Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Hawain Punch Essays

Hawain Punch Essays Hawain Punch Essay Hawain Punch Essay Case Study: Hawaiian Punch How would you characterize the U. S fruit juice and juice drink category? The U. S. fruit juice and juice drink constitutes of 4. 7 of the total 185. 5 gallon of beverage consumed annually. These corporates four distinct varieties of fruit juice and juice drinks; 100% juices which may be either be 100% made from fruits or 100% made from concentrates. 100% juices form the largest share market with its share capital comprising of 54. 9% of the total fruit drink and juice drink; the other is nectars which comprises of from 25% to 99% fruit juices and is manufactured from concentrated juices or fruit pulps. Nectar accounts for 6. 1% of the total fruit juice and juice drink market; juice drinks that comprise of up to 25% juice and; fruit-flavored drinks which contains no juice content. Fruit-flavored drinks are the lowest ranked in terms of market share in the fruit juice and juice drink market with 5. 3% of the total share. How would you characterize the competitive position of Hawaiian Punch? Hawaiian Punch faces seven major competitors in the fruit juices and juices drink categories, the PepsiCo, Coca-Cola Company, Kraft Food, Sunny Delight, Cadbury Schweppes, and Welch. Of all its competitors, Hawaiian Punch is a strong competitor forming 55% of the total sales. This ranks Hawaiian Punch as the top ranked consumer fruit punch drink in the United States economy. Consumers also have confidence in Hawaiian Punch as the product has established a strong market base with a reputation of 70 years in the market. Hawaiian Punch due to its long history has 94% consumer awareness of the product. To keep up with the competition, competitors employ innovation methods as introducing new flavors, repackaging and advertising. : Advertising has formed the main focus for competitors with spending on average 24 cents on every case sold on advertising. Competitors also apply persuasive methods as portraying the benefits of their products to personal health. Does Hawaiian Punch buyer behavior differ between the juice/juice drink aisle and the soft drink aisle in supermarkets and other retail outlets? The behavior of Hawaiian Punch differs between juice drink aisle and soft drink aisle in supermarkets and retail outlets. Supermarkets form the largest vendors of fruit and fruit juices. Supermarkets alone constitute of over 53. % of the total sold. The rest is divided among trade sales as restaurant and schools constituting of 18. 5%; Convenience stores 10. 6%, Discounters 9. 5%, Independent food retailers 5. 8% and the rest is sold in vending machines consisting of 0. 2%. 20 percent of Hawaiian punch juice aisle buyers and 34 percent of hawaiian punch soft drink aisle buyers shop both supermarket aisles, second bo th supermarket aisles attract Hawaiian punch buyers from households with children under 18 years old. The juice aisle was shopped more by households with children in the â€Å"under 6† to 12 year old age group. The soft drink aisle was more popular among the households with children in the 6 to 17 year old age range and skewed toward households with teens. How do the Finished Goods and Direct-Store Delivery Networks differ from each other? Finished goods will refer to good to a good that is ready for consumption. In reference to Hawaiian Punch, the finished product will refer to the commodity that is packaged a ready for the market. Cadbury Schweppes American Beverages will employ the necessary ingredients in the manufacture of the Hawaiian Punch. The manufactured Hawaiian Punch will be packaged in one of the three companies that Cadbury Schweppes owns. The company manufactures seven different flavors; Lemonade, Green Berry Rush, Orange Ocean, Grape Geyser, Berry Blue Typhoon, Fruit Juicy Red and Strawberry Surfin’. The packaged Hawaiian Punch will form the finished product. Direct-Store Delivery is processes where by Cadbury Schweppes will sell Hawaiian Punch in concentrate form to licensed bottlers. Seven Up bottlers, Coca-Cola bottles and Pepsi-Cola examples of licensed Hawaiian Punch bottlers. The licensed bottlers will in turn combine the concentrate with water and sweeteners. The product is then packed in either cans or bottles and sold to retailers. Mazin’Melon mix, Wild purple smash, Bodacious Berry, Green Berry Rush and Fruit juicy Red are example of flavors that Hawaiian Punch markets through this method. What is the relative impact of each on Hawaiian Punchs sales and contributions? The performance of Hawaiian Punch is impressive. Hawaiian Punch has registered a 7% annual increment in sales from when it was bought by Cadbury Schweppes. Also the Hawaiian Punch Light has registered an impressive performance as consumers who are sensitive of their health are included. Bottlers and retailers believe that Hawaiian Punch has the ability to grow if such strategies are employed as new inventive methods of customer attraction. Looking forward to the 2005 Hawaiian Punch business and marketing planning. What recommendations would you make concerning positioning, innovation and allowances and advertising given your assessment of the two manufacturing, sales and delivery networks? Hawaiian Punch should change its prospect on advertisement. Including Punchy mascot in their advertisement of their products will establish a strong product influence. Punchy mascot is an established trade mark that consumers of Hawaiian punch establish themselves with, excluding it from the product advertisement may affect outcome. The inclusion of a variety of flavors may be essential in the increasing of sales in the company. Consumers will benefit from a variety of options available at their disposal. If Hawaiian Punch considers the inclusion of a new flavor in the market, the outcome may be favorable as the company may register new customers who are attracted to the new brand. Advertisements are important in attracting of new customers and keeping the available ones. Advertisement may also be effective in points where increase in sale is required or where the company wants to establish a new product in the market. Hawaiian Punch may consider using advertisement as an option as it considers the introduction of the mango flavor in the market.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

