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Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Critically discuss with reference to the car industry e.g (Toyota), Essay

Critically discuss with reference to the car industry e.g (Toyota), the Japanese Lean production revolution - Essay Example The meiji restoration transformed the Japanese empire into an industrial world power. With new found pride in their country, and their culture, the Japanese flexed their muscles overseas. After the first Sino-Japanese War (1894-95), and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05), Japan conquered a part of China, some parts of Russia, Taiwan and Korea. These territorial conquests provided Japan with valuable raw material and cheap labor for industries back home. In turn , these occupied territories were fertile markets for Japanese products. The relentless hunger for territorial expansion found expression in Japan's annexing of Manchuria in 1931. In 1937, Japan occupied more territories in China by waging a war on that country for the second time ( Second Sino-Japanese War, 1937-45). All these aggressive expansionist plans brought Japan in direct conflict with the U.S and its allies. Japan joined the Axis powers- Germany and Italy, in 1941.The same year, Japan declared war on the U.S. The war with Japan ended after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Between 1945 and 1952, post-war Japan was administered by the U.S government .To help Japan stand on its own feet, American financial and technical aid were provided to Japanese business and industry. As part of the technical assistance , the U.S government brought in industrial and managerial experts from the U.S, to train Japanese companies on modern management and production methods. One of the most definitive techniques that influenced Japanese manufacturing, and made Japan the powerhouse that it is today , was the 'Training Within Industry', concept. Training within industry (TWI) service, was a creation of the U.S Department of War, to meet wartime needs. During war, manpower was required by the armed forces to fight the enemy. At the same time, industry which provided key material and equipment to the defense forces, faced a shortage of hands to finish production. Therefore, to optimize the productivity of U.S workforce, a program for training supervisors and workers in indus trial establishments was devised. The training was to be done by experts drawn from universities and businesses. The aim of this program was to improve productivity and quality. The basic concept of the training consisted of the following sequences: a. study and understand the process b. break up the process into its sub-components. c. Educate the supervisor and the worker on the process and its sub-components. d. Train the supervisor and the worker to work efficiently and without wastage. e. Train the worker to evaluate the end result and suggest corrective steps. f. Training the supervisor to deal with workers effectively and fairly. g. Training managements to develop newer and better training programs. The essential elements of the TWI program were similar to the principles laid down by Frederick w.Taylor (1856-1915), father of scientific management. In his book, 'The principles of scientific management (1911), Taylor proposed the following: a. replace rule of thumb work methods with methods based on scientific study of the task. b. Scientifically select , train, and develop each employee rather than passively leaving them to train themselves. c. Divide work equally between managers and workers so that

Monday, October 28, 2019

Best Practices Essay Example for Free

Best Practices Essay Historically, minority groups have been ardent supporters of and advocates for high-quality public education. Black efforts to gain systemic equality in educational policies and practices are well known: the battles for equal per-pupil expenditures; teachers’ salaries; length of school terms; expenditures for buildings, facilities, equipment, and books; curricular offerings; and so on. As a result of these efforts and of political and economic changes nationally and internationally, progress has been made with respect to ending legally imposed school segregation, as well as increasing minority participation in schooling for longer periods of time, that is, raising the median years of schooling completed. This paper aims to identify three best practices which assist the educational progress of minorities. Since public school desegregation began in the mid-1960s, urban school improvement is considered to be one of the most contributing factors for the progress of minorities in educational sector. Black educators and their likeminded allies have increasingly taken the lead in urban school improvement. One facet of this movement has been the study of schools that are effectively educating urban poor black children and making recommendations to other schools that want to replicate effective policies and programs. Researchers like Ronald R. Edmonds, George Weber and Daniel U. Levine began by identifying public schools that were effectively teaching black children and pinpointed their common characteristics, namely strong administrative leadership; orderly but flexible atmosphere, conducive to instruction; philosophy that acquiring basic academic skills is the first order of business; climate of high expectations, and continuous monitoring and evaluation of pupil progress with instructional strategies redesigned as needed (Mohanty, 1994). Achievements of urban school improvements were particularly evident in the middle of 1990s, for instance the data indicated significant increase in New York schools where 70 percent or more of the students â€Å"achieved reading scores at or above grade level for three years† (Iram Wahrman, 2003:119). The second important practice contributing to educational progress of minorities is initiation and further development of various improvement projects targeting directly minority students and their teachers. In the beginning of 1990s for instance, Chicago instituted a plan for mastery learning in reading to correct the widespread problem of low reading achievement. The program provided teachers with comprehensive instructional activities, corresponding student learning activities, formative tests for instructional feedback, and corrective instructional activities for those students who failed to master objectives. A criterion referenced testing program served as the basis for instruction, promotion, and administrative monitoring (Bjork et al, 1994). The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) in 1996 instituted a School Effectiveness Training Program designed to increase student achievement. The results from this program showed lower staff absenteeism, higher participation of staff in instructional decisions, greater involvement of staff in school activities, reduced costs for vandalism, better management, and higher staff and student morale (McNeely, 1985). The final practice, very important in terms of progress performed by minorities in education is giving a preference to private schooling than public. It must be emphasized that during the past two decades it has become increasingly apparent that larger numbers of minority adults are selecting nonpublic schools for their young. In their desire to obtain the best possible education for their young, they choose private schools, including minority independent schools. These parents say they believe private schools provide their children with better basic skills instruction, cultivate higher order thinking skills, have higher academic standards, and prepare their children for college or the work place more successfully. School improvement for them means leaving public schools. As Slaughter and Schneider points out (1986:17) black parents’ choice of private schools is â€Å"less of a rejection of public schooling, and more of an evolution of a new strategy for insuring future levels of sustained and/or upward mobility for the family. † Increased minority departure from public schools, however, may mean that the more supportive, motivated, caring, and accomplished parents and their children (regardless of income) are not involved in the public school system and that the system is the loser in the process (Henig et al. , 1999). From the critical perspective, minority individuals and communities must consider the costs and benefits of education in nonpublic schools compared with education in public schools not only for themselves, but for the nation at large. At the same time, public schools must make more headway in school improvement if they want to retain the traditional support they have long enjoyed from black families. Many minority students can attain standards of excellence if school improvement policies and programs such as those described above are retained, consistently used, refined, and modified. Individual schools will find that their achievement levels and test scores improve, and that many of them can attain local and national norms even if their populations are poor, or black, or Hispanic, or both. These standards can be achieved without excluding any student from an equal opportunity to be educated. Our country still has a long way to go to realize equity in the schoolrooms of our nation. All students need an equal chance to learn, which means providing equity in financing schools and programs; providing competent, caring teachers; retaining proven, compensatory programs and relating curriculum subject matter to coping with real-life situations and problems. References Bjork L. et al (1994). Minorities in Higher Education, Oryx Press Henig J. , Hula R. , Orr M. , Pedescleaux D. (1999). The Color of School Reform: Race, Politics, and the Challenge of Urban Education, Princeton University Press Iram Y. Wahrman H. (2003). Education of Minorities and Peace Education in Pluralistic Societies, Hillel; Praeger, 2003 Mohanty, C. T. (1994). On Race and Voice: Challenges for Liberal Education in the 1990s. In H. A. Giroux and P. McLaren (Eds. ), Between Borders: Pedagogy and the Politics of Cultural Studies (145-166). New York: Routledge Slaughter D. T. , Schneider B. L. (1986). Newcomers: Blacks in private schools. Final Report to the National Institute of Education (Grant No. NIE-G-82-0040, Project No. 2- 0450). Evanston, IL: Northwestern University, School of Education

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Journeys End by RC Sheriff Essay -- English Literature

20th Century Drama - The name of this play is Journey's End, written by R. C. Sherriff. Introduction The name of this play is Journey's End, written by R. C. Sherriff. The play was first preformed on a Sunday night in December 1928. By 1929 it was being shown at the Savoy Theatre where it ran for two years. Later I will be studying the characters of Stanhope and Osborne, and how they link in with the title "Journey's End", and I will also examine the idea of journeys. I will also study the impact the play had, why it was so successful and journeys of the minor characters, Hibbert, Raleigh and Trotter. Journeys The subtext of the play is about journeys, mental, physical and emotional. Each character in the play goes through their own journey, but each face it in a different way. The Impact of the Play At first, no theatre managers wanted to show Journey's End as they thought it wouldn't be interesting to the public and no-one would want to see a play without women in or want to be reminded about the war ten years after it had ended. But they were wrong, and the play was a success. Before Journey's End was written, most plays were about love affairs between upper-class people and were mostly for entertainment purposes, whereas Journey's End is about something real, something dramatic, without being over played. Journey's End was different, and therefore theatre managers didn't want to risk showing it, in case it was a failure. Many people thought R.C.Sherrif had written the play for political purposes, or to mock the government e.g. the way the raid was handled by the commanding officers. But it was written to give a tangible account of what the war was like, not from the ordinary soldiers p... ...e. Stanhope's journey was made more difficult by the death of Osborne, and he blames Raleigh for this, because Osborne was waiting for Raleigh when he was killed. At the end of the play, after Raleigh has been brought down into the dugout after being wounded by some shrapnel, Stanhope realises how nasty he has been to Raleigh, and tries to make amends. He makes light of Raleigh's injury, and tells him he's getting sent back to England to recover. Stanhope tries to make Raleigh more comfortable by bringing him some water, blankets and candles when he complains that it's dark and cold. Stanhope is grief-stricken when Raleigh dies as his actions clearly show. [STANHOPE GENTLY TAKES HIS (RALEIGH'S) HAND. AND STARES LISTLESSLY] This is almost the end of Stanhope's journey, and we have to assume that he dies in the German attack. Stanhope is a flawed hero.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Comparison/Contrast of Cut and The Fourth of July Essay -- essays rese

