Short Story - 1134 Words

I thought I was home in bed when I awoke to the sound of a phone ringing. Tucker could be heard whispering to the guy next to me to get some rest. â€Å"Get the phone!† I yelled. A moment later he picked it up. â€Å"Receiving. Tucker here.† â€Å"Oh, hi, good of you to call. Yes, he’s still here. You want to speak to him? Sure, hold on.† Tucker nudged me in the arm to signal he was handing me the phone. â€Å"Take a message and hold all my calls. I don’t want to talk with anyone right now,† I said. â€Å"But it’s God and he wants to have a word with you.† â€Å"Tell him I’m in a meeting right now, try back later.† â€Å"It’s the Father. He wants to talk to you.† â€Å"I don’t believe this shit! I held out my hand and Tucker placed the phone in it†¦Hello!† â€Å"Hi, Buddy,†¦show more content†¦One thing at a time. Are you ready?† God spoke a few words in a language I’d never heard before and then asked me, â€Å"How’s your head now?† I felt around with my free hand. â€Å"Well, it still hurts†¦but, hey†¦the gash is gone. How’d you do that?† â€Å"Ancient Chinese secret,† he said with a laugh. â€Å"But it still hurts,† I complained, telling him that if he really was who he said he was, I wouldn’t be feeling any pain whatsoever. â€Å"It does? Let me try something else.† It sounded as if he pounded the handset of the phone against a hard surface a few times and then asked, â€Å"Is that any better?† I paused several seconds to be sure. â€Å"I can’t believe it!† I exclaimed. â€Å"There’s no pain whatsoever, and it’s not numb, either. You’re pretty good. What did you say your name was?† â€Å"It’s God, damn it,† he said, cracking up. I had to stop and think. This could very well be God, but something isn’t right here, so I asked him, â€Å"Have you been drinking?† â€Å"Of course!† he said proudly. â€Å"What else would you expect me to be doing?† â€Å"I don’t know. Looking after the world, perhaps?† â€Å"Actually, there’s going to be a big party tonight,† he said. â€Å"A bunch of the guys stopped by to help get things set up. You need to be there.† â€Å"Really?† Then I explained to him that if he would be so kind as to fix my eyes so I could see again, I’d probably drop in for a few minutes. â€Å"Oh, that’s right,† he said. â€Å"I totally forgot about†¦just a second.† God yelled out as if talking to the crowd, â€Å"AnyoneShow MoreRelatedshort story1018 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Short Stories:  Ã‚  Characteristics †¢Short  - Can usually be read in one sitting. †¢Concise:  Ã‚  Information offered in the story is relevant to the tale being told.  Ã‚  This is unlike a novel, where the story can diverge from the main plot †¢Usually tries to leave behind a  single impression  or effect.  Ã‚  Usually, though not always built around one character, place, idea, or act. †¢Because they are concise, writers depend on the reader bringing  personal experiences  and  prior knowledge  to the story. Four MajorRead MoreThe Short Stories Ideas For Writing A Short Story Essay1097 Words   |  5 Pageswriting a short story. Many a time, writers run out of these short story ideas upon exhausting their sources of short story ideas. If you are one of these writers, who have run out of short story ideas, and the deadline you have for coming up with a short story is running out, the short story writing prompts below will surely help you. Additionally, if you are being tormented by the blank Microsoft Word document staring at you because you are not able to come up with the best short story idea, youRead MoreShort Story1804 Words   |  8 PagesShort story: Definition and History. A  short story  like any other term does not have only one definition, it has many definitions, but all of them are similar in a general idea. According to The World Book Encyclopedia (1994, Vol. 12, L-354), â€Å"the short story is a short work of fiction that usually centers around a single incident. Because of its shorter length, the characters and situations are fewer and less complicated than those of a novel.† In the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s DictionaryRead MoreShort Stories648 Words   |  3 Pageswhat the title to the short story is. The short story theme I am going conduct on is â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ by James Thurber (1973). In this short story the literary elements being used is plot and symbols and the theme being full of distractions and disruption. The narrator is giving a third person point of view in sharing the thoughts of the characters. Walter Mitty the daydreamer is very humorous in the different plots of his dr ifting off. In the start of the story the plot, symbols,Read MoreShort Stories1125 Words   |  5 PagesThe themes of short stories are often relevant to real life? To what extent do you agree with this view? In the short stories â€Å"Miss Brill† and â€Å"Frau Brechenmacher attends a wedding† written by Katherine Mansfield, the themes which are relevant to real life in Miss Brill are isolation and appearance versus reality. Likewise Frau Brechenmacher suffers through isolation throughout the story and also male dominance is one of the major themes that are highlighted in the story. These themes areRead MoreShort Story and People1473 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Title: Story Of An Hour Author: Kate Chopin I. On The Elements / Literary Concepts The short story Story Of An Hour is all about the series of emotions that the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard showed to the readers. With the kind of plot of this short story, it actually refers to the moments that Mrs. Mallard knew that all this time, her husband was alive. For the symbol, I like the title of this short story because it actually symbolizes the time where Mrs. Mallard died with joy. And with thatRead MoreShort Story Essay1294 Words   |  6 PagesA short story concentrates on creating a single dynamic effect and is limited in character and situation. It is a language of maximum yet economical effect. Every word must do a job, sometimes several jobs. Short stories are filled with numerous language and sound devices. These language and sound devices create a stronger image of the scenario or the characters within the text, which contribute to the overall pre-designed effect.As it is shown in the metaphor lipstick bleeding gently in CinnamonRead MoreRacism in the Short Stor ies1837 Words   |  7 PagesOften we read stories that tell stories of mixing the grouping may not always be what is legal or what people consider moral at the time. The things that you can learn from someone who is not like you is amazing if people took the time to consider this before judging someone the world as we know it would be a completely different place. The notion to overlook someone because they are not the same race, gender, creed, religion seems to be the way of the world for a long time. Racism is so prevalentRead MoreThe Idol Short Story1728 Words   |  7 PagesThe short stories â€Å"The Idol† by Adolfo Bioy Casares and â€Å"Axolotl† by Julio Cortà ¡zar address the notion of obsession, and the resulting harm that can come from it. Like all addictions, obsession makes one feel overwhelmed, as a single thought comes to continuously intruding our mind, causing the individual to not be able to ignore these thoughts. In â€Å"Axolotl†, the narr ator is drawn upon the axolotls at the Jardin des Plantes aquarium and his fascination towards the axolotls becomes an obsession. InRead MoreGothic Short Story1447 Words   |  6 Pages The End. In the short story, â€Å"Emma Barrett,† the reader follows a search party group searching for a missing girl named Emma deep in a forest in Oregon. The story follows through first person narration by a group member named Holden. This story would be considered a gothic short story because of its use of setting, theme, symbolism, and literary devices used to portray the horror of a missing six-year-old girl. Plot is the literal chronological development of the story, the sequence of events

