Strategic Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic Planning - Essay Example A careful analysis of an organizations Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) helps in assessing the performance of current strategies, developing new ones to overcome the weaknesses, integrate new decisions to avoid threats and strategic decisions made to avail the opportunities. Strategic planning is the process whereby, organizations put the strategies and ideas developed by strategic thinking into action. Strategic thinking supports strategic planning which result in strategic decision making of an organization. Strategic thinking is not merely an imaginative approach of thinking and analyzing situations which may arise as a result of a particular step, investment or change in the organization. Strategic thinking involves a goal oriented approach which is supported by critical analysis of the forces which surround the results of a particular decision and the ability to develop responses to those forces. Hence, strategic thinking is the first process of implementi ng strategic management concepts. Strategic planning is the process whereby, organizations struggle in order to integrate the strategies developed by strategic thinking. Strategic planning is the struggle to practically apply concepts and ideas developed through strategic thinking in the business and assess the predictable future of the changes or strategies introduced. In order to implement the planned strategies, strategic leadership provides a vision and direction to successfully achieve the aims of an organization. Strategic leaders are responsible to direct the workforce with appropriate instructions, guidance and directions to achieve the goals which are developed through strategic planning process. (3)Present the Mozilla/Firefox SWOT analysis clearly, using a bullet, list, or tabular format with categorical headings, providing a clear delineation of individual items. Strengths: Open-source community Faster in opening web pages Ability to resist hackers and viruses High-tech w ith many new technologies embedded such as the tabbed browsing system, the download manager attachment, etc. Command over 15% market share for browsers Open nature for discussion within the organization. Weaknesses: Revenues are dependent on Google (contractual basis) Highly dependent on external volunteers/developers The high dependence on external volunteer/developers may not be useful or highly innovative and may waste time of the organsation to pursue such ideas. The company being a non-profit organization waits for voluntary investors, this may lead to untimely funding which may not be useful as the funds would not be available at times when the actual research/design is actually carried. Opportunities: Building a network of volunteers that would help in the provision of technical support through telephone, email, etc. Further innovation through technological advancement. Threats: High innovation requirements due to competition The company’s inability to cope with techno logical advancement at any point in time would lead other competitors to take over. Lack of confidentiality issues. The success of Internet Explorer 7 or any other web browser. (Freedman, 2007) (4) Indicate the implications of your analysis for planning and implementation, including recommendations that seem to follow your analysis. Strategic management requires a three part structure for thinking about strategy: Strategic position, strategic choices and finally implementation of those strategies

Confidence and Arrogance Essay Example for Free

Confidence and Arrogance Essay â€Å"Life for both sexes — and I looked at them, shouldering their way along the pavement — is arduous, difficult, a perpetual struggle. It calls for gigantic courage and strength. More than anything, perhaps, creatures of illusion as we are, it calls for confidence in oneself. Without self-confidence we are as babes in the cradle. â€Å" - Virginia Wolf, A room of one’s own, chapter 2 (1929). I was going through the writing of Virginia wolf last night and I realized how practically relevant these phrases are. I engrossed myself into my abilities and the struggle I do everyday to push myself towards the invisible boundaries. This is something make me explore more on my own way. I am determined not to look through books or dictionaries which can only define these words but I am feeling an urge to define from my surrounding. Within my experiences what are those mental-images and facts that I can link to confidence and arrogance. From corporate world to academics, we encountered various situations and people around them responded to these in a variety of different ways. I believe we would be able to develop a marathon debate on this topic. It would be better to cut the long story into short. One of those controversial misunderstanding, I would love to introduce here. The famous astronomer and philosopher Galileo was often considered as arrogant while he was opposing Pope and geocentric ideas. The arrogant ideas of him put him into the daylight and the truth came out of superstitions that already had been embedded on people’s minds. If we look around we would be able to spot so many examples of how arrogance and confidence are often misunderstood. Someone said earlier that confidence is arrogance under control. But distinct characteristics can be differentiated within these two separate categories of people. Confident persons dwell within a sea of tranquility. They are aware of their limitations and strengths. They deal with the situation seizing an immense positivity and work hard enough to produce result. These types of people can be easy to cooperate with. Confident guys would not be baffled by criticisms and what other people think about them. Arrogant are those who are having overbearing pride and belief in him. They treat others as inferiors and often people get annoyed by these activities. They can only value themselves by putting others down. I think confessing truth or mistake is a significant sign of confidence. But arrogance people most likely to hide their own mistake and they will accuse others for any blunders. We as a human being more civilized than any other life forms. Our superior intelligence is not only giving us freedom to make a comfortable world for us but also to become more responsible than before. Confidence and arrogance of human civilization can be used as a positive and fruitful way for a more harmonized world.

Computer Networking

Computer Networking 1. Data Link Layer Protocols always put CRC in there trailer rather than in the header. Why? Ans. The CRC is computed during transmission and appended to the output stream as soon as the last bit goes out onto the wire. But If we put CRC in the header, before transmitting it is necessary to compute CRC bits and then add it. This approach will result in handling of each byte twice once for check summing and once for transmitting. While addition of CRC in trailer results is the easy way and less effort. Thats the reason why we add CRC at the trailer part of the frame. 2. Slotted aloha is a improved version on aloha protocol. On what factors the improvement is implemented in slotted aloha. Ans. In case of slotted ALOHA concept of time slot has been introduced. During the transmission we make use of this time slot to send a frame. A frame will be send only at the beginning of the time slot. As a result of this method the chances of collision decreases considerably. Vulnerable time in case of slotted ALOHA is also less than the vulnerable time in pure aloha. Or in other words we can say that the vulnerable time is just half in the slotted ALOHA as compared to that of ALOHA. As the probability of collisions has been decreased this results in the increased efficiency of the transmission. 3.When bit stuffing is used, is it possible for loss, insertion or modification of a single bit to cause an error not detected by checksum? If not why not? If so how? Does checksum play a role there? Ans. Yes. There is a possibility of modification a single bit which will result in an error. But this error can easily be detected by the checksum error detection method. This is so because checksum is the sum of the data elements to be transmitted. If a bit in frame get modified then it will result in the change of sum of the data elements. Which in turn will change the checksum. And if the chechsum dose not match at both the sides then error will be detected by the receiver. Also there is chance of loss of a bits. Lets suppose if there change occurs in the bit which was stuffed in the data part means stuffed 0 bit becomes 1. in this case receiver will take it as flag and conseder it as the end of the frame which will finally result in the loss of some data bits. This loss of data bits can easily be detected by the checksum method. As due to the loss of data bits the sum will change and it will result in change in checksum number. And the error will be detected easily. Insertion of a bit is not possible because flags are used to indicate the start and end of a frame. And also the size of the frame is fixed. So we can not add one extra bit to the frame. 4. Give two reasons why network might use an error correcting code instead of error detection and retransmission? Ans. Sending data with error correcting code and detecting error then ask for retransmission of data are two different methods used for data transmission. The 1st option have some advantages over the 2nd one. 1> Fast transmission of data takes place. If any frame is received with error then receiver can regenerate the correct frame using the error control information. While in 2nd case receiver will 1st send request for retransmission of that particular frame then sender will again send that frame, which is a very time consuming process. 2> Efficiency of transmission increases. If we use 1st option then the whole bandwidth of the channel will be used to send the data only in one direction which will automatically increases the data transmission efficiency. While in case of 2nd option bandwidth of the channel is divided in two parts which results in loss of efficiency. 5. Wireless transmission and wired transmission use different set of multiple channel allocation strategies. Why there was a need of avoidance when detection was already available? Ans. In case of wired transmission we use wires for the transmission. If data have to send over a small distance it is easily transferred but if data is to be send over a long distance then we makes use of repeaters. Because of the repeaters the energy of the frames are maintained. So if any collision occurs in wired connection then it is easy to recover the data. While in case of wireless transmission data travels through the air which results in loss of energy of the packets. During transmission energy of the data packets decreases. So if collision occurs then the packets destroy easily and completely. So we need to avoid collisions in case of wireless transmission. 6. Blue tooth supports two types of links between a slave and master .What are they and why is each one used for? Ans. There are two types of link that can be created between a primary ( Master ) and a secondary ( Slave ) stations. 1> SCO, Synchronous connection oriented. This connection is used when it is more important to deliver data in time ( to avoid latency) than integrity ( i. e. error-free delivery ). The basic units of connection is two slots, one for each direction. At regular intervals specific slots are reserved for primary and secondary stations to establish the connection. If any error occurs ( such as packet lost) then it is never retransmitted. This type of connection is used in real-time applications. 2> ACL, Asynchronous connectionless link. This type of connection is used when data integrity is more important than avoiding delay in data delivery. If any error occurs, then the damaged frame is retransmited. The number of slots are not fixed for ACL, it can use one, two or more number of slots. After the arrival of the data frame secondary station sends ACL frame if and only if the previous slot has been addressed to it. 7. Using 5-bit sequence numbers, what is the maximum size of the send and receive windows for each of the following protocols? a. Stop-and-Wait ARQ Ans. In this protocol sequence number is based on modulo-2 arithmeetic. Send window Size :- 1 ( always ) Receive Window Size :- 1 ( always ) b. Go-Back-N ARQ Ans. Send window size :- 32 ( frames numbering from 0 to 31 ) receive window size:- 1 ( always ) c. Selective-Repeat ARQ Ans. In this protocol the size of send window is equal to receive window. Send Window size :- 16 Receive Window size :- 16 8. If an Ethernet destination address is 07:01:02:03:04:05, what is the type of the address (unicast, multicast, or broadcast)? Ans. A source address is always a unicast address as frame comes only from one station. Now destination address can be unicast, multicast or broadcast. To identify a address wheather it is a unicast or a multicast we conseder least significant bit of the 1st byte. If this bit is 0 then address is Unicast. If this bit is 1 then address is Multicast. While broadcast address is a special case of the multicast address. If all the bits in the this 6 byte address are 1 then its a broadcast address.