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wilkinson 1 Comparison/Contrast of â€Å"Cut† and â€Å"The Fourth of July† In the two essays â€Å"Cut,† by Bob Greene and â€Å"The Fourth of July,† by Audre Lorde they both discuss how disappointments as a child affected their lives. Greene’s essay gives five examples about how five boys were cut from a sports team and how they used that disappointment to become successful as adults. Lorde’s essay differed in that it told one story of how her and her family were on their vacation in Washington D.C. and they were not served at a restaurant because they were black. Both authors discuss feelings of being left out, being discriminated against, and how disappointments affected their lives. However, there are more differences than similarities in the essays. I can relate more to Greene’s essay because I am an athlete; however, I have never been in position of worrying about being cut.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Greene and Lorde were similar in that they both faced a form of discrimination on their childhood that helped better them in the future. In â€Å"Cut† the boys all went to try out for a high school sports team and all of them were cut from the teams. â€Å"For the time in my life, I was told wasn’t good enough† (Greene 56). These boys were discriminated against for not having the ability or talent to be good enough to play on the team. On of the people in the essay, Bob Graham stated, â€Å"I know for a fact that it altered my perception of myself. My view of myself was knocked down; my self was lowered† (Greene 57). No one should ever be put into a situation where they face being told they are not good enough. In the other essay, â€Å"The Fourth of July,† a different type of discrimination was discussed, racism. Lorde’s family, which is African American, was faced with discrimination on a vacation to Washington D.C. The y took the trip because Wilkinson 2 Lorde’s sister Phyllis could not go on her senior class to Washington. â€Å"The nuns had given her back her deposit in private, explaining to her that the class, all of whom were white, except Phyllis, would be staying in a hotel where Phyllis ‘would not be happy,’ Daddy explained to her, also in private, that they did not rent rooms to Negroes† (Lorde 202). While in Washington Lorde and her family went out for ice cream to a Breyer’s ice cream shop. They sat down and a waitress, who was white, walked over and... ...t of the season. Not being a starter gave me the determination to work harder and in the end it all paid off. This experience has made me realize that I can do anything as long as I work hard. Wilkinson 5 In conclusion, both Greene and Lorde discuss how disappointments as child have had positive affects on his/her lives as adults. Greene’s essay applied to me more than Lorde’s because I have never been judged by my appearance. I can’t relate to the fact of being cut from a team, but I can relate to the fact being successful with hard work. Wilkinson 6 Works Cited Greene, Bob. â€Å"Cut.† The Prentice Hall Reader. 6th ed. Ed. George Miller. Trenton, N.J.:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prentice Hall, 2001. 55-60. Lorde, Audre. â€Å"The Fourth of July.† Models for Writers. 7th ed. Ed. Alfred Rosa and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paul Eschholz. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2001. 201-204. Comparison/Contrast of â€Å"Cut† and â€Å"The Fourth of July† by Shane Wilkinson English 110, Section 03 Mrs. Bailey 30 April 2002   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Comparison/Contrast of Cut and The Fourth of July Essay -- essays rese   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wilkinson 1 Comparison/Contrast of â€Å"Cut† and â€Å"The Fourth of July† In the two essays â€Å"Cut,† by Bob Greene and â€Å"The Fourth of July,† by Audre Lorde they both discuss how disappointments as a child affected their lives. Greene’s essay gives five examples about how five boys were cut from a sports team and how they used that disappointment to become successful as adults. Lorde’s essay differed in that it told one story of how her and her family were on their vacation in Washington D.C. and they were not served at a restaurant because they were black. Both authors discuss feelings of being left out, being discriminated against, and how disappointments affected their lives. However, there are more differences than similarities in the essays. I can relate more to Greene’s essay because I am an athlete; however, I have never been in position of worrying about being cut.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Greene and Lorde were similar in that they both faced a form of discrimination on their childhood that helped better them in the future. In â€Å"Cut† the boys all went to try out for a high school sports team and all of them were cut from the teams. â€Å"For the time in my life, I was told wasn’t good enough† (Greene 56). These boys were discriminated against for not having the ability or talent to be good enough to play on the team. On of the people in the essay, Bob Graham stated, â€Å"I know for a fact that it altered my perception of myself. My view of myself was knocked down; my self was lowered† (Greene 57). No one should ever be put into a situation where they face being told they are not good enough. In the other essay, â€Å"The Fourth of July,† a different type of discrimination was discussed, racism. Lorde’s family, which is African American, was faced with discrimination on a vacation to Washington D.C. The y took the trip because Wilkinson 2 Lorde’s sister Phyllis could not go on her senior class to Washington. â€Å"The nuns had given her back her deposit in private, explaining to her that the class, all of whom were white, except Phyllis, would be staying in a hotel where Phyllis ‘would not be happy,’ Daddy explained to her, also in private, that they did not rent rooms to Negroes† (Lorde 202). While in Washington Lorde and her family went out for ice cream to a Breyer’s ice cream shop. They sat down and a waitress, who was white, walked over and... ...t of the season. Not being a starter gave me the determination to work harder and in the end it all paid off. This experience has made me realize that I can do anything as long as I work hard. Wilkinson 5 In conclusion, both Greene and Lorde discuss how disappointments as child have had positive affects on his/her lives as adults. Greene’s essay applied to me more than Lorde’s because I have never been judged by my appearance. I can’t relate to the fact of being cut from a team, but I can relate to the fact being successful with hard work. Wilkinson 6 Works Cited Greene, Bob. â€Å"Cut.† The Prentice Hall Reader. 6th ed. Ed. George Miller. Trenton, N.J.:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prentice Hall, 2001. 55-60. Lorde, Audre. â€Å"The Fourth of July.† Models for Writers. 7th ed. Ed. Alfred Rosa and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paul Eschholz. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2001. 201-204. Comparison/Contrast of â€Å"Cut† and â€Å"The Fourth of July† by Shane Wilkinson English 110, Section 03 Mrs. Bailey 30 April 2002   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Ethical Dilemma Worksheet Essay

Include any important | |potential economic, social, or political pressures, and exclude inconsequential facts. | | | |The most important fact about this case is that officers never saw the male suspect driving while intoxicated. The fact that two | |different police reports were made one stating the officer saw the male driving and the other stating officer did not see the male | |driving. | |Identify each claimant (key actor) who has an interest in the outcome of this ethical issue. From the perspective of the moral | |agent—the individual contemplating an ethical course of action—what obligation is owed to the claimant? Why? | |Claimant |Obligation (owed to the|Perspective (What does the claimant hope will happen? ) | |(key actor) |claimant) | | |Officer Rook |Designated officer to |Officer Rook wrote the original police report and followed policy and turned it in to | | |write original report |the D. A. ffice to let the process begin for the individual male arrested for driving | | | |while intoxicated. | | D. D. A. Acute |To ensure that laws are| | | |upheld and the process |D. D. A. notices the differences between both police reports and make notes of them. | | |serves all parties |The D. D. A. has the responsibility to uphold all laws and rights of individuals and | | |involved. |wants to ensure that the criminal justice system is just and fair. |Officer Nixon |Turning in second |Officer Nixon turned in the second the police report that made n ote that the officers | | |police report |saw the individual male driving. This officer wants a conviction of the individual | | | |male for driving while intoxicated. | |Wife |Wants to take husband |Wife wants to take husband home after being processed. Wife reported that her husband| | |home |had bad experiences while in Somalia and it would best for him to go home. | | | | | | | | Evaluating Alternatives |What are two alternatives for the scenario? One alternative can be a wild card that you ordinarily may not consider an option | |because of potential implications. Both should be within free will and control of the same moral agent. |Alternative A |Alternative B | |Use report without seeing intoxicated male driving |Use report with seeing intoxicated male driving | |Respond to the following questions based on your developed alternatives. | | |Alternative A |Alternative B | |What are the best- and worst-case | | |scenarios if you choose this |Best-Original report is used charges are |Best-male is convicted of driving while | |alternative? |dropped. |intoxicated | | | | | | |Worst- the male individual is drug through |Worse-Male is convicted of driving while | | |the criminal justice system and tax payer |intoxicated. The original police report is | | |money is wasted. |never shared | |Will anyone be harmed if this |No harm will come. |Yes harm may come when convicted and sentence to| |alternative is chosen? If so, how | |serve time incarcerated. | |will they be harmed? Consider | | | |families and derivative effects. | | |Would honoring an idea or value—such | | | |as personal, professional, or |No |Yes | |religious—make the alternative | | | |invalid? | | | | | | |Are there any rules, laws, or | | | |principles that support the |Yes the law of needing to see the driver of |no | |alternative? Are there rules, laws, |driving while intoxicated. | | |or principles that make the | | | |alternative invalid? State the rule | | |or principle and indicate if it | | | |invalidates or supports the | | | |alternative. | | | Applying Ethical Guidelines |Consider each ethical guideline and explain whether it would support or reject your alternative. |Guidelines based on the action itself |Alternative A |Alternative B | |Should this alternative become a rule or policy that everyone in this|There is law in place to avoid|No, this is wrong and | |situation should follow in similar situations in the future? (Kant) |making arrests like this. |unethical | |Does this alternative result in using any person as a means to an end|No |Yes the Officer Nixon wrote a | |without consideration for his or her basic integrity? Kant) | |bad report and is using the | | | |court system to enforce his | | | |false report | |Is the intent of this action free from vested interest or ulterior |Yes |No, convict ion is wanted | |motive? Kant’s good will) | | | | Does this alternative demonstrate a genuine concern for others |No |No | |affected by the decision, and is the moral agency responding to a | | | |perceived need? | | | |Guidelines based on consequences |Alternative A |Alternative B | |Is the good hat results from this alternative outweighed by the |Yes, the good being that the |No, falsifying reports is | |potential harm that might be done to others? (Mill’s harm principle) |charges are dropped. |unethical and can have | | | |rippling effects on all | | | |officers. |Is any harm brought about by anyone other than the moral agent? |No |Yes, the husband and the | |(causal harm) | |rookie officer who wrote the | | | |first report. | |Will anyone be harmed who can be said to be defenseless? No |No | |(paternalism) | | | |To what degree is this alternative based on the moral agent’s own |This is the truthful report |This should never be used, | |best interest? (ethical egoism) |and should be used regardless |based on it bei ng falsified. | |of the outcomes. | | |Which alternative will generate the greatest benefit—or the least |Because this alternative is | | |amount of harm—for the greatest number of people? Select only one |the truth it will only have | | |alternative. (utilitarianism) |the best possible outcome. | Ethical Decision Making |Choose to proceed with either Alternative A or Alternative B and explain the reasons for your decision. | | | |I would go with alternative A, because it is the truth and the original report turned in. I would allow the court system work | |their process and except the outcome reached. I would then address the facts of a falsified police report and the officer who tried| |to used it. |

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

buy custom Discrimination During the Hiring Process Essay Sample

buy custom Discrimination During the Hiring Process Essay Sample Discrimination During the Hiring Process Introduction The contemporary society comprises a diverse mix of individuals characterized by different ethnic affiliation, race, religious views, color, and sex. These variations are caused by the intense movement of people from one country, region, or continent to the other in search for education, settlement and employment opportunities. Therefore, modern societies are characterized by diverse culture. In such a situation, employment opportunities may be affected by discrimination. Employment discrimination is illegal and extremely immoral; it violates social and human principles and values. It is described as the act of overlooking certain recruits during a job selection process based on their sex, color, race, ethnicity, marital status, disability, or religion. Despite ample criticism and venom being directed at such actions, discrimination during hiring process for employment is still practiced and is often overlooked by upper management of the hiring organization. The paper will delineate areas where discrimination is evidenced in the hiring process.