Net present value Free Essays

Firms generally have many investment opportunities available.   Some of these investment opportunities are valuable and others are not. The essence of successful financial management is identifying which opportunities will increase shareholder wealth. We will write a custom essay sample on Net present value or any similar topic only for you Order Now There are three basic and related concepts that form the very foundation of modern day finance: present value, net present value (NPV) and opportunity cost. Present value gives the value of cash flows generated by an investment and NPV gives the effective net benefit from an investment after subtracting its costs. Opportunity cost represents the rate of return on investments of comparable risk. Application of these concepts enables us to value different kinds of assets, especially those which are not commonly traded in well-functioning markets. NPV of an asset or investment is the present value of its cash flows less the cost of acquiring the asset. Smart investors will only acquire assets that have positive NPVs and will attempt to maximize the NPV of their investments. The rate of return received from an investment is the profit divided by the cost of the investment. Positive NPV investments will have rates of return higher than the opportunity cost. This gives an alternate investment decision rule. Good investments are those that have rates of return higher than the opportunity cost. This opportunity cost can be inferred from the capital market and is based on its risk characteristics of the investment. To assess why Net Present Value leads to better investment decisions than other criteria, let us start with a review of the NPV approach to investment decision making and then present four other widely used measures. These are: the payback period, the book rate of return, the internal rate of return (IRR) and profitability index. The measures are inferior to the NPV and should not, with the qualified exception of the IRR, normally be relied upon to provide sound investment decisions. These measures are commonly used in practice. The NPV represents the value added to the business by the project or the investment. It represents the increase in the market value of the stockholders’ wealth. Thus, accepting a project with a positive NPV will make the stockholders better off by the amount of its NPV. The NPV is the theoretically correct method to use in most situations. Other measures are inferior because they often give decisions different from those given by following the NPV rule. They will not serve the best interests of the stockholders (Brealey, 2002). To calculate NPV we should firstly forecast the incremental cash flows generated by the project and determine the appropriate discount rate, which should be the opportunity cost of capital. Then calculate the sum of the present values (PV) of all the cash flows generated by the investment. NPV = PV of cash inflows – initial investment. To make decision on investment, we should accept projects with NPV greater than zero and for mutually exclusive projects, accept the project with the highest NPV, if the NPV is positive. The NPV represents the value added to the stockholders’ wealth by the project. The discount rate should reflect the opportunity cost of capital or what the stockholders can expect to earn on other investments of equivalent risk (Brealey, 2002). The NPV approach correctly accounts for the time value of money and adjusts for the project’s risk by using the opportunity cost of capital as the discount rate. Thus, it clearly measures the increase in market value or wealth created by the project. The NPV of a project is not affected by â€Å"packaging† it with another project. In other words, NPV(A+B) = NPV(A) + NPV(B). The NPV is the only measure that provides the theoretically correct measure of a project’s value (Ross, 2002). Payback Period. The payback period is simply the time taken by the project to return your initial investment. The measure is very popular and is widely used; it is also a flawed and unreliable measure. It is simple to calculate and easy to comprehend. However, payback period has very limited economic meaning because it ignores the time value of money and the cash flows after the payback period. It can be inconsistent and the ranking of projects may be changed by packaging with other projects. Discounted payback is a modified version of the payback measure and uses the discounted cash flows to compute payback. This is an improvement over the traditional payback in that the time value of money is recognized. A project, which has a measurable discounted payback, will have a positive NPV. However, the other disadvantages of payback still apply. It is also not simple anymore (Investment Criteria). Book Rate of Return (BRR). This is a rate of return measure based on accounting earnings and is defined as the ratio of book income to book assets. Accounting earnings are reported by firms to the stockholders and the book return measure fits in with the reported earnings and the accounting procedures used by firms. However, the measure suffers from the serious drawback that it does not measure the cash flows or economic profitability of the project. It does not consider the time value of money and gives too much weight to distant earnings. The measure depends on the choice of depreciation method and on other accounting conventions. BRR can give inconsistent ranking of projects and rankings may be altered by packaging. There is very little relationship between the book return and the IRR. (Brealey, 2002). Internal Rate of Return (IRR). IRR is defined as the discount rate at which the NPV equals zero. Used properly, the IRR will give the same result as the NPV for independent projects and for projects with normal cash flows. As long as the cost of capital is less than the IRR, the NPV for the project will be positive. IRR can rank projects incorrectly, and the rankings may be changed by the packaging of the projects. For mutually exclusive projects, IRR can give incorrect decisions and should not be used to rank projects. If one must use IRR for mutually exclusive projects, it should be done by calculating the IRR on the differences between their cash flows (Ross, 2002). Profitability Index. Occasionally, companies face resource constraint or capital rationing. The amount available for investment is limited so that all positive NPV projects cannot be accepted. In such cases, stockholder wealth is maximized by taking up projects with the highest NPV per dollar of initial investment. This approach is facilitated by the profitability index (PI) measure. Profitability index is defined as: NPV/Investment. The decision rule for profitability index is to accept all projects with a PI greater than zero. This rule is equivalent to the NPV rule. The modified rule applied in the case of capital rationing is to accept projects with the highest profitability index first, followed by the one with next highest, and so on till the investment dollars are exhausted. This rule will maximize the NPV and stockholder wealth. If the resource constraint is on some other resources, the profitability index needs to be modified to measure the NPV per unit of the resource that is rationed. The profitability index cannot cope with mutually exclusive projects or where one project is contingent on another (Brealey, 2002). Thus, comparing NVP with other criteria we can assert that NPV is superior to other criteria. First, it is the only measure, which considers the time value of money, properly adjusting for the opportunity cost of capital. Second, it gives consistent measures of the project’s value (i.e. not affected by packaging with other projects). Third, it clearly measures the value added to the stockholders’ wealth. The only exception to the superiority of NPV is when the firm is constrained by capital rationing. This implies that the firm cannot finance all positive NPV projects and should therefore choose projects that give the highest NPV for each dollar of investment. The profitability index that is defined as the ratio of NPV to the investment amount is used to achieve this selection. However, the other criteria for the evaluation of projects are found to be popular in practice. If using them, we should make sure we use them in the best possible way and understand the limitations of them. For example, we should always compare mutually exclusive projects on the basis of the difference between their cash flows, because that it is the cash flows that determine the value of a project. Inadequate forecast of the cash flows can be far more disastrous than using the wrong appraisal technique. Cash flow forecasts are difficult to make and can be expensive. It does not make sense to waste the forecasts by using an inferior method of evaluation. References: Brealey, Richard A. Myers, Stewart C. (2002). Principles of Corporate Finance, 7th ed. Chapters 5 – 6. Irwin/McGraw-Hill Book Co. Investment Criteria, Chapter 9. Introduction to Finance. COMM 203 Homepage. College of Commerce, University of Saskatchewan, 2004 from http://www.commerce.usask.ca/faculty/loescher/Commerce203/CapitalBudgeting/Investment_Criteria.ppt Ross, S., Westerfield, R., Jordan, B. Roberts, G. (2002). Fundamentals of Corporate Finance, 4th Edition. McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. How to cite Net present value, Essay examples

Pharmacology Biology

Question: Describe about the Pharmacology for Biology? Answer: Adrenergic receptors- it is a type of adrenoceptors and comes under the class of G-protein coupled receptors. These receptors are the targets of catecholamines, specifically, adrenaline and noradrenaline. Adrenaline reacts with alpha and beta adrenoceptors and resulting in vasoconstriction and vasodilation (Malawska Kulig, 2007). In the presence of low levels of circulating epinephrine, the stimulation of beta-adrenoceptors dominates, produces vasodilation and subsequently decreases the resistance associated with peripheral vessels. CD86- it is a ligand for two dissimilar proteins, these are: CD28 and CTLA-4, which are present on the cell surface of T cell (Eskandari-Nasab, Moghadampour, Najibi Hadadi-Fishani, 2014). It is basically a protein that expressed on APC and provides costimulatory signals required for the activation of T cells and their survival. TCR- It is also known as T cell receptors. These receptors are found on T lymphocyte surface and are responsible for determining antigens that are coupled with major histocompatibility complex molecules (Rivera Reyes, 2006). CD28- it is a receptor for CD86 and CD80 proteins. When these are activated by TCR ligands, the expression of CD80 is up-regulated in APCs. CD28 is basically protein in nature and is expressed on the surface of the T cells, which provides co-stimulatory signals needed for the activation of T cells and their survival (Khandaker, Zammit, Lewis Jones, 2014). The stimulation of T cells through CD28 along with TCR can give a strong signal for interleukins production, particularly: IL-6. 3IgH enhancer (also known as 3IgHRR or 3 enhancer)- this is considered as lymphoid specific transcription enhancer substance. This enhancer can be flanked by 350 base pairs invert repeat and produces a structure of transposable element. Odds ratio-it is said to be a measure of relationship between an exposure and a result. The odds ratio presents the odds, which means a result will come after a particular exposure, and this result is compared with the odds of the result taking place in the absence of the same exposure (Brockhaus, Bender Skipka, 2014). Atopic vs. non-atopic- Atopic Non-atopic Tendency toward growing certain type of hypersensitivity reactions Not affected with atopy; commonly the constriction and inflammation are not because of an allergen exposure (Pekkanen, Lampi, Genuneit, Hartikainen Jrvelin, 2012) May contain hereditary component CD40- It is a constimulatory receptor protein, generally found on the APCs and is needed for the activation of APCs. The attachment of CD154 on the T helper cells to CD40 activates APCs and provokes various downstream effects. 2. Antibodies can have in vivo effects. These effects can also be applied in an experimental sense to identify the significance of particular molecular inside the system. Such as: antibodies to the nerve growth factor shows that the factors associated with nerve growth had to be exist for sensory and sympathetic nervous system to grow. Antibodies to epidermal growth factor receptor have effects on some type of tumour development. 3. Direct effect- Dopamine directly interacts with T cells. This leads to beta 1 integrins activation and later T cell adhesion to an extra cellular matrix component. The adhesion is integrin mediated. Indirect effect- Antigen activated immune system controls the activity of central nervous system through cytokine release and this can bind to the receptors on vagus nerve and then CNS commutes back to immune system by SNS activation to release norepinephrine (Kin, 2006). 4. It can be hypothesized that individual with this type of mutation may develop Cushings syndrome (ZHOU CIDLOWSKI, 2005). This disease is related with prolonged contact to high cortisol hormone levels (Okumura et al., 2012). Individual with this mutation may also develop systemic lupus erythematosus, which is typically an autoimmune disease. Some gene associated risk factors can be shared across various type of diseased state, for example: SLE, with alleles in major histocompatibility locus. This picture demonstrates that the individual with this mutation have developed SLE and are predisposed to develop other autoimmune disorders. 5. The most challenging part of this could be the detection of proper polymorphism in such type of incidences (SLE) which can further guide to develop personalized medicines. This may also become important pharmacogenomic targets for medicinal therapy. References Brockhaus, A., Bender, R., Skipka, G. (2014). The Peto odds ratio viewed as a new effect measure.Statist. Med.,33(28), 4861-4874. doi:10.1002/sim.6301 Eskandari-Nasab, E., Moghadampour, M., Najibi, H., Hadadi-Fishani, M. (2014). Investigation of CTLA-4 and CD86 gene polymorphisms in Iranian patients with brucellosis infection.Microbiol Immunol,58(2), 135-141. doi:10.1111/1348-0421.12119 Khandaker, G., Zammit, S., Lewis, G., Jones, P. (2014). Poster #M118 A POPULATION-BASED LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF ATOPIC DISORDERS AND INFLAMMATORY MARKERS IN CHILDHOOD BEFORE PSYCHOTIC EXPERIENCES IN ADOLESCENCE.Schizophrenia Research,153, S232. doi:10.1016/s0920-9964(14)70668-1 Kin, N. (2006). It takes nerve to tell T and B cells what to do.Journal Of Leukocyte Biology,79(6), 1093-1104. doi:10.1189/jlb.1105625 Malawska, B., Kulig, K. (2007). New Development in 1-Adrenergic Receptors Antagonists.Cheminform,38(46). doi:10.1002/chin.200746230 Okumura, F., Sakuma, H., Nakazawa, T., Hayashi, K., Naitoh, I., Miyabe, K. et al. (2012). Analysis of VH gene rearrangement and somatic hypermutation in type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis.Pathology International,62(5), 318-323. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1827.2012.02788.x Pekkanen, J., Lampi, J., Genuneit, J., Hartikainen, A., Jrvelin, M. (2012). Analyzing atopic and non-atopic asthma.Eur J Epidemiol,27(4), 281-286. doi:10.1007/s10654-012-9649-y Rivera Reyes, B. (2006).Regulation of the TCR signaling pathway. ZHOU, J., CIDLOWSKI, J. (2005). The human glucocorticoid receptor: One gene, multiple proteins and diverse responses.Steroids,70(5-7), 407-417. doi:10.1016/j.steroids.2005.02.006

