Information Systems Alumni Questionnaire

Figure 4 shows the size of the company. Figure 4: Size of the Company Size of the Company 3% From 1 to 10 employees 61% From 11 to 50 employees 5 From 51 to 100 employees More than 100 employees Most of the alumni who answered the survey (74. 2%) work for a company that is located in Puerco Rich. Figure 5 shows the company location. Figure 5: Company Location Company Location A foreign country Continental USA Puerco Rich 74% The vast majority of the alumni who answered the survey (90. 3%) indicated that the location where they work is in Puerco Rich. Figure 6 shows the distribution.Figure 6:Job Location Job Location 90% 6 Most of the alumni who answered the survey (77%) are male. Figure 7 shows the distribution. Figure 7: Gender Gender 23% Female Male 77% 7 Frequency distributions In this research, two main areas were analyzed. The first area addressed the career and professional accomplishments of the PR-RPR CICS alumni, which purpose is to measure the achievement of the program's o bjectives. The second area addressed the abilities gained from the Information Systems education, which purpose is to measure the achievement of the program's outcomes.Frequency distribution of the objectives of the program Eight career and professional accomplishments statements in the survey have he intention to measure the five objectives of the IGRP-RPR CICS program. Objectives one, two, and five are determined using two different career and professional accomplishment statements. Objectives three and four are evaluated with only one career and professional accomplishment statement. There is one independent variable for each career and professional accomplishment statement.A four-point Liker scale was used to measure each career and professional accomplishment. The scale consists of â€Å"Very frequently', â€Å"Frequently', â€Å"Sometimes†, and â€Å"Never'. From the program's objective perspective, the results show that in a sample of 31 alumni, most who participate d in the study felt that they: Sometimes implement and manage information systems in an organization. Very frequently apply technological, analytical, and critical thinking skills in the solution of problems related to information systems in organizations.Very frequently take into consideration the context in which information systems operate, when implementing and managing these systems. Very frequently maintain his professional expertise by updating his knowledge in technology and information systems. Very frequently perform his functions showing respect and appreciation for ethical values, interpersonal relationships, communication, and team work. Table 1 shows the frequency distribution of the objectives of the PR-RPR CICS program where the sample is 31. Figure 8 shows a column chart of the frequency distribution of the objectives from Table 1 .Frequency distribution of the outcomes of the program There are ten outcomes for the PR-RPR CICS program. Each outcome is understood to be the ability that the alumni developed or gained while studying for their Bachelor's degree. There 8 re ten questions or survey items regarding to those abilities to measure the program's outcomes. Each survey items from this section helps assess the effectiveness of the PR-RPR CICS program's achievement of an outcome of the program. There is one independent variable for each statement that measures the abilities developed from the Information Systems education.A four-point Liker scale was used to evaluate each of the ten statements addressing the abilities gained from the Information Systems education. The scale consists of â€Å"Highly effective†, â€Å"Very effective†, â€Å"Moderately effective†, and â€Å"Not effective†. From the program's outcomes perspective, the results show that in a sample of 31 alumni, most who participate in the study felt that they are: Highly effective in the ability to analyze an operation within an organization, identify problems and make recommendations to solve these problems.Very effective in the ability to select or design a system to solve the problems identified in an operation. Very effective in the ability to plan and supervise the implementation of a system that solves the problems identified in an operation. Very effective in the ability to use current techniques, skills, tools and best raciest to design, implement and manage information systems. Very effective in the ability to understand the impact that organizational, local and global environments have in the implementation and management of information systems.Both highly effective and very effective in the ability to value the protection of information system resources in an organization, and to identify ways in which this protection can be achieved. Highly effective in the ability to be aware of the high level of change in the Information Systems field, and the need to use different mechanisms to update your knowledge. Highly effect ive in the ability to recognize the importance of ethical values and interpersonal relationships in an information systems professional.

Definition essay on the word “Passion” Essay

Passion is a distinct characteristic that not every person has the opportunity to experience. When one is said to have passion, that means that this person is driven and full of enthusiasm. Passion can be expressed in many different ways, and in many different situations. The dictionary has several definitions for the word â€Å"passion.† Passion is described as a powerful emotion, such as love, hate, joy, or anger. Anyone can be joyful, but when someone is passionately joyful, it takes the meaning of â€Å"joyful† to a whole new level. A person can â€Å"fly into a passion,† meaning they are experiencing intense rage and emotion. The television show â€Å"Passions† revolves around all of these emotions, therefore incorporating its title into every episode it airs. The second dictionary definition of the word â€Å"passion† elaborates much more on the powerful emotion of love. The word â€Å"passion† also refers to undying love, sexual desire, and lust. When a relationship between two people is said to be passionate, it means that they are madly, deeply in love with one another. It can also be mutual sexual desire and lust between two people who may or may not be in love with one another. An unknown individual quoted the following statement: â€Å"Passion is not having sex; passion is making love forever.† A person described as â€Å"passionate† is generally very motivated, enthusiastic, and full of life. Companies involved with advertising are incessantly looking to recruit passionate people, because their enthusiasm affects a potential customer’s decision positively in the company’s favor. F.M. Foster summarized this thought quite well when he said, â€Å"One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.† Passion can also be the object of one’s enthusiasm. When a particular item or activity is one’s â€Å"passion†, it becomes not just something they like to do, but rather a part of them as a person. If a boy is passionate about hockey, it means that he lives, breathes, and sleeps hockey. It means that he spends a great deal of time not only playing hockey, but also thinking about hockey. A person’s greatest â€Å"passion† is that person’s obsession; it is, at least in their eyes, their purpose in life. A life without passion would be a life without purpose. The absence of passion means the absence of love, joy, and excitement; it also means the absence of hatred, spite, and anger. Life without passion would be meaningless, empty, and boring. Henri Fredric Amiel perhaps said it best in the following statement: â€Å"A man without passion is only a latent force, only a possibility, like a stone waiting for the blow from the iron to give forth sparks.† Life is full passion, and without it, there would be no quality of life.

Does it make sense to believe in life after death? Essay

In this essay I will be arguing that you can almost make no sense to believe in life before and after death and that there is no humanly logical way of proving either side of the argument. Plato acts on the words of his teacher, Socrates, and how he considered the soul to be separate from the body but linked until death. He says that the soul influences how we behave and tries to sway us from bodily desires. He says that the soul moves from one body to another when death occurs and to be born into subsequent bodies. This is a good indication from Plato to show life after death because he says the life of the soul is everlasting like an infinite line or a circle. Plato said that the soul is made up from three parts: the Logos, which is the mind and allows logic to prevail. Thymos is emotion and drives us to do heroic acts of bravery and courage. Eros equates to the appetite that drives humankind to seek out its basic bodily needs. There is no scientific way of proving life after death with this theory is correct and no way of proving it incorrect so it would be false to say that Plato’s theory is wrong because it made sense for Plato because they were his ethics, it would be bad to say that someone’s ethics were wrong because they aren’t like yours. Aristotle’s view however is quite similar in the characteristics but the concept of an everlasting soul to him makes no sense because he believed in the soul being created at birth and dying at death. This doesn’t correspond with Plato because he said that the souls come from the Forms (which is space-less and timeless) so the soul must also last forever. Aristotle believed that the soul wasn’t made from physical tissue but of powers or skill, so therefore pointless talk about separation from the body because it just wasn’t logical. The flaw in this statement is that it is impossible to connect meta-physics with logic so there is no way to measure, see, touch or knowing what the answer is. Thomas Aquinas once said that the soul has the appetite for knowledge because he said, â€Å"since the intellectual soul is capable of knowing all material things, and since in order to know a material thing there must be no material thing within it, the soul was definitely not connected and that it was an individual spiritual substance and that it could survive on its own†. Aquinas said that the soul is subsistant and therefore can’t die with the body and cant be born with it. This is like saying the soul doesn’t even exist in this form of life properly and only exists partly with your body and outside it. John Hick, a 20th century philosopher said that life after death is no where near provable but he said that a rational person would be able to accept it. John Hick discussed a theory he had that when you die, your separated soul and body will resurrect and be re-united in a new and glorified form. The example he uses is that he is giving a lecture in London at 2:00pm and died at that exact moment, his living tissue and soul were transported to New York in a new and glorified form at 2:00.0000001pm (London time) giving the exact same speech as he was in London. Once again there is no rational way of explaining life before and after death because the soul isn’t a rational thing. A philosopher, Derek Parfit created a scenario where in the future and teleportation device was created to transport a person from one place to another without any physical movement from the person or anyone or anything around that person. The teleportation device copied your living tissue and you’re DNA and even your thoughts and memories. Once the copying stage is complete, the machine will disintegrate your body and a machine at the receiving end will create an exact replica of you with everything perfectly the same (a clone). If you had done this 100 times and then one time it didn’t work to plan and it would take 30 minutes to incinerate you, you would see an exact replica of you at the other teleportation receiver. Which one are you another person would ask, but the answer would be neither of them because the real person would be the very first incinerated person because only clones were created afterwards. I think this is one of the most valid arguments because he uses knowledge and common sense in his story but doesn’t explain where the soul went. I think that there is no logical way of making sense of life after death because to have sense, you must have proof and because there is no proof of and sides of the arguments aren’t logical there is no way of making sense of them. I think that it is still rational be open to the concept of life after death.

