Transition: Now tattoo know some statistics and my own personal let Like me, in my story, many bystanders lack courage to step into the situation Evidence Pathos: A.Imagine you are the victim in a bullying situation such as the one I previously stated. I mean you are in the midst of a bully string to ingle as much pain as possible into you. You look up and see your classmates laughing and making fun of you, yet you see your best friend Just watching. Evidence Ethos: B. Now let's switch roles for a bit, you're the bystander or the best friend Just watching this take place. Why don't you do anything? Why don't you stick up for your friend? Well according to Recount. Com, the typical bystander doesn't get involved for various reasons.But the most common reasons are â€Å"None of their business†, â€Å"They will come a target†, and â€Å"It will give them an unwanted stigma, such as a tattle tale†. (Recount. Com) Evidence Logos: C. The U. S. Department of Justice shows the between the years of 1999 and 2003 there had been a 2. 1% increase in bullying cases. So we bystanders have to stop this trend. Transition: Now that you know that not only bullying is a problem but also the bystander that does nothing is a problem, let me explain how we can offer help and or implement policies to eliminate these problems. Satisfaction Step: II.Spending the appropriate time with the kids at mom teaching the correct morals and values will put an end to bullying in schools. A. Psychometric. Com states that the best and most obvious way to stop bullying in schools is for parents to change the way they parent their children at home. A. Good kids who don't get in trouble or start any trouble typically come from households in which these morals and values are presented to them almost daily. B. Bullies usually come from families who fight a lot which is seen as the acceptable behavior and is repeat ed in school. B.However my audience here is probably brothers and sisters ND maybe aunts and uncles. A. The same principles really apply, your apart of the family too so you should have a part too. C. So in order to summarize this up, I'm not asking for money or donations, I'm not asking for you to sign a petition, I am Just asking you to spend time with the kids in your household and to make sure you know that they know what is right and how to handle these situations if they were to occur. Transition: Now that you know the root of the problem of bullying, I want to show you a video that puts everything into perspective.

Netflix Risks Essay

Netflix was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California. Netflix is a company that provides online movie rental subscription services in the United States. The company offers its subscribers access to a library of movie, television, and other filmed entertainment titles on digital versatile disc (DVD) and Blu-Rays. Its members can get DVDs delivered to their homes and can instantly watch movies and TV episodes streamed to their TVs and PCs. It also partners with consumer electronics companies to offer a range of devices that can instantly stream movies and TV episodes to members’ TVs from Netflix. Netflix entered the rental entertainment industry at a time where Blockbuster was king and renting movies required the consumers to drive to the store. However, Netflix realized that through innovation there was a much more efficient and cheaper way to provide the same service than the typical brick-and-mortar companies of the time. Customers of Blockbuster and other store rental places were attracted to the new features (monthly subscription, no late fees) provided by Netflix. Through innovation Netflix basically â€Å"changed† the way movie rentals were done and eventually became the leader of movie rental industry while Blockbuster and many other companies eventually became bankrupt. Netflix’s story of success is also one of caution as Netflix realizes that they will continue to face many risks throughout their business cycle and if they don’t anticipate and/or respond correctly, they too could face the same result as Blockbuster. As of December 31, 2009, Netflix served approximately 12 million subscribers. Currently, Netflix claims on its website to have over 20 million members, making it the leader in rental movie industry. However, Netflix faces many competitors that provide similar services: Comcast, Redbox from Coinstar and even Amazon is planning on also offering streaming services to its prime members. Therefore, if Netflix is to remain as the industry leader and continue its earnings and membership growth it will have to continue to innovate with new ideas. Generally, innovation requires a huge investment from companies in their Research and Development departments. These investments can come out from the companies own cash flow or from issuing loans. In order for a Company to decide if an investment is worth the money it uses either Net Present Value or Internal Rate of Return techniques which basically state that if the return on the investment is greater than the cost, then the company should go ahead and invest. But what is the cost of the investment? If Netflix plans to borrow money, then the cost will be the prevailing interest rate at the time of Issuance of the loan plus a spread premium for specific characteristics pertaining to Netflix. This poses a financial risk on Netflix, more specifically this is called interest rate risk. Interest rates tend to be volatile and there are many different theories (expectations theory, liquidity theory, preferred habitat theory, market segmentation theory) yet nobody really knows 100% for sure if interest rates are going to go up or down and by how much. However, based on the expectations of Netflix’s analysts they have a few choices on dealing with this risk depending on their expectations. If they expect interest rates to go up, then they should issue a long term bond or note now, because if they wait and interests rates do go up then it will be more costly for them to borrow the money they need which might end up affecting the Net Present Value of their investment project. On the other hand, if Netflix expects rates to go down then it will not be a good idea for Netflix to issue out a long term bond or note because if rates eventually do drop then Netflix be essentially borrowing at a higher rate than the prevailing market rate. So what Netflix should do instead is to issue short term debt such as commercial paper and continue to roll it over until they expect that interest rates have reached the lowest and then issue a longer term bond or note depending on their investment project. Finally, the other option for Netflix is that, if they are not sure if interest rates are going to go up or down, they can still hedge against this risk by issuing a long term callable bond so that if interest rates do drop significantly Netflix can call its debt back and reissue at the lower rate. Another way that Netflix has been and plans to continue expanding its membership is by offering its services abroad. In fact, Netflix has already entered the Canadian market and is in the process of offering its services in the United Kingdom. Obviously this is great news for Netflix shareholders however going international also brings additional risks. One of the major risks that we foresee would be exchange rate risk. For example, when Netflix starts to offer its services in the United Kingdom, it will have to decide on what it will charge its British customers a month. However, it will have to do so in pounds, which is the local currency. If for example, we assume that Netflix charges its U. S. customers 10 dollars a month for its services and that it wants to charge the same real value to its U. K. customers, if the pound/dollar exchange rate is . 5 pounds for 1 dollar then Netflix would have to charge its U. K. customers 5 pounds a month. However, interest rates are constantly changing and if Netflix doesn’t do something about this risk then its cash flow would be constantly changing. For example if the pound depreciates against the dollar to . 75 pounds for 1 dollar then the dollar value from its U. K. customers’ 5 pound subscription will now be only worth $6. 67. Netflix could deal with this cash flow loss in two ways, a good way and a bad way. The bad way would be to constantly adjust the prices up and down to its U. K. customers so that the real dollar value remains about the same, however we feel that customers wouldn’t appreciate this price volatility and Netflix would potentially lose many U. K. customers. The good way for Netflix to hedge against exchange rate risk would be to enter the futures market on currencies and lock in on a pound/dollar exchange rate that way any future volatility on the exchange rate wouldn’t affect either negatively or positively on Netflix’s international cash flows. Netflix also faces several nonfinancial risks. Netflix began its ground-breaking entry into the movie rental industry with its mail order system, but the mail order system is not the sole source of its success today. In fact, Netflix’s CEO Reed Hastings has admitted that a lot of Netflix success has been due to do their online streaming content. As an actual Netflix customer myself, I admit that I spend a lot of time streaming movies and shows online, in fact if Netflix were to only offer its mail order system, I would stop being a customer. If other Netflix customers’ value their online service as much as I do then this signifies the important value that the movie streaming services has for Netflix. But what if, something happens (virus, human error, etc†¦) and Netflix’s servers go down and they are unable to operate its streaming function for a couple of days? A couple days may seem trivial however it could potentially mean an enormous amount of lost profit due to unhappy customers. In order to avoid this type of scenario of ever happening, Netflix should think of ways to confront this operational risk. One idea would be to spend money in acquiring backup servers so that if the main servers were to go down for whatever reason, Netflix would be able to switch to their backup servers and therefore customers could continue to stream their favorite movies and shows online while Netflix worked on fixing the problem with the main servers. Even though Netflix is headquartered in Los Gatos, California, it has many â€Å"warehouses† around the United States that deliver movies to customers near their locations. Because of this, Netflix faces many different types of â€Å"pure† risks depending on the location in which their warehouse is situated. Pure risk is a type of risk that involves either a chance of loss or no loss. An example for Netflix would be an earthquake in Los Gatos California, or a tornado in its warehouse in Omaha, Nebraska. Pure risks have tremendous abilities for loss because they cause both direct and indirect losses. If for example, a tornado destroys the Netflix warehouse in Omaha, Nebraska, the direct losses would be the costs of the destroyed warehouse, but at the same time there would be indirect costs such as the costs of perhaps losing customers around the Omaha area because now their movies have to ship from a different warehouse which could potentially take many more days to arrive. Unfortunately, there are no ways to prevent catastrophes such as fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc†¦ However, these high severity, low frequency situations are part of life and therefore a part of Netflix’s business risk. The best way for Netflix to deal with these types of risks are either to self insure by saving a certain amount of money each month or they can do an insurance transfer and pay insurance premiums but not have to worry about these pure risks. As shown in the movie â€Å"Mind Over Money†, human emotions play a major role in driving the market. Netflix should pay attention to such matters as the company could be affected by the irrational decisions people make. Investors have recently been talking about Netflix prices being over priced and it depicts a bull market. Bull markets are characterized by optimism, investor confidence and expectations that strong results will continue. It’s difficult to predict consistently when the trends in the market will change. Part of the difficulty is that psychological effects and speculation may sometimes play a large role in the markets. Therefore, similar to what is shown in the movie people will make irrational behavior and it could lead to the sudden collapse in the market for Netlix. This can be a major risk to the company. Netflix started as a mail order movie rental company in 1997 and through much innovation it was able to not only establish itself in the movie rental business but actually be a leader. Throughout its path from rags to riches, Netflix faced many types of financial and nonfinancial risks and was obviously able to overcome them to reach where it is at today. However, the risks don’t stop now and Netflix is facing strong competition from other movie rental companies and in order for Netflix to stay on top it will have to continue to be innovative and also continue to properly deal with any forthcoming risks.