How to Conjugate Protéger (to Protect) in French

How to Conjugate Protà ©ger (to Protect) in French You will use the French verb  protà ©ger  when you want to say to protect. A verb conjugation is required if you want to use it for the past tense protected or the future tense will protect. This word has a couple tricks to it, but a lesson in its simplest conjugations will explain everything you need to know. The Basic Conjugations of  Protà ©ger Protà ©ger is both a stem-changing  and  spelling change verb. While that may seem scary at first, both issues have a purpose and are relatively easy to handle. The stem change occurs with the accented  Ãƒ ©Ã‚  in  protà ©ger. You will notice that in some forms- the present tense, in particular- the accent changes to an  Ãƒ ¨.  You will also notice that the future tense gives you the option between the stem changes.  Pay attention to this while studying so you can spell it correctly when needed.   The stem change pops up in the regular -er  conjugations where the ending begins with an  a  or  o.  For these, the  e  is retained to ensure the  g  has a soft pronunciation as it does in gel. Without the  e, the vowels would make it a hard sound as in gold. The indicative mood and the basic present, future, and imperfect past tenses are covered in this first chart. These should be your top priority to memorize because youll use them most often. All you need to do is pair the subject pronoun with the corresponding tense to learn which endings to use. For example, je protà ©ge means I am protecting and nous protà ©gions means we protected. Present Future Imperfect je protà ¨ge protà ©geraiprotà ¨gerai protà ©geais tu protà ¨ges protà ©gerasprotà ¨geras protà ©geais il protà ¨ge protà ©geraprotà ¨gera protà ©geait nous protà ©geons protà ©geronsprotà ¨gerons protà ©gions vous protà ©gez protà ©gerezprotà ¨gerez protà ©giez ils protà ¨gent protà ©gerontprotà ¨geront protà ©geaient The Present Participle of  Protà ©ger The spelling change is also required in the  present participle  of  protà ©ger because of the -ant  ending. The result is the word  protà ©geant. Protà ©ger  in the Compound Past Tense Another way to express the past tense in French is with the  passà © composà ©. This requires both the  past participle  protà ©gà ©Ã‚  and the present tense conjugate of the auxiliary verb  avoir. For example, I protected is  jai protà ©ge  and we protected is  nous avons protà ©gà ©. More Simple Conjugations of  Protà ©ger Once again, youll find some spelling and stem changes in the following conjugations. Also, the conditional- used for if...then situations- offers the option between the accented es. However, if you pay careful attention to those things, these forms of  protà ©ger  can be quite useful. The subjunctive, for instance, allows you to call the act of protecting into question. When reading or writing French, youll likely encounter  the passà © simple  or  the imperfect subjunctive  because these are literary tenses. Subjunctive Conditional Passà © Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je protà ¨ge protà ©geraisprotà ¨gerais protà ©geai protà ©geasse tu protà ¨ges protà ©geraisprotà ¨gerais protà ©geas protà ©geasses il protà ¨ge protà ©geraitprotà ¨gerait protà ©gea protà ©geà ¢t nous protà ©gions protà ©gerionsprotà ¨gerions protà ©geà ¢mes protà ©geassions vous protà ©giez protà ©geriezprotà ¨geriez protà ©geà ¢tes protà ©geassiez ils protà ¨gent protà ©geraientprotà ¨geraient protà ©gà ¨rent protà ©geassent The French imperative  may be useful for a verb like  protà ©ger. Its used for short and assertive statements, and when you use it, theres no need to include the subject pronoun.   Imperative (tu) protà ¨ge (nous) protà ©geons (vous) protà ©gez

Thursday, November 21, 2019

RESPONSE ESSAY SUMMARY SHEET Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

RESPONSE SUMMARY SHEET - Essay Example paper analyzes some common negative externalities, as well as possible ways through which government intervention may control and regulate these externalities. The study conducted in this paper is based upon a case study of the wastewater management system in Australia. The analysis of negative externalities in this case study is better approached by tackling the following three questions: 1. Explain what negative externalities are, and why there may be the case for government intervention to address them. Describe some of the ways to correct the negative externalities and the pros and cons of each method. Provide real life examples. An externality occurs when some activities by consumers or producers result in unintended direct or indirect effects over other unintended players in the market. Externalities may be negative or positive (Laffont 2008). In this case, negative externalities arise when the action of a party results in damage to other people without any form of compensation being awarded for that damage. Within the context of a business environment, a negative externality refers to a spill-over of an economic transaction that result in negative effects on a party that has no any direct involvement in the activity that causes the externality. Thus, the first party does not incur any costs for the repercussions on society while the second party gets no benefits from the effects inflicted upon them. Externalities constitute one of the many reasons that lead to government intervention within the economic sphere. Thus, it is because the production, consumption, as well as investment decisions made by households, individuals, and organizations or firms usually affect people who are not directly involved in the transactionsMost externalities fall into the technical externalities category. In this context, the indirect effects impact on the production and consumption opportunities of other people, though the cost of the product or service does not consider

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Master of Science in Integrated Marketing - Statement of Purpose Personal

Master of Science in Integrated Marketing - of Purpose - Personal Statement Example The limited experience I have gained as a marketer has shown me that I belong to the profession. I find it exciting, fulfilling, and challenging; therefore, a graduate degree in the discipline occurs to me almost by default. As an aspiring marketer, I have taken the initiative to be more competitive and marketable so long as I still seek personal and professional contentment. Marketing is one of the oldest aspects of modern business, and the opportunities are endless. Marketing is also one of the most lucrative professions, but I am aware that higher perks are commensurate with academic and professional competence. I am quite ambitious and driven individual, and I would not like to see other marketers grow while I struggle with my undergraduate degree. During my time as an intern, I witnessed the power of academic qualifications at play. In all the organizations I worked the managers held graduate degrees in their areas of specialization. The marketing managers possessed either a great deal of professional experience or had advanced certifications in marketing. This showed me that my growth as a marketer depends on how excellently I position myself. I have learned that professional growth resembles marketing in many ways. Like the products I market, I have to reinvent myself, excellently position myself, become visible, and prove that I am the best option available. The graduate degree in marketing is part of my positioning statement, marketing pitch, and competitive advantage. I am positive that by the time I complete the program I will be strategically positioned to exploit the opportunities and benefits created by my advanced degree. Marketing has become more competitive over time, and employers have also revised their strategies of hiring and recruiting marketing practitioners (Baaghil 25). Professional qualifications are no longer the main requirement for excelling in the field of