The Life and Poetry of W.B. Yeats Essay -- Poets, biography, Biographi

William Butler Yeats was born on the 13th of June in 1865, in Sandymount, Country Dublin, Ireland. His family was extremely artistic. His father, John Butler Yeats, studied art at Heatherley’s Art School in London, his brother Jack became a well-renowned painter, and his sisters Elizabeth and Susan became involved in the Arts and Crafts movement, which was the use of handmade objects and boycotting mechanical objects. Yeats grew up as a member of the former Protestant Ascendancy, where the changes in Ireland directly disadvantaged him because of his heritage. During his childhood, he experienced political power shifting away from the Protestant Ascendancy, which had a major influence on his poems later on in his life. At the age of two, his family moved to England for his father to study art and become an artist. At first, he and his siblings were taught at home, where his mother entertained them with stories and folktales from Ireland. His father gave an education of only geography and chemistry and took William to natural history explorations. On 26 January 1877, William Yeats entered the Godolphin primary school in Hammersmith where he would learn for four years, before his family moved back to Dublin. In 1881, Yeats continued his education at Erasmus Smith High School in Dublin, near his father’s studio. Yeats spent most of his time there, meeting the city’s artists and writers. It was during this time when he started to write poetry. During the years of 1884 and 1886, Yeats attended the Metropolitan School of Art, when in 1885 his poetry works and essay of â€Å"The Poetry of Sir Samuel Ferguson† were published in the Dublin University Review. Others of his works from this time include a play about a bishop, a monk and a woman ... ...ows of the indignant desert birds. The darkness drops again; but now I know That twenty centuries of stony sleep Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born? The poem begins with a description of multiple disastrous situations: the falcon, a metaphor for a person, cannot hear the falconer, God, which means that people cannot hear what God is saying, and that chaos and anarchy will uphold the government. The Second Coming is when Jesus or any other religious figure comes back to the world, and something major happens that changes the current way of life. In this case, a vision of a sphinx comes out of Spiritus Mundi (Spirit of the World) and goes towards Bethlehem, possibly saying that the Anti-Christ will return and spread the disastrous happenings throughout the world.

Health and Child Care Practitioner Essay

Keeping children healthy and safe is very important. To ensure children’s health, safety and wellbeing every home nations has sets of standards or welfare requirements which settings must meet. The standards vary from country to country, but they all exists in order to protect children. Child care practitioner need to be familiar with minimum Welfare requirements, Safeguarding children, Promoting welfare, Suitable people, Organisation, Premises, Environments, Equipment, Documentation . Section 1 –Quality of Care. Standard 1 – Safeguarding and child protection. The safeguarding of children is best promoted through: The regular review of policies and procedures, Access to approved training for all staff on safeguarding issues on a regular three-yearly basis , If all children are resting/sleeping on mats or low beds, it is acceptable that the staffing arrangements as per required ratios, do not have to be med but a minimum of two staff must remain with the group of children. It is also important in settings that providing group-based care that a member of staff have a designed responsibility for Safeguarding and child protection. Standard 4 – Health & Safety in the Setting. The section requires settings to ensure the relevant regulations and guidance are meet, registrations with their local Environmental Health Service and compliance with their guidance, reference is made to staff/child-minders being ‘’under the influence of any substance’’, this relates to alcohol or drugs, also reference is made in the Minimum Standards to valid fire-safety risk assessment , the risk assessment should be regularly reviewed and updated in line with Northern Ireland Fire Rescue Service Guidance. Facilities that have been registered for some years may hold a Fire Safety Certificate. Standard 5- Food and Drink. The social value of children eating is recognised. Whilst it is beneficial to have a separate dining room in a full day care settings, all settings are required to register with their local Environmental Health Service and comply with all guidance issued. Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate it should noted, the standards identifies the need for all setings to provide food and drinks for the four main food groups, for sessional care playgroups, creches and after school settings, it is acknowledged that they are not required to provide non-dairy sources of protein like meat, fish, eggs, beans Section 2- Quality of Staffing, Management &Leadership. Standard 11- Organisation of the Setting. In terms of addressing the requirements of this Standard, the following issues should be addressed: Staffing ratio, Absence of person in charge, Lead Time for applications for Managers in post, Existing Staff with qualifications, Existing Staff without qualifications, New staff without qualifications, Babies and toddlers, School aged children, Students in placement, Volunteers, Daily Registrations, Minimum number of staff available, Excursions school pick-ups, child-minders Mandatory Training , Arrangements for Emergencies, Child-minders with an assistant. Standard 12- Suitable Person. The term substantial access therefore does not refer to these employed to care for children in a child minding or day care setting, but anyone who has access to the children throughout the period of time in which care is provided and the register person. Vetting does not only refer to criminal record checks but includes medical references, employment and personal references and Social Services checks. Vetting will be carried out in line with the Regional Vetting Procedure. Section 3- Quality of Physical Environment. Standard 13- Equipment provided by all settings will be furniture, play equipment, must be sufficient and suitable for all ages. High chairs must have point harness, all outdoor play equipment must be safety secured in terms of safety, appropriate insurance cover must be held, it is also important that staff have access to comfortable seating which allow them to feed a bottle to or nurse an infant. . Section 4 –Ability of Monitoring and Evaluation Standard 15 Documentation. As all records, including those pertaining to children and staff, are accessible to the Trust’s Registration and Inspection staff, The reference to article 126 of the Children(NI) 1995 relates to the requirement to keep record of the name of: any child looked after on the register premises, any person who assist in looking after a child, any person who lives, or is likely at any time to be leaving , also providers should be aware that accidents may need to be reported to the Health and Safety Executive like work related, serious injuries, to staff or children , work related diseases , over three day injuries. Section 5- Policies and procedures. Trusts in their regulatory capacity, will wish to be satisfied that providers have the range of policies and procedures as outlined in this section, it is important that all policies and procedures including risk assessment are reviewed an annual basis . List of Policies as outlined in the Minimum Standards: Absence of the Manager, Accidents, Additional Needs, Complaints, Confidentiality, Consent, Data Protection, Equality, First aid, Infection prevention and control, Managing Emergences, Menu Planning, Mobile phones, Parents access to record, Participations, Provision for Food and drink , Security on the setting, Smoking. 1. 2 Explain the lines of reporting and responsibility within the work setting. When we are working with children it is important to understand the lines of reporting and responsibility. In some small settings the lines of reporting may be quite simple but, in a large setting certain member of the staff may be responsible for different areas. In my setting if in case of any accident, incident, illness or any other emergency I have to report to my teacher and then to others responsible, my setting also have Health and Safety officer, fire officer, child protection officer, safe guarding officer and a full qualified first aid for every stage. When an accident/ incident occurs at the setting we record it in our incident/ accident book which is kept in the office filing cabinet. .Some illnesses must be reported to the local health authority such like tuberculosis, mumps, meningitis. In my setting we have our emergency procedures displayed in every classroom, and the reception aria so all the staff, students or volunteers they will know where to report in case of any emergency. Legislation of Health and safety NI at work of order 1978 Employee responsibilities: Comply with health and safety policy and procedures, keep the safe working practise and use any or all safety equipment that is provided. Take care of yourself and the safety of others who may be affected by your actions. Employer responsibilities: Making the workplace safe and eliminate health risks is one of the many, providing adequate welfare facilities, ensure health and safety in work place ,provide training ,safety equipments ,understand the importance of regular risk assessment. 3. 1 Explain how to promote children’s health and well-being in a an early years work setting Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of diseases or infirmity. Health can be thought of a bit like a jigsaw puzzle as there are various components that need to come together in order to maintain good health and well-being both for children and adults. If one part is missing health is affected. Some of the components of health are : Nutrition, Health care, Hygiene, Play opportunities, Rest and sleep, Safe guarding and protection, Positive experience, Love and attention, Fresh air and lights, Diet, Physical activities, Medical care. Rest and sleep is an essential requirement for good health and development. Sleep appears to have many vital functions required to support a healthy immune system: aids the regulation of hormones and the processing of information by the brain. If a child is not sleeping enough this can have negative impact on the child health such as: Growth, Memory and learning, Illness, Behaviour and impulsivity. The sleep amount hours will vary, depends on the child age for example a child between 1-3 years may need to sleep between 12- 14 hours per day, also children in this age they need to nap in the afternoon , we have to make sure that the nap is not to long so the children can sleep during the night, another issue about sleeping is the safety , by making sure that there are no objects that my suffocate children, also the cot have to be comfortable, worm and clean , the rom temperature should be 18-21 not too cold, not too worm . Personal Hygiene is very important for everyone but especially for young children because good hygiene prevent possible infection, children need to be kept clean but also the environment they are living in, By teaching children how to wash hands correctly, how to brush their teeth or hair we can help young children understand the importance of a good hygiene. We can teach children how to maintain a god personal hygiene by playing games, through different activities such as painting or through singing/ puppet show but also through good role model. Immunisation is the use of vaccines to give immunity for a specific diseases, the vaccinations prevent children from getting ill but also some of the diseases can be contagious for other children and also for the staff . Love and attention is about children’s emotional well- being and is linked to their health. Babies and children can become depressed if they are not given sufficient attention. The attention the babies and young children will receive is from their parents but also from the childcare practitioner, this mean that children must have a key person who can establish a special relation with them so they feel loved and protected. Diet what children eat and drink has a pivotal effect on their health. The term balanced diet is often used in connection with the healthy eating. A balanced diet is one in which there are sufficient nutrients in right quantities for children and adults. The child care practitioner can promote a healthy diet by teaching children about healthy foods, the importance of healthy food. As an child care practitioner working with the early years I am in the unique position to influence the lives of the young children by promoting healthy living in the setting I work. I have to help children understand the importance of the healthy lifestyle 5. 1 Identify balanced meals and drinks for children in their early years, following current government guidance on nutritional needs. Just like adults young children need energy ( calories) from food and nutrients such as protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals, to make sure their bodies work properly and can repair themselves. At this age children grow very quickly and are usually very active, so they need plenty of calories and nutrients. A healthy and varied diet should provide all nutrients the child need. A well balanced diet is who will have: Milk and dairy foods, meat, fish, beans, and lentils , bread and other cereals such as rice , pasta , potatoes, breakfast cereals, fruit and vegetables, fruit juices and water.

