Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 13

Human Resource Management - Essay Example Definition of Team Work: A group of individuals who are working together to achieve a common goal is known as teamwork. "Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results." (Andrew Carnegie, Aviano Air Base, Italy, 2007) Teamwork is a process of working together and achieving common goals. In order to understand teamwork better, we need to differentiate between teamwork and group. Distinction between Teamwork and Group Group: A group is just a collection of people with something in common, such as being in the same place or having a shared interest. In a group, members work independently and do not trust other members. Moreover, they do not share their knowledge with each other. Team Work: In a team, people work together for specific goals and usually with particular roles for different members of the team. In Teams, people work interdependently and they know they can accomplish goals by mutual help. Moreover they trust each other, and share their knowledge. In short, team helps people to accept the idea of working together, following the rules and achieving mutual goals, instead of working on independent goals. Therefore, team helps people share ideas which ultimately lead them to innovation and better opportunity. IMPORTANCE OF TEAMWORK: According to a Chinese Proverb â€Å"behind an able man there are always other able men†. To achieve success in life, we have to work together because teamwork is the heart of great achievement.

Ethics in the Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethics in the Media - Essay Example The concept of free speech and freedom of the press is therefore the glue that holds the country’s hard-fought-for freedoms intact. Political correctness is a term used to refer to the care in speaking that emerged in the 70s, gained strength in the 80s and remains an important topic in media relations today. When it first started being used, â€Å"Folks on the left used the term to dismiss views that were seen as too rigid and, also, to poke fun at themselves for the immense care they took to neither say nor do anything that might offend the political sensibilities of others† (Bliefuss, 2007). This half-joking sense of sensitivity in communication has since blown up into a very serious threat to our rights of free speech and free media. When considering whether we truly want political correctness as a guiding principle in our media, it is important that we take the time to more definitively define the term and its application. The importance of free speech and free media is highlighted in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution which states â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.† (â€Å"The Constitution†, 2006). The Founding Fathers of America considered a free press one of, if not the most, important aspects in the formation of a free and democratic society. A great deal of their emphasis on this point stemmed from their perception that the media channels that then existed in England, after whom they patterned much of their legal code, was rigidly censored. Journalists who questioned the King’s decisions were often jailed or worse. The Founders knew that if the press were not free, the country would not be either.

Provide Leadership Across The Organization Management Essay

Provide Leadership Across The Organization Management Essay MacVille, as an import/ export company that sells and maintains espresso coffee machines, has plan to establish a new business center in Sydney to supplement the one already operating from Brisbane. This new venture was aligned with the overall objective and mission of the organization which was to provide espresso coffee machines that meet the efficiency, reliability and sustainability needs of the cafà ©/ restaurant clients. The establishment of the new business center would move the bulk of the organizations import/ export base to Sydney which was in line with the overall direction for the organization growth in both profits and market share. As a new venture, the MacVille has four main expected outcome which are first to help secure the three year objective of being the number one volume importer in the market for imported espresso coffee machines. Then, the objective is to achieving the strategic objective of profit margin growth of 5% in the next three year. Moreover, the organization expects to reduce the carbon footprint by 10% within the next three years. In order to achieve the objective of the organization, the self-directed teams need to be created. Therefore, the incorporate the key value of cultivating leadership in the organization is needed. MacVille aims to empower its employees with knowledge and resources to get results, grow its business and to lend the markets. The role for this new venture would carry the title General Manager which would be expected to provide creative leadership for the administration, coordination and management of the new venture in a manner that is consistent with the strategic direction of the organization. There are three positions for the general manager which are account manager, warehouse manager and maintenance manager. Interpersonal and leadership styles According to the Interpersonal style that could be applied to this setting is open, flexible, positive, and responsible which will lead to the good working environment. Otherwise, my own Interpersonal style is Helpful, Patient, Open, and Supportive which also can apply in to this setting too. In this case, the organization needs to hire new managers who will achieving the objective of the organization, so the responsible and patient are the main Interpersonal style that all the employee must have. The leadership style that could be applied to this setting is the democratic leadership style which is the leader shares with the group members, policies decision making, planning and execution of activities. Subordinates are encouraged to express their ideas and suggestions in decision making. The leader helps to develop a feeling of responsibility on the part of every member of the group gives constructive criticisms and praises the members when the group achieves a set objective. This ty pe of leader ship style will lead to high productivity and quality of work, high morale, sense of group feeling and group members feel secured and satisfied to belong. Otherwise, my own leadership style is Laizer-faire leadership style, in this style the leader is the one who believes that the group members can get on without him. The leader gives minimum guidance, and remains in the background. The result of this style of leadership is low morale and productivity, too much freedom which cause laxity, lack incentives to work. Skills and knowledge In order to manage the situation effectively, the manager and employee need to have three skills which are technical skill, Human skill, and Conceptual skill. For the Technical skill, the manager and employee should be proficient at specific tasks. This in turn helps to provide credibility or knowledge to persuade people to certain things. For Human skill, the staff has to know how to work with people. The last skill is the conceptual skill which the staff can see the organization as a whole. Moreover, the staff still need a strategy thinking skill in order to planning ahead and predicting what was going to happened. In addition, the Flexible/adaptable to change skill is the most important for the staff in the situation that the organization need to take a new venture. Compare to my skill, my own skill is also Technical skill, Human skill and Flexible/ adaptable to change skill which is similar to the case study. Professional development In order to improve the skill, the professional development opportunity and the networking opportunities timeline is need to be developed. People management For the people management, the management training courses, leadership training courses, and HR fundamentals training courses has been assists the organization by improve the skill knowledge as well as the interpersonal and leadership of both manager and employee which is the key role to achieve the objective of the organization. Moreover, the training course also helps the manager and employee to gain more experiences. General outcome Management training courses provide the management skill, supervision skills as well as management experience Leadership training courses provide leadership skill and supervision skill HR fundamentals training courses provide the HR management experience, recruitment and selection for managers experiences General management The project management training courses, and the contract law (for managers) training course has been assists the organization by improve the skill, knowledge as well as the interpersonal and leadership of both manager and employee. Moreover, the training course also helps the manager and employee to gain more experiences. General outcome Project management training courses provide project management experience contract law (for manager)training courses provide contract management experience Strategy The strategic business planning training course, innovative management training courses, sustainable business training courses, risk management training courses, information management training courses has been assists the organization by improve the skill, knowledge for both manager and employee. Moreover, the training course also helps the manager and employee to gain more experiences. For the strategic skill training course will assists the organization to provide the employee who have a knowledge and experience on the business plan and management to support the organization growth. General outcome strategic business planning training course provide developing and implementing strategy experience innovative management training courses provide innovative management experience and knowledge sustainable business training courses provide knowledge on the sustainable business risk management training courses provide knowledge on the risk management information management training courses provide information management experience and knowledge Sales and customer service The sales training courses, clients and customer service training courses, customer complaint training courses, and market training courses has been assists the organization by improve the skill, knowledge for both manager and employee. Moreover, the training course also helps the manager and employee to gain more experiences. The sale and customer service training course will assist the organization by training more sale in order to increase the profit and market share. General outcome Sales training courses provide the sale experience and sales team management experience Clients and customer service training courses- provide clients and customer service experience Customer complaint training courses provide customer complaint experience Market training courses provide marketing experience both individual and team-based Finance The finance management training courses, and accounting basics training courses has been assists the organization by improve the skill, knowledge for both manager and employee. Moreover, the training course also helps the manager and employee to gain more experiences. In this case, the finance management courses will help the company to improve the financial management. Moreover, the accounting training course will help the industry to provide the better budget plan for the business improvement. General outcome Finance management training courses provide the knowledge on financial, financial management experience Accounting basics training courses provide the basic knowledge on the accounting, account management experience, budget development experience, business case development experience Professional and Networking opportunity timeline All the opportunities and time required on this plan is based on the analyzed and evaluated staff profile. Project Cost ($) Time required (Month) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 People management Management training courses $150000 2 Leadership training courses $150000 2 HR fundamentals training courses $150000 5 General management Project management training courses $150000 5 Contract law (for manager) training courses $150000 5 Strategy Strategic business planning training courses $150000 4 Innovative management training courses $150000 3 Sustainable business training courses $150000 4 Risk management training courses $150000 4 Information management training courses $150000 5 Sales and customer service Sales training courses $150000 1 Client relationship Customer service training courses $150000 2 Customer complaints training courses $150000 3 Market training courses $150000 3 Finance Finance management training courses $150000 5 Accounting basics training courses $150000 5

Essay --

â€Å"Depression is a prison where you are both the suffering prisoner and the cruel jailer.† -Dorthy Rowe. The Great Depression was a hard and sad time for everyone around the 1930s. When President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected as president, his campaign said, â€Å"Happy Days Are Here Again†. He was very hopeful, that in the early part of President Roosevelt’s campaign he instituted the New Deal to help America get back on its feet. The New Deal had two phases: phase one and phase two. President Roosevelt established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Industrial Recovery Act, the Social Security Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act. President Roosevelt established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), it was established in 1933 to prevent the same losses during the Great Depression when banks became bankrupt and they couldn’t give money back to the people. The FDIC provided up to $250,000 in bank deposits. These bank deposits covered for national banks, state banks that is in the Federal Reserve System, and other qualified banks. In 2007, the FDIC took... Essay -- â€Å"Depression is a prison where you are both the suffering prisoner and the cruel jailer.† -Dorthy Rowe. The Great Depression was a hard and sad time for everyone around the 1930s. When President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected as president, his campaign said, â€Å"Happy Days Are Here Again†. He was very hopeful, that in the early part of President Roosevelt’s campaign he instituted the New Deal to help America get back on its feet. The New Deal had two phases: phase one and phase two. President Roosevelt established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Industrial Recovery Act, the Social Security Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act. President Roosevelt established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), it was established in 1933 to prevent the same losses during the Great Depression when banks became bankrupt and they couldn’t give money back to the people. The FDIC provided up to $250,000 in bank deposits. These bank deposits covered for national banks, state banks that is in the Federal Reserve System, and other qualified banks. In 2007, the FDIC took...