Monday, October 21, 2019

AP World History - Learn What Test Score You Need

AP World History - Learn What Test Score You Need World History is a popular Advanced Placement subject, and in 2017 nearly 300,000 students took the AP World History exam. Many colleges have a history requirement as part of their general education programs, and a high score on the exam will often fulfill the requirement and qualify students to take upper-level history courses. About the AP World History Course and Exam AP World History is designed to cover the material one would encounter in a two-semester introductory-level college world history course, although the reality is that very few colleges will award two semesters of credit for the course. The course is broad and covers important people and events from 8000 B.C.E to the present. Students learn to make historical arguments and historical comparisons, and they learn how to analyze and write about both primary and secondary sources. Students study how to contextualize historical events, and how to understand cause and effect in relation to historical phenomena. The course can be broken down into five broad themes: The ways that humans have been shaped by the environment as well as the way that humans have affected and transformed the environment.The rise and interaction of different cultures, and the ways that religions and various  belief systems have molded societies over time.Issues of state including the study of agrarian, pastoral, and mercantile states, as well as the ideological foundations of governing systems such as religion and nationalism. Students also study types of states such as autocracies and democracies, and conflicts and wars between states.Economic systems including their creation, expansion, and interaction. Students study agricultural and industrial systems as well as systems of labor including free labor and coerced labor.Social structures within human societies including those based on kinship, ethnicity, gender, race, and wealth. Students will study have different social groups are created, sustained, and transformed. Along with the five themes, AP World History can be broken down into six historical periods: Name of Time Period Date Range Weight on Exam Technological and Environmental Transformation 8000 to 600 B.C.E. 5 percent Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies 600 B.C.E to 600 C.E. 15 percent Regional and Interregional Interactions 600 C.E. to 1450 20 percent Global Interactions 1450 to 1750 20 percent Industrialization and Global Integration 1750 to 1900 20 percent Accelerating Global Change and Realignments 1900 to the Present 20 percent AP World History Exam Score Information In 2018, 303,243 students took the Advanced Placement World History exam. The mean score was a 2.78. 56.2 percent of students received a score of 3 or higher, meaning they might qualify for college credit or course placement. The distribution of scores for the AP World History exam is as follows: AP World History Score Percentiles (2018 Data) Score Number of Students Percentage of Students 5 26,904 8.9 4 60,272 19.9 3 83,107 27.4 2 86,322 28.5 1 46,638 15.4 The College Board has posted preliminary score distributions for the World History exam for 2019 test-takers. Note that these numbers may change slightly as late exams get recorded. Preliminary 2019 AP World History Score Data Score Percentage of Students 5 8.7 4 19 3 28.3 2 28.9 1 15.1 College Credit Course Placement for AP World History Most colleges and universities have a history requirement and/or a global perspectives requirement, so a high score on the AP World History exam will sometimes fulfill one or both of these requirements. The table below presents some representative data from a variety of colleges and universities. This information is meant to provide a general overview of the scoring and placement practices related to the AP World History exam. For other schools, youll need to search the colleges website or contact the appropriate Registrars office to get AP placement information. AP World History Scores and Placement College Score Needed Placement Credit Georgia Tech 4 or 5 1000-level history (3 semester hours) LSU 4 or 5 HIST 1007 (3 credits) MIT 5 9 general elective units Notre Dame 5 History 10030 (3 credits) Reed College 4 or 5 1 credit; no placement Stanford University - no credit or placement for the AP World History exam Truman State University 3, 4 or 5 HIST 131 World Civilizations before 500 A.D. (3 credits) for a 3 or 4; HIST 131 World Civilizations before 500 A.D. and HIST 133 World Civilizations, 1700-Present (6 credits) for a 5 UCLA (School of Letters and Science) 3, 4 or 5 8 credits and World History placement Yale University - no credit or placement for the AP World History exam A Final Word on AP World History Keep in mind that college placement isnt the only reason to take AP World History. Selective colleges and universities typically rank an applicants  academic record  as the most important factor in the admissions process. Extracurricular activities and essays matter, but good grades in challenging classes matter more. The admissions folks will want to see good grades in college preparatory classes. Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate (IB), Honors, and Dual Enrollment classes all play an important role in demonstrating an applicants college readiness. In fact, success in challenging courses is the best predictor of college success available to the admissions officers. SAT and ACT scores have some predictive value, but the  thing they best predict is the income of the applicant. If youre trying to figure out which AP classes to take, World History is often a good choice. It is a popular exam ranking below just five subjects: Calculus, English Language, English Literature, Psychology, and United States History. Colleges like to admit students who have broad, worldly knowledge, and World History certainly helps demonstrate that knowledge. To learn more specific information about the AP World History exam, be sure to visit the  official College Board website.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

What to do with a Bad Book

What to do with a Bad Book Weve all read them. The books not edited well enough. The books that probably shouldnt have been published. The books that made you scratch your head wondering what the author was thinking. â€Å"Life is too short to read books that Im not enjoying.† ~Melissa Marr â€Å"Be as careful of the books you read, as of the company you keep; for your habits and character will be as much influenced ~Paxton Hood Many of my friends say they cannot put a book down without reading it all the way through, in hopes the book redeems itself. Others say they read at least half the book, giving the author the chance to find the story. Sorry, I dont have the time. It frustrates readers when we spend our hard-earned spare time, as well as the money, only to feel weve wasted both. Thats why we often wait until someone we trust has vetted it, or it hits some best-seller list because we invest. Its why we read the sample pages on Amazon or Kindle. But I have a suggestion. If you indeed are a writer with goals to improve, if you hope one day to publish a story of your own, then next time a bad book falls into your lap, read it anyway. And as you go, mark it up. You dont care if you write in a bad book. You wont pass it on anyway. Note the bad dialogue, lack of internal monologue, poor flow, shallow characterization. Cross out the character that really didnt propel the story, and embellish the setting. Add scent where there is none, and chop out the words that stood in the way of a crisp point. Highlight, write, cross out, bend pages. The book is no good anyway, right? This is where you learn more about how to edit . . . and how to write. You take this piece of crap and you make it worthy. Its difficult to edit your own work, so why not hone your skills We learn from good writing, but we can learn from the bad if we take the time to understand the reasons the bad did not make the cut.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

How sustainable are England Eco-towns from a planning perspective Essay

How sustainable are England Eco-towns from a planning perspective. Support your answers with appropriate examples - Essay Example The original goal was to create 50 such eco-towns in the hope of reducing carbon emissions in the country. This paper tries to assess the sustainability of eco-town proposals. It also hopes to discuss some of the key issues that led to the government’s abandonment of the plan, as well as how such a move has affected planning in the United Kingdom. Like the post war generation, we now need to set out a clear and radical programme to increase housing and to protect the environment as well†¦.As housing accounts for 27 per cent of carbon emissions, we need to substantially cut emissions from new homes and work towards zero carbon housing and development. (Department for Communities and Local Government 2007: 3) Through eco-towns, the UK can start anew, and this time, focus on the highest environmental standards while at the same time taking advantage of a site’s economic potential. This move, the government believes, would bring about a new form of development and ensure sustainable growth. To ensure participation from the communities and the local government, the DCLG enjoined them to submit their proposals for eco-towns. The Ecotowns Prospectus outline the various criteria by which the submissions were judged. To considered an eco-town, proposals must meet five essential requirements: (1) They must be new settlements, separate and distinct from the existing towns but well linked to them. They have to provide at least 5,000 new homes; (2) Each plan must minimize carbon emission and meet exemplar performance in at least one area of environmental sustainability; (3) Proposals must provide for a wide range of social services and facilities within easy reach; (4) 30 to 40% of the homes must be affordable, with emphasis on larger family homes; (5) Plans must set out a management body which will help develop the town and provide assistance to people and businesses wishing to