Kingsford Charcoal Essays

Kingsford Charcoal Essays Kingsford Charcoal Paper Kingsford Charcoal Paper Brand managers Marcilie Smith Boyle (HBS MBA Class of 1996) and Allison Warren were getting together for their weekly Kingsford Charcoal (Kingsford) debriefing meeting in February 2001 at Cloroxs corporate offices in Oakland, CA. As the job-sharing brand managers for the $350 million charcoal business, Smith Boyle and Warren had a lot to discuss during their Wednesday overlap day. Both women were assigned to the brand in July 2000, just as it became apparent that the summer results were going to come in below forecast. Since the 1980s, Kingsford had continued to enjoy steady, moderate growth of 1-3 percent in revenues each year. During this time, the charcoal category as a whole had been growing as well. However the summer of 2000 represented the first softening in the overall charcoal category in several years, and Smith Boyle and Warren were tasked with determining the causes and coming up with recommendations. As the team analyzed various trends relating to competition, pricing, advertising, promotion, and production, Smith Boyle and Warren were faced with a series of critical strategic decisions that would impact the future trajectory of the Kingsford brand. Kingsford had not raised prices in several years, nor had it advertised in any significant way since 1998- options that now required consideration. With Kingsfords long track record of being heavily driven by sales and merchandising activities, Smith Boyle and Warren wondered whether there was an opportunity to balance this effort and invest more in rekindling consumer interest in charcoal grilling( ). They realized that this initiative could significantly impact the brand image and the advertising message. There were also some production issues looming( ) in the horizon- if Clorox did invest in building( ) the Kingsford business, would the existing capacity be adequate? Smith Boyle and Warren were scheduled to meet with their marketing director, Derek Gordon, the following week and they were eager to get his feedback on their recommendations before Kingsfords annual business review later in the month. GRILLING IN AMERICA People cook over an open flame the world around but Americans do it more often and better Grilling is the essential American culinary art, ( ) a glorious birthright( ) celebrated everyday from coast to coast. Its a passion, a party, a way to cook that wont let you call it a chore( ). Its about playing with fire under an open sky, wielding a mean spatula ( ) in one hand, a cool drink in the other. Most of all its a surefire means ( ) to get yourself from here to a decent ( ) meal having loads of fun. Make that a great meal. - Excerpt from the front flap of Born to Grill:An American Celebration (1998) by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison By the late 1990s, three out of four U. S. households owned a barbecue grill which over 80 percent of grill ownership being among younger, larger, higher-income families. The total number of barbecue events In the United States had gone up from 1. billion in 1987 to 2. 7 billion in 1995 and over3 billion In 2000. Just over half of grill owners were heavy/medium users but they did the vast majority of the barbecuing (more than 85 percent of all occasions). Over 60 percent of barbecuers were men and the most popular occasions cited for grilling were: July 4, Labor Day, Memorial Day, ( ) and special occasions such as tailgating ( , â€Å" †). Common reasons for a barbecuing included great flavor, desire to be outdoors, hanging out with family and friends, change of pace, easy clean-up, and informality. Although barbecuers had greatly expanded their cookout repertoire (all the things that a person is able to do) over time, the foods that typically topped the â€Å"cooked frequently† list had not changed much. The most popular foods for the grill included hamburgers, steak, hot dogs, chicken breasts, pork chops, ribs, and sausages. Roasted potatoes, steamed vegetables, and marinated vegetables ( ) were the side dishes grilled most frequently. Charcoal and gas grilling were the two most commonly used grilling methods. Although charcoal grilling took longer to set up and cook, most die-hard rillers preferred charcoal grilling over gas grilling for its hands-on experience and the flavor imparted to the food ( ). Gas grilling, on the other hand, was preferred by those that were looking for convenience, greater control over cooking temperature, short cooking times, and ease of dean-up. CLOROX COMPANY HISTORY The Clorox Company (Clorox) was founded in 1913 as The Electro-Alkaline Co mpany. Its first product was industrial strength liquid bleach made from a combination of chlorine and sodium hydroxide. The bleach was originally made in Oakland, California, and sold in the Bay Area. In 1922, the company changed its name to the Clorox Chemical Company, and soon expanded its distribution to the rest of the United States. By 1957, Clorox was the leading producer of bleach in the United States and it changed its name to The Clorox Company. Procter Gamble( ) was attracted to Cloroxs category leadership and offered to buy the company in 1957. Although the sale was completed, the U. S. Federal Trade Commission challenged ( ) the acquisition on the grounds that the combined company could create a monopoly in household liquid bleach. Alter ten years of litigation, the U. S. Supreme Court forced PG to divest ( ) Clorox, and in 1969, Clorox became an autonomous company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. After obtaining its independence, Clorox pursued an aggressive growth strategy ( ) driven by acquisition and internal research and development. By 2000, the company had over 50 products that were marketed to consumers around the world. As of June 30, 2000, Clorox had annual sales of $4. 1 billion and net earnings of $394 million. For reporting purposes, the company split its results into three major categories: U. S. Household Products and Canada (40 percent of sales), U. S. Specialty Products (45 percent of sates) and International (15 percent of sales). (See Exhibit 1 for Clorox company financials. ) In addition to Clorox Bleach, household products included Glad, water filters (Brita), and cleaning products such as Formula 409, Pine Sot, Soft Scrub, liquid Plumr, Tilex, and Ready Mop. Specialty products consisted of cat litter (Fresh Step, Scoop Away); auto care (Armor All, STP); charcoal and lighter fluid (Kingsford, MatchLight); and dressings and sauces (Hidden Valley, ICC Masterpiece). Nearly all of Cloroxs products were among the leaders in their respective categories. Each product group was managed by a brand team that typically consisted of a brand manager and several associate brand managers. The brand organization was generally responsible for setting the business strategy understanding the consumer, developing advertising, creating short-term forecasts and helping with sales promotions. As a result, the brand team had to work closely with other functions, particularly sales, product supply and finance. Gordon explained, One of the key functions of the brand team is to understand the consumer and apply that learning. Clorox sold the majority of its products to grocery retailers and distributors, worldwide military installations, mass merchandisers, warehouse clubs and drug, discount, hardware, and variety stores. The company relied on its own sales force as well as a combination of brokers/distributors. Clorox also sold products to professional/institutional customers through a network of brokers and manufacturer reps. As of June 2000, Clorox had approximately 11,000 employees worldwide. KINGSFORD CHARCOAL Kingsford represented one of the largest product groups within Cloroxs portfolio. In 2000, charcoal represented approximately 9 percent of Cloroxs revenues, and a substantially higher percentage of its net income. The business was started in the 1920s when Henry Ford developed a process for turning wood scraps ( ) into charcoal briquettes ( ) that burned longer and hotter than regular wood. E. G. Kingsford, a lumberman ( ) and relative of Fords, helped build the first briquette plant and commercialized the business. The plant was later bought by an investment group and then purchased by Clorox in 1973. Product and Pricing Kingsford Charcoal was manufactured from wood, minerals, limestone, starch, borax, sodium nitrate, and sawdust ( , , , , , , ) in a two-part procedure. The process began with transforming waste wood (e. g. , scrap from furniture plants) into wood char ( ) in a $15-$20 million retort ( ) facility that heated wood in an oxygen-controlled atmosphere. The wood char was then combined with the other ingredients in a $20-$30 million facility that converted the materials into pillow shaped briquettes. As of June 2000, Kingsford had five plants in the U. S. each of which housed both parts of the operation. Some of the charcoal briquettes were packaged as-is in blue bags and sold as Kingsford Charcoal (regular or blue bag), while others were treated with Kingsford lighter fluid and sold as Kingsford Match light in red bags (â€Å"instant or red bad†). The bulk of the volume for both types was sold in three sizes: 10-pound, 20-pound and 48-pound bags) regular, and 8-pound, 15-pound, and 30-pound (two 1 5 pound bags) for instant. The largest size was typically available only in club stores such as Costco and Sams Club, while food stores (e. . , supermarkets), mass merchandisers (e. g. , Target, K-Mart), and drugstores (e. g. , Walgreens), and Wal-Mart carried a mix of the other size. In 2000, food stores accounted for 66 percent of total charcoal sales; mass merchandisers and Wal-Mart for just over 15 percent; drug stores for 2 percent; and club stores and other non-tracked channels accounted for the remaining 16 percent. Regular charcoal represented approximately 75 percent of total shipments, with the 20-pound size of sales comprising approximately 60 percent of sales. Pricing varied based on the product and the size. In January2001, the average price to consumers for the regular 10-pound bag was $4. 25 and the regular 20-pound bag was $6. 78. The average consumer prices for the instant bags were $5. 20 for the 8-pound and $8. 