Ensuring Employees Pay for Extra Cost of Healthcare Essay

Ensuring Employees Pay for Extra Cost of Healthcare - Essay Example Employers should devise an economic program that would ensure employees compensate the extra cost over premiums spent on lifestyle-related diseases. The following is a proposed framework that employers would use to ensure employees pay for extra costs above the coverage premium spent on lifestyle-related conditions. First, employers should schedule all chronic conditions that are lifestyle-related and contribute to the increase in the cost of the premium. A possible list should include conditions such as diabetes, some forms of cancers, heart disease, and obesity-related illnesses. In order to ensure a robust program, accredited health care professionals should approve the scheduled list of complications and ascertain they are lifestyle-related. The second process in the framework should involve calculations of direct and indirect costs incurred from health-related illnesses. The direct cost calculation is simple and can be estimated based on extra expenditure the company has on inpatient and outpatient services. They include extra expenditure on services including surgeries, radiological processes, laboratory tests, and drug therapies. Indirect costs include an estimation of resources forgone by the firm or company because of a lifestyle-related health condition that affects an employee. The value of lost work because of absenteeism should be calculated based on accumulated wages throughout the period. Other forms of indirect cost include the value of increased insurance incurred by the company because of lifestyle-related conditions.  Ã‚  

Student Management System Essay Example for Free

Student Management System Essay The student management suite from Applane allows you to automate the processes around student needs from admission to their transportation while ensuring seamless communication between the school, students and their parents. It has been developed keeping in mind the need to bring in efficiency in student management while providing a sense of security and safety in the minds of students and their parents or guardians. The key modules in the Applane Student Management suite include: Student Information System. Applane provides a completely integrated Student Information System that maintains a comprehensive profile of the student which acts as the core of Student Management. This enables all supporting student management processes to connect seamlessly with each other. Using this fully automated, on-cloud solution †¢Maintain a detailed student profile along with information such parents/guardians profile, sibling details, personal ID details such as passport and visa details, etc. †¢Categorize and manage all student documents submitted in scanned form using a pre-populated mandatory check-list. †¢Input detailed course and subject information for every student that acts as a base or core for the Education Delivery suite. †¢Request section change through the system with an in-built approval workflow . †¢Request and append personal information such as address change and contact number with ease and maintain in a central database for all future communication. †¢Students parents can login at school website to view profile and place request for change in contact details and section change. Student Admissions For a school, student admissions is the most important process at the start of an academic session and one that requires a very efficient and seamless operation. Applane brings in the much needed clarity and reliability to the process while helping in conducting it in a fast and fair manner. Using Applane, †¢Parents and students can submit Online/Offline admission enquiries and get a response instantly. †¢The School can open admissions to various courses and send invitations in an automated way. †¢School can sell application forms online. †¢School can manage the admission applications by filtering and categorizing them as per their scoring criteria. †¢School can announce and confirm the admissions online on the school website. †¢School can also auto-email to successful applicants. †¢As an additional function, student promotions and Re-registration can also be done seamlessly on the Applane system. Student Transportation A key part of student management requires providing safe and timely transportation to students from their boarding station to the school and back. Applane provides a fully automated system for managing this crucial requirement for schools where they have to manage the routes of hundreds of students travelling on their school buses daily. Applane allows †¢Students or their parents to request availing/withdrawing/change of transport facility online. †¢Schools to create and plan routes, assigning bus stops. †¢Schools to manage vehicles with maintenance schedule and papers schedule. †¢School to send auto reminders/email to the transport in-charge for maintenance and taxation/insurance dues. †¢Schools to monitoring vehicle movement to ensure complete safety of students. †¢Schools to maintain a fuel log book to ensure that there is no over invoicing by the drivers. †¢Schools to generate reports including route report, vehicle report, maintenance schedules, fuel log-book, etc. †¢Schools to send SMS to the student of a route/all routes for bus delays/changed timings, etc. Information Flow Communication A seamless and timely information flow between the school, students and their parents/guardians is not only an important function to keep everyone updated on various school matters but also a critical function to ensure safety and compliance of the students as per school rules and regulations. Using Applane, the school can communicate with students and their parents using auto generated Email and SMS facility on various matters such as †¢Attendance of the student. †¢Fee reminders. †¢Notices/circulars regarding Parent Teacher meetings, events, holidays, etc. †¢Examination results of the student. †¢Transport delay/change. †¢Library overdue books. †¢Confirmation of requests regarding address change, section change, etc. †¢Festival greetings