What Factors Affect Longevity

Life expectancy is affected by many factors. These include diet and exercise, smoking, mental state, environment, career, spirituality, social interaction and support. One of the most easily controlled aspects in my lives is my nutrition and exercise. My physical well-being directly impacts on my life expectancy. I am aware of the value of a well-balanced diet – rich in fruit, and vegetables, low in fat and red meat, the recommended daily allowances for all of these. I can ensure that I follow the advice of medical professionals about what and when to eat and in what quantities.I tend to stick to a no-starch diet, but I believe that that does not provide for a balanced diet, and that I should include starches in limited amounts. I go to a neighbourhood gym five times a week, and spend at least an hour there each time, but I only joined the gym and began morning walks about a year ago. I will continue to attend the gym and can increase the regularity of my walks. The biggest ch ange that I can make to increase my life expectancy is to stop smoking cigarettes.I began smoking at 17, smoked for 25 years, stopped for 5 years and restarted a year ago. I now smoke 10 cigarettes a day, and this is obviously quite detrimental to my health. I will at the very least cut back my smoking to a half of my present consumption. One’s mental state either contributes to longevity or it can detract dramatically from it. To continue to have a stable, contented frame of mind, I will continue to go to the Raj Yoga Centre in St Augustine, where I meditate, learn about the power of positive energy, peace, compassion, the cycle of life and serenity.As a recovering addict I can continue to attend weekly N/A follow up meetings where I have a network of support and advice which helps my emotional balance and gives me a feeling of not being alone in the journey of recovery. My environment affects my life expectancy – both physical and emotional environment. I recently ch anged my physical environment from one of isolation and distance from my family and an emotional desert to a gated community where there is little or no crime, I am able to leave my doors open until I go to bed at midnight and I am surrounded by trees, open spaces and fresh air.I have an incredible view of the Northern Range which instils in me a sense of eternity and timelessness. I am closer to my loved ones, feel more fulfilled and am much happier now. I can continue to make the choices that will add to my well-being, shedding fear of change and trusting in my knowledge of what is best for me. My career choice will also either lengthen or shorten my life span. I enjoy the challenge of study because it keeps my mind active and agile and I enjoy new knowledge.Spirituality, my connection with my Higher Power, has changed my outlook on life entirely, giving me a renewed faith and sense of optimism and hope. I can strengthen and deepen this bond by continuing to attend church regularl y, applying the philosophies to everyday living, positive self-talk and remaining in communion with my Higher Power throughout the day. Finally, I can make positive changes in my social and interaction and support. I tend to be a loner, shouldering my life and responsibilities and problems alone and isolating myself a lot, choosing not to interact very much with others.I realize that interaction (desired or not) is important for my emotional well-being and feeling of belonging, so I can widen my social circles and choose to interact regularly. I scuba dive, do hand gun target practice at Tucker Valley, go motorbike riding, attend meditation classes, go to the gym, walk, work and yet it is possible to partake in all of these activities without interacting other than on a most superficial level. HOW DOES PROJECTED LIFE EXPECTANCY IMPACT LIFE GOALS? The awareness of one’s expected life span must necessarily impact one’s life goals.This knowledge will affect whether one ex ercises, smokes, does drugs, takes vitamins, furthers education, marries, has children, how one eats, chooses a career, attends church, whether or not one purchases property or rents, becomes involved in the community or practices safe sex. A teenager who is told that he will live only until he is twenty-five, is likely to spend the intervening years focusing on short-term gratification – he will see no need to study further, develop deep emotional intimate relationships, marry, plan a career, plan for retirement or expend energy on purchasing his own property.His life goals at this juncture will probably consist of fathering a child to leave some sort of footprint on the planet, exploration of sensual pleasures, world travel, and possibly the quest for a spiritual bonding and serenity. On the other hand, a twenty-five year old who realizes that he will live to be eighty-five, will then begin to plan for a sixty years of future. His goals will include healthful old age, enoug h money to care for himself and his family up to his death, a home to live in and a clear mind with which to enjoy these things.As education is the key to many of these goals, he is likely to focus on furthering his education so that he improves the likelihood of a financially lucrative career. He will look at having a career rather than just a job, and will choose a career which will bring him mental and emotional satisfaction. He will set good mental and physical health as a life goal, as he will want clarity of mind and physical strength and the ability to be active for his old age.He will plan for a family – spouse, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren – and knowing that these will be his support and comfort in his old age, is more likely to work toward close bonds with them. His is less likely to get divorced, abuse his children, abandon his family, or suffer from a midlife crisis. He is secure in his knowledge of a long life and will set his goal as pr eparing to make it as fulfilling and comfortable as possible.He will include spirituality in his life, looking for a relationship with his Higher Power to set as a foundation for his life. Projected life expectancy impacts on life goals because we can reasonably predict the time span necessary to complete or reap the benefits of certain processes. A short life expectancy removes certain goals from the picture, such as Masters’ Degrees, home purchase, pension and retirement plans and making one’s first million dollars.On the other hand, a long life ahead will call for long-term goals, retirement funds, proper health and mental care, exercise, due care of the spiritual self, an extended family and the satisfaction of community involvement. It is inevitable that the expectation of a particular life span will affect one’s behavior, life goals, life style choices and planning. DOES EDUCATION PLAY A ROLE IN LONGEVITY? Education is the most significant factor in longev ity. All life choices which affect our life expectancy, with the exception of genetics and culture are shaped by education and knowledge.Education instructs us about a proper balanced diet – despite the influence of culture on our eating habits, we can and do adjust our consumption to more closely align with globally accepted guidelines for healthier choices, serving sizes, low fat and cholesterol diets and regular physical exercise. Knowledge gained through education also can sway us away from cigarette smoking, use of illegal and dangerous drugs, sexual experimentation and exploration and risky lifestyles. Further education (past primary and secondary level) can also prepare us for financial stability.This impacts many facets of our lives – such as the ability to afford regular, competent health care, frequent check-ups and technologically advanced treatment if necessary. As Trinidadians are generally unable to afford health insurance, and what the government provide s is sketchy at best, an individual is much better off being self-sufficient in this area. Economic well-being also enables us to purchase the most nutritionally beneficial foods – snacks and junk food are a lot cheaper than fruits and vegetables.As our physical environment also predestines us to one life span or another, the ability to move from an unhealthy, unstable one to a clean, quiet, safe, green living space is important – this too is driven by financial means, which results from education. A sense of fulfillment and purpose is crucial to our extended life expectancy, and this is also aided by education – exposure to groups with which we can volunteer, causes about which we are passionate, how we can be a vital part of our community and nation.Our spiritual connection which is key to our coping skills and sense of optimism and hope is fueled by education – further knowledge of the God of our understanding. Education, therefore, more than anything else can extend our life expectancy. ARE THERE ANY CATEGORIES THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED? LIST AND DISCUSS I believe that three categories that should be included are genetics, environment and spirituality.