The British Mandate Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The British Mandate - Research Paper Example The article stated that nations that were unable to hold their own government were to be given under the trust or leadership of advanced countries that were willing and capable of handling the affairs of such states until such states could have gained enough strength to operate their own government affairs (Miller 162). The concepts of the Article 22 were approved, and later in June 1919, the same concepts were taken to the Treaty of Versailles. However, it should be noted that, in April 1920, executives from different countries questioned how the Treaty of Versailles was to be executed. This led to deciding of the roles of the mandates among different allies countries, and such roles were decided by the supreme council. The Mandates in the Middle East were decided and demined by adopting what was considered the basic features of Sevres. The British was allotted the administrative control of the Palestine leading to the naming of the territory as â€Å"the British Mandate of Palestine (Miller 124).† However, in July 1920, the mandate’s civil administration took over the military and named Jerusalem the capital

The Impact of Workplace Bullying Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Impact of Workplace Bullying - Research Paper Example This practice is costing institutions and organizations the labor and cost that might have been used in ensuring the organization’s growth. This paper shall dissect the impact of workplace bullying on both the victim and the organization, and some of the steps taken to curb the prevalence of such practices. The article Workplace Bullying: Costly and Preventable by Terry Wiedmer talks of some of the impacts of bullying in the workplace and its costly nature on the organization. The author explains the emergence of bullying in the workplace as a targeted and pervasive effort that is carried out with or without the knowledge of senior management. The responsibilities and duties of senior management are to ensure that there is the creation of a harassment-free working environment for any and all employees in an organization. The author goes on to indicate that nobody is free from being subjected to the torments that occur in the workplace, and that the outcome of such actions may be immeasurable (Wiedmer, 2010). The psychological harassment of employees in the workplace only works to demoralize them from performing their duties and tasks as assigned. In the long run, their optimum potential is not achieved or attained, hence; bringing down the organization’s objectives. As individuals, their morale levels are lowered, and their self-belief and confidence is affected to the point where they might not be able to perform other functions away from work (Einarsen, Hoel, & Zapf, 2010). In one case, in the past, an employee was once admitted in a healthcare facility for having high work related stress that resulted in high blood pressure. He was failing to meet set targets and was the constant thing in most jokes around the workplace. He would be stressed out and started taking alcohol to numb some of the feelings of despair, but this only made things worse. The drinking affected his work

Computer Networking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Computer Networking - Research Paper Example The discussion further analyses the importance of backup as an operation security strategy that helps avail the data stored in the database in case of an external damage. Security is one of the most fundamental factors in the installation and maintenance of a computer network. This follows the understanding that the information shared on such computer networks is a key asset to the institutions that develop the information system. Computer networks refer to telecommunication networks that permit computers and other similar media to transfer data thus enabling communication. The interconnection of computers among other appliances such as telephones, fax machines and printers thus creates an information network that facilitates communication either within the organization or on a larger context with third parties outside the organization. The integrity of the data flowing within the information system relies on the security features employed by the information technology department in the organization (Wood, 2010). Security of a computer network requires the incorporation of various technologies as essay below elaborates. Among the various security features used in a network is end-to-end encryption, which is arguably the most effective security tool. While not often considered a security feature, end-to-end encryption is a paradigm that permits data protection through a series of encoding and decoding through appropriate platforms only. This allows for selective access to the information communicated through the network thus maintaining a degree of integrity in the entire communication process. The party that originates the data encrypts to an appropriate format conveyable through the network while the receiving party decrypts the data thereby obtaining the intended message. The process is simple but requires an effective utilization of appropriate resources in order to maintain the fidelity of the data communicated in any network. Furthermore, while end-to-end

Courts are independent Agrents of social Change Essay

Courts are independent Agrents of social Change - Essay Example There are many sides of the argument when it comes to evaluating the importance of courts as justice institutions. For instance, in as much as they promote justice, equality, and the principles of social justice, there are occasional instances when the established institutions can be taken as being biased. The following discourse is going to delve into the position that the institutions play in social justice. In particular, the analysis seeks to identify whether the courts are systems that bring change as they are supposed to. As legal institutions, courts have been serving their purpose in established and just societies as the setups for offering justice. In addressing the topic under discussion, the paper takes the position that courts are free and independent platforms for introducing change. In addressing the importance of courts in contemporary societies, the discussion is going to refer to the opinions of other authors. For instance, Rahl’s book on democracy is quite relevant in addressing the social justice system amongst humans (1993). In normal democratic systems like in the United States, the system of justice is organised into hierarchies. In the case of America, the ultimate decision when it comes to legal judgements or decisions lies with the Supreme Court. Rahl argues that the court is an institution that should be used to protect the interest of the minorities (1993). This is because the majority can be favoured by established institution policies. In the case of bringing change, courts have been used to protect the interest of the majority. However, this view is also arguable. Change is normally brought through policy formulation. This is normally the jurisdiction of the legislature. However, courts act as legal advisers when it comes to having an interpretation of the constitution. Therefore, even in the interpretation of the constitution, the courts play a role in policy making.

Margaret Atwood's Death by Landscape Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Margaret Atwood's Death by Landscape - Essay Example The dexterity with which she handled her public and private life is also included in the book. It further gives a wonderful commentary of all the published works of the author. The author compares her personality with the fictional heroines in her works. The book is both for general and specialized readership. This biography examines the author’s growth in the evolution of the Canadian culture and literature. Margaret Atwoods Power: Mirrors, Reflections, and Images in Select Fiction and Poetry is a unique analysis of Atwood’s works. The book presents the author as the most accomplished poet and novelist. This is a wonderful feminist analysis in which the author provides a psychoanalytic overview of Margaret Atwood’s portrayal of women and power. The book gives new insights to the famous author’s work and her popularity as a writer. The book presents Margaret Atwood as the most productive and versatile authors of her period. She is considered as the most fascinating writer who produces great works in any genre she chooses. This book appeared during the sixtieth birthday of the great author. The book examines the works of the author and reviews it. The book gives a great introduction to the works of Atwood, including her work ‘Death by Landscape’. Atwood’s novels, short stories, poetries and other works are surveyed in the book. The crucial approaches to Atwood’s works from the angle of mythology, literary criticism and cultural criticism and other topics are presented in the book. In this book the author gives a beautiful overview of the celebrated works of Atwood including ‘Death by Landscape’. The analysis focuses on her major themes. The book is thoroughly researched, giving a great analysis of the works of the famous author. The book examines nine novels of the author in groups of threes. The book highlights the interconnecting themes in the works. The themes include presentation of women as

Endangered Snow Leopard Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Endangered Snow Leopard - Research Paper Example Global snow leopards’ effective population size is estimated to be about 50 percent of the total population which implies that there are 2,040-3,295 snow leopards in the world (qtd. in Jackson et al.) This paper studies the factors contributing to the threats of snow leopards’ extinction; its impact; and suggested solutions. Snow leopard is found in the high mountains of Central Asia with major regions that include: Altai, Pamir, Hindu Kush, Tian Shan, Kun Lun, Karakorum, and Himalayan ranges (McCarthy et al.).Ecological regions are defined to be Altai-Sayan, Trans-Altai Alashan, Tian Shan, Pamir, Gobi, Hindu-Kush, Himalayas, Karakorum, Tibetan Plateau, and Hengduan Mountains (Williams, 2008 qtd. in Jackson et al.) 2. Causes of being endangered Major factors which contribute to the threats of snow leopards include: decreasing prey base; illegal trade; encounter with local people; lacking conservation activities; inadequate policy and implementation; and lack of awarenes s among people (Jackson et al.).The Snow Leopard Survival Strategy determined major threats to the specie which can be categorized as: habitat and prey; direct killing; policy and awareness; and other issues (McCarthy et al. 31). 2.1 Habitat and Prey Threats   2.1.1.Habitat Fragmentation and Degradation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Snow leopards utilize several habitat types on marginal basis; however, they have strong association with high alpine tundra which is a very fragile ecosystem itself. Such narrow scale of habitat expose snow leopard to the vulnerability of habitat change in particular. Changes in the habitat over most of snow leopard range do not comply with the common perception of habitat degradation and fragmentation. Construction of roads, large scale natural resource extraction, and urbanization takes place within the snow leopard range; however, its incidence is rare due to remoteness and inaccessibility. Most observed form of habitat alteration is comparatively s ubtle but equally destructive and happens in the form of livestock and their owners’ interference (McCarthy et al. 29).   2.1.2. Natural Prey Reduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Snow leopard’s habitat mountain ungulates are hunted, either illegally or without any regulation. They are hunted by locals either for meat or as a symbol of their victory; meat is also used to serve for honored guest or on special holidays. Moreover, wild meat is greatly appreciated due to its medicinal value. Sometimes, illegal hunting occurs as a result of commercial activity. There is nearly absence of legal hunting by locals which disenfranchises them and makes it hard to comply with the law. Legal harvesting exceeds the allowed area which results in the reduction of snow leopard food resources (McCarthy et al. 30). 2.1.3. Legal Hunting of Natural Prey Sheep and goats trophy hunting is quite prevalent and a lucrative business in most of snow leopard rage-states. It generates wealth fo r private and state hunting reserves. However, they can play a vital role in community base conservation by providing local people with the incentives to protect wild life and its habitat. These hunts are not properly manages and lead to either medium-term social instability or long-term genetic issues. Major conflict in interest is created by the major part of income is generated by trophy hunting. Ungulate stock is reduced limiting the surviving ability of snow leopard and other carnivores. Other declining prey species