Improved Rewards at Work: Compensation and Benefits Packages Essay

Compensation and benefits packages are the talk of the century. Whether it is benefits offered by the government, an insurance company, the local supermarket, a fortune 500 company, a logistic firm, retail, or even being the owner of a business, this topic is wide spread. Employees want to know what they will get in exchange for their working for a company. The cost of dental, vision, and health benefits are increasing higher than ever before and having a great benefits package will surely have employees or future applicants beating the path down to work for an organization that has offers competitive benefits. These are the benefits that most organizations offer and are pretty standard. However, if organization include in their compensation package 401 K, retirement insurance, disability insurance, and life insurance, it makes the organization more attractive. Oftentimes, most employees don’t have a life insurance policy and their loved ones are stuck trying to come up with the money to give the deceased a decent burial. This can be a less stressful task if the person is covered by a life insurance policy. Organizations who offer this plan to their employees are definitely a benefit. The rate is usually cheaper as a group company rate, than it is to purchase it privately. Another benefit that comes in handy for employees is a retirement plan. Although this is often not enough money for seniors to retire and have to end up going back to work part-time just to continue the lifestyle they are accustomed to, it gives them some sort of cushion. It’s even better if they pay more into it to better plan for the future. If the plan also includes a 401 K package, then the employee gets a better cushion for retirement. Since insurance is needed in this age, it is more likely than not, that employee’s who are pursuing new work ventures and opportunities with a better organization; they are looking for these types of benefits. For example, McDonald’s offers their employees competitive wages, free uniforms, free discounted meals, flexible work hours, medical insurance, prescription drug coverage, 24-hour nurse line access, vision discount, short-term disability, term-life insurance, 401(K), paid holidays, vacation and educational assistance (McDonald’s, 2013). Having said this, college students who start out working at McDonalds may go on to pursue careers with McDonald’s because they offer an excellent compensation package, especially since they offer educational assistance/tuition reimbursements/scholarships. For someone who has the education and experience in a field such as Logistics or Human Resources, the benefits may be slightly different, because it is a larger organization in a different field. With McDonald’s, the vacation, sick pay and personal days may be more structured, whereas with the government, the days may increase with the hours worked. With that said, businesses are getting more creative with the compensation packages they offer to remain competitive and retain employees. To determine the ways innovations in employee benefits can improve the overall competitive compensation strategy of the organization we must look at what employees really want. Some suggestions would be: (1) Allow employees to have flexible work schedules. This will allow them to have personal time with the family, attend schools functions or field trips, meet scheduled dr. ’s appointments, or even relax and recuperate so that the employee can come with a fresh renewed mind. The next suggestion is (2) Give out achievement (such as employee of the month with parking privileges or gift card), appreciation of service awards, or letters of appreciation from an immediate supervisor/manager. This type of reward lets employees know they are appreciated for the hard work they have accomplished for the company; they are being noticed and acknowledged by the top of the chain and sends a message to the employee that they are being watched, so keep of the good work. It could also let the employee know that in the event of promotion or if raises go out, they may be a good candidate for receiving it. By the same token, if they are slacking in any way, they may be coached or forfeit being considered for a raise or promotion. An example is that our company writes love notes to the student (which is a form of appreciation letter). They basically address them for doing a good deed for someone, excelling in their classes/grades, moving on to the next level/phase of their education, or how well they performed a service on a guest. Our managers and the owner write love notes to us and sometimes reward us with gift cards, movie tickets, bracelets, and necklaces or some sort of prize. Often we do receive raises according to our performance reviews, but sometimes if we meet service and take home goals, get raises. Another thing that is incorporated is student and employee of the month. These rewards often come with free passes to events and front row parking. Aside from that, another innovative benefit is (3) Make the work environment exciting and fun. No one likes to come to work in a stuffy environment where everyone is on edge and way pass serious about everything. Creating a fun environment sets the tone for success, drives employees to not want to miss a day of work because they enjoy going, is an incentive for staying with the company and remaining loyal, makes employees feel they are part of a family away from family and motivates them to perform better. It is somewhat double fold, because it is also a winning situation for the employer as it makes the work day more productive when employees perform at their peak. Employees meet or exceed service or product goals when they are happy with their employer. Next, (4) Allow employees to work from home if it is feasible. Sometimes when there is no one to interrupt when projects or deadlines have to be met, being in the comfort of your home environment allows the quiet time needed to gather the information for the plan that needs to be implemented, cuts down commuting time that could be spent on working, offers a change of scenery so creativeness is allowed to flow and best of all, there is no need for dressing the part, it can be done in comfortable clothing. Last but not least, (5) Allowing employees to be a part of a team or project where they can implement ideas and suggestions on how to accomplish the project effectively and efficiently. Employees feel like what they think is important and their opinions count and are valuable to their employer. It gives them a sense of responsibility, accountability, and belonging. Most of the time, employees acquire the confidence to eventually want to step out and lead projects (Tynan, 2013). Such as with innovative benefits improving an overall competitive compensation strategy, the same applies with tying benefits to those specific jobs. Performance appraisals are normally tied to raises and wage compensation. The scenario usually goes something like this: The employee has an evaluation on the job performance they have carried out during the evaluation period. The manager conducting the assessment usually has a check list with the duties and rates each section with excellent, good, needs improvement, or poor. The raise is usually based on how well the employee scored (in other words, if they will be rewarded the maximum allowance, receive a portion or nothing at all). The same goes for tying innovative benefits to specific jobs. For example, if an employee receives a recognition award for high performance and meeting company goals (such as employee of the month), the benefit will be attached to that specific job. Another example is salary and wages. Salary and wages are connected to specific job duties. If a receptionist has duties that include filing, setting appointments, greeting guest, answering phones/taking and dispersing messages, booking meeting, making travel arrangements for managers, and running errands, when evaluation time comes, the amount of wages or salary is dependant on how well the employee performed their duties. This is also in line with pay for performance. When it comes to a rewards system, there are some things that have to be fulfilled in order for the system to work. Some of the criteria are to ensure employees understand what their job duties include. If employees don’t know what they are suppose to be doing then they will not be able to perform their jobs according to how managers expect them to. Another thing is there must be value placed on this system. If everyone can receive a raise/pay increase or incentive whether or not they are a high performer or a poor performer then there really is no since in incorporating this award. It will not be fair to the outstand performers. It will send a message that it doesn’t matter how well you do, you will still be rewarded. For the ones who strive to do their best, it lowers their morale and causes them to not want to perform their best. This will also cause a decrese in productivity. Once the high performers stop meeting goals, the organization suffers. An assessment must be conducted on a regular basis and evaluations must include feed back so the employee knows if and where they are lacking and excelling. There should also be team meetings if feasible or an individual meeting to ensure the employee(s) are on track with what needs to be accomplished in order to make company goals happen. The effectiveness of an equity-based rewards program as apposed to a more creative one is that first, an equity-based rewards program may include stock options in the company. It is also and incentive for being able to retain employees and may contirbute to the success of the company. When employees have stock in a company they anticipate on it doing well in the future so they can cash it in or receive dividends on it when they are paid out. It also doesn’t hurt if the employee feels like they are an important part of the organization. This may also play a role in employees sticking around. Stock may also be an incentive to employees so they know how valuable of an employee they are. Not all companies offer stock to their employees, so it is a big deal if an organization trusts its employees to participate in owning a portion of the company. Employers have a hard task of making sure their employees motives for wanting to own stock is in the right place. The reason for this is, say for instance the employee wants to see how much the stock is worth in 5 years. For one, this sends a red flag that they only wanted to invest to see if they could get lucky quickly, in hopes of leaving the company or even earning quick cash. Another motive for the organization to give employees stock in the company is to get employees to commit to the company for the long term. The organization can also look forward to the employee feeling like they are part owner of the company and will therefore give their all to see that the organization is successful. The employees who have stock will also advocate for the company, ensure they are looking for like employees (high potential), and make sure everyone is on the same page with organizational goals. On the other hand, managers should be aware that this could completely go the other way and the employee can feel as if they should be able to make suggestion and have them implement them, allows them some sort of power to make decisions and afford them the opportunity to make do what they want. Stock can definitely be a motivator if employees commit for the long haul, show an interest in the organization and perform their best (Robbins, 2004). As for the more creative approaches, they offer a wider variety of options such as child care benefits/discounts, retirement benefits, elder care benefits and educational assistance to name a few. The difference is that the creative approaches include benefits that are very useful to employees. Having stock in a company is a great motivator, however, it is even more motivating being able to receive benefits that are usually more expensive to employees on their own. It frees up the amount of money that the employee will have to shovel out. According to the article â€Å"Driving Success: How You Innovate Determines What You Innovate†, there is a few key components that can be implemented when incorporating traditional benefits with innovation benefits. These are known as the seven innovation rules: (1) Line up the variety of innovations to the organizations industry. Innovation may or may not be the key to success for the company’s overall business strategy; It may be determined by the types and amounts of innovation needed to support the business strategy. (2) Deal with the expected pressure concerning creativeness and worth. A company needs strength in both. Creativity without the ability to translate it into profits (for example, execution and value capture) can be fun but it is unsustainable; profits without creativity is rewarding but only works for a short time. (3) Reduce the effect of organizational antibodies. Innovation necessitates change and change stimulate explicit routines and cultural norms that act to block or negate change. (4) Recognize that the basic unit or fundamental building block of innovation is a network that includes people and knowledge both inside and out of the organization. A successful organization excels at fusing its internal resources with selected portions of the vast resources of the worlds capitalist economy. (5) Create the right metric and rewards for innovation. People react to positive and negative stimuli, and a company’s innovation is no exception. It will never achieve the level of innovation that is needed if people do not have the proper reward (Devila, Shelton, and Epstein, 2005, retrieved from: www. ftpress. com /articles).

Charlemagne Robert Folz

Frannzen Linares Thursday, October 14, 2010 Knowledge Summary of Source. Report #1 – Charlemagne Robert Folz. The Coronation of Charlemagne(Book), first written in french in 1964, this book is now available in English translation. Robert Folz is well known for his monumental studies of the legend of Charlemagne in the Middle ages. Robert Folz was a French medievalist and a specialist in the Carolignan era; for this reason he is better qualified than most historians to convey a deep understanding of the efforts and signifance of Charlemagne for France and Europe.Folz concentrates on the growth of Frankish power, starting with Clovis and leading to Charlemagne. The focus is on political and religious developpments that explain the imperial coronation, rather than on social and economic history. Folz presents all this with brevity and clearly; the elegance of style shows his familarity with the source material. He wrote numerous books all related and similar to Charlemagne such a s: * (French) Le souvenir et la legende de Charlemagne dans l'Empire germanique medieval. (1950) * The concept of empire in Western Europe from the fifth to the fourteenth century. 1953, translation published 1969) * The coronation of Charlemagne. 25 December 800. (1964, translation published 1974) * (French) Les saints rois du Moyen Age en Occident, (VIe-XIIIe siecles). (1984) * (French) Les saintes reines du Moyen Age en Occident (VIe-XIIIe siecles). (1992) This book also uses extraits and portions of the book â€Å"Life of Charlemagne†(Vita Karoli Magni) which was written by a man named Einhard who actually was a dedicated servant of Charlemagne which adds to the reliability of this book.At the same time, he uses extraits from letters written by a man named Alcuin to Charlemagne himself and books written at the time and date back to Charlemagnes reign. Book written by Robert Folz and translated by J. E Anderson, the publisher of this book is London : Routledge and Kegan Pa ul, 1974 and is a Translation of: ‘Le Couronnement imperial de Charlemagne (trente jours qui ont fait la France : 25 decembre 800)'. Paris : Gallimard, 1964 The company has also published a book with a small portion of the life of charlemagne, The Philosophy of John Scottus Eriugena: A Study of Idealism in the Middle Ages By Dermot Moran.