Influence of Celebrity Advertisements

Influence of Celebrity Advertisements India is one of the youngest countries in the world with 60% of its population less than 24 years of age. Maximum youngsters are using TV as a source of information. The study reflects that Young generation is highly influenced and convinced by celebrity advertisements. They feel celebrity advertisements increase credibility of TV advertisements. Physical appearance and personality of celebrity are also important factors to make TV advertisements more effective and convincing. The buying behavior of young generation is influenced by celebrities knowledge and experience. They prefer female celebrities for TV advertisements. According to them celebrity should be young/adult with appealing figure and celebritys Status, class, and lifestyle should match with the product which they are going to endorse. This study reflects few interesting result that Indian youth and adult majority do not give any importance to the caste, regional and religious background of celebrity for TV advertisement s. * Professor and Head, Accurate Institute of Management and Technology,Greater Noida, Gautam Buddha Nagar, (Uttar Pradesh India) ** Scientist, Center for Science Communication, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore (Madhya Pradesh, India) *** Professor and Head, School of Social Science, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya,, Indore (Madhya Pradesh, India) Introduction In Indian family life cycle, young members of family play a vital role in buying behavior. The term young refers to persons who are no longer children and not yet adults. India is one of the youngest countries in the world with 60% of its population less then 24 years of age and is charted as the most prospective destination for retail investment in the A. T. Kearneys Global Retail Opportunity Report, 2007. The Indian young segment roughly estimates close to 250million (between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five) and can be broadly divided (socio-psychologically) into three categories: the Bharatiyas, the Indians the Inglodians (copyright Kaustav SG 2008). The Bharatiyas estimating 67% of the young population live in the rural areas with least influence of globalization and have high traditional values. They are least economically privileged, most family oriented Bollywood influenced generation. The Indians constitute 31.5% and have moderate global influence. They are well aware of the global trends but rooted to Indian family values, customs and ethos. The Inglodians are basically the creamy layers and marginal (1.5% or roughly three million) in number though they are strongly growing (70% growth rate). Inglodians are affluent and consume most of the trendy luxury items. They are internet savvy the believers of global-village (a place where there is no difference between east west, developing developed countries etc.), highly influenced by western music, food, fashion culture yet Indian at heart. According to The Financial Express Special, Tuesday, February 9, 2010 New Delhi young (age 13 to 35 years) population in India is 459 million in which literate young population is 333 million. More specifically age group (13 to 19) population is 36.7 million, age group (20 to 24) population is 22.1 million and age group (25 to 35) population is 44.3 million. Out of 333 million young populations, male young population is 186.5 and female young population is 146.2 million. However Television is most popular source of information with 78 % (91% urban, 70% rural) young viewer-ship. Newspaper comes second with 53 % (65.3 % urban, 45.9 % rural) readership, though it scores over television when it comes to being the primary source for news current affairs. Data also shows that maximum youngsers are using TV as a source of information. The importance of advertising has been widely accepted all over the world and has profound recognition in the global market. In India the role of advertising is getting more stress day by day and every businessman wants to invest willingly in advertising. The advertising business in India grew from Rs10 crores in 1955 to Rs 8000 crores in 2000* and in Nov 2005 it is estimated Rs.19900 crores and it is expected that it will reach Rs 55,800 crores by 2010 as estimated by Dainik Bhaskara. The fast growth of advertising industry in India is because of the phenomenonal development of such media as television, radio, and computer and in addition to the large number of new products introduced due to rapid industrialization new economic policy and economic development of the country. Billions of dollars are spent on celebrity endorsements, which show its importance for the advertising industry. A recent estimate notes that one quarter of all commercials screened in the USA include celebrities. In UK one in five (20%) marketing communication campaign features celebrities. (Journal of Advertising Research) In India, 20% of advertisements is endorsement by celebrities. Dainik Bhaskar estimates the total expenditure on advertising as Rs 19900 crores (Nov 2005) while on celebrity endorsement Rs 950 crores. Theory and practice prove that use of super star in advertising generates a lot of publicity and attention for public.( Ohanion 1991 ) At present the business companies prefer the use of celebrities as spokespersons in order to position and promote the sale and popularization of products or brands. The use of celebrities has become a favorable marketing strategy. Celebrities are people who enjoy public recognition by a large share of certain group of people, whereas attributes like attractiveness, extraordinary lifestyle or special status are just examples and specific common characteristics can not be observed. It can be said that within a corresponding special group, celebrities generally differ from their source name, and enjoy a high degree of public awareness. The main reason for using celebrities, as spokespersons is their high potential influence. The celebrities get higher degree of attention recall. They increase awareness of a company advertising, create positive feeling towards brands and areperceived by consumers as more entertaining (Soleman 2002). Using a celebrity in advertising is therefore likely to positively affect consumers brand attitude and purchase intention. It is estimated that approximately 20 percent of all advertisements use celebrity spokespersons payment to celebrities account for around 10 percent of all advertising dollars spent. Literature Review Researchers in the fields of marketing, communications and social psychology have tried to identify factors related to the endorser that are central to understanding and improving their effectiveness. The theoretical basis for assuming that an advertisements effectiveness increases relative to the trustworthiness, expertise, and attractiveness of the communicator stems from two research streams: source credibility (comprising of source trustworthiness and source expertise) and source attractiveness (also referred to collectively as the source models). From their study in 1953 Hovland et al. established the source credibility model and defined expertise as the extent to which a communicator is perceived to be a source of valid assertions and trustworthiness as the degree of confidence in the communicators intent to communicate the assertions he considers most valid. Source Attractiveness does not refer to physical attractiveness per se it is related to three more general concepts: similarity, familiarity, and liking. The model holds that the effectiveness of a message depends on the sources familiarity, likeability, similarity, and attractiveness to the respondent. Familiarity is considered knowledge of the source through exposure, whereas likeability is affection for the source as a result of the sources physical appearance and behavior; and similarity is the supposed resemblance between the source and the receiver of the message (McGuire, 1985). According to the source models, endorsers are effective when they are seen by consumers as trustworthy (Friedman Friedman, 1976; G. Miller Basehart, 1969), experts (Crano, 1970; Crisi Kassinove, 1973; Woodside Davenport, 1974), and attractive (Joseph, 1982; McGuire, 1985). Although there are a number of moderating influences (e.g. fit with product and audience; low vs. high purchase decision; prio r attitudes), in general, the more trustworthiness, expertise, and attractiveness the endorser has, the more effective they are at changing consumer attitude and opinion. (Brinol, Petty, Tormala, 2004; Gotlieb Sarel, 1991; Grewal, Gotlieb, Marmorstein, 1994; Harmon Coney, 1982; Hovland, Irving, Kelly, 1953; Hovland Weiss, 1951; Sternthal, Dholakia, Leavitt, 1978) Empirical evidence in support of source credibility is abundant. Source credibility is credited with improved consumer confidence (Brinol et al., 2004), reversing negative predispositions (Sternthal et al., 1978), increasing product purchase intentions (Harmon Coney, 1982), and altering consumers reactions to advertisements and brands (Goldsmith, Lafferty, Newell, 2000). Additionally, research has shown that highly credible sources induce more behavioral compliance than do less credible sources (Ohanian, 1990, p. 42); OBJECTIVES OF STUDY To analyze the influence of celebrity TV advertisements on young generation. To find out impact of buying behavior factors on young population HYPOTHESIS 1. H01: Young generation is not influenced by celebrity TV advertisements 2. H02: There is no impact of buying behavior factors on young generation 5. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Survey was conducted in district Gautam Budh Nagar. The 300 sample size was selected in such a way that both the young and adult were represented proportionately. In most of the situations many respondents had refused and some respondents had not cooperated to fill the questionnaires. Hence 450 respondents were selected by non-probability convenience sampling method to fill thequestionnaire. Only 300 respondents have given appropriate and complete information on sent questionnaire. Rests of the questionnaires were dropped because of incomplete information. A five-point interval Likert scale from strongly agree (5) to strongly not agree (1) was used to measure the response to each statement (items). Z Test used to test mean difference between two samples Z Test: SE= Standard Error = Standard Deviation (Adult) Standard Deviation (YOUNG) = Mean of Adult = Mean of YOUNG = Number of Observations (Adult) = Number of Observations (YOUNG) Z= Z Test DATA ANALYSIS Data analysis shows that out of 300 respondents, there were 166 (55.33 %) young respondents and 134 (44.67 %) were adult respondents in this study age group of 12 year to 21 years considered as Young respondents and Age group of 22 year to 45 years considered as Adult respondents. (Table-1) More specifically data analysis shows that in male respondents, young were118 (39.33%) and adult were 80 (26.67%). Similarly in female respondents, young were 48 (16 %) and adult 54 (18 %) (Table-1.1) INFLUENCE OF CELEBRITIES ON RESPONDENTS (CONSUMERS) THROUGH T.V. ADVERTISEMENTS 6.1. INFLUENCE To measure the influence of celebrity through T.V. advertisements on respondents, eight questions were asked from respondents. (Figure-1) According to Table No.2 results shows that both young and adult respondents have similar opinion. They were in favor of the fact that Celebrity advertisements are more effective; create more attention and trust than non celebrity advertisements. However young generation feels that celebrities have more expertise than non-celebrities for T.V. advertising. They feel more convinced by celebrity advertisements. According to them, use of celebrities increases advertisements credibility. Physical appearance and personality of celebrity are also important factors to makes T.V. advertising more effective and convincing. 6.2. ANALYSIS OF FACTORS, WHICH INFLUENCE THE BUYING BEHAVIOUR OF YOUNG GENERATION Twenty-four specific attributes of celebrities (factors) have been analyzed under the major four factors expertise, trustworthiness, physical appearance and personality (Figure-2) 6.2.1. EXPERTISE Seven statements were asked to respondents to analyze specific expertise attributes of celebrities, which may influence the buying behavior of respondents Table No. 3 shows that buying behavior of young generation influenced, if celebrities are experienced and users of product. However, adult respondents feel that celebrities should have knowledge of the products which they are going to endorse by TV advertisements. According to both type of respondents (adult and young) celebrities should be educated and skilled, qualified and Justified for that product which they are going to promote. Result also reflects that technical knowledge about product/brand to celebrity is not required to convince purchase. 6.2.2. TRUSTWORTHINESS Specific attributes of trustworthiness of celebrities have been analyzed on the basis of five statements According to table no.3.1 Young and adult both respondents purchase their products on the trust, honesty, truthfulness and dependability of celebrities. However adult respondents feel celebrities should be sincere and Reliable also to influence their buying behavior. 6.2.3. PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS To analyze specific attributes of physical attractiveness of celebrites five questions were asked from respondents to measure the infuluence on buying behaviour of respondents Table 3.2 results shows that young generation feels that celebrities should be young/adult and they should have appealing figure (sexy and beautiful) they prefer female celebrities for TV advertisement. However, both (young and adult) respondents feel that celebrities should be smart (body constitution) to convince to purchaser. They also believe that Voice and gesture of celebrity is also important factors that affect on their purchase decisions. 6.2.4. PERSONALITY To measure the impact of specific personality attributes of celebrities, seven questions were asked from respondents that may influence their buying behavior. According to findings of Table 3.3 young generation feels that Status, class, and lifestyle of celebrity should match with product/brand and advertisement for effective and convincing advertisement. However adults believe that social cultural background of celebrities influences their buying behavior. Both young and adult respondents have similar thinking towards Image, Reputation and popularity (public figure) of celebrity which plays important role to influence buying behavior of respondents. Analysis also reflects few interesting results that Indian young and adult respondents do not believe in the caste, regional and religious background of celebrity CONCLUSION Young generation is highly influenced and convinced by celebrity advertisements According to them, celebrity advertisements increase credibility of TV advertisements. Physical appearance and personality of celebrity are also important factors to make TV advertisements more effective and convincing. The buying behavior of young generation is influenced by celebrities knowledge and experience about such products which they are going to promote by TV advertisements. They prefer female celebrities for TV advertisements, according to them celebrity should be young/adult with appealing figure (sexy and beautiful) and celebritys Status, class, and lifestyle should match the product which they are going to endorse. Young and adult population commonly feels that celebrity advertisement is more effective; creates more attention and trust than non celebrity advertisements. According to them celebrities must be educated, qualified justified with that product to which they are endorsing through TV advertisements. They dont feel that technical knowledge is required to celebrities to endorse the products. They feel motivated to purchase their products by the trust, honesty, truthfulness and dependability of celebrity. They believe that celebrities should be smart (body constitution) to convince purchaser, they also feel that Voice and gesture of celebrity are also important factors to have effect on their purchase decisions. They have similar thinking that Image, Reputation and popularity (public figure) of celebrity plays important role in influencing the buying behavior. However adult generation believes that social and cultural background of celebrity should match product and TV advertisement. They also feel that celebrities should be sincere and Reliable to influence their buying behavior. This study reflects few interesting results that Indian young and adult majority do not give any importance to the caste, regional and religious background of celebrity for TV advertisements.