Psychoanalytic Personality Assessment Essay Example for Free

Psychoanalytic Personality Assessment Essay Psychoanalytic theory was developed by Sigmend Freud. It is a system in which unconscious motivations are considered to shape normal and abnormal personality development and behavior. Psychoanalysis is commonly used to treat depression and anxiety disorders. Freud’s Psychosexual Theory of Development explains that if there was a conflict in a stage and not resolved that person would be fixated. Carl Jung’s Analytic Psychology is according to the mind or psyche. Alfred Alder’s Individual Psychology is the importance of each person’s perceived niche in society. Freud’s work is now the most heavily cited in all of psychology. Most of Freud’s patients did not need treatment so he resorted to using hypnosis. He used the technique of free association in order to understand the causes of mental and physical problems in his patients. Dreams to him were saw as pieces and hints of unconscious. The problems of inner conflict and tension are found in dreams. There are three structured parts in the mind according to Freud. The three parts are id, ego, and superego. Freud’s and Jung are compared by using unconscious sexuality in their theories. The id, das es in German means the it; it operates according to the demands of the pleasure principle to reduce inner tension. Ego is the Latin word for I. Personality that deals with the real world according to the reality principle to solve real problems. Superego rules over the ego and parts are unconscious, though it constrains our individual actions. Freud looked for meaning in minor connections thoughts and behaviors. Now 100 of years later there are no three levels id, ego, and superego. Freud was correct in concluding that certain parts of the mind are not subject to conscious awareness. His theories opened new approaches to human nature and psychotherapy. Carl Jung theory is divided into three parts just as Freud’s theory is. The three are unconscious, personal unconscious, and collective unconscious. Freud and Carl embody the sense of self for unconscious. Personal unconscious are thoughts and urges that are unimportant at the present. This contains past (retrospective) and future (prospective) material to be compensated to have a balance. Collective unconscious is comprises a deeper level of unconsciousness and is made up of powerful emotional symbols called archetypes. Archetypes are derived from the emotional reactions of our ancestors. Carl Jung was interested in the deepest universal aspects of personality and expanded ideas of the unconscious to include emotionally charged images and expanded ideas of all generations. He also gives the concepts of complexes meaning emotionally charged thoughts and feeling on a particular them. Another thing is he describes personality as being comprised of competing forces pulling against one another to reach equilibrium. Alfred Adler focused on the social world and its identity. Adler and Freud’s differences were in the origin of motivation. Freud theory was based on prime motivations that were built on pleasure and sexuality. Adler’s theory is based on motivations that are more complex. Adler was much more concerned with social conditions and saw the need to take preventive measures to avoid disturbances in personality. He believed personality problems can be avoided by using detailed knowledge about individuals to construct healthier social environment. Personality typology based loosely on Greek notions of the bodily humors. He believed in positive goal oriented and nature of human kind. There are two characteristics that I agree with which are: Jung’s personal unconscious and Alder’s superiority complex. There are two characteristics that I disagree with which are: Freud’s latency stage and Alder’s collective unconscious. Psychosexual Development has five stages: oral stage, anal stage, phallic stage, Oedipus complex, Electra complex, latency stage, and genital stage. Oral stage is where we satisfy our hunger and thirst. Anal stage is where we feel relief when defecating. Phallic stage is where adolescents focus on genitals. Oedipus stage is where a young boy wants to kill his father to marry his beloved mother. This is the opposite for girls in the Electra complex. Latency stage is where adolescents focus more on academics and friendships. Genital stage is where marks the beginning of an adult life of normal sexual relations, marriage, and child-rearing. Challenges from the outer environment and from our inner urges threaten us with anxiety; there are three defense mechanisms that I can relate to very well. The three are reaction formation, displacement, and rationalization. The processes that the ego uses to distort reality to protect itself are called defense mechanisms. Reaction formation is the process of pushing away threatening impulses by overemphasizing the opposite in one’s thoughts and actions, e.g. Josephine was a classmate of mine in 2008. A lot of my peers in that year were exposing themselves to be either gay or lesbian. Josephine’s religious and outspoken background made her very judgmental towards her peers. Ultimately, the summer of 2009 being in the spotlight of high school she had a girlfriend. Displacement is the shifting of the target of one’s unconscious fears and desires, e.g. Jason and I get into arguments all the time just as any normal couple. The dishes were not washes like I had asked. For some reason my frustration was at an all-time high. The dog tipped over the trash can in the kitchen and in the bathroom. Not to mention the dog feces in the living. I had enough so I kicked my dog, Charles. Rationalization is a mechanism involving post-hoc logical explanations for behaviors that were actually driven by internal unconscious motives, e.g. I want to move back home so that it will be easier for the baby and I just know it would be so much easier and a better opportunity for me to concentrate on school, but the underlying is that I just want to leave my current home. In conclusion, psychoanalytic theory was developed by Freud. This is a system in which unconscious motivations are considered to shape normal and abnormal personality development and behavior. Both Freud and Jung believed ego played a huge part in personality and the unconscious sexuality. Adler and Freud’s theory differed by the origin of motivation. Freud believes in prime motivations were pleasure and sexuality. Adler believes in human motivations that are more complex. Like Jun Adler believed in the importance of the teleological aspects, or goal-directedness of human nature. Difference in Freud’s and Adler’s philosophies was that Adler was much more concerned with social conditions. He saw the need to take preventive measures to avoid disturbances in personality. In all of these theories helped open new approac hes to human nature and psychotherapy. References Friedman, H. S., Schustack, M. W. (2011). Personality. Classic Theories and Modern Research (5th ed.). Retrieved from University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

