Project Management Integration Framework

Financial risk management can be defined as the definitive sourcing of practical guidance on market management and credit risk. It can be subdivided into two parts, which are, the macro and the micro risk management. There are a number of differences between the two risk management approaches. For example, in macro risk management, there is application of technology to alleviate financial risks or losses. This procedure can be done by focusing on the risk management of a firm – an approach which is unmistakable but takes a lot of time.The major tool used in this undertaking is the use of ‘stress test’ upon portfolios which analyzes the joint force of the wider set of risks in meaningful ways. This process provides more information about the risk and provides an opportunity for diligent analysis (Dash, 2004). Even though the risk usually has been notified to the management, the total risk that is inbuilt into the system is not discarded. The concentration on the fi nancial system thus changes the risk profile in the industry. The risk profile becomes unpredictable and can thus cause serious effects in the business economy.On the other hand, while executing macro risk management, one requires shifting from the notion that the stability of a system is a consequence of the accuracy of individual components. Modern risk managers thus focus on the development of the tools to evaluate the possibility of credit deals which may result in the collapse of the firm. The transmission of risks within a firm may thus result in distress with its associates. Through this strategy, the risk managers can scrutinize how negative financial shocks, such as capital outflows, can negatively magnify a sector’s risk.This approach helps them to design and alleviate the risk by adjusting the chief fiscal surplus so as to relieve the shocks. Managers thus have the opportunity to grade their policies. To take precaution on macro risk management, the management shou ld therefore involve the staff who are always involved in the testing of the continuity plans and who are aware of the plans. In addition, this technique helps managers to examine other firms’ strategies which have been proven successful.Managers will also analyze others’ methods which they can successfully adapt into their circumstances. Conversely, in micro risk management, one starts by providing a general background of financial risk management which illustrates how the risk arose in the firm. This information explores the key concepts used in past risk management and provides a way to curb its reappearance. One thus discovers the main concepts used in risk management and can thus articulate them through well-known financial disasters of the past.One can also devise ways to avoid the risks. This technique allows managers the opportunity to devise the methods to be used to manage the market risk and how to forward it, spot it, and other mechanisms of identifying the risk. This provides a detailed analysis of the models used in pricing the risks and how each model can be used to determine and control risk. After this, the financial risk management will round up the scrutiny and the lessons on the risk management portfolio which gives a firm a clear understanding of the risk and its management.Through this, one can automate audits and susceptible management throughout the running of the firm. Subsequently, the collected automates accessed are then used to control all assets in the firm followed by their testing to identify the most vulnerable risks which may reappear in the firm. This activity provides the most effective way to detect and curb a micro risk at its initial appearance. Reference Dash, J. W. (2004). Quantitative finance and risk management: A physicist's approach. Toh Tuck Link, Singapore: World Scientific. Project Management Integration Framework There are three main components that must be fulfilled by a project for it to be truly successful; it must be completed within the set budget, schedule and deliver the expected outcome and quality. If one of these components is not met, even if the project is completed, then the project cannot be said to be successful. Project failure is common and may result from various reasons; one of these reasons is that, the project may actually be impossible. Take for example the failure of the Apollo program, which was American spaceship that landed the first man in moon.This project ran well from the year 1969 up to 1975. Apollo 13 failure of oxygen tank and the Apollo 204 tragedy, which led to loss of lives shows that the mission could no longer be safe as planned. Furthermore, the objectives of the project were impossible to be achieved since the main goal was to find out if human beings could survive in the moon and live comfortably or even in any other planet apart from earth. Incompeten t management is another common reason that may lead to project failure. A good example is the disappearing warehouse project for a Software company in the nation.The warehouse varnished not only from the physical view but in watchful eyes of a retailer who was well known in the system of automated distribution. Software glitch somehow had erased the existence of the warehouse and thus goods destined to that warehouse were diverted to other routes where as the goods in that warehouse for a certain time languished. Employees at that missing warehouse kept quiet in that time since they were receiving their pay. As the software glitch was noticed, the warehouse was then sold off and the senior management requested the employees to be quiet on the episode.This led to the failure of that software project. Finally over-constrained is another reason that leads to their failure. Football clubs are good examples. Wenger, the Arsenal club manger had a plan to make the club to continue performi ng well and win all the trophies. This continued for some time but failed. This football club traces its failure at that period due to over-constrains in the management as well as in the players. This club since then has not been able to win trophies despite its continuous shines in the frequent years before.

Isolationism Vs Internationalism Essay

Isolationism is generally a policy of nonparticipation in the international political and economic relations. It basically combines non-intervention in military policies and economic protectionism. Isolationism is a belief that originated from the United States’ opposition in war intervention, allowing alliances and organizations. On the other hand, internationalism is a call for stronger economic and political cooperation, theoretically for the benefit of the international community. Isolationism The isolationism in US was anchored on the basis of neutrality. Neutrality, in international law is a policy that adheres to the non-engagement in wars. The first doctrine of Neutrality was issued by George Washington. However, this rule of neutrality was viewed with two â€Å"deceptive† assumptions as being neither a judge nor party in conflicts which doesn’t employ biased opinions; and that belligerents do not respect sovereignty of neutral states. However, the role of neutralism broke down at the event of the two world wars, which reflected the changes of interdependence among the states. Aside from economic targets, military targets also covered every nation, thus rejecting the tenets of neutrality at hand. Moreover, World Wars has underpinned isolationism by the end of nineteenth century. America’s isolationism broke down in the twentieth century when they started entering into treaties to strengthen commercial supremacy. The Spanish American War pushed US to acquire alliances and commitments in the Far East and the Caribbean. Following this course, isolationists in the US have started to decline its power and influence, when the US government started supporting their Allies amidst the First World War (Jonas, 1966). After the World War I, US, under the regime of Woodrow Wilson entered the League of Nations. Entry to the League of Nations is a means of entry towards collective security, thus challenging the political position of isolationists. The League served as bridge for international alliance – arbiter for territorial disputes brought by the war, and served as international police to avoid another war breakout. Though the League failed in containing the Second World War and was finally disbanded in 1946, it brought about the birth of United Nations in the international scene. That by 1930s, internationalism has finally reached America, rooted from their goal to contain rising dictatorships in the global arena. The interval between the two world wars developed a sense of â€Å"commitment† among the American government to world law, collective security and a sense of policing the international arena, thus forming internationalism. Rise of Internationalism The Great Depression in America has caused people to be more concerned in reviving the economy. And as if seeing another war performance could bring in dictatorship in US, citizens still favored isolationism. Though, the Depression still has pushed countries particularly US and Britain together to boost their withering economies. The Japanese militarism gave them opportunities to commit aggressions in the South East Asia, uniting with Germany and Italy. Japan also signed a neutrality pact with the USSR to protect its borders. The continuing aggressions of Japanese military and government, and pursuing of certain territories created hostilities between Japan and United States, which led to American oil embargoes. American protectionism in Eastern Asia had caused further friction with Japan. Japanese attack on the Pearl Harbor, marked the end of classic isolationism in US. The simultaneous Japanese attacks against US allies intensified and prompted both sides to form alliances against each other. When US became a member of the United Nations, and the America First Committee was broken up. It followed that US also agreed to engage in the military alliance, North Atlantic Treaty Organization. And in 1950s and 1960s, US intervened in wars against the Koreans and Vietnamese, respectively. The US emergence as superpower after the Second World War, marked the start of internationalism. The war and downfall of France, prompted American president Roosevelt to become more linked towards other countries by sending aids to the Allied powers. US became more and more involved in foreign relations, as they were active participant for the NATO, and they instigated the Marshall Plan. Their efforts to contain the spread of communism has gotten them more indulged in global expansion. (Cole, 1983). The Post World War and the Nazis The effects of the World War 1 prompted the rise of Hitler into power and lead the Nationalist Socialist Party in Germany. This reorganization in the German government was a direct opposition to the rising internationalism trend set by the United States. As the Nazi government has changed their policies from the old Bolshevik ways towards centralization of power and hierarchal constitution. At the brink of 1930s totalitarian control of the state was employed and leadership of the government were attributed to loyal Nazis and pure German bloods. Hitler eliminated all liberal democratic opponents in the government as a policy of his reorganization of the German Society, thus promoting centralization of the State. The effects of Nazism in the international order is employed in the remilitarization of the Rhine Island, formation of the Italo-German Fascist Axis that opposed the US led alliance, intervention into the Spanish Civil War, non aggression pact with the Soviet and the invasion of Poland which resulted in the outbreak of the Second World War. Laws and Treaties Effected in 1926 – 1941 †¢ Versailles Treaty – although the Versailles Treaty was founded in 1919, it was an important benchmark in peace keeping vis-a-vis the grounds for isolationism and internationalism. After the World War I, borders were redrawn and new political ideas were bounded, thus each ethnicity now vying for their own national interests. It brought communism to consolidate powers, and prompted anit-communist countries such as the US to promote containment of such. †¢ Washington Conference of 1921 – a treaty signed towards respect for Pacific possessions and to guarantee and open door and Chinese independence. †¢ Rogers Act of 1924 – this act merged diplomatic and consular services to create Foreign Services. This is viewed as the imperial legacy of 1898 war. †¢ Good Neighborism of 1927 – Hoover and Coolidge sought an end for military interventions. Marines were pulled back, although they were also returned after two years in Nicaragua. †¢ Clark Memo of 1928 – it repudiated â€Å"police power† notion of US doctrines, but still reserved the right for intervention as defense in case of wars. †¢ Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928 – this was signed by 64 nations including Japan and Germany. It says: â€Å"to outlaw war as an â€Å"instrument of national policy† but more an â€Å"international kiss† with no means of enforcement †¢ Stimson Doctrine of 1931 – this one abolished the Black Chamber in 1929. it was considered as the high tide of isolationism, though Japan was given no sanctions when it invaded Manchuria. †¢ 1936 Neutrality Pact – forbid US loans to nations at war †¢ 1937 Pittman Resolution – prohibited Americans to travel on ships of belligerent powers †¢ 1939 Neutrality Pact – allowed US vessels to convoy war materials to Britain †¢ 1941 Lend-Lease Act – appropriated $7 billion as aid for the Axis foes Robbins, Bruce. (1999) Feeling global: Inernationalism in Distress. Cole, Wayne S. (1983) America, Roosevelt, and the Isolationists, 1932–1945. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. Manfred Jonas. (1966) Isolationism in America, 1935–1941.