Time Travelers Wife Essay Example

Time Travelers Wife Essay 2012-07410March 15, 2013 ENG 2 G-3RDraft no. 1 The Time Traveler’s Wife (Film) A Reaction Paper Why is love intensified by absence? (Niffenegger, 2003) The Time Travelers Wife is a romantic drama film directed by Robert Schwentke and was based on a novel by Audrey Niffenegger of the same title. The film tells the story of Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana), a librarian who suffers from a genetic disorder that causes him to jump back and forth in time, and Clare Abshire (Rachel McAdams), as they endeavor to live a happy and normal life. In the early 1970s, a six year-old Henry survives a car accident wherein his mother died. The tension before the impact enabled him to travel back two weeks before the accident. He was then transported back into the present and witnessed the death of his mother before him. An older version of him tries to help Henry by explaining that he is indeed a time traveler. Henry finds himself living the past, present, and future at the same time. In 1991, Henry meets for the first time an art student named Clare. Though she is delighted to see him, Henry was not able to recognize her. She later reveals that the future Henry time traveled and met the six year old Clare. They develop a relationship and Henry finally felt permanence in his life. Subsequently, the couple enters a married life which will be teemed with obstacles brought about by Henry’s condition. The film Time Traveler’s Wife employed time travel as one of main character’s flaw and strong point at the same time expressing the love story that attracts most of the women audience. We will write a custom essay sample on Time Travelers Wife specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Time Travelers Wife specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Time Travelers Wife specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Its title and movie trailer just provides sufficient ideas that will make you think about it and finally watch the film. Considering the fact that it was primarily based on a book, it can be posited that the story was crammed and made to fit in the specific amount of time. This caused the movie to lose its richness which left the supporting characters with little exposure who may have contributed to the audience’s understanding and interpretation and to the story’s further development. Moreover, the film focused too much on the love story of Henry and Clare and ignored the other characters’ involvement and influence on the main characters’ decision as opposed to the book. Critiques aside, the story was very poignant. It provided various themes such as the importance of time, love, family, marriage, sex and reality. Love was expressed and interpreted by the characters in various ways—physical lovemaking, Clare’s patience (or impatience) for waiting Henry from his travels, and sacrifices that each of them made in their pursuit of happiness. It was emphasized that love is an important aspect of life that overcomes and recognizes no obstacles. The film also gives the audience the idea of struggle between life as something that is already written and pre-determined, and the capacity or power of our free will and choices. Sex and racism, to some extent, is depicted in the movie. It shows the importance of physical connection to the intimacy of the main characters. In addition, the character of Eric Bana criticized the Republicans and hunters. Lastly, versions of reality were presented—that of Henry’s and of Clare’s. It gives the audience the impression that reality is subjective and thereby influenced by emotions. Time Traveler’s Wife can be considered as a carpe diem movie. Although it contains a timeline structure that is quite confusing for the viewers and disturbing scenes and language, the film earns the audience awe and tears by the story of two lovers who are victims of the unpredictable fate.

Free Essays on Christianity

and deeds recall his days on earth and the miracle of his resurrection from the dead on the first Easter. These Jewish Christians began the first churches, in Jerusalem. Much like Christianity Islam was based on the prophesies and teaching of person or prophet, Muhammad. In Mohammed's time (570?-632), the Arabian Peninsula was inhabited by nomadic Bedouins and city-dwelling Arabs. Muhammad began his ministry at the age of 40, when, he claimed, the archangel Gabriel appeared to him in a vision. At first Muhammad confided his visions only to his family and close friends. After four years he began to preach openly in his native city of Mecca. Ridiculed by the Meccans, he went to Medina in 622. At his death in 632, Muhammad was the leader of an Arab s... Free Essays on Christianity Free Essays on Christianity Christianity most widely distributed of the world religions. Its total membership may exceed 1.7 billion people. Islam, a major world religion, founded in Arabia and based on the teachings of Muhammad, who is called the Prophet. One who practices Islam is a Muslim. Muslims follow the Koran, the written revelation brought by Muhammad. The Muslim world population is estimated at more than 1 billion. Islam is the quickest growing religion there is. Judaism is one of the world's oldest religious traditions. Pre-modern Judaism constituted (and traditional Judaism today constitutes) an integrated cultural system of Jewish law, custom, and practice encompassing the totality of individual and communal existence. It is a system of sanctification in which all is to be subsumed under God's rule. Judaism originated in the Middle East, but Jewish communities have existed at one time or another in almost all parts of the world, a result of both voluntary migrations and forced exile or expulsions. Origin The central element of Christianity is the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus of Nazareth, a Jewish rabbi, attracted a following of people who believed him to be a new prophet. Their recollections of Jesus' words and deeds recall his days on earth and the miracle of his resurrection from the dead on the first Easter. These Jewish Christians began the first churches, in Jerusalem. Much like Christianity Islam was based on the prophesies and teaching of person or prophet, Muhammad. In Mohammed's time (570?-632), the Arabian Peninsula was inhabited by nomadic Bedouins and city-dwelling Arabs. Muhammad began his ministry at the age of 40, when, he claimed, the archangel Gabriel appeared to him in a vision. At first Muhammad confided his visions only to his family and close friends. After four years he began to preach openly in his native city of Mecca. Ridiculed by the Meccans, he went to Medina in 622. At his death in 632, Muhammad was the leader of an Arab s... Free Essays on Christianity christianity Christianity is very practical. It is not a dead, dry, formal, human religion of rituals, outward form, and show, but a divine, living, vital, dynamic, liberating religion. The word Christian means, "Christ like", or "One follows Christ". Jesus Christ, who laid the foundation of Christian Church, was born in BC 4 in Judea. He is the foundation of the Church (1 Cori. 3:10,11). He started preaching about the Kingdom of God when he was thirty. His activities roused the opposition of the Jewish high priests who accused him of blasphemy. He was crucified under the orders of Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor. After three days, Christ was resurrected from the dead. With the Resurrection of Christ, his disciples took heart and went about preaching the Kingdom of God to all the people of the world. Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire where it was made the state religion in the 4th century AD. Later, the Church split into two broad groups - the Western Church under the Pope in Rome and the Eastern Churches under the Patriarchies of Antioch, Alexandria and Constantinople. Still later, further disruptions took place. The Roman Catholic Church was broken up by Protestantism, while in the Eastern Churches, many communities like the Armenians, Ethiopians, Russians and Italians set up their own Patriarchies. The New Testament of the Bible originally was written in Greek language. The English word Church is translated from the original Greek word 'EKKLESIA', which means 'CALLED OUT ONES' - from EK (out), and KLESIA (called). Churches referred to the household (or family) of God (Eph. 2:19-21), and spiritual building that grows into the holy temple, to which Church shall come at his return to this earth as King of kings, ruling all nations of the earth. The Church was founded, not as an institution of Authority to force the name and teaching of Christ upon the world, but only as a witness-bearing institution to Christ, to ho... Free Essays on Christianity Christianity is a religion in which events are claimed to have occured but which can never be proved. Those who practice it live by different morals than are preached by the most holy texts. It is an institution in which the most holy scripture is contradictory, and wherein the supreme being, by the very definition, cannot exist. Christianity is, therefore, a fundamentally flawed religion. According to the Bible, events have occured which are even more miraculous than the resurection of Jesus Christ. Events such as the stopping of the sun by Joshua (Joshua 10:12-14), the reversal of the sun's course by Isaiah (Isaiah 38:7-8) , the resurrection of the saints, and their subsequent appearance to many (Matthew 27:52-53) were witnessed by thousands of people. The stopping and reversal of the sun would have been visible worldwide. The idea that people could have witnessed these events without having been amazed by them is, quite simply, ludicrous. Other cultures having witnessed this would certainly have offered their own explanations in keeping with their own cultural and religious beliefs. Surely a society existing at the time would have documented this miraculous event. Yet nowhere have such works been found. In the instance of the resurrection of the saints, Matthew is the only person to mention this occurence in the Bible. Surely other first-century Christians would have used this as further proof of Jesus' divinty. It would fall to reason that Paul and the gospels would have mentioned it. This is not, however, the case. Nowhere else in the Bible is this mentioned or even hinted at. These events are then, at best, highly unlikely to have occured. The fact that Matthew is alone in writing of the resurrection of the saints leads us to believe that certain writers of the Bible had differing views on christianity. The christian Bible is highly contradictory, not j... Free Essays on Christianity On the threshold of the third Christian millennium, over 1 billion people worldwide consider themselves catholic. The word catholic is generally taken to mean â€Å"universal† although the Greek roots of the word mean â€Å"according to (kata) the whole (holos). In the ancient church, it was used to refer to a single, visible communion, separate from others, bonded together through the faith in the lord Jesus Christ. According to the accepted chronology of the bible, on the day of the Pentecost A.D. 29 is the supposed birthday of the Catholic Church. Jesus taught this faith in the country of Palestine during the reign of the roman emperor Tiberius. After Jesus died his followers helped the world accept the faith. One of the main reasons that this faith was accepted was the fact that everyone was received as equal. Jesus’ followers had a monotheistic view that one almighty God that transcended in three forms, the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit. After the Son of G od was persecuted for his beliefs, he was crucified on a cross until he died. It is stated that after three days on the cross he rose from the dead and formed the Holy Spirit. While in this form he would visit people in mind and soul. Jesus was believed to be in every living thing. Along with these beliefs, are ten rules that were inscribed into stone tablets by the prophet Moses. In the bible it states that Moses went to the top Mount Sinai, where God spoke down upon him telling him that the Ten Commandments should be the backbone of the catholic faith. These commandments read: 1. I am the Lord your God, who has taken you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 2. You shall have no other gods but me. 3. You shall not the name of your lord in vain. 4. You shall remember and keep the Sabbath day holy. 5. Honor your father and mother. 6. You shall not kill. 7. You shall not commit adultery. 8. You shall not steal. 9. You shall not bear false witness against yo...