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Vast Solar System Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Vast Solar System - Assignment Example To further understand our solar system, it is important to get to know each planet that makes up the whole solar system. First of all, the earth in which we live in is the only planet that is able to support life. This is because of the fact that it consists of a thin layer of atmosphere that will protect living beings from cold and airless space outside. It is the third planet from the sun and is considered the fifth largest among other planets, with just a few hundred kilometers larger than planet Venus. Mercury, on the other hand is known to be the sun-scorched planet that is just slightly larger than the moon. It allows very little atmosphere and is covered with craters. During daytime, mercury is heated by the sun while at night, temperature in this planet drops hundreds of degrees below freezing that makes ice exist in its craters. Mercury has an egg-shaped orbit that revolves around the sun every 88 days. Venus, is another planet that is known for its having intense heat and v olcanic activity. It has a similar structure and size with the earth however Venus have thick and toxic atmosphere that traps heat in a â€Å"greenhouse effect†. This planet’s temperature is able to melt lead. A glimpse below the clouds would reveal volcanoes and deformed mountains. What is strange about Venus is that it spins slowly in the opposite direction of most planets in the solar system. Mars, is one that is considered a cold desert world. It has a size half of the Earth’s diameter and has the same amount of dry land. Just like Earth, Mars also goes through seasons, has polar ice caps, volcanoes, canyons, and weather. However, the difference between the two is that Mars has a very thin atmosphere for liquid water to exist for long in the surface. Research shows that Mars shows signs of ancient floods but evidence for water can only be seen through its icy soil and thin clouds. Jupiter is the biggest planet in the solar system. This is because of the fact that it has dozens of moons and an enormous magnetic field which forms a kind of its own solar system. Jupiter does not resemble a star when speaking of its composition but it does not grow big enough to ignite. The planet consists of swirling cloud stripes that are punctuated by massive storms such as the Great Red Spot which is continuously raging for years now. If you are looking for a unique planet among all that is in the solar system, Saturn is the one that will perfectly meet the description. It is adorned with thousands of beautiful ringlets where all four gas giant planets have rings, which are basically made up of chunks of ice and rock but no other planet could compare to the spectacular and at the same time complicated rings Saturn has. Like other gas giants, Saturn consists mostly of a massive ball of hydrogen and helium. However, according to astronomers, Saturn is the most distant of the five planets first known. Saturn has a volume which is 755 times greater than th at of the Earth where winds in its upper atmosphere would reach 500 meters per second in the equatorial region. These fast and strong winds combined with heat rising from within Saturn’s interior are the ones that cause the yellow and gold bands visible in the atmosphere that makes it unique. Uranus is the only giant planet who has an equator nearly at the right angles to its orbit. It has a size nearly the same with Neptune however, Uranus has more methane and is mainly made up of hydrogen and helium atmosphere than Jupiter or Saturn. Uranus has a blue tint which is caused by the methane. This planet was the first planet to be found using a telescope and

Analyse and design a small database application based on the given Coursework

Analyse and design a small database application based on the given case study - Coursework Example Mechanics-I also interviewed mechanics for one of the branches for Mercedes Company and obtained the following information, there is a chief mechanic whose work is to issue jobs at the garage; he can issue a service job to one or many mechanics at the garage depending on the magnitude of the job. There sometimes when some Mechanics are off duty thus they are not issued any job. A mechanic records parts to be bought and the actual cost of labor and notifies the customer care department so that the department can contact the relevant customer. Customer care – after a service has been done, the customer care depart contacts the owner and sends him/her and invoice as per the service done. Brainstorming I would hold a meeting which would have the representation of all the parties, stakeholders and departments involved. The meeting would have a director from the Mercedes Company, a few customers from different branches of the Mercedes Company, a few mechanics, chief engineers and cu stomer care employees from different branches of the Mercedes Company. We would brain storm on how we want the system work in order to fully satisfy the needs of the involved people. Secondly I may issue questionnaire to the people in the meeting so that they fill so as I get to know how each person who works in the service wants his/her work simplified. After interviewing the involved parties and brainstorming I should research for on similar garage databases and obtain the requirements that are behold the user’s perception. Question 2 Find the diagram attached in another file. Question 3 Customer table Table name Attribute Data type Length Domain Primary key Foreign key Null customer CusNo int 10 yes no customer FirstNames varchar 50 no customer LastName varchar 50 no customer Location varchar 100 no customer Mobile varchar 100 no customer Email varchar 100 yes customer passportNo varchar 50 yes Customer S.CenterNo int 10 yes Car table Tablename Attribute Datatype Length Do main Primary key Foreign key Null Car RegNo varchar 50 yes no Car carname varchar 100 no Car model varchar 100 no Car Make varchar 100 no Car Datepurchased date no Car showroomNo int 10 yes no Car cusNo int 10 yes no Showroom table Tablename Attribute Datatype Length Domain Primary key Foreign key Null Showroom roomNo int 10 yes No showroom roomName varchar 50 No showroom location varchar 100 No showroom telephoneAddress varchar 100 No Company details Tablename Attribute Data type Length Domain Primary key Foreign key Null company companyNo int 10 yes No company name varchar 50 No company logo image 16 No company location varchar 100 No company webSite varchar 100 Yes company EmailAddress varchar 100 Yes company imageFile varchar 250 No Garage details Tablename Attribute Data type Length Domain Primary key Foreign key Null Garage GarageNo int 10 yes No Garage name varchar 50 No Garage logo image 16 No Garage location varchar 100 No Garage telephoneAdd varchar 100 No Garage EmailAddr ess varchar 100 Yes Garage RoomNo int 10 yes Service details Tablename Attribute Data type Length Domain Primary key Foreign key Null service ServiceNo int 10 yes No service DateofService date 50 No service TypeOfService varchar 200 No service PartsReplaced varchar 100 yes service Labourcost varchar 100 No service partsCost varchar 100 yes s

Thursday, October 17, 2019

McDonald's Corporation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

McDonald's Corporation - Case Study Example Still, the organization has increasingly experimented with foods on the fringe of its menu, including health options such as salads and snack wraps, as well as regional specific restaurant items. Company History Founders Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California established McDonald’s in 1940 as a barbeque restaurant. In 1948 the brothers stopped serving barbeque and began a hamburger and fries based approach, implementing streamlined production methods (Sowell, 2009). While McDonald’s would ultimately experience the most long-lasting gains as a result of the implementation of these production methods, they was first established in 1928 by the White Castle food chain (Sowell, 2009). For McDonald’s the switch resulted in tremendous success for the small company and it was not long before they experienced demand for expansion. In 1955 Ray Kroc would join the company as the first franchise agent. Kroc would establish a McDonald’s in Des Plain es, Illinois and kick off the organization’s staggering growth numbers (Sowell, 2009). While Kroc was not an organization founder today he is perhaps most recognized as the revolutionizing organizational force. Building on the original restaurant model, Ray Kroc would establish many of the elements that continue to the present day. Most prominently Kroc would establish the rigid standards for franchises, ensuring that the McDonald’s experience was uniform throughout every restaurant. The 1960s would witness many of these innovations including the establishment of the iconic ‘Golden Arches’ logo in 1961 (Sowell, 2009). Kroc would go on to institute the first-large scale advertising campaign this year with the slogan â€Å"look for the Golden Arches† (Sowell, 2009). A year later the organization would introduce the Ronald McDonald character as an advertising spokesman. In large part these early advertising efforts, an approach that would come to be ch aracteristic of the McDonald’s empire, greatly contributed to the organization’s long-term success. In 1965 McDonald’s would go public on the New York Stock Exchange the ticker symbol MCD. Throughout the years small but significant contributions would be made to the organization, including the introduction of the now seminal Big Mac in 1968 and the Happy Meal in 1979 (Sowell, 2009). Organization There are a number of prominent organizational elements within McDonald’s Corporation. While McDonald’s is a multinational corporation they retain a centralized organizational structure, headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. In terms of supply chain management procedures, all McDonald’s stores receive products from the same vendors, ensuring uniformity among supplier stores. All corporate decisions are made in the United States headquarters. The organization’s chief executive officer is Jim Skinner ("Organizational chart mcdonald's," 2011). Sk inner is responsible to McDonald’s board members, the chairman of whom is Andrew McKenna ("Organizational chart mcdonald's," 2011). Skinner oversees a number of structural divisions, including brand, cfo, human resources, legal and secretary, restaurant, supply chain and franchising, coo, Europe, and APAC and MEA ("Organizational chart mcdonald's," 2011). These organizations have further oversight on a variety of other prominent structural elements.

Peer response Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Peer response - Article Example Second, the topic and subject of research that was shared was relevant and seen to be applicable in current settings: homeschooling or distance education. With the prolific use of the internet, one of the significant applications is the access to knowledge through the online medium. One of the initial comments was the dismal regret for the inability to locate more scholarly research on the subject of â€Å"how do homeschooled students do compared with traditional-schooled students†. A quick look at scholarly journals generated only 11 results; which validated the comment. As such, one strongly believes that the lack of studies on the subject matter should be a motivating factor to pursue the study. There are vast options to discern the most appropriate research methodology and could be applied using a nearby university that offers distance education courses in additional to the traditional classroom-based

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

McDonald's Corporation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

McDonald's Corporation - Case Study Example Still, the organization has increasingly experimented with foods on the fringe of its menu, including health options such as salads and snack wraps, as well as regional specific restaurant items. Company History Founders Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California established McDonald’s in 1940 as a barbeque restaurant. In 1948 the brothers stopped serving barbeque and began a hamburger and fries based approach, implementing streamlined production methods (Sowell, 2009). While McDonald’s would ultimately experience the most long-lasting gains as a result of the implementation of these production methods, they was first established in 1928 by the White Castle food chain (Sowell, 2009). For McDonald’s the switch resulted in tremendous success for the small company and it was not long before they experienced demand for expansion. In 1955 Ray Kroc would join the company as the first franchise agent. Kroc would establish a McDonald’s in Des Plain es, Illinois and kick off the organization’s staggering growth numbers (Sowell, 2009). While Kroc was not an organization founder today he is perhaps most recognized as the revolutionizing organizational force. Building on the original restaurant model, Ray Kroc would establish many of the elements that continue to the present day. Most prominently Kroc would establish the rigid standards for franchises, ensuring that the McDonald’s experience was uniform throughout every restaurant. The 1960s would witness many of these innovations including the establishment of the iconic ‘Golden Arches’ logo in 1961 (Sowell, 2009). Kroc would go on to institute the first-large scale advertising campaign this year with the slogan â€Å"look for the Golden Arches† (Sowell, 2009). A year later the organization would introduce the Ronald McDonald character as an advertising spokesman. In large part these early advertising efforts, an approach that would come to be ch aracteristic of the McDonald’s empire, greatly contributed to the organization’s long-term success. In 1965 McDonald’s would go public on the New York Stock Exchange the ticker symbol MCD. Throughout the years small but significant contributions would be made to the organization, including the introduction of the now seminal Big Mac in 1968 and the Happy Meal in 1979 (Sowell, 2009). Organization There are a number of prominent organizational elements within McDonald’s Corporation. While McDonald’s is a multinational corporation they retain a centralized organizational structure, headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. In terms of supply chain management procedures, all McDonald’s stores receive products from the same vendors, ensuring uniformity among supplier stores. All corporate decisions are made in the United States headquarters. The organization’s chief executive officer is Jim Skinner ("Organizational chart mcdonald's," 2011). Sk inner is responsible to McDonald’s board members, the chairman of whom is Andrew McKenna ("Organizational chart mcdonald's," 2011). Skinner oversees a number of structural divisions, including brand, cfo, human resources, legal and secretary, restaurant, supply chain and franchising, coo, Europe, and APAC and MEA ("Organizational chart mcdonald's," 2011). These organizations have further oversight on a variety of other prominent structural elements.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Information Technology for Managers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Information Technology for Managers - Essay Example Also Microsoft Inc. sells the Xbox video game console, along with games and peripherals. Its online businesses include the MSN subscription and the MSN network of Internet products and services. The companys seven product segments are: Client, Server and Tools, Information Worker, Microsoft Business Solutions, MSN, Mobile and Embedded Devices and Home and Entertainment. (John 1; Reuters 7) Headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA, its most popular products are the Microsoft Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office suite of productivity software, each of which has achieved near-ubiquity in the desktop computer market. Microsoft possesses footholds in other markets, with assets such as the MSNBC cable television network, the MSN Internet portal, and the Microsoft Encarta multimedia encyclopaedia. The company also markets both computer hardware products such as the Microsoft mouse as well as home entertainment products such as the Xbox, Xbox 360 and MSN TV. (Wikipedia 8) The website of Microsoft Inc. declares that the company values integrity, honesty, openness, personal excellence, constructive self-criticism, continual self-improvement, and mutual respect. The website states that they are committed to their customers and partners and have a passion for technology. The company takes on big challenges, and pride itself on seeing them through. Also the website declares that staff of Microsoft Inc. hold themselves accountable to their customers, shareholders, partners, and employees by honouring their commitments, providing results, and striving for the highest quality. (Microsoft 5) Stating proper goals and objectives is extremely important for the company. Founder of Microsoft Bill Gates writes that identifying the primary, focused objective of any process is the way to begin solving process problems. Whether for production processes or internal business processes, the goal should always be a fundamental kind of simplification.