The critical analysis of the biopic film -'The Last Emperor' and it's Essay

The critical analysis of the biopic film -'The Last Emperor' and it's underlying feature - Essay Example As such, rather than detailing a point by point plot summary or analyzing different motifs of film-making, the analysis will instead seek to grapple with the issue of major underlying themes that is presented throughout this biopic film. Accordingly, the focus of the essay will be concentric on the film itself; using the three distinct segments of the film to highlight the underlying sense of an end of an era that is represented within the life experience of the main character; Puyi. Likewise, it is the hope of this student that the following discussion will not only be beneficial towards assisting the reader in understanding the film to a better and more complete degree, it is the further hope of this student that the forthcoming analysis will help to reveal core trends and key understandings concerning the interpretation of modern Chinese/Asian history within the era in question. Within the first segment of the film, an imprisoned Puyi experiences a series of flashbacks that depict a much different time than the one he currently finds himself in. Within these flashbacks, the viewer is taken back to a much simpler period of Chinese history; one in which the order of royal succession provided a baseline of expectation and legitimacy that helped to define all of the Chinese Empire (Geier, 1993). As such, Puyi experiences these flashbacks as he considers a very uncertain fate at the hands of a cold and calculatedly divergent regime; at least as compared to that which is represented within the warm and contended feelings that are represented within the flashbacks. Within these flashbacks, a unique trend is represented; one in which the life of royalty in all of its splendor is represented alongside the realization that the remainder of China at the time depicted was much harsher and worse than can even be imagined. Whereas many film makers would have

Analyzing Groups Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analyzing Groups - Essay Example Tomas Oxelman, the human resource manager of the company introduced this theory (Weisbord & Janoff, 2010). The company embraced it because it was so effective that they could see the entire global operation from the perspective of a single product. To me, this holds crucial importance because the way this theory envelops the whole process is extremely useful. It fits perfectly well with the scenario I am facing at my company (the theater). The collaboration is truly diverse in this theory as the people from the inside as well as outside get to share their views. Future search refers to the generic design that spans over five segments, and each takes about 2 to 4 hours (Weisbord, Weisbord, & Janoff, 2000). The whole session is only three days long. Considering the context our group needs to focus on the past while attending to the demands of the present. This phase will develop actions and later ideal future scenarios can be identified and then an action plan can be made. The gradual buildup also ensures that irregularities or hurdles are removed as people come together on common grounds. Participative design theory by Fred and Merrelyn Emery (Coleman, Deutsch & Marcus, 2014, 930) is extremely useful for its bottom-up approach. It is an organizational principle that offers a coherent strategy and a toolkit for restoring dignity in organization and community settings (Baillie, 2006). It really involves people in the decision-making process. The emphasis of course is on effective participation or bringing democracy in the organizational decision-making process.

History of Canadian Labour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

History of Canadian Labour - Essay Example Unlike many nations, Canada was not built by soldiers, politicians, and traders. It was built on the toil and sweat of those who built canals, cleared forests, prepared vast, uncultivated land for agriculture, and built railways. Cities and downs were made by labors in Canada - the working class people who were designated to write the future course of progression for this country. 'The Best Poor Man's Country' - the term which is ascribed to Canada frequently, hints at how the country's resources were utilized by the working class people under the supervision of labor unions and organizations. Considering the social nature of Canada, especially with regards to the immigration factor, getting cheap manual labor was never easy. In addition to this, the difference between the skilled labor force and not-so-competent workingmen was palpable in early Canada. The early unions in the country, instead of organizing various labor clans, aimed at maximizing their own profits out of the dearth of essential hands. The skilled workers demanded security and status in exchange for a total work commitment. History of Canadian labor in the twentieth century is marked by both achievements and setbacks. The role of unionism in the history of Canadian labor deserves a special mention. Despite the anti-union legislation that was formed in Nova Scotia in 1816, groups of workers in many parts of the country formed their own unions. In those early times in Canada, these labor organizations included shoemakers in Montreal and Hamilton; printers in Halifax, Quebec City, Montreal, Hamilton, and Toronto. Blacksmiths, shipwrights, carpenters, painters, tailors, and seamen also built their unions. Traders coming from the United Kingdom at the beginning of the nineteenth century introduced the British tradition of trade union movements. An international relation between Great Britain and Canada was established, leading to the merger of labors and intellectuals.  Ã‚  

Socail Media and the Digital Trends - Chanel Essay

Socail Media and the Digital Trends - Chanel - Essay Example The advert was effective. The marketers developed a unique product that upholds the quality standards of the company. Additionally, they use an equally unique yet effective marketing strategy. Social media enables the marketers to interact with their target audiences and share videos among other material that would enhance the profitability of the brand. Facebook provided the marketers with the interactivity that helps in the sale of the products besides the avenue to carry out market researches thereby understanding the patterns of demands. The information in the resource promises to influence retail of the products in future since the company will evaluate the success of such targeted sales thereby develop and position successive products on social media among other appropriate types of media. The success or failure of the event influences the profitability of the company thereby marking to change the company’s marketing strategies in the

Responsibility of government for supporting the arts Essay

Responsibility of government for supporting the arts - Essay Example Classical example they can draw is governmental support of arts in the former Soviet Union. Soviet leaders have been carried out their control of arts in the Soviet Union, but they thought that there was necessity to control artists and for many internal ideological reasons. In spite of the control, Soviet government supported the arts through different state organizations and institutions, and many real masterpieces were created by the Soviet people in that period. Government must support arts, but not widely control it. There are some good examples of such supporting. The Illinois Arts Council (IAC) is a governmental organization the purpose of which is providing grants for different art organizations, institutions and festivals. "These grants generally are for the purpose of increasing their accessibility for people from other parts of the state or for people of lower income, but grants also may support special programs and exhibitions" (1). These programmes must be supported by government, because only state support can provide high level of arts development. Private organizations cannot always appropriate necessary funds for arts development.There are some more examples from the US history. "Government support was provided to artists during the Great Depression through the Works Project Administration (WPA). The purpose of this government largesse, however, seems to have been motivated primarily by the interest in providing work to the unemployed" (2). The governmental support of the arts also provides help for people who create masterpieces i n such trouble time as the Great Depression. Non-state organizations couldn't support artists in trouble time - only government can provide arts and artists with all means needed. Eloquent example of the necessity of governmental support of the arts is a copyright system which is established by the government. It allows "creators to retain the financial interests in their intellectual property, so the theory runs, they would be encouraged to create, which would be in the interests of the nation" (2). Government supports authors to gain material stimulus for their work and protects them from illegal use of their creations. Copyright system is widespread in all civilized countries that understand the necessity of the state support of the arts and artists who are always gold fund of any country and nation. Only government is able to support the arts and artists with the copyright system by all means of legislation.3. I have argued that government has a responsibility to support the arts, but if that support is going to produce anything of value, government must place no restrictions on the art that is produced. This view will become increasingly dominant in the coming century, because in our time it is especially important to provide high level support of arts. Many of these issues can never be resolved to everybody's satisfaction, but in the long run, promoting the idea that government is

OVERSEAS MARKET ENTRY ACTIONS Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

OVERSEAS MARKET ENTRY ACTIONS - Assignment Example Elfin Sports Cars Pty Ltd was founded in the year 1957 and is regarded as one of the foremost market players operating in the automotive industry throughout the globe. The company has been involved in making certain extremely competitive open-wheeler and sports cars that range from Formula Vees to the MR9 Formula 5000 and the 1959 Streamliner (Elfin Sports Cars, 2008). It is quite essential for Elfin to adopt and execute appropriate international business strategies in order to make a dominant entry into the business market of Brazil. It has been earlier discussed that Brazil can be a potential business market for the company i.e. Elfin due to its exceptional possession of natural resources, stabilised political system, greater level of Gross National Product (GNP) and raising income level of the people residing within various regions of the nation (Campante, 2009). With this concern, the report intends to discuss the appropriate international business strategies that Elfin might adopt and apply to the target overseas market i.e. Brazil. Moreover, a detailed discussion regarding the marketing actions in terms of marketing mix strategy focusing on certain specific elements of marketing mix would also be discussed in this report. Most importantly, suitable organisational structure and control system emphasising the association prevailing between home and host organisation, relationship between headquarter (HQ) and subsidiary and centralisation versus decentralisation would be proposed in the report. Elfin may adopt appropriate and effective international business strategies as an action towards making a flourishing entry in the intended overseas market i.e. Brazil. It is worth mentioning that the favourable conditions prevailing within Brazil in terms of political and financial aspect among others would ultimately support the sports manufacturing company to make successful entry in diverse regions of the nation. However, still the company requires following

Knowledge Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Knowledge Management - Research Paper Example These multinational managers can design their management systems in such a way that they are interlinked and hence whatever information a manager in one part of the globe posts in the system, it can be accessed by other managers in that corporation. This management system should however be coded in order to avoid the information being disclosed to other personnel other than managers without authority from the managers hence maintaining the privacy of the multinational corporation. The organization structures that facilitate knowledge include the worldwide product systems, the matrix structure and also the divisional structure. The global matrix structure however is the most effective because it allows for decentralization of information to the different geographical areas of a multinational organization. This therefore ensures that all the different employees and managers working for the corporation will have access to crucial information about their corporation due to the knowledge management system facilitated by the organizational structure (Claver-Cortes, Pertusa-Ortega and Molina-Azorin, 2012). One of the benefits is the communication effectiveness in all the branches of the multinational company with minimum expenditure. There is also guarantee of inclusiveness and participation by all the employees and managers in the company’s activities and decision making despite the distance and without others being left behind. Effective knowledge management system also ensures synchrony in the company and this fosters achievement of the company’s goals and objectives (Sedera and Gable, 2010). Claver-Cortes, E., Pertusa-Ortega, E. and Molina-Azorin, J. (July, 2012). â€Å"Characteristics of organizational structure relating to hybrid strategy: Implications for performance.† Journal of Business Research, vol. 65 (7), pp.