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Local Lit Foreign Lit Essay Example for Free

Local Lit Foreign Lit Essay In this chapter one of the most important early steps in a research project is the conducting of the literature review. This chapter will explain how review of related literature is very important in conducting a study. This is also one of the most humbling experiences youre likely to have. Because youre likely to find out that just about any worthwhile idea you will have has been thought of before, at least to some degree. A literature review is designed to identify related research, to set the current research project within a conceptual and theoretical context. The greatest emphasis on research journals that use a blind or juried review system. The literature review will help to find and select appropriate measurement instruments. It will readily see what measurement instruments researchers used themselves in contexts similar to the study. Finally, the literature review will help to anticipate common problems in the research context. It can use the prior experiences of others to avoid common traps and pitfalls. 2.1 Related Literature Local Literature The Department of Education said Monday â€Å"it’s all systems go† for the National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE), adding that it expects some 1.5 million fourth year high school students from both public and private schools to participate. â€Å"The annual conduct of the NCAE gives the students and the parents an idea on the field of endeavor most suited to the graduating students thus, allowing for better decision on their choice of career,† Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said. A major part of the exam consists of the general scholastic aptitude test. It also measures a graduating student’s potentials or inclination in such areas as technical-vocational aptitude, entrepreneurial skills, nonverbal ability and occupational interest. The test components are: scientific ability, mathematical ability, reading comprehension, verbal ability, manipulative skills, clerical ability, non-verbal ability and entrepreneurial skills. The exam results are at best recommendatory and are not a requisite for admission to college. There were 717,232 students or 58.62 percent who obtained high aptitude in entrepreneurship. Some 20,307 students with high general scholastic aptitude scores and 22,879 students with high results in technical-vocational aptitude became eligible. (James Konstantin Galvez, n.d.) It says in the article that the assessment exam will determine which career path is best after graduation from high school based on the individual test results. The examination will also minimize the mismatch in career choices and skills that has affected many college graduates who were not well advised about what career path they should take. *PMA exam passers eye academy’s 300 slots.The 942 passers of the recent Philippine Military Academy (PMA) entrance exams will still have to battle it out to make it to the 300-strong cast of final cut and fulfill their dreams of being a member of the PMA Class 2013. The PMA entrance examination is the just first step of a highly competitive process for cadet aspirants in the PMA. To secure a slot in the academy, examination passers will then have to overcome the rigid and complete physical fitness test and medical examination set in early October. But the good news is PMA’s officials are reportedly planning to talk with the Armed Forces of the Philippines general headquarters to extend the final cut qualifiers by 30 to 50. Those who will qualify the second stage will be notified by the PMA thru mail, while the complete list of passers will be published in some major national broadsheets and at the PMA website at www.pma.ph. And although the exam is just the beginning, PMA Supt. M/Gen. Leopoldo Maligalig appreciated the 18-percent passing rate this year, only a whisker ahead of last year’s 16 percent. Records show that applicants from Baguio registered the highest passing percentage in the entrance exam at 27 percent with 133 passers. There were 8, 449 regulars and 1,834 walk-in applicants nationwide but only 5, 777 have qualified to take the entrance examinations. 5, 652 completed the battery test in mathematics, English and special PMA aptitude test. PMA, considered the country’s top military institution, has been accepting more than 10,000 to 12, 000 applicants in the past years. Academy’s information officer Lady Capt. Agnes Lynnette Flores, however, noted that there has been a decrease in the number of aspiring cadets as a result of PMA’s more rigid training intended to maintain its reputation of producing high-quality cadets and future true leaders.â€Å"The program is also geared to insulate PMA cadets from politics and to mold them into constitutional soldiers who must defend the fundamental law of the land at all costs,† she said. *MMDA chief: Address job mismatch. Saying the education system is failing to produce the skills needed by the private industry, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando yesterday called for joint public-private collaboration to address the problem of job mismatch. â€Å"The government, schools and private business should get together for an exchange of views on dominant and emerging jobs and the skills needed to fill the jobs,† Fernando said. He suggested human-resource planning to forecast the demand for and supply of critical skills. The planning could be done on an industry basis. Fernando proposed that companies provide the necessary training and retraining, while colleges and universities review their curricula to offer business-friendly courses. The government should also enhance its free training program through the Technical and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) by opening more training centers in rural areas and strengthening its vocational training program. Current opportunities, Fernando noted, are in the fields of information technology, retail, manufacturing, tourism, hospitality and accounting, adding that the call center industry has an opening for at least 60,000 jobs this year. Fernando said the Philippine economy should also continue to grow in order to provide more better-paying jobs that would entice Filipinos to stay in the country. While overseas Filipino workers are providing billions of dollars in remittances for the Philippine economy, their absence in the country also contributes to the brain/skills drain and to dysfunctional families, he observed. Local industries have estimated incurring an additional P1 billion for recruiting and training new workers to replace those who have left to work abroad. Foreign Literature DepEd asked not to rank schools in NAT. The Federation of Association of Private Schools and Administrators (FAPSA) is asking the Department of Education (DepEd) not to rank schools in the National Achievement Test (NAT), saying it is not a healthy competition. â€Å"Our group would not mind the intention of Secretary (Jesli) Lapus provided the outcome would not be published,’’ he added. Kasilag made the appeal after the DepEd administered the NAT to sixth graders and second year high school students last March 5 and 12. â€Å"The conduct of the test had paved the way for ingenious access to leakage. Former DepEd secretary Raul Roco had admitted that questions and answers could bought in the provinces,’’ he said. Kasilag said the NAT, being the precursor of NCEE in the 90’s then NEAT and NSAT in 2000, was the same exam for whose abolition his group lobbied for. Roco abolished the NCEE in a bid to allow more students to enter college. He cited the case of a female student in his school (St. Nicholas school in Marikina) who failed to graduate as valedictorian because she didn’t do well in NEAT exam years back. â€Å"The mother asked why should a days exam matter most over the entire six years of study in elementary? Schools already have 4 periodicals, 10 monthly tests, countless quizzes and daily assignments, are these not enough?’’ he said. (Shianee Mamanglu, March 18, 2009) The ranking of schools in a publication had proved to be divisive and resulted in unhealthy competition among private schools. Schools that lagged behind prepared rigorously to recover at the expense of regular academic curriculum. Ofcourse, if the result is published it will only cause disgrace to the schools. The conduct of the NAT is not reliable enough to assess the total performance of students, since students, particularly those from the provinces, can buy questions, answers and grades. *Mandatory psych test for leaving OFWs opposed. We will also stage various mass actions in national level in the coming weeks to show Malacanang and the House members that there is indeed clamor for this, he added. Basas, however, expressed appreciation to Secretary Lapus and the entire DepEd in lobbying for the immediate approval of the proposed bill. He also lauded the Senate for the immediate approval of its counterpart proposed law in the Upper Chamber. TDC claimed that since 2001 public school teachers had only two salary increases amounting to P2, 000 combined. Mandatory psych test for leaving OFWs opposed. Manila, Philippines A coalition of migrants’ rights organizations has opposed the proposal to make psychiatric examination mandatory for leaving overseas Filipino household service workers. Ellene Sana, executive director of the Center for Migrants Advocacy (CMA), said the proposal was made by the Department of Foreign Affairs, citing a study by the Department of Health of mental cases among overseas Filipino workers. She said they got the information from Poe Gratela, private sector representative to the governing body of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), during a consultation meeting on August 6. In Resolution No. 05, Series 2008, the Consultative Council on OFWs (CCOFW), of which CMA is a member, argued that this mandatory psychiatric exam only for household service workers is discriminatory, will be an additional cost to OFWs, and does not guarantee objectivity. *The council also said the test presupposes that the root problem is the workers’ psychiatric disposition. It said this presumption is â€Å"unfounded and illogical.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Sound psychiatric test results of a worker cannot guarantee one’s sanity because there are simply too many aggravating factors such as work environment, cultural differences, language barriers, and emotional stress that affect OFWs’ physical and mental conditions,† it said. The council pointed out data which shows that 78 percent of the household service workers deemed mentally unfit were deployed in the Middle East. This indicates that â€Å"what is needed is for the government to look at the working conditions in the Middle East of the household service workers, and not these workers’ mental states,† it said. Instead, the council proposed that the government administer mandatory psychiatric examinations to all government personnel deployed overseas â€Å"to determine their psychological and emotional preparation for overseas assignments, particularly, in handling cases of workers in distress.† *Aside from CMA’s Sana, the other signatories to the resolution are: Fr. Savino Bernardi of the Apostleship of the Sea, Fr. Edwin Corros of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ Ecumenical Commission on Migrants and Itinerants, Luis Andres Maya of the Scalarini Center for People on the Move, Fr. Fabio Baggio of the Scalabrini Migration Center,Gwendolyn Valencia of the Philippine Migrants Rights Watch, Carmelita Nuqui of the Development Action for Women Network, Gina Espinosa of Kaibigan Inc., Francisco Aguilar Jr. of the Fil Migrant Workers Group, Mildred Yamzon and Dr. Gloria Itchon of the Women in Development Foundation, and Luther Calderon of Kampi. *Naveed Azim and Imran Naqvi and Kashif ur Rehman. Learning of student can be assessed by objective type and subjective type questions. Educationists and behavioral scientists declare subjective writing skills essential for senior management positions. Investigation revealed that IT professionals who qualified through objective type online examination and lack subjective writing skills could not earn rise in career to top management positions easily. The study considered ability of a student to express knowledge subjectively as the independent variable and higher management position requirements as the dependent variable. It hypothesized better the student of higher level education in his/her subjective expression, more considerable s/he will be for positions at senior management in business organizations. The study selected 100 private companies engaged in the field of Information Technology (IT) in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan who seek OCP or MCSD or MCSE certified professionals. SalonBooker is the leading online scheduling, point-of-sale and business management software for the beauty industry. Thousands of businesses have joined the GramercyOne family to provide online booking to their customers, manage day-to-day operations and drive new business. SalonBooker is completely web-based, which makes it available from any computer with a browser and internet connection, anywhere at any time, even via an smart phone or iPad. With SalonBooker you will be able to manage your business efficiently by integrating multiple systems in to one, save time through intelligent inventory and commission management and track and report across all activities within your business. (http://www.salonbooker.com/) 2.2 Related Studies Local Studies *According to Wikipedia, â€Å"A test or an examination (or exam) is an assessment, often administered on paper or on the computer, intended to measure the test-takers or respondents (often a student) knowledge, skills, aptitudes, or classification in many other topics (e.g., beliefs). Tests are often used in education, professional certification, counseling, psychology (e.g., MMPI), the military, and many other fields. The measurement that is the goal of testing is called a test score, and is a summary of the evidence contained in an examinees responses to the items of a test that are related to the construct or constructs being measured. Test scores are interpreted with regards to a norm or criterion, or occasionally both. The norm may be established independently, or by statistical analysis of a large number of subjects.† (www.wikipedia.com) According to Lee J. Cronbach, â€Å"Test aid in making many sorts of decisions, including selection and classification of individuals, evaluation of educational or treatment procedures, and acceptance or rejection of scientific hypothesis.† (Essentials of Psychological Testing, Cronbach, p.18) According to Wikipedia, â€Å"An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site. It originated as the modern equivalent of a traditional bulletin board, and a technological evolution of the dialup bulletin board system. From a technological standpoint, forums or boards are web applications managing user-generated content. People participating in an Internet forum may cultivate social bonds and interest groups for a topic may form from the discussions. (www.wikipedia.com) According to WORDIQ, †An Internet forum, also known as a message board or discussion board, is a web application that provides for online discussions, and is the modern descendant of the bulletin board systems and existing Usenet news systems that were widespread in the 1980s and 1990s. An Internet forum typically exists as part of a website and invites users to start topics and discuss issues with one another. Sometimes, a forum even comprises most, if not all, of the content of a site. Compared to wikis, Internet forums dont allow users to edit the forum posts of other users; however, administrators and moderators generally have the capability of doing thisâ€Å". (www.wordiq.com) Foreign Studies College student retention programs tend to focus primarily on students in their first and second year of college as this is the time when the greatest number of students withdraws from postsecondary education (ACT 2004). Such programs vary substantially in design and execution. Examples include: Early alert, assessment, and monitoring systems to identify students at risk of dropping out for early intervention; Freshman Seminar; and HORIZONS. Organizational Theory practices, designed to create an institutional culture conducive to student retention, are another means of encouraging college student retention. Improving college retention rates may have broad impacts: students who complete college degrees have been found to be less likely to need the support of social services, generate higher tax returns, put less stress on the criminal justice system, and have better health status and improved parenting skills. Expected Beneficial Outcomes, Increased college retention rates, increased graduation rates, Evidence of Effectiveness ACT-Student Retention 2004 indicates that emphasis on retention strategies over the past several decades has not had a substantial impact on college retention overall. However, such programs have been effective in some venues and for some students: Dale 1995 reports that 85% of students participating in HORIZON, a Purdue University based student retention program, were retained compared to only 47% of non-enrollee peers. Participants indicated that belonging to a support network, having assistance with effective study methods, and tutoring were most important to their decision not to leave school. According to Wikipedia, â€Å"Career assessments are tests that are designed to help individuals understand how a variety of personal attributes (i.e., interests, values, preferences, motivations, aptitudes and skills), impacts their potential success and satisfaction with different career options and work environments. Assessments of some or all of these attributes are often used by individuals or organizations, such as university career service centers, career counselors, outplacement companies, corporate human resources staff, executive coaches, vocational rehabilitation counselors, and guidance counselors to help individuals make more informed career decisions.†