Weekly Teacher Parent Communication Through Newsletters

Weekly Teacher Parent Communication Through Newsletters In the elementary classroom, parent communication is a critical part of being an effective teacher. Parents want, and deserve, to know whats going on in the classroom. And, more than that, by being proactive in your communication with families, you can avoid possible problems before they even start. But, lets be realistic. Who really has the time to write a proper newsletter each week? A newsletter about classroom happenings may seem like distant goal that will probably never happen with any regularity. Heres a simple way to send a quality newsletter home each week while teaching writing skills at the same time. From experience, I can tell you that teachers, parents, and principals love this idea! Each Friday, you and your students write a letter together, telling families about what happened in class this week and whats coming up in class. Everyone ends up writing the same letter and the content is directed by the teacher. Heres a step-by-step guide for this quick and easy activity: First, pass out a piece of paper to each student. I like to give them paper with a cute border around the outside and lines in the middle. Variation: Write the letters in a notebook and ask parents to respond to each letter over the weekend. At the end of the year youll have a diary of communication for the entire school year!Use an overhead projector or chalkboard so that the kids can see what youre writing as you do it.As you write, model to the kids how to write the date and greeting.Make sure to tell the students to address the letter to whoever they live with. Not everyone lives with a mom and a dad.Ask for input from the kids about what the class did this week. Say, Raise your hand and tell me one big thing we learned this week. Try to steer the kids away from reporting only fun things. Parents want to hear about academic learning, not just the parties, games, and songs.After each item you get, model how you write it into the letter. Add a few exclamation points to show excitem ent. Once youve written enough of past events, youll need to add a sentence or two about what the class is doing the next week. Usually, this information can only come from the teacher. This also gives you an opportunity to preview for the kids about next weeks exciting activities!Along the way, model how to indent paragraphs, use proper punctuation, vary sentence length, etc. At the end, model how to sign off the letter properly. Tips and Tricks: Early finishers can color in the border around the letter. Youll find that, after the first few weeks, the students will get quicker at this process and you wont need to set aside so much time for it.Tell the kids that theres no excuse for incorrect spelling in their letters because youve written everything for them to see.Make a copy of each letter and, at the end of the year, youll have a complete record of each weeks highlights!Perhaps as kids get used to this process, you will decide to allow them to write the letters independently.You may still want to supplement the weekly newsletters with your own monthly or bi-monthly newsletter. This teacher-produced letter can be lengthier, meatier, and of greater scope. Have fun with it! Smile because you know that this simple Guided Writing activity helps kids to hone letter-writing skills while you accomplish an important goal of effective parent-teacher communication. Plus, its a great way to recap your week. What more can you ask for? Edited by: Janelle Cox

Design your own Healthcare Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Design your own Healthcare Organization - Essay Example Recruiting healthcare providers for rural health facilities is a very difficult endeavour. Rural areas evaluating these attempts confront further problems, such as availability of sufficient time for recruitment and inadequate financial resources to offer premium services. They usually have inadequate knowledge of potential healthcare delivery alternatives (Vetter-Smith et al., 2012). Thus, I will design a new rural health care unit that will address these abovementioned concerns. The name of the organization is County of Newell Primary Care (CNPC). The type of unit is a rural health clinic. Rural communities are experiencing scarcities in healthcare providers due to having a larger number of elderly locals simultaneously with the increasing number of retiring healthcare providers. According to Glasser and associates (2003), the Urban and Rural Health Chartbook reports greater health inequalities confronting rural populations. Young adults and children in rural areas have the highest rates of mortality, and rural inhabitants have the largest number of fatalities due to accidents and vehicle-caused damages. Rural males are mostly prone to heart illnesses and suicide; rural females are mostly at risk of obesity; and rural populations are more susceptible to smoking (Glasser et al., 2003). Most of the time rural residents, especially the elderly, have to travel far to obtain medical services. Thus, it is important to form adequately staffed and premium healthcare clinics in rural areas. Mission Statement and Values The mission of County of Newell Primary Care is to offer inexpensive, inclusive, and efficient primary healthcare to individuals in the County of Newell, Alberta. CNPC is dedicated to enhancing the education and training of healthcare providers by developing educational programmes for healthcare delivery. The vision for the CNPC is to be the leading health care facility in the County of Newell which provides comprehensive and integrated primary care ser vices involving mental health, preventive care, nutrition, dental procedures, and medical practice. To be the leading health care facility in the County of Newell we are highly educated, trained, and experienced in patient management and are known for providing premium, inexpensive, compassionate, courteous health care services for everybody. In essence, our behaviour and activities give reality to our mission. As a rural health care clinic, we are committed to supporting the population by offering services derived from the following values: affordability—provision of reasonably priced services, and performance of activities that give support to vulnerable individuals; accessibility—provision of accessible, inclusive services; integrity—every action or operation will be performed based on ethical standards; quality—provision of premium, modernised health care services; patient-oriented services—patients will be encouraged to take part in the decisi on making process with regard to their care. The objective of the County of Newell Primary Care is to enhance the quality of patient care, interaction, problem-solving skills, and retention of rural nurses. The programme was based on a specific set of values. Nurses gain knowledge of and become skilled at rural nurse practices when they establish objectives and evaluate results; when the rural nursing field is acknowledged and understood; and when familiarised and engaged into the facility and the community. Organizational Chart Numerous

Establishing Stakeholder Orientation Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Establishing Stakeholder Orientation - Coursework Example The development of the world has made individuals realize that business has a role that extend beyond economic wealth creation. Businesses possess a social role since they create externalities in the environment. For instance, proper enumeration of employees compensate for the cost that workers incur in working for the company. Organizations participate in stakeholder orientation for their own benefit and for the sake of stakeholders’ satisfaction (Maurer, 2007). In this sense, the stakeholders feel that the organizations take care of their needs. Stakeholder orientation seeks to establish sustainable economic development by working with the employees, local community, shareholders, and the larger society (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2013). This has a significant impact on honesty and fairness since corporate entities manifest as partners in societal development. When organizations emphasize on the satisfaction of their stakeholders, the larger society is highly likely to respect the profit making intention of businesses. In addition, it promotes information sharing, which makes the business’s activities and intentions clear. This enhances accountability as each party enjoys the incentive to practice