Macbeth Compared to Hitler

Although literature is fiction, often the conflict in a work will be strikingly similar to that of a real event. For example, the central issue of the abusive dictatorship of Macbeth in Macbeth, by William Shakespeare parallels that of the terrorizing dictatorship of Adolf Hitler during the early part of the Twentieth Century. In both of these horrible situations, there is a similarity in the challenging rise to power each must go through, their traumatizing dictatorships which destroyed many lives, and the treacherous downfall which ultimately led to their demise. Macbeth and Hitler were both loved by their people, but both charismatic leaders manipulated the people to gain power. Macbeth was respected and loved by the King and the people of Scotland. When the Thane of Cawdor lost his battle, the King of Scotland decreed him to death and elected the victorious General Macbeth to the position of Thane. Duncan said to Macbeth once he was Thane of Cawdor, â€Å"My Worthy Cawdor† (1. 4. 54). Duncan respected Macbeth and trusted him as Thane of Cawdor Macbeth had previously been visited by three witches when he was with Banquo and was told that he would never become king. The witches said to Banquo that Macbeth will never be king and the King’s sons would eventually become kings and rule the land. Macbeth was jealous and knew he had to kill the king in order to gain power. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth created the plot to kill Duncan and seize power through force. Their plan was to kill Duncan and blame it on the guards by putting the bloody daggers in the hands of the guards. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth followed through with the plan and Duncan's sons ran away. Then Macbeth turns around and blames the sons because they left right when Duncan died. The people of Scotland believed the story and Macbeth falsely gained respect from the people and gained power. In a similar parallel, Hitler too gained power by manipulating the people of Germany to earn their respect. Hitler and his country were in the middle of an economic depression during the early Twentieth Century, and this was a ripe time for a charismatic leader to emerge. The times were tough for the people of Germany and Hitler saw that he could gain power with a little manipulation and appealing to the desperate people’s needs. Hitler ran for president and made many hopeful, inspirational speeches to large crowds of people. When Hitler was in his campaign to regain power in the Nazi party, he threw a speech in a large hall. People were amazed at how well he spoke and seemed to know their problems and were inspired. â€Å" Former party leaders, who had come only to watch, now marched onto the platform, shook his hand, or embraced him. †(Stewart 46). The German people fell in love with him and followed his political rise very closely and supported his message. Even though Hitler lost two close political races to Paul von Hindenburg, he ended up succeeding him in office when von Hindenburg died and made it possible for Hitler to become president. Hitler needed more support to legalize his Nazi party. In order to gain more support, Hitler set fire to the Parliament building in Germany. The German people were scared and Hitler told the public that the communist had set the building on fire. The people falsely believed him and had trust in Hitler giving him more power than ever before. Macbeth and Hitler’s dictatorships were both terrorizing and frightful, especially to the two groups of people they ruled. When Macbeth was in power, he was paranoid of a conspiracy being launched against him. Macbeth was so paranoid that he had spies in every house, and killed many innocent people. Macbeth feared that Banquo, his friend, was talking about him and grew weary of him. He hired three murderers to kill Banquo once he set off from Macbeth’s kingdom. Macbeth thought he saw Banquo’s ghost and thought that it came back to haunt him. Macbeth seemed to have been losing his mind and he was guilty of Duncan’s death. Macbeth killed his own friend because he thought Duncan was trying to take power back. He had been so paranoid that he had a spy in every house to report of any conspiracies among the people. If the spies would hear anything, Macbeth would kill those who the spies reported back on. Hitler’s dictatorship was long, terrifying, and stressful. Hitler was in the middle of a war when he was in power. He had the whole world fighting against him as he was trying to gain control of the whole world. Hitler had been so stressed and tired from war that he was mentally unstable. To cope with the long and stressful war, Hitler took drugs. The drugs made him an even worse and cruel dictator. Hitler started genocide in his home country. He persecuted the Jewish population and put them in extermination camps. This dilemma was known to be the Holocaust. Hitler killed six million innocent Jewish people. Hitler and the Nazis soldiers burned, shot, and gassed the Jews. Once in a concentration camp in Germany, the Nazis said â€Å" Beat Those Jews†(Rees 179). Hitler made the Germans and Nazis convinced that they should kill many innocent and harmless people. Hitler grew weary of conspiracy. He thought people were out to get him. Hitler created the Nazi police. The Nazi police were run by Himmler. The police ran on the principles of â€Å"If you don’t speak you don’t get hurt†. The police insured that no one was speaking against Hitler and his political decisions. Macbeth and Hitler both had a treacherous downfall. Macbeth was mentally unstable and he was making poor decisions. Macbeth was being attacked from Birnam Woods by the English army and Macduff. The prophecies were coming true that the woods would walk to Macbeth’s kingdom and kill him. The English army picked up branches to disguise themselves and hide their numbers. Macbeth and everyone were falling apart and knew they were going to die. Lady Macbeth knew what was coming, and had enough of Macbeth and his terrible reign and took her own life. When Seyton heard a cry from the castle, he found that she died. Seyton said to Macbeth, â€Å" The Queen, My lord, is dead†(5. 5. 16). Macbeth had lost everything he lived for and his kingdom. Macduff found Macbeth for a standoff. Macbeth accepted his fate and fought with courage. Macbeth died and Malcolm took the crown and became king. Hitler’s downfall was treacherous and lethal. Hitler was in the middle of a war and his army was weakening. The allies were closing in on him and his nation was being destroyed. Hitler was so stressed from the war and all of his struggles that he became crazy and addicted to drugs. While he was in reign, he had 42 assassination attempts against his life. Many of the attempts were from his high ranking generals, and political powers. The people could no longer take what he was doing to the country. Hitler took his own life by shooting himself. Macbeth and Hitler’s rise to power, dictatorship, and downfall are similar but occurred in different times. Hitler and Macbeth were both loved by people of their country. They both manipulated facts and used this to gain the people’s trust and respect. Both Hitler and Macbeth killed many innocent people. Both men were involved in war. Ultimately, both Macbeth and Hitler were both attacked from various forces. Both men accepted their fate and died. Hitler killed himself, and Macbeth died in his last stand against Macduff.

president essays

president essays Election day is right around the corner. On November 7, 2000 American citizens will be voting whether they want George W. Bush as our president or Al Gore . Both candidate are well qualified for the job. As Alan Litchman said you have to have a certain basic level of intelligence. Al Gore has been our vice president for the past eight years and Mr. Bush is currently the Governor of George W. Bush and his running mate for vice president Dick Cheney are representing the Republican party. Mr.Bush has many plans for taxes such as: a portion of taxes should go to retirement, no one should have to pay more than a third of their pay check to taxes, eliminate the death tax, and to double the child deduction. He also wants to strengthen medicare by making prescription drugs affordable and available to senior citizens. He wants local government to have control of schools. He thinks that the military should get better pay and For the Democratic party Al Gore and running mate Joe Lieberman plan to continue to build on past successes. The Democratic Convention opens Monday in Los Angeles, but Gore will not give his acceptance speech until Thursday. Gore wants to distance himself from President Clinton with the words such as fresh start with regard to the Clinton scandals. Gore believes that that Georges budgets dont balance, because of a huge tax give aways to the wealthy instead of the middle class, and large deficits that can lead to high interest rates. Gore is also trying to burden the Bush campaign with voters memories of thehigh unemployment rates and weak economic growth that helped drive his father from the White House in 1992. I think which ever candidate is chosen for President will have many challenges in bringing respect and trust back into t ...

Free Essays on George Kennans American Diplomacy

Critiquing American Diplomacy George Kennan’s American Diplomacy provides anyone studying American politics with an accurate glimpse of American ideology, misperception and thought in the first half of the twentieth century. Even though this book is a collection of lectures where there is obvious subjectivity, Kennan successfully displays an objective view on the topics he discusses in the lecture. Kennan’s lecture gives the reader a panoramic view and solid background of American thinking about themselves and the rest of the world, with respect to events leading up to the conflict with the Soviets. As a result, Kennan gives a clearly articulated picture of his thoughts. Kennan explains his ideas in a manner which the average college level student could understand, but does it in a sophisticated manner, which is refreshing. Kennan compares American security ideas to the Roman Empire because Americans had a sense of security and superiority that had not been seen in the world since those times. He compares American ideas and situation in 1950 versus American ideas and situation in 1900 and discusses this from a subjective and objective point of view in order to back up his opinion and present a clear case without discussing the situation at a complete slant, which I think shows how qualified he was to influence American foreign policy because he had every right to speak about things subjectively because he was such an authority and had good insight due to his ability to look at the situation from every perspective, not just the American perspective. I believe Kennan attempting to be as unbiased as possible in this lecture allows him to give anyone reading the book a good chance to develop their own argument, which is a good quality because he is not trying to force his opinion on anyone. â€Å"†¦our national consciousness is dominated at present by a sense of insecurity greater even than that of many people of Western E... Free Essays on George Kennan's American Diplomacy Free Essays on George Kennan's American Diplomacy Critiquing American Diplomacy George Kennan’s American Diplomacy provides anyone studying American politics with an accurate glimpse of American ideology, misperception and thought in the first half of the twentieth century. Even though this book is a collection of lectures where there is obvious subjectivity, Kennan successfully displays an objective view on the topics he discusses in the lecture. Kennan’s lecture gives the reader a panoramic view and solid background of American thinking about themselves and the rest of the world, with respect to events leading up to the conflict with the Soviets. As a result, Kennan gives a clearly articulated picture of his thoughts. Kennan explains his ideas in a manner which the average college level student could understand, but does it in a sophisticated manner, which is refreshing. Kennan compares American security ideas to the Roman Empire because Americans had a sense of security and superiority that had not been seen in the world since those times. He compares American ideas and situation in 1950 versus American ideas and situation in 1900 and discusses this from a subjective and objective point of view in order to back up his opinion and present a clear case without discussing the situation at a complete slant, which I think shows how qualified he was to influence American foreign policy because he had every right to speak about things subjectively because he was such an authority and had good insight due to his ability to look at the situation from every perspective, not just the American perspective. I believe Kennan attempting to be as unbiased as possible in this lecture allows him to give anyone reading the book a good chance to develop their own argument, which is a good quality because he is not trying to force his opinion on anyone. â€Å"†¦our national consciousness is dominated at present by a sense of insecurity greater even than that of many people of Western E...