Thursday, November 14, 2019

puritanism Essay -- essays research papers

The Puritans dream was to create a model society for the rest of the Christians.. Their goal was to make a society in every way connected to god. Every aspect of their lives, from political views and employment to recreation and dress, was taken into account in order to live a more pious life. But to really understand what the aspirations of the puritans were, we must first understand their beliefs. The Puritans believed that a man’s only purpose in life was â€Å"to glorify God on earth and, if he were especially fortunate, to continue the good work in Heaven.† For the puritans, to glorify god meant keeping him in mind at all times, working to the best of their ability at whatever job god had had set fate for them to do, and following a strict moral code based on the bible. Every act and thought in a Puritans life was either a working for god or the opposite. Thus, leading a pious life in the form of working hard, praying, and churchgoing, was considered paying homage to God. Through all of these things, the most important was to be mindful of God at all times.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This does not mean, however, that the Puritans did not allow themselves to be comfortable and happy. First of all, the Puritans took happiness in the knowledge that they were living a pure life the way God had intended it to be. Second they believed in working hard, and if one acquired wealth by working hard, saving, and staying sober, than that was evidence of God favoring that person. Eating well, drinking well, sexual indulgence within the bounds of marriage, and enjoying the comforts of life were not assets that were set by the Puritans. In actuality, the Puritans were against certain human actions that they regarded as evils: greediness, materialism, and concern with the externals of religion rather than with the things of the spirit. The puritan was in constant internal conflict, whether it was restraining his human desires, or if he failed in that, than scolding to try harder in efforts. The Puritans believed that they were God’s select few that coul d carry out his original orders the way he had intended.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They came to the New World to bring upon a â€Å"City Upon a Hill† that would serve as a model for the rest of the Christian world. The city of God was destined to be built in New England and the Puritans intended to be the founders. An enti... ...nificant challenge to Massachusetts was Anne Hutchinson. She believed that living a pious life was not enough to become a true Puritan and that to become a true Puritan one must undergo a conversion experience. Hutchinson berated the leaders of the colony for having ministers that she believed were not part of the election and she was a serious threat to the established colonists. Her followers grew to a large amount. She became influential enough to prevent Winthrop’s reelection as governor in 1636. The next year he returned to office and had her tried for heresy. Even though she displayed remarkable knowledge of theology, she still defied clergy, and was eventually banished for sedition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Puritans dreamed of creating the perfect god fearing society as a model for the entire Christian world. They did everything in their power to keep this dream alive. They created strict laws, and enforced them vigorously all in the name of God. But it was destined to fail because of the growing political liberty in England and the numerous advancements during the age of enlightenment, which eventually came into direct conflict with established Puritan beliefs.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Participation – Citizenship Coursework