Cultural Ethnography, Scheins Model Essay Example for Free

Cultural Ethnography, Scheins Model Essay Introduction: Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless company in the United States. The company boasts the largest voice and data network and over 58 million customers. In 2004, Cingular generated over $32 billion in revenue. Cingular is owned by ATT Inc. and Bell South. Cingular‟s vision is, â€Å"To be the most highly regarded wireless company in the world, with a driving focus around best-in-class sales and service† (Cingular, 2006, p.1). The corporation values customers, integrity, performance, teamwork, and its employees The goal of this study was to reveal the organizational culture of Cingular Wireless at a retail sales location. To help determine the culture, this study focused on what is the nature of work for Cingular Wireless sales consultants, and how do employees identify themselves within the corporation according to Edgar Schein‟s models of organizational culture. To guide this study, several aspects of employment at Cingular were studied including employee daily routines, flexibility, expectations, and the relationships between managers, sales representatives, and customers. To analyze Cingular, this study will be utilizing Edgar Schein‟s model of organizational cultures. â€Å"Edgar Schein is a management scholar and consultant interested in the role of leaders in the development and maintenance of organizational culture† (Miller, 2006, p. 105). Schein (1992) believes that culture can be studied in levels, which are the degrees to which the culture is visible to observers. His three levels include artifacts, espoused values, and basic underlying assumptions. According to Miller, artifacts are the most obvious in Schein‟s model which consist of the architecture, furniture, technology, dress, written documents, art, forms of address, communication during meets and decision-making styles. (Miller, 2006, p. 107108). â€Å"The problem with artifacts is that they are palpable but hard to decipher accurately. We know how we react to them, but that is not a reliable indicator of how members of the organization react† (Schein, 1990, p. 111-112). The second level of culture Schein recognizes is that of espoused values. Schein‟s espoused values are, â€Å"the articulated, publicly announced principles and values that the group claims to be trying to achieve† (Schein, 1992, p. 9). Schein (1990) believes that the values, ideologies, and norms can be found using interviews, questionnaires, and surveys. Schein believes that, â€Å"Open-ended interviews can be very useful in getting at this level of how people feel and think† (Schein, 1990, p. 112). The third and most difficult level of culture for observers to witness is that of basic assumptions. Miller (2006) believes that members of the group can rarely articulate these basic values since they are a natural part of their daily lives, making the basic assumptions even more difficult for observers to see. From Schein‟s models and definitions it is apparent that the Schein views, â€Å"culture as a complex pattern of assumptions, values, behaviors, and artifacts† (Miller, 2006, p. 111). Schein (1990) believes that through intense observation and the involvement of motivated employees usually unconscious assumptions and perceptions can be discovered about the organizations culture. Schein states, â€Å"Working with motivated insiders is essential because only they can bring to the surface their own underlying assumptions and articulate how they basically perceive the world around them† (Schein, 1990, p. 112). In addition to these three basic levels this study will also utilize the ten major categories Schein uses to help define an organization‟s culture. These will include (Schein, 1992).: 1. Observed behavioral regularities when people interact 2. Group Norms 3. Espoused values 4. Formal philosophy 5. Rules of the Game 6. Climate 7. Embedded skills 8. Habits of thinking, mental models, and/or linguistic paradigms 9. Shared meanings 10. â€Å"Root metaphors† or integrating symbols Although Schein‟s models are widely applied and studied, areas of disagreement with his methods include how much time is actually required to reveal the levels of an organization‟s culture. How many participants are needed to properly assess the culture, and if bias affects the review of an organization also can all hinder the accuracy of a study based off of Schein‟s model. To conduct this study eight of Schein‟s ten major categories were incorporated. The first, observed behavioral regularities are the languages, rituals, traditions and routines of employees. The second category is espoused values which are publicly known goals of the group. The third category is the formal philosophy which is company policies and interactions with customers. The fourth category will be the rules of the game which are the things new employees must learn to fit in. Embedded skills and shared meanings will be the fifth and sixth categories incorporated into this study. These are the necessary skills to do the job and how the employees have similar meanings for certain things. Finally, the basic assumptions will be the eighth category incorporated into the study of the organizational culture of Cingular Wireless. (Schein, 1992) Methodology: To discover how Cingular fits into Schein‟s categories of organizational culture a method f participant observation will be used including observing daily routines, employee interactions amongst themselves and customers, and participating as a member of the Cingular staff at a retail store location. This ethnographic approach is influenced by an article Esteban, Hirt and McGuire. The article incorporated Schein‟s model in a study on â€Å"The Work Life of Student Service Professionals at Rural Community Colleges. The article was helpful in the organization of this study as well as an example of different methods of conducting the study itself. (Esteban, 2003). Applying Schein‟s Model To Cingular Wireless-7 For this study, information from Cingular Wireless was collected including orientation information, employee handbooks, daily forms and corporate publications. In addition, the company owned retail store at Marley Station Mall in Glen Burnie, Maryland was extensively observed and studied. The store has a manager, three full-time employees, and one part-time employee that were interviewed as well. These methods are being used because they will provide a window for gaining insight into the culture of Cingular Wireless. These methods will reveal the way the organizational culture is shaped by the management, employees, and corporate headquarters. The methods are better than others in this situation because it will allow the study to examine a variety of aspects rather than only one or two. Participants: Jason Celani, 34, has been the manager of the Marley Station store since its opening in the fall of 2005. Celani was a former ATT employee and has been in the wireless industry for about 8 years. His job consists of scheduling staff, ordering products, conducting inventory checks, reporting to a regional manager, conducting weekly meetings, and attending training sessions. Jason loves technology and enjoys reading about new products in his spare time. (J. Celani, Personal Communication, 11/06/2006). Tracy Corcoran, 39, is a full-time employee that has been in the wireless industry for 6 years. Previously Corcoran was also an ATT employee. He is the senior sales representative at the Marley Station store and is not very interested in new technology. Tracy is hoping to get out of the wireless industry within the next few years. (T. Corcoran, Personal Communcation, 10/28/2006). Is a part-time college student that has been working at the Marley Station store since March 2006. She enjoys having the newest phone on the market and loves being able to get her email wherever she goes. She has no previous experience in the wireless industry. (L. Andes-Miller, Personal Communication, 10/27/2006). Chuck Payne is the newest full-time employee at the store. Payne is 20 years old and a former radio broadcaster for a gospel station in the Washington D.C. area. Payne has never worked in the wireless industry but also enjoys getting new phones when they come out. Payne began his employment in late July of 2006. (C. Payne, Personal Communication, 11/01/2006). Alejandro Quant is the only part-time employee observed and interviewed at the Marley Station store. Quant, 21, is a full-time student at the University of Maryland. Quant is valuable to the location because of previous job experience with T Mobile, another wireless provider and also because he is bilingual. He speaks both Spanish and English. (A. Quant, Personal Communication, 11/05/2006). The participants were all observed and interviewed and the way in which they interacted was noted. They were asked about likes and dislikes, daily operations, and if they saw a future within the company. This study was conducted at the Cingular Wireless at Marley Station by a parttime employee that has been with the company since June 2006. As an embedded observer internal access to the organizational culture of the Cingular store was gained. The research for this ethnography also benefited because as an employee the basic workings of the company was easily accessible, the other employees are not uncomfortable interacting with me, and access to internal documents and meetings was possible. The goals of this ethnography are to gain a better understanding of the basic assumptions of the organization. The representatives studied work long hours and they have a good grasp on the organizational culture of Cingular. To bracket avoid bias in this study observations and interviews were conducted off the clock. Time was spent observing the employees out on the sales floor and also via the security cameras located in the office. Also to avoid bias, interviews were conducted outside of the work environment at local restaurants. They were not conducted during or after scheduled shifts. Materials: A variety of materials and sources will be used to support this study. This will include orientation and training documents, internal employee handbooks, external documents, interviews with employees, and on site observations. Analysis of Data: To analyze the data collected in the study of Cingular Wireless at Marley Station Mall this portion will be organized according to eight of Schein‟s categories utilized for this study. They will be supported using internal and external documents, observations, and employee interviews. Artifacts: The Marley Station Cingular store had a plethora of easily observable artifacts. The most apparent was the colors and logo of Cingular all over the store. There was no furniture and a very linear floor pan. In general all of the staff members said that they disliked the floor plan because standing all day got tiring and it was hard to maneuver around the store when it got crowded because it was small and the counter‟s linear design made it impossible to get around each other. The colors of orange and blue were on most signs and popular slogans such as â€Å"raising the bar,† â€Å"roll over minutes,† and â€Å"All over network† were visible all over the store. The floor plan pushed what Cingular refers to as its advantages over other wireless carriers. Cingular shirts and name tags were the next most obvious artifact. All of the employees wear Cingular branded shirts and a name tag on the right hand side. Cingular has a contract with Lands End clothing company to customize what the company refers to as its â€Å"Team Colors.† (See Appendix A) Each employee is allowed $125 for their spring wardrobe and $175 for their fall and winter uniforms. Specific vocabulary and language is very obvious at the store. Celani often sends text-messages to all of his employees at the end of the business day and he refers to them collectively as â€Å"team.† When a representative has customers come in, they are referred to as an â€Å"opportunity,† and extras that can be added onto a calling plan are referred to as a â€Å"bolt-on† (J. Celani, Personal Communication, 11/01/2006). Cingular boasts that it has the largest product variety in the wireless industry. The store itself has a large amount of products on the wall which are referred to as „live.‟ This means that the phones are in working condition and the customers can try them out in the stores. â€Å"At de alers the phones on the walls are dummies, customers can‟t try them out† said Andes-Miller (L. Andes-Miller, Personal Communication, 10/27/2006). There is a large amount of documentation conducted at Cingular Wireless stores. Every morning a form titled â€Å"Non-Negotiable Standards† is filled out by employees. (See Appendix B) This is a check list of standards such as cleanliness, work attire, and merchandise that is to be completed before the store opens. â€Å"The non-negotiables are like getting a cup of coffee in the morning, we all are used to doing them,† said Corcoran (T.Corcoran, Personal Communication, (10/28/2006). Every time a representative makes a sale or adds on to a customers account they are also required to mark it on the â€Å"Daily Sales Record† sheet. (See Appendix C) Observed Behavioral Regularities: Cingular has what they refer to as a six step sales process. (See Appendix D) Each employee is introduced to this on their first day of new-hire training, which is a program that introduces new employees to the Cingular way of selling. According to this process each customer is to be greeted within 10 feet/10 seconds of entering the store. The representatives at the Marley Station store do this without thinking. Also included in this process is building value for the customer, offering solutions, asking for the sale, educating the customer, and thanking the customer. In addition to a set sales process each representative knows to sell what is referred to as â€Å"The Cingular Advantage.† (See Appendix D) All of the representatives are required to have skills on a computer system called Opus. This is the computer system which allows the representatives access, create, and change accounts. â€Å"Opus is much easier to use than past systems,† said veteran employee Corcoran, â€Å"It freezes but we all know how to deal with it. Each of us uses the same system and procedures every day to work on and verify accounts† (T. Corcoran, Personal Communication, 10/28/2006). Every employee realizes that they must attend a meeting every Friday morning before the store opens. At this meeting the floor plan is discussed, scheduling is worked out, and any other issues are brought up. The communication between the employees and the managers is very informal. Everyone has a chance to speak and the staff knows that once all business is completed they will go out to breakfast. It is very obvious that Cingular‟s first level of organizational culture, the artifacts, is prevalent through out the store. Employees have a common vocabulary specific to their work, they have uniforms, a system for selling and a store that advertises what the company is all about, being the best wireless provider. Espoused Values: The team at the Marley Station Cingular store is constantly striving to achieve goals which are advertised by the wireless company. While working with customers the sales representatives know that they need to promote the Cingular Advantages. The Cingular Advantages include the best technology, great value, best products and services, newest handsets, and the most convenient services. (See Appendix D) â€Å"Orientation and training pounds these ideas into our heads from the first day we have our jobs,† said Quant. â€Å"Cingular has high standards that we all must uphold† (A. Quant, Personal Communication, 11/05/2006). To ensure that the representatives uphold the values of the company Cingular sends out mystery shoppers to each store at least once a month to make sure that the representatives are selling in accordance to Cingular policy. The mystery shoppers have a checklist and grade the representatives. (See Appendix E) The company also makes what it values available to the general public. On its website Cingular lists its goals and core values, as well as their definitions and what the values mean to the company. (See Appendix F) Basic Assumptions: The basic assumptions and values of Cingular wireless are hard to observe as both an outsider and as an employee initially. After extensive observation, job experience, and interviews there are some basic assumptions that surface. The first is that the organization values employees that are „hungry.‟ If it is a slow day at the store employees print out flyers and distribute them to local business or make calls to customers asking how their service is going in hopes of adding onto their plans. These behaviors are highly praised by the manager of the store for being innovative and going above and beyond the job description. An example of this is employees distributing flyers outside of their scheduled hours for events such as â€Å"Friends and Family Day,† which gives customers extra discounts for coming in on designated dates. (See Appendix G) Unlike many full-time workers that have benefits the employees of the Marley Station store expect to work nights and weekends. If an employee begins to gripe about working these hours the other employees tend to remind them that that is just the way things are. Finally, all employees seem to understand that they are expendable by the company and do not question quotas, paperwork, or seemingly superfluous procedures that waste time and do not make sense. New employees tend to learn quickly the way are and solutions that have been turned into operational policies. All staff members know to let a customer know that not all phone numbers may be successfully transferred when they upgrade their phone but they will do their best. Very rarely are numbers unable to be transferred but employees know the steps necessary to cover themselves in case rare things actually happen. â€Å"I didn‟t understand half the stuff when I started working here, I thought that Friday morning meetings were stupid, and I did not want to be here at 9am on Saturdays. Now I just how things are, I didn‟t realize that those things were a part of Cingular‟s culture. I didn‟t even know Cingular had a culture, but I guess that makes sense,† said Payne (C. Payne, Personal Communication, 11/01/2006). Conclusion: This study tried to examine the organizational culture of Cingular Wireless in relation to Schein‟s model and his levels of artifacts, espoused values, and basic assumptions. The study would have been improved if there was an employee in the process of leaving the company that an exit interview could have been conducted on. This would have benefited the study because it would probably have uncovered some downfalls of the culture of Cingular. The next step and question in this study would have been to compare the employee experiences at the Marley Station Mall store to employees at a stand-alone store or at a kiosk to see if their experiences were any different. Finally, the implication of this study on later discussions of the corporation is that this study provides a solid base for a person trying to research this wireless provider in the Washington D.C./Baltimore market. References Cingular Wireless. (2006). About us- Cingular at a glance. Atlanta, GA: Retrieved on †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.November 8, 2006 from http://cingular.com/about/ Cingular Wireless. (Spring 2006). 2006 COR team colors program guide. Atlanta, GA. Cingular Wireless. (2005). Expectations: Selling the Cingular advantage. (Cingular †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦publication, CGL-PT-PG-050605). Atlanta, GA. Esteban, R., Hirt, J., McGuire, L.(2003). Editor’s choice: The worklife of student service †¦ professionals at rural community colleges [Electronic version]. Community College †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Review. Retrieved November 8, 2006 from †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0hcz/is_1_31/ai_107200755. Johnson, D. (2000) The Corporate Culture Survival Guide. (Review). In Journal of †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Leadership Studies, 7, p111. Retrieved November 8, 2006, from Academic Onefile †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦via Thompson Gale: http://find.galegroup.com/itx/infomark.do?contentSet=IAC.Documentstype=retrievetablD=T002prodld=AONEdcld+a65538125source. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦=galeusergroupname=aacc. Miller, K. (2006). Organizational communication: Approaches and processes (4th ed.) †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Belmont, Ca: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Schein, E. (1993). On Dialogue, culture, and organizational learn ing. (Special issue on †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦the Learning Organization). In Organizational Dynamics, 22, p40 (12). Retrieved †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.November 8, 2006, from via Thomson Gale: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.http://find.galegroup.com/itx/infomark.do?contentSet=IAC- Applying Schein‟s Model To Cingular Wireless-16 .Documentstype=retrievetablD=T002prodld=AONEdcld+a14606098source. =galeusergroupname=aacc Schein, E. (1990). Organizational Culture. American Psychologist, Vol. 45 (No.2), p. ,,,,,,,,,,111-113). Schein, E. (1992). Organizational culture and leadership (2nd ed.) San Francisco, Ca: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Josey-Bass Publishers.