How to Convince Your Employer to Pay for Your Education

How to Convince Your Employer to Pay for Your Education Why take out student loans when you could earn a degree for free? You may be able to save thousands of dollars by asking your employer to pay for your education through a tuition reimbursement program.   Benefits to the Employer Employers have a vested interest in making sure employees have the knowledge and skills to help them succeed at work. By earning a degree in a job-related field, you can become a better employee. Moreover, employers often see less turnaround and more employee loyalty when they provide tuition reimbursement for education. Many employers know that education is the key to on-the-job success. Thousands of companies offer tuition assistance programs. Even if no tuition program is in place, you may be able to present a compelling case that convinces your employer to pay for your schooling. Tuition Reimbursement Many larger companies offer tuition reimbursement programs for employees who take courses related to their work. These companies often have strict tuition-related policies and require that employees stay with the company for at least a year. Employers don’t want to pay for your education if you’re going to use it to find another job. Companies may pay for an entire degree or, more often, only for classes related to your job. Some part-time jobs also offer limited tuition assistance. Generally, these employers offer a smaller amount to help offset the cost of education. For example, Starbucks offers up to $1,000 a year in tuition assistance for qualified employees, while the convenience store chain Quiktrip offers up to $2,000 annually. Often, these companies offer financial help as a perk of employment and have less strict policies about the type of courses you can take. However, many employers require workers to be with the company for a minimum amount of time before becoming eligible for tuition reimbursement benefits. Business-College Partnerships A few large companies partner with colleges to provide workers with education and training. Trainers sometimes come directly to the workplace, or employees may in some cases enroll independently in courses from a specific university. Ask your company for details. Discussion Tips If your company already has a tuition reimbursement program or business-college partnership in place, visit the human resources department to learn more. If your company does not have a tuition reimbursement program, you will need to convince your employer to design a personal program. First, decide what classes you would like to take or what degree you would like to obtain. Second, create a list of ways your education will benefit the company. For example, Your new skills will make you more productive at work.You will be able to take on additional assignments.You will become a leader in the workplace.Your degree will improve the company’s professional image when you work with clients. Third, anticipate your employer’s possible concerns. Make a list of problems your employer may raise and think of solutions to each. Consider these examples: Concern: Your studies will take time away from work.​Response: Online classes can be completed in your free time and will give you skills to help you do better work.Concern: Paying your tuition will be expensive for the company.​Response: Actually, paying your tuition may cost less than hiring a new employee with the degree you are working on and training the new recruit. Your degree will make the company money. In the long run, your employer will save by funding your education. Finally, set an appointment to discuss tuition reimbursement with your employer. Practice your why-you-should-pay explanation beforehand and come to the meeting with your lists in hand. If you are turned down, remember that you can always ask again in a few months. Signing a Contract An employer that agrees to pay your tuition will probably want you to sign a contract. Be sure to read this document carefully and discuss any parts that raise a red flag. Don’t sign a contract that forces you to meet unrealistic terms or stay with the company for an unreasonable amount of time. Think about these questions when reading over the contract: How will your tuition be refunded? Some companies pay the tuition directly. Some deduct it from your paycheck and reimburse you up to a year later.What academic standards must be met? Find out if there is a required GPA and what happens if you fail to make the grade.How long must I remain with the company? Find out what happens if you decide to leave before the term is up. Don’t let yourself get locked into staying with any company for too many years.What happens I stop attending class? If health problems, family issues or other circumstances prevent you from finishing a degree, will you be required to pay for the classes you’ve already taken? The best way to pay for an education is to have someone else foot the bill. Convincing your boss to pay your tuition can take some work, but the effort is worth it.

Fords Advertising Strategy in India Research Paper

Fords Advertising Strategy in India - Research Paper Example The Indian economy is growing at a rate of 10% since the last 5 years (Uppal, et al, 2009). Apart from the growing middle class, India also features a strong upper class leading it to the fourth largest country with the highest number of billionaires. This makes India a lucrative market for high-end and premium brands as well. Besides being on the road of economic improvement, India also is a democratic state which encourages foreign direct investment. After a long isolation from international trade, India finally has opened its gates for foreign brands which leave a huge opportunity of the international giant corporations to capture their share of the market (Uppal, et al, 2009). As mentioned above, the high income earners of the country along with the growing middle class constitutes a high overall spending power and this fact makes it one of the most lucrative markets in South Asia and the whole world. In contrast to having a strong appeal to international businesses, India does h ave some factors which put a negative impact on its business environment. One of the problems which India faces is unimpressive law enforcement by the Indian judiciary. This is prevalent predominantly because of resource limitations and long procedures fashioned by corruption. However, in order to keep the consumers safe and to increase their confidence, exclusive courts catering to consumer needs and concerns have begun to be set up (Uppal et al, 2009). The elements which Ford must take care of while designing and executing its advertisements is the target segment which must targeted. As mentioned above, India has a growing economy with majority of a middle class and a high proportion of youth, the brands must be appropriately positioned in order to get the most business out of a segment. This means that a premium brand for example Mustang must not be positioned amongst the middle class as it will not be feasible for the company in terms of revenue. Therefore, considering the busin ess environment of India, the advertisements must have relevance to the lifestyle of the market. This suggests that if the target market does not drink, the advertisement must not show any reference to drinking otherwise, the brand will not have any receptive and relevance to the target market. Besides this, the idea of an advertisement must be in line with the culture and expectations of the audience. In order to be generally acceptable and receptive to the audience, the advertisement must clearly portray the true depiction of the lifestyle of the target market. Be it the fashion, models, lifestyle, language etc, every element of the ad must have a relevance to the target market else the brand will not be accepted and will not sell. 2. India’s Advertising Industry India’s advertising industry is on the boom. From being a small scale business to a fully fledged industry, the Indian advertisement has become a world in itself. It is now considered as one of the major ind ustries of the tertiary sector of India with worth $6.4 billion. Apart from the traditional print and electronic media, the advertising industry of India is registering enormous growth of the social media. The internet is increasingly becoming an important tool for businesses to sell their product and for the advertisers to market their brands. The fact that the internet has become a marketplace itself has been well adopted by the Indian adverti

Maritime law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Maritime law - Coursework Example That notwithstanding, it is important to also note that an action in tem can only be taken by the plaintiff who has obtained a statutory or maritime lien against the ship and proceedings can only be instituted where a vessel is within/present in the jurisdiction of the state the proceedings are taking place (Bluesteinlawoffice.com, n.d.). Some of the advantages of proceeding in rem include: first the vessel is assumed to be the defendant, thus, eliminating the challenges of the owner being present within the jurisdiction. Thus, this allows the proceedings to continue even in the absence of the vessel owner (Okoli, 2010). Secondly, proceedings in rem require no prior notice as long as a vessel is within the jurisdiction by only the claimant taking an oath in a court. Thirdly, proceedings in rem allow a claimant to arrest a ship and continue with proceedings as in personam (Okoli, 2010). Fourthly, if proceedings in rem are successful, a court rule can dictate that the res be disposed and proceeds used to settle claimants, thus, providing a form of guarantee and security to the claimants (Shrikant and Binita, 2014). For admiralty courts to entertain applications for vessel arrests the following conditions must be satisfied: (1) the dispute must involve maritime claim implying that the claim must be connected to shipping; (2) the claimant must prove that the ship in question has connection with the claim; (3) granting of warranty of arrest is unconditional on the claimant to make all disclosures of any material facts during the application for warranty of arrest such no proceedings have been instituted in another country (Woollam, 2010). Thus, having satisfied the conditions above the process of arrest follows the following procedure: The arrest warrant and writ are served the moment the vessel is within the jurisdiction by an officer of the HM Customs who acts on instructions from the Admiralty. After

Human resources management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human resources management - Essay Example This field is one that will continue to last for a long period of time until some other discipline is introduced by the management gurus which is considered better and more up to date than the human resources management ideology which is ruling the roost as of now. Within the management concerns, the need is to understand how management and leadership play their dire roles within the making up of the human resources management function that individuals know of. This is the reason why management and leadership tenets are being appreciated by people because they bring in a sense of empathy with how things are carved out and how these will continue to be in the coming times. The management understanding is based on the premise that employees will be led by someone who knows how to take care of the people working under him and how they will relate with one another on an organizational level. How management turns out to be the savior for organizations today is a point that needs much atte ntion (Rees 2001). This is because organizations know that if the management concerns are paying heed to the likes and dislikes of its employees whilst at the same time concentrating on manifesting its own role, then perhaps it is doing something worthwhile. However, this needs patience on the part of the organization which is doing its best to bring about a change for the better of all and sundry. The ideology behind it is to bring a change which will instill a new direction and a sense of purpose which was felt missing from the related ranks. Similarly, leadership is of dire value because it asks of the employees to be commanded by a leader that has his own will, direction, and authority. It gives him the room to maneuver how he wants to see things through and basically to lead people through his meticulous ways. The leaders always find it hard in the beginning to bring drastic changes but with the passage of time and perseverance, they are able to bring the amendments that they h ad already planned for in the past, as far as organizational requirements and tasks were concerned. Leadership is also an interesting topic because it touches upon areas of significance, gives the employees something to think about and basically makes everyone within the organization something to derive learning from (Hopkins 1998). A good leader allows his team to grow and develop with the passage of time, and with this professional growth and development is just a part and parcel as there are many other dimensions that are readily paid heed within the thick of things. Hence leadership that knows how to instill a sense of pride within the employees’ realms is indeed the leadership that knows how to make do with things that are available at its disposal. When it comes to recruitment measures, human resources management’s role is well cut out. What this implies is the need to comprehend that human resources management considers recruitment as one of the most significant aspects of its institution (Boxall 2007). It suggests for the amendments that are required on its part. What is more important is the fact that the human resources management department knows beforehand that all recruitment and selection entities will be covered by the lengths and breadths of this unit. If this happens on a consistent basis, there will be room for improvement as and when required and minor changes will be the order of the day.

Online Consumer Protection Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Online Consumer Protection - Term Paper Example Online consumer protection has become one of the most important and controversial issues that have been raised since the wide use of internet started on the globe. Internet has sped up the development of online businesses, commerce, commercial services and marketing, providing the consumers a much interacting environment with the companies. Many laws and legislations have been passed, since the new millennium started, regarding the protection and privacy of consumers or, in other words, internet users. This has helped in bringing order and standardization in the internet marketplace. These legislations will, of course, keep on getting adjusted according to the ever changing needs, demands and contributions of internet marketing so as to guarantee the consumers’ protection at all costs. Along with the growing trend of trading over the internet, â€Å"many unusual consumer issues have arisen that have required both regulatory agencies such as the FTC and the legislative branche s to pass new rules and laws† (eNotes, 2009). On one hand, consumers choose the modern fashion of interacting with the world through the internet commerce and telecommunication, and on the other hand, they are also concerned about having their important information protected and not disclosed. For example, consumers do not want their personal information, addresses, phone numbers and credit card numbers to be given out to wrong authorities when they make online transactions with wholesale and retail companies that offer various commercial services.