07 for the 1 5-pound bag. In most channels, Kingsford competed with Royal Oak and private label brands. The private label brands typically sold at a 25-30 percent discount to Kingsford with Royal Oak being typically priced between the two. Virtually all of the private label products were manufactured and distributed by Royal Oak. Key Success Drivers Kingsfords business was seasonal, with nearly 60 percent of consumer purchases occurring between May 1 and September 1. (See Exhibit 2 on page 674 for 2000 sales by week. ) The Memorial Day and July 4th holiday weekends represented 35 percent of Kingsfords annual sales, fueled in large part by store-based promotions organized by the Kingsford team. Smile Boyle explained, Our sales team makes a big impact with retailers to ensure that there always are at least 7,500 pounds on the floor during the primary grilling months. Summer holidays are particularly important and Kingsford often contributes trade money to help reduce prices for our products during those key weekends. The Clorox sales team had years of experience in working with key accounts and many of the senior sales executives at the company such as Grant LaMontagne, Vice- President of Sales, had sold charcoal earlier in their careers. LaMontagne believed that Clorox really understood the category. He explained: Our success in the charcoal category is discipline†. This has led to a constancy of marketing and sales actions over time, and a consistency in the message communicated within our own sales and marketing organization, to the channel, and to the end consumer. I have found that successful brands can get derailed over time when the firm begins to tinker with the brand. In their effort to grow the business, it is common for marketers to change the brand image as they go after new market segments. Over time, such actions create enormous confusion within the firm and in the marketplace. The net result is that the various sales and marketing efforts begin to operate at odds with one another. When Warren took over the brand manager position in July 2000, she recalled hearing from the sales team at least five times in her first week: With Kingsford, the key is â€Å"display†- you need to pile it high and watch it fly- Display drives sales since over a third of charcoal purchases are impulse purchases. When the weather is good, shoppers bump into charcoal displays in the store and think, Today would be a great day to barbeque? Our job is to make the charcoal visible and let the weather do the work. In terms of product quality, Kingsfords lab tests showed that its product was superior to Royal Oak and the private label brands. Consumer studies also showed that Kingsford was perceived as a better product with approximately 60 percent of surveyed consumers indicating that Kingsford is a high quality brand, relative to 13 percent for private label. KINGSFORD BUSINESS IN 1999- 2000 When Smith Boyle and Warren started with the group, Gordon had warned the two brand managers that it would be difficult to achieve the forecasts created earlier in the year, as business was starting off at a slower pace. Warren recalled: Derek said to me on my first day with the brand, Welcome to Kingsford. Based on how July 4th is shaping up, you are already in the hole and there is no additional money to spend. Kingsford didnt do as well as we had hoped in fiscal 2000 [ending June 30], and we are concerned that fiscal 2001 doesnt look much better. Were hoping you and Marcille can figure out what to do. Smith Boyle added, We felt the pressure right away. Kingsford is such an important part of Coloroxs overall performance that when Kingsford misses its number, there is a good chance that Clorox will miss. Smith Boyle and Warren started with an in-depth analysis as to why the category appeared softer than it had in previous years. The charcoal category had slowed from 4 percent growth from 1998 to 1999 to 2 percent growth from the first half of 1999 to the first half of 2000. The forecasted growth for the second half of 2000 looked even worse, and by the end of 2000 the entire category was down relat ive to 1999. The declines were most pronounced in the food channel, with a 5. 7 percent decline during the second half of 2000. (See Exhibit 3 for volume growth by channel. With the help of two associate brand managers, the team ran numbers on all of the different factors that could have led to a softening in the category. The analysis revealed some interesting trends. The team was surprised to find a narrowing of the price gap across the various charcoal brands as a result of a series of private label price increases that the channel had passed along to consumers. By the end of 2000, the prices of private label bags were nearly 10 percent higher than they were in 1999 across all channels, the biggest price jump in years. See Exhibit 4 on page 676 for pricing trends. ) Smith Boyle explained, In prior years, prices rarely moved more than 5 percent over the course of the year. We found that stores had recently increased the price of their private label brands. We also found that Royal Oak had increased prices during this period. Finally, although we had kept the Kingsford prices constant, several of our channel partners had chosen to increase Kingsford prices as well to consumers during this period. The Kingsford team believed that gas grilling could have captured some of the consumers that had negatively reacted to the charcoal price increases. In 2000, gas grill shipments grew 8 percent relative to 1999 with 9. 3 million new gas grills being shipped, while charcoal grill shipments dropped 3 percent year over year with just under 6 million new charcoal grills shipped (see Exhibit 5 for grill shipments from 1996 to 2000). Overall, charcoal grill penetration had trended down since 1997, while gas grill penetration had trended up. In 2000, approximately 54 percent of U. S. households owned a gas grill, relative to 49 percent that owned a charcoal grill, and approximately 20 percent of U. S. households owned both grill types (see Exhibit 6 for grill penetration trends). Smith Boyle and Warren also believed that Kingsfords absence of media advertising further contributed to the category weakness. Neither Royal Oak nor the private label brands did any advertising, so when Kingsford did not advertise, there was no charcoal message on the air. This was compounded by the fact that while Kingsford had reduced its media spending from over $6 million in 1998 to a little over $1 million in 2000, gas grilling had increased its media spending during the same time period from less than $4 million in 1998 to over $10 million in 2000. Warren explained, The charcoal category was now paying the price for several years of reduced advertising. This trend was further exacerbated by a reduction in promotional activity across the category. In past years, Royal Oak had contributed substantial funds towards merchandising opportunities at retailers such as temporary price reductions, features and displays. However, these efforts were pulled back during 2000. In addition, the Kingsford team speculated that retailers might have been inclined to do fewer major promotions for Royal Oak after the price increases. The private label brands had fewer feature and display promotions during 2000, but stores did continue with temporary price reductions (see Exhibit 7 for category merchandising in 2000). Kingsfords merchandising in 2000 was consistent with that in 1999. A final factor that contributed to category softening was traced to weather patterns in 2000. Precipitation and temperature comparisons with 1999 showed a slight increase in rainfall in October through December 2000, coupled with a major drop in temperatures. Average U. S. temperatures in November and December 2000 were nearly 10 degrees lower than temperatures during the same period in 1999. Fall and winter grilling were positively correlated with mild temperatures, so the cold weather reduced opportunities for grilling occasions. Although the overall category sales volume dropped in 2000, Kingsfords volume rose slightly and its market share had increased. For the first half of 2000, Kingsford had a 56. 1 percent market share, relative to 7. 7 percent for Royal Oak and 34. 9 percent for private label. For the second half of 2000, Kingsford rose to a 59. 5 percent market share while Royal Oak dropped to 6. 4 percent and private label shifted to 32. 7 percent (see Exhibit 8 for market share trends). According to Smith Boyle, The price increases drove more consumers to Kingsford, so we benefited to a large degree. But given our large market share, our success is tied in to the overall success of the category, so we couldnt be complacent? In addition to the data on market trends, Smith-Boyle and Warren had access to a detailed internal segmentation study of over 300 heavy Kingsford users (that grilled at least 6 times a month) that uncovered three heavy charcoal user segments: Regular Exclusive users that grilled exclusively with regular charcoal; Instant Exclusive users that used only instant charcoal; Instant Acceptors that were comfortable and committed to both charcoal types. The three segments accounted for roughly 30,10, and 60 percent of all heavy Kingsford users, and 28, 11, and 62 percent of the total volume consumed by these users respectively Exhibit 9 on page 680 summarizes the findings of the segmentation study 2001 BUSINESS DECISIONS With all the analysis and consumer segmentation information in hand, Smith Boyle and Warren started to think about an action plan to present at their business review meeting with senior Clorox executives. They knew profitability was critical, and they believed continued growth was important as well. After a series of meetings with Gordon and others at the company, they focused on four areas: pricing, advertising, promotion, and production. Pricing The price increases by both private label and Royal Oak raised a number of key questions: Should Kingsford increase prices as well? if so, how big a price increase should they consider? Should they raise prices for both regular and instant and for all channels? If they did raise prices, would retailers pull back on the merchandising support (e. g. , features and special displays) they have been giving to Kingsford over the last several years? Would a price increase drive consumers to purchase other brands? Or worse yet, to gas grills? In order to help answer these questions, the brand team did price elasticity studies for several different scenarios to estimate the volume and profitability impact from potential price increases. The scenarios included: (1) a moderate price increase (-4. 0 percent) only for dub stores, (2) a small (-2. 5 percent) blue bag price increase across all channels, (3) a moderate (-5. 