Ethics and Intervention Techniques Essay

Using all three e-Activities and with reference to Intervention Techniques For Integrating Ethics Into Agency Operations in Denhardt, Chapter 4, select the two most effective of the 13 Intervention Techniques for Integrating Ethics into Agency Operations and defend your choices. Denhardt explains that ethics is a process by which we clarify right and wrong and act on what we take to be right. Instead of having employees follow a certain set of rules that management is exempt from, Leaders need to behave by example to reset an ethical culture. Consequently, I would consider ethical values and character in recruitment to be the first important and effective intervention techniques to be mentioned. I would require management to develop a statement of management philosophy for the organization (Denhardt) and a code of ethics like the federal government. In the recruitment of new employees, I would integrate a personality assessment for new applicants that will give the employer insight i nto the genuine ethics and integrity of the applicant before adding them to the organization. For existing employees, I would secondly follow this intervention technique with both compliance and integrity training and counseling. I would begin by developing training programs and/or other devices for communicating those ideals (Denhardt). Intermittently, during employment, I would integrate refresher courses for all employees, including management. It is imperative for new and continuing employees to sign off with a signature that confirms they understand the policies set forth and agree to comply during their tenure with the company. Stillman’s Chapter 16 Case Study describes the ethical tensions that may accompany leadership in the public sector. Analyze the ways in which George Tenet was challenged ethically, and present and assess at least two resolution strategies he used to handle these challenges. Although the goal of any firm should be to increase its owners’ wealth, to do so requires the public’s trust. Ultimately that trust depends on ethical business practices. George Tenet was described in many ways by observers and peers. Stillman describes Tenet as effective and efficient. However, some staffers felt he would oversimplify difficult issues. During the Clinton administration, he worked so hard that he had a heart attack during his term. Before Tenet joined the CIA, he was pretty much inexperienced which would be cause for concern because the CIA was in disarray. There was low morale, high turnover, outdated computer technology and major budget issues because there was no central accounting of funds spent. Tenet immediately began to rebuild. He worked hard to bring in funding and great staffers and recruits to support the upgrades in technology. As time progressed, Tenet became more involved in peace talk negotiations with Yasser Arafat and the Israeli Prime Minister which many thought was inappropriate was an ethical concern. All the while, the CIA continued to have major intelligence failures. People began to question have grave concerns with activity regarding war and attacks in other countries. Then the terrorist attacks in American with the World trade center s, Pentagon, etc†¦All of a sudden President Bush gave Tenet millions of dollars, resources and increased powers to take down our enemies. In my opinion Tenet decided to take a back seat like a coward and take a low profile. When Bush was pressing to go to war, he had an opportunity and an obligation of loyalty to speak up but rather down played crucial information that could have possibly prevented that war. To me Tenet failed with the ethical dilemma of being honest to his colleagues, field officers, and most significantly the entire nation by knowing that the statements about Saddam Hussein and chemical weapons were false. This decision cost American families over four thousand lives. There was a reference in our readings by Stillman that as public administrators climb higher in organizational hierarchy, they must contend with an increasingly intense tug and pull of competing ethical obligations, which in the end caused George Tenet to resign and also the decline of CIA. Two resolution strategies he used to handle these challenges were to resign from the CIA and influenced the government to restructure the agency more effectively and in a better position in the government. http://fs.huntingdon.edu/jlewis/Syl/PA/306StillmanStudOuts.htm Stillman, R.J. (2010). Public administration: Concepts and cases: 2010 custom edition. (9th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin – Cengage Learning

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Project Management - Essay Example This fact clearly suggests that at the time of procurement, project managers did not clearly defined the exact needs of the project. Based on wrong assessment of the same, the system appeared to work on wrong footings as what was expected out of the system was not clearly delivered. It was therefore believed that the project failed because project managers failed to clearly anticipate the needs and solicit the correct vendors to implement the project. The vendors were probably either not as professionals as they should have been in developing the payroll processing system or the information to them was not correctly provided. This resulted into the cancellation of the project as well as it cost a lot of money to the organization because of the loose credit management as well as the wrong procurement polices because there was no clear strategy being developed by the project managers. (Washington Times, 2005) I believe that there were multiple issues involved in this project's failure. Initially it attracted the criticism of the employees working over there therefore at first stage, it failed to achieve the necessary acceptability within the organization. The issues were further complicated when the project managers failed to properly prepare the strategy for implementing effective contract as well as procurement management for the project. If project managers have given a good thought to the solicitation stage of procurement, it would have been lot better and the project would have been a success. 2) Department of Defense initiated a project in 2002 with the name of Personnel Management Key solution. The perceived objectives were to obtain efficiency in different functional areas such as organizational structures, personnel administration and leave, career management as well as work force planning etc. Many believed that it was a bigger project for a military organization however it started with lot of ambitions and hopes to accomplish something bigger for the organization which was termed as too administrative and bureaucratic in nature. The major reason for the failure of the project was cost overrun. Initially it was estimated that the total project cost would be $ 25 million in 2002 however as the project unfolded the cost rocketed to $70 million dollars forcing the project managers to abandon the project in the middle due to high cost variations and other factors which led to the cancellation of the project. However, a much deeper analysis of the issue would suggest that there were other factors which were directly responsible for the failure of the project. Initially it may be considered that the project managers have properly planned the procurement as well as contract management strategy however they were not. Though the whole details of the project are not available but the cost escalation suggests that the type of contract entered by the project managers may not have been adequately selected. It seems that the project managers may have selected actual cost reimbursement contracts where they became legally obliged to pay or reimburse all the costs to the vendors regardless of the need to assess that the cost overruns can also be caused because of the vendor's inability to provide the desired goods and services at the agreed contractual terms. If the project managers would have entered into a fixed pay contract, they could have

Hybrid system Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hybrid system - Assignment Example The recommendations were also included and this is where the researcher attempted to offer some suggestions of providing an improved or well-designed hybrid system. Lastly, the conclusion provided a brief summary of what was covered in the research, and suggestion for further studies in determining the impact of hybrid systems to heat a home and also the challenges it poses in to vendors. Hybrid System Introduction Hybrid system is a modern innovative technology that combines test and measurements components from modular instrumental platforms. Hybrid systems arise when the continuous and discrete dynamics interact; this occurs especially when most high-tech systems where logic based components, fixed controllers and digital networks combine. Hybrid systems are becoming increasing common, but they are complex technologies; hence a need for the development of effective hybrid system models. This model will offer an analysis and assess the design of the system whereby logic based eleme nts and continuous system processes interact. For the last decades, the study of hybrid systems has increasingly become the major concerning aspects in field research. System developers have made significant efforts of combining tests and measurements from modular instruments platforms, but they face significant challenges. The major challenge is advancing and systematizing the knowledge about hybrid systems, which comes from such a large diverse fields. However, with increased computer technology, system developers or engineers have made significant efforts of producing a continuous and discreet system that are more economical. Purpose The purpose of hybrid system as a modern technology is that it combines with both furnace and heat pump to heat a home at fewer costs. The hybrid systems are more economical because they can heat pump, which can heat a home at low temperatures and for less cost; it is also economical because the furnace can heat home for fewer costs. Hybrid systems a re also used to model varied system such as physical systems, logic dynamic controller and also Internet congestion. Many consumers are familiar with the hybrid term, which combines electric and fuel in order to perform well; however, design developers have developed hybrid systems which reduce heating expenses during the winter season and they also keep home comfortable because they are economical. Discussions The research topics of hybrid systems have attracted the interest of many people including the mathematicians, computer scientists and engineers. One of the major arguments about this modern technology is that it is viewed as a dynamical system; hence, it should be considered as a hybrid system in case it deals with purely continuous or purely discrete invent system without ignoring significant phenomenon. Yang, Jiang and Cocquempot (2010, p. 45) argue that the term continuous and discrete are depending on the range of signals, but not with respect to time through which such signal are defined. However, this does not clearly define what hybrid system is all about; thus many theories have been implemented to elaborate on the issue of continuous and discrete systems. The hybrid system has posed a great challenge for many years until the recent when the combination of continuous and discreet was implemented to offer the clear meaning of hybrid systems.

Why terror Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Why terror - Essay Example The revolution was equally a very bloody affair which saw many of its proponents beheaded at the guillotine for political reasons. The revolution ushered the reign of terror, a period in the history of the country that was truly dark. The revolution also ushered a new era of freedoms and common men like Napoleon were able to rise to the highest position of power. This paper will, therefore, look at the events that came to be known as the reign of terror. Why Terror? For clarity of this event, it is important to look at some issues that played a part in the events effecting of the reign of terror. One of these issues was the dismissal and banishment of Minister Necker, from France, and whose popularity with the masses was felt to have eclipsed that of the king2. This was because he was proposing to introduce reforms that would upset the set balance of things. Coupled with this was the fear in the people of the reprisals from the emigres as well as foreign powers sympathetic to the bou rbon monarchy3. This was a period of great unease among the Parisians whose city, Paris, was to be the theatre of activities that would determine the fate of the revolution. To add to this was the flight of the reigning monarch Louis XVI to Varennes, a city that was along the way to the fortress of Montmedy. It was in this fortress, in Northern France, that the King was hoping to launch a military offensive to regain his throne. The fortress was still held by royalists, therefore, the King hoped to capitalise on this to gain an upper hand. In Paris, his current place of residence, the king was weakened and there was little he could do without having the revolutionaries counter him if it was unfavourable to them. He, therefore, opted to attempt the flight. He was, however, captured and brought back to Paris and even underwent humiliating experiences for his actions. Despite a majority of the assembly that governed France at the time ‘accepting’ the King’s explanat ion as not an escape, but more of ‘abduction’ there were some within the Assembly who refused doing so4. This minority that did not go along with the rest was that of the Cordelier Club5 that was mainly made up of Jacobins, a club that was at the foremost in promoting the French Revolution. This group was of the opinion that there should be a consultation with the populace and the punishment of the King. It is important to acknowledge the threat the king posed to the revolution due to the fact that he was alive. There was always threat of danger from royalists within the republic as well as those that were not in the country. One such strong influence was the Duke of Brunswick. In August, there was a manifesto circulated in France in which the Duke threatened to attack and dominate France if the King and his family were subjected to any inhuman treatment6. The king was to later be guillotined, and other aristocrats were to meet the same fate as the king. The terror upon the aristocracy was an attempt of the revolutionaries to rid themselves from any challenge that would threaten their existence. It was not a unanimous agreement to execute the enemies of the state. There were some dissenting opinions from groups like the Girondins. This group of legislators were a more liberal thinking club in comparison to the radical Jacobins. With the execution of the King, the Jacobins had gained more power in comparison to the Girondins. Due to their liberal approach, the Girondins did not see the need to have mass executions of all the aristocrats7. The rivalry between these two clubs was so fierce that their members were always armed8. This rivalry did not stop at the intellectual or ideological level, it went further than that. The Jacobins led by among other Robespierre,