Sociological Imagination vs. Common Sense Essay -- Sociology

Sociological Imagination vs. Common Sense This essay will aim to explain differences between the sociological imagination and common sense. What the sociological imagination and common sense are and how they are at work in our society today. Using the area of educational achievement I will bring into this essay examples through research and findings from sociologists such as; Pierre Bourdieu, Culture Capital (1977), Bernstein-(1961)speech patterns’ and Paul Willis (1977)learning to labour, and use these examples as evidence to show how these would explain educational achievement in relation to the sociological imagination and common sense assumptions. I shall begin this essay by discussing where the sociological imagination arose from and what this is in comparison to common sense. American sociologist C.Wright Mills (1959) published a sociological text called ‘The sociological Imagination (1959), C.Wright Mills wrote in his book about ‘the troubles of milieu’ the word milieu means (environment) this was looked at as being where an individual will find themselves in a situation that is of a personal social setting to them and therefore could indeed affect them personally and in some extent the situation be this persons making. Mills(1959), also wrote about public issues of social structure, referring to matters that go beyond the individual and look at society as a whole. How society is organised and how society works. This goes far beyond ‘the troubles of milieu, as it doesn’t look at the person and there individual experiences in society but looks at the wider social structure e.g social institutions†¦ education, religion, family, law and how they have developed and interact with each other examples of the differenc... ...ion, Sociology making sense of society, 4th ed, Harlow, Pearson Longman, pp. 604-605. Mills C.Wright (1959) The Sociological imagination , Harmondsworth, England, Oxford University Press. Office of National Statistics (2004), Education, Ethnicity and Identity, Available from: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=461 [accessed 28 September 2010], Cite as (office of National Statistics 28 September 2010) Pierre B (1961) Culture Capital Cited, Taylor P ; Richardson Jr John; Yeo, A, (1995), The class structure and educational attainment, Sociology in Focus, pp.297, Ormskirk, Causeway Press. Scanlan J Stephen; Guest-editor; Grauerjolz Liz (2009) 50 Years of C.Wright Mills and the Sociological Imagination, Teaching Sociology 37, (1), pp1-7 Willis Paul (1977) Learning to labour, Westmead, hants, England, Saxon House, Teakfield Limited.