The History of Thanksgiving :: essays research papers

THANKSGIVING   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The purpose of Thanksgiving in Canada is different from the Americans. But even though the reasons for giving thanks are different, many of the customs are the same. Canadian Thanksgiving was originally started to give thanks to God for a bountiful harvest. This was when there were lots of farmers that grew crops. Now we give thanks for everything we appreciate. Some farming families still give thanks for a good crop. Harvest celebrations have been around a long time. Ever since the very first harvest, about 2000 years ago, people have given thanks for a prosperous bounty. The first formal Thanksgiving was in the year 1578. A man named Martin Frobisher had given thanks for surviving his journey from England. He also gave thanks for a place that is now called Newfoundland.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The celebration at Thanksgiving was also brought to Nova Scotia when Americans began to settle there. At the same time French settlers were arriving and were also having feasts of thanks. In 1879, Canadian parliament declared November 6th a day of Thanksgiving and a national holiday. The date of Thanksgiving has changed several times until January 31st, 1957, when parliament proclaimed that â€Å"the second Monday in October be a day of general Thanksgiving to the ‘Almighty God’ for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed. A big part of Thanksgiving is a Thanksgiving feast. The feast usually consists of potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, peas, gravy, stuffing, salads, buns and lots of other great food. The main part of the feast is usually the turkey. Other families might have ham, roast beef, duck or chicken. The dessert that is most likely to follow the feast is pumpkin pie. Other people may choose different desserts and food depending on their customs and beliefs for which they choose to give thanks. Let’s not forget the biggest and most important reason for this holiday – giving THANKS! People usually give thanks for everything they have. Their jobs, health, families or just being alive are just a few of the things that people give thanks for. Thanksgiving is a time when people can create their own customs and traditions because everyone is thankful for different things. The cornucopia has become a traditional symbol of this holiday because it is commonly shown filled with grain, vegetables and fruit, the staple food that settlers would give thanks for.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During Thanksgiving, my family spends time together and we have fun.