Penfolds Wine Porters Five and SWOT Analysis

Penfolds Wine Porters Five and SWOT Analysis Penfolds is one of the oldest Australian wine brands, founded in the mid-19th century by the English immigrant and medical doctor Rawson Penfold. Starting with wine growing for medical purposes and the production of fortified wines and brandies, the business has developed very quickly and by 1920, the company already had a 50 per cent market share in Australia. After World War II the company has changed its direction and started producing red table wines with the commencement of white production in 1990. In the same year, the company has been acquired by Southcorp, which made the company the biggest Australian owned wine producer as well as the fifth largest producer in the world. In 2005, Fosters acquired Southcorp. (Calkins, 2005). The analysis of the case study should address the issues that Penfolds is faces and provide recommendations for a marketing strategy to overcome these issues. 1.2 Economic background South Australia has the fifth largest population as well as the fifth largest economy in Australia. As for the wine segment of the economy, the wine cluster, South Australia is the largest producer and exporter of wines in Australia (Nipe et al., 2010). From the 1990s, the wine sector has been growing steadily due to the strong exports. Nevertheless, the rising number of competitors in the low-cost wine segment and the worldwide recession in the recent years challenges the industry. Simultaneously, dominant supermarket giants have gained enormous market power reducing the power of the industry. Furthermore, the changing preferences of consumers and a huge oversupply of wine grapes is a major problem for the wine industry. The oversupply in wine grapes has reduced prices, lowered the profit margins and even got many wine producers to leave the market (Dobie, 2012). The exports have dropped for e.g. in 2010-2011 to 747 million liters compared to 788 million liters in the year 2009 2010 (Figure 1). On the other hand, the demand for wine in the domestic Australian market has been growing steadily since over 20 years and domestic producers mainly supply the market. The imports of wine have risen by 4.2 %, to 67 million liters in 2010-2011 (Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2012). However, to be prepared for the future, the Australian wine sector has to undergo some changes, to stay competitive on the domestic market and to start growth on the export market again. Therefore, the sector has to deal more effectively with the oversupply of grapes and the quality of low cost wines in the key export markets, which has affected the reputation of Australian wines in a negative way (Dobie, 2012). 2. Analysis of the Case study 2.1 Porter five forces analysis The Porter five forces analysis was introduced by Michael E. Porter, which helps to identify and to analyse the competitiveness, profitability and the attractiveness of an Industry (Investopedia, 2012). Therefore, this model should be used for the Penfolds case study to assess the wine industry in Australia and to able to place give adequate recommendations on Penfolds future marketing strategy. Threat of Entry: The threat of entry for new wine producers in Australia is quite high, especially from large global liquor companies (Pugh Fletcher, 2002). Nevertheless, there are some barriers for new entrants in place, as for example the price of land and the high capital investments that are needed for the equipment. Another barrier is the time component, as newly planted wines need several years to grow mature and to be able to be brought to the market on a profit-making basis. This barrier makes the return on investment quite slow and it is only possible by big companies, who can afford waiting on their return (Adamo, 1997). Government regulations on alcohol, like licencing and taxes, existing distribution channels and already existing brands with high loyalty users, are also barriers for new entrants to the wine market in Australia. However, the high profit margins, low entrance costs due to a large number of substitutes will still attract some new producers, although only on a small scale (B lees at al., 2003) Industry Rivalry: The Australian wine industry is subject to high competition with a high number of competitors, which implies that also the price competition is very high. In Australia, there is also a high consolidation of the large brands, which are mainly bought by large global liquor companies, which helps these producers to use their power to undermine the small manufacturers (Pugh Fletcher, 2002) Threat of Substitutes: The threat of substitutes in the wine industry is very high as there is a high amount of other alcoholic beverages on the market. Nevertheless, wine is still the fastest growing segment in the alcohol market. Compared to the rest of the world, Australia has an advantage in the ability to produce innovative high quality wines and to attract new consumers on the export market, as wine can be consumed regardless its aging (Wood and Anderson, 2002). The biggest problem in the area of substitutes is the absence of brand loyalty in the wine industry as most of the beer producers can count on. Therefore, the high amount of other alcoholic products which are more often cheaper in price and an assumed rise of health concerns by the consumers create a high threat of substitutes for the wine industry. Bargaining power of buyers: The wine industrys buyers are categorized into two groups: the distributors and the retailers. Supermarkets, restaurants and clubs most likely represent the buyers of wine. Although this buyer group is able to change their offered brands quite easily, the change is offset by the acquisition of a large product palette from the seller of the company as it ensures lower prices and because the buyers have to be prepared on the various consumer preferences (Adamo, 1997). Nevertheless, the bargaining power of the buyers is relatively high, because the whole market is well crowded, and the securitization of the distribution is even more problematic for the producers when major liquor chains and large supermarkets dominate the major distribution channels in overseas markets (Pugh Fletcher, 2002). Bargaining power of suppliers: The suppliers in the wine industry are the wine growers with their vineyards. Their bargaining power is very low as the global market has been flooded with grapes from different regions of the world and mostly with cheaper grapes than they can be produced in Australia (Davis, 2005). Consequently, there is a very high competition on the grapes market and the oversupply of grapes has given the Australian wineries the opportunity to produce cheaper wine with high quality. (Wood and Anderson, 2002) Because of the absence of differentiation on the raw materials, wine producers have decreased the bargaining power of suppliers significantly. 2.2 SWOT analysis The following SWOT analysis reveals the strengths and weaknesses and well as the external factors for opportunities and threats for Penfolds, which has a major problem as stated in the Case study in the shrinking of the profit and the poor financial return over the last years. Strengths: Penfolds strength is its long lasted reputation for the high standard quality red wine, with a high range of vintage red wines that are very popular among its consumers and which gives the company an overall good reputation for its wine making (Veseth. 2007). The ultra-premium wines are a result of a long lasting tradition of allowing their winemakers to experiment and to research new vines and new wine styles. Moreover, the success in the premium segment is the outcome of a unique style of multi-regional vineyard blending, which means that the development of Penfolds wines is the blending of different wines from different vineyards across South Australia (Caillard, 2007). The company invented a so-called star-system to classify the vineyards and the grape quality of the vineyards, which helps to identify the best blend for a certain category of wine. This system also ensured to solve the principal agent problem, by handing out bonuses to wine growers in line with the quality of thei r grapes (star system) (Wood Andersen. 2002). This unique blending, gives the winemakers more opportunities to broaden the companys portfolio and to differentiate the wines into different categories of wine quality and price. This ensures a high standard of quality and provides the company with an overall market advantage (Caillard, 2007). Weaknesses: The weakness of the Penfolds Company is the affordable and cheap wine section. Especially the cheap wine segment has a poor quality in taste (Calkins, 2005). This triggers the reputation of the whole company into a negative direction and damages the reputation especially in the overseas market, which affects the exports of the company. Moreover, the high competition in the cheap wine segment is reducing the profit margin of the company. The premium red wine section has also weakened in recent years, as it has not the same cachet as it used to have among the premium wine producers (Caillard, 2007) Opportunities: As Penfolds wine portfolio is much focused on the red wines, the opportunities that the company has for the future is to broaden their white wine and sparkling wine portfolio. This would ensure a broader consumer base. This portfolio enlargement would also mean to improve the wine making techniques for the white and sparkling wine. However, not only the white and sparkling wine section needs improvement, but also the winemaking techniques for red wine should be improved to ensure the high quality standard in the premium segment of the wine industry (Wood Andersen, 2002). The biggest opportunity that the company faces at the moment is the market expansion into China. Especially the premium and ultra-premium wine market is well demanded in China and Penfolds already makes the lion share in this market segment (Shaw, 2012). Therefore, the opportunity lies in the expansion of this market and also to build up reputation in one of the biggest economies in the world. The built-up reputatio n could help in the future to export not only the premium wines but also the cheap and affordable wines into China. Threats: The probably biggest threat to Penfolds is the very high competitiveness in the South Australian wine regions, especially in Riverland where low quality wine is produced. Recession makes the ultra-premium wines less affordable and the high Australian dollar makes exports less competitive (Barrett, 2011). Another threat is the current structural oversupply of wine in Australia and therefore low prices, which makes the brand less attractive with its high price level (due to brand name) (Dobie, 2012). The changing consumer preferences can also be a threat to the company especially if it does not react with a broadening of their portfolio, especially in the cheap wine segment. 3. Issues and Problems of Penfolds in the market Derived from the Porters five forces and SWOT analysis it can be said that Penfolds major problems and issues in the Australian and the global market is its segmentation of wine, the world economy and the consumer preferences change. As seen in the SWOT analysis one weakness of the company is the poor quality and the easy substitution of bulk wine, which is due to the fact that the wine demand is relatively elastic. Especially in times of economic instability and a worldwide recession with falling incomes, people tend to switch their preferences towards cheaper products and substitutes for the more expensive premium wines. Penfolds portfolio is now targeted more towards the high-income consumers who can afford a bottle of red wine for $30 or more. The great focus on the US and UK export markets are affected mainly by the worldwide recession and therefore by the change of the consumer preferences in these export markets. In addition, there seems to be a problem with their selection an d grading star system, which leads to bad opinions about the quality of the wine. As mentioned in the SWOT analysis the cachet of some red wine series seem to have lost the cachet of the older wine series. There is no other conclusion to this problem than that the company lacks in their selection process for their wine blends. 4 Alternative Evaluation and Recommendations Concluding the issues and problems of the company, there can be made some recommendations towards a future marketing strategy of the company. First, the company has to broaden their wine portfolio significantly. This recommendation is probably the least problematic as the company already is in the market and just needs to focus in another direction. Another recommendation for Penfolds would be a high promotion of their premium wines in life style magazines or magazines in the business class of airlines. Further, they should focus on a one on one marketing strategy with their current clients. All this would ensure that the company would gain more customers, especially those that are willing to pay more for a bottle of wine. For the premium and ultra-premium wines, the company should try to reduce the supply to the market, so that their product will not become a usual commodity. The prices for the premium wines should also be kept high to ensure the high premium range of the brand. Als o DR should be highly supported from the organization to secure a constant grow of new innovations and technologies. Higher advanced innovations and techniques can help Penfolds in the future to achieve higher margins and better reactions to changing weather conditions without the scarifying the quality of the wine/grapes. In my opinion this strategy of a promotion and DR mix is the most valuable, as it attracts new customers and enhances the wine quality without spending too much of their resources. The problem of Penfolds with the affordable and bulk wine market is that it is not the focus of the company. In order to gain market shares in this segment the company should try to acquire a rival that has a good reputation among the cheap wine segment. In this way, Penfolds would gain more knowledge about this segment and would also have one competitor less. Further, Penfolds would not need to print their brand name (which stands for premium wines) on a bottle of cheap table wine (Halliday, 2012). However, the profit would be Penfolds. By acquiring another rival the company would be also able to be more focused on only one segment of the market and therefore ensure better quality of the high premium wines. This option of a strategy will be the most expensive and probably the least likely, as it needs too much resources in times of a recession and financial problems of the company. Therefore, in my opinion the best strategy to enhance profits and to resolve the issues that Penfolds has is to have a mix of different promotions coupled with a DR enhancement strategy and the exclusion of their bulk wine segment under the brand name of Penfolds.