Advantages and Disadvantages of On-The-Job Training and Development Essay

Advantages and Disadvantages of On-The-Job Training and Development Compared With Off-Job Training and Development - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that training of the employees is an essential part of human resource management. When an employee joins an organization, he can be considered as a raw material. Training converts him from a raw material to finished good. In other words, training is necessary to fine tune the capabilities of the employee so that the organization may benefit from that. â€Å"Training and education are not only seen as the way of helping an individual to become more adaptive in their work, but also of providing more knowledge and skills†. In an ever-changing business world, training is necessary to update and knowledge and skills of the employee. Even if an employee may have previous experiences, it is difficult for him to excel in a new company without proper training. â€Å"Training is a learning process that involves the acquisition of knowledge, sharpening of skills, concepts, rules, or changing of attitudes and behaviors to enhance the performance of employees†. Torrington has pointed out that â€Å"Training and development has a role to play as do reward systems to maximize effort†. Training is broadly classified into two; one the job training and off the job training. On the job training, is training provided during the regular performance of duties whereas off the job training provided away from the employee’s usual work environment and the employee will stop their usual duties/work during the training period†. On the job training may give more emphasis to the practical aspects whereas off the job training may give more emphasis to the theoretical aspects. An employee should have knowledge about both theoretical and practical aspects of his profession and therefore both on the job and off the job training are necessary to empower the employee so that he could meet any challenges in his profession. Both on the job and off the job training have some advantages and disadvantages. Moreover, there are certain cases in which on the job training would be better than off the job training and vice versa. Judicious use of on the job and off the job training may improve the productivity and efficiency of the employees and the organization.

The Fashion Chanel Essay Example for Free

The Fashion Chanel Essay What are the 5 primary types of consumer and market data provided in the case you would consider if you were Dana Wheeler? Discuss specific result elements (not a summary of the exhibits). As Dana Wheeler, I would consider the following five primary types of consumer and market data: 1. Cable Ratings: Both Advertising and Affiliate revenue will depend upon these as the usability of a channel to the cable company and advertisers depend upon the amount of viewers a channel has. 2. Annual Demographic Survey: Provides key data to focus on 18-34 year female iewers. This audience group would be the prime focus as their viewership will attract the advertisers and will have them pay the largest CPM. 3. Advertising Revenue Model: Advertising revenue is the largest source of income for the channel which could go down by 10% if there was no change in the channel strategy. 4. Competition from other Networks: This data allows the channel to find what is most desirable amongst the viewers thats attracting them to the other channels. . Attitudinal Research Findings: Cluster segmentational Data will provide an insight nto different viewer populations as to what to focus in order to market effectively bringing in high CPM. 2. Consider 3 primary options presented. Discuss the pros and cons of each Broad Multi Segment Approach: This includes targeting viewers from all the age ranges including Fashionistas, Planners ; Shoppers and Situationalists by investing in marketing and advertising campaign as well as programing. PROS: This approach will lead to approximately 20 % increase in viewership as it will be targeting a broad range of viewers increasing their awareness and liking towards the channel. Also, it will not require an additional programing expense as compared to the other approaches and will deliver about $40 M more in terms of net income as compared to the base income of 2007. CONS: Ad Sales forecasted a decrease by 10% in CPM if the current trend continues. Broad Multi Segment approach still does not present with a different category of viewers to maintain $2. 0 CPM, instead, it brings it down to $1. 80, which is the same 10% decrease. Since this approach does not target specific audience, TFC will still run under risk of competitors as CNN and Lifetime penetrating their premium segments. Fashionistas segment Approach: This includes targeting Fashionistas which are strong in highly valued 18-34 year old female group. PROS: Since this approach mainly targets 18-34 year old females, it wil l lead to a higher CPM of about $3. 50 from base $2. 00 which will generate a net income of about $100 M more as compared to the base income. Also, it will help TFC to compete with Lifetime which mainly targets females ranging from 18-34 years. CONS: The amount of viewers targeted in this approach is mere 15 % of all viewers which will decrease the channels ratings from current 1. % to 0. 8%. Also, it will cost an additional programming cost of $1 5 M to the channel. Also, targeting one specific audience will not create much awareness or liking of the channel in other viewer groups and they might also lose their loyal viewers. Fashionistas and Planners/ shoppers segment approach: This will include programming targeted to Planners/ Shoppers and Fashionista segments. PROS: This scenario will yield approximately $115 M more in net income as compared to the base income of 2007 due to an they will also be able to compete with other channels and attract their viewers. CONS: This approach is the most expensive approach with a total incremental cost of $20 M. Also this change in programming might cause the channel to lose their loyal viewers and might result in declining viewership 3. If you were Dana Wheeler, what solution would you recommend and why? As Dana Wheeler, I would suggest approach 3 i. e. Fashionistas and Planner/shoppers segment approach, due to the following reasons: 1. The Broad Multi Segment Approach would lead to an increase in ratings from 1. 0% to 1. 2% but as it is not targeted to specific audience, here is a high risk of losing that rating to the competitors. Also, the amount of net profit made would be least in this case i. e. about $40 M yielding a profit margin of 29% which will be a mere 10% more than base profit for the current year. 2. The Fashionista Segment Approach would attract the highest desirable audience population i. e. females ranging 18-34 years thereby leading the channel to increase the CPM from $2. 00 to $3. 50. The amount net profit made in this case would be about $100 M more, yielding a profit margin of 37% which will be a significant 18% more han the base profit. This approach leads to a decline in the ratings from 1. 0% to 0. 8%, as it targets only 15% of the audience population. Also, it requires an additional expense of 15 million and a risk of losing current the loyal clients if the channel becomes too targeted on Just one kind of audience. 3. The Fashionistas and Planners/Shoppers Segment Approach seems most favorable as despite the $20 M programming cost, this approach targets 50% of its audience which will enhance viewer ratings from 1. % to 1. 2 % as it will enable the channel to attract audience rom competitor channels as well. This approach is not too drastic but will also cover the desirable viewer range of 18-34 year females, yielding a CPM increase from 2. 0% to 2. 5%. As a result, this approach would yield a net profit of $1 15M more leading to a profit margin of 39%, which is 20% more than the base profit.