Housing and environmental issues Essay

Community development officer: CDOs should have: †¢ the ability to communicate with a wide range of people †¢ the ability to manage a budget †¢ sensitivity in dealing with multi-cultural issues, such as religion †¢ networking skills and a good memory for names and faces †¢ the ability to work on their own initiative †¢ Commitment to social inclusion issues. CDOs may work for a local authority; he must also involve public decision in multi cultural communities housed by the associations. Public involvement in regeneration is widely held to be a good thing. There are very few who write about or comment on regeneration, however it is defined who do not claim that public involvement is an important if not essential component of effective and successful regeneration. And to a great extent this has been the position in the UK and elsewhere for well over a century. However, there are very few studies that have set out to measure and to analyse the impact of public involvement. In other words, few researchers have attempted to see what difference it makes in practice to involve the public and whether any such differences are positive, in the sense of being both anticipated and desired. There are, nevertheless, many studies that shed some light on the processes of public involvement and draw conclusions about its impact in specific cases. The conclusion of many of these studies is that public involvement did not work very well in practice: it was embarked upon too late; insufficient resources were provided to make it effective; the local environment was not very conducive; and key decisions continued to be taken by people not living in the areas affected. The importance of involving the public in attempts to improve and regenerate neighbourhoods has been recognised for many years. However, the consensus around the value and potential benefits of greater public involvement has probably never been stronger, not least because government has put it at the centre of its plans to modernise both the delivery of public services and the very processes of government. A simple theory of public participation The political imperatives driving forward the agenda of public participation are well established, but three stand out at present. First is the belief that participation is intrinsically good and worthwhile, and hence more participation is desirable. Second is the growing acknowledgement that many major policy issues do not appear to be capable of obvious resolution – they can be termed ‘wicked problems’ for this reason (Rittel and Weber, 1973). An obvious consequence of this recognition is to take a more open approach to their resolution, in other words to allow a wider range of partners into the arena of policy debate and hence to share the burden of resolution. Finally, there is a clear belief that greater participation is needed to stem if not reverse the apparent decline in social capital charted by Putnam (2001) and his followers (see DeFilipis, 2001). A slightly broader set of factors can be derived from the wider academic literature where at least four distinct explanations of or justification for greater public participation in government generally are apparent. Instrumentalist conceptions point to the fact that individuals are the best judges of their own interests and hence by participating in policy debates and political discussions they are best able to articulate and advance these interests. The job of government then lies in the aggregation of individual interests and the balancing of conflicting positions into a plausible public interest. Communitarian conceptions take a different approach and advocate a more collective or social approach among the participating public, such that a negotiated view of the public interest is provided to rather than by government. Of course government may then have to perform further rounds of aggregation or even facilitate further rounds of negotiation or consensus building, but the public plays a more prominent part in the social construction of their own idea of public interest. In this conception there is some degree of aggregation but government is still left to aggregate, adjudicate or reconcile the possibly conflicting views of different communities or even coalitions of communities. Educative approaches suggest that public participation helps in developing a more sophisticated understanding of the complexities of policy issues; of the ethical dilemmas and the need to make trade-offs for example between price and quality or between the achievement of short and long term priorities. Finally, expressive conceptions of participation emphasise the opportunity that political participation gives individuals to express their political identity. Through active campaigning, displaying posters, attending rallies, donating money or time, one is able to demonstrate to the world at large that fact that one is a feminist, a socialist, a conservative, a nationalist and so on. It is of course important also to bear in mind that political participation can involve much more than voting in periodic elections, or even campaigning in them. Attending meetings about issues of local or international concern and taking part in participatory events such as juries, consensus conferences or citizens juries are also important as is participation in ongoing campaigns or lobbies, again from local (save our school) to global (save our planet) issues. There is something of a paradox here, in that there is plentiful data available on formal political involvement in voting, but relatively little available on the more prosaic but nevertheless significant everyday acts of involvement, such as going to meetings or simply engaging socially and maybe politically with ones neighbours (Hoggett and Bishop, 1986). In recent years some regular and extensive surveys have begun to provide valuable data of this type, but it is still the case that many sophisticated models of community engagement, civic renewal and social capital, have been constructed on flimsy empirical foundations (Prime, Zimmeck & Zurawa, 2002). But to develop a simple model of participation we need to consider in some more detail questions along each of the three main dimensions implied in the expression: public participation in planning or policy making. Robert D. Putnam That Western society has changed dramatically since the middle of the 20th century. There is less agreement about what caused the changes, and whether they have been beneficial. One barometer of change in Western society is the level of ‘social capital’ (a concept popularised by Robert D. Putnam), which results from high levels of investment by citizens in their community. Putnam’s investigation of American society, Bowling Alone (2000), considers the full range of changes affecting America (and all western societies): declining participation in institutional Christianity; less involvement in sport and recreational clubs, politics, charitable causes, and volunteer work; and a radical re-shaping of the family though divorce, a lower birth rate, and a disinclination to marry at all. These trends, Putnam argues, result in diminished social capital. Putnam’s analysis of America holds for the three Anglophone members of George W. Bush’s ‘coalition of the willing,’ America, Britain and Australia, and may explain why hawkish, right-wing governments are the people’s choice at the start of the 21st century, despite an unprecedented liberality and inclusiveness throughout the second half of the 20th century. Putnam notes a range of factors responsible for civic disengagement: suburban sprawl; the popularity of television and electronic media; changed work patterns, including the large-scale entry of women into the workforce; and generational changes resulting in the ‘replacement of an unusually civic generation by several generations [Baby Boomers, Generations X and Y] †¦ that are less embedded in community life’ (p. 275). In the United States, where voting is optional, these developments dilute democracy, and societies with low participation rates tend to become distrustful. Untrusting citizens call for tougher; ‘law and order’ focused governments, resulting in the election of increasingly right-wing political parties. Social capital: 1. Definition The concept and theory of social capital dates back to the origins of social science; however, recent scholarship has focused on social capital as a subject of social organization and a potential source of value that can be harnessed and converted for strategic and gainful purposes. According to Robert David Putnam, the central premise of social capital is that social networks have value. Social capital refers to the collective value of all â€Å"social networks† and the inclinations that arise from these networks to do things for each other. Social capital refers to the institutions, relationships, and norms that shape the quality and quantity of a society’s social interactions. Increasing evidence shows that social cohesion is critical for societies to prosper economically and for development to be sustainable. Social capital is not just the sum of the institutions that underpin a society; it is the glue that holds them together However, social capital may not always be beneficial. Horizontal networks of individual citizens and groups that enhance community productivity and cohesion are said to be positive social capital assets whereas self-serving exclusive gangs and hierarchical patronage systems that operate at cross purposes to communitarian interests can be thought of as negative social capital burdens on society. 2. History of the research on the concept Robert David Putnam, if not the first one to write on the issue, is considered as the major author on the concept of social capital. He is a U. S. political scientist and professor at Harvard University, and is well-known for his writings on civic engagement and civil society along with social capital. However, his work is concentrated on the United States only. His most famous (and controversial) work, Bowling Alone, argues that the United States has undergone an unprecedented collapse in civic, social, associational, and political life (social capital) since the 1960s, with serious negative consequences. Though he measured this decline in data of many varieties, his most striking point was that virtually every traditional civic, social, and fraternal organization had undergone a massive decline in membership. From his research, a working group has formed at Harvard University and is called Saguaro Seminar. Most definitions around the social capital concept, notably those used by the World Bank, come from Putnam’s work and this research. 3. Measuring social capital The Saguaro Seminar, in the continuation of Putnam’s work, has been elaborating various means to measure the level of social capital in different contexts. It says on its website that measurement of social capital is important for the three following reasons: (a) Measurement helps make the concept of social capital more tangible for people who find social capital difficult or abstract; (b) It increases our investment in social capital: in a performance-driven era, social capital will be relegated to second-tier status in the allocation of resources, unless organizations can show that their community-building efforts are showing results; and (c) Measurement helps funders and community organizations build more social capital. Everything that involves any human interaction can be asserted to create social capital, but the real question is does it build a significant amount of social capital, and if so, how much? Is a specific part of an organization’s effort worth continuing or should it be scrapped and revamped? Do mentoring programs, playgrounds, or sponsoring block parties lead more typically to greater social capital creation? Measuring social capital: Towards a theoretically informed measurement framework for researching social capital in family and community life. by Wendy Stone. Research paper no. 24, Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2001, 38p, ISBN 0 642 39486 5 To inform the Institute’s Families, Social Capital and Citizenship project, this paper contributes to the development of clear links between theorised and empirical understandings of social capital by: establishing a theoretically informed measurement framework for empirical investigation of social capital; and reviewing existing measures of social capital in light of this framework. The paper concludes with a statement of guiding principles for the measurement and empirical investigation of social capital in family and community life. Social Capital as Credit Social capital, or aggregate reputation, is a form of credit. Some formal transactions can be supported by social capital. Informal transactions are rarely underpinned by financial credit or legal agreement and instead rely entirely social capital. We all have our internal calculators keeping tacit track of who is doing wrong and who is doing right, the health of the relationships and adjusting our actuarial tables according to experience. While undertaking government activities environment problems should also be considered. As it has became a global issue we need to take care of everything. Globalisation and cultural identity It is fair to say that the impact of globalization in the cultural sphere has, most generally, been viewed in a pessimistic light. Typically, it has been associated with the destruction of cultural identities, victims of the accelerating encroachment of a homogenized, westernized, consumer culture. This view, the constituency for which extends from (some) academics to anti-globalization activists (Shepard and Hayduk 2002), tends to interpret globalization as a seamless extension of – indeed, as a euphemism for – western cultural imperialism. In this discussion which follows we approach this claim with a good deal of skepticism. we will not seek to deny the obvious power of globalized capitalism to distribute and promote its cultural goods in every corner. Nor will we take up the argument – now very commonly made by critics of the cultural imperialism thesis (Lull 2000; Thompson 1995; Tomlinson 1991) that a deeper cultural impact cannot be easily inferred from the presence of such goods. What we will try to argue is something more specific: that cultural identity, properly understood, is much more the product of globalization than its victim. Identity as Treasure To begin, let us sketch the implicit (for it is usually implicit) reasoning behind the assumption that globalization destroys identities. Once upon a time, before the era of globalization, there existed local, autonomous, distinct and well-defined, robust and culturally sustaining connections between geographical place and cultural experience. These connections constituted one’s – and one’s community’s – ‘cultural identity’. This identity was something people simply ‘had’ as an undisturbed existential possession, an inheritance, a benefit of traditional long dwelling, of continuity with the past. Identity, then, like language, was not just a description of cultural belonging; it was a sort of collective treasure of local communities. But it was also discovered to be something fragile that needed protecting and preserving that could be lost. Into this world of manifold, discrete, but to various degrees vulnerable, cultural identities there suddenly burst (apparently around the middle of the 1980s) the corrosive power of globalization. Globalization, so the story goes, has swept like a flood tide through the world’s diverse cultures, destroying stable localities, displacing peoples, bringing a market-driven, ‘branded’ homogenization of cultural experience, thus obliterating the differences between locality-defined cultures which had constituted our identities. Though globalization has been judged as involving a general process of loss of cultural diversity, some of course did better, some worse out of this process. Identity as Cultural Power Let us begin with identity, a concept which surely lies at the heart of our contemporary cultural imagination. It is not, in fact, difficult in the prolific literature of analysis of the concept to find positions which contest the story of identity as the victim of globalization. Identity and Institutional Modernity This brings the central claim that globalization actually proliferates rather than destroys identities. In this respect we depart somewhat from Castells’s position: in setting identity as a sort of autonomous cultural dynamic, surging up from the grassroots as an oppositional force to globalization, Castells really fails to see the rather compelling inner logic between the globalization process and the institutionalized construction of identities. This, in other way, lies in the nature of the institutions of modernity that globalization distributes. To put the matter simply: globalization is really the globalization of modernity, and modernity is the harbinger of identity. It is a common assumption that identity-formation is a universal feature of human experience. Castells seems implicitly to take this view when he writes: ‘Identity is people’s source of meaning and experience’ (1997: 6). But whilst it is true that the construction of meaning via cultural practices is a human universal, it does not follow that this invariably takes the form of identity construction as we currently understand it in the global-modern West. This form of ethnocentric assumption has been recently criticized both by anthropologists and media and cultural critics. Globalization and Modernity To appreciate this, it is necessary to take a more complex view of the globalization process than is often adopted – certainly in the polemical discourses of the anti-globalization movement, where globalization is essentially understood as the globalization of capitalism, achieved in its cultural aspect via a complicate western dominated media system. This more complex, multidimensional conceptualization, which views globalization as operating simultaneously and interrelated in the economic, technological-communicational, political and cultural spheres of human life, is in fact relatively un-contentious – at least in principle – within academic discourses. But the cultural implication, rather less easily swallowed by some, is that globalization involves not the simple enforced distribution of a particular western (say, liberal, secular, possessive-individualist, capitalist-consumerist) lifestyle, but a more complicated dissemination of the entire range of institutional features of cultural modernity. References Putnam, R (2001) Bowling Alone: the collapse and revival of American community, Touchstone, London Tomlinson, J (1999) Globalisation and culture, Policy Press, Cambridge Social capital: http://www. jrc. es/home/report/english/articles/vol85/ICT4E856. htm http://www. envplan. com/ http://www. infed. org/thinkers/putnam. htm http://www. naturaledgeproject. net/NAON_ch11. aspx