Explain How And Why The Jews W :: essays research papers

Explain how and why the Jews were persecuted in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. Explain why it was so difficult to stop the persecution of the Jews. Between the years 1920 and 1930, many stereotypes of Jews developed in Europe. All Jews were seen as large nosed, wealthy, obese, dirty, ugly, smelly, dishonest, greedy, and deceitful people. They were also seen as drunk, perverted, and seducing people. In fact any bad point you can say about anybody, they were classed to be. â€Å"The only thing that Jews could understand was the whip.† There was a lot of propaganda in Der Sturmer, a German magazine/ newspaper about the Jews. A good example of that is a cartoon of a stereotypical Jew hugging what could be taken for a young Aryan woman. There is a bottle of alcohol on the floor. This shows the Jew to be a perverted, alcoholic user. Looking at the propaganda on the Jews, all of the visual pictures of the Jews had elderly people on them instead of young Jews. They used old people because it is easier to make an older person look uglier than she/he actually is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ideas for these stereotypes originally formed when the Romans became Christians. These Christians were against those who remained â€Å"traditional Jews†. They tried to turn people against Judaism. The Christian stereotype of a Jew was a dishonest, scheming character, responsible for lots of evil things. During the Medieval period, myths developed, enhancing the general appearance of the stereotypes that had previously been formed. The Blood Libel was a myth that stated that Jews used Christian children’s blood to bake their Passover bread. This idea was often aroused when a Christian child went missing. The Black Death was supposed to have been caused by Jewish people poisoning the rivers and seas. This could not have happened, because otherwise it would also have affected the Jews themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Life was very normal before the Nazis came to power,† says a woman who was a Jewish girl born in 1921. Jewish children could go to a Yiddish speaking schools. There was little conflict between the two religions and 13 million Jews lived in Europe. In Germany, Jews formed 1% of the population. They had a sense of belonging to the German race.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After World War I, Germany was forced to sign, the Treaty of Versailles, which meant that she, was plunged into a desperate situation.

Education Philosophy Essay -- Philosophy of Education Statement Teache

Education Philosophy My life has been influenced greatly by teachers. Since I was a child, teaching is all I wanted to do. My mother is a fifth grade teacher. I have quite a few friends that are teachers. I have been fortunate to be influenced by some great teachers throughout my academic career. I love to be around kids and I like participating in the process of learning. I appreciate learning even today. I enjoy the learning process and hope to one day influence students in the future. I hope to one day become a high school social studies teacher. I enjoy history and geography, and I especially love politics and discussing current events. I like class discussions and letting different opinions express themselves. These are my beliefs regarding the education of a student. I would strongly agree that students should be active in the learning process. I would strongly agree that many students learn best by engaging in real-world activities rather than reading. I would strongly agree that schools should prepare students for analyzing and solving the types of problems they will face outside the classroom. I would also strongly agree that people are shaped more by their environment than by their genetic dispositions or the exercise of their free will. I would agree that material is taught effectively when it is broken down into small parts. I would agree that the curriculum of a school should be determined by information that is essential for all students to know. I agree that students should be immersed in the community’s problems, resulting in taking action or responsibility in planning a change. I do agree that the United States must become more competitive economically with counties such as Japan, and schoo... ...eaching methods would include programmed instruction, teaching machine, computer-assisted instruction, interactive multimedia, classical conditioning, operant conditioning, critical thinking skills, and cognitive problem solving. The classroom management style would include monitoring and observing events, using reward systems, and establishing rules. The evaluation of the student would include behavioral objectives and performance contracting. The teacher would be trained in the scientific method, a planner and user of behavioral objectives, controller of behavior, and an arranger of contingencies. I hope that one day I will be able to use these different philosophies in my own classroom. I hope that I keep these values, and be able to shape some young minds. I hope that I will become a great teacher, like the ones that I have experienced in my own career.

Informed Consent Quality of Life: Respirating Cadaver Confidentiality :: Medicine Ethics

Informed Consent Quality of Life: Respirating Cadaver Confidentiality Artificial Heart: What makes humans human Artificial Heart Research vs. Quality of Life Informed Consent-Therapeutic Misconception Using humans as guinea pigs-respect for human life Barney Clark was used as a guinea pig. The patient was not going to benefit from the procedure but the procedure was done to try to improve the surgery for the whole of society. The chances of his prolonged survival were nearly nonexistent. Pros- The procedure could have improved the outcome for future patients of artificial heart transplants. The improvement of medicine to benefit whole of society. There are now models of artificial hearts that can lead to better chances for heart patients. Cons- The patients autonomy is compromised due to the fact the procedure would not benefit him in any way. The therapeutic effect is non-existent for Barney Clark and there is a possibility that there would be therapeutic misconception by Barney Clark thinking the surgery would in someway save his life. The use of humans for research does not show respect for the human life and what it represents and goes against the idea of beneficence since no good is being done for the patient. Quality of Life: Respirating Cadaver Following the surgery, Barney Clark was rendered almost completely immobile by the large machinery that was attached to him at all times. For the 112 days Barney Clark lived he was riddled by constant infection and he had several strokes due to clotting in the artificial heart. Pros- At least he was alive. Cons- The quality of life was terrible for Barney Clark after the surgery. The surgery did not save his life, it prolonged his death. With his immobility and constant pain from the Jarvik-7 Barney Clark probably would have been better off just allowing himself to die of the original heart failure.

Raelism

Aurelian exhibit a very wide v rarity of sexual orientations and preferences such as monogamy and even chastity. Realism o officially describes as an atheist religion. Realism does not demand belief in supernatural beings. Aurelian believe in cloning. In 2002, Aurelian Bishop Brigit Bookseller ran a c many known as Colonial, which made claims that they had succeeded in creating a human CLC nee, named Eve. Aurelian Bishop Brigit Bookseller has refused to allow scientists to examine the child or the technology used to create her. Due to the lack of real evidence, the scientific community consider Eve to be a hoax.Realism seek embassy be created on earth as a neutral space for Leonie. The y prefer this to be created in Israel where the first contacted by the Leonie according to the Aurelian belie fee. They do not wish to force themselves upon humanity. They will fully reveal themselves when ace Pete by humanity. Embassy Realism performs baptisms, known as the transmission of the cellula r plan. Joe inning the Aurelian movement requires denying previous theistic associations before baptizing ca n occur. The ritual communicates new member's DNA makeup to an Leonie extraterrestrial com utter.Realism Holidays Realism celebrate the initiation of new members, which happens four times a year. This is the only known holidays for this religion. 1 . The first Sunday in April: when Aurelian believe the Leonie created Adam a ND Eve. 2. August 6: The date of the Hiroshima bombing, which began the Age of Ap collapse/Revelation. This date is a remembrance and a warning of our own destructive capabilities , rather than as a celebration. This age is also the period in which we become capable of truly u understanding the Leonie rather than erroneously worshipping them as gods. 3.October 7: The date that Real met a variety Of past prophets such as Jesus a ND the Buddha on board an Leonie craft. 4. December 13: The date of first contact between Real and the Leonie. Realism Addressing the problem of Evil Realism resembles traditional religion, they believe in miracles, prayer and life after death but only by cloning. Just as other religions, Aurelian gods are systematically immune to did spoof. They do not force their beliefs upon people and truly believe in Free love. Aurelian are very peace feel people and do not practice evil nor hate towards any living human beings.

Use of “n” Word in Huck Finn

Others debate that it makes people uncomfortable and prevents them from reading this great piece of American literature. The people who believe that the original text should be edited, focus their discontent on the racial tone of the language. The fact that the racial insult makes many people feel uncomfortable, is one of the main reasons they feel that way. In the article by Philip Rails, the scholar Alan Cribber says, â€Å"It's a shame that one word should be a barrier between a marvelous reading experience and a lot of readers†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ(Rails 1).That Is exactly what people feel the word â€Å"Niger is In Huckleberry Finn. It acts as a barrier for people who find It uncomfortable to read, and prevents them from comprehending the writing. In the article â€Å"Houck Finn goes clean In new publication† by Analyzer, an English teacher expresses why she doesn't think Its k to use the word. When you're using slurs – racial slurs, gender slurs, homosexuality slurs â⠂¬â€œ I think you're victimizing people† (Layer 3). It is very true that blacks in America could get offended if you say the word in a classroom or they read it in the novel.It probably reminds them of the hard times their ancestors went through or puts them into stereotype that they don't think they belong in. It is very easy for people to become uncomfortable with an insult like the word in Houck Finn. The English teacher in Layer's article also says, remember when I first read it in 1986 and I was thinking, ‘Oh, wow. The racial slur Is problematic† (Layer 2). Like many people, she feels as though â€Å"slave† would be more acceptable. It would make people feel more at ease and able to actually read the book without a distracting word.Teachers definitely do not want their students to be Immature about the n-word, especially if there are blacks in the classroom. If the students wouldn't be mature about it, it would be nice to have another choice. Readers, s tudents and teachers also should have a choice in what they want to read. If they have the book with in it and don't want it, they should be able to choose what they want. As long as they are comfortable and do not distract or offend the reader than the point of the book is shown. While the reasons for replacing the slur are reasonable, people are still tryingly against censoring Houck Finn.They feel as though removing the insult would compensate what had happened in the past. The way we treated the slaves was extremely harsh and this Is a way America can remember as well as refrain from making a mistake Like that In the future. Another reason readers don't want to censor the novel Is the fact that they are censoring a major novel. In the article â€Å"Why a new edition of Houck Finn Is†¦ † By Alexandra Petri, Petri discusses her displeasure with the censorship of the novel. She says, â€Å"This is like turning Death of a Salesman into room Heart of Darkness – or all the darkness† (Petri).Even Mark Twain himself said about the difference between â€Å"slave† and â€Å"Niger† is â€Å"the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning† (Controversy as new edition†¦ ). If they censor American literature, what will be next? Many argue that they don't know where the removing of all things bad will stop. Great deals of readers think that the racial slur is crucial to how the readers interpret the whole story. In the article, â€Å"Houck Finn goes clean†¦ † An English professor explains how important it is to be shaken and feel uncomfortable with the word â€Å"Niger† (Layer).It depicts the time period in which it happened accurately, and though it wasn't, and still isn't, something that is acceptable, it still brings out the point of the novel. Mark Twain put the word in there for a purpose, not Just to do it. He uses it to bring out some of the satire. Petri says in her article that reg ardless of the fact that slavery was in full throttle, â€Å"Mark Twain was still able to use satire to show how wrong it was† (Petri). Granted, the usage of the word â€Å"Niger† was normal in that time period, but now the satire Twain uses seems al the more relevant.His satire is still shown to this very day. Also, the characters would not have said â€Å"slave†, it is more realistic if Houck was to say â€Å"Niger† because, to him, that's what a slave was. It was completely normal, whether we think it was or not. All in all, the choice is up to the readers. If the reader feels that the â€Å"n† word is too offensive to read, the option to read a different word should be open to them. We can't distract people from the meaning of the story if they get disgruntled and embarrassed.No one has the right to deny someone fondness when reading a book. The novel is partially about striving for freedom. While freedom comes with a price, shouldn't everyone have the freedom to choose which way they want to read something? However, it is also important to know that the word was there in the first place. It is true that the story could lose its meaning by taking out what makes the satire so uncomfortable. The word is an important part of the story, but if people understand it than why are they not allowed to enjoy the piece that people admire so much?