Shipping Industry Analysis: A.P Mollar-Maersk

Shipping Industry Analysis: A.P Mollar-Maersk The global shipbuilding industry has changed in the last two decades, the demand and supply of goods in the international market, that many sectors in the market of shipbuilding in force. The transport of goods in bulk can only be transported by large commercial cargo ships. Shipping industry is a huge industry that requires a lot of skilled and cheap labour. Shipping industry requires expensive investments. In the 1960s in Europe were dominant in this industry. Globalization and free trade have opened up opportunities for new life to the shipping industry. There are many factors that directly or indirectly affects to the present day companies such as government policies, regulations, laws, competition, technology, international organizations, institutions of world trade, minimum wage, accidents, risk, violence, safety, labour, supplies, etc. So for any company to survive they have to plan the strategies accordingly to overcome those factors. But in practice it is virtually impossible to consider all these various factors. There are certain models like Michael Porter five forces that determine to the external factors to the environments of shipping industry. As a managing consultant of A P Mollar-Maersk shipping company I found that, in most of the countries the government is providing enormous support to promote foreign trade for the economic development, as well as my personal experience in shipping industry under A P Mollar-Maersk group gave me thrust to explore more about the shipping industry. Here I analysed the companys [A P Moll ar- Maersk] growth and present situation using Porters five force model. The five forces determine industry profitability because they influence the prices, costs, and required investment of firms in an industry the elements of return on investment. Buyer power influences the prices that firms can charge, for example, as does the threat of substitution. The power of buyers can also influence cost and investment, because powerful buyers demand costly service. The bargaining power of suppliers determines the costs of raw materials and other inputs. The intensity of rivalry influences prices as well as the costs of competing. The threat of entry, places a limit on prices, and shapes the investment required to determine entrants. INTRODUCTION Shipping is the primary means of international transportation of any essential raw material or finished goods. There are three main segments consisting of bulk carriers, specialised cargo shipping as well as container shipping. This industry is fundamental to trade, globalisation and economic growth of a country. Out of the shipping industry A.P Mollar-Maersk group became the worlds largest container ship operator. About the company The A P Moller Maersk group is the largest container ship operator and supply vessel operator in the world since 1996. Maersk Line offers a truly global network of containerization and services providing shipping solutions for cargo imports and exports. Maersk Line India is the leading Container Shipping Line in the region with footprints across 16 offices and close to 400 employees covering all major locations and cargo hubs. Maersks activities are organised in different business segments, they are container shipping and related activities, A P Mollar terminal, tankers, offshore and other shipping activities. Maersk established its foothold in India on August 6, 1990 and has since expanded its operations in the business across the supply chain. Maersk Line India carries cargo to and from all major Indian ports. Maersk Line India major exports include Garments and Apparel from Tirupur, Mumbai and New Delhi; Cotton from Mumbai, Tuticorin and Gujarat; Iron and Steel from Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi and auto products from Mumbai, Chennai and Ludhiana. Container shipping activities is the largest business area for Maersk groups, providing half of the groups revenue in 2008. Since 1996, Maersk is the largest container shipping company in the world. Maersk Line operates over 550 vessels and has a capacity of 2.2 million TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units). 2. Analysis of Porters Five Forces for Shipping Industry Porters five forces is a framework for analysis of industry and development of business strategy, it also determines the competitive intensity and attractiveness of a market. Attractiveness is referred to overall profitability of industry while unattractiveness drives down profitability. This model implies that profitability or return should be constant across firms and industries; however studies have affirmed that different industries can have different levels of profitability due to their varied structure. The model can be used by organizations to develop edge over rivals. Conventionally, this tool is used to identify whether new products, services or businesses have the potential to be profitable. 2.1 ATTRACTIVENESS FOR SHIPPING INDUSTRIES Government of most of the countries are liberal towards the licensing and development of shipping business. Major part of the countries economic profit will be evolved from the shipping business. So the threat of new entrance is high, but as the profit margin is high, the attractiveness is also high. Many competitors are available in the market and they provide perfect substitution in terms of services, freight rates etc, but the resources are also easily available. So the attractiveness is also high. Suppliers are more in this field and the available facility is very less so the cost is high, which makes suppliers in weak and buyers in strong position. So the industry attractiveness is low in this case. The bargaining power of buyer is high and potentiality of business is high then many buyers will be there in the market. This will increase the attractiveness. Existing players are many, but constant technological advancement and updated services and facilities will increase the attr activeness. 3. Threat of New Entry Every person would like to do business in shipping industry due to large profits involved in it. It may seem easy, but practically it is more difficult and virtually impossible to set up in container line business. The main problem involves in the large capital investments in the form of vessel, operating risk of a vessel and the container availability. In the case of Maersk, we can understand that it had taken more than 100 years to establish themselves to reach at the top level. Still there can be threat from existing companies like APL and MSC to expand into new sectors which will reduce the share of the company operating in that region. Maersk is generally operating in every part of the world. In certain regions it may be the only player operating, in such case its profit margins from those operations would be huge. But the profit can be severely affected, if APL or MSC introduce their service in those regions. If there are any new potential companies who would like to jump into this sector with huge capital then other factors like licensing, government rules, regulations, policies are all secondary. Capital requirement is high. Profit margin is high. Chance of expansion into new sector is less. Switching cost is less. Government restriction is less. Capital requirement of the shipping industry is very large, so the threat from the new entrants is less. As the capital is very large the profit is also too high in shipping industry. Because all exporters and importers know the best mode of transport their goods is the shipping line. Switching cost of the customer is high because of the lack of experience of the new entrants. Most of the countries main economy evolves from the shipping industry. So the government will give full support for the new entry. So overall threat for the new entry is high. 4. Threat of Substitution Substitution threat is also an important factor especially when something is going wrong in an organization. Competitors are waiting to catch that opportunity for their benefit. Substitution threat is the result of change in buyer behaviour towards competitor or against company. Substitution may also result because of change in quality of service, increase in freight rates and increase in transit time. From view point of switching costs, buyers are not affected at all due to higher number of suppliers and freight forwarders available in market. While it may affect the company to certain extent as they have to start new search of customer, establish strong relations and educate them on company policies and systems. Switching costs become even more at times of downturn due to decrease in supply of business from customers. Cost factor is primarily responsible for substitution while service specification comes secondary. In case due to the delay of service or quality become poor and at the same time the wagon rates are also similar, then the customers will switch on to the new substitutes [wagon]. If the oil price [crude oil/diesel oil] shoots up then the company is forced to increase their delivery charges. Due to the increased rates in shipping and delayed timing to reach the destination on time, customers will go for the substitutes like airline, wagon or even trucks [for certain limited destinations]. If the airline or wagon [goods train] can almost cost the same rates of the shipping companies but can reach on time then customers will think for such substitutes. Substitution threat will be major problem for a reputed company like Maersk. If any service or the goods are not delivered in a proper manner then the customer trust on company will go down. In this present world people wont compromise for any thing. If they are not satisfied by the service they will jump to other substitutes who can give better rates and services. Availability of the substitutes is high. Price of substitutes is high. Quality and performance of the substitutes is high. Switching cost is high. Cost factor is less. More number of market players is available, but they all are dealing in different prices, performance and quality will increase the attractiveness of shipping sector. As the switching cost is high, customer stick to their present seller will increase attractiveness. Cost factor is less important because all players will play a role of defender in market will moderate the attractiveness. So overall threat of substitutes is high. 5. Bargaining Power of Supplier Suppliers barely make any difference to companies involved in shipping line business, especially who are leading players like Maersk in this business. While it may affect to certain extent to small players like Five star shipping company, Varun Shipping company etc. who are struggling to establish within the industry. Many suppliers are such which are borne directly by customers but arranged by shipping lines like pesticide, wooden pallets, container repairs and truck transportation due to corporate contract or link ups of companies with service providers. While there are cases when these same services are borne by shipping lines but then these charges are included in freight rate which would be higher if the suppliers were not arranged by company. Maersk supply service expects a lower result than in 2010 due to lower contract coverage and weaker spot market rates than at the beginning of 2010. Another supply which is related to loading of containers on third party vessels is very important here because this is the only supply where shipping lines have to face the bargaining of suppliers. Not all shipping lines own the vessel and therefore they hire the service of other companies, to load their containers for different destinations. Maersk is the largest container operator in Kandla port. But its own vessels are not operating from Kandla due to drift problem and therefore they hire the services of third party feeder vessels to load its containers till JNPT [Jawaharlal Nehru] port in Mumbai, from where Maersk mother vessels are operating across continents. In this case Maersk may have to pay extra money if demanded by ship operators. While this is not the case with MSC [Mediterranean Shipping Company] which has its own small vessels operating from Kandla to different gulf locations. But if we move to location like JNPT port in Mumbai, the situation is totally different. Maer sk vessels are the biggest here operating among other carriers and those small carriers are using slot on Maersk vessels for transporting their cargo. There are other supplies like loading/ unloading of containers from vessel ie, movement of containers to CFS (container freight station) and vessel towing which are provided by port authorized suppliers and companies. Port authority charges fixed amount towards these handling from shipping lines and shipping company charges the same from customers after adding their profit margin. Number of the suppliers is high. Price factor of the suppliers is high. Profit of the supplier is less. Switching cost of the supplier is high. Operating cost is high. So overall power of suppliers are low. 6. Bargaining Power of Buyer Buyer is one of the strongest factors in shipping line business. Buyers may be in form of importer or exporter, clearing agent, freight forwarder or manufacturer of goods. Sometimes manufacturer himself acts as an exporter or importer if not, then trader acts on behalf of manufacturer of goods. Container line business is based on two main core factors price and quality of service. Price refers to freight rate at which one container is decided by shipping company to transport from one place to another. Due to much competition in this sector and limited number of operators, bargaining power of buyer has increased in relation to freight price. Almost all shipping lines have service to Jebel Ali (an important transit hub in Dubai) from India, and customer is sure to get very competitive rate for this location from market. For such locations customer are virtually like king but when it comes to transporting cargo to far Europe or America, then this power is transferred to companies operating in those regions. Therefore Maersk has strategized the businesses in such a way to get maximum profits from service to odd or far reaching areas and make normal profits from operation to common areas like Jebel Ali. Another factor Service refers to fast processing of documents, bill of lading and prompt loading and movement of containers etc. It is rather difficult for customers to get better quality of service than getting competitive freight rates. In this world of technology every company is trying to adapt to new technology in their day to day businesses like e-processing of documents and fastest data entry to name a few. Maersk is so technologically advanced in this field, that all its data processing is being done electronically by back office and customers are able to access all information relevant to shipment though dedicated space available on company website. Electronic processes are shipping bills, vessel certificates, freight invoices and bill of lading in encrypted format, once the payment is done by customer either electronically or at Maersk local office. Companies like APL and MSC do have electronic processing systems but are not fully fledged and as a result much of the work is still being done manually. Other sections of buyers which may affect container line business are freight forwarders or clearing agents, with rapid expansion of shipping industry and import/export businesses. Many agents acting as freight forwarders have came up in market to share the profit in form of commission. These agents earn commission by way of collecting excess freight from exporter than charged by shipping lines. It is relatively easy for shipping lines to entertain these agents, so there is no difficulty of approaching different small exporters. Numbers of the customers are high. Switching cost is low. Customers information and awareness is less. Customers ability to demand is high. Freight forwarders and clearing agents are high. Number of customers is high in this field due to the export and import of goods from different parts of the world. But the similar price and quality will lessen the attractiveness. Customers ability for demand during purchasing will be high, because suppliers are in threat of loosing customer. Switching cost of customers is low because of more number of suppliers. Due to easy availability of containers through agents instead of searching by the shipping companies in different places the bargaining power of freight forwarders and agents will be more. So overall bargaining power of buyer is high. 7. Competitive Rivalry Rivalry exists in every field be it business, science, space, technology, education etc; actually speaking it is a part of the day to day businesses. It is sometimes bad because companies have to share hard earned profits with competitors and sometimes goods because it gives opportunities to one company to stand in line with another in terms of quality of service, business strategy, job satisfaction etc. Considering the rivalry in shipping industry, it will be held valid due to enormous margins of available profits combined with continuous growth of around 14% since last couple of years. If we consider the rivalry between our top of the table players (Maersk, MSC and APL) we will find that all these players are good in some and bad in some and therefore stiff competition exists between them. Maersk dominates the market due to its wide area coverage, better connectivity, best business practices, and cost controlling measures. But on other side, its strict and non flexible policies and highly technological advancement at very base levels which is not digested by people working in lower educated market. MSC on other hand has balance of advantages and disadvantages. It has done well in recent times in attracting business due to its competitive pricing model and better connectivity of services. In contrast it has failed to control administrative, operational and higher output costs. It has been seen practically at Kandla port location where Maersk is having higher outputs compared to MSC but staff recruited to control that output and time for completing the tasks was almost double compared to Maersk. APL on other hand has much controlled costs measures and highly technological advanced processes as in Maersk but it doesnt have far reaching connectivity like Maersk and therefore relies on third party services in certain regions. Also it has lagged behind in attracting customers due to non availability of killing marketing strategies. Number of competitors is high. Cost leadership is high. Switching cost is low. Industry growth is high. Competitors move to new customer is low. More number of competitors is high in shipping industry, because of the thought that the profit margin very high in this industry. Cost leadership is high for the market leader (MAERSK), because the new entrants and the minor players in this industry cant sustain with very low cost of the market leader. Industry growth is high, so the chance of exit from the industry is less. Competitors move to new customers is very low because of the non-awareness of their profile. Switching cost is low, because of the less familiarisation of the new suppliers may lead to argument or disagreement. So overall competitors of the industry is high. 8. Conclusion Container line business is a flamboyant industry in the whole world. Due to rapid economic development since recent past, trade between developed and developing countries has increased significantly. Maersk Supply Service expects a lower result than in 2010 due to lower contract coverage and weaker spot market rates than at the beginning of 2010. In 2010, A P Mollar entered into a joint venture agreement to establish a new terminal in Santos, Brazil. So that company dont want to keep their cargos in any of the external port. Thus by paying money to the other ports for keeping the cargos can be avoided and then the profit can be increased. The terminal is expected to open in 2012 and when completed have capacity to handle 2.2 million containers in a year. In the wake of the worst year ever for container activities in 2008 2009, the Group continued its focus on strengthening Maersk Lines competitiveness. In 2010, the Groups container shipping companies shipped practically the same number of containers with the same average rate as in 2008, but nevertheless generated a profit that was USD 2.2 billion higher than in 2008, primarily due to streamlining and cost savings. Maersk Line should set a new industry standard for on-time delivery, and customer satisfaction will reach the highest level ever measured by Maersk Line. It is also essential that Ministry of Shipping of each country in particular should take more proactive steps like, regulations in free movement of foreign exchange and international trade to be more liberal, easing export/ import duties to make this industry work more freely and contribute even more to the economic development of country. Companies at same time should adapt more technology to make easy and efficient work environment for the customers and employees.