The challenger disaster essays

The challenger disaster essays There were many great and significant events that happened while the United States was under the rule of Ronald Reagan. One of the major events also had to do with the United States evolvement in going to The moon and beyond as President Jonathan Fitzgerald Kennedy had stated. We (The United States) had already made it far in that vision by visiting the moon and stunning the world with being the first country to land on another Planet. Along with that came the adventure to put people into space for various science experiments or just for no reason at all besides the reason of needing to know if NASA could put another person into space and get them back to earth successfully. On January 28, 1986 America was shocked by the destruction of the space shuttle Challenger, and the death of its seven crew members. (www.Fas.org) The United States finally had an accident entering space that involved people. Through this paper you will see how this unfortunate accident had an impact on th e American way and how our president at the time handled this situation. The Crew consisted of seven people. The were Francis R. Scobee, Michael J. Smith, Judith A. Resnik, Ronald E. McNair, Ellison S. Onizuka, Gregary B. Jarvis, Christa McAuliffe. They all had a great impact with their death. All of these men and women had great importance with NASA and were considered great astronauts. Yet with all those people there was one person who was to have the greatest impact on America as we know it. In 1978 Scobee entered NASA's astronaut corps and was the pilot of STS-41-C, the fifth orbital flight of the Challenger spacecraft, launching from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on April 6, 1984. During this seven-day mission the crew successfully retrieved and repaired the ailing Solar Maximum Satellite and returned it to orbit. This was an enormously important mission, because it demonstrated the capability that NASA had long said...