My Favorite Movies

Today, I am going to talk about my favorite movies. I like to watch movies very much; especially I like foreign films lots than Japanese films, because I like to study foreign languages. I watch movies with English subtitle, and it is good how to learn English. Do you know the film titled â€Å"BIG FISH†? That is my best favorite movie. The story is human drama, and I can see the love between father and the son. And the story is not only human drama, but also fantasy. It is most beautiful story that I have ever seen. Every time I was questioned â€Å"what is your favorite movie? † I tell the story of this one. When I watch this movie, I feel my heart warming. Not only foreign films, I like the films made by Hayao Miyazaki. He is one of the most famous Japanese animator in the world. Every films that he made have some messages to the world. For example, he said â€Å"stop deforestation† in the film titled â€Å"the princess of mononoke. † And men characters that appear every film are all cool and good-looking. Also I can feel love in all films made by Hayao Miyazaki. He got an Academy Award in 2003 for the great film titled â€Å"Spirited Away. † That was the greatest achievements for him. But he always says that he never want to be a veteran. I am very impressed his words. And what the biggest point for his movie is everyone can enjoy the story even child, even adult. To watch movies is very good habit for us. Movies give us many impressions and knowledge. I want to watch a lot of movies through my life.

Home Depot Essay

Today’s market is characterized by highly competitive organizations which are all vying for consumer’s loyalty. Firms are faced with the challenge to maintain their own competitive edge to be able to survive and be successful. Strategies are carefully planned and executed to gain the ultimate goal of all: company growth. However, external factors are not the only elements which influence growth. Today most companies find that it impossible to create any kind of sustainable competitive advantage based on product alone. It is common knowledge that every one of the successful companies sought and found a precise understanding of how it could create a customer-centered competitive advantage. Along with the changing business world, customers change as well, becoming more demanding and knowledgeable than before. In turn, company management had shifted their focus on their clients or customers so as to stay successfully in business. This transition meant that organizations have to completely reformulate their conventional business aims and purposes from being process-focused to customer-centered. Hence, in order to bring out exceptional customer services within the company operations, the management should employ fine-tuned organizational restructuring. Moreover, employing proactive customer commitment involves the consideration on culture and infrastructure (Lowenstein, 1997). Organizations that capitalize on customers’ active participation in organizational activities can gain competitive advantage through greater sales volume, enhanced operating efficiencies, positive word-of-mouth publicity, reduced marketing expenses, and enhanced customer loyalty (Lovelock & Young, 1979; Reichheld & Sasser, 1990). Rather than going after every potential source of revenue, companies eliminate useless assets that do not add value for customers’ satisfaction. Business organizations implement bureaucratic policies and procedures for the benefit of the staff, customers and the company in general. According to Bowers, Martin & Luker (1990), if consumers somehow become better customers — that is, more knowledgeable, participative, or productive — the quality of the service experience will likely be enhanced for the customer and the organization. Company Profile The Home Depot is the world’s largest home improvement retailer and second largest retailer in the United States. From one store to $73. 1 Billion in sales, Home Depot has come a long way in a short time. This organization is very familiar to this writer as he was employed here for a few years after leaving the Marine Corps and was his first civilian job. Home Depot stands out more than many organizations that this writer has worked for because it was his first civilian organization and many adjustments had to be made. The company distributes everyday jobs to participants and creates rules, policies, measures, and hierarchical organizational charts to organize various actions. Home Depot ought to continually amend their structures to become accustomed to the atmosphere shifts, technology changes, organizational grow, and leadership changes. Furthermore, structure is also a means to high-performing teams. Mindful awareness to structure and roles in teams will make the team much more successful. When it comes to leadership, structural leadership contributes a critical role in shaping organizations. It can be influential and stable, even though it is more restrained and less heroic leadership compared on other frames. Structural Change In the traditional supply chain management used by businesses that import materials for production, a lot of people, time and money are invested upon to ensure that the demands of the manufacturers will be handled in the specified date and time required. Before being able to place an order of shipment of raw materials, several transactions are consulted between the supplier and the manufacturer that eats up their valued time. The supply flow normally includes the intention of order, quotation, confirmation, delivery, payment and handling of receipts. Great amount of time is consumed in the mere planning of the purchase orders of a manufacturing company. And since most of the time the transactions involve not only a single supplier, especially in the case of huge international producers, manufacturers deal with sub-suppliers with several forwarders from which a number of consolidations are exchanged. The workload and time that the inventory managers handle defines the proceeding business processes that will follow that predicts and maintains the success and profit of the whole business organization. That is why, efficiency counts! The best suppliers continuously update and upgrade their service deliveries in order to answer the demands of their customers. Customers have the ever-increasing demand on getting their hands into the products which can lead to change in supplier if expectations are not met. This is the reason why suppliers who are also industry leaders trend toward more reliable delivery services across their customers. However, problems of delivery are usually attended by most companies through with either quick fixes that do not work or complete and comprehensive designs that take too long and are expensive. The Implemented Plan of Changes Customer Satisfaction Along with the changing business world, customers change as well, becoming more demanding and knowledgeable than before. In turn, company management had shifted their focus on their clients or customers so as to stay successfully in business. This transition meant that organizations have to completely reformulate their conventional business aims and purposes from being process-focused to customer-centred. Rethinking and reformulating the organization on the other hand, entail the consideration of several factors such as various processes, technology, the environment as well as the success factors of people (Cohen and Moore, 2000). Hence, in order to bring out exceptional customer services within the company operations, the management should employ fine-tuned organizational restructuring. Moreover, employing proactive customer commitment involves the consideration on culture and infrastructure (Lowenstein, 1997). Online Marketing The tremendous growth of technological advancement has become the driving force of contemporary industries. The diffusion of the internet has revolutionized the business arena. The use of the Internet is changing high-tech marketing overnight while different industries have been trying to use it as part of their marketing strategy. It has not only reconfigured the way different firms do business and the way the consumers buy goods and services, but it has also become an effective instrument in transforming the value chain from manufacturers to retailers to consumers, creating a new retail distribution channel (Appelbaum et sl, 1998). E-marketing is a powerful tool used by different business organizations around the world. It is defined as the process of achieving marketing objectives through the use of electronic communications technology. Smith and Chaffey (2001) have provided a 5Ss’ mnemonic for how the internet can be applied by all business firms for different e-marketing tactics. These 5S’s are selling, serve, speak, save and sizzle. E-marketing is also known to be the online marketing strategy utilized by different company whose objective is to be the best company in their field. In various countries worldwide, more and more business firms have been using e-marketing strategy in order to be competitive. From books, foods and beverages, automobiles and other products and services, various firms, irregardless of their company sizes, are trying to survive by means of e-marketing strategy. Aside from being a promotional medium, the internet is a tool for marketing communications as well. Due to its interactive nature, the internet is an efficient method used in communicating with the consumers. Hence, several companies are beginning to realize the advantages of using the internet as a tool for communication. Companies then started to concentrate on designing web-related strategies and employing interactive agencies that will facilitate their development of specific company web sites as part of their integrated marketing communication strategy. There are companies however, that are effectively using the internet by incorporating their web-related strategies with the other areas of their IMC strategies. The approach now becomes integrated and more strategic. On-line marketing is considered to be the most expensive yet seems to be the most comprehensive marketing strategy that every company wants to implement and apply. At present, people, particularly those in the business arena, tend to engage themselves within the trend of rapidly growing technology so as to stay competitive. Upon surfing the internet, various companies have put up their official sites online for customers and potential consumers to view. Online or e-marketing is the latest marketing approach for any firm who wants to effectively market its products and services. In addition, e-marketing enables the company to be known worldwide since more and more people are able to access information derived from the internet. Within the business world, where competition is strict, internet marketing is one essential marketing strategy applied by most industries. Service Delivery Service intangibility means that services cannot be seen, tasted, felt, heard, or smelled before they are bought. For example, people undergoing cosmetic surgery cannot see the result before purchase. Airline passengers have nothing but a ticket and a promise that their luggage will arrive safely at the intended destination, hopefully at the same time. They draw conclusions about the quality from the place, people, price, equipment, and communications that they can see. Therefore, the service provider’s task is to make the service tangible in one or more ways. Although there are also times when product marketers try to add intangible offers, service managers try to add tangibles to their intangible offers. Physical goods are produced, then stored, later sold, and still later consumed. In contrast, services are first sold, then produced and consumed at the same time. Service inseparability means the services cannot be separated from their providers, whether the providers are people or machines. If a service employee provides the service, then the employee is part of the service. Because the customer is also present as the service is produced, provider-customer interaction is a special feature of service marketing. Both the provider and the customer affect the service outcome. Service variability means the quality of services depends on whom provides them as well as when, where, and how they are provided. For example, some hotels – say, Marriot have reputations for providing better service than others. Still, within a given Marriot hotel, one registration-desk employee maybe cheerful and efficient, whereas another standing just a few feet away maybe unpleasant and slow. Even the quality of a single Marriot employee’s service varies according to his or her energy and frame of mind at the time of each customer encounter. Service perishability means that services cannot be stored for later sale or use. Some doctors charge patients for missed appointments because the service value existed only at that point and disappeared when the patient did not show up. The perishability of services is not a problem when the demand is steady. However, when demand fluctuates, service firms often have difficult problems. For example, because of rush-hour demand, public transportation companies have to own much more equipment than they would if demand were even throughout the day. Thus, service firms often design strategies for producing a better match between demand and supply. For instance, hotels and resorts charge lower prices in the off-season to attract more guests. Restaurants hire part-time employees to serve during peak periods.