Common Mistakes in Writing

Common Mistakes in Writing What are the top three complaints employers have about employees’ writing abilities? The writing abilities of a person are very crucial. The employees in an organization should have this ability to show the world what they can do. If a person cannot write well, he will never be successful in any field of life. There are certain complaints that the employers have from their employees regarding to the writing. 1. No critical thinking: Writing starts off with this factor and ends with the same. If a person does not possess this, he will not be able to write well. 2. Expectations: The employees in an organization expect something else and get something else for writing. The employers than have nothing but complaining. 3. Grammatical mistakes: The employees do not possess strong grammatical ability to write. If they have no grip on their grammar, they cannot write well and as per condition. What are the top ten most common mistakes people make with punctuation? 1. Comma and introductory phrase: Most of the time, the comma is omitted to include for separating the introductory phrase. Example: To the extent I know he will be able to solve this issue. Correction: To the extent I know, he will be able to solve this issue. 2. Extra dots: Whenever you are to use the eclipses, the dots should not exceed the number of three. Example: I asked you to be with me, for that reason†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦., I told you, last night. Correction: I asked you to be with me, for that reason†¦, I told you, last night. 3. Use of an apostrophe with the abbreviation: The apostrophe should not be used with the abbreviation of the words. Example: CD’s cover speaks what is in it. Correction: CDs cover speaks what is in it. 4. Excessive use of exclamation marks: These marks show emotions and should not be used everywhere in a paragraph. Example: Alas! It is true that you are coward! Correction: alas! It is true that you are a coward. 5. Omission of colon: Sometimes the colon is omitted for introducing items. Example: I have many things in my bags that include, wallet, cell phone, bottle, and books. Correction: I have many things in my bags that include: wallet, cell phone, bottle, and books. 6. Comma instead of a semi colon: Both of them have their own importance. They should never be used alternatively. Example: If any mishap happened in the school; children will not like to come here again. Correction: if any mishap happened in the school, children will not like to come here again. 7. Set off non-essential appositives with comma: It is crucial to set this sort of appositive off from the rest of the sentence. Example: John the DJ was playing outstanding music in the party. Correction: John, the DJ, was playing outstanding music in the party. 8. Use of Interrogative sign: This sign should not be used when there is no question in the sentence. Example: You will not like what I have? Correction: You will not like what I have. 9. Capitalization of the nouns: These are only the proper nouns which are capitalized. Example: The President Clinton liked to be at this place. Correction: The president Clinton liked to be at this place. 10. Use of apostrophe with the possessive pronoun: There is no need to use the apostrophe with the possessive pronoun as they are already showing possession and fulfilling the purpose of apostrophe. Example: I like the car of his’ uncle or I like his’ uncle’s car. Correction: I like the car of his uncle or I like his uncle’s car. What are the top ten most common mistakes people make with grammar? 1. Affect and effect: People usually mix them up with each other. Affect is verb while the effect is noun and shows the influences of something on someone. Example: His affect was numerous. Example: He is going to effect you mentally. Correction: His effect was numerous. Correction: He is going to affect you mentally. 2. â€Å"Such as† not â€Å"such which or who†: After such, as is used as a precedent to the word such. Example: He is such a boy which is naughty. Correction: He is such a boy as is naughty. 3. Plural when there is â€Å"and† among the words: The use of â€Å"and† makes the noun a collective one, unless it is representing one and same idea. Example: Time and tide are very precious thing for everybody. Correction: Time and tide is very precious thing for everybody. 4. False use of preposition: There are certain prepositions that are fixed with the verbs and always follow them. Example: I am afraid from you. Correction: I am afraid of you. 5. Separation of the infinitive: The full infinitive should not be separated by any word. The word separating them should be used at some other place. Example: I would like to efficiently perform this duty. Correction: I would like to perform this duty efficiently. 6. Question is not a question: Question should be asked by setting the right structure of the sentence. Example: From where you could find this precious stone? Correction: From where could you find this precious stone? 7. Plural of uncountable nouns: The nouns which cannot be counted do not form their plural by themselves. The words piece, lot, and the like are used to make its plural. Example: I have information that you will like to know. Correction: I have a piece of information that you will like to know. 8. No subject-verb agreement: The verb should always be agreed with its subject. Plural subject mean plural verb and singular subject mean singular verb and vice versa. Example: He and I am not going to perform this wicked act. Correction: He and I are not going to perform this wicked act. 9. Who and which: The first one represents the pronoun that is used for the people and the second one is used for the animals and non-living things. Example: He is the same guy which was caught red-handed. I like your cell phone who is having all the features. Correction: He is the same guy who was caught red-handed. I like your cell phone which is having all the features. 10. Dependent clause as a complete sentence: The dependent clause can never stand by its own. It needs the main and independent clause to covey the accurate meaning. It should be separated with a comma and should be the part of a compound sentence. Example: People are spending healthy life in this town. They like nothing else. Correction: People are spending healthy life in this town, they like nothing else. Bibliography Leki, I. (1991). Foreign Language Annals. Rebecca. (n.d.). 50 Common Grammar Mistakes in English – part 1. Retrieved 09 20, 2014, from www.engvid.com: http://www.engvid.com/english-resource/50-common-grammar-mistakes-in-english/ Smith, C. S. (1964). Determiners and Relative Clauses in a Generative Grammer of English. Linguistic Society of America. Cobbett, William(2003, originally 1818).A Grammar of the English Language (Oxford Language Classics). Oxford University Press. p.256.ISBN0-19-860508-0. Curme, George O., College English Grammar, Richmond, VA, 1925, Johnson Publishing company, 414 pages . A revised editionPrinciples and Practice of English Grammarwas published by Barnes Noble, in 1947. Note: the assistance was also taken from the teachers, senior students and, the books.

Burr, Hamilton, & Jefferson: A study in character :: essays research papers

This is a controversial book that is well worth the read. The author comes at his subject from outside academe, albeit with impeccable credentials. Although he has authored nine books, has served as Director of the National Park Service and Director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, and was once a White House correspondent for NBC, his approach remains outside the mainstream of history or journalism. To begin, it is refreshingly place-oriented and rich with detail of physical surroundings and personal relationships involving the nation's founders. The work is less successful in terms of the context of time. Roger Kennedy's study is not presented in strict chronological narrative, because it is a study in "character." Its analytical framework, however, is too value-laden, sometimes obscuring the political and social context of early nineteenth-century America. Kennedy sets up his straw men to praise and destroy, which is an easy feat from the vantage point of twenty-first-century morality. The book is, nonetheless, intellectually honest (the author admits his biases upfront and in the appendix), provocative, and ultimately instructive. He blasts certain points of historical consensus and bias through the skillful use of both evidence and conjecture. He utilizes firsthand accounts of friends and associates, as well as rascals and enemies, to convey multidimensional impressions of Burr, Hamilton, Jefferson, Washington, and others. There are no flat images here. Kennedy uncovers motivations that drove these men to do great (and not-so-great) things, which is definitely not an easy feat, especially in a prosopographical study that links the lives of its main characters. When the smoke dears, Burr comes away looking quite a bit better than reputation would have it; Hamilton emerges from a mixed review about the same; but Jefferson now looks decidedly worse--not at all the guy you think of smiling on that brand-new, shiny nickel. Burr and Hamilton were local rivals in New York politics. They had a sometimes close, but complex, relationship. When Hamilton played dirty politics (yet again) to keep Burr from becoming New York's governor, Burr uncharacteristically lost his self-control, called Hamilton out for a duel, and shot him dead in 1804. It is quite possible that Hamilton actually committed suicide, using Burr as the instrument. Afterwards, Burr took to referring to "my friend Hamilton, whom I shot." At any rate, Burr was vilified nationally for his deed, and Hamilton was less-than-deservedly martyred. Burr and Jefferson, on the other hand, were national political rivals.