Freedom movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Freedom movement - Essay Example It also marked an important moment for the Black American society who continuously fought for equal rights within the American society (Smith & Wynn, 2009. The act ended the application of the Jim Crow laws that upheld segregation under the principles of â€Å"separate but equal.† It is important to note that prior to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, African-Americans faced serious discrimination in nearly all important sectors of the economy including employment, transport, property ownership, education and even politics. The passage of the law has since shaped the American society and that is still undergoing transformation. The consequences of the passage of the Civil Rights Act 1964 have seen significant diversity in the employment sector in America. Currently, Blacks face limited if any discrimination in employment. This has seen significant growth of the American economy as every individual struggles to involve in any income generating activity. Since the pas sage of the Act that led to increase in employment of the African-Americans, the economy of the USA has witnessed significant stability considering fair distribution of income and reduced overreliance of the economy on the White population. Additional consequence of passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 relates to significant integration of people from different races, religion and ethnicity, which is working to liquidate some of the native culture of the various American communities. In politics, the passage of the act has seen significant involvement of Blacks in the daily politics of USA. It is due to the strict provisions of the Act that America is currently under the Presidency of Barrack Obama who is a Black American. Furthermore, it is due to the Act that African-Americans like Condoleezza Rice managed to occupy powerful government office during administration of President George Bush. Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956) The cause of the boycott related to the arrest of Rose Parka who was a civil rights activist for failing to empty a bus seat in Montgomery. The Black community responded to the arrest by boycotting transport by bus until in 1956 when court overruled the segregation laws in Montgomery as unconstitutional. This even revolutionized social structure and has led to free interaction between Whites and the Blacks (Phibbs, 2009). The law has seen free movement of people across the states by same transport means. This has worked to alienate fears of discrimination alongside enhancing trade and economic development in the USA. The event and the accompanying ruling transformed the political policies created by states and local governments. Currently, many states abide by the principles of equality and fairness that has help in political stability in America. Role of Black women in the Freedom Movement Despite being subject to gender discrimination within their own race, Black women proved an essential part of the whole Freedom Movement. Black wom en assumed the roles of bridge leaders to support their male counterparts in advancing their fight for freedom. The women assumed the roles of bridge leaders because it was only area that they could occupy since men held the formal leadership positions. In that line, the Black women practiced four main types of bridge leadership that included mainstream, community, indigenous and

What is the difference between 'old' and 'new' social movements Essay

What is the difference between 'old' and 'new' social movements illustrate your answer with reference to specific movements - Essay Example Social movements are created through a course of action, starting with disorder or campaigns as a response to a social problem, then organization of involved parties. People mobilize, leadership develops, duties are assigned, the public is notified, and guidelines or strategies begin to form, resulting finally in the establishment of the movement (Polletta & Jasper, 2001, 283). The course of action is not easy and there could be a decline phase in the group when it either disintegrates or is restored in a changed form. Social movements could be either reactive, involving opposition to change, or enthusiastic, with an aim for social change (Rootes, 1990, 10). Proactive social movements that aspire to reform a particular feature of human conduct, like the Women’s Christian Temperance Movement, are transformative (Polletta & Jasper, 2001, 283); those aspiring for an absolute transformation of individual conduct, like religious fundamentalist groups, are liberating (p. 283). The emphasis of the other two kinds is societal transformation: movements with goals of altering a particular feature of society, as represented by labor groups, are alterative, and organizations trying to transform the whole social order are revolutionary (Rootes, 1990, 12). The objective of this essay is to discuss the distinctions between ‘old’ and ‘new’ social movements. Theorists of new social movement observe a greatly reformed social structure behind these new social movements, diversely referred to as ‘postindustrial’, ‘network’, or ‘information society (Pichardo, 1997, 411). In the theory of Melucci (1994, 105), ‘modernization’ has obliged that individuals be able to process or understand the informational or network components on which present-day societies rely on, but heightened individualism has been escorted by great demands toward standardized conformity. On the other hand, the theory of

Freedom movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Freedom movement - Essay Example It also marked an important moment for the Black American society who continuously fought for equal rights within the American society (Smith & Wynn, 2009. The act ended the application of the Jim Crow laws that upheld segregation under the principles of â€Å"separate but equal.† It is important to note that prior to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, African-Americans faced serious discrimination in nearly all important sectors of the economy including employment, transport, property ownership, education and even politics. The passage of the law has since shaped the American society and that is still undergoing transformation. The consequences of the passage of the Civil Rights Act 1964 have seen significant diversity in the employment sector in America. Currently, Blacks face limited if any discrimination in employment. This has seen significant growth of the American economy as every individual struggles to involve in any income generating activity. Since the pas sage of the Act that led to increase in employment of the African-Americans, the economy of the USA has witnessed significant stability considering fair distribution of income and reduced overreliance of the economy on the White population. Additional consequence of passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 relates to significant integration of people from different races, religion and ethnicity, which is working to liquidate some of the native culture of the various American communities. In politics, the passage of the act has seen significant involvement of Blacks in the daily politics of USA. It is due to the strict provisions of the Act that America is currently under the Presidency of Barrack Obama who is a Black American. Furthermore, it is due to the Act that African-Americans like Condoleezza Rice managed to occupy powerful government office during administration of President George Bush. Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956) The cause of the boycott related to the arrest of Rose Parka who was a civil rights activist for failing to empty a bus seat in Montgomery. The Black community responded to the arrest by boycotting transport by bus until in 1956 when court overruled the segregation laws in Montgomery as unconstitutional. This even revolutionized social structure and has led to free interaction between Whites and the Blacks (Phibbs, 2009). The law has seen free movement of people across the states by same transport means. This has worked to alienate fears of discrimination alongside enhancing trade and economic development in the USA. The event and the accompanying ruling transformed the political policies created by states and local governments. Currently, many states abide by the principles of equality and fairness that has help in political stability in America. Role of Black women in the Freedom Movement Despite being subject to gender discrimination within their own race, Black women proved an essential part of the whole Freedom Movement. Black wom en assumed the roles of bridge leaders to support their male counterparts in advancing their fight for freedom. The women assumed the roles of bridge leaders because it was only area that they could occupy since men held the formal leadership positions. In that line, the Black women practiced four main types of bridge leadership that included mainstream, community, indigenous and

Juvenile fire setting Essay Example for Free

Juvenile fire setting Essay Findings indicate that of all victims of fires set by a child; about thirty four percent of the victims are children themselves. The leading cause of death in residential fires in the United States has been found to be playing with fire. Children are often engaged in games that involve playing with fire. These games are normally played in the bedroom where many things can easily catch fire. Older children on the other hand play with fire outside the home. The majority of these children are often under the false impression that they have the capacity to control the fires that they have set. A large percentage of children who set fire have no possession of fire safety education and are also not supervised by their parents. Statistics indicate that more than fifty percent of individuals arrested for arson in the United States are juveniles. About eighty thousand structure fires are caused by children who play with fire. From this, seven hundred and sixty deaths and more than three thousand five hundred injuries result. The annual estimates of damages from juvenile fire setting stand at 1. 2 billion dollars. It takes less than two minutes for an entire room to be set on fire by a flame from a single match. In only under five minutes, the entire house can be engulfed in flames. Over three hundred deaths and two thousand injuries result from juvenile arson and fires set by youth annually. Again, property damage resulting from these fires amount to over three hundred million dollars. Forty percent of deaths related to residential fire are caused by children playing with fire. Characteristic of fire setters Juvenile fire setters can be categorized into three groups according to age. The first category is made up of children aged less than seven years. The majority of fires caused by this category of children are mainly as a result of accident or curiosity. Some studies indicate that the childrens interest in fire begins before the age of three (Kolko Kadzin, 1999). Naturally, children are curious about fire even though there are various factors that determine whether a child actually sets fire or not. Such factors include the availability of fire supply and their exposure to fire. The majority of children under this category who set fire are not aware of the potential consequences. The second category is comprised of children between the age eight to twelve. Fire set by children within this category may also emanate from curiosity. However, it may also be the result of an underlying psychosocial conflict (Slavkin, 2000). Children under this category may be completely aware of the consequences of their actions and set fire as a strategy for attracting attention. They are likely to continue setting fire until their concerns become addressed or until their needs are met. The third category consists of adolescents aged between thirteen years and eighteen years. A major feature of these young people under this category is that they seem to possess a long history of playing with fire and fire starting behavior that had not been detected. Their fire setting actions may either be motivated by psychosocial conflict and turmoil or an intended criminal behavior. The history of such young people is characterized by behavior problems and school failure. They are highly vulnerable to peer influence. Another classification of juvenile fire setters lives out those that start fire out of curiosity. As such, it classifies intentional fire setters. The first group within this category is made up of those children who set fire as a way of seeking attention. The second category is made up of children who are motivated through delinquent activity. The final category is composed of juveniles who have severe emotional disturbances. Regardless of the mode of classification, what is apparent is that the older the child, the more hey experiment with more sophisticated materials. As children advance in age, their fire setting tend to be externally directed toward locations such as barns, garbage dumpsters, grasslands, schools and automobiles (Little, 1998). There exist various varieties of psychosocial, behavioral, conduct and aggression problems exuded by juvenile fire setters. Among these are a tendency of playing with matches or lighters, cruelty to animals, item burning and extreme enthusiasm and curiosity about fire (Foerger, 1999). The potential for setting fire becomes high when these factors are combined with the circumstance, the ease at which matches and lighters can be obtained and a general misunderstanding about the consequences of fire. Juvenile fire setters may possess a number of characteristics. These children tend to be curious about fire and do not understand the dangers associated with fire. In some cases, these children may be experiencing some changes in the family life such as death, divorce or separation. They may also have a history of behavioral problems and poor peer relationship. Parental involvement Families are often reluctant in responding to what they normally take to be a one time occurrence. Families in most cases tend to ignore the seriousness of the behavior. Every child who has engaged in fire play or fire setting tendencies requires intervention. Children need to be educated on the dangers of playing with fire by their parents so that they may stop the behavior. The most important thing that parents need to do is to take notice of their children. Parents also need to talk to their children about the dangers of fire. They also must set a good example as the majority of children learn about the use of fire from their parents. If the parents are reckless with fire, the child is likely to handle fire carelessly. Access to matches and lighters should also be restricted. The only way to ensure that children do not access them is by keeping them safely. Problems are likely to occur when children begin to handle fire in ways that are dangerous. Parents should therefore seek appropriate help before any serious problem occur. Professional guidance is more appropriate as threats and punishments are in most cases ineffective. Without any form of intervention, fire setting cannot stop. The past decade has witnessed the establishment of various programs in numerous jurisdictions across the United States to address concerns about juvenile fire setting. These programs primarily fall under the fire service. Their aim is to prevent the recurrence of fire setting by identifying, evaluating and treating the juvenile fire setter. Early programs were mainly designed by local mental health professionals and personnel in the fire service. Based on models developed by the United States Fire Administration, various programs have been established. Apart from the fire department, juvenile fire setter programs obtain referrals from the police departments, mental health agencies, social service agencies, schools and parents. A working relationship exists between the programs and a number of these major community agencies. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the United States Fire Administration, in seeing the need for increased knowledge on how the problem of juvenile fire setting can be minimized, funded an initiative known as the National Juvenile Fire setter/Arson Control and Prevention (NJF/ACP) Program which ran from 1987 through 1993. Possible solutions The most appropriate solutions to children with fire setting behavior are those focused on brief therapy (Little, 1998). The solution focused on brief therapy was developed as a family counseling theory. The therapy is made up of sessions with the first session being the most important. It employs â€Å"solution talk† to change cognitions from negative focus on weakness and problems to the positive attitudes of expressing optimism and strength. This may in particular satisfy the powerful need of juvenile fire setters for security and love. The problem can also be solved through fire safety education, collaboration with the community agencies and empathy training. These methods can especially be used by school counselors to bring about positive changes for juveniles with fire setting behaviors and the general society. Current trends It has been noted that during the winter months, there is always an increased rate of child fire injuries and deaths. The distribution of injuries and deaths are even throughout the week. Deaths and injuries also seem to take place between 8 P. M and 8 A. M. (Kolko, 2002). The majority of child fares are residential with more than ninety percent of such fires resulting in injuries and death. Fires often originate from the bedroom. Arson still continues to be a major United States problem.