Kinder Garten Math and English Game System Essay Example for Free

Kinder Garten Math and English Game System Essay My name is Robin Rutherford and I will be your child’s Kindergarten teacher this year. I am looking forward to an exciting and productive year with your child. This is my fifth year as a teacher at Parkview Elementary. I have 14 years of experience teaching Kindergarten. I graduated from TexasTech University with a degree in Early Childhood Development with a teaching certificate Pre-K through 6th grade. Over the years, I have taken many hours of professional development in order to be prepared to meet each child’s needs. I love teaching kindergarten! My mission as a teacher is to help children discover the joy of learning, and to help each child develop a strong belief in his or her own ability. I want them to do their best and to have a sense of pride in doing their personal best. It is also of primary importance to me that my students appreciate and respect other peoples’ differences. I enjoy reading, cooking, photography, scrapbooking and making jewelry. I love animals and have a Cocker Spaniel named Olivia and a Jack Russell terrier named Jack. I also have a large salt water aquarium and a cockatiel named Spike. I am a foster parent and, in time, hoping to adopt. Together we can make this year the best year possible for your child. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call or come up for a scheduled conference. My conference time is Monday through Friday from 12:55- 1:45. The school phone number is 817-. 237-5121. The Beginning of Kindergarten Friedrich Frobel, of Germany, was the founder of the kindergarten – meaning garden of children. The Frobel kindergarten is based on German Idealist philosophy that explored the individual and natural world. The first kindergarten was based on natural play things/toys, songs and dance that promoted cooperative members of the community, and play for all children at all social and ability levels. His philosophy was based on free self-activity, creativity, social participation, and motor expression. News Superintendent of Schools Lynne Erdle invites public input regarding development of the school districts 2013-2014 proposed operating budgets. The budget development period has arrived with the New Year and the Board of Education and district officials have begun work on next years budget. This early in the process, there are many unknowns, including Canandaiguas level of state aid proposed by their Governor, and its Tax Levy Limit for 2013-14 under the law. News The Canandaigua City School District reminds all parents and visitors to our school buildings that proper photo identification is required to be shown for receipt of a Visitor’s badge and for full access to any building during school hours. Photo IDs are inspected and Visitor’s badges are distributed at the Reception Desk at each school building. There are no exceptions to this procedure. All.. News Robyn is a certified elementary teacher and ESL teacher in Illinois, who has taught 4th-6th grade, middle school ESL, and ESL to adults. She specializes in the fields of writing, ESL, academic/career advising, and higher education. She is a professional advisor for the state of Illinois, the Managing Editor of ED News Daily, and a blogger for Chicago Now. She has been published in Linkedin Today, Edudemic, Reading Horizons, BG Patch, The Niles Bugle and more. Robyn was recently?interviewed by Xavier University, discussing her lifes dedication and work in the field of education, as part of their American Dream Project, to be released on their website soon. Robyn was a featured educator and? writer for Edutopia. org. In addition to her passion for writing, she also has a great love of higher education. She launched and managed the first graduate advising program for National Louis University, supporting over? 2,500 teachers. She holds a B. A. in Elementary Education and an M. Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, with a concentration in ESL. News Quality Early Childhood Education The agency supports high-quality early learning that promotes kindergarten school readiness for Texas children. The State of Texas is invested in the identification and dissemination of well researched early childhood education instructional strategies. Supported through key partnerships with the Regional Education Service Centers, the Texas Early Learning Council, numerous licensed child care programs, including Head Start, Texas continues to raise the bar for quality early learning. This includes laying the foundation for all investments through the adoption of the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines (PKG), which emphasize research-based instructional strategies that are developmentally appropriate. Intended to support all students, these guidelines also work to inform teachers in addressing the specific needs of English language learners and students with disabilities. News ABC Phonics: Sing, Sign, and Read! by Nellie Edge book and CD features an innovative â€Å"Multisensory ABC and Phonics Immersion† strategy, creating an engaging and memorable way for children to learn letters and sounds and begin the reading process. The integration of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning pathways builds success for all young learners. Delightful watercolor illustrations, ASL signs, and a team of engaging children join you on this lively musical adventure. Because still pictures alone do not fully convey the beautiful flow and motion of ASL, Sign2Me publishers has created complimentary online tutorial videos to help you learn the signs in this ABC Phonics book. â€Å"Family ABC Wall Charts† and â€Å"Parents as Partners† letters are also available. Written by Joseph Gulino A child’s readiness for formal education should not be determined solely by a calendar date and a simple skills test. â€Å"I just try to pull them through! † said the kindergarten teacher when I observed that six of the children in her class of 21 did not seem ready for kindergarten. It was December 1999, I was new to the school, and I was concerned about some behaviors the kindergartners were exhibiting, such as inability to focus or sit still for more than a few minutes, lack of knowledge of letters and numbers, and—most of all—the desire to play rather than learn. As I got to know the students in grades 1 through 8, my concerns heightened. There were five to 15 children in each grade who were either struggling or just not interested in learning. What troubled me most, however, was the lack of a formal readiness testing process as a criterion for kindergarten entry. There also was no process to inform parents regarding school readiness issues, and no organized counseling strategies to assist parents of children who were not ready for formal school experiences. School accountability and student achievement are topics of paramount significance today. But I believe it is unfair to place accountability for student achievement on education systems that not only are financially strapped but are also hindered by current enrollment practices that set up students and schools for failure. That is why it is imperative for educational leaders and legislators to revamp the early years of formal schooling by designing, implementing, and assessing school enrollment practices and procedures founded on sound research.