Black & Decker Essay -- essays research papers

Question 1: B&D leads in two product segments, but trails in the third. Why? Answer: It seems from the case that there are several reasons why B&D leads in Professional-Industrial and Consumer product segments, but trails in the Professional-Tradesmen segment. It is also clear from the tests performed by Black & Decker that their products were at comparable, or even better at some cases, quality. Branded as Home Tools: It appears that professional-tradesmen did not want to use the same tools that housewives used at homes (Black & Decker). Tradesmen viewed Black & Decker tools more for home use than being subjected to demands of the job site. This was a perception issue that was hurting Black & Decker big way. Distribution Channel: It is also evident from the data (Exhibit 2) that Black & Decker lacked in capitalizing one of the most profitable distribution channels i.e. Membership Club. On the other hand, Makita who distributed its product through membership clubs, in which Black & Decker did not take part in, proved to be very successful channel (85%) for Makita. Color: I believe that the unremarkable grey color did not help Black & Decker. The color was another factor that was strongly linked to the Black & Decker’s image. The color factor was very clearly demonstrated by lab tests and also by the comments from professional-tradesmen. Multiple Segments: Black & Decker was involved with three different segments Professional-Industrial, Professional-Tradesmen, and Consumer. On the other hand, Makita (who entered the market in 1978) focused on only one segment of the market while B&D focused on three. Question 2: Describe the salient psychological features of the tradesman’s buying behavior (values & need states). Answer: This is Tradesmen seem to believe that Black & Decker’s brand is for Consumer use only. They are well aware of the brand, but regard it as the brand that is more suitable for the tools used at home. As Black & Decker holds about 45% of the consumer market, it has very good brand recognition. In a tradesmen’s mind the association of Black & Decker with consumer segment is so high that they feel that Black & Decker is for home use only and it is not rugged enough to be used professionally. Need: Strong tools, that can be used professionally Value: They ne... ...disassociation from Black & Decker brand  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Introduction of a Black & Decker’s one of the stable brands (DeWalt) that has no negative association  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  DeWalt got 70 % awareness rating. This in turn means that Black & Decker will not have to spend money to establish a new brand  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  DeWalt also achieved an â€Å"One of the best† agreement percentage of 63%  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Also scored 58% on the purchase interest by tradesmen in â€Å"DaWalt-Serviced and Distributed by Black & Decker’ Cons:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It seems that every one at Black & Decker takes a great pride in the #7 â€Å"brand Power† position of the Black & Decker name. It will be a challenge to sell the option at Black & Decker.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Linkage of aggressive objectives of doubling the Black & Decker’s Professional-Tradesmen segment share from 9% to about 20% I strongly suggest that Joseph Galli should drop the Black and Decker name from the Professional-Tradesmen segment, sell the products in this category under the DeWalt brand and build more brand awareness for DeWalt

Ancestral Puebloans: The Southwest American Indians Essay -- Explorato

Ancestral Puebloans: The Southwest American Indians "Man corn", warfare and atlatls were not the only interesting aspects of the Anasazi culture. The history and lifestyles of the Ancestral Puebloans may have contributed to their mysterious disappearance. Their societies were more complex than most humans realize. The Anasazi, or to be politically correct, the Ancestral Puebloans, traveled to the Southwest from Mexico around 100 A.D. (Southwest Indian Relief Council, 2001). The word "Anasazi" originated from the Navajo word that translates to "ancestral enemies." The name was changed from Anasazi to Ancestral Puebloans so that their ancestors today do not take offense to the history of the people in their past. The Anasazi were known to be a nomadic people. They generally moved around until they found the perfect land for farming. This perfect land happened to be scattered across the southwest portion of the United States, mostly in the Four-Corner region of Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico (SWIRC, 2001). Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon and Hovenweep were some of the most attractive places for these nomadic farmers to settle down. Mesa Verde provided the Anasazi with a high plateau full of canyons, caves and "Cliff Palaces." Chaco Canyon served as the center for all Anasazi activity. Hovenweep contained many cliff dwellings, perfect for a thriving, but remote Anasazi site. The Anasazi Indians developed their farming methods gradually once they found the perfect homelands. They would grow and eat corn, squash, pinon nuts, fruits and berries. Once the corn was fully-grown, the Anasazi women ground the corn with ametate and a mano. The metate is a "flat stone receptacle" and the mano is a "hand-held stone" (Ferguson... ...mber/October). Flight of the Anasazi. Archaeology, 44 Noble, D. G. (1985). Understanding the Anasazi of mesa verde and hovenweep. Pgs. 35-37. Santa Fe: Ancient City Press. Pueblo Indian. (2002, April). History of the pueblo indians (cont.). Retrieved March 12, 2003, from http://www.puebloindian.com/pueblo_history_003.htm Roberts, D. (1996). In search of the old ones. Pgs. 13, 31. New York: Touchstone. Southwest Indian Relief Council. (2001, July). Southwest indian history: 300 B. C.: Anasazi. Retrieved March 11, 2003, from http://www.swirc.org/history/anasazi.html S. P. (2002, September). Could the Anasazi have stayed? Science News, 174. Torres, N. & Stuart, S. Anasazi indians. Retrieved March 12, 2003, from http://www.crystalinks.com/anasazi.html Williams, S. (1991). Fantastic archaeology. Pgs. 339-340. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

How successful was Henry VIII’s foreign policy? Essay

Henry VIII was a young king with many aims for England. His foreign policies mainly focused peace and security as expected by most kings however he choose to achieve this through war. Wolsey however wanted it through many peace agreements. Henry VII’s foreign policy can therefore be split in to aims he tried to achieve. These were: to please the pope, to increase security, to maintain the ‘balance of power’ to increase his prestige and finally for the image of a glorious kingship or his own reputation. Henry had to try and please the pope as the pope was god’s voice on earth and people were very religious including Henry in his youth. If the pope was an ally of Henry’s he could gain more prestige and increase security. In 1521 Henry proved his loyalty to the Catholic Church by writing his book called defiance of 7 sacraments. This he wrote this after Martin Luther started Protestantism. This gave Henry the title of ‘Fidei defensor’ (defender of the faith) which the monarch still has today. Although pope Paul III did try to take this title away in 1530 after Henry being excommunicated from the church, however in 1544 the English parliament declared through an act it to be reinstated. In 1512 Henry was invited in to the Holy league which was a group headed by Pope Julius II. The group was England, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain and the pope all against France. However in 1525 the king wanted his marriage to Catherine annulled. This was a problem as he had to get permission to marry her as she was her brother’s widow. No pope should ever overturn any decision of another since they are god’s voice on earth so what they say god says and if 1 pope says another is wrong that means god was wrong. Henry could therefore not marry Anne Boleyn while he was a member of the Catholic Church. So he left it and England became protestant. He was also then excommunicated which is being kicked out of the church but he already left. Another bad foreign policy was the Avignon project which was Wolsey saying he would step in as pope why the actual pope was in captivity by the holy roman emperor. This was bad as people saw this as Wolsey only wanting to be the pope. In summary it was a short term success hence Henry being given the title by the pope and him being invited into the holy league. On the other hand it was a massive failure in the long term as he quits the religion and then is excommunicating leaving England a country with no allies and no democratic significance. Due to Henry being a young king he would also be seen as a weak one. This would then put security as a big aim of his. The treaty of London in 1518 increased security massively as it called a cease fire across Europe. However was also seen as a failure since it collapsed with the uprising of Charles V in 1519. The field of the cloth of gold also increased security as it cemented the friendship between France and England using competitive sports. This replaced violent confrontation with peaceful competition. On the other hand the treaty of Cambrai in 1529 was made by French, pope and Charles to exclude Henry from forefront affairs making him very isolated. In conclusion it was a short term success as the treaty of London did stop any wars for a short time however it collapsed but it was due to Henry so could still be a success because he could not stop Charles becoming powerful so could not stop the collapse. Also Henry was never invaded so in the long term it was still a success. Henry had to maintain a balance of power because if one country was to get too much power it would risk his security. The holy league and treaty of London are examples of were nations have got together to maintain a balance of power. Although Charles did stop the treaty and upsetting the balance more by becoming a super power in Europe. The league of cognac in 1526 was though set up by pope, France, Venice, Florence and England against Charles to maintain a balance. An argument against the success would be that he went to war with France upsetting the balance furthermore. To sum up it was a success until Charles V arrived then he upset the balance of power to much. Prestige was important in Europe as England has never been seen as a major country compared to Spain or France any king especially Henry wants to be better then both countries. The field of the cloth of gold helps this showing a strong relationship with a strong ally. The battle of Flodden in 1513 is also a good example because James IV dies along with many of his nobles weakening Scotland. However it could be seen as a mockery towards Henry as Catherine is the person who led the fighting why he is fighting in France. Also the treaty of Noyon showed a friendship between France and Spain forming which meant no need for Henry to be the middle man weakening his prestige. In summary this was a failure as it was not Henry at Flodden although it did increase the countries prestige it lessened Henry’s personal prestige. Finally Glorious kingship was Henry wanting to be remembered throughout history as a great king. He also wanted to increase his own reputation in Europe. The war in France increased the image as a glorious king according to Henry as he seed the best way to gain it by going to war and winning which is what he did at the battle of spurs in 1513 where he gained Tournai and Therouanne in northern France. Henry did not want to use treaties to gain the image as Wolsey suggested he should do. Treaty of more in august 1525 was therefore seen as a failure because Henry had to give back the land he had in France which he just spent time, money and men capturing for his annual pension to be resumed. In conclusion this was a short time success as the wars did give him a great image but the treaties to follow did not. On the other hand Henry is still remembered today but not as a glorious king but as a fat king with many wives. Overall henry’s foreign policy was very successful but only in the short time. The treaty of London possible the best thing he did. However once Charles came to the scene everything went bad and his foreign policy did not work. Finally leaving the church left him very isolated and without support since all the big powers in Europe were catholic and he was not.