Forecasting And Procurement At Le Club Fran Ais Du Vin Finance Essay

Forecasting And Procurement At Le Club Fran Ais Du Vin Finance Essay Le Club Franà §ais du Vin is founded in 1973 and had grown to a 10 million Euro per year business in 2004. The mission of Le Club is to offer wines of good to very good quality to its customers in France, Switzerland, and Germany, who receive interesting wines delivered directly to their homes. Every member of Le Club receives an offer of wine every two months via a catalog. Le Club Franà §ais du Vin largely carries French wines. The heterogeneity of French wines makes forecasting consumer demand for particular French wine extremely difficult. At Le Club Franà §ais du Vin, a group of professional wine experts create a sales forecast for each wine in the upcoming catalog taking into account both taste considerations and the season of the year in which the wine is offered in the catalog. Once the forecasting process is over, Le Club places an order with the wine grower, which happens months before publishing the catalog and at a point when little information beyond the wine experts personal opinions is available. The Club pays the wine grower 75 days after having received the shipment. If the wine forecast equals the actual demand or comes close to it these payment conditions are very favorable for Le Club. However, such desirable cash flows are not always the case. If Le Club has over forecasted sales for the catalog season, excess bottles are stored in the warehouse and are likely to be discounted in a future catalog (white wines are discounted by 40% of their retail price, and red wines by 30%). There is also an additional handling and shipping cost for discounted bottles of 1.25 Euro per bottle, and 0.10 Euro warehouse operational costs per bottle. The main problem of the company is the mismatch between forecasts and actual customer demand, which results in either excess inventory or unsatisfied customers. For example, the Club had ordered 10,000 bottles of the 2002 St Emilion wine for the companys January 2004 catalog, but only sold 1,704 bottles. On the other side, the Club forecasted to sell 10,000 bottles of the Cà ´tes du Rhà ´ne, but actually experienced a demand of over 11,000 bottles. The Club currently holds over 200,000 bottles of wine in its warehouse. The company has to choose between few options in order to decide how many bottles of each wine to order to maximize expected profit, to generate a certain fill-rate or to achieve a certain in-stock probability. If the manager chooses as an objective to maximize the expected profit, as seen in Exhibit 1, the total expected profit is supposed to be 147,998 Euro. However, the profit-maximizing order quantity may generate some unacceptable fill rate and in-stock probability from the firms customer service prospective. The fill rate varies in the range of 50% to 100%, while the stockout probability varies in the range of 0% to 83%. This scenario will result in a lot of unsatisfied customers who might choose a different supplier in the future. The customers of the Club place their order by mail, phone, fax, or over the internet. If the customers place their order by phone or online they can be informed right away if a particular wine is out of stock. However, as a large portion of Le Clubs customers are in their 60s, orders by mail are most common, and these customers are unaware of the availability of the wine there are ordering. It is very rare for the company to be able to place additional orders for wines that have been under forecasted. As a result all demand for a wine that remains unfulfilled is lost. Given the complications associated with stock-outs, Le Club aims at high availability for its wines throughout the catalog season. That is the reason why the first scenario is not suitable for the company. Let us assume that the company chooses to guarantee a fill rate of 99%, which means that 99% of the demand will be satisfied. As seen in Exhibit 2, the total expected profit is 102,382 , which is about 45, 000 euro less than the profit it generates in the first scenario, however, the in -stock probability is 94.74%. This is a better scenario for the Club, because it is going to guarantee that most of the customers during the season can be satisfied, and there is also a great probability that the customers demand can be satisfied even at the end of the season. The fill rate is a good measure of average customer service because it treats each customer as equally important. So, even though the company might experience some profit loss for certain types of wine, the total expected profit is 102,382 Euro, and along with that the Club can also achieve high levels of fill rate and in-stock probability. The third option for the club is to choose to set as its primary goal to achieve a high in-stock probability (let us assume 97.5% rate). As seen in Exhibit 3, in this case the total expected profit is only 88,138 Euro, which is almost half of the expected profit in the first scenario. The fill rate is 99.57%. We see that achieving a very high in-stock probability can be quite expensive and sets the company at a much lower profit level. This scenario is also unacceptable for the company. The company has to constantly try to balance the cash constraints inherent in holding large inventory positions with the goal of sustaining healthy margins (the club typically enjoys around 50%) while ensuring availability of a broad selection of wines even late in a catalog season. Therefore the club needs to make tradeoff to give up some of its profit in order to obtain higher fill rate and in-stock probability in order to ensure better customer service and to keep its positions in the market. The second scenario seems the most optimistic and optimal for the company it will lose some of its profit, but on the other side will guarantee a greater customer satisfaction, which is very important for the Club that capitalizes on a niche market. Appellation Q that maximizes expected profit Expected profit Fill Rate Stockout probability FAUGERES 12022 16235 88.47% 36.58% GRAVES 803 1847 91.12% 30.32% GRAVES 1149 2076 93.58% 23.77% PESSAC LEOGNAN 3241 11721 100.00% 0.00% CARTON PANACHE 6+2+4 5093 12880 99.38% 3.40% BORDEAUX CLAIRET 3461 3286 81.65% 50.00% CÔTES DE BOURG 1352 1985 90.00% 33.05% ENTRE DEUX MERS 1129 940 74.41% 61.14% BORDEAUX 4535 3063 74.63% 60.84% CARTON PANACHE 5493 5993 84.41% 44.98% Bordeaux 2127 1332 73.05% 62.96% VDP des Cà ´teaux de LArdà ¨che 1651 344 50.59% 83.87% VDP des Cà ´teaux de LArdà ¨che 1412 318 52.08% 82.91% VDP du Comtà © Tolosan 1041 227 48.72% 85.02% CARTON PANACHEE 1692 547 59.22% 77.54% CABERNET DANJOU 2630 2581 82.31% 48.84% SANCERRE 2092 6068 93.93% 22.76% CHINON 4071 4315 83.84% 46.05% ALOXE CORTON 2992 13549 100.00% 0.00% BOURGOGNE ALIGOTE 1013 1505 84.68% 44.44% GIVRY 1734 4028 99.95% 0.38% COTEAUX DU LYONNAIS 2543 2293 80.61% 51.78% CDR Vill RASTEAU 1075 2084 94.73% 20.40% GIGONDAS 2493 5225 100.00% 0.00% CÔTES DU VENTOUX 1052 1032 82.31% 48.84% CARTON PANACHE 3742 7788 95.87% 16.85% CORBIERES (6) 1155 1169 82.94% 47.71% GAILLAC 2248 2347 83.54% 46.60% MINERVOIS 3322 2847 79.57% 53.48% MADIRAN 14445 28372 94.95% 19.75% Total Expected Profit 147,998 Exhibit 1 Appellation Q that guarantees fill rate of 99% Expected sales Expected leftover inventory2 Expected profit (fill rate = 99%) In-stock probability FAUGERES 18121 10280 7841 12379 94.74% GRAVES 1133 642 490 1588 94.74% GRAVES 1510 857 653 1926 94.74% PESSAC LEOGNAN 1963 1114 849 10134 94.74% CARTON PANACHE 6+2+4 4832 2741 2091 12871 94.74% BORDEAUX CLAIRET 6040 3427 2614 1219 94.74% CÔTES DE BOURG 1963 1114 849 1632 94.74% ENTRE DEUX MERS 2265 1285 980 -341 94.74% BORDEAUX 9060 5140 3920 -1022 94.74% CARTON PANACHE 9060 5140 3920 3338 94.74% Bordeaux 4379 2484 1895 -737 94.74% VDP des Cà ´teaux de LArdà ¨che 5285 2998 2287 -3335 94.74% VDP des Cà ´teaux de LArdà ¨che 4379 2484 1895 -2682 94.74% VDP du Comtà © Tolosan 3473 1970 1503 -2623 94.74% CARTON PANACHEE 4530 2570 1960 -2289 94.74% CABERNET DANJOU 4530 2570 1960 1082 94.74% SANCERRE 2718 1542 1176 5678 94.74% CHINON 6795 3855 2940 2252 94.74% ALOXE CORTON 1812 1028 784 11367 94.74% BOURGOGNE ALIGOTE 1661 942 719 863 94.74% GIVRY 1359 771 588 3997 94.74% COTEAUX DU LYONNAIS 4530 2570 1960 663 94.74% CDR Vill RASTEAU 1359 771 588 1985 94.74% GIGONDAS 1510 857 653 5001 94.74% CÔTES DU VENTOUX 1812 1028 784 433 94.74% CARTON PANACHE 4530 2570 1960 7572 94.74% CORBIERES (6) 1963 1114 849 542 94.74% GAILLAC 3775 2142 1634 1181 94.74% MINERVOIS 6040 3427 2614 571 94.74% MADIRAN 18121 10280 7841 27136 94.74% Total Expected Profit 102,382 Exhibit 2 Appellation Q that guarantees In-stock probability = 97.5% Expected profit(in-stock probability = 97.5) Expected fill rate FAUGERES 19745 10565 99.57% GRAVES 1234 1444 99.57% GRAVES 1645 1820 99.57% PESSAC LEOGNAN 2139 10387 99.57% CARTON PANACHE 6+2+4 5265 12876 99.57% BORDEAUX CLAIRET 6582 466 99.57% CÔTES DE BOURG 2139 1450 99.57% ENTRE DEUX MERS 2468 -739 99.57% BORDEAUX 9872 -2297 99.57% CARTON PANACHE 9872 2286 99.57% Bordeaux 4772 -1366 99.57% VDP des Cà ´teaux de LArdà ¨che 5759 -4219 99.57% VDP des Cà ´teaux de LArdà ¨che 4772 -3410 99.57% VDP du Comtà © Tolosan 3784 -3300 99.57% CARTON PANACHEE 4936 -3017 99.57% CABERNET DANJOU 4936 526 99.57% SANCERRE 2962 5391 99.57% CHINON 7404 1450 99.57% ALOXE CORTON 1974 11703 99.57% BOURGOGNE ALIGOTE 1810 606 99.57% GIVRY 1481 4018 99.57% COTEAUX DU LYONNAIS 4936 85 99.57% CDR Vill RASTEAU 1481 1903 99.57% GIGONDAS 1645 5052 99.57% CÔTES DU VENTOUX 1974 210 99.57% CARTON PANACHE 4936 7347 99.57% CORBIERES (6) 2139 304 99.57% GAILLAC 4113 732 99.57% MINERVOIS 6582 -215 99.57% MADIRAN 19745 26076 99.57% Total Expected Profit 88,138   Exhibit 3