Monday, October 14, 2019

The Operations Management Strategy Of Hard Rock Cafe Tourism Essay

The Operations Management Strategy Of Hard Rock Cafe Tourism Essay Hard Rock Cafà ©, the originator of theme-restaurant dining, provides a complete rock experience through cafes, hotels, casinos, memorabilia and music venues. .Since the first opening on 14 June, 1971 in London, England, Hard Rock Cafà © has rapidly expanded and succeeded and now Hard Rock has over 171 venues in more than 52 countries, including 134 cafes and 15 Hotels, Casinos across the globe. How has a small pub become such a success? Lets evaluate the operation management strategies of Hard Rock by using the theory of Operation Management. As an industry leader, Hard Rocks strategy has changed from times to times to meet customers demands, HARD ROCK CAFEs operation strategy now is designed to be a part of the globalise experience economy, and to achieve this aim, all ten operations management decisions like Goods and Service Design, Managing Quality, Process and Capacity Design ,location strategies, layout strategies, human resources, supply chain management, inventory management, scheduling, and maintenance-are all taken into good consideration by HARD ROCK CAFEs operation management team 1. Lets first starting with Products and Service Design With the slogan Love all-Serve all, HARD ROCK CAFE welcomes all type of customers with enthusiastic attitude regardless of sex, age of class. At HARD ROCK CAFE, customers can feel the atmosphere of their providing experience with Rock world which nowhere else they can feel it. The foods at HARD ROCK CAFE are analysed and tested by the Chiefs and Operations personnel constantly review menus, and food research is ongoing.to fit the local taste. For example, fish and lobster are focused more at HARD ROCK CAFE Britain, and Thai Snack Combo is added into the menu at HARD ROCK CAFE Bangkok. At HARD ROCK CAFE, customers are provided a dining event that includes a unique visual and sound experience not duplicated anywhere in the world. Because the brand is so strong, 48% of sales are from merchandise of memorabilia one of the largest HARD ROCK CAFE restaurants in the world is in Orlando, Florida where provides over 3500 custom products, in this case meals each day with more than 1,500 seats. 2. Managing Quality Quality is the heart of the enterprise and HARD ROCK CAFE is not an exception, every single water/meal is important to HARD ROCK CAFE. They conduct numerous surveys on Quality, Food research and Suppliers research to get an honest assessment from their stakeholders, especially their customers. Their surveys are on a scale from 1-7, and anything less than a 7 is considered a failure. Then, according to customers surveys and feedback they update their menu, music, memorabilia, service and strategy accordingly to meet the quality as customers expectation. 3.Process and Capacity Design HARD ROCK CAFE uses an existing domestic model globally but also in certain instances, when necessary, uses franchises in some locations to produce a more customised experience HARD ROCK CAFE is a very big chain with capacity of providing 100,000 meals per day (including starters, sandwiches, salads, burgers, sides, entrees, desserts ..) within the U.S. this fact prove how efficiently HARD ROCK CAFE organizes its employee schedules, material, inventory.. Task 2: In the light of the above, discuss the operations management challenges and opportunities for Hard Rock when considering an expansion of its business into Hanoi. 4.Location Strategies Location can make or break business strategy and it is a major long time decision. At HARD ROCK CAFE, When considering a new location, a careful decision making process is used, it systematically narrows the search from country to city and then precise street corner for the new restaurants. To go into the right location at the right time, HARD ROCK CAFE start with a global view and look at several factors such as: political risk, currency risk, social norms, brand fit, social cost, business practices through market research, then levelled with very further details and marked for each Hard Rock now aims to the area of Europe, Latin America and Asia. Not all Hard Rock businesses are operated by itself but franchised because of political risk, economic challenges such as inflation, exchange rate, culture may affect its development. Franchises are used when it is decided that local ownership will bring a unique capability, or local conditions suggest there will be an unusual or difficult implementation. For examples, HARD ROCK CAFE in Vietnam is franchised to local partner-Viet Thai International, the owner of Highland coffee shops. 5.Layout Strategies In each location, HARD ROCK CAFE is carefully considered whether they should purchase, lease in a long term, or a new construction should be set up or remodeling the existing site In preparation for each restaurant and bars lay out, HARD ROCK CAFE always consider food protection, the kitchen flows for food preparation for maximum revenue. All the lightings, sound, screens, contemporary music, and circulation paths are designed to show off memorabilia and expose customers to merchandise for sale. The retail shops generate close to half the companys profit and are carefully integrated into restaurant layout, flow, and work stations. 6.Human resource and Job Design HARD ROCK CAFEs employees have not only job skills but also a passion about music and love to serve, convey the experience to customers. According to Jim Knight, Manager of Corporate Training: When you start talking about a human resource department that really is a true support center for such a big, international company, you kind of have to realize that the cafes and the individuals that work within can probably stand on their own when we were much smaller, but I think theres a role that human resources now plays to sort of be the conscience of the company and make sure that were doing the right thing by the people, so I dont mind us being a voice for them, and doing what we can to help recruit, maintain, to truly train them, to develop them, to grow them. Anything that we can do to support the individuals-I think thats really what human resources is all about.    Hard Rock Cafe carefully develops of their fleet to excite customers and provide entertainment. The enthusiasm of all staff members when they engage in client is one of the reasons people continue to go back Before starting to work for Hard Rock Cafe, they are trained for 2 days and received a Hard Rock value card. It is not just a card but shows the experience of Hard Rock through years. All Hard Rock employees will be proud to work in a unique working environment with its own culture which appreciates the substantial diversity and individuality, personal and professional manner. Moreover, this training also allows Hard Rock staff to undertake different positions or duties, that means one can be a waiter, retailer, front-of-the-house server or even can cover kitchen.Some Mottos of HARD ROCK CAFE: spread the spirit of rockn rollà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦contributing member of our communityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Hard Rock has the internal promotion policy as well to encourage their employees loyalty, 60% managers of Hard Rock Cafe are promoted from hourly workers Managers performance is evaluated by a target which is based on the 3-year-weighted moving average, and they will receive bonus when exceeding this target All of this human resource policy helps Hard Rock take a competitive advantage, earn more revenues and saving costs by deciding which items would be replaced. 7.Supply chain Management Outsourcing is a popular method that a big-scale organization, like Hard Rock, applying for its supply-chain management  . Qualified suppliers or vendors are chosen to ensure enough, fresh and quality meals.   Hard Rock in 2003 announced the successful participation of Avicon architect of the new supply chain and provided expertise in logistics for Hard Rock. This project led to practical results, warehouse space in North America was decreased 44%, reduced operational costs by 20%, service levels were improved by 22%, the site offered real time based on their sequence visibility, transportation cost optimization, distribution network optimization, optimized contract terms and the responsibility to protect, improve operational efficiency. Menu item selection depend on supplying right amounts of ingredients on qualified suppliers on time. Inventory Management   Innovative methods, such as Just-in-Time inventory control, can save costs and move products and services to customers more quickly. The good management of supply-chain helps Hard Rock to keep a safe and effective inventory. Foods need to be fresh and provided on time. There is not only food and merchandise, but Hard Rock also has over forty million dollars invested in one of the worlds largest collections of rock-and-roll memorabilia inventory which has over 60,000 pieces. Most of them are on the walls of his cafà © in the world. Inventory Management is responsible for cataloging the entire inventory of all the cafes. They developed inventory system through technology that tells them exactly what is in every cafe where it was in this cafe, and what is the story behind each item Every 5-6 years, Memorabilia of all cafes around the world are renewed by being brought back to Orlando to be refurbished, and then be replaced with new gear. 9.Scheduling   Scheduling for Bartenders, kitchen and wait staffs, hostesses, and retail employees is based off of sales tracking. Y When preparing and planning work schedules, they look at the sales last year and the trend for the last couple of weeks. Y They will also consider any event in the area and seasonality . We also take a look at sales trend for the past couple weeks, and then what we do from that is we come up with a sales forecast. The sales forecast is basically that nucleus that we write the schedule from. This allows Hard Rock Cafe managers can predict the volume of people may get in and enjoy in its restaurants and prepare a pretty right human, foods and services Just-In-Time to save the costs.   With successful scheduling the good reputation of the Hard Rock Cafe is enhanced. Considerations Employee preferences Changing sales forecasts Scheduling Software Profitable for both employee and the cafà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡ 10.Maintenance   Maintenance for Hard Rock is based mostly on food preparation and storage. They have to make sure food is stored and prepared correctly. Quality and Control are key to success. At HARD ROCK CAFE, they review menu and music time by time based on the surveys done. All kitchen, bar, retail shop, lay out and equipment are maintained regularly   regarding Memorabilia,   Maintenance of inventory is done every 5-6 years, when the memorabilia was removed from a coffee shop, and refurbished. The cafe, which is then filled with new items In order to strengthen the brand recognition, Hard Rock Cafe creates its own website: www.hardrock.com and maintain a cable television program weekly on VH-1. More than 100,000 hits received through Hard Rock website and 92% of recognition is a truly great result repaying for Hard Rock efforts Question 2: In the light of the above, discuss the operations management challenges and opportunities for Hard Rock when considering an expansion of its business into Hanoi. As mentioned in above Location Strategy, HARD ROCK CAFE in Vietnam is franchised to local partner. Viet Thai International Joint Stock Company,   owner of the famous coffee shop chain Highlands Coffee, last 2009 signed a franchising agreement with UK-based Hard Rock International to develop four Hard Rock Cafe, location in Vietnam. Besides, the first newly opened coffee shop on January 22, 2010 in commercial and residential Kumho Asiana Plaza in the heart of the city, District 1, they are planning to open three new stores in the capital of Hanoi, northern Hai Phong city and central Da Nang city in 2012. according to director David Thai: The expansion of the Hard Rock Cafe, franchising in Vietnam to tap the potential of a growing economy and expanding young population, the target customers of the chain. Lets look at the operations management challenges and opportunities in detail that HARD ROCK CAFE/Viet Thai may face with when considering an expansion of its business into Hanoi Demographics   Population of Area:   not like Starbucks cafà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡ which using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to help location analysis of population, Hard Rock Cafà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡s customers mostly tourists and business visitors who come from another locations, so Hard Rock Cafà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡ doesnt concern much on Hanois population. However, the opportunities Hard Rock may have is that more and more people in Hanoi love Rock Roll music, and the labor cost is cheap . on the other hand , local people are not familiar with high-intensity work, style and culture of unique business like Hard Rock Cafà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡ and they may not meet the service standard requirement, furthermore, the Vietnamese is very modest, so they may not feel confident to show their personality as expected by Hard Rock Cafe.   Economic Indicators  . Hanoi has the highest  Human Development Index among the cities in Vietnam According to a recent ranking of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Hanoi will be the fastest growing cities in the world in terms of GDP growth in 2008-2025. [17] The non-State economic sector is expanding rapidly, with more than 48,000 enterprises are operating under the Enterprise Law (up to 3 / 2007). [18] Trade is a powerful sector of the city. The economic structure has undergone significant changes, with tourism, finance, and banking now playing an increasingly important role. Along with economic growth, Hanoi appearance has changed dramatically, especially in recent years. Infrastructure is constantly upgraded, with new routes and an improved system of public transport According to General Statistics Office in 2010, the total domestic product (GDP) of Hanoi increased by 11% compared to 2009. . total revenue and social services at 30.5% compared with 2009, in which the total retail sales increased 31.2%. Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 9.56% in 2010 compared with 12 months of last year, the gold price index rose 37.02%, the U.S. dollar price index rose 7.44%. The average growth rate a month in 2010 is 0.95%. Visitor Market Tourists/business visitors:   In 2010, international visitors to Hanoi is 1227.5 thousand,up 20.5% over the same period, domestic tourists is 7392.4 thousand visitors, up 10%, revenue from hotels increased 26.9% Hotels   According to figures in 2007, Hanoi had 511 hotel accommodation establishments with more than 12,700 operating rooms. Of these, only 178 rated hotels with 8424 rooms. Luxury room shortage is one of the reasons that the amount of foreign visitors to Hanoi is not high. With rates are considered quite expensive in Vietnam, about $ 126.26 a night for 5 star hotel room. In addition to nine 5-star hotel is  Sofitel Plaza  , Daewoo, Hilton Hanoi Opera, Horison, , Melia, Nikko, Sheraton, Metropole, and Inter Continental, the city also has six 4-star hotel and nineteen 3-star hotel. According to the newly licensed projects and the recently approved investment, by 2011, Hanoi will have about 2,000 luxury hotel rooms. Entertainment Retail many options for entertainment in Hanoi can be found throughout the city. Modern and traditional theaters, cinemas, karaoke bars, dance clubs, bowling alleys, and a rich opportunity to shop provides recreational activities for both locals and tourists . Hanoi has been named one of top 10 cities for shopping in Asia by Smart Travel Asia. [12] The number of art galleries art galleries has soared in recent years. A popular form of entertainment is the traditional water puppetry, is shown at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre Sports There are several gyms and stadiums throughout the city of Hanoi. The largest is the National Stadium My Dinh , Hanoi Water Sport Athletic Complex and the Hanoi Stadium. In 2009, the 3rd Asian Indoor Games was held in Hanoi. Transportation Hanoi is served by Noi Bai International Airport, located in Soc Son district, about 40ykm north of Hanoi. Noi Bai International Airport is unique to the northern regions of Vietnam. Hanoi will have 1 more international airport, which will cost $8 billion, the highest foreign investment to date in the history of Vietnam [16] It will become the largest and most modern airport in Asia .. Construction will be done in three phases, the first phase will start in 2011 until 2015. Taxis are a lot in Hanoi and often trip meters, although it is usually to agree on price before taking a taxi trip from the airport to downtown. Cyclos tour in the Old Quarter is also attracted tourists. Hanoi is also the starting point for many of the original Vietnam railway train in the country. The Reunification Express runs from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, with stops in other cities and provinces along the line. Trains also depart Hanoi frequently for Hai Phong and other northern cities. The main means of transportation in the city are motorcycles, buses, taxis, and bicycles. Motorcycle is the most common way to move around the city. [Citation needed] the public buses that run on many routes and fares can be purchased on the bus. For short trips, xe à ´m (literally: hug vehicle) motorcycle taxis are available Restaurants and Nightclubs ( a selection in key target market areas) Political Risk:   Vietnam is considered one of the most stably politic regimes. This allows Hard Rocks management board to feel secure to invest the business in Hanoi. Vietnam government is establishing a system of open policies, encouraging foreign investors to invest, develop Vietnam economy and create jobs for local people.   Social Risk Hanoian has the habits to drink coffee in a street-cafe with a very cheap price, processed by the traditional method, read newspapers or see people passing by. Not many people are willing to spend about VND 80,000 on drinking a small coffee that Hard Rock may apply that average price for its items. Furthermore, the local peoples taste of coffee is different. They normally drink stronger taste than the other countries. Robusta coffee here is more popular than Arabica, not as in Europe or America. However, the main targeted customers of Hard Rock Cafà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡ are from tourist and business visitors not from local people. So these challenges are not really the one Hard Rock Cafà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡ cares of. Real Estate Market:   location is a very important element for a cafe to be successful in Hanoi. The cost for a centre position (around Hoan Kiem Lake) is very high and most of them are dominated by both foreign and local cafe brands, such as Highland, Illy, Trung Nguyen (famous coffee exporter with the trademark G7). There are also potential competitors like Coffee Bean, Subway, Gloria Jeans Coffee, etc.   Hoan Kiem Lake. Similar to Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi is enjoying extremely fast development of real estate market [19]. Economic growth of urban areas does not seem to correspond to its infrastructure. Overpopulation requires a source of much larger accommodations [20] Not surprisingly,. As an effect of this problem, the apartment and real estate fever occurs during the time seriously. [21]. So, its really a big operation management challenge for Hard Rock Cafà © to consider whether renting or building the new one during the period of at least 10-15 years. Hard Rock Cafà © Comparable Market Analysis In summary, all of these elements create difficulties but also open promising opportunities for Hard Rock to decide the suitable plan when studying the business expansion into Hanoi. It always be the concern for all Operations Managers to make the right decisions, not only for Hard Rock Cafe.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Cortes : The Two Face :: essays research papers