Respiratory for Paramedic Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Respiratory for Paramedic - Case Study Example When irritants are inhaled, they result into swellings of the cells within the respiratory tract (Barnes, 2002 p.52). These cells are then activated to initiate an inflammatory process thus triggers the release of other mediators for inflammatory process like the interleukins, tumour necrosis factor alpha, matrix-metalloproteinase, fibrinogen, interferon gamma and C-reactive protein (Steurer-Stey et al, 2012 p.367). These mediators are responsible for the sustained inflammation process which results to the severe damage to the tissues as well as many other systematic systems. The inflammation sustained inflammation of the tissues of the respiratory system results into changes in the structure of the lungs which further lead to the limitation of the airflow. The inflammatory response associated with COPD is as a result into the remodelling of COPD thus result into the narrowing of the airways. According to Barnes (2002 p.84), three main factors are responsible for these structural changes namely; accumulation of scar tissue as a result of damage to the airways, peribronchial fibrosis as well as the over multiplication of the epithelial cells within the lining of the airways. These structural changes results into the loss of elasticity of the lung tissue and destruction of parenchyma. Alveoli is also affected because the structures feeding and supporting the alveoli are also destroyed leading to a condition referred to as emphysema. This is the most dangerous process of pathology of COPD since it results into the collapse of the small airways such as alveoli. This is very dangerous since it impedes the flow of air as well as trapping air within the lungs thus reducing lung capacity as compared to normal individuals. The other change that occurs as a result of COPD is the dysfunction of the mucociliary. Irritants that lead to inflammation of the airways also result into the inflammation of the mucosa glands that that line the airway walls in the

US Cultural Wars Gone Global Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

US Cultural Wars Gone Global - Article Example In this article, the issues of cultural differences have been featured in two main ways. The first aspect is the American culture versus Ugandan culture. Secondly, is the concept of Sexual minorities, which include LGBT versus the sexual majority. In the article, Emily Cody discusses the move that was made by the Sexual Minority Uganda (SMUG) to file a case against American Minister Scott, with the assistance of the Alien Tort Statute. In the subsequent sections of the paper, the author illustrates the legal brief of the case and how they have experienced discrimination on all meaningful parts of their lives. The article resonates with the current occurrences in Uganda and some other parts of Africa. In Uganda, homosexuality has been criminalized. This law stems from the understanding that such sexual orientations are not Africans and therefore are not acceptable in African society. The article brings about the concept of validation and how some of the religious concepts by individual Americans are used to promote hatred towards the Sexual minorities. In the article, one is able to understand the legal red tapes that validate oppression of the LGBT. The references being created by the oppression is drawn from the legislative measures that have been taken by the Ugandan government which condemns gays and lesbian on the grounds of cultural intolerance.

Freight Transport in Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Freight Transport in Europe - Essay Example In the modern era when every field is shaping itself, European freight transports have had to update according to globalization practices. However the hope of 2010 is there according to which it is expected that EU would take serious measures to half the road distance. According to Pompeo and Sapountzis (2002) one of the major reasons that could be count towards a constant rate in freight growth is being over confident in taking risks. (Pompeo & Sapountzis, 2002) Of course, the risk factor is there when ERTRAC is keen to achieve the following by 2010: During 1973 to 1976 and 1977 to 1981 the priority of the EU was to avoid damaging policy impact; and in 1982 to 1986 and 1987 to 1992 the emphasis was on risks and benefits of environmental policies for the internal market of cargoes. Even the European Environmental Agency held responsible the EU for the road static transportation infrastructure and for the exposure to the pollution of water and air. However, during 1992 to 1999 there was a stronger accent on 'paradigmatic change' to reflect global environmental risks, with proposed structural change in favour of public transport, energy efficiency and waste prevention. (Carter & Turnock, 2002, p. 57) It started with the UK publication, when in 1989 UK Transportation department concerning continuous growth of roads made some sentimental remarks. The remarks were emotional enough to jerk the Government to think seriously about the then transportation system which consisted of a developing European market in terms of logistics and freight. Therefore a program initiated which required heavy investment in motorways and trunk roads. It was announced that UK Government has decided to make the roads better. The program was so successful that it effectively doubled the existing investment plans and was seen as a commitment to the provision of infrastructure 'suited to the single market and other competitive challenges of the 1990s and beyond'. It was also argued that the investment was necessary for industry and to improve the country's economic geography, through increasing opportunities for less favoured regions, assisting urban regeneration and helping more prosperous areas to cope wi th growth. The programme had resulted from a substantial increase in road traffic (35 %) in the 1980s and the prospects of a doubling of road traffic from 1988 to 2025. Something had to be done and the government decided that road building was the main alternative to be pursued. (Berechman & Banister, 2000, p. 3) The past two decades in EU freight The past 50 years of European market has gone through tremendous ups and downs, where ups have been mostly initiated by the growth of free trade which liberalize the European market. The free movement and removal of transport barriers provide the EU with the motivation to create and groom their economic market. However in the initial 90s the growth through road transport was at little as 3%. There were many transport problems, among which the most

The Main Reason of Workforce Effective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Main Reason of Workforce Effective - Essay Example   Ã‚   Having four learners to train in the duration of two months, I am supposed to assist the learners in the attainment of the following objectives. By the end of the training period, learners should be able to maintain a well-organized schedule thus utilizing the lotus note. By the end of the training period, learners should be able to design meeting and travel arrangements By the end of the training period, learners should be able to handle confidential mail By the end of the training period, learners should be able to communicate effectively with fellow working staff and the clients of the organization. By the end of the training session, learners should be able to provide all Administrative support to the President            I will require them to work with various computer packages, for example, Access, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint among others to demonstrate their effectiveness.  By using Excel, Word, and PowerPoint design a travel and meeting arrangement plan to be used in an organization. Clearly, describe why you would use effective communication skills in directing callers in a busy business enterprise Explain the importance of properly handling the organization’s confidential information? What could be the outcomes of leaking the company’s confidential correspondence? Give a clear illustration on how to maintain proper schedules of a busy office bearer? Make use of the computer in answering your question. In order to pass my evaluation learners need to learn on how to make is of the computers in drawing schedules for a busy office, they need to learn good communication skills for use in the office The training resources /materials will include; Four computers to be used by the learners Textbooks on effective communication skills Prepared schedules to serve as demonstrations Questions and answer booklets to be used by the learners in their discussion work Case studies from various companies to be used in the training session. This will ensure a better understanding of the learners.

Summary on readings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Summary on readings - Essay Example Kidnap Poem This intriguing poem by Nikki Giovanni offers a unique and chilling perspective of being kidnapped if the kidnapper were a poet. The kidnap victim would become the subject of a poem as they are placed â€Å"in my phrases and meter.† Giovanni’s idea of kidnapping someone for the sake of a poem sounds more like a romance in the making than a legitimate kidnapping. The victim would be taken to either to Jones Beach, Coney Island, or to Giovanni’s house. Kidnap victims are seldom treated to such beautiful, romantic places. Then the doting poet would shower their victim with lilacs, run with them through the rain, and roll around with them on the beach – all the makings of a love story. Indeed, Giovanni believes that their victim on the beach would complement the poet’s vision. Giovanni would play the lyre for their victim in an attempt to win them over, and even show them off to her mother. In Giovanni’s eyes, to make a poem out of a kidnapping, show would have to show her victim love. My Dungeon Shook/Dear James James Baldwin begins his letter to his nephew by telling stating that it took him five tries to perfect his letter. This suggests either unsureness in his words, a reluctance in writing to his nephew, or just the inability to properly relay what he feels. James then compares his nephew to his father, or James’ bother. His nephew reminds him of the tough and vulnerable nature that his father exhibited. He also attempts to compare his nephew to his grandfather but is unable to find similarities. The grandfather had collapsed under the lies of the white man that he was the definition of what the world knew as a nigger. James encourages his nephew never to let that word break him and that it really is just a lie. He wants his nephew to know this because he loves his nephew, and his love is something else that he does not want his nephew to forget. James shares with his nephew how he knew his father f or their entire lives. As the older brother, James watched his little brother go through every stage of life. When he looks into his brother’s face, he sees the faces that he had grown into and then grown out of over the course of his life as though he were a living scrapbook. James even sees memories in his brother’s faces that he doubts his brother even remembers, like the time when his brother fell down the cellar stairs. James remembers it all, even when his brother does not, because he had been there to witness his brother go through life. More than anything, James knows â€Å"what the world has done to my brother and how narrowly he has survived it.† He acknowledges that his fellow men are in the habit of destroying lives and will continue to do so in a domino effect of human nature. James reminds his nephew that most of mankind is guilty for their own acts of destruction, but that does not mean that all of mankind shares in this guilt. The letter continue s with James pointing out that his nephew was born into a world that was not much different from the world one hundred years ago – a world that did not look with favor on people who were not white of skin. James reveals the purpose of the letter, which is to teach his nephew how to handle such a world without losing himself. Part of James’ reassurance is that his nephew’

Art History - Michelangelo Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Art History - Michelangelo - Assignment Example This aspect of Michelangelo’s paintings is clearly brought out in one of his most celebrated paintings; the Creation of Adam on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The painting shows how Michelangelo understands the human anatomy, as well as movement. This painting has two figures, on the left side; there is a figure of Adam while the right side has a figure of God held by angels. According to Wallace, the figure that surrounds God and his angels resemble the shape of the brain, which is part of the human anatomy. Therefore, it is clear that Michelangelo used the skills that he studied in human anatomy as the main subject in the creation of Adam, as well as the rest of his paintings. The Fall of Man is part of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling. The painting portrays how Adam and Eve were tricked into eating from the forbidden tree, which made them lose the Garden of Eden. Wallace states that Michelangelo expresses the effects of this transition through his painting. The tree and the snake in the painting are used to divide between sorrow and Eden. One side of the tree is green, and Eve seems quite relaxed, which shows happiness and lack of essential needs while the other side is dry and barren and Adam and Eve are walking, which portrays unrest after eating the forbidden fruit. The treatment of this theme is similar to the Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden by Masaccio in the Brancacci Chapel. In the painting, Eve has her breasts covered just like in Michelangelo’s painting while Adam covers his face as they are being expelled from Eden. Thus, both paintings depict the effects of transition that Adam and Eve went through after sinning. Just like all Michelangelo’s paintings, the figures in The Last Judgment are nude.