0 percent) blue bag increase across all channels, and (4) increasing both blue bad and red bad by 5 percent across all channels. For each scenario, the Kingsford team estimated the impact on volume, sales, and profit, while also accounting for potential withdrawal of merchandising support (see Exhibit 10 for information from the elasticity studies). Gordon believed that raising prices was a great way to increase short-term profits and would provide some money that could be reinvested in Kingsford and other businesses in Cloroxs specialty division. In addition, it ensured that Kingsford would stay within the targeted 25-30 percent price gap relative to private label. There were, however, some potential drawbacks. Sales director Nick Vlahos believed that Kingsford had gained a great deal of goodwill with Cloroxs channel partners over the last year that could translate into increased opportunities for Clorox. He explained: We’ve been working with our retail partners over the last several years to increase promotion of Kingsford, particularly at the expense of Royal Oak. If we hold off on any price increases for another year, we might be able to convince more chains to focus distribution and merchandising support on Kingsford and private label. Weve been advocating this two-brand strategy for some time, and this could be our year to see it happen. If we do raise prices, we may lose all the merchandising momentum we have gained. In fact, a price increase might cause us to lose some big accounts altogether, particularly because we dont have a clear justification for the higher price point. Smith Boyle and Warren agreed with Viahoss assessment, but Smith Boyle explained that: Taking price increases is particularly challenging for sales people: retailers inevitably resist, and we all knew that the sales team was being compensated based on volume. In reality, there is never a good time for a price increase; its a matter of finding the best of the bad times. The retailers almost certainly wouldnt be surprised with a price increase given what our competitors have done over the last year. As for the consumers that buy Kingsford, charcoal is considered a happy product- its associated with family and fun- so that sometimes gives us more leeway with pricing changes. Advertising Smith Boyle and Warren believed that anticipated volume losses from a potential price increase could be restored through increased advertising. Kingsford had gradually decreased its advertising since 1996, as more money was spent on sales promotions, reduced revenue spending, and dropping to profit. As of February 2001, the forecasted advertising spending for Kingsford was under $1 million. (See Exhibit 11 for Kingsford marketing spending from FY 97 through forecasted FY 01. ) According to Warren, The prevalent belief around the company was that Kingsford was a sales-driven business and that advertising would be a waste of money. The brand team disagreed and looked for ways to build their case. They started by hiring a third Marketing Management Analytics (MMA), to analyze the effects of advertising on Kingsford sales in past years. MMAs analysis of 1998 spending indicated that TV advertising drove a 7 percent incremental volume increase in targeted markets in 1998, and the benefits accrued in 1999 as well with an estimated 3-4 percent volume increase from the residual impact of advertising. Based on the data provided by MMAs marketing mix analysis, Smith Boyle and Warren believed that Kingsford should be spending at least $7 million on advertising during the peak grilling season of April-September. They knew it would be difficult to get those funds, but they believed that base volume would continue to rode if Kingsford didnt start advertising again. Gordon offered to help them apply for $5-7 million of mid-year funds from a corporate kitty; but he wanted the team to first think through their intended advertising message. In past years, the brand team had worked with agencies to develop separate messages for regular charcoal and instant. From 1991 through 1998, the message for regular was based around product q uality relative to other charcoal: lights twice as fast as other coals and Lights faster, burns longer. Nearly all of the MMA effectiveness studies were based on these advertising campaigns. Match light advertising was based on a different message targeting higher end customers seeking convenience. In 1996-1998, Match Light advertising centered on a Ready in 15 minutes message and in 1999 the team had reverted to a 1991 spot need just one match. Smith Boyle and Warren wondered if they should go back to the 1998 advertising that had proven results, or if should they try a different message. In past years, Kingsford had viewed other charcoal brands as its biggest competition; it now appeared that gas grills might be the product to beat. They debated if they should be advertising to grow the number of grilling occasions overall, to focus on growing the charcoal category or to focus on growing Kingsfords share within the charcoal category They thought about incorporating data from a blind taste test performed with 796 men and women ages 18-54 in Sacramento, Dallas, Tampa, and Chicago in June 2000 that had asked consumers to compare chicken, steak, or hamburgers cooked over Kingsford Charcoal to those same foods cooked over gas. Across all meat types, 2-to-1 participants preferred the taste of charcoal-grilled food to gas. Tasters commented that meat grilled over charcoal has a real barbecue flavor, has a smoky flavor, and tastes like it was grilled over a real wood fire. The brand team wondered if there were specific advertising executions that could leverage this data in a meaningful way. Promotion As the brand team focused on pricing and advertising, the sales group took the lead on thinking through Kingsfords promotional strategy. Clorox worked to optimize four sales levers at each distribution outlet: Merchandising, Assortment, Pricing and (MAPS). Within merchandising, the Kingsford sales team worked with stores to feature the product in circulars that were mailed to local consumers and to get Kingsford displayed on prominent end of aisle displays (end-caps). Assortment reflected the different Kingsford stock keeping units (SKUs) that were carried by each store. Here, the team focused on making sure that the individual stores were stocking the appropriate mix of SKUs that maximized sales volume. The Kingsford marketing team used scanner data to develop detailed quantitative models for each local market that the sales team used to educate the management of the individual stores on these issues. Pricing represented the various everyday prices of each SKU and the target numbers for temporary price reductions. The Kingsford sales team helped the channel partners plan the frequency and depth of price reductions since the volume spikes from price promotions were very significant. Shelving related to where Kingsford products were located, both in terms of aisles and exactly on which shelf each SKU was located. It was important that Kingsford products were treated consistently across stores members of the sales team spent a great deal of time visiting store managers and working on the execution details. Kingsford also worked with customers to capitalize on big holidays with targeted Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day promotions. According to LaMontagne: On a sunny July 4th weekend a Wal-Mart store could sell 5,000 pounds of charcoal in one thy. It is critical that each store keep enough product on the floor in a central location. This not only serves a reminder but generates the impulse to purchase. Ideally we want each person who walks into a store to see pallets of Kingsford charcoal and we push to get our charcoal in two different locations. When the displays are combined with featured pricing and inclusion in store circulars, Kingsford does particularly well- which is good for us and good for the store overall. Our research has shown that consumers who buy Kingsford charcoal tend to spend 30 percent more during their store visit than consumers who do not buy charcoal. We do our best to show these data to stores so that they can see the benefits of promoting Kingsford. The Kingsford team was also working on plans to extend the grilling season outside of the peak summer months by creating NASCAR promotions for March, April, September and October as well as by encouraging fall tailgating events. Dawn Willoughby, sales merchandising manager, explained, We have put together a 12-month plan to increase charcoal consumption. The goal is to increase grilling occasions and we want stores to help reinforce this objective? The sales team pursued co-marketing opportunities with other brands such as Pepsi and Budweiser to help pay for increased promotions throughout the year. As the sales team worked with stores on the various promotions, they also continued to push the stores to focus primary support on two brands- Kingsford and private label. LaMontagne explained: We see ourselves as custodians of the charcoal category. Our research shows that supporting too many brands of charcoal hurts the channels revenues and profits. For example, with too many SKUs to manage, the channel would routinely face stock-outs of the popular products that could lead to lost sales, or even worse, lost customers if the consumers switched stores altogether. Armed with compelling evidence on lost revenues and margins, we are going to the channel with a message of less is more? We are telling them that brands in the middle such as Royal Oak are driving consumers away from the premium brand that was sought out by brand-loyal consumers or away from the stores profitable private label brand. Product and Capacity The Kingsford team hoped to increase growth through a combination of advertising and promotion and therefore was working with the Clorox product supply group to ensure adequate supply. Based on the numbers run by the product supply team, it looked as if the plants were currently running at approximately 80 percent of total capacity. As a result, there would only be supply issues if volume grew more than 5 percent for several years in a row. It was difficult and expensive to build additional capacity Bill Lynch, Vice-President of Product Supply explained: A new plant can cost $30-$50 million to build and it could take at least five years once Clorox started the permitting process. It could take two to three years just to acquire all of the necessary regulatory approvals. If we want to expand one of our current plants, we still need to go through a two-year permitting process. In addition, some of our plants are not expandable- often for environmental reasons. If Kingsford did run out of capacity; there were not many alternative sources for charcoal production. The business could try approaching a competitor in the United States or looking at several offshore options. if those turned out to be prohibitively expensive, the Kingsford team ran the risk of running out of product towards the end of the summer season. 3 A shortfall in supply would mean that Kingsford would have to pacify its customers by moving pallets around the country to wherever demand was greatest, a very expensive proposition. CONCLUSION Smith Boyle and Warren were interested in getting Gordons perspective on how Kingsfords growth objectives fit into the broader context of the overall company growth targets. Cloroxs stock price in December 2000 was at a three-year low when Clorox had warned Wall Street that its sales growth would not be as high as it had predicted earlier in the year. On January 31 2001, Clorox had announced its second quarter earnings, which included a 6 percent decline in sales for the company. Clorox Chairman and CEO Craig Sullivan said, While these results are in line with the estimates we announced on December 14, we are obviously disappointed with our performance this quarter. Over the past 45 days we have heightened our focus on those activities that are most critical to securing a solid foundation for future growth. We are taking action, first and foremost, to regain momentum on our core businesses in the United States. Smith Boyle and Warren felt Clorox was relying on Kingsford to improve sales and profits, and they didnt want to let the company down. They knew their recommendations about pricing, advertising, promotion, and capacity could make a big difference for both Kingsford and Clorox as a whole. Armed with all the research data, they were eager to develop a strategy for taking the Kingsford brand to a new level of growth and profitability. With this in mind, Smith Boyle and Warren walked out of the building on Wednesday evening, planning to talk more the following week. They waved goodbye with their usual parting message, See you next Wednesday! †