I Etyw#Tw43 T34 Essay Example

I Etyw#Tw43 T34 Essay Example I Etyw#Tw43 T34 Essay I Etyw#Tw43 T34 Essay The world is filled with violence. Because criminals carry guns, we decent law-abiding citizens should also have guns. Otherwise they will win and the decent people will lose. James Earl JonesTo take away firearms would mean leaving law abiding citizens defenseless in a life or death situation. If you were to take the hundreds of millions of legally obtained guns away from the citizens of the United States, and proceed to stop selling firearms in stores, the only people that would be left with guns would be the criminals that illegally obtained them, and law enforcement. We call the police because they have firearms, not because they have pens to write down what already happened to us. If the police use guns to come protect citizens, why can’t the citizens themselves have guns? Sometimes the police won’t be able to come to your aid in time, and you owning a gun may be the only way to protect you and your loved ones. Owning a firearm is a right that all American citizen s should retain. Home owners need a way to protect themselves and their property from criminals. Banning firearms would only leave law abiding citizens defenseless. Banning firearms in the United States may lower gun related violence, but that doesn’t mean crime itself will go down. Both the United Kingdom and Australia currently have very strict gun laws in place. These laws were issued in 1997, but since then violent crimes have only increased. The amount of crimes committed in 1997 for England and Whales is around 5,000,000. The amount of crimes committed in 2005 for England and Whales is about 6,000,000. These statistics show that even if you put strict firearm laws in to effect, that doesn’t mean crime, will go down. For England, Whales and Australia, crime only seemed to increase. Many citizens in the United States feel that guns are to blame for fire arm related deaths, not people, and to ban guns would lower deaths. However, many other citizens feel that people are to blame,