Contracts :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Contracts Lump Sum Contract A defined lump sum plan expresses employees' pension benefits as a lump sum amount, which makes it easy for them to understand and appreciate the benefits. In many cases, the plans also allow employees to accrue larger benefits at younger ages than they would under a traditional pension plan. And, increasingly, defined lump sum plans provide "portable" benefits that employees can take with them if they leave the company before retirement age. Cost plus percentage contract: Cost-plus construction contracts are often used for projects in which an owner or developer wishes to retain flexibility in selecting construction materials or modifying the design during construction. Unless specifically described in the contract, the contractor and the owner/developer may have a different perception of what types of costs are reimbursable to the contractor. The cost-plus contract should include a section defining all of the types of costs that are reimbursable by the owner/developer, and most standard form contracts include such provisions. Cost plus fixed fee contract: A cost-plus-fixed-fee contract is a cost-reimbursement contract that provides for payment to the contractor of a negotiated fee that is fixed at the inception of the contract. The fixed fee does not vary with actual cost, but may be adjusted as a result of changes in the work to be performed under the contract. This contract type permits contracting for efforts that might otherwise present too great a risk to contractors, but it provides the contractor only a minimum incentive to control costs. Design and build contract, also known as "package deal" and 'turnkey" contracts Turnkey drilling services offer a viable method for operators to better man age drilling risks and reduce costs. In the future, they may be able to utilize drilling management contractor services for complete field development programs. The offshore turnkey drilling industry remained a high-margin, low-volume business until about 1993 when turnkey drillers began to realize bidding prices were not competitive with most operators' internal cost estimates. Increasing market share could only be achieved by reducing margins to match the real competition, which is the operator's AFE (authority for expenditure). Since then, the number of offshore turnkey wells has increased almost every year. However, the future of the offshore drilling management services industry involves moving beyond merely providing a well or a completion for a fixed price.

Allergies and Allergic Reactions Essay -- Food Allergies

Healthy humans have two types of immune systems that protect the body from invading pathogens that cause diseases. The Innate Immunity is the first barrier of protection. It is similar to a force field. Its primary purpose is to destroy any pathogen that tries to enter the epidermis cells (the skin cells) and the mucosa (mucus secreting cells found in the GI tract, respiratory tract, urogenital tract and eyes. If the first defense does not work, the adaptive immunity steps in to eradicate the invading microbe. Yet, sometimes the body reacts to harmless agents as if they were pathogens. Every day, more adults develop allergies to things in their environment. Exposure to such things as pollen, grass, mold and pet dander1 can lead to mild or harmful reactions. Other allergens can cause tingling in the throat and mouth, and in many cases severe reaction that lead to death. 2 In the last couple of decades, 75 to 100 percent of asthma and 150 percent atopy have reported.4 17.7 million adul ts and 7.1 million were diagnosed with allergies and hay fever.5 There are no known reasons why people developed hypersensitivity to certain agents, yet, many adults are developing allergies later in life. Statistically, children are the ones who develop allergies the most. About 3.9 percent of children have allergies, whereas 2% of adults have it. 6 Then, why are adults becoming more and more susceptible to this affliction? One possible reason is foods and every day household products are making people sick. Could it be that constant exposure to known hypoallergenic agents are causing allergic reactions to develop in adults who have never displayed any allergic reactions in their lifetime? To understand why the sudden affliction of allergies is occu... ...alian adults: A multi-centre study. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2009;150(3):271-7. 4 . Isolauri E, Huurre A, Salminen S, Impivaara O. The allergy epidemic extends beyond the past few decades. Clin Exp Allergy. 2004 07;34(7):1007-10. 5. CDC [Internet]. Allergies and Hay Fever. Atlanta, Georgia: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/allergies.htm [Date accessed 2011, November 18] 6. CDC [Internet]. "Food Allergies - DASH/HealthyYouth." Atlanta, Georgia: : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.. 26 Apr. 2011. http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/foodallergies [Date accessed 2011, November 18] 7. Laurià ¨re M, Pecquet C, Bouchez-Mahiout I, Snà ©garoff J, Bayrou O, Raison-Peyron N, et al. Hydrolysed wheat proteins present in cosmetics can induce immediate hypersensitivities. Contact Dermatitis. 2006 05;54(5):283-9.