Footwear Industry Analysis Essay

When you wake up and get dressed every morning, one of the first decisions you make is what shoes you will wear that day. Depending on the weather and the level of professionalism you are perceived to demonstrate, you make your decision. The footwear industry is a large and ever changing industry that caters to the needs of everyone. Although in some parts of the world people are lucky to have one pair of shoes, many people, including myself, have somewhere around 50-100 pairs, each serving a unique purpose. Recently, market trends have shown that the global footwear industry has grown at an average rate of 4.4%, and is expected to continue this growth well into the future. The footwear industry is segmented into four different geographic regions, Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa. The Americas account for 38.2% of the industry, Europe 38.1%, Asia-Pacific 19.7, and Middle East & Africa only 4% combined. This shows that the majority of the revenue for the market is generated in the Americas and Europe combined. The market distribution ranges from clothing, footwear and sportswear retailers, department stores, hypermarket, supermarket and discounters as well as other channels. The five forces driving competition in the global footwear industry are buyer power, supplier power, new entrants, substitutes, and the degree of rivalry. Although the industry is very large, it is dominated by intense rivalry between large retail groups. Since footwear is considered a necessity among most humans, the overall sales volumes are generally high, reducing buyer power. The majority of the footwear industry is manufactured in low-cost areas (usually South-East Asia); many other manufacturers can compete effectively within the market. Since the fixed costs for retail operations are low, the threat of new entrants are rather high, however many existing firms have significant economies of scale therefore threatening the growth of any new entrants. An important driving force of the footwear industry is buyer power. Although the high volume of sales in the footwear industry reduce buyer power by a large volume, buyers still have some power. Mainly buyer independence, low-cost s witching, price sensitivity, and tendency to switch, product dispensability, and undifferentiated products drive buyer power. There is a  high degree of differentiation within the market since footwear ranges from fashion, athletic, and fully functional industries. This allows each sub-industry to target each individual on a different level, which therefore reduces buyer-switching power between brands, since each brand holds different features from one another. Altogether, buyer power is considered moderate in the footwear industry. On the other hand, supplier power of the footwear industry is a major driving force as well. Major factors of the supplier power include differentiated input, importance of quality/cost, no substitute inputs, player independence, supplier size and switching costs. Since the majority of the footwear industry is manufactured in low-cost locations, many other locations are unable to compete in the market. Therefore causing these locations to offer highly differentiated products (high end designers and specialty products). Due to the high number of low-cost manufacturers, switchin g is increased and therefore supplier power decreases. Forward integration is also diminished since there are many well established brands within the industry. Altogether supplier power is also considered moderate in the footwear industry as well. Since fixed costs are low, the threat of new entrants is fairly high. However, since there are many well-established retail groups that have significant economies of scale, new entrants can rarely expand. The expansion of the online selling community can serve as a threat to new entrants due to the lack of knowledge the customer has about the company or product, on the other hand this is a great opportunity for growth and expansion of larger more well known companies. Other than a few specialty products, brand recognition in the overall industry is relatively low, which enhances the strength of new entrants. Combined with the low cost of manufacturing, the threat of new entrants in the footwear industry is considered strong. Another force that drives the footwear industry is the threat of subst itutes. A few factors that influence the threat of substitutes in the industry are beneficial alternatives, cheap alternatives and most importantly the low cost switching rate. Since footwear is considered a necessity, the threat of substitutes is relatively low. In less developed regions, such as the Middle East & Africa, consumers are likely to wear secondhand shoes and repair ones that they already own, therefore restrict sales in certain areas. Between the sub-industries there is a fair amount of substitutions, but the overall  industry cannot necessarily be substituted. The final driving force considered in the footwear industry is the degree of rivalry. Rivalry amongst competitors in the industry is driven by competitor size, ease of expansion, high exit barriers, lack of diversity, low switching costs, low fixed costs, the number of players as well as the similarity of these players, storage costs, undifferentiated products and zero sum game. Once again, the footwear industry is mainly composed of large retail groups of which posses a strong sense of rivalry. The low fixed costs allow smaller companies to exists within the industry and allows for expansion of output. In general, the rivalry between footwear retailers is considered mo derate. In conclusion, the five driving forces of the footwear industry do not have a significant power to overtake the industry itself, since in the end the industry is considered a necessity. The footwear industry is showing upwards trends of growth and expansion in the global perspective, and does not show signs of slowing down anytime soon. Although the threat of new entrants is fairly high, the expansion of the online community has supported the growth of established and well-known brands that exist today. There is not a real threat of substitutes for the industry since it is in fact a necessity, so the industry will always be there. Since many consumers have different preferences, the industry will continue to differentiate itself to better fit each target market. There will always be room for growth in this industry and overall it is a well-established and important industry to the global economy. Works Cited â€Å"Global Footwear Industry Profile.† Footwear Industry Profile: Global (2014): 1-29. Business Source Complete. Web. 29 Sept. 2014. Schmitz, Hubert. â€Å"Learning And Earning In Global Garment And Footwear Chains.† European Journal Of Development Research 18.4 (2006): 546-571. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.

Harvard Referencing

The Harvard referencing system It is important that you identify in your assessment when you are using the words or ideas of another author. The most accepted way of acknowledging the work of another author is to use a referencing system. It is important that you write down the details of your sources as you study. When taking notes, use a separate page for each new book, journal article, or electronic source. At the top of each page, clearly record the following information for future reference. For books, record: * The author’s or editor’s name (or names) * The year the book was published * The title of the book If it is an edition other than the first * The city the book was published in * The name of the publisher For journal articles record: * The author’s name or names * The year in which the journal was published * The title of the article * The title of the journal * The page number/s of the article in the journal * As much other information as you can fi nd about the journal, for example the volume and issue numbers For electronic resources, try to collect the information on the left if it is available, but also record: * The date you accessed the source * The electronic address or email The type of electronic resource (email, discussion forum, WWW page, etc) Whenever you use someone else’s ideas or words, you must put in a reference. Direct quotations – this is when you copy another author’s material word-for-word. You should show the reader that it is a direct quote by placing the material in inverted commas. Traditionally, double inverted commas have been used (â€Å") but it is now acceptable, and preferable to use single inverted commas (‘). Sometimes it is difficult to avoid the direct quotation as the author’s words may precisely describe the point you are trying to make.An example for direct quote from a book or journal article with one author: When organising our time, Adair (1988: 51) sta tes that ‘the centerpiece will tend to be goals and objectives’. OR When organising our time ‘the centrepiece will tend to be goals and objectives’ (Adair, 1988: 51). When you take another author’s ideas and put them into your own words. You are still copying someone else’s work, so you must reference it. You do not need to use inverted commas when you paraphrase, but you must clearly show the reader the original source of your information.All of the sources you refer to in the main body of your assignment need to be listed at the end of the assignment in a reference list. When creating a reference list, the sources should be listed alphabetically by author’s surname, but when the author is anonymous or unknown for any one source, insert that source in the alphabetical list using the title of the source instead of the author’s name. All sources should be listed together; there should not be separate lists for books versus journal articles versus electronic sources.The reference list should be on a separate page from the rest of the assignment and should be simply titled ‘References’ and the title should be in the same font and size as the other headings in your assignment. When you use the Harvard System, you are only usually required to produce a reference list. It is generally important in the text of an assignment to show the reader the author’s name, date of publication and page numbers of the original source. In the reference list, it is important that the author’s name, the year of publication, relevant titles, and other access information is faithfully reproduced.Department of Lifelong Learning: Study Skills Series http://education. exeter. ac. uk/dll/studyskills/harvard_referencing. htm Central Queensland University ESLS Unit (2001) Referencing: The Harvard referencing system, [Online], Available: http://www. cqu. edu. au/edserv/undegrad/clc/content/resources. htm [14 Aug 2001] Lewis, D. (ed. ) (1999) The written assignment, Brisbane: QUT Publications. Wells, D. (2001) Harvard referencing, [Online], Available: http://lisweb. curtin. edu. au/guides/handouts/harvard. html [14 Aug 2001].