Information technology research project Essay Example

Information technology research project Essay Example Information technology research project Essay Information technology research project Essay Essay Topic: Rear Window Information Technology, (IT ) is now a widely used tool in education, business and leisure. This project describes some of the facilities listed above which are used with varying degrees of success in education. As a tool of teaching, they have values which are discussed, but their widespread application in commerce and leisure makes having experience of them a requisite part of wider education. However, they can easily be construed as the way the learn, or as the only tool needed. With the exception of very mature and able people this is a fallacy, as one has to be very dedicated to learning and have developed considerable discipline to attain success by this method alone. Even the Open University which uses mainly distance and more recently online learning realises that periodic face to face meetings with tutors and other students is essential to get the best understanding out of any teaching program. It is interesting that the new ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) which is likely to become the standard broader qualification for basic IT in the future, has been devised so it can be studied and tested by distance learning from CDROM. Time will tell how many people can do this right through with minimal tutor or lesson contact. Currently both class, and distance learning with tutor support are being tried by different local colleges. It seems likely to be attractive as a qualification for people who have perhaps have had training in some of the 7 component sections, but wish to round out their basic knowledge somewhat. Such people will have quite a lot of computer literacy from the modules they already know and it will be interesting to see how much additional support they really need. 1. CDROMS as a Learning Resource. One useful way of using a computer in education is using subject specialist CDROMS. These have been available for some time now, but vary in their quality of material and actual likely learning outcome. The usual idea is that the student should work through a program at their own speed learning and giving answers, usually to multiple choice questions. The program might be one long on-going one, but is more usually broken into sections of increasing complexity, which can be used in any order for the topic required. If the student tries to go too far into the work before understanding the earlier chapters properly, then they will find it too difficult. Most programs have tests at the end of each section to self-assess progress. The best ones also have optional tests at the beginning of each section to see if the student already knows the material in it and can therefore miss that section out. The material varies in quality. Some are very good, making students at least think before answering questions. However, this learning system suffers from one fundamental problem. It is fairly easy to skip through a section and then immediately do a test on it. This however does not really assess understanding very well. The temptation is to then go on and on without going back over any material. Hence short term memory of correct answers is tested, but long term memory and real understanding are not. The more effective solution is to instruct students at each session that they must retake all the assessment tests they covered the previous session and get high marks before going on further. The arrangement style of material is also potentially variable. Many early program were poor in this respect. They were often difficult to drive, so much time and effort was expended figuring out how to make the program run, rather than actually learning the material. The main resultant outcome was that people understood how to drive the program rather than the material it contained. Modern ones are more consistent in style to Windows conventions and hence do not require the same amount of learning to drive. A reference elsewhere1 indicates that a programs popularity is not necessarily indicative of good quality in CDROM programs. Some just do not get the material over well in a way that is remembered or understood. Unfortunately, some students will plough ahead regardless through such programs on the wishful assumption that if they cover it all, they must know it and would pass any assessment. So some other interaction with the tutor is essential for all but the most dedicated of learners if using this as a major learning tool. Remember, IT is just another learning tool, not a teacher substitute. I test drove two CDROMS. One about the internet was passable, but not very inspiring. The second one was a medical one which I saw only briefly. It seemed to have a lot of information, but I could not determine if it was a good program in a limited time. We were also shown an early poor one for comparison. Remember. IT is just another learning tool, not a teacher substitute. 2. Microsoft PowerPoint(r) This and similar presentation packages are designed to allow a range of display, text, graphs, images, etc to be incorporated into a slide show, which are presented from a PC. There are two popular ways they are used. One is using a special projector which takes the PC output and projects it onto a screen, which is suitable for a large audience. The other is to use a PC, often a laptop, where a small number of people sit round and discuss it. This is a popular system of presentation for people on the move like salesmen, or executives who travel round different sites, even abroad. The laptop package is small to carry and the presentation can be updated remotely from base if necessary for changes such as prices or data. It can still be plugged into a projection system. In a teaching environment, projection is occasionally used, but is mainly in large lecture theatres due to the relatively high cost. I use the package regularly myself for scientific training courses I teach. Each slide is made in a design mode where everything can be set or changed at will. One of the template design backgrounds can be used for the whole show, or a custom one be made, producing a coherence between the slides. Then there are a range of slide styles available for e.g. text only, text and graph, text and image, graph only, etc. As the package uses many of the tools of other MS applications, material is readily copied in from Word, Excel, etc., using the clipboard. The way material appears onto the screen can be set to a whole range of options. So text effects like each line being added by sliding in from one side, or fading in, or coming in letter by letter are available and can add interest. This displays only the information up to the point of the explanation by the lecturer without the distraction of later lines, previous lines dimmed if preferred. Animation strips can be inserted and sound added if desired. All these add impact, but can be distracting or annoying if done in excess. Moving video images or animated drawings can be added if required. The design mode is changed to slide show mode for projection so the full screen is used by the slide, with menu bars etc., used in design mode not taking part up of it. The video lead from the PC is usually plugged into the projector and a return lead to the usual monitor so that the user can see the small screen without facing away from the audience. At design time one can also show all the slides together in miniature as a display where they can be easily rearranged as required. The slides can be printed out in full page or several to a page if required so that a copy can be given to participants as a handout. Additionally, notes can be added to a half size printout of each slide and printed out, usually to act as prompts for the lecturer, but can be used for participants also if appropriate. During projection, a pen can be added so that the speaker can draw on the slide being projected to emphasise a point, this drawing being temporary and not stored in the file. Timing can be added, either to match the speakers requirement for automatic change for each slide at appropriate times, or at a specified regular time interval. It can also cycle the whole program indefinitely for such applications as public viewing at exhibitions. There is facility to send the presentation to someone who has not got the full PowerPoint package by a file which is self standing on another PC. This is useful, as many organisations do not purchase a full office package or may only have an alternative such as Lotus. Licence requirements are thus not violated. 3. Digital Cameras These are becoming increasing popular as accessories for computers as a way of putting a picture of a person, scene or an item into a document. Some are relatively cheap with limited resolution, whilst others offer higher resolution and storage of many pictures before downloading (e.g. 90). The download process takes only a short time, but one must remember that they are bitmaps which are very memory intensive. They can be imported into a package such as Paint and re-saved as JPEG images which are a lot smaller. Some low cost cameras are designed to sit on top of the PC monitor and are usually used to take live photos of the operator or other items which can be brought into range. These are the cheapest because they use the PCs own memory for picture storage. There are also some models which take a floppy disk as their method of storage, and as one can change the disk when full, the memory capacity is unlimited. Most better cameras have a miniature screen at the back which acts as a viewfinder, and on which stored images may be reviewed for confirmation and deletion allowed if unsatisfactory. Software packages are available to take the digital images and edit them in various ways. Some are designed for amusement such as added photo heads to comic bodies, etc. Others have more serious applications to either cut out, transpose parts onto other pictures. Unwanted items can be edited out. Almost anything is possible with a quality package. The old adage that The camera never lies is no longer true! Pictures taken and/or edited with these packages, along with images scanned into picture software can be printed on a colour printer, usually an inkjet. There is special photographic paper available for these which gets close to a photograph in quality if a good digital camera and photo quality printer are used. There are also methods of capturing film form a conventional camcorder onto a PC so that stills can be extracted and used in the same way. All pictures are memory hungry so a large hard disk is required if a lot of use is to be made of this feature. 4. Videoconferencing When two IT users wish to interact, they no longer need to get together. Conferencing could be to a nearby building or more likely a remote location anywhere in the world. It can work with a standard telephone line, but a more expensive but faster ISDN line is better. Using this, each partner has a camera and either a PC or a large TV type monitor screen. Groups can sit at each location so that a meeting of several groups at different places can take place. A chairman in one would usually control who was the speaker at any time to avoid conflicts. The cameras can be made to pan onto each speaker or to any item being discussed. This is very cost effective for meetings where several people would have to travel, or where one would otherwise travel but try to represent several people. All can take part, no travel is necessary and the cost is just a telephone call for the duration of the meeting. For international business, increasingly common, this time saving is considerable and makes i nter-site co-operation simple and enhances profitability. Schools, colleges and higher education find uses for this system. It is particularly good where a specialist speaker is delivering a talk, so people can watch it without travelling to the venue. It also aids such demonstrations as surgery, where a crowd cannot get into see close up what is happening, but the surgeon can work normally with little hindrance from just one camera, whilst people can see the operation close up as though they were present. Conversation can take place during or afterwards with a little organisation of the logistics. Many other instances can be devised to get close in or to teach from afar. Schools and colleges often try to introduce their pupils to videoconferencing, but these often turn out to be rather gimmicky events. The supposed advantage of speaking to a different group in another school is of dubious value to learning in most cases. If the organisation was to link up with say a school or college abroad, to speak in each others language with a genuine accent, that might be more useful. We have some way to go with this yet, I think to achieve anything really useful, meanwhile, it is an expensive play toy. Some examples of shots taken with a digital camera during a videoconferencing demonstration session are appended. 5. Speech Recognition Several software packages are available which when used with a sound card and microphone allow spoken words to be converted automatically into text. The text can then be pasted into a Word or similar document after corrections. However as everyone has different speech characteristics, the program cannot just recognise everyone automatically straight away. It is necessary for each user to train the software to recognise their individual voice. This is done by reading in a number of standard texts and correcting any errors. Slowly the package improves its accuracy of recognition. Additionally, once serious use is made and used correctly, it should continue this improvement process for that person. The better packages allow several users to each have their own voice recognition set to be stored and be available on demand. Text has to be dictated fairly slowly, pausing between. words more than one would in normal speech. Some claims2 suggest this is as slow as 5 words per minute, but observation suggests that 20 30 is possible once practised and trained well. Things like punctuation and capital letters are also dictated. The environment must be reasonably quiet or the software will also try to interpret extraneous sounds. Bear in mind that one has to read carefully through the text afterwards to check for errors in conversion which slows down the overall process. Running a spell check is inappropriate as a substitute, as the program may generate true words, but may not be the ones intended. Has this applications in education? Some pundits suggest that in 5 or 10 years time, the software will be so sophisticated that it will be able to work faster than a reasonable typist the truth is more likely that we shall have to wait and see. One has also to bear in mind that it might be fine to enter the reading of a written text, but usually things are also being composed whilst entering at a keyboard. So the likely strings of words punctuated with ums and ahs and no change that to will not work in such dictation. As current text recognition of scanned images (OCR) is well advanced, this seems to be the way straight written text will be entered. It would be a special skill that people would need to acquire to be able to dictate a new document directly in well composed speech. Certainly in view of the general dumbing down of standards of English, many people currently in the workplace would be unable to do this effectively and the keyboard will probably still be the major input device for most applications. 1 See project IT in education etc. Task 9. 2 Rick Maybury. Boot Up Projects. Daily Telegraph Publications