The Secret Life of Bees by: Sue Monk Kidd

The secret life of bees by: Sue Monk Kidd SUMMARY: The story in The Secret Life of Bees is that of Lily Melissa Owens, a young girl who reaches puberty in rural South Carolina in 1964. Lily's mother dies when Lily is 4 years old. That day, her mother had been packing a suitcase when her father, T. Ray, raged into the house, and a big argument ensued. Her mother took a pistol off the shelf, but sometime after it fell to the floor, her mother was shot. Lily remembers the loud blast, but she can't remember who was holding the gun. Her father tells everyone Lily accidentally shot her mother. T.Ray has a short fuse which leads to lots of verbal abuse and some physical abuse. Lily and her father are opposites. She loves reading and writing, he belittles her for reading. He's a racist and critical of others, she's tolerant and respectful of everyone. After her mother dies, T. Ray hires a black nanny, Rosaleen, to care for her and do the household chores. Lily loves Rosaleen although she thi nks since Rosaleen has never had children of her own, Lily is her guinea pig. Rosaleen, who represents the stereotypical black figure of that time period, loves Lily and treats her as if she is her own.One day Rosaleen and Lily go to town so Rosaleen can register to vote. In town a group of white men taunt Rosaleen and she spills her snuff jar on their feet. The men beat Rosaleen until the police come and take Rosaleen to jail. At the jail, the men beat her some more. T. Ray comes to the jail to take Lily home. Back on the farm, Lily and T. Ray get into an argument, in which he tells Lily that Deborah her mother was going to leave her when she died. Lily gets so angry and she runs away. Lily frees Rosaleen from the hospital, where she was sent after her second beating.Rosaleen and Lily go to Tiburon, South Carolina because Deborah had a picture of a black Madonna on the back of which she wrote â€Å"Tiburon, SC. † Lily figures this town must have been important to Deborah. In a store, Lily sees jars of honey with pictures of the same black Madonna as their labels. Lily asks the storekeeper where the honey comes from. He tells her that a woman named August Boatwright makes the honey and that she lives in a bright pink house. Lily and Rosaleen find the pink house and knock on the door. Inside, they find three African-American sisters–August, June and May. Lily tells them that she is assing through town on the way to her aunt’s house. She tells the sisters that she is an orphan. August tells Lily and Rosaleen that they are welcome to stay for now. She says that Lily can help her with the honey business and Rosaleen can help May with the house work. May is very emotional and often cries so hard that she must go to her wailing wall in the backyard, a wall in which she places prayers for all the things that sadden her. June is not happy about having Lily stay with them because she is white. When Lily overhears June saying that she dislikes her b ecause of her skin color, Lily realizes how absurd racism is.The sisters practice a religion they have created themselves and share with a group called The Daughters of Mary. The women pray to a statue of a black Mary that they call Our Lady of Chains. During her time in the pink house, Lily comes to practice this religion with the women. She loves these women and life in the pink house. Lily comes to feel accepted by the black women. Even June befriends her, eventually. She falls in love with August’s helper, Zach. Zach is an African-American boy, which complicates Lily’s feelings for him. One day, one of Zach’s friends throws a bottle at a white man.Because none of the boys will admit who threw the bottle, they all go to jail. The women try to keep Zach’s imprisonment a secret from May, because it would be too much for her to handle. However, May finds out from a phone call that Zach is in jail and is unable to deal with it. May commits suicide by drown ing herself in the river. May’s friends and family are devastated by her death. Some good things come out of it, however. June decides to marry Neil, a man she has dated for years but always refused to marry because she was hurt once by someone else.Eventually life returns to normal in the pink house and Lily thinks about how she will have to tell August the truth soon. In the meantime, Lily and Zach kiss and he promises they will be together one day. Eventually Lily tells August who she really is. It turns out that August already knew, because she knew Lily’s mother. August worked for Deborah’s family when Deborah was a child. Years later, after Lily was born, Deborah left T. Ray and came to stay with August. August said Deborah was going back to get Lily and then she was going to divorce T. Ray. When she went home, she died.Lily is outraged and saddened to learn that Deborah left her with T. Ray. August tries to explain that Deborah was depressed not thinking clearly, but Lily cannot forgive her. One day, Lily is home alone and T. Ray comes to the door. He found out where she was because she called him collect once. T. Ray went to the place she called from and a woman told him where she was. T. Ray demands that Lily comes home with him. When T. Ray notices the pin Lily is wearing, a pin he gave Deborah, Lily explains that Deborah came to the pink house when she left him. T.Ray goes into a rage and beats Lily, all the while calling her Deborah, August and Rosaleen return to the house. August tells T. Ray that Lily can stay. Ray agrees and leaves. Lily chases his car and asks him if she was responsible for her mother’s death. T. Ray says it was an accident, but Lily killed her. Lily finally learns to forgive her mother and herself. She is happy living with August. She goes to school with Zach. Lily learns the importance of female communities and that women can be mothers to each other. RELEVANCE: Memory is something that lily has lo st of her mother and is trying to gain back throughout the story.There is one specific incident that she can’t forget and it’s the day her mother tried to leave home and lily ends up killing her by shooting her with a gun. Lily goes through a lot of up’s and down’s trying to find out what happened to her mother and since her guardian T. Ray is just bad mouthing lily’s mother and trying to prevent her, she goes to great lengths to get her answers and runs away with Rosaleen. A lot of emotional damage has already been done to lily by T. Ray but she is strong and wants to know about her mother and in the story she stops at nothing to get her answers.Lily and Rosaleen end up at a pink house with three African-American women and ask if they can stay with them, over time they all start getting to know each other. Lily starts to experience emotions that she never knew she could have besides the emotions that she has for Rosaleen. The mistreatment from T. Ray didn’t really allow her to have any space in her heart for better emotions. Lily starts falling in love with the helper but because of his race it complicates things but that emotion for a boy is more than what she expected to find on the adventure of finding out things about her mother.Lily wasn’t just searching for information about her mother or emotions that were better than the ones T. Ray was giving her but also some sense of identity. Lily feels that there’s a big part of her missing because she doesn’t know anything about her mom. According to the text in child development by John W. Santrock â€Å"identity moratorium is a status of individuals who are in the midst of a crisis† and in the story lily is in one. She is trying to get information about someone she cares about but barely knows.Lily does eventually find out the truth about her mother and even though she can’t get her mother back she did gain mother-like figures. CRITIQ UE: I personally like this book because of the depth in the story. Also the lesson learned throughout. The time the story takes place was a very hard time for African-Americans because of the racism and discrimination against them. Lily went through a hard time without her parents and I say in plural parents because T. Ray may have tried to play the father figure but didn't prevail because of his over controlling and demanding ways.Also, the grief and grudge he still holds against Deborah doesn't allow him to move on. Lily spent most of her life feeling guilty when she gained recognition of what did to her mom. She went out searching for information about her mom and gained mothers. The topic of racism and discrimination has always a touchy topic for me because of how bad emotionally wise African-Americans besides physical ways there have been tormented and traumatized and just the details of it in a book affect me deeply as the actions were occurring to me.

EHT Task

Guided Practice: a. Teacher follows the above procedure for each student working with each student both directly and indirectly. Teacher and aid will use both physical and verbal cues until student is able to work in pairs and then independently. E. Independent Student Practice: a. Teacher will begin pairing students together based on ability to follow through with â€Å"kick the ball†. B. Students will be monitored for safety implicate, sharing and taking turns as well as using correct technique. C.Students who are non-compliant with safety procedures will work independently with teacher or aid as they kick the ball and retrieve it. D. Wheel chair students will receive moral and physical support as required. F. Culminating or Closing Procedure/Activity/Event: a. Students will participate in a non-traditional game of kick the ball; students will utilize a three base plus home plate field (set up like baseball). Each student will receive a turn to kick the ball and maneuver the basses. Students enable to walk or run or who are in a wheelchair will be assisted around the course.Students will receive instruction, praise and reward for all efforts and achievements. Pedagogical Strategy (or Strategies): Teacher will be utilizing direct instruction, one-on-one instruction, small group instruction and independent teaching strategies. Differentiated Instruction: Accommodations have been implemented for physically challenged students. Small group Para-pro for student with CUP. Classroom aid for wheelchair bound student and additional coverage where needed throughout the lesson.Technology Integration: Technology deemed inappropriate for this lesson format as physical exercise is required. Student Assessment/Rubrics: Assessment: Per state guidelines students are only required to participate so attendance will be taken and submitted. An alternative assessment could be documented and kept in student records and could be in the format of a rubric. Students could be me asured as: Mastered, independent, guided, and physically assisted. This information could as well be kept in a teacher grade book used to monitor progress or regression.

Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Case Study Essay

Andrew Barker, a brand manager for Snapple beverages at the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc., must assess whether or not a profitable market opportunity exists for a new energy beverage brand to be produced, marketed, and distributed by the company in 2008. He has about 3 months to determine the market opportunity. SWOT. Strengths| Weaknesses| * Strong portfolio of leading consumer-preferred brands * Integrated business model * Strong customer relationships * Attractive positioning within a large, growing, and profitable market * Broad geographic manufacturing and distribution coverage * Strong operating margins and significant, stable cash flows * Experienced executive management team| * Currently the only major domestic nonalcoholic beverage company in the US without a significant branded energy drink of its own * Company bottlers and distributors do not serve all areas of the US (by early 2008, 80% of the US market) * Market is already established| Opportunities| Threats|. * Integrated business model provides opportunities for net sales and profit growth through the alignment of the economic interests of its brand ownership and its bottling and distribution businesses * Carbonated beverages were the 4th largest nonalcoholic beverage category in the US in 2006 and the fasted growing beverage category * Average US per capita consumption of energy beverage drinkers increased by 14% since 2004| . * Industry analysts project an average annual growth rate of 10.5% from 2007 to 2011 (down 32% from 2001-2006) which is attributed to market maturity, increased price and packaging competition, and the entrance of hybrid energy beverages, such as energy water, energy fruit drinks, ready-to-drink energy teas, and energy colas * Energy beverage consumers limit their choice to only 1.4 different brands, which suggests brand loyalty in this market. * 5 Major brands (Red Bull, Hansen, Pepsi-Cola, Rockstar and Coca-Cola) dominate the US energy beverage market, accounting for 94% of dollar sales and unit volume. * The energy beverage market has experience product proliferation and price erosion in recent years * Energy beverage prices declined 30% from 2001-2006| Critical Issues * Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. is the only major domestic nonalcoholic beverage company in the US without a significant branded energy drink of its own. * 5 Major brands (Red Bull, Hansen, Pepsi-Cola, Rockstar and Coca-Cola) dominate the US energy beverage market, accounting for 94% of dollar sales and unit volume. Alternatives. * Do Nothing * The Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. bottling and distribution system should introduce an energy beverage, marketed towards adults, ages 34-54. The Energy beverage should include two flavors, with a regular and sugar free version of each, all available in a standard 16 ounce size, as this segment accounts for the most growth opportunity (150%). Advertising and expenditures for the new energy drink brand need to avenues through social media, TV, print, event, etc., as the market is very competitive and consumers are extremely brand loyal. Advertising should include free handouts of the beverage, or ‘trials’, to generate buzz and get consumers to try the product. The new product should be able to stand out when next to other energy drinks, maybe package it in a unique bottle, such as glass. They should supply all off-premise retailers, focusing on the convenience stores first, as they account for the most retail dollar sales, and then moving into the supermarkets and mass merchandisers. The new beverage should be priced a little higher than average, at $2.50 per single-serve package.