Strategic Marketing Plan

Strategy Marketing Plan As Seen On Screen (ASOS) Table of Contents Executive Summary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3 Case Study†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦5 Statement of the Problem†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦5 Product Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 Communicating their Identity†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Competitor Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 Positioning Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 ASOS customer population by age groups†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦8 ASOS customer population by gender†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 8 Offer Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 8 Conceived Identity†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9 Ideal Identity†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 10 Public Relations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦11 Timing Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11 Desired Identity Expanding New Values for customers worldwide†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 12 Customer Care and service†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦12 Misaligned Identities: actual and desired†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 12 SWOT Analysis Strengths†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦13 Weaknesses†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 13 Opportunities†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 14 Threats†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦14 Recommendations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦14 Executive Summary ASOS is one of the most recognized online clothing store in the United Kingdom. It offers products that people often see worn by celebrities. As such, many people are encouraged to try out their items. In addition, the prices of their products are relatively lower compared to high street fashion. Because of these along with other factors, ASOS was able to grow. With the growth of ASOS over the years, it is important to ensure that it can be sustained. The fact that online shoppers and traditional shoppers differ in terms of concerns and behavior, it is critical for ASOS to study the purchasing behavior of their market segment to determine the kind of strategy that they need to ensure success now and in the future. This research focuses on the various aspects of online retailing in the hopes of investigating the purchasing behavior of ASOS customers and formulating recommendations on how to keep the profit margin of the company on increasing side. For the past 50 years, the retail industry has been under numerous changes. For example, the 1950’s saw downtowns as the center of retailing. People would often go downtown to avail the various products and services. These products and services included clothing, food, hardware supplies and banking services. A decade later, a group of retailers started offering their products and services in large departmental stores. The idea is to provide convenience to the shoppers. By creating a place were various retailers can offer their products and services, shoppers will no longer have to make several trips to different locations in order to purchase the things that they need. This means that retailers hoped to create a one-stop shop for their customers. As a result, big names such as Wal-Mart and K-Mart made big names in the retail industry. On the other hand, downtown or small scale and specialized retail outlets experienced a decline in the 1970s and 1980s. From the later part of 1980s to the early years of 1990s, a new kind of retailing came in being. Home TV shopping networks as well as warehouse clubs became very popular among consumers. If one-stop department stores aimed to provide convenience to their customers, home shopping networks brought the idea of convenience to a completely new level. Instead of encouraging customers to drive to their stores, retails brought the stores inside homes and purchasing the desired products is as easy as calling a toll free number. On the other hand, warehouse clubs offered customers the opportunity to buy products in bulk and at discounted prices. Costco and Sam’s Club are some of the warehouse clubs that earned success. The changes within the retail industry continued well into the late part of the 1990s. Along with the success of internet, retailers were quick to recognize the importance of surfing the web, also use of other internet applications was fast becoming incorporated in the lives of many people around world. For this reason existing retail shops and new genres of entrepreneurs have grown up and have decided to bring their stores online. The move to utilize the internet was a good decision in terms of marketing. Cable television took 25 years to reach approximately 10 million people, while computers took 7 years to do the same. However, the internet was able to manage that feat in just six months. This means that retail store will have more chances of exposure if they have their own website. Since the utilization of the internet for retailing purposes, many companies have been able to experience the benefits of bringing their businesses online. With this, a need was created to formulate strategies that focus on maximizing the potentials of internet. Nowadays, ecommerce, ebanking and other forms of ebusinesses are becoming a popular choice among the consumers and as such, it is also becoming a popular form of business for companies. Increase in sales are usually expected by companies when they launch an online store on host websites that offers their products and services. In the retailing industry, etailing is also fast becoming the choice of companies. One of the companies that concentrate in advancing their etailing endeavor is As Seen On Screen 0r ASOS. They offer clothing and other fashion related items that are similar to designer fashion worn by celebrities but at a lower price. They have a website where they post the products that they currently have. In addition, they show actual photos of celebrities wearing a similar item of clothing that are being sold on their site. Case Study Despite the degree of success that ASOS was able to achieve over the years of their operation, there are still problems that they need to resolve in order to ensure the survival of their business. This is the rationale behind this paper. This paper will be presenting the conditions that ASOS are operating in as well as the various aspects that they need to focus on in order to maintain   steady or increasing flow of profit. Statement of the Problem : The problem of ASOS is generally related to the problem faced by most online retailers: the online consumer buying behavior. Attracting consumers with the limited resources available on the internet is a big challenge to online retailers like ASOS. Knowing the online consumer behaviors will let the retailers and managers of these companies formulate and develop effective strategies that will help increase the popularity and sales of clothing online. According to a study of users who have bought products online, there are five main reasons why people shop through the Internet. These are convenience and ease of use; greater selection; better prices; easier comparison-shopping; and no sales pressure. On the other hand, there are also reasons why people are not attracted to making purchases online especially when it comes to clothing. The top four most frequently identified reasons why consumers are not purchasing online are ability to judge quality, security, privacy, and easier to purchase locally. Product Strategy The product line of ASOS is very well defined. The company knows exactly what they want to show in their website. As the former name of the company suggests, the product line of ASOS is composed of clothing articles as well as other fashion related items that have been seen on celebrity fashion icons or trendsetters. The company’s decision to extend their product line to include beauty products have paid dividends to the company. Since the products of the company focuses on products that must be appealing to the eye of the customers in order to be bought, visual merchandising is important in conveying the aesthetics of the products that they are being offered. Customers need to see that the clothing items that are being offered in the website were indeed â€Å"as seen on screen†. Like the conventional retail clothing outlets, ASOS does have a window to display their products. The pages of their website serve as the windows where their customers can see the products. Communicating their Identity. Being both in the fashion and retail industry, ASOS needs to be able to meet the requirements of both industries in order to succeed. In relation to the fashion industry, ASOS must ensure that the items they are offering are according to the season and also in sync to the latest styles. Another objective of ASOS is to provide a pleasant online shopping experience to their customer. It is important to associate shopping with being online. It is a fact that being physically involved in shopping brings about a different experience compared to shopping online. Competitor Analysis Competition is important since it affects the success of a business venture. Competition is about the company’s capability in positioning itself in the market so that they could stand out among the rest in the perception of the consumers. In the case of ASOS, they do not have any direct competitors when it comes to clothing associated with celebrities. However,it compete with   other clothing retailing stores such as Topshop. com and Figleaves. com. Positioning Strategy The target market segment of ASOS is as defined as their product line. They target people who are eighteen to thirty years of age and who are internet savvy. Based on the questionnaires prepared and used for this research, the biggest bulk of ASOS customers are eighteen to twenty-two years. This age group represents fifty-five percent of the total ASOS customers. It is followed by people who belong in the age brackets twenty-four to twenty-nine and thirty to thirty-five which are twenty percent of the ASOS customer population each. Lastly, people who are thirty-six to forty-two years old complete the population representation five percent of the total. ASOS customer population by age groups The result of the survey concluded that ASOS targeted the right age group for the products. This is the case since the survey revealed that eighteen to thirty year old customers are more open to buying the products that ASOS offers. Another reason for the bulk customers on the said age bracket can be attributed to the fact that people within this age group are more apt at using computers as well as navigating the internet. In addition, they are also the ones who are part of the corporate world where everything is fast-paced that they do not have the time to go down town and shop for the clothes and other fashion items. ASOS customer population by gender In relation to gender, eighty percent of ASOS shoppers are women, while only twenty percent are male. This may be the case since most of the items that are being offered online are for women. In addition, the marketing activity of ASOS focuses on disseminating information to more women than men. 500,000 emails are sent to females twice a week compared to 100,000 emails sent to males only once a week. Offer Strategy The success of ASOS is being owed to their ability to offer trendy clothes at significantly lower prices. However, there are still other actors that needs to be considered when discussing the success of ASOS as an online retail clothing store. Aside from the price of the products, the seasonability of the products being offered is also crucial. It is a fact that the fashion industry is always on its toes when it comes to innovation. Various collections come out on a regular basis depending on the season. There are winter and summer collec tions as well as spring and fall collections. Conceived Identity Corporate identity is a valuable management resource because it affects every aspect of corporate life. A company's image, reputation and management perception, the three components of corporate identity. Establishing a clear identity has become a difficult task due to the trend towards cross-border mergers, the growing importance of environmental concerns and the increasing similarities between products and services. In the current situation of ASOS, it affects it corporate reputation in the US. However, there are some strategies which can be done to build up the ASOS reputation and credibility. The brand of the company is important part of company. Marketing communication vehicles such as advertising, direct mail, public relations, trade shows, seminars, and collateral material play an important role in communicating brand. Thinking of these activities as brand conveyors is important to understand their role. Consistent with its objective to build up their reputation and credibility towards the customers, ASOS would develop a solid message platform that clearly and consistently communicates their product features and benefits in a way that incorporates its brand principle, personality, and associations. Secondly, ASOS would communicate with its customers by using third parties to send its messages and in order to establish credibility with all target audiences. Third parties include analysts, media, award givers, happy customers, and online newsgroups/list serves. Public Relations By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most favorable light. The earliest form of public relations and still the most widely practiced is publicity. The principal instrument of publicity is the press release, which provides the mass media with the write up material and news stories. The growth of modern public relations is generally attributed to the development of the mass media, which accelerated the spread of ideas and increased the importance of public opinion by giving more people access to current events. Timing Strategy The sales of ASOS increases significantly during the holiday season. This is the case because orders for products that will serve as gifts were in demand. In addition, a series of events take place during the holidays. Family reunions and countless parties are set to happen during this time of the year. This means that people will always be on the look out for clothes that they will be able to use during these events. However, it is also expected that during the holiday season discounts are in abundance. This means that consumers are also on the lookout for bargain deals. In the case of ASOS, they are able to meet the needs of their customers for ideal apparel at reasonable prices. As such, during the holiday season ASOS must be able to get the word going that they will be able to provide quality yet affordable apparels for the people. Desired Identity Expanding New Values for customers worldwide The ultimate goal of ASOS’s sales activities worldwide is to satisfy their customers so that they will continue to come back for more ASOS quality products. That's why they put full effort into their services, responding to changing values and increasingly sophisticated needs. They’re always working to improve the quality of customer relations providing friendly and attentive sales, responsive service support, thorough maintenance and repairs so customer satisfaction constantly grows. ASOS also continues to develop sales and service systems best suited to community eeds. Customer Care and Service Total Quality Management is incorporated into all the functions and processes of the organization. With this, it can be stated that customer relationship management programs are included in total quality management. The need to develop an effective total quality management is important due to various reasons. It is also the case that total quality management views customer sati sfaction in relation to customer retention and increase in the profits. These above points are considered by ASOS when they designed their website. They wanted to give their customers the kind of shopping experience that would lead them back to the website and make more purchases. Misaligned Identities: actual and desired Mismatched in actual and desired identity could be sited from the following example : ASOS is one of the leading retailers existing in the corporate world today. One of its leading features is etailing. Due to the far reaching grasps of the internet, etailing has flourished. However, ASOS has intended to further it influence in the retailing industry of the Far East by building a branch in one of Asia’s key and remote cities. But the fact remains that ASOS is primarily an etailing (relies much on the internet) corporation, and that many of the countries in the Far East do not have advanced computer and internet services as the rest of the world. ASOS presented a key solution to this problem, they would build a material retailing branch. But this would thoroughly conflict with their actual identity, which is etailing. SWOT Analysis Strengths The strength of ASOS is its utilization of the Internet. Through the Internet, it has formed a definite market segment that is composed of mainly Internet users. A firm that limits its attention to fewer market segments can better serve those segments than those firms that influence the entire market. Moreover, its core focus, which is apparel, as worn by celebrities at affordable price gives them a marketing edge for it to attracts customers right away. It also gives huge discounts and has broad category coverage. Weaknesses Online retailing in general is getting bad publicity nowadays such as poor delivery performance. Another weakness is that ASOS cannot guarantee specific product or brand presence. Internet selling is unlikely to be successful, as consumers like to try on clothes and see the quality of fabric and workmanship. One issue that ASOS needs to resolve immediately, is that since its launch until this day, they only offer clothing items up to size 12. This means ASOS is excluding a segment of the market that can offer them additional profit. This may also cause some customers to get turned off since this suggests that ASOS thinks only people upto size 12 bodies have the right to wear celebrity inspired apparel. Opportunities Ecommerce channels now represent 11% of the total UK retail business, and record numbers of products are being procured via the internet. People are attracted by low prices and convenience. In addition, they have integrated their everyday activities to technology and the Internet, including shopping. As the number of working women, who are ASOS core customers, continues to increase, they will not only need more clothes for work but are also more likely to be financially independent to purchase clothes. Threats Online clothing chains from overseas are successfully invading UK and at the same time, branded apparel such as Diesel, Guess and Zara are still popular among the market. Other purely online fashion etailers such as Yoox. co. uk, Brandalley. co. uk are also their main threats. Downturn in the economy could also cause buyers to cut back on overall spending. Recommendations Improvements for ASOS. com The ASOS website could be improved through a variety of ways that would benefit both the company and the consumer. For example if video and audio clips were added to some pages, this could increase the interest level for the browsing customer, which could result in increased sales figures. Customer services could be improved through the addition of a live chat service on the website, providing the opportunity for customers to interact with retail staff directly about any questions or concerns they may have about their shopping experience. ASOS can actually provide this kind of service if they outsource it to call centers in Asia for example. It will be cheaper to outsource it than to create an in-house call center. Other issues that would need to be addressed within the ASOS. com website include increased contact with staff, faster processing of refunds and returns and an increase in transparency which could be achieved through more comprehensive information on the company itself. Based on the survey conducted for this research, ASOS customers consider the style, price and quality respectively before buying at ASOS . This means that ASOS must be able to meet these demands of their customers if they want to ensure continued patronage from them.