Management 101 Essay Example

Management 101 Essay Example Management 101 Essay Management 101 Essay This subject is concerned with principles of managing business organisations. Management is important to organisations? business and survival.The dynamic nature of today? s organisations means that managers require certain knowledge, skills and competencies to manage organisations effectively. The aim of this subject is to provide students with an introduction and overview of management within organisations. The subject will examine management principles, concepts and theories of management, and give students an appreciation and understanding of various challenges facing managers in organisations in today? competitive global environment. OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this subject, students should be able to: ? ? ? ? understand and critically discuss the evolution of management thoughts; critically evaluate and apply management theories, models and concepts of management; be familiar with the structure, behaviour and environment of organizations, and be aware of the importance of mana gement towards attaining organisational goals in today? s competitive world.TOPICS Topic 1 Topic 2 Topic 3 Topic 4 Topic 5 Topic 6 Topic 7 Introduction to Organisations and Management Evolution of Management Planning and Strategic Management Decision Making Organisation Structure and Design Managing Work Teams Managing Human Resource 2 Topic 8 Topic 9 Topic 10 Topic 11 Topic 12 Topic 13 Leadership, Motivation and Communication Organizational Control and Information Technology Management Managing Change Innovation Managing Conflict Organisational Environment and Culture International Management Managerial Ethics and Social ResponsibilityPRESCRIBED TEXT Daft R. L. , (2012) New Era of Management, International Edition, 10th edition SouthWestern Cengage Learning USA. RECOMMENDED REFERENCES Robbins, S. P. DeCenzo D. A. (2005) Fundamentals of Management, Essential Concepts and Applications, International edn, Fifth edn, Pearson Prentice Hall, USA. Jones G. R. George J. M. , (2007) Ess entials of Contemporary Management, Second Edition, McGraw-Hill, USA. . 3 Subject Outline / Teaching Plan Department Lecturer Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 : Business Studies : Mr.Vincent Oh Topics Managing in Turbulent Times The Evolution of Management Thinking Planning and Goal Setting Strategy Formulation and Implementation Corporate Culture and the Environment Ethics and Social Responsibility Managing in Global Environment Quiz 1 (15/7 – 19/7) Human Resource Management MID-TERM TEST/ BREAK ( 29/7 2/8/2013) BREAK Leadership Motivation Individual Assignment (23/8/2013) Communication Quality and Performance Teamwork Quiz 2 (2/9 – 6/9) Group Presentation Decision Making Designing Adaptive Organizations Group Presentation FINAL EXAMINATION 16/9 – 28/9/2013 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapters 17 and 19 Subject Code : D2MGT100 Subject Title : Organizations and Management References Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapters 7 and 8 Chapter 3 Chapter 5 Chapter 4 Chapter 12 13 Chap ter 18 14 15 16 Chapters 9 and 10 Prescibed Text: Daft R. L. , (2012) New Era of Management, International Edition 10th edition South-Western Cengage Learning USA. 4 ASSESSMENTS There are 6 assessment items for this subject. Assessment Items 1. Mid Term Test (Closed Book) 2. Quiz 1 (Open Book) 3. Quiz 2 (Open Book) 4.Individual Assignment 5. Participation (Group Presentations) 6. Final exam (Closed Book) Value 20% 5% 5% 10% 10% 50% Due Date 29/7 2/8/2013 15/7 – 19/7/2013 2/9 – 6/9/2013 23/8/2013 Weeks 13 14. 16/9 – 28/9/2013 (TBC) REQUIREMENTS To gain a pass in this subject, students must: ? ? Achieve a passing grade in the final examination i. e. score a minimum of 25 marks out of 50, if there is an examination for this subject Attempt ALL areas of assessment; and achieve a total result of 50% or better overall. ** Please check on the notice board and My Acel for the actual date. HELP University reserves the right to make any changes to the above where appro priate. 5ASSESSMENT DETAILS D2MGT100: ORGANISATIONS AND MANAGEMENT SEMESTER 2 2013 INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT (10% of total assessment) CASE STUDY: WALMART PART TWO: THE ENVIRONMENT OF MANAGEMENT – Yao Ming, Jackie Chan, and Walmart: China Embraces Big Stars and Big Box Retailing. When you? re an American retailer with thousands of stores liberally throughout the best shopping areas of the United States, at some point the question arises: â€Å"what next? † Top brass at Walmart were asking this question in the late 1980s, when stores were booming in the Southeast and spreading to all 50 states. Their answer? â€Å"Go global. † Walmart? s first step toward international retailing occurred in 1991 with the opening of a Sam? s Club near Mexico City.Today Walmart International is the company? s fastest growing business unit, accounting for 25 percent of total revenues. After official launch in 1993, the overseas operation expanded into 15 countries including Brazil, Can ada, the United Kingdom, and Japan. But the greatest buzz has centered on China, an emerging market of 1. 3 billion people. Walmart? s adventure in the land of dragons and emperors began in 1996 when rollout teams built a supercenter in Shenzhen, a city just north of Hong Kong. Walmart? s China entry was made possible by economic reforms introduced in the late 1980s under Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping. In a break from its isolationist past, China? communist-led government began making modest concessions to capitalism and Western businesses. The move sparked two decades of rapid economic growth, and Chinese consumers now buy everything from flat screen TVs and cars to designer apparel – they even purchase lattes at Starbucks and chicken at KFC. China? s modernization has become symbolized by pro-basketball star Yao Ming, Supergirl singing phenom Li Yuchun, Olympic world champion Liu Xiang, and Karate Kid martial-arts actor Jackie Chan – Sino celebrities who have achieved Western-style fame and lucrative sponsorships with American businesses. As Walmart? s spread throughout the People? Republic indicates, big box retailing is a hit with Chinese consumers. In 2004, Walmart operated 39 stores in China. In 2010, the number reached 290 total units, including 104 Trust Mart Hypermarkets, 178 supercentres, and 4 Sam? s Clubs. The early success has caused analysts to speculate that Walmart China will eventually have more stores than the domestic American market. Walmart China? s supercenters have much in common with their U. S. counterparts. The expansive stores are stocked with mountains of low-price merchandise, proving that Sam Walton? s â€Å"stack? em high, watch? em fly† philosophy has transcended cultural boundaries. But differences exist as well. First, 75 percent of Walmart? s nternational stores operate under different banner, reflecting the web of acquisitions and joint ventures Walmart uses to enter foreign markets. Next, the selection o f merchandise offered in China supercenters is oriented to the unique tastes of Walmart? s 7 million weekly Chinese shoppers. Grocery sections are stocked with live frogs, turtles, and fish – fresh apples of Chinese diets – and familiar American products are curiously altered, 6 as with Tide detergent, which is sold as a handwash laundry product due to the scarcity of washing machines in China. Douglas McMillion, Walmart International? s president and CEO, says that despite visible variations among stores, the company? s goal is the same in every area of the world. The primary objective is to save people money so they can live a little better,† said the head of Walmart? s fast-growing segment. â€Å"Our goal in every market where we operate is not only to deliver products at a great value, but also to ensure that all of the products we sell are made in an ethical and sustainable way. † But running a multinational operation in â€Å"an ethical and sustaina ble way† is easier said than done. In 2010, Google exited China over the country? s strict censorship policy and poor record on human rights. Years earlier, The Gap caused a firestorm of criticism by unintentionally sourcing products made by child laborers in India. Intent on learning from others? istakes, managers at Walmart have developed an Ethical Standards Program to audit suppliers and ensure the ethical procurement of goods. â€Å"In our „Standard for Suppliers,† says McMillion, â€Å"we outline our expectations that our suppliers must compensate all workers with wages and overtime premiums and benefits that meet or exceed local legal standards, local industry standards, or collective agreements, whichever are higher. † Rajan Kamalanathan, vice president of Ethical Standards, notes that the program is in place to do what is right for factory workers and the environment: â€Å"We not only bring sustainable and positive change to working conditions in factories, we also help build ladders to a better life in the countries where we? re sourcing. The new program is showing results: In 2006m the ethical standards team conducted 8,873 factory audits – more than any other company in the world – leading to a 23 percent decrease in high-risk standards violations. Policing the workplaces and ecological footprints of thousands of international vendors may be a herculean task, but executives at Walmart say it? s a necessary one. Chairman Lee Scott, in a discussion forum sponsored by Fortune magazine, laid out the case for international ethics and corporate social responsibility. â€Å"If China is allowed to produce the world? s goods without following reasonable protocol in protecting the environment and protecting people,† Scott reasoned, â€Å"ultimately governments will react and do something to balance that. So I think it? s in China? s best interest, and I think China understands that. Scott added that socially responsible business is simply good business – by reducing waste and energy usage throughout the supply chain, Walmart is lowering costs and paving a path to higher profits for all. â€Å"We? ve been able to go in and work with individual factories, where instead of costing them more money to do it the right way, the factory is actually able to save cost by doing it the right way. † QUESTIONS 1. Which market entry strategy is Walmart primarily using to enter foreign markets, and why has management chosen this approach? (15 marks) 2. What challenges do Walmart China managers encounter in the international business environment (10 marks) 3. Which of Walmart? s sustainability initiatives do you believe will have greatest positive impact on China? Explain. (15 marks) 7Assignment marking table Individual Report (10% of the module marks) Module Code: D2MGT100 Module Title: Organisations and Management. Student? s Name: _______________________ ID number: _____________ Assessm ent Criteria Question 1: Able to identify the market entry strategy is Walmart primarily using to enter foreign markets, and provide explanation why the management has chosen this approach? Question 2: Able to identify the challenges encountered by Walmart China managers in the international business environment Question 3: Able to discuss Walmart? s sustainability initiatives that have greatest positive impact on China? Explanation is provided.Knowledge of theory: Assignment demonstrates integration and innovation in the selection and handling of theory Clarity of Expression Accuracy, spelling, structure, clarity of messages and information TOTAL 10% of the module marks Comments Marks /15 /10 /15 /5 /5 /50% /10% 8 INSTRUCTIONS 1. The assignment is in essay format with headings and subheadings. The assignment must be TYPED and DOUBLED-SPACED. Font type is Times New Roman and font size must be 12 and justified. 2. The word limit is 1,000 – 1,300. The assignment must contain a word count. 