In the summer, my class decided to run a charity stall to raise money for our house charity, The British Heart Foundation. I knew someone that recently underwent a triple heart bypass and thought that raising money for such a cause that could help to extend peoples life was an excellent idea. The temperature at school was becoming unbearable so I suggested that a great way to earn money selling something that people need would be to run an ice-cream stall outside the picnic area where the majority of the school eat their lunch. Everyone agreed that it was a good idea but we came across the problem of finding a price that we could agree on. So we decided to do some market research and some members of my class organised a questionnaire in which students at our school were asked questions about their favourite flavours or how much they would be willing to pay for one ice cream. We discovered that most people enjoyed strawberry, vanilla and mint chocolate chip ice cream and that they would pay around 50p for one ice cream with extra toppings. Everyone in my class had a role in participation, whether it was finding a place to store 30 tubs of ice cream or organising security so that people didn't try to get ice cream without paying. We all had to bring in one litre tub each and we stored them in the freezer. Buying ice cream wasn't a problem for most, however I personally found it hard to find mint chocolate chip ice cream and ended up buying plain mint ice cream instead. Also in the hot weather, some people's generators had given in and their freezers had broken, so I offered to store some extra tubs in my freezer for those who didn't have room. My main role was organising what stuff we needed and who was supplying it. I brought in scoopers and cool bags to place the ice cream in when we were selling it so that it didn't melt. Melting ice cream didn't become a problem as the dinner ladies kindly offered to place a fridge outside the canteen with an extension lead to keep it running so that we could store some ice cream in the fridge outside. I also had another role in being a â€Å"scooper† and making the ice creams for people to buy, at the same time I had to keep an eye on people trying to skip the queue. I enjoyed being a scooper and in my opinion it was one of the better roles of the task, we even brought in music to motivate the scoopers and entertain people waiting in the queue. The disadvantage of being a scooper would probably be that after scooping for 1hr and 10 minutes my hand felt numb and I couldn't move it. However the customers seemed to love it, probably because it was such a sweaty day and they needed something to cool them off, even the head teacher came down to buy some ice creams. People who bought ice creams from our stall then told their friends, a lot of people bought more than one! There was some quarrelling when the people who were supposed to be running the stall didn't show up or their friends kept taking free scoops or abusing our â€Å"extra topping service† by pilling the toppings on. Although after they did this they did drop their ice cream on the floor, which serves them right. And they weren't the only ones, because people kept dropping them on the floor it encouraged wasps, and we also lost profit, as we had to give them a new one. When the end of lunch drew near, I helped to count the money made in the day, this made me feel very responsible and trusted with so much money. There was also a lot of cleaning up to do, as well as putting back the tables, cleaning the cool bags and counting our profit. We made approximately à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½150 pounds on the first day and because it was successful we were approached to do it again the next day. The second time around we knew where we went wrong last time and how to make our stall more efficient. This time I helped to re-decorate the stalls, make signs to place around the school and put leaflets in the registers to remind people to bring their money to school for a second time. We also read out a notice in assembly. This time a lot more people came to buy stuff because the weather was warmer, and those who forgot their money yesterday brought it this time. At the end of the day we raised a further à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½172 pounds, and astonishing amount of money for one lunchtime. The school was very pleased and we got a lot of credit for our charity work. On the third day we decided instead of selling the leftovers to give everyone one each and we invited another form to join us. It was nice for me because it was actually my last day at that school. Afterwards we presented the canteen staff with flowers to thank them for giving us freezer space. Our head teacher called it â€Å"a huge success† and many people wished there had been something like it when we had the hottest day in 20 years. Overall it was a good two days and we didn't come across too many problems other than minor disagreements about staff rotas on the scooping table and we made a lot of money. They said that it is likely they will do it again next year, if I was still there I would defiantly suggest it, then next time we could sell something else like balloons or badges at the same time.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Organizational Behaviour Written Assignment Essay

Organizations strive to be effective. However, conflicts within an organization can distort the effectiveness of organizations. Potential for conflicts can be found in all organizations. Nowadays there is a need for understanding what exactly causes conflict. With this knowledge, organization can decrease the possibility of encountering conflict. We can describe organizational conflict, as an open argument between two or more individuals/groups within an organization, which leads to a disrupt cooperation (Hatch, 1997). In organizations, conflicts can occur on a horizontal and vertical level. In our research we will focus on vertical level conflicts, which mean that the conflict takes place between people from different hierarchical levels. As Jung (2003) states, conflicts are clearly associated with power/ status within an organization. Therefore, vertical conflicts can be caused by a lack of acceptance of status and power in a hierarchal model. This last point can be attributed to ‘power distance’, one of the culture dimensions of Hofstede. Our moderator model starts with the independent variable â€Å"status† that leads to the dependent variable â€Å"conflict†, and the relationship between these two is influenced by the moderator â€Å"power distance†. Our research question is as follows: Does power distance (moderator) influence the relation between status (IV) and conflict (DV)? If we found out that power distance influence the relation between status and conflicts, we found a cause for conflicts in organizations and then we know how to reduce conflicts, that is the importance of this research question. Hypothesis An increase in status, the independent variable, will lead to a higher possibility of conflict, which is the dependent variable. Hofstede’s dimension of power distance acts as the moderator. Power distance explains how less powerful members of a society, in our case organization, accept that power is unequally distributed. A high power distance refers to an acceptance of a hierarchical order. A low power distance strives for equal distribution of power, and it asks for justification of inequalities of status (geert-hofstede.com). Therefore, our hypothesis is: If there is a hierarchical order and the status increases, the possibility of conflict will also increase. Especially if there is a low power distance. Explanation In this section we will explain what our expectations of the outcome of this research are. If the status of a person in an organization increases that person will have more power over the other employees. We expect that there will be more conflict in the organization due to the fact that there is a more unequal distribution of status. The lower employees have the feeling that they have no say in things, while their supervisor or manager has everything to say. In general this will lead to more vertical conflict. However power distance plays an important role in this. In organizations that have a low power distance, an increase of status will definitely lead to more conflict. This is because organizations with a low power distance strive for an equal distribution of power. The employees will most definitely disagree with the increase of status, and they will not easily accept this. However, in organizations with a high power distance, an increase of status might lead to a little more conflict. But the effect is not as described above. In such organizations there is a hierarchical order that is accepted, which means that we believe that an increase of status will be more accepted. Thus, leads to a lesser increase of conflict than when there is a low power distance. Method We develop a research method in order to determine whether the relationship between status and conflicts is negatively or positively influenced by power distance. The research type that we will use is a survey, more specifically, a questionnaire. We explain the process of how we will do the research method down below. Participants Around 270 people of several companies will be asked during our survey. We supposed that 270 people is a good amount to complete the research successfully and draw a sufficient conclusion. The expected participants who participate in our research are employees, who have to be 20 until 65 years old in order to include the different ages and their views on organizations. We try to equally choose participants from both sexes with a different employment status. We will ask, for example, a CEO, a sales manager and a janitor from the same enterprise to get a good overview through the whole organization and their thoughts about hierarchy and power distance. However, not every company has that much female employees in their organization. Therefore, we will ask more male employees than female employees if it is necessary. Furthermore, our participants will be from different continents, namely: Asia, Europe, and the United States. Procedure We have chosen for three continents to take off our questionnaire in order to make sure that the culture of different continents does not have influence on the results. Another reason that it is a necessity to ask organizations in different continents is the need to get adequate results. We will ask in every continent six companies to participate in our questionnaire, whereof three companies have a strong hierarchy and three companies do not have or have a low hierarchy. Furthermore, the three companies in every continent are divided into a small company with under 100 employees, a middle company with around 500 employees, and a big company with over 1000 employees. In every company, there will be 15 employees asked to participate in the questionnaire. The questionnaire will be taken off by the online-questionnaire method. We send the several CEOs of the companies the questionnaires by email. It is not possible for us to take off all the questionnaires face-to-face because of the geographical distance between the continents. However, we will provide the questionnaires with a very clear explanation about the questionnaire. We expect that the whole procedure will take around 15 minutes per person. Measurement Our questionnaire will include 20 statements regarding to hierarchy and conflicts at the workplace. The answers varying from a number of 1 to 7, with at the left side strongly agree and at the opposite site strongly disagree. The front page of the questionnaire is about some general background information like their age, sex, status in the company, and their nationality. However, there are also some limitations associated with the survey. Firstly, it is possible that organizations and participants do not want to participate in the survey for several reasons. Secondly, there is a chance that people do not understand the questions right and giving therefore an insufficient answer. Because we are not using the face-to-face method, it is not possible for us to explain the question clearly to the participator during the questionnaire. Lastly, there could be some message barriers because we make use of an online questionnaire send by email. For instance, the CEO does not read the email because it was marked as spam. To put all together, our research method is a survey, more specifically, a questionnaire with 20 statements regarding to the hierarchy and conflicts at the workplace. There will be asked 18 companies in three different continents with in total 270 employees. It is an online questionnaire send to the CEOs of the specific companies by email with clear explanations. Bibliography http://geert-hofstede.com http://ejbo.jyu.fi/pdf/ejbo_vol10_no1_pages_22-28.pdf Jung, S. (2003), â€Å"The effects of organizational culture on conflict resolution in marketing,† Journal of American Academy of Business, Vol. 3 September, pp. 242-46. Katz, D. and Kahn, R. L. (1978), The Social Psychology of Organization, John Wiley & Sons, New York.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Review of Timeline by Michael Crichton