Discretion in the Criminal Justice System

Making executive decisions in the criminal justice system is the underlying power of legal authority. Police, correctional officers, judges and so on hold the ability to make discretionary decisions based on the situation they are involved in. There are a variety of ways that authority use discretion but it may be different when involving different situations or even different people, i. e. , juveniles or adults. I strongly believe that the discretion used in today’s society is distributed in an appropriate manner.Shifting the amount of discretion within our justice system could be for better or worse, but why fix something that's not broken? Although most police officers use discretion, â€Å"Many police officers (and whole departments) prefer to focus on the justice aspects of police work: getting offenders off the streets, responding to emergencies, scoring big drug busts, and generally ‘catching the bad guys. ‘† (Fuller, J. R. Pg. 6. ) No matter how much discretion you give an officer, it's ultimately their choice to use it.Although it is common throughout the criminal justice system, some authoritative figures don’t use discretion in a way to guide punishments; they stay in accordance with established guidelines. In my opinion, depending on the severity of the crime discretion should or should not be used. For example, discretion should be used for a first time offender for speeding but should not be used for a first time offender of rape. â€Å"The police are typically the first contact that young victims and delinquents have with the juvenile justice system. As with adults, law enforcement serves as the gatekeeper to the justice system. † (Fuller, J.R. Pg 17. ) It is extremely important for a police officer to make the decision of introducing a juvenile to the justice system. The responsibility for authorities to use discretion is crucial for a juvenile's future. With adults, less discretion could be used because t hey have a greater sense of morals. In today's society I have personally seen adults expect leniency just because, for example, they have a police organization bumper sticker. Enforcing the law for adults who are habitual offenders is necessary to uphold order. One can only push society and the law so far; at some point you must face the consequences.As we talked about in class, the 3-strike rule is a fair method of deciding who should be held accountable. â€Å"Three major studies were commissioned to examine police practices in detail and to update the 1931 Wickersham commission report (National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement, 1971). These include the report of the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice (1967) entitled The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society (1967), a report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (1968), and a report of the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals ( 1973).Each of these commissions was a major undertaking by a large number of scholars and practitioners who focused on solving some of the problems in both policing and the criminal justice system as a whole. The commission reports include multiple proposals to tighten the controls over police discretion, including the use and abuse of force. † (Alpert, Dunham. Pg. 11. ) Whether for good or bad; laws shape citizen's views of beliefs, actions and character.Unfortunately not all systems of morality and discretion are used properly. Discretion should be used in moderation and to preserve order in society, not used in excessive amounts to threaten the law's purpose. In summary, I feel discretion is a necessity. With our overcrowded jails, police and judges need to use their training, insight and experience to keep the public safe from individuals that have no regard for the law. Bibliography * Alpert, Geoffrey P. ; Dunham, Roger G†¦Understanding Police Use of Force: Officers, Suspects, and Reciprocity. West Nyack, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press, 2004. p 11. * Hagan, F. (2011). Ch 1. Essentials of Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology (pp. 1-45). New York, New York: Prentice Hall, 3rd Edition. * Fuller, J. R. (2008). Juvenile Delinquency – Mainstream and Crosscurrents. New York, New York: Prentice Hall, 1st edition. * Owen, S. S. (2012). Foundations of criminal justice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Free Essays on Different Effects Of Education

Life is a struggle, sometimes you have to lose something in order to get something, but it’s always your choice to consider what you want or need the most. If education improves people’s life style and social environment, it also affects our lives in an undesirable way. I know education is essential in almost every aspect of our lives, but do we really want it to entirely take our place? That is, should we give priority to education only and put everything else behind? People see education from different aspects, but one thing about education that everyone agrees on is that it has done so much, socially and politically, for us. Considering all the improvements and differences that education has made, we are unable to see what it has done to us. Today we see education simply as academic success but that’s not all there is about education. Being yourself, valuing your culture and identity, and remaining in family are the key issues that we should consider when thin king of getting education. The more we are trying hard to achieve academic success, the more we are starting to grow apart from our love ones and it is changing everyone in certain way. According to Jimmy Santiago Baca in, â€Å"Working in The Dark,† â€Å"Only by action, by moving out into the world and confronting and challenging the obstacles, could one learn anything worth knowing.† Usually we have to go out in the world in order to get education and even face lots of problems, but don’t you think sometimes it becomes dilemma for us that we have to chose education over our family or family over education, because there are so few people who get education by not going to school. I am aware of the fact that not all the people have to suffer through these things because who doesn’t want to get education and still remain in culture and family? But it doesn’t always happen this way. Things change, people change. The way we live and where we live doe s affect us in some w... Free Essays on Different Effects Of Education Free Essays on Different Effects Of Education Life is a struggle, sometimes you have to lose something in order to get something, but it’s always your choice to consider what you want or need the most. If education improves people’s life style and social environment, it also affects our lives in an undesirable way. I know education is essential in almost every aspect of our lives, but do we really want it to entirely take our place? That is, should we give priority to education only and put everything else behind? People see education from different aspects, but one thing about education that everyone agrees on is that it has done so much, socially and politically, for us. Considering all the improvements and differences that education has made, we are unable to see what it has done to us. Today we see education simply as academic success but that’s not all there is about education. Being yourself, valuing your culture and identity, and remaining in family are the key issues that we should consider when thin king of getting education. The more we are trying hard to achieve academic success, the more we are starting to grow apart from our love ones and it is changing everyone in certain way. According to Jimmy Santiago Baca in, â€Å"Working in The Dark,† â€Å"Only by action, by moving out into the world and confronting and challenging the obstacles, could one learn anything worth knowing.† Usually we have to go out in the world in order to get education and even face lots of problems, but don’t you think sometimes it becomes dilemma for us that we have to chose education over our family or family over education, because there are so few people who get education by not going to school. I am aware of the fact that not all the people have to suffer through these things because who doesn’t want to get education and still remain in culture and family? But it doesn’t always happen this way. Things change, people change. The way we live and where we live doe s affect us in some w...