Benchmark state-of-the-art organizational process improvements Research Paper

Benchmark state-of-the-art organizational process improvements - Research Paper Example These include implementation of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL), Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility (CSR) and organizational change principles. The plan is to use Prosci’s change management methodology and the recommendations include changing the leadership style, using the Corporate KSAO (knowledge, skills, ability and other characteristics) during the employment process and facilitating learning rather than training for all employees. As a result, CF&F will improve its performance, profit margins, communication strategy, employer to employee relationship and an organizational culture that integrates both individual and organizational change management. Introduction Custom Food and Feed Corporation (CF&F) specializes in the production and marketing of food and ingredients for animal feed. The Corporation faces an array of allegations including mismanagement, failure to adhere to stipulated federal and state regulations on safety, quality and environment, noncompliance w ith the federal and state labor laws and unfair HR practices. As a result, CF&F has been under investigation for the last 10 years. This has resulted to creation of poor public image, loss of market share, nosedive in its performance and a drastic drop in profits. In order to counteract the negativity associated with the Corporation a new CEO was appointed to oversee it through a change process. The CEO mandated the president to do an analysis of the organization’s culture to detect the source of the allegations. This responsibility was then delegated to the vice president who decided to do the corporate research on the tech division. This is the newest addition in the Corporation. It runs seven lines of production on a daily basis for 24 hours where fermentation process is used to change dextrose (sugar) into a myriad of feed ingredients (if care is not taken microbes especially salmonella which pose grave health concerns can easily grow). The workforce at the tech division comprises of 92 managers and 300 employees. After the analysis, it was detected that the tech division did not adhere to the stipulated quality, safety and environmental standards. It was also determined that there is a poor employer-employee relationship because of the style of leadership used. The managers implemented an authoritarian leadership strategy which had only managed to build barriers between the management and the employees. In fact, the employees were not at all empowered since they worked under pressure and were not free to air their views and concerns. As a result, employees were opting for unionizing. Another source of the allegations was from the fact that the production decisions made by the managers were implemented by supervisors who had been given the promotional rank without consideration of the Corporations KSAO (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other characteristics) guidelines. In fact, it was determined that the tech division was highly infested with nepot ism. On the other hand, the promoted employees were not subjected to any training that would nurture their competence and leadership skills. Moreover, it is the duty of the managers to ensure the given directions are appropriately implemented. In addition, the human resource manager oversees all the human resource activities of all the divisions in the Corporatio

Mandatory Vs. Voluntary Vaccincations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mandatory Vs. Voluntary Vaccincations - Essay Example It is therefore important for those concerned to understand the pros and cons of both sides of the issue. There are always a number of factors to consider in both cases and these factors must be presented in the most authoritative and methodical manner for their decision making benefit. Perisic and Bauch (2009) have advocated the point of view of certain theorists when it comes to voluntary vaccination. It is their belief that â€Å"it should be difficult or impossible to eradicate a vaccine-preventable disease under voluntary vaccination: Herd immunity implies that the individual incentive to vaccinate disappears at high coverage levels. â€Å" Therefore they believe that mandatory vaccinations will not have any positive effect on the health of the individual child. Their theory, is based on historical accounts of the declining effectiveness of vaccines such as the MMR vaccine and whole-cell pertussis vaccine. Although there is some accuracy to their belief, Perisic and Bauch (200 9) based their reports on studies that were conducted in a controlled environment for children such as small communities where their exposure to air borne illness and the like can be controlled and prevented. However, there are also certain theorists who believe the opposite is also true. Meaning that on a large scale setting, leaving a child unprotected / non-vaccinated puts himself and the children around him at risk of infection and creates a network and sleeper carriers in the process. Once of the theorists who believe the opposite of Persic and Bauch is Sullivan (2010) who has tried to get healthcare workers across the country vaccinated against the most common viruses in order to protect the people around them and the people they care for. It is the belief of Sullivan (2010) that this lack of mandatory vaccination has led to the creation of adult viruses carriers and allowing the mutation of viruses along the way which can easily infect both the young and old due to the exposu re that the health care workers have on the job. Proponents of voluntary vaccinations claim that it is useless to get vaccinated because the government and our scientists continue to churn out imperfect vaccines this is according to Wu and Wang (2011). Considering that there have been instances wherein and individual's immune systems fails to absorb and fight off the controlled virus via vaccination, those who support mandatory vaccination believe that it is better to be vaccinated most of the time. They base their argument on what they consider to be a fact. That the government would have put a stop to the vaccination development sector eons ago. The debate on whether to allow mandatory of voluntary vaccinations reminds me of the same debate raging on within the HIV community. Even though the public realizes how easily the HIV virus can be transmitted from the mother to the child in the womb, HIV positive women still refuse mandatory HIV testing during pregnancy (Armstrong, 2008). The mandatory versus voluntary HIV testing procedure during pregnancy is still a hotly debated issue in our modern times. On the vaccination front, the major supporters of the voluntary vaccination issue, namely the concerned parents, add that their beliefs pertaining to

Personal Behavior Towards the Negotiation Process Essay

Personal Behavior Towards the Negotiation Process - Essay Example I am a person who enjoyed negotiating. I am actually challenged every time I am in the midst of a negotiation with a person whose ideas or wants are contrary to mine. Attempting to persuade others to my point of view makes me more knowledgeable, skillful, and fulfilled, especially if the outcome is favorable to my position. I do not believe that a perfect negotiator exists because every situation involves different people, objectives, or issues. However, most of the time, I prefer the half way or the safest side of the process because I always value future relationships, and I do not want to lose everything I have. In other words, it is fine with me if I win or lose some, as long as the person I am negotiating with is winning or losing some at the same time (or moderate satisfaction). I love to bargain and get an ideal outcome, but honestly this is not an easy job because steps are not predetermined, and I have to rely on my own instinct and understanding. My Self-Assessment as a Neg otiator In terms of self-assessment, I could say that I am using a compromising negotiation style, or I am in between the competing and collaborating style every time I negotiate. Furthermore, this style â€Å"refers to behaviors at an intermediate level of cooperation and assertiveness† (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2007, p. 303). ... ays focus on details about the negotiation such as the name of the people I am negotiating with, their background, time constraints, proposals, bargaining terms, and many more. I am also very particular with events by giving my full attention to the situation; in fact, I hate the feeling of being ignored by other parties or when the opposing negotiator is changing the issue without giving his or her full attention to the matter. Hence, I consider myself as a responsible and a well-organized negotiator. Furthermore, I am a negotiator who does not give up too easily or hold out too long because I always organize a plan or set of alternatives for me to use as a counter balance during stagnant bargaining. However, I know my limitation or when to give up, and make a compromise if it is necessary. By the time the opposing negotiator has showed me some facts, evidences, or an extreme bargaining position, I know I have no other choice, but to make tradeoffs. The concessions I always make are those on the middle ground (usually moderately) or acceptable to both parties, so that the process will move forward. My Negotiating Skills I am effective in persuading others because I always put my heart and my mind to any negotiation I encounter. I also make sure that corresponding rules and policies are being followed or observed during the process. As a negotiator, I always practice when to listen and when to react, and I organize my thoughts, so that I could not say something that could annoy other parties. I make sure that I am well-prepared on what to say and what to do in every situation I might encounter by preparing or having a deep understanding of the bargaining agreement. Also, I am confident that I could persuade other people towards my point of view because I have very

English Language Learners Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

English Language Learners - Research Paper Example This essay discusses that when one viewed the wealth of materials regarding the topic ‘English Language Learners’ from the online search medium, one would be awed at the magnanimity of results amounting to more than 16 million in various informational categories. The fact signifies the extensive interest on the topic manifested by an array of practitioners and users, especially in the field of education. This area of education would thereby be more explored in the current research to proffer pertinent details that led to the development and continued focus on English Language Learners (EELs) in the contemporary academic setting. This area is chosen to enhance one’s awareness on the subject of interest and thereby enable one to share the knowledge, including crucial information to assist and guide other ELLs that one would potentially interact with in the near future, specifically in terms of improving learning outcomes. The discourse would initially present the de finition of key terms, evolution, historical development and continued growth within this area of academic discipline. Likewise, one would determine current legislation that shapes it in contemporary times; in conjunction with expounding on the best practices related to curriculum and instruction utilized in English as the Second Language (ESL) setting. In addition, one would also identify and describe specific technological applications and future trends that influence and affect English Language Learners (ELLs). ... 1). On the other hand, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) differentiated analogous terms such as ELL, ESL (English as Second Language), LEP (Limited English Proficiency) and EFL (English as Foreign Lanuage), as summarized in Table 1 below: Table 1: Definitions of Key Terms KEY TERMS DEFINITIONS ELL (English Language Learner): an active learner of the English language who may benefit from various types of language support programs. This term is used mainly in the U.S. to describe K–12 students. ESL (English as a Second Language): formerly used to designate ELL students; this term increasingly refers to a program of instruction designed to support the ELL. It is still used to refer to multilingual students in higher education. LEP (Limited English Proficiency): employed by the U.S. Department of Education to refer to ELLs who lack sufficient mastery of English to meet state standards and excel in an English- language classroom. Increasingly, English Language Lear ner (ELL) is used to describe this population, because it highlights learning, rather than suggesting that non-native-English-speaking students are deficient. EFL (English as a Foreign Language)Students:nonnative- English-speaking students who are learning English in a country where English is not the primary language. Source: (National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), 2008, p. 2) Historical Development The origin of instruction to ELL was actually traced as early as the 1600s and 1700s when some states were reported to establish private and public schools with bilingual education regulations during the European colonization of the United States