Free Essays on Tell Tale Heart

Critical Analysis on Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart The Tell Tale Heart looks in depth at the actions taken by a mad man and the reasons behind them. The narrator has grown disgusted by the old man’s cataract eye and decides that he must get rid of it in order to live in harmony. However, there is another major conflict in the story questioning the man’s sanity. By claiming more than once in the story why he isn’t mad, he is basically revealing how sick he really is. In a strange humor, the story describes a man who thinks he’s perfectly fine, while calmly explaining the murder of an old man with a cataract eye. The biggest conflict in Poe’s short story is simple; the main character is insane. He will not be satisfied until his problem is gone. Unfortunately, this means someone must die. The narrator’s madness is triggered by the old man’s cataract eye. It gradually wore on him until he could tolerate no more. The narrator states that the old man, â€Å"had never wronged me.† He claims that he loved the old man yet he made up his mind and decided that he must,† rid myself of the eye forever.† So there it is, the theme of the story right? Perhaps, but what about another conflict ? It seems as if the man is in denial. He doesn’t think that he’s mentally unstable. In fact, the narrator frequently explains why he is not mad. â€Å"The disease has simply sharpened my senses†¦not dulled them.† However he is crazy, and instead of explaining why he isn’t, he just further proved the fact that he is. He gets nervous and excited before telling the story, but he’s perfectly fine in the head. It doesn’t quite make sense to those who are actually sane. After describing the steps he took for the murder, the man once again claims he is not insane. â€Å"If you still think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body.† To a normal person it seems more l... Free Essays on Tell Tale Heart Free Essays on Tell Tale Heart â€Å"THE TELL-TALE HEART† â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† shows the precision of Edgar Allan Poe’s horror. In this book there is never any mention of the main characters name. The only title given is to the old man whom the mad-man kills. The book starts out with a man professing to the reader of how he is not truly a mad-man. He continues to say how no one as clever and intelligent as he was could be mad. After the brief introduction of his insanity, the mad-man continues his tirade on how the old man in his apartment complex has an evil eye that he can’t stand to look at. He begins to plot a murder for the old man. He explains again that he has nothing against the old man, it is just his eye that he can’t stand. Eventually, the mad-man begins to develop his plot against the old man. He begins sticking his head through the old man’s door at midnight and watching him. He takes a lantern and opens the light shade just enough to where he can get a direct ray of light on the man’s evil eye while he is sleeping. He does this for several nights to build up his confidence of his upcoming murder plans. He continues to profess his innocence of being a mad-man. He comments that a mad-man would not make this k! ind of well thought out plan. As he continues to carry out his preparatory plans for the murder, he grows bolder and bolder every time he sneaks into the old man’s room. However, as the time for his murder comes closer, he feels he can’t commit the murder unless he sees the man’s eye. He says that it is the eye he wants to kill, not the man. Finally, the mad-man sneaks into the man’s room, awakens him for a moment, the man becomes nervous and starts to think of what the noise was that he heard. As the man lays back down, the mad-man tells himself that it is time, so he makes a quick move toward the man that causes him to sit up alert, the mad man jumps on him and suffocates him with his bed. The man wa... Free Essays on Tell Tale Heart Critical Analysis on Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart The Tell Tale Heart looks in depth at the actions taken by a mad man and the reasons behind them. The narrator has grown disgusted by the old man’s cataract eye and decides that he must get rid of it in order to live in harmony. However, there is another major conflict in the story questioning the man’s sanity. By claiming more than once in the story why he isn’t mad, he is basically revealing how sick he really is. In a strange humor, the story describes a man who thinks he’s perfectly fine, while calmly explaining the murder of an old man with a cataract eye. The biggest conflict in Poe’s short story is simple; the main character is insane. He will not be satisfied until his problem is gone. Unfortunately, this means someone must die. The narrator’s madness is triggered by the old man’s cataract eye. It gradually wore on him until he could tolerate no more. The narrator states that the old man, â€Å"had never wronged me.† He claims that he loved the old man yet he made up his mind and decided that he must,† rid myself of the eye forever.† So there it is, the theme of the story right? Perhaps, but what about another conflict ? It seems as if the man is in denial. He doesn’t think that he’s mentally unstable. In fact, the narrator frequently explains why he is not mad. â€Å"The disease has simply sharpened my senses†¦not dulled them.† However he is crazy, and instead of explaining why he isn’t, he just further proved the fact that he is. He gets nervous and excited before telling the story, but he’s perfectly fine in the head. It doesn’t quite make sense to those who are actually sane. After describing the steps he took for the murder, the man once again claims he is not insane. â€Å"If you still think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body.† To a normal person it seems more l...

Ban Cell Phones While Driving Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ban Cell Phones While Driving - Research Paper Example Nobody has any doubt in using the cell phones during our daily activities; however, cell phone usages at the time of driving should be restricted considering the accidents it can cause. Not only can the driver who used the cell phone, but innocent people also lose their life because of the accidents developed out of the driving with a cell phone. In other words, the consequences of rash driving are affecting both the driver and the innocent people. The driver who uses cell phones can argue that he is ready to accept the consequences; however, he cannot compensate others if they lose their lives because of irresponsible driving. There is nothing wrong in using the cell phones while driving a vehicle. But, if it is essential, the driver should park the vehicle somewhere before using the phones. Even if he failed to attend an incoming call while driving, he can call back the person and after parking the vehicle. â€Å"Using a cell phone while driving is as dangerous as driving with a blood-alcohol level of .08- the point at which drivers are considered intoxicated in most U.S. states†(Bauer). Many people believe that using cell phones while driving has nothing to do with the driving prowess of the driver. They are unaware of the fact that driving requires more than 1005 concentration. The coordination of hands, legs, and the brain is important for safe driving. Cell phone usages while driving will force the driver to give some attention to the words of the person on the other end of the phone.

Travel Postcards Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Travel Postcards - Coursework Example This has been made possible by the extreme use of color such as the perfectly green grass in Cancun as well as in the Mexican, Caribbean. Another image that indicates a higher emphasis on the aesthetic value of the place indicated on the postcard is the picture of a hotel in Cancun, with beautiful lighting system and a pool (media.umb.edu). Additionally, the images have also placed much emphasis on the infrastructural developments of the places exhibited on the postcards. The city of Cancun is indicated as a city that has proper infrastructural developments that are properly planned, characterized by a properly managed environment (media.umb.edu). This is also evident in Hague, Netherland, where there are modern houses, fitted with perfect lighting systems (media.umb.edu). Natural beauty is another characteristic that has been given a high level of emphasis. The sea in Mexican, Caribbean is given a perfect blue color. On the other hand, the beauty of the snowy mountains in Malaysia is also exaggerated by giving the mountains perfect green colors, surrounded by white painting indicating the existence of fog. China has always been one of my favorite tourist destinations. Through the trips I have made, I have manage to buy several souvenirs such as: The Chinese Fan, Qipao, which the traditional dress, some Chinese Paintings, Jade Jewelries and Chinese hats as well as Chinese Tea leaves. Souvenirs have different meanings to different persons. This depends on a person’s interest and objectives while collecting souvenirs (Wilkins, 242). To begin with, I have an attraction to the Chinese Culture, by buying and keeping these souvenirs, I get a feeling of a close relationship with their culture. In addition, the souvenirs act as a reminder of the best moments I spent in China with new friends I made for instance: The Chinese Hat and the Jade Jewelries. On the other hand, some of the souvenirs are simply attractive and appealing to the eye for