Review of Timeline by Michael Crichton The purpose of history is to explain the presentto say why the world around us is the way it is. History tells us what is important in our world, and how it came to be. Michael Crichton, Timeline Ill admit it right up front: I dont like historical fiction much. When authors are sloppy in their research, I find the inaccuracies distracting enough to ruin what might otherwise be a good story. But even when the representation of the past is largely authentic (and to be fair, there are some extraordinary authors who really know their stuff), fictionalization makes history much less enjoyable for me. What can I say? Im a hopeless history buff. Every minute I spend reading fiction is a minute Id rather spend learning historical fact. Heres another confession: Im not a big fan of Michael Crichton. I do find good science fiction fascinating (a genre that pushes the edges of what if is as mind-expanding for me as a scholarly discipline that asks what really happened). And Crichton isnt a bad writer, but none of his works has ever made me sit up and say, Wow! While his ideas can be intriguing, they all seem to make much better movies. Whether this is because his style lacks the immediacy of film or because I have to spend less time plowing my way through the story I have yet to decide. So, as you can well imagine, I was predisposed to despise Crichtons semi-historical novel Timeline. The Up Side of  Timeline Surprise! I liked it. The premise was appealing, the action was gripping, and the ending was dramatically satisfying. Some of the cliffhangers and segues were very nicely executed. While there wasnt a single character I could identify with or even like very much, I was pleased to see some character development as a result of the adventure.  The good guys grew more likable; the bad guys were really bad. Best of all, the medieval setting was mostly accurate, and well-realized to boot. This alone makes the book a worthwhile read, especially for those who are unfamiliar or only somewhat familiar with the Middle Ages. (Unfortunately, this is a rather large percentage of the population.) Crichton effectively points up some common misconceptions about medieval life, presenting the reader with a vivid picture that is at times much more attractive, and at other times much more frightening and repellent, than that generally presented to us in popular fiction and film. Of course there were errors; I cant imagine an error-free historical novel. (Fourteenth-century people larger than modern folk? Not likely, and we know this from the skeletal remains, not surviving armor.) But for the most part, Crichton really managed to bring the Middle Ages alive. The Down Side of  Timeline I did have some problems with the book. Crichtons usual technique of expanding the cutting-edge technology of today into a believable science-fiction premise fell sadly short. He spent too much effort trying to convince the reader that time travel could be possible, then used a theory that struck me as internally inconsistent. Though there may be an explanation for this apparent flaw, it was never addressed clearly in the book. I suggest you avoid a close examination of the technology and accept it as a given in order to enjoy the story more. Furthermore, the characters who were surprised by the realities of the past were people who should have known better. The general public may think the Middle Ages were uniformly filthy and dull; but encountering examples of good hygiene, splendid interior decor or swift swordplay shouldnt surprise a medievalist. This makes the characters not very good at their jobs or, worse, it presents the erroneous impression that historians dont bother with the details of material culture. As an amateur medievalist, I find this rather annoying. Im sure professional historians would be downright insulted. Still, these are aspects of the book that are easy to overlook once the action is truly underway. So get ready for an exciting ride into history. Update Since this review was written in March of 2000, Timeline was made into a feature-length, theatrical-release movie, directed by Richard Donner and starring Paul Walker, Frances OConnor, Gerard Butler, Billy Connolly and David Thewlis. It is now available on DVD. Ive seen it, and its fun, but it hasnt broken into my list of Top 10 Fun Medieval Films. Michael Crichtons now-classic novel is available in  paperback, in  hardcover, on  audio CD  and in a  Kindle edition  from Amazon. These links are  provided as a convenience to you; neither Melissa Snell nor About is responsible for any purchases you make through these links.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Darners, Family Aeshnidae