Food Crisis Essay Example for Free

Food Crisis Essay According to World Bank, they blame that the food crisis in Africa are causing by trade barrier. A lot of countries in Africa are restricted importing food from the border. Due to unfertilized land in a lot of parts in Africa, it causes people to discourage to be a farmer, so the food supply is less. However, African population is increasing rapidly. Therefore, the demand for food will just keep increasing. As a result, the demand for food would exceed supply for food in Africa. Before I move on to the next examples, I need to explain about the result of the demand exceed supply. Identical products around the world should fix in the law of one price, which mean that the identical products should sell at the same price around the world. This is because if it is not the same price, the country that sell high price would go to buy the low price product from another country and sell it to their country. Therefore, the country that sell product for low price with get a result in increasing demand which result in increasing in price. The supply for the high price product will be more because people import to sell in country, which result in decreasing in price. At the result, both countries will sell product at the same price. This will cause the exporter by the rest of the world need to sell the product at the same price (world price). Therefore, we can draw it in the graph as vertical lines while the supply in the country as an upward-sloping and the demand is downward-sloping, but food is necessary product, so the line should be more inelastic. Now we can plot all of this in to a graph, and a graph will look like this. The import is horizontal because of the world price, so they need to supply at this price. As you can see from the graph, the import is restrict at only the small amount according to Africa, only 5 percent of the food import, which resulting in demand exceeding supply, so we can apply this to the food crisis by trade restriction. Therefore, the price of food is increasing because there is high demand for food than supply in Africa, while the farmer is not encouraging by the government because only a little profit goes to them even though the price is high due to the government policy, so he Africa people suffer from hunger due to the unaffordable price of food. Not only Africa that face food crisis, but also the world is suffered during 2008. According to Europe, they claim that the world food crisis is because the trade restriction of many countries in the world such as Argentina, Russia, Japan and South Korea. These trade restrictions cause the price of food in the world to increase. People cannot afford the high price. Thus, the food crisis occurs and suffers many countries around the world. Food crisis occur in the country may lead to other problem. For example, the protest in Egypt also cause by raising cost of food in the country because of trade restriction. In long term solution to solve food crisis should be that the government should not intervene food price because food is necessary product; they choose restrict on the unnecessary product such as cigarette or alcohol instead. 20 million people in Africa are suffering from hunger nowadays due to this food crisis causing by trade restriction.

Travel Egency Essay Example for Free

Travel Egency Essay The purpose of this report is to determine the current business environment of the travel agency industry in New Zealand and some key factors of being success in the business. Booking the fare through travel agency can be convenient and time-saving, but there are many alternative ways out there in the market as well, such as book directly from the Airline Company, online booking website, etc. Findings indicate invest in the travel agency can be profitable but there are a few aspects to analyse before entering the market. Key factors the investor should be considered are: customer loyalty probability, sustainable development and market segmentation. Introduction There is a growing number of people book the fare or a trip through either travel agency or online website in New Zealand. Toda, Makino, Kobayashi Morimoto (2007) indicated that going on a leisure trip is good for people’s mental health, and this can also be a key driver to the increase. Furthermore, there are some positive effects relates to the travelling as well: meeting new people, gaining more exciting experiences, etc. So, not only existing travellers, but also everyone can be classified as a potential customer to the investor. An analysis of both external business environment and internal business structure will be undertaken. There should be a vivid picture presented in the investor’s mind, about travel agency industry’s future, through this report. Discussion Customer Loyalty and Profitability  Travel agencies do its business by providing service to the customers and gain commissions from it. Keeping loyalty customers is the priority to the customer oriented company as they directly and continually contribute to the business (Van Riel, Semeijn Pauwel, 2004). The profit margin generated by the travel agency is very low, and the industry is heavy reliance on the loyalty customers (Oppermann, 1997). So, travel agency should strive as much as possible to develop long-term relationship with its customers (Poujol Tanner, 2010). Losing customers can be really costly in today’s highly competitive market. According to Bovee and Thill (2010), the cost of attracting a new customer is far more than the cost of keeping the existing customer. In order to establish advantageous positions within the industry, the agency must has high quality relationship with its customers by fully satisfying the customers’ needs and wants; because the quality of customer relationship is directly proportional to agency’s profitability (Aborumman, Alhawary Irtaimeh 2011). Consumers are keen to pay for the trip at the lowest price by using the most efficient way, which is booking through the travel agency, for an example, the average difference between the ticket the customers found and the ticket the House of Travel found is 150NZD (â€Å"Agents†, 2004). However, â€Å"Is your travel agency playing ‘fare’? † (2001) appeals that only 51% of the agents can provide complete fare and flight information to the customers, and only 20% of them actually acknowledge their customers about the overrides received. This can be truly risky to the travel agency, as all the agencies are providing similar product, so the quality of service would be considered as a key factor (Van Riel et al. , 2004). Richard and Zhang (2012) also indicate that the customers can be less price-sensitive once they become loyal to a brand, and less likely switch to another brand simply because of price. Sustainable Development Having a sustainable development strategy is essential to a business to be successful in the competitive market. From the research, about 80% of the travel agency in New Zealand was or currently is operate under the franchise business model (Oppermann, 1997). In this way, the franchisor will provide the online management and online booking system for the franchisee to use, which can be a major benefit to the investor. In addition, the sustainable development strategy is also important from the business structure’s point of view. Oppermann (1997) indicates that 22 per cent of the travel agency had only one or two fully time employees, 58 per cent had 2. to 5 and only 6 per cent of the agency had more than 10 full time employees. By adopting this team-based strategy, the business can gets more customer satisfaction and be more efficient and profitable (Dunford and Palmer, 2002). The Flight Centre is a typical example for this: the Flight Centre split all the employees and retail stores into three management level, the primary level is called ‘family’, which contains three to seven employees, usually is on the retail store basis. The medium level called ‘village’, which contains our to five families that are geographically near each other, and create a close working relationship. The top level called ‘country’, which contains about 20 stores. The country leader has the right to directly report to the head office (Dunford et al. , 2002). Under this development strategy, the revenue and performance of the family, village and country directly linked to the agent’s salary, the individual has to work hard to increase customers’ satisfaction and the revenue of the family, so that he or she can get better paid. In this way, the investor can directly benefit from the increase of sales and also minimize the risk from the management level. Marketing New Zealand travel agency industry is facing a very board market, as everyone can be a potential customer. All the agencies are trying to provide unbeatable price for its customers. From the agencies’ view, some businesses have concentrated on a few specific market segments (Bovee et al. , 2010). For instance, Flight Centre New Zealand, as an Australian-based international travel agency, now owns 130 stores around New Zealand, and over 1500 stores all over the world. The company provides several different travel packages and more relevant information for the heavy-user segment rather than the light users (Dunford et al. , 2002), as the heavy users are more focus on the quality of the trip instead of price (Goldsmith Litvin, 2012); Studentflight, as a part of Flight Centre New Zealand is targeting on the young age student customer by provides special offer to the students. On the other hand, some agencies are only focus on one market segment. For an example, CTS New Zealand, which is a Chinese-based travel agency, provides the flight booking service only from or to New Zealand, not all over the world, on an extremely low price compare to others. Some other companies, such as the STA Travel Service, their product mix (not only provides assistance on booking tickets and accommodations, but also visa application, travel insurance, etc. ) also helps the company to gain more market share in the industry. Industry Structure Analysis Understand the industry structure is crucial to the investor. Travel agency industry can be defined as a highly competitive industry. First of all, there is a high threat from the substitutes and competitors. Direct distribution shows a growing proportion in the current market segment, for an example, many airline companies, such as Air New Zealand, start to distribute the ticket direct to the customers in order to cut out the commission payment to the travel agency (Oppermann, 1997). The travel agency industry is forced to innovate the way they do business due to this fact (Rhodes, 1999). However, the threats are not only come from the airline companies, but also other travel agencies. For instance, the House of Travel, Flight Centre and some other travel agencies both developed the online booking engine, so that the consumers can book the ticket, accommodation and enjoy other services online. In addition, the internet-based and home-based business model can be a major threat to the traditional type of agency, especially the internet- based agency which provides 24 hours 7 days in a row service and global accessibility for the customers (Thom Chen, 2012). Nowadays, 35% of bookings are completed online (â€Å"Bums on seats†, 2005). The supporting services provided by the online agency, such as currency calculator, weather forecast, can also be a competitive disadvantage to traditional agency (Van Riel et al. , 2004). From the internet and home-based travel agency point of view, the barriers to entry is low, due to there is almost no fixed cost involved, all you need to start a business is a computer with a booking system, a phone, and a customer list. Secondly, the supplier power is keep increasing over years, as the upper level supplier has the power to decide the commission rate that they pay to the agency. The suppliers also interested in distribute the ticket to the client by themselves rather than through the travel agency. The bargaining power of the travel agency is low. Thus, the buyer’s power is high in the industry. There are all kinds of travelling information on the internet, compare to the past, the consumers are not fully reliance on the travel agents to schedule their trip anymore. According to Dunford et al. (2002), 80% of the travel revenue was generated by 25% of the customer, and these 25% of people is relatively price-sensitive, which means the agency has to provide better service to keep those customers (Van Riel et al. , 2004). The consumers have certain degree of bargaining power. In summary, the travel agency industry is highly threatened by the competitors and the substitutes, the barriers to entry can be low, and there is almost none of switching cost, the supplier’s power and buyer’s power is high. Overall peaking, the travel agency industry may not be an attractive industry. Conclusions An analysis of the travel agency business in New Zealand has been presented in this report; few conclusions can be drawn from this. Investing in the travel agency industry and operating under the franchise business model carries a lower risk compare to operate individually. In order to being profitable in the industry, the investor should focus on developing long-term relationship with its customers by providing customize service and product for them. The investor also needs to concentrate on developing the appropriate sustainable strategy for the business. As travel agency industry is a highly competitive industry, careful determine the market segment and trying to differentiate their service and product seems necessary. The investor can be successful in the market, but there are numbers of factors need to be examining before truly entering into the market.