I need a Masters level Historical Theology paper on the life and Research

I need a Masters level Historical Theology on the life and impact (Historical and Theological) of the ministry of John Wes - Research Paper Example A spiritual transition was needed. Interestingly, he was often not considered a theologian as Rakestraw states he â€Å"in the eyes of most non-Wesleyan Christians Wesley is not taken seriously as a theologian of grace; in fact, he is not taken seriously as a theologian at all.†1 This has little to do with his outlook and more to do with his method of promoting his theology. Unlike known theologians such as John Calvin, Wesley did not write out a doctrine of his theology all in one place. His theology was amassed over time as he grew in his faith. Wesley initially began the Methodist movement, with his brother George, in opposition to Calvinism which was also prominent in this same era. The influences of John Wesley are evident today. Though his initial religious society consisted of only 40 to 50 participants, many Protestant denominations still follow the Wesleyan traditions. This association is often considered the first Methodist society in London. Wesley incorporated Armi nian doctrines which were already a component of the Methodist in the 18th century Church of England. ... His mother reared her children with a strict Christian morality that greatly influenced John. John Wesley lived in the 18t century from 1703 to 1791 and was educated at Oxford University. Wesley was one the 15th child of his family which eventually had 19 children in total. One of the influential moments of his childhood was being rescued from a rectory fire when he was only 5 years old. His father believed this fire was â€Å"an attack from some his more disgruntled parishioners, and it was not the first.†3 This instilled a certainty in him that he was meant to do something important in his life. His mother, Susanna also had this belief and she wrote in her own diary, â€Å"’I do intend to be more particularly careful of the soul of this child, that Thou hast so mercifully provided for, that I have ever been.†4 As all of the Wesley children were well educated, they also were exposed to religion. â€Å"Both of Wesley's parents were ambitiously involved in the mo vement against the Puritan resistance and in support of the rightful prominence of the Anglican Church, a religious and political position that was in stark opposition to their family histories†5 They grew up knowing the Bible well and memorizing prayers providing a strong foundation for John Wesley’s Christian education. His training at Oxford followed a typical curriculum â€Å"in logic, rhetoric, morals and politics – the Aristotelean disciplines – and focusing on a selection of ancient writers†¦.†6 He continued his studies there and also obtained a Masters degree as well. At Oxford, he was largely influences by The Holy Club and eventually became the leader of the group. At age 32, he sailed to the American colonies with his brother, Charles where he was

Bloom's Taxonomy of education and it's use in Nursing Education Research Paper

Bloom's Taxonomy of education and it's use in Nursing Education - Research Paper Example As Su and Osisek (2011) states, â€Å"Educators can facilitate knowledge transfer by developing instructional designs that incorporate subject content and cognitive processes related to the use of the subject content† (p. 321). To meet this educational need, Bloom’s Taxonomy provides a complete and effective framework to nursing learners. Let us discuss how Bloom’s Taxonomy of education can be used to manage patients with chronic diseases. The domains outlined by Bloom’s Taxonomy of education include cognitive domain, affective domain, and psychomotor domain. Although initially these domains used to deal only with academic education, but with the passage of time revisions in Bloom’s taxonomy have made them relevant for all types of learning. At present, these domains are proving very helpful for nurses in managing patients with chronic diseases. Let us discuss the three types of domains outlined by Bloom’s Taxonomy in relation with nursing education. The cognitive domain deals with development of intellectual skills of learners. This domain works toward improving knowledge of learners by making them skilled in recognizing facts, applying knowledge to practice, and using knowledge to recall data. For nursing professionals, this domain is very important because it makes them diagnose different chronic diseases and apply proper knowledge to deal with those diseases. The main learning functions associated with cognitive domain include recalling, understanding, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating. Nursing professionals can use the acquired knowledge in nursing practices. Using this domain, nurses can learn about different treatments for chronic diseases, apply nursing knowledge into practice, develop new treatments, and assess effectives of new and existing treatments. The affective domains makes learners learn the ways to perceive and do something using emotional frame of mind. The key actions

Self-Managed Teams Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Self-Managed Teams - Research Paper Example For example, in a company, there can be two or more functioning self-managed teams with each having a team leader (Cork 146). Members of the self-managed teams, like any other team should have characteristics that bring them together, these are such as; members should have a common goal, should have self esteem, and should also be open when it comes to communication. The members should also respect each other, be involved in conflict resolutions, and lastly, there should be a lot of tolerance and trust within the team (Belasen 149). 2. Types of self-Managed Teams There are two common types of self-managed teams. These are production or service teams and problem solving self- managed teams. Problem-solving self-managed teams. These are intended to identify problems and derive solutions that are initiated by employees and supported by management. These teams typically rely on mapping methods such as flow charts, to target processes for improvement (Belasen 150).They are able to achieve improvement using the following processes: a. Identifying the customers and their requirements. b. Defining the current process to meet the customer’s needs. c. ... 3. Characteristics of Self-Managed Teams A self-managed being one of the many types of teams, has some characteristics that it shares with other types, but there are those that are peculiar to it only. The following are the characteristics of a self-managed team: In self-managed teams, decision making and formal power are transferred to the team. This means that the team is designed in a way that leadership roles and responsibilities are shared (Belasen 150). There is no external supervision; that is, the objectives are adopted internally. In this case, work is designed to give the team ownership (Belasen 150). Being like any other type of team, there is a high level of interdependence. The members of a self-managed team must work together so achieve the common goal they have (Belasen 150). Norms and coercive control replace rules and formal bureaucratic control. Accountability in self-managed teams is collective. So, if one member fails, he or she fails the whole team (Belasen 150). Members of the self-managed team are multiskilled. This enables them to handle all requirements and cover for absent members, without interfering with the performance of the team (Belasen 150). 4. The Advantages (Pros) of Self-Managed Teams in Business Effective communication among the employees in the business. Self-managed teams usually foster communication, because the members of the team share common goals and objectives, and thus networking among the members is very easy, consequently boosting the performance of a business (Pride, Hughes, and Kapoor 297). High production in the business. This is because the members are multi-skilled, thus enabling them to handle all requirements and also cover an absent member. With this, the business is

Aids work Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Aids work - Coursework Example Under the Global Fund program started in 2002, rich countries decided to reduce debt on the indebted poor countries which also helped improve the poor countries’ condition. Ways recommended by the UN Millennium project of 2005 similarly established ways in which rich countries could help poor countries. 2005 onwards, annual aid for health in the poor countries rapidly increased and so did their health status. Critics of the aid programs are causing harm to the poor countries. They are underestimating the effectiveness of aids to poor countries. Fact is that in a highly globalized environment of the present age, countries depend on each other. Poor countries depend on rich countries for assistance. Research statistics show that financial and medical aid programs are working effectively in resolving the issues of poor countries. Therefore, critics should not criticize these programs and let them be implemented effectively. This was a very informative article about the usefulness and status of aids in improving the conditions of the poor

Bloom's Taxonomy of education and it's use in Nursing Education Research Paper

Bloom's Taxonomy of education and it's use in Nursing Education - Research Paper Example As Su and Osisek (2011) states, â€Å"Educators can facilitate knowledge transfer by developing instructional designs that incorporate subject content and cognitive processes related to the use of the subject content† (p. 321). To meet this educational need, Bloom’s Taxonomy provides a complete and effective framework to nursing learners. Let us discuss how Bloom’s Taxonomy of education can be used to manage patients with chronic diseases. The domains outlined by Bloom’s Taxonomy of education include cognitive domain, affective domain, and psychomotor domain. Although initially these domains used to deal only with academic education, but with the passage of time revisions in Bloom’s taxonomy have made them relevant for all types of learning. At present, these domains are proving very helpful for nurses in managing patients with chronic diseases. Let us discuss the three types of domains outlined by Bloom’s Taxonomy in relation with nursing education. The cognitive domain deals with development of intellectual skills of learners. This domain works toward improving knowledge of learners by making them skilled in recognizing facts, applying knowledge to practice, and using knowledge to recall data. For nursing professionals, this domain is very important because it makes them diagnose different chronic diseases and apply proper knowledge to deal with those diseases. The main learning functions associated with cognitive domain include recalling, understanding, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating. Nursing professionals can use the acquired knowledge in nursing practices. Using this domain, nurses can learn about different treatments for chronic diseases, apply nursing knowledge into practice, develop new treatments, and assess effectives of new and existing treatments. The affective domains makes learners learn the ways to perceive and do something using emotional frame of mind. The key actions

Aids work Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Aids work - Coursework Example Under the Global Fund program started in 2002, rich countries decided to reduce debt on the indebted poor countries which also helped improve the poor countries’ condition. Ways recommended by the UN Millennium project of 2005 similarly established ways in which rich countries could help poor countries. 2005 onwards, annual aid for health in the poor countries rapidly increased and so did their health status. Critics of the aid programs are causing harm to the poor countries. They are underestimating the effectiveness of aids to poor countries. Fact is that in a highly globalized environment of the present age, countries depend on each other. Poor countries depend on rich countries for assistance. Research statistics show that financial and medical aid programs are working effectively in resolving the issues of poor countries. Therefore, critics should not criticize these programs and let them be implemented effectively. This was a very informative article about the usefulness and status of aids in improving the conditions of the poor