The Italian-American Interment During World War II Research Paper

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Present a paper that analyze the change in a major Research

Present a that analyze the change in a major organization(Ford,GM,Chrystler,Best Buy, Bank of America,ect.) base on the tr - Research Paper Example However, despite the wildly popular Model T, General Motors slowly but surely caught up with the Ford Motor Company by the early 1930s, and by mid 1930s it has graduated to become the world’s largest automobile company. It maintained its dominant position throughout the 1950s and 1960s. General Motor Company faced a series of dramatic changes in the economic environment in 1970s like the Oil Shock and the entry of Japanese competitors in the US market, and by 1980s it had entered the path of slow bleed. The industrial behemoth employed more than two hundred thousand employees and had manufacturing or marketing presence in more than 150 countries. It lost ground to its more nimble Japanese competitors steadily and the twin recessions of 2001 and 2009 triggered the near collapse of General Motors. The recession of 2009 was the final trigger and GM finally filed for bankruptcy protection in 2009. The urge to survive forced the GM management to take unpleasant but important decisi ons. Aided by strong government support, better economic conditions, a resolute management and an upswing in the market sentiments in the US as well as all over the world, GM was finally able to bounce back by 2010. This paper analyzes GM’s situation in 2000s - the external as well as internal challenges it faced and the changes it incorporated to survive, and subsequently, grow. General Motors in 2000s General Motors entered 2000s after a heady decade in 1990s. US automobile companies like General Motors and Ford Motor Company had experienced increased sales and record smashing profits. US customers loved and bought heavy cars and SUVs - vehicles that offered higher margins than smaller, compact and fuel efficient cars that the Japanese automobile companies manufactured. General Motors, by 2000, was a vertically integrated company with multiple brands and operations. These brands/operations operated independently, resulting in a lot of inefficiency. General Motors was also h eavily investing in technology. It was embracing Internet as a new medium of interfacing with consumers as well as vendors. It was also extensively investing on new communication technologies that would offer novel features to its customers (Nohria, Dyer, and Dalzell, 2002). Challenges faced The last decade of the century has been a tumultuous one, and has witnessed dramatic changes in economic scenarios. 1. Distance from the customer: The Gulf Wars had resulted in a never before seen situation – gas prices had shot through the roof and subsequently the cost of running the car had become more important than the cost of buying the car. While the nimble Japanese players had rightly understood that the environmentally conscious consumer wanted smaller, more efficient and easy to own cars, US automobile manufacturers, notably GM, continued investing in developing bigger and more powerful gas guzzlers. GM had clearly faulted on the most critical business basics – listening to the consumer. 2. Bureaucratic decision making process: The century old legacy, the very reason why GM had become such a superpower, was lost. Faced with the onslaught of Model T which offered no choices to consumers, General Motors fought back by offering its customers a wide range of cars to choose from. This was possible because the decision making process at General Motors was fast and quick. However, almost a century of world dominance had resulted in complacency in the company. This meant the management was slow

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Disabled People and the Rights to Social Citizenship Essay

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Sin Tax Bill (For the Government) Essay Example for Free