Classroom Observation Analysis

Many instructional approaches exist that have been developed to reach more students. Teachers have to select the instructional approaches that work best for students. These approaches have been tested and researched from various theoretical perspectives. An education theory is the speculative thought of education and just like any other theory; it explains, guides, and describes the practices of education. The earliest speculation on educational processes began during the times of classical sophists and Greek philosophers. Current education speculations use terms like andragogy, curriculum, learning pedagogy, education organization, leadership, and policy. Education thought is derived from various disciplines like, philosophy, sociology, critical theory, psychology, and history among others. This paper will discuss five topics based on the best education theory to be applied in the classroom setting with focus on two education theories postulated by Lev Vygotsky and John Dewey. This paper will also address information processing by students, behaviors of teachers to promote thinking, implications of language development on learning and teaching, and on the relationship between the emotional and social development on student behavior and learning. Classroom Observation Analysis Education theory can either be descriptive like in the sciences or normative like in philosophy. Education theory postulates what education processes are supposed to consist of; it sets the standards, norms, and goals in carrying out an education process. The scientific education theory gives a set of hypotheses, which have to be experimented and verified. The two approaches have produced two broad categories of education theories, which are the functionalist’s theory of education arising from the sociological perspective of education and the behaviorist theory of education from the psychology of education. The term theory in education refers to three broad categories known as the explanatory or generalizing model, practice observance, and a body of knowledge. Various educational resources exist that a teacher should employ in a classroom setting to enhance learning among students. Also, human resources affect the learning process of students, which is the behavior of both the students and teachers. Teachers play a major role in improving the thinking ability of students. Other factors exist that affect the learning process of students in the individual, social, emotional development, and language development. Educational theory application in a classroom setting †¢ Educational theories employed Lev Vygotsky and John Dewey postulated educational theories that explain how the human thought affect the outcome in education. On human thought, Dewey’s ideas were instrumentalism based in educational ideas. Vygotsky ideas on education, on the other hand, were based upon the Marxist social ideas. The instrumentalism ideas of Dewey deal with the focus of thoughts and ideas as action instruments; this caused the theorist to believe that the education system needs to incorporate vocational studies. Therefore, schools according to Dewey should incorporate both academic and vocational studies. Students have to involve themselves in activities that promote cooperation and creativity. Dewey believed that teaching individual’s new knowledge through memorization and repetition was ineffective. Through his writings and research, he advocates for thought and does not support strict topics as ways of teaching individuals. Teaching students on one content only is a waste of time, according to the theorist. Dewey encouraged teachers to be practical and creative in their educational approaches to provide students with a wide range of opportunities and to promote individual thought. Marxists social ideas on education were first applied by Vygotsky. He believed that by learning the social situation, a person is capable of learning more. The Zone of Proximal development is the theory postulated by Vygotsky, which explains that a difference exist between a student is taught by an advanced peer, a teacher, and when a student studies alone. With this theory Vygotsky believed that social processes should be incorporated into the education system. Such social processes include peer review, group work activities, and individual contact between student and teacher. Unlike Dewey and his ideas, Vygotsky does not support teacher‘s elitism, he favors the teaching of thinking kills to students and not just teaching a lesson based on a particular topic (Indiana University, 2004). The most effective educational theory to enhance instruction and learning From the two educational theorists, individuals can examine that they had two different thoughts on what education should be, which are not in agreement to each other. However, both Vygotsky and Dewey ideas should be applied in the classroom setting in unison because both their ideas are focused on a classroom environment that emphasizes ways of thinking and student achievement to learn facts. The use of both ideas in a classroom stetting enables a learning situation guided by a teacher who guides students through direction with positive reinforcement and is not a strict figure of authority. Both the ideas of Vygotsky and Dewey require teachers to be dedicated and committed to individual student needs and abilities and not to the ideals and expectations regarding â€Å"normal† or â€Å"advanced† student knowledge of society. Also, using the ideas and theories presented in the classroom setting is beneficial because they encourage students to interact socially and work in teams to promote effective learning in the classroom. According to both theorists interaction is seen as a learning tool, which has been emphasized by Vygotsky, but still applicable in Dewey ideas. A classroom environment that is more conducive to learning has been perceived as a classroom that employs both Vygotsky and Dewey’s ideas. Their contributions were significant to learning, but a combination of their differing ideas has proven to successfully impact the education system. Incorporating social learning ideas and theories with creative lessons plans is vital to the current world of education. Vygostsky ideas and application in the classroom setting Just like Jean Piaget, Vygotsky agrees that education takes place through constructivism, which is the belief of cognitive development (Davison, 2006, p. 1), but they differ on the ideas regarding how the cognitive development process occurs. Cognitive development is the process through the building up or addition of information to newly learned information on already learned information. Piaget is seen as a trivial constructivist who believed that human beings are social learners who learn through interaction with the environment. Individuals can generate new knowledge and understanding about the environment they have been exposed to. Vygotsky, on the other hand, is considered a social constructivist that believes people learn through interaction with other people (Dougiamas, 1998, p. 4). Vygotsky’s ideas are applicable in a classroom setting because through group work and peer reviews students are exposed to what they are taught by others. He disagrees with Piaget’s theory and stated that learning comes before development and not the vise versa according to Piaget’s claim. Vygotsky believes students learn from symbolism, socialization, and history (Davison, 2006, p. 1). The information and actions that children are exposed to by other individuals greatly affects their learning process, and through the interaction with people of adequate intelligence and education will enable students to comprehend and retain information taught more productively (Slavin, 2009, p. 43). The influence of other individuals is vital before a student reaches the point of self-regulation. Self-regulation occurs when an individual can solve problems and think critically without helps from others. By applying this theory in the classroom, a teacher can identify ways to run a classroom with increased efficiency and production. Through the ideas of Vygotsky, the teacher will achieve integration through a diverse student base at different intellectual levels; this will enable students who have learning disabilities or slow learners to be encouraged and tutored by the more advanced students. The teacher will also encourage students to work in group projects so students can come up with answers after solving problems as a team. Such approaches have been praised and beneficial when teaching English and Social Studies. Dewey’s ideas in the classroom setting According to Dewey, learning institutions should be democratic, meaning students can freely share their differing ideas. The classroom setting should focus on subjects that contain practical knowledge in relation to real-life of students. The incorporation of field activities into the classroom learning process enables students to expand their knowledge, boost their critical thinking, and understand their world. Cooperative learning, according to Sharan and Sharan (1992), include Dewey’s learning process as equal aspects of intellectual, emotional, and social events. Dewey argues that a classroom setting should give learners the experience to deal with situations that will arise in their lives to create a democratic society. The cooperative learning will act as a motivator for students and provides them with a sense of personal responsibility toward their academics. Information processing to student learning Students learn in different ways based on their life experiences, stages of development, and culture. These factors determine how students process information. Based on the different characteristics of students, teachers have a responsibility to develop lessons plans that fit the needs of each student. To provide a positive teaching and learning environment, teachers should know learning is affected by aspects such as culture, emotions, and individual thought. Some student’s process information based on their metal states or moods and teachers have a responsibility to create supportive and positive tactics to enhance the learning process of every individual student. A teacher also has to develop a teaching plan to fit those children suffering from various Learning Disabilities who experience challenges in reading and information processing. Students with learning disabilities have been known to interpret information differently and decode social information in a different manner. Some learning disabilities negatively affect the ability of students to interpret social cues and have limited solutions to the social dilemmas they face. They also face the challenge of generating solutions to simple mathematical problems. Theory of information processing, The human mind functions through the creation of mental representations and creating cognitive processes them. Cognition is the ability to have mental representation and memory of objects, people, and learned knowledge through life experiences and academics. In learning, information received through listening and hearing involves various processes that take place in the brain. The incoming information leads to the formation of a series of mental representations. The important ideas are selected and stored in the brain for referencing in the future. According to Miller’s theory of information processing, reinforcement is a crucial activity in enhancing the remembrance of short-term memory. The repetition of a recently read idea will force the brain to process the information through encoding strategies and to later be stored as long-term memory. Reinforcement can be done in the classroom setting through elaboration of and repetition of previous and newly learned information. A teacher can also tell students to do maintenance rehearsals through practices and drilling to help the reinforcement of new information. Such practical strategies can be through songs and repetition poems. Also, to encourage student’s rehearsal, a student can use a variety of interactive computer activities. By repeating the newly learned skills the students will be able to encode the information into long-term memory. The environment and learning Psychologists have studies how human beings are affected by the environments that they have been brought up in. The environment consists of individuals within the family unit and external influences in society. The classroom environment also affects how adolescent students learn and process information. Classroom environments should have no distractions. Factors such as the attitudes of teachers, lack of administrative support, lack of parental support, and a classroom environment that does not support learning leads to poor academic performance among adolescents. The teachers and parents should therefore work hard to provide adolescents with a natural and positive environment for learning. York-Barr, Schultz, Doyle, Kronberg, and Crossett (1996) suggest the use of inclusion strategies in a classroom to enhance a desirable environment for learning to students, especially those from diverse backgrounds. Educators according to inclusion practices should focus on quality education and are to be guided by unique dispositions. Educators are responsible for evaluating teaching practices and initiating positive changes. A teacher’s attitude should be positive and they should have the skills and ability to provide emotional, social, and academic support to students. Students with disabilities should be provided with supporting facilities and proper equipment they need in the classroom to ensure proper education. Consultation is also one of the classroom strategies that educators can use to intervene to the process of students within the class, and it is applicable to solving problems facing the whole school. A proper classroom environment that would boost students’ attention and memory includes teaching materials, equipment, and technological tools for teaching. Students can remember the things they have learned when various learning strategies are employed. Other strategies to help students memory and attention is enabling them to self-assess their performance, targeting particular solution, implementing technologies for education, and record keeping of student performance. Providing the right educational environment is therefore the best way of enhancing student’s memory and attention than the social setting. Teacher behaviors that promote students’ thinking abilities Teachers should practices skills that provide for the individual needs of students. These needs range from emotional, social, and educational needs (Wehby, Symons, Canale, & Go 1998). A teacher practicing collaborative model such as the Educational Review Team will lead to positive outcome to students. To facilitate students comprehension and reasoning, the teachers use strategies that enable them to design good lesson plans, which first starts with the introduction of the topic, presentation of the content in a clear way, checking whether students have understood the information, periodic review, independent practices, and guided practices among others. The teacher should also employ strategies that would improve the motivation of students to learn, the teacher should keep in mind the inertest of students and use a variety of teaching strategies to avoid students being bored. To enhance comprehension and reasoning the teacher has to communicate high expectations, give prompt and constructive feedback, and treat each student as an individual. To promote the thinking skills of student’s teachers should certain framework, which would enable students to think critically and to develop skills, which will make them regulate personal learning and acquire problem-solving skills. Certain activities that a teacher can practice either intentionally or unintentionally can impede students from reasoning or comprehensions. Such aspects include teaching at a fast pace and not bothering to check whether the students have understood the concepts or not. Another aspect is using a teaching strategy that is not inclusive to all the needs of students. A teacher who does not consider strategies that deal with inhibition, planning, fluency, set shifting, working memory, and self-regulations leads to poor attention span among students. In order to enable students attain academic goals, the educator has to consider the action and thoughts of students. Teachers should acknowledge that certain students could be faced by challenges of working on their own and cannot complete certain tasks. The teacher has to implement behavior modification plans (Harris et al, 2005) to help students with attention problems. Another strategy is to limit distraction in the classroom environment, which is a strategy that should be carried out before the beginning of each lesson. Comprehension and reasoning can be enhanced by the teacher by telling students to scan through the headlines of the topic under discussion. Language development Language learning is a vital aspect in the learning process. Language learning enables students to read and write. Reading is as result of comprehension and decoding of information. For students to internalize various academies subjects, the elementary activity is to first teach on language comprehension. Delayed speech development affects the learning process of a student. This delay occurs in two ways; it can either be receptive or expressive. The expressive form gives a child difficulty in the use of vocabulary, poor grammar, poor writing skills, and poor conversational skills. Expressive delay can be seen in students who are shy or hesitates to speak. Receptive delay, on the other hand, affects a student’s ability to comprehend what the student has read, following directions, and understanding speech. The student may also find it difficult to understand visual and sequencing relations. The relationship of social and emotional development to student learning and behavior A student suffering from emotional and behavioral problems leads to interference of the learning process. Such changes lead to poor communication, poor social relationships, and difficulty expressing thoughts and feelings. This affects student’s social intelligence and competence development. Competence development is related to emotional intelligence, which hinders the person from making accurate and logical decisions and in the developments of problem-solving skills. Classroom Analysis During my classroom observation I was able to view theories that were employed by both Vygotsky and Dewey as described above. The teacher was able to interact with student as a friend but also as a figure of authority. The teacher was able to instruct using repetition of previous instructed material while introducing new thought and feelings. I felt the instructor lacked behaviorism because there were no clear cut rules and regulations and the instructor mainly focused on the educational aspects of learning. The teacher was creative when giving lesson plans, and it was obvious the teacher put a large amount of time preparing for lessons. I observed the teacher calling upon students to answer questions regarding the topic presented to ensure the student was paying attention and learning the material. I did notice several students not paying attention and the teacher did not seem to notice but this was understandable considering the high student to teacher ratio. The teacher was also able to use differing vocal tones to emphasize important material content that I assume would be on an upcoming exam. Reference http://dougiamas.com/writing/constructivism.html#faces