Cortes: The Two Face   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Don Fernando Cortes was either a misguided religious extremist on a quest to serve his earthly king and immortal god or simply an entrepreneur who wished to achieve great status, power and wealth. Cortes is in love with the idea of conquering new worlds in the name of God to convert their heathen inhabitants into righteous followers of Jesus. The problem is that Cortes is also in love with himself and the future power that he might one day hold. Cortes is largely a hypocrite and shows that very much through his actions. He often tells his men and the king that God undoubtedly on there side. He attempts to prove this through his accounts where describes his small regiments of no more than one thousand men defeating massive armies of forty thousand to two-hundred thousand Indians. Many times it seems though Cortes truly is being helped by God but he quickly contradicts these possibilities with his sinful actions. Cortes seems to get a large amount of help from God for someone who reacts with merciless vengeance and accepts slave women as gifts. However, one might say that Cortes could be forgiven for his ignorance in accepting human beings as property because in the 1500’s the Catholic Church in Spain lead its followers to believe that the act of slavery was in fact not a sin. Cortes explains that he merely wants to enslave the Indians so that they may better learn the ways of the Catholic Church and of Spanish culture. He figured that it was his duty to enslave these people because it was the only way of turning them away from their horrible sins such cannibalism, sodomy, and their horrific practices of sacrifice. Cortes attributes much of his success and victory to the will of God. â€Å"They should observe that God was on our side, and to Him nothing is impossible, for, as they saw, we had won so many victories in which so many of the enemy had died, and none of us.†(Cortes, 63) He feels that God is helping him to punish theses people for their sins and save their souls by helping to enslave them for it’s the only way to lead them towards Jesus Christ. There is a chance that Cortes truly was a genuinely a religious man believed strongly in the true principles of the Catholic faith but it’s not likely.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Success of Mcdonalds

As a husband and Father of two children, I’d like to say I’m an expert on McDonalds, especially the modern day McDonalds which is a lot different than when I was a kid. Today, McDonald’s is practically everywhere in the world and is a part of their cultures. The explanation of McDonald’s success can be derived from many things, but the ones that stand out are first their branding. They have been around for over sixty-five years and that certainly helps with branding. As of today, McDonald’s success in the public’s eye is that they have quality food at a low price that is given to the customer quickly with great service and clean facilities. The planning, organization, leadership and controlling by McDonald’s are about as cutting edge as you can get when it comes to fast food restaurants. I’m going to talk about these four points and they will tell you why McDonald’s is the number one fast food chain in the world. The McDonald’s chain is composed of company owned restaurants as well as franchised restaurants which make up over sixty-five percent of the operating McDonald’s outlets. Now because of this many of the restaurants are controlled and run separate from one another. McDonald’s is not just around to gain profits, but to survive not only the American recession, but also the global market. They strive to be the best employer for people in each community around the world, deliver operational quality to their customers in each and every restaurant and achieve profitable growth by continuing to expand their brand and using their strengths to continue to be innovative and take advantage of modern technology. So yes, McDonald’s knows what they are doing, but that wasn’t always the case. Back when they first opened, they were only open for lunch and dinner. So approximately from 7:00 a. m. to 7:00 p. m. and they did well, but today most McDonald’s restaurants are open twenty-four hours a day. Many fast food chains have copied this idea in order to keep up with McDonalds. From a planning standpoint, McDonald’s is always coming up with innovative ideas to continue to their branding. When you watch a couple hours of television in the evening, no matter what channel, you are going to see a McDonald’s commercial. They are typically very fresh and memorable and that’s without a doubt on purpose. The planning that goes into McDonald’s marketing is to always be two steps ahead of their competition. You also probably can’t help but see at least one billboard from McDonald’s on the way to work. Again, this to McDonald’s in your head for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Another big part of McDonald’s planning is to stay modern. Our American culture has gotten increasingly obese over the decades and McDonald’s takes a lot of heat for this. This is why they came up with their healthy menu a few years back so people had the choice to eat healthy. I believe another big part of McDonald’s planning is to tap into markets that they haven’t reached before. Sure McDonald’s has been serving coffee for years, but who doesn’t like a good cup of Starbuck’s coffee? I know I love my Starbuck’s in the morning and this is where McDonald’s decided to tap into the gourmet coffee drinker market recently by coming up with the McCafe. They now serve frappuccinos, gourmet coffee and iced coffees. This was brilliant in my opinion because now when you go to McDonald’s in the morning for your Egg McMuffin, you can now get a Starbucks quality gourmet coffee. McDonald’s has done very well with this addition to their menu and this is why McDonald’s has been and will continue to be the number one fast food chain in the world. As far as organizing, McDonald’s has franchises all over the world now and they continue to grow at a blistering pace. Their goal is to make sure that globally, each restaurant caters to specific cultures. What is on the menu in my southern California McDonald’s is different that say a McDonald’s in Europe. Having been stationed in Germany, I can definitely attest to this. So organizationally, McDonald’s continues their success by globally rganizing and implementing innovations to each of their franchises all over the world. Even the McCafe, as new as it is, is launching in McDonald’s franchises across the globe. Leadership is vital the McDonald’s success. Without strong leadership, who knows what would have happened to the McDonald’s brand. In 2001, the Hu man Resource Design Center for McDonald’s Corporation initiated the development of a special leadership development program for a select number of high potential managers identified as candidates for possible promotion into a key role in its system, that of regional manager. The program was entitled â€Å"McDonald’s Leadership Development Experience†. This program, now twelve years young, is breeding leadership within its own walls. Having read about the program, it’s very extensive and well thought out and this is just one of the reasons why McDonald’s continues to have strong leadership. Now as far as McDonald’s controlling is concerned, they do have very strict controls and guidelines in place to ensure that all of their restaurants are uniform. This is really one of the qualities that separate themselves from the competition. The strict controls in place for each McDonald’s franchise don’t just apply to the ones here in the United States, but all over the world. Things like uniform restaurant hours, quality control standards and strict hiring criteria for employees are just a few of the things that McDonald’s has in place to ensure that all of their restaurants in the world have a high standard of excellence. McDonald’s has been successful for quite some time now and the four points I just wrote about are some of the reasons for their success. McDonald’s will continue to be innovative and hold a high standard of excellence. I be in twenty year there will be new and exciting products from McDonald’s as they continue to be the number one fast food chain in the world. McDonald's 24/7; By focusing on the hours between traditional mealtimes, the fast-food giant is sizzling, by Michael Arndt. Business Week. New York: Feb 05, 2007. , Iss. 4020; pg. 64, retrieved at 07/22/2010 from: http://www. businessweek. com/magazine/content/07_06/b4020001. htm Helm, B. (2010). Ethnic Marketing: McDonalds' Is Lovin' It. Bloomberg Business Week, retrieved May 15, 2011 at http://www. usinessweek. com/magazine/content/10_29/b4187022876832. htm A Golden Recipe for McDonald’s Europe, by Kerry Capell(2010). A Golden Recipee for McDonalds' Europe. Business Week (on line), New York, July 18, 2008, retrieved at 07/200/2010 from: http://www. businessweek. com/globalbiz/content/jul2008/gb20080717_293203. htm Patton, L. (2011). Ronald McDonald Sidelined as Chain Toutes Lattes. Bloomberg Business Week, retrieved May 15, 20 11, at: http://www. businessweek. com/news/2011-03-02/ronald-mcdonald-sidelined-as-chain-touts-lattes. html