Introduction The Noon Group Marketing Essay

Introduction The Noon Group Marketing Essay Noon Group of Companies is being managed by the Noon family. The group has qualified and experienced professionals. The Noon Group of Pakistan strives to improve its profitability and safeguard its stakeholders interest while maintaining highest quality standards and serving the community. The Noon Group of Companies has various business ventures and Noon Pakistan Limited is one such profitable venture of the Group. Apart from Noon Pakistan Limited a brief description of the other business ventures are as follows:- 1.Noon Sugar Mills Limited This venture was incorporated in 1964 and manufactures white sugar. Initial crushing capacity was 1500 MT of sugarcane which has been increased to 4000 MT over the passage of time. In 1986 an alcohol distillery was setup to manufacture industrial alcohol. The total number of people employed is 683 and currently efforts are underway to increase the crushing capacity to 8000 MT/day. (Nurpur Foods-About Noon Group) 2.Pioneer Cement Limited Pioneer Cement Limited was incorporated in 1985 with a total investment of Rs.2660 million and production capacity of 630000 tons per annum. The plant is situated in Chenki, Khushab. The project was financed by a consortium of foreign lenders led by the Asian Development Bank. Efforts are underway for another line having a capacity of 6000 MT/day. (Nurpur Foods-About Noon Group) 3.Noon International Private Limited Noon International (Pvt) Limited is a trading company which was established in 1972. The company employs 43 people including a team of 15 professional sales engineers. This firm represents various international companies of repute in Pakistan and markets their equipment in the fields of textile, power generation, sugar, fertilizer, chemical, steel, cement, food and milling. (Nurpur Foods-About Noon Group) 4.Textile Technics Private Limited Incorporated in 2004 with a total investment of Rs 100 million, Textile Technics is a joint venture between M/S Blue Reed of Spain and Noon International Private Limited. The project has a production capacity of 22000 meters of reed per annum. (Nurpur Foods-About Noon Group) 5.Textile Services Textile Services was established in 1994 and provides services to over 200 customers of Sulzer Textile Projectile Weaving Machines. The company employs 32 people and provides training, technical service and spare parts for clients. (Nurpur Foods-About Noon Group) NOON PAKISTAN LIMITED Incorporated in 1966 with a total investment of 553 million, Noon Pakistan Limited produces various products namely Butter, Cheese, UHT milk, HCLF, Pasteurized milk, Flavored milk, Juices, Water, Desi ghee, Honey and Jam. Installed capacity of the plant is 72000 Liters/2 shifts and there are 700 employees. Noon Pakistan Limited has been marketing its products under the brand name of Nurpur. The plant is located in Bhalwal, Sargodha while the head office is situated in Lahore. (Nurpur Foods-About Noon Group) The company has not only built a strong reputation over the past years but has also been able to offer a strong product portfolio to its consumers. Noon Pakistan Limited believes in optimum utilization of resources in order to secure the interests of major stakeholders and fulfilling its obligation as a responsible corporate citizen by serving the community. The company also utilizes rigorous quality control procedures at all stages to ensure supply of quality products to consumers. This has allowed the firm to increase its turnover from Rs 311.7 million in 2004 to Rs 2436.41 million in 2011. (Nurpur Foods-Company Profile) The year 2011 was a challenging year for Noon Pakistan Limited. Energy Crisis, security situation coupled with devastating floods had exerted significant pressure on the economy and cost of living. Higher inflationary trends continued impacting their key products particularly related to fresh milk when shortages led to a cost increase of 16% compared to last year. Additionally, higher growth of their products led to severe filling capacity constraints and the market demand could not be met fully. Despite all these challenges, the management made serious efforts to achieve performance objectives by effective product mix, controlling fixed costs and locating new cheaper sources of raw material. Economic trends, prolonged gas and electricity outages, severe competition in selling brands and procurement of raw milk are not expected to ease out during the coming months. Due to reduced buying power, trend in the market is changing fast as consumers are looking for cheaper products in small packages. Therefore the management at Noon Pakistan Limited has made plans to reassess the market requirements and also further improve their production efficiency. (Noon Pakistan Limited, 2011) VISION The vision statement of Noon Pakistan Limited is as follows:- Our vision at Nurpur is to be a transformative force in our community and world at large and to serve as a model of a sustainable business alternative that nurtures social and economic well being in an environmentally sensitive manner. (Nurpur Foods-Our vision) MISSION The mission statement of Noon Pakistan Limited is as follows:- Nurpur is committed to supplying the consumer and customer with the finest, high quality products and to be a leading industry in healthy and nutritious products. Nurpur supports these goals with a corporate philosophy of adhering to the highest ethical conduct in all its business dealings, treatment of its employees, and social and environmental policies. (Nurpur Foods-Our mission) CORE VALUES At Noon Pakistan Limited, consumers are at the forefront of everything they do. The core values of the company are as follows:- 1. Ideas are constantly challenged to develop next generation solutions. 2. Business is conducted openly and fairly while competing fiercely at the same time. 3. Team work is encouraged with individual flair for the best results. 4. Tough goals are set and challenged and beaten. 5. Preservation of the environment is valued and organic agriculture is sustained. 6. Mutually supportive relationships are valued among members of local and global communities. (Nurpur Foods-Core values) AWARDS AND CERTIFICATIONS Noon Pakistan Limited has won many prestigious awards and certifications which are as follows:- 1. First dairy company in Pakistan to be certified under ISO 22000:2005. 2. Brand of the year award (2006-07) in the category of Butter. 3. Brand of the year award (2007-08) in category of Butter, Cheese and flavored milk. 4. Brand of the year award (2008-09) in the category of Butter. (Nurpur Foods-Company Profile) PRODUCTION OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS PRODUCTION UNITS 2011 2010 2009 UHT Milk/Tea whitener Ltrs 30,940,079 20,385,290 16,246,333 UHT Flavored milk Ltrs 4,668,071 4,075,407 2,498,299 UHT Cream Ltrs 71,381 461,722 345,580 Butter Kgs 986,335 1,011,925 862,622 Milk powder Kgs 927,943 1,160,508 930,894 Cheese Kgs 203,146 206,508 194,020 Ghee Kgs 34,371 52,190 31,331 Pasteurized Milk Ltrs 4,911,778 2,663,294 1,806,733 Loose cream Ltrs 3,490 Jams and honey Kgs 34,032 42,812 23,735 Juices Ltrs 4,421,399 10,341,160 10,402,443 (Noon Pakistan Limited, 2011) THE PURCHASE DEPARTMENT OF NOON PAKISTAN LIMITED In order to get insights about the operations of the Purchase Department, two interviews were held with the Purchase Manager of Noon Pakistan Limited. The purchase manager of Noon Pakistan Limited is Mr.Malik Ashraf who has been with the firm since its establishment. The operations of the department and interview findings are described as follows:- The purchase department is responsible for purchasing all materials required by the head office and plant other then milk which is purchased at the milk collection centre in Bhalwal. Materials which are purchased by the department range from ordinary items like office and plant stationary to complex materials like Flavors, Spare parts for plant equipment and transportation vehicles, Chemicals, Fuel and everything related to the manufacturing process, Logistics and day to day operations. Demand for requisition comes from the factory and approval has to be given by the Managing Director. The purchase department currently has 4-5 employees. The purchase department stays in coordination with the plant and suppliers through phone and email and as such no software is currently being used by the department. The department uses a manual system of keeping records and storing files. The purchase department always keeps 3 copies of requisitions and delievery challans. One copy is sent to the pl ant, one copy is maintained with the purchase department and one copy is kept by the Purchase Manager. The major suppliers of Noon Pakistan Limited are SMC, Sitara Chemicals , Jeson Foods and Danisco. Everyone is involved in the purchase process including the General Manager, Purchase Manager and people from the plant. Payments to suppliers are made either on cash or credit through the head office. Credit terms depend on contacts and relations with suppliers and can range from 15 days up to a month. (Ashraf) According to Mr. Malik, Noon Pakistan Limited believes in maintaining healthy relations with Suppliers and this is one of the key strengths of the department. The primary reason given for this was that Juices and Milk factories in Pakistan have no second option since suppliers are limited and few. They have to purchase materials from the specified suppliers and bargaining power of suppliers is high in this regard. However if relations are good with suppliers not only do suppliers cooperate but may also be lenient in terms of credit. In this regard price does not play a major issue but a greater issue is that of availability of materials from suppliers. Mr. Malik also stated that in case of materials needed from local suppliers, the purchase department is given no time and purchase has to be made immediately. However when imported materials are required from foreign suppliers, the Purchase department is informed in advance as shipping takes time. Mr. Malik also stated that there is no fixed pattern of purchases made throughout the year and it all depends on plant and market requirements. The quality of materials purchased is checked at the plant and if there are defects the merchandise is returned to the supplier. Mr. Malik also stated that there is no HR department as such and the performance of the purchase department is monitored from the plant and the Managing Director. (Ashraf) When the Purchase Department gets a requisition from the plant, the respective supplier is contacted and a van or truck of the firm goes to the supplier along with delievery Challan. The goods are then transported to the plant. One issue which is being faced by the purchase department is lack of coordination with the plant. Mr.Malik pointed out an instance in which the plant actually required Diesel but in the requisition form mentioned Furnace Oil. He mentioned some employees in the plant try to trap the purchase department to lower its performance but due to his vast experience of working with the firm and keeping a personal record of purchases, he immediately gets to know about such issues. Mr.Malik described having more informal relations with local suppliers but with foreign suppliers a formal relation is kept. This is the primary difference in dealing between local and foreign suppliers. He also mentioned that Government Policies and Regulatory Environment do have an impact on prices because if the government increases prices, suppliers also have to increase their price. (Ashraf) A typical deliver challan and requisition form is given on the following page. Original documents have also been attached in the Annexure. DELIVERY CHALLAN Noon Pakistan Limited 1st Floor, Mustafa Centre, 45 F, Main Market, Gulberg Lahore Pakistan No._______ Date:_________ To, Manager, Noon Pakistan Limited, Bhalwal The following goods have been dispatched to you by Truck No_____________ SR# Description Qty. Amount Supplier Remarks