Darners, Family Aeshnidae Darners (Family Aeshnidae) are large, robust dragonflies and strong fliers. Theyre usually the first odonates youll notice zipping around a pond. The family name, Aeshnidae, was likely derived from the Greek word aeschna, meaning ugly. Description Darners command attention as they hover and fly around ponds and rivers. The largest species can reach 116 mm in length (4.5 inches), but most measure between 65 and 85 mm long (3 inches). Typically, a darner dragonfly has a thick thorax and a long abdomen, and the abdomen is slightly narrower just behind the thorax. Darners have huge eyes that meet broadly on the dorsal surface of the head, and this is one of the key characteristics to differentiate members of the family Aeshnidae from other dragonfly groups. Also, in darners, all four wings have a triangle-shaped section that extends lengthwise along the wing axis (see an illustration here). Classification Kingdom – Animalia Phylum – Arthropoda Class – Insecta Order – Odonata Suborder  - Anisoptera Family - Aeshnidae Diet Adult darners prey on other insects, including butterflies, bees, and beetles, and will fly considerable distances in pursuit of prey. Darners can catch small insects with their mouths while in flight. For larger prey, they form a basket with their legs and snatch the insect out of the air. The darner may then retreat to a perch to consume the meal. Darner naiads are also predaceous and are quite skilled at sneaking up on prey. The dragonfly naiad will hide within the aquatic vegetation, slowly crawling closer and closer to another insect, a tadpole, or a small fish, until it can strike quickly and catch it. Life Cycle Like all dragonflies and damselflies, darners undergo simple or incomplete metamorphosis with three life stages: egg, nymph (also called larva), and adult. Female darners cut a slit into an aquatic plant stem and insert their eggs (which is where they get the common name darners). When the young emerges from the egg, it makes its way down the stem into the water. The naiad molts and grows over time, and may take several years to reach maturity depending on the climate and species. It will emerge from the water and molt a final time into adulthood. Special Behaviors and Defenses: Darners have a sophisticated nervous system, which enables them to visually track and then intercept prey in flight. They fly almost constantly in pursuit of prey, and males will patrol back and forth across their territories in search of females. Darners are also better adapted to handle cool temperatures than other dragonflies. Their range extends farther north than many of their odonate cousins for this reason, and darners often fly later in the season when cool temperatures prevent other dragonflies from doing so. Range and Distribution Darners are widely distributed throughout the world, and the family Aeshnidae includes over 440 described species. Just 41 species inhabit North America. Sources Aeshna vs. Aeschna. Opinions and declarations rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (1958). Vol. 1B, pages 79-81.Borror and Delongs Introduction to the Study of Insects, 7th edition, by Charles A. Triplehorn and Norman F. Johnson.Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East, by Dennis Paulson.Aeshnidae: The Darners, Digital Atlas of Idaho, Idaho Museum of Natural History website. Accessed online May 7, 2014.World Odonata List, Slater Museum of Natural History website. Accessed online May 7, 2014.Dragonfly Behavior, Minnesota Odonata Survey Project. Accessed online May 7, 2014.Aeshnidae, by Dr. John Meyer, North Carolina State University. Accessed online May 7, 2014.Family Aeshnidae – Darners, Bugguide.net. Accessed online May 7, 2014.Dragonflies and Damselflies, University of Florida. Accessed online May 7, 2014.Eight pairs of descending visual neurons in the dragonfly give wing motor centers accurate population vector of prey direction, Paloma T. Gonz alez-Bellido et al, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, January 8, 2013. Accessed online May 7, 2014.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Finance and Growth Strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Finance and Growth Strategies - Assignment Example The paper tells that dividends are returns which are paid to the shareholders from the firm’s earnings for their investment in the company regardless of whether the earnings are generated in previous period or the current period. Dividends will influence the capital structure of the firm since retained earnings increase the value of the common stock than debt capital. A firm cannot assume the dividend policy to be irrelevant. In determining the amount to be paid as dividends, the firm should analyze the effect of the dividend policy on the operations of the. However, some financial analysts are of the opinion that dividend policy is irrelevant since it does not change the value of the firm. Investors can adjust the investment portfolios when if their preference is a steady source of income hence they can invest in bonds where the interest payments are certain rather than investing in common stocks where the dividend payments fluctuate. Another argument of the opponents of divi dend payment is that taxation of dividends is higher hence capital gains are more preferable by investors. They propose that the firm should reinvest the earnings which will ultimately increase the value of the firm hence increasing the share value. The firm should utilize its earnings in undertaking more investment projects, repurchasing the common stock and acquiring more profitable companies thus increasing the market value of the common stock... The firm is also supposed to make a decision on the timing of the payment of the dividends whereby interim and final dividends can be paid from the earnings of the firm (Khan 2004). The board of directors is supposed to make a decision on the amount to pay where a constant dividend pay out ratio or fluctuating dividend pay out ratio may be implemented by the firm. The firm may also adopt a residual policy on the payment of dividends. The dividend policy has to take in to account several practical considerations which include the following (Khan 2004). Long term financing decision The dividend policy can be termed as a financing decision when retained earnings are considered as cheap source of finance. The dividend policy should consider the investment opportunities which are available (Khan 2004). If the firm ahs viable investment opportunities which exist, the dividend policy which is adopted should be residual dividend decision where dividends are paid only after enough funds have been allocated to the viable investment opportunities (Khan 2004). Retained earnings are a cheaper source of funds since they do not involve the floatation costs. Payment of cash dividends would reduce the funds available for the long term financing decisions when the firm may not have other sources of finance (Harold 2009). In this case, the firm may decide to pay bonus shares as dividends to the stockholders and invest the retained earnings in other profitable opportunities since the share value of the stocks increase with the increase in the value of the firm (Harold 2009). Financial needs of the firm Retained earnings of the firm are cheaper source of finance for reinvestment purposes. If the internal rate of return of the firm