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Furniture: Marketing and Consumers

Question 2: Using a multistage CDP model, describe how consumers in this market segment( Gen Y and young professionals) typically make furniture purchase decisions. In this case, it mentions 4 stages which include need recognition, search process, pre-purchase evaluation, and purchase. Need recognition occurs when consumers really need more furniture commonly. Actually, many situations will cause their needs. For instance, replacing their furniture, having more money, get ting married and so on.After they decide to buy new furniture, if the need of new furniture is not very urgent, they intend to do external research to make sure. However, in many cases, they will be influenced by sales promotion and previous experience. Advice from friends and family will be a reference. Advertising, compared with that, is the most untrustworthy. They will go to real shops to see what they liked online and feel the comfort and workmanship in person. If they like a brand, they will find relevant prod ucts from that brand or another brand with similar styles.After deciding which to buy, it comes to the purchase process. Most of consumers had used financing in the past, but now they prefer to pay in cash. But for Gen Y and young professionals, they have lower income and cannot afford to pay cash. They desire to feel the perception, that they can enjoy a lifestyle that is above what they can afford by spreading the payments over a long period of time. Therefore, they would like to pay it with interests for six months. Question 3: How should Family Furniture respond to competitors?Over the years, Family Furniture has faced many big competitors. Some furniture store attract customers with â€Å"no, no, no† advertising, which means â€Å"no down payment, no interest and no payments until next year†. It was reported that an increasing number of Family Furniture’s customers went to other stores in other cities or nearby regions to buy furniture and some others were making their purchases through the Internet. This has put Family Furniture into a perplexing situation. In my view, Family Furniture should expand its target market to younger people, together with the old.The fact that the city has many young consumers, unemployment rate is low are an advantage for the company. That consumers here are mostly white-collar and well-educated workers with a high level of income tells us that they are totally be able to afford their purchases in Family Furniture. With a strong historical business, the company can promote big advertising campaigns to recall customer awareness, such as offering big sales on special occasions or sending magazines to their mail boxes every month to show new products with new promotional programs.These programs should always emphasize the familiarity of customers with Family Furniture over other competitors through a long period, well-known national brands and the quality of furniture. In addition, marketing techniques invol ving community involvement such as an official website or searching websites should also be improved, because they will catch customers’ attention and help them find information about the company and products much more easily. Question 4: What promotional strategy and media do you recommend for Family Furniture?Family Furniture is a business-to-consumer company but not a business-to-business one. They sell furniture directly to consumers. So I recommend this company to use a â€Å"pull strategy† which means spending on advertising, sales promotion and direct marketing to induce final consumers to buy their furniture. Advertising will help Family Furniture to present their promotion of ideas, goods, or services to compete with others, like Ikea. Direct marketing concentrates on individual consumers to both obtain immediate response and cultivate lasting customer relationships, such as the using of internet.According to the research on reasons of choosing a particular st ore, â€Å"previous experience† and â€Å"sale or promotion† account for 28 and 36 percentage respectively. It means these two reasons are the most important elements that make consumers choose a particular store. Family Furniture should choose both personal communication channels (two or more people communicate directly with each other) and non-personal communication channels (media that carry messages without personal contact for feedback) as their media to induce consumers to purchase.The last channel of personal communication is word-of-mouth influence. People may influenced by their neighbors, friends, family members and so forth. Print media, for instance, newspapers and magazines should be remained, because it works and has lasted for decades. As Cult Advertising said recently, nontraditional marketing techniques need to be involved. Young generations use computers more often than older people, they will pay attention to fresh and new things rather than printed brochures.Online media like company Web, e-mail should be used as well because most of their customers are older people, they should attract more young people. Then their consumers’ region will be broader. Using mass media often affect buyer behavior indirectly by causing more personal communication. If the products in Family Furniture are very good, consumers will spread this information by â€Å"word-of-mouth influence† channel.

Diversity in the American Classrooms

The classrooms of the schools in the United States of America, especially for the public ones, may be considered as a box of M&M’s or Skittles, where each student is of different ethnic background and comes from a culture different from the rest. The flooding and diversity of cultures in the classrooms may be due to the fact that the American System of Education seeks to educate the most number of people and to provide Western thoughts and theories. In addition to this, the American System of Education has proven its economic value by giving its graduates the edge among the rest.The excellence exuded by the universities and schools and America can be seen by their continuous grip on the top 10 rankings among the universities of the world. Out of the 10 top universities of the world, six are from the United States. These universities are Harvard University (1), Yale University (2), Princeton University (6), University of Chicago (7), California Institute of Technology (7), and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (10) (â€Å"Top 400 Universities†).As said earlier, the economic value placed for the graduates of these universities is higher than the others and this would be a very strong advantage for the American System of Education. The fact that the best education could be found in the US paves the way for a higher quality in terms of human capital. The labor market of the American country is consequently filled with professionals coupled with the decent opportunities created by the economy. Thus, it can be said that the good education and sterling quality for the tertiary education can be a antecedent factor for a good pool of professionals for the firms.This becomes a factor in reducing the poverty rate for the country. The high demand for the American Education puts much pressure to pursue excellence. America is considered as the land of milk and honey by a lot of people (Soriano). In relation to this, the American dream matches the belief tha t America is the land of milk and honey. The American dream is the pursuit of material prosperity and where life is better and richer according to one’s ability (â€Å"What is the American Dream? †). This has led to the influx of migration to the US by families and the subsequent rise for cultural diversity.This cultural diversity provides a huge benefit for several reasons. First, the classroom diversity enhances the classroom experience for both the students and the teachers. Aside from the day-to-day topics that the teacher or professor discusses and the facts presented by the textbook, the diversity in the classroom serves the purpose of learning through experience. One could learn from the various beliefs, traditions, principles, customs, and languages that the other cultures have (Vortemizzi). In a way, it gives the students learn â€Å"extra things† without the stringent requirements of the educational setting.Their daily interaction with the other cultur es and the high frequency of such would create a higher level of exposure for both cultures. Likewise, the teachers also learn to manage the differences in each classroom and learns how to deal with a diverse group of students to become fully aware of an international setting. Second, the diversity of the classrooms in the American Educational System prepares the students for the international arena. When one achieves to excel and think global, interaction and communication with other cultures is inevitable.The primary problem that is often encountered in international communication is with regard to how messages are perceived by the receiver and is sometimes different from what the sender means. According to Habeck et al. , â€Å"although the words are often the same, the meaning and unspoken assumptions can be very different, leading to misunderstanding and confusion† (86). However, with the exposure that the American classrooms bring to the students of different culture, t he problem would be minimized especially if the atmosphere inside the school is accommodating to the various cultures.Likewise, the teachers and the school administrators would be able to prepare for a varied setting and to be able to compete with the dynamic ways of the education sector. This would mean that there would be more chances that the enrollment rate would be higher since leeway is given for the acceptance of other cultures. The recognition of teachers and administrators of the different cultures provides for â€Å"a comfortable learning situation in which to realize their educational goals and accomplishments† (Connors).Third, this kind of setting teaches the students to become aware of how flexibility, tolerance, respect, and acceptance is important for everyone. This is especially true for the case of young children in the pre-school where they are given the opportunities to be able to understand a different color than they have. This makes them prepared for fur ther challenges and also equips them with the value of acceptance and understanding. With this, the friction is reduced especially when one would enter the workplace.The workplace is considered to be a rather dynamic setting where an international labor market is starting to emerge and the need to deal with different cultures is increasing. There is also the claim that with the acceptance and respect for the different cultures, social stability could be preserved and crime and poverty will be prevented (â€Å"Public Education in the United States†). Likewise, my personal experience with regard to interacting with different cultures and becoming aware that my culture is not the lone culture existing today has provided me with the chance to freely accept the whereabouts of a culturally diverse surrounding.This has also kept me more sensitive and aware of the other cultures and has helped me in the dealings and interactions I made with other people. For instance, my English clas s includes cultures of Asians, Middle East, Europeans, and Hispanic. I am able to adapt to this kind of setting for I am able to interact with them daily and understand their ways. With the foregoing discussion, it can be said that one benefit of the American system of education is its capability to accept various cultures and this provides benefits for both the students, the teachers, and the system itself.Works Cited Connors, Jeanne. â€Å"Cultural Diversity in the Classroom: Reaching out to Native American Students. † Setting the Stage: Opening with Influence. Aug. 1996. Habeck, Max, et al. After the Merger: Seven Rules for Successful Post-merger Integration. Great Britain: Prentice Hall, 2000. â€Å"Public Education in the United States. † Microsoft ® Student 2007 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2006. Soriano, Jaime N. The Land of Milk and Honey? 5 June 2005. Manila Times. 23 March 2008 [http://www. manilatimes.net/national/2005/jun/05/yehey/career/200 50605car6. html]. â€Å"Top 400 Universities. † Quacquarelli Symonds. 23 March 2008 [http://www. topuniversities. com/worlduniversityrankings/results/2007/overall_rankings/top_400_universities/]. Vortemizzi, Julius. Diversity in American Schools. 22 March 2007. Stanza Ltd. 23 March 2008 [http://www. quazen. com/News/Opinions/Diversity-in-American-Schools. 19095]. â€Å"What is the American Dream? † 19 December 2002. The Library of Congress. 23 March 2008 [http://lcweb2. loc. gov/learn/lessons/97/dream/thedream. html].