Sin Tax Bill (For the Government) Essay According to James Sadowsky, author of The Economics of Sin Taxes, taxes imposed on products seen as vices such as alcoholic liquors and tobaccos are called sin tax. Aside from the commodities being objects of disapproval, even their consumers accept such taxes because they seem to hit two birds in one stone. First, they raise revenues and second, they made vices expensive. House Bill 5727 or also known as the Sin Tax Bill aims to reform the imposed tax on the sin products (Official Gazette, 2002). We support this bill for three reasons. First, the government can collect more revenues. Second, it promotes health by dissuading the consumption of the vices. And lastly, the poor sector benefits from it. Sin tax is a form of an excise tax. It is a tax levied on some commodities but not all commodities unlike sales tax. This is how the government generates more revenues (Sadowsky). However, the opposition claims that this bill will backfire on its goals. Since the price of the price of the commodities will rise, the demand will decrease. Thus, there will be no revenues to generate which contrast one of the goals of the bill since industries such as tobacco will die. However, the products under sin tax are vices. Some people are already addicted to them. Even if the price of these products will rise, people will still buy though some price conscious such as the poor sector and students will cut their consumption (Fonbuena qtd. Monsod, 2012 ). Plus, even the demand for the sin products will decrease; the increased tax will make up for the loss demand. Thus, the industries will not die. The opposition also said that the rate of smuggling will worsen. However, according to economist and former Economic Planning Secretary Solita Monsod, there is no connection between the rise of the levied tax and smuggling. Countries such as Japan and Singapore who levied tax the highest on sin products even have the lowest rate of smuggling. Moreover, aside from being a revenue bill, Philippine College of Physicians, New Vois Association of the Philippines (NVAP), and other health advocates claim that the bill is importantly a health bill. According to Emerson Rojas, New Vois President, should the sin tax bill be passed, more adult smokers would be encouraged to quit smoking, and also discourage the start of young smokers. Many people can be prevented from having diseases gained from these vices. Moreover, a big portion of the revenue will go to public health while the smaller will go to affected tobacco workers (Reyes qtd. Drilon, 2012). According to Health Undersecretary Ted Herbosa, money collected from the industry will be used to enroll millions of poor families into socialized healthcare and for the improvement of the whole healthcare service delivery. Thus aside from improving public health, the poor sector will benefit more from the bill. However, the opposition claimed that there is inequality in the bill. The poor are the ones to burden the raised tax. But then according to Solita Monsod, the poor are the ones who are supposed to lessen their expense on these vices since they are the ones who can barely afford to pay medical needs if they acquire diseases from these vices. Sources Belo, Walden. The Sin tax Promoting the Nation’s Health. Inquirer. May 12, 2012. Web. Fonbuena, Carmela. 5 False Economic Claims on Sin Tax According to Solita Monsod. Rappler. October 18, 2012. Web. Investopedia. Sin Tax. Web. Official Gazette. Sin Taxes. September 19, 2012. Web. Reyes, Karl John. Sin Tax Passage to Affect Ph Trade, Finance and Social Services – Drilon. Interaksyon. September 28, 2012. Web. Tan, Kimberly. Liqour, Tobacco Companies reminded of Sin Products Social Impact. Gma News. August 23, 2012. Web The Wages of the sin Taxes. May 15, 2012. Web. Sin Tax Bill: Both Revenue And Health Measure. Manila Bulletin. October 2012. Web. INTRODUCTION: Sin Tax A state-sponsored tax that is added to products or services that are seen as vices, such as alcohol, tobacco and gambling. These type of taxes are levied by governments to discourage individuals from partaking in such activities without making the use of the products illegal. These taxes also provide a source of government revenue. Explanation: Sin taxes are typically added to liquor, cigarettes and other non-luxury items. State governments favor sin taxes because they generate an enormous amount of revenue and are usually easily accepted by the general public because they are indirect taxes that only affect those who use the products. When individual states run deficits, the sin tax is typically one of the first taxes recommended by lawmakers to help fill the budget gap. Source: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sin_tax.asp#ixzz2HTDslR4A Why are we supporting it? 1. To promote health by discouraging vice. 2. To collect more revenue for healthcare. Health: According to the Department of Health (DOH), the Philippines has an estimated 17.3 million tobacco consumers, the most number of smokers in Southeast Asia. Filipinos on average consume 1, 073 cigarette sticks annually, while the smokers in the region consume less than a thousand sticks yearly. This high consumption rate is seen as a result, among others, of the very low cigarette prices in our country. Smoking is responsible for 71 percent of lung cancer deaths in the world. Consequently, lung cancer is the leading form of cancer in the Philippines. DOH statistics reveal that 10 Filipinos die every hour because of smoking. According to the DOH, a 10 percent increase in tobacco taxes will reduce the number of smokers by two million by 2016. A significant decline in the number of smokers will likewise reduce the number of smoking-related deaths. Meanwhile, drinking alcohol, though effects are relatively less severe health-wise than smoking, has posed a number of costs on the individual and society. Revenue: The sin tax proposes the following reforms: * Maintain the specific form of excise taxation (e.g., per piece, per pack, per proof liter) to discourage consumption, have more revenues that are predictable and easier to administer, and devoid of incentives for manufacturers and importers with under-invoice products; * A shift from a multi-tiered tax structure to a single tax structure: (1) For cigarettes, a two-rate structure of P14 and P30 per pack for the 1st two years, and a uniform rate of P30 per pack of cigarettes on the third year. (2) For fermented liquor, immediate implementation of unified rate of P25/liter. (3) For distilled spirits, a two-year transition period to a unified rate of P150 per proof liter on the third year. * Adopt an automatic annual adjustment of tax rates using relevant NSO-established tobacco and alcohol indexes after the third year. * A shift from a raw-material criterion to an alcohol-content criterion in taxing distilled spirits. * Revenues from sin taxes are to augment the funds of the Aquino ad ministration’s universal health care program. * The continued sharing with tobacco farmers of the incremental revenues. STATEMENTS FROM HIGH-RANKING OFFICIALS ABOUT SIN TAX BILL: Sin Tax Bill: Both Revenue And Health Measure Manila Bulletin – Wed, Oct 3, 2012 The Philippine College of Physicians, New Vois Association of the Philippines (NVAP), and other health advocates on Tuesday urged legislators to view Senate Bill 3249, otherwise known as the Sin Tax Bill, not only as a revenue bill, but more importantly as a health bill. , Its time to take action and pass the true sin tax bill, and not a token sin tax bill in favor of our tobacco manufacturers said former Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral. She is asking lawmakers to pass the bill in order to lower tobacco consumption in the country. New Vois President Emerson Rojas shared the harmful effects of tobacco. Rojas was a heavy smoker who eventually suffered from Stage 4 laryngal cancer. He is now unable to talk, save for a device he is now using which is an electrolarynx. The Philippines has the cheapest prices of cigarettes in the Western Pacific Region, he lamented. Should the sin tax bill be passed, more adult smokers would be encouraged to quit smoking, and also discourage the start of young smokers. Let us be on guard against the watering down of SB3249, urged Rojas. On the other hand, Department of Health Consultant on Non-Communicative Diseases Dr. Tony Leachon and Framework Convention on Tobacco Control of the Philippines representative Dr. Maricar Limpin are pushing for the passage of the sin tax bill so that the government would have more money to build better hospitals and provide premium health care for the poor. With the sin tax, there would be better revenue for health, noted Leachon. DOH: Sin Tax is Pro-Poor This thought is backed up by the DOH, which believes that the sin tax is not only anti-cancer, but pro-poor as well. As the tobacco industry targets the poor in marketing their products, it will also be the poor who will benefit from the sin tax as money collected from the industry will be used to enroll millions of poor families into socialized healthcare and for the improvement of the whole healthcare service delivery, said Health Undersecretary Ted Herbosa. According to the 2012 survey of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, the prevalence of smoking in the country is higher among the poorest of the poor with 40 percent belonging to the lowest quintile while 36 percent come from the second lowest quintile. The figures are the opposite among the rich, where 25 percent of smokers are considered affluent. This means that of the 17.3 million adult smokers in the country, 76 percent of them are poor. This also reinforces previous studies that the poor spend more on cigarettes than on education and health, said Herbosa. Citing results of the 2009 Family Income and Expenditure Survey, the health undersecretary said the countrys poorest spend as much as 67 percent of their income on food and that two-thirds of them do not see a doctor or do not seek a health facility when they get sick. Herbosa said as the poor are likely to be less informed of the harmful effects of smoking, they serve as a major market for the tobacco industry. They also suffer most from all diseases and economic burden attributed to smoking. According to Prof. Tony Dans of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, half of the annual 300,000 deaths from non-communicable diseases in the country are attributed to smoking. A total of P188 billion is also being lost every year from the top four killers of Filipinos (lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart attack, and stroke) which are all smoking-related. We have to turn the tide and make the tobacco industry pay for the health and economic burdens that smoking brings. By taxing tobacco we will be able to enroll a total of 10.9 million poor families into the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and increase catastrophic benefits from 10 percent to 30 percent of the total cost, said Herbosa. The DOH also plans to use revenues from the sin tax to hire an additional 10,000 doctors, 50,000 nurses and midwives, and 100,000 community health teams to fill in gaps in health personnel. In addition, a total of 2,243 rural health units, 403 district hospitals, and 37 DOH-retained hospitals will also be enhanced as a result of sin tax revenues while about 700,000 rotavirus and pneumococcal vaccines will be purchased for poor infants. By taxing the tobacco industry we will not only improve our countrys healthcare service delivery but we will also prevent diseases and premature deaths because of smoking, Herbosa explained. The DOH estimates that around 170,000 deaths would be prevented during the first year of implementation of the sin tax. Meanwhile, around two million smokers are expected to quit from consuming tobacco by 2016 as a result of a higher tobacco levy. We will be able to save the lives of the poor and prevent our children from taking up smoking when we increase the tax for tobacco products. At the same time we will be able to improve our healthcare service delivery to cater to the poorest of our population, Herbosa said. †¦. http://ph.news.yahoo.com/sin-tax-bill-both-revenue-health-measure-213324211.html POSSIBLE ARGUMENTS FROM THE OPPOSING SIDE: FALSE CLAIMS’ Here are the top 5 false claims that the industry is supposedly spreading: †¨1. Tax increase will intensify smuggling Presenting statistics in various Asian countries, Monsod showed that there’s no relation between increase in excise tax on cigarettes and illicit trade. Countries where cigarettes are most expensive — Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, and Australia — have the lowest incidence of illicit smuggling. â€Å"There’s no relationship,† said Monsod. †¨2. Sin tax is inequitable Critics of the Sin Tax measure argue that it’s the poor that will bear the most proportion of the tax. Implenting a unitary sin tax, based on the original version of the legislative proposal, means the same tax will be imposed cheap and high-end cigarette brands. In the Philippines, the biggest proportion of smokers also come from the poor. Monsod said it’s not an issue. â€Å"We are not taxing a good. We are taxing a bad. The proportion of smokers is higher among the poor. Who buys the most? The poor. And they are the ones suffering [health-wise]. Do not use problem of inequity because precisely we want to stop the poor from smoking. They’re spending so much buying cigarettes. They cannot afford the cost of medication,† said Monsod. †¨3. Farmers, retailers to lose livelihood Monsod questioned the statistics of the Philippine Tobacco Institute (PTI) a total of 840,146 people are employed in tobacco farming. With 32,325 hectares of farmland, that would mean there are 26 tobacco farmers and helpers per hectare. â€Å"Does that sound right to you? And yet, this was accepted without demur by our legislators. Nonsense. There are 52,000 farmers based on National Tobacco Administration data,† said Monsod. If the annual income per hectare is P80,000, it means that the annual income of a tobacco farmer is P3,269, Monsod data. â€Å"I am only using their data to show that their numbers are ridiculous†¦ How can anybody survive with P3,000 a year,† Monsod added. Another argument against the Sin Tax measure claims retailers will suffer from loss of sales from cigarettes. Monsod said retailers will likely keep their profits from cigarette sales because the demand for the product is elastic. And even if they lose sales from cigarettes, Monsod said it shouldn’t be a problem. â€Å"If people stop buying cigarettes, you think they’re not going to buy anything else? Cigarettes loss will be milk’s gain or rice’s gain,† she said. †¨4. Tobacco industry will die and gov’t will lose money All studies show the contrary, Monsod said. Price increase, she said, will not decrease sales because demand for cigarettes is elastic. Price increase will not deter smokers, said Monsod, because smokers are already â€Å"addicted.† They will continue to buy cigarettes, she said. â€Å"If you have diabetes and insulin increased by 300%, you are still going to buy insulin,† she explained. †¨5. Negative net economic benefits Based on Monsod’s presentation, the annual gross revenue from cigarette sales is P103 billion but its cost to health is P188 billion. Monsod said that is a net cost of P85 billion. ‘Even if the revenues were there, you will still say ‘Remove Tobacco,’ she added. It’s important that Congress passes a unitary sin tax, Monsod added. â€Å"A unitary tax is absolutely imperative. If it is not unitary, what you are essentially doing is, you are throwing the poor to the dogs. Let them die. You are allowing them to kill themselves cheaper,† Monsod said. Most, if not all, countries like the U.S. and Great Britain have adopted a unitary tax, she added. The House of Representatives in June passed on third and final reading a two-tier excise tax structure for tobacco products and 3-tier for alcohol. The diluted measure reduces projected revenues from P60 billion a year to P30 billion a year.