Kindly Sign and Return Duplicate ____________________ _________________ Malik Mohammed Ashraf Bhalwal Store (Noon Pakistan Limited) NOON PAKISTAN LIMITED, BHALWAL DEMAND OF STORE TO BE PURCHASED DEMAND NO______ DATE____________ SR# Item Code Nominclature Specification Name A/U Qty Required Stock in Hand Last Purchase Date Rate/Unit Amount Remarks ____________ _______________ Store Manager General Manager (Noon Pakistan Limited) THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT OF NOON PAKISTAN LIMITED In order to study the operations of the Marketing Department, two interviews were conducted with Mr.Rizwan Khan who is the Marketing Manager at Noon Pakistan Limited and has been with the firm for the past 5 years. The questions asked during the interviews have been attached in the annexure. Details of the Marketing Department are as follows:- Marketing research activities are outsourced. The Marketing Department purchases monthly reports by different marketing research agencies like AC Nielson and Tetra Pak. In this way the marketing department stays in touch with the latest trends and competitor activities. The Marketing department comprises of one marketing manager and a brand manager. The Marketing Manager reports to the General Manager of Marketing and Sales while activities of the brand manager are monitored by the marketing manager. The brand manager is responsible for dealing with various agencies as all marketing research data and ATL as well as BTL activities are outsourced. Some of the agencies with which the marketing department works are SABB Marketing, Time and Space, Orient, HRK Communications, Aura Communications, TOPAZ Communications and ADZ Communications. These agencies prepare designs of print ads and commercials. The brand manager discusses the various designs with the Marketing Manager and after makin g necessary amendments and recommendations gives the approval to Marketing agencies. (Khan) The Marketing Department does its planning in the beginning of the year in coordination with the Sales Department. A monthly, yearly and 5 year plan is made. The Marketing Department is consulted in all strategic decisions made at the corporate level. There is no fixed method for determining the budget allocated to the Marketing Department and it all depends on various factors like last years profitability and market performance of various brands available in the market. In 2012, three new brands by the name of Yogo Yogo, Dairy Rozana and Jalwa have been launched. (Khan) The Marketing Strategy of Noon Pakistan Limited is Differentiation strategy. However the strategy to be adopted for each brand depends on the market performance and competitor activities. Since UHT milk is difficult to differentiate, the current strategy being adopted is to position it as a milk which is enriched with vitamins needed for healthy growth and development. The target market of UHT milk is Housewives and working females as well as males. Different SKUs are being used to target different Socio Economic Classes like the 1000ml pack is targeted for SEC-A while the 200ml and 250ml packs are targeted towards low income households. The main competitor brands of Nurpur Milk are Olpers, Milk Pak, Good Milk and Haleeb. The marketing department does not go for an offensive strategy because Nestle and Engro are huge giants with bundle of resources. Noon Pakistan Limited can be classified as an Analyzer. Another reason for not adopting an offensive strategy is that volumes are low. I mportance is not given to gain shelf space because there production volumes are so low that everything sells out due to high demand of UHT milk. Recently a new brand by the name of Dairy Rozana has been launched as a flanker brand to compete with the brand Dairy Omung of Engro. (Khan) The main weakness of the Marketing Department is that very little attention is being paid towards building brand equity. The department is focusing on increasing sales which is a short term approach rather than focusing on building their brands. The details about how the Marketing Department is managing the marketing mix of Nurpur milk is described in a later section. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT (Noon Pakistan Limited) The Brand Manager is responsible for dealing with various Marketing Agencies and reports to the Marketing Manager. The Marketing Manager reports to the General Manager of Sales and Marketing. (Khan) THE SALES DEPARTMENT OF NOON PAKISTAN LIMITED In order to study the operations of the Sales Department, two interviews were conducted with Mr.Nauman Butt who is the Sales Analyst at Noon Pakistan Limited and has been with the firm for a year. The questions asked in the interview have been attached in the annexure. The organizational structure of the Sales Department comprises of the General Manager of Sales and Marketing, National Sales Manager, Regional Sales Manager, Area Sales Manager, Field Managers and Sales Officers. The job description of the Field Manager and Sales Officer is the same but position of Field Manager is superior because those Sales Officers whose performance is consistently outstanding are made Field Managers. Territories have been assigned according to location and comprises of Central Zone, Southern Punjab zone and Northern zone which includes RWL/AJK, Hazara belt and Pakhtoon.K belt. Distribution is limited in Quetta and Multan because of heavy freight expenses. The process of forecasting yearly sales is that last years closing sales are doubled and the amount is set as the Sales Target for the next year. Sales Quotas are assigned to Salesmen depending on the Area and potential. Other factors which are taken into account while assigning quotas are the seasonality issue because milk production and demand fluctuates throughout the year. There are more than 280 distributors all over the country and each Sales Officer has to monitor and look after 3-4 distributors. The Sales department also relies on individual projections from the Sales Team when deciding upon monthly and quarterly targets. If a salesman is unable to achieve his target in the specified time, he has to achieve both, the remaining target as well as the target allocated in the next period. If targets are continuously not being achieved the Salesman is fired. The salesmen who achieve targets are awarded with bonuses and cash rewards. In order to motivate the sales team, a sales competition is held and winner of Sales Man of the Year is rewarded. Besides having a Sales competition, vacation trips are also planned to motivate the Sales Team. If targets set in the year 2012 are met, the entire Sales Team will go on a vacation to Dubai on the companys expenses. Noon Pakistan Limited has als o started exporting its products to countries like England, Kenya and Afghanistan. The documentation process to export products involves the Performa Invoice, E-Form Attestation, Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Certificate of Origin and Analysis Report. (Butt) ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF SALES DEPARTMENT Pakhtoon.K Belt SO Rawalpindi Field Manager Inst.S.Executive Sales Coordinator Southern Punjab Zone GM Sales/Mkt SO SO FM ASM RWL/AJK Hazara belt RWL/AJK belt RSM Multan SO SO SO SO SO SO Faisalabad SO Sargodha FM Gujrat FM SO ASM P.milk FM I.SIndh FM Karachi Inst.SO FM ASM Sales Analyst North Zone South Region Head Office NSM Central Zone (Noon Pakistan Limited) PRODUCT PORTFOLIO AND PRICE LIST Product Packing Unit/Ctn Retailer Margin Trade Price Consumer Price 1.UHT MILK Ctns Units Ctns Units 1000ml 12 6.09% 1018 84.83 1080 90 200ml 24 4.35% 391 16.29 408 17 250ml 27 5.97% 586 21.7 621 23 2.CHAI MIX Ctns Units Ctns Units 250ml 27 6.38% 533 19.74 567 21 200ml 24 5.97% 385 16.04 408 17 3.BUTTER KGs Units KGs Units 200gm 30 8.00% 463 92.6 500 100 100gm 60 12.70% 488 48.8 550 55 50gm 120 13.20% 530 26.5 600 30 20gm 300 13.20% 530 10.6 600 12 10gm 600 13.20% 530 5.3 600 6 1KG white 20 11.80% 8500 425 9500 475 4.CHEESE Ctns Units Ctns Units 200gm cottage 42 9.10% 6930 165 7560 180 200gm slice 36 16.10% 5580 155 6480 180 225gm chedder 40 14.90% 5920 148 6800 170 225gm spicy 40 14.90% 5920 148 6800 170 225gm mozarella 40 14.60% 6980 174.5 8000 200 450gm chedder 20 13.40% 6880 344 7800 390 450gm mozarella 20 13.60% 8800 440 10000 500 1.8Kg mozarella 4 13.10% 5128 1282 5800 1450 1Kg slice 8 13.60% 5072 634 5760 720 1Kg slice (KFC) 8 13.60% 5072 634 5760 720 2Kg Chedder 4 12.10% 3924 981 4400 1100 5.CREAM P/Tray Units P/Tray Units 250ml 27 4.20% 1200 44.44 1250 46.3 6.PASTEURIZED MILK P/Tray Litres P/Tray Liters 1000ml 10 11.70% 600 60 670 67 500ml 20 13.30% 600 30 680 34 7.FLAVORED MILK Ctns Units Ctns Units 250ml 12 13.30% 233 19.42 264 22 200ml 12 12.10% 214 17.83 240 20 8.PURE JUICES Ctns Units Ctns Units Apple 1000ml 12 6.10% 792 66 840 70 Guava 1000ml 12 6.10% 792 66 840 70 Orange 1000ml 12 7.10% 840 70 900 75 Pineapple 1000ml 12 6.10% 792 66 840 70 Mango 1000ml 12 6.10% 792 66 840 70 Apple 200ml 24 11.80% 322 13.42 360 15 Orange 200ml 24 11.80% 322 13.42 360 15 Mango 200ml 24 15.40% 312 13 360 15 9.YOGO YOGO Ctns Units Ctns Units 200ml 12 8.70% 276 23 300 25 10.DESI GHEE Ctns Units Ctns Units 1Kg 6 7.50% 2232 372 2400 400 11.JAMS 1.5Kg Units 1.5Kg Units Strawberry 15gm 600 14.30% 385 3.85 440 4.4 Apple 15gm 600 14.30% 385 3.85 440 4.4 Marmalad 15gm 600 14.30% 385 3.85 440 4.4 Honey 15gm 600 14.30% 385 3.85 440 4.4 12.DAIRY ROZANA 1.5Kg Units 1.5Kg Units 1000ml 12 6.12% 735 61.25 780 65 250ml 27 6.11% 458 16.96 486 18 13.JALWA Ctns Units Ctns Units 250ml 27 6.21% 483 17.89 513 19 200ml 24 5.88% 340 14.17 360 15 (Noon Pakistan Limited) MARKETING MIX OF NURPUR UHT MILK Nurpur UHT milk has been positioned as a milk which is enriched with vitamins needed for healthy growth and development. The milk is packed in Tetra Aseptic Packaging which allows long lasting storage and shelf space. Currently three SKUs are available in the market which are 200ml, 250ml and 1000ml. (Khan) Initially the pricing policy adopted for Nurpur milk was market penetration pricing, which means prices were low compared to competing brands. Recently the pricing policy has been changed and now the pricing policy is competitive pricing policy as shown below:- Product Packing Unit/Ctn Retailer Margin Trade Price Consumer Price 1.UHT MILK Ctns Units Ctns Units 1000ml 12 6.09% 1018 84.83 1080 90 200ml 24 4.35% 391 16.29 408 17 250ml 27 5.97% 586 21.7 621 23 (Khan) (Noon Pakistan Limited) Due to low volumes produced the company has adopted the policy of selective distribution. The company offers various discounts to retailers to push their products into the market. The indirect distribution channel being used is shown below:- (Khan) Due to limited marketing budgets, the marketing department has to promote most of the products through Below The Line(BTL) activities. Outdoor advertising, hoardings, flyers, Trader Schemes, Taste and trial promotion activities, posters, streamers, buntings and wobblers are mostly used. Even though some commercials have been aired on television, lack of budgets restricts the marketing department from making use of Above The Line advertising effectively. (Khan) SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTHS Market leadership in selected product categories Strong and Experienced Sales Team Strong Supplier relationship Brand Loyal Customers Strict adherence to Quality Standards First dairy company in Pakistan to be certified under ISO 22000:2005 WEAKNESSES Weak coordination among departments No emphasis on building brand equity No formal HR Department Centralized Decision Making No policy of recruiting fresh blood Selective Distribution OPPORTUNITIES Exporting products to foreign countries Increased demand for dairy products due to urbanization and increasing population Ensuring availability in untapped markets Launching innovative products for health conscious consumers Going for backward integration THREATS Reliance on few suppliers Rising prices of sugar Rising prices of oil increasing transportation expenses Energy and Power Crises