3. The DUE DATE is on Friday, 23rd August 2013. All assignment must be submitted to the Department of Business Studies within the due date with the acknowledgment of receipt from the Department. 4.Sources of information contained in the assignment should be referenced appropriately using Harvard referencing. Assignment should have a complete BIBLIOGRAPHY with listing all books and articles. Plagiarism is a serious form of cheating and is not acceptable which will result in a failure of the coursework. No proper referencing will result in PLAGIARISM. 4. Students would be penalized for not STRICTLY adhering to the instructions. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA: 1. Evidence of understanding of relevant management concepts and Theories. 2. Clear and realistic answers. 3. Ability to apply concepts and theories. 4. Clarity of written expression (well structured and ogical flow of ideas; Attention to grammar). 5. Standard of presentation (good layout; careful checking for spelling mistakes and typing errors). 9 Assignment No. : __ Assignment Cover Sheet Student Information (For group assignment, please state names of all members) Name ID Grade/Marks Module/Subject Information Module/Subject Code Module/Subject Name Lecturer/Tutor/Facilitator Due Date Assignment Title/Topic Intake (where applicable) Word Count Declaration Office Acknowledgement Date/Time . I/We have read and understood the Programme Handbook that explains on plagiarism, and I/we testify that, unless otherwise acknowledged, the work submitted herein is entirely my/our own. I/We declare that no part of this assignment has been written for me/us by any other person(s) except where such collaboration has been authorized by the lecturer concerned. . I/We authorize the University to test any work submitted by me/us, using text comparison software, for instances of plagiarism. I/We understand this will involve the University or its contractors copying my/our work and storing it on a database to be used in fut ure to test work submitted by others. Note:1) The attachment of this statement on any electronically submitted assignments will be deemed to have the same authority as a signed statement. 2) The Group Leader signs the declaration on behalf of all members. Signature: mail: Date: 10 Feedback/Comments* Main StrengthsMain Weaknesses Suggestions for improvement Student acknowledge feedback/comments Grader? s signature Date: Note: Student? s signature: Date: 1)A soft and hard copy of the assignment shall be submitted. 2)The signed copy of the assignment cover sheet shall be retained by the marker. 3)If the Turnitin report is required, students have to submit it with the assignment. However, departments may allow students up to THREE (3) working days after submission of the assignment to submit the Turnitin report. The assignment shall only be marked upon the submission of the Turnitin report. *Use additional sheets if required. 11 Department of Business StudiesACADEMIC INTEGRITY Honesty a nd Responsibility Academic integrity is an important tenet for HELP University. In pursuit of the highest standards of academic integrity, the Department of Business Studies holds it students to the highest ethical standards defined by the Rules and Regulations section of the Academic Handbook. All students at the Department of Business Studies are subjected to and are bound by the Student Academic Misconduct Rule to assure academic honesty. Students are required to sign a pledge on the assignment cover sheet before submitting your assignments to the Department of Business Studies. What is Plagiarism? Plagiarism is academic dishonesty or academic theft, and it is a serious academic offence.Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the followings: 1. quote, paraphrase or summarize someone else? s ideas, theories or data, in whole or in part, without appropriate acknowledgement 2. borrow ideas, opinion or words, in whole or in part, from other sources without properly crediting the author(s) 3. use any facts, statistics, diagrams or graphs, in whole or in part, without acknowledging the source clearly 4. claim or imply original authorship of someone else? s ideas, theories or data, in whole or in part, as your own 5. employ or allow someone to help to revise, amend or write your work and pass off as your own original work 6. collaborate with or allow other students to copy your work 7. raw on sources more than what you have acknowledged by citations While a student is not discouraged to discuss an assignment with his/her friends or classmates, the work he/she submits must be done by the student alone. If a student shares his/her assignment with other students and they plagiarize it, the student is as guilty as those students who plagiarized his/her assignment. All parties to plagiarism are considered equally guilty. Under no circumstances should a student be involved in collusion with other students unless he/she is permitted to work on an assignment jointly b y the lecturer/tutor. If a student is unsure what constitutes plagiarism, he/she is obliged to consult the lecturer/tutor on the matter before submission of his/her assignment. When and How to Reference? Knowing when and how to cite is a student? s responsibility.If he/she is in doubt or need more help on this matter, the student may consult the lecturer/tutor. The following list comprises some of the sources a student will need to reference. The list is by no means exhaustive, but simply consists of the most common sources used by students to complete their work. 1. Books 2. Chapters in books 12 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Journal articles Conference papers Newspaper articles Magazines Websites Study guide Students are advised to cite in the following cases [1]: 1. When he/she quotes two or more words verbatim, or even one word if it is used in a way that is unique to the source 2. When he/she introduce facts that he/she have found in a source 3.When he/she paraphrase or summarize ideas, int erpretations, or conclusions that he/she find in a source 4. When he/she introduce information that is not common knowledge or that may be considered common knowledge in your field, but the reader may not know it 5. When he/she borrow the plan or structure of a larger section of a source? s argument (for example, using a theory from a source and analyzing the same three case studies that the source uses) 6. When he/she build on another? s method found either in a source or from collaborative work in a lab 7. When he/she build on another? s program in writing computer code or on a notcommonly-known algorithm 8.When he/she collaborate with others in producing knowledge In general, a referencing system requires two parts: 1. In-text citations This is information about a source within the text of an assignment. 2. List of references This is a list of all sources a student has used to research his/her assignment. It is alphabetically arranged by author surname and appears immediately aft er the last page of an assignment. Different faculties or departments may have different requirement on how referencing for an assignment should be done. The various formats used for in-text citations and list of references are available in the following websites: 1. Harvard System ( delaide. edu. au/library/guide/gen/harvard. html) 2. Chicago Style ( chicagomanualofstyle. org/index. html) 3. American Psychological Association or APA Style ( apastyle. org) 4. Modern Language Association of America or MLA Style ( mla. org) Once a student has selected a referencing style for his/her assignment, he/she must follow the same style consistently throughout the assignment. We strongly suggest that the student consults the lecturer/tutor about which method to use before submission of his/her assignment. 1 yale. edu/bass/writing/sources/plagiarism/warning. html, accessed May 18, 2008. 13What are the Procedures and Penalties for Plagiarism? When a lecturer/tutor encounters a possible case of plagiarism, the lecturer/tutor shall report the matter to the Head of the Department, who then initiates an investigation on the matter. The following procedures would be carried out: 1. The lecturer/tutor shall provide evidence that substantiates an academic offence has occurred. The following documentations must be ready prior to reporting of alleged plagiarism: a. Copy of the alleged plagiarized assignment b. Copy of the source material (e. g. articles, websites, newspaper, etc. ) c. Report of plagiarism d. Any other information that would support the claim of plagiarism 2.If the evidence warrants an accusation of academic offence, the Head of Department shall establish a Board of Inquiry comprising 3 academic staff. The Department shall provide all necessary documentations, including report on prior academic offences if applicable, to the Board of Inquiry. 3. The Board of Inquiry shall put the matter to the student in writing and give him/her an opportunity to respond to the acc usation within 3 working days. 4. The student will be required to attend a meeting with the Board of Inquiry. After meeting the student, the Board of Inquiry shall decide whether or not the alleged plagiarism has occurred. The following documentations shall be submitted to the Head of Department at the end of the meeting: a. Findings of the investigation b.Recommended action(s) to be taken or imposed 5. The Head of Department shall review the Board of Inquiry? s report with supporting evidence and shall decide on an appropriate action(s) based on the recommendation of the Board of Inquiry. 6. The decision of the Head of Department shall be put in writing to the student. Copies of all documentations will be retained in the Department. 7. If the student feels that he/she has been unfairly accused or treated, the student may appeal to the Head of Department within 5 working days. 8. The Head of Department shall review the appeal and the final decision will be communicated to the studen t in writing and a copy will be kept with the Department.Once a determination of plagiarism and penalty has been made by the Head of Department, the investigative process will be deemed to have ended and the student will not be allowed to appeal. Possible penalties for plagiarism range from mark reduction for the assignment to expulsion from the University. The student will not be allowed to make up the assignment. If plagiarism has been found to have occurred, the Department will take action(s) as determined by the forms of plagiarism implicated: 1. Complete plagiarism Verbatim copying another person? s work without acknowledgement 1st offence : A grade of â€Å"F† in the subject and a warning letter will be issued 2nd offence : Expulsion from the University at the discretion of the Head of Department 2. Substantial plagiarism Near-verbatim copying another person? work by simply altering the order of the sentences or the format of presentation or by changing a few words or p hrases without acknowledgement. 14 Zero mark on the assignment and a warning letter will be issued nd 2 offence : A grade of â€Å"F† in the subject and a warning letter will be issued 3rd offence : Expulsion from the University at the discretion of the Head of Department 3. Minimal plagiarism Acknowledgement is made but paraphrasing by changing and/or eliminating some words 1st offence : Deduction of 50% of available marks on the assignment and a warning letter will be issued nd 2 offence : A grade of â€Å"F† in the subject and a warning letter will be issued 3rd offence : Expulsion from the University at the discretion of the Head of Department 4.Unintentional plagiarism Insufficient acknowledgement by not applying citation or quotation marks correctly 1st offence : Deduction of up to 50% of available marks on the assignment and a warning letter will be issued nd 2 offence : A grade of â€Å"F† in the subject and a warning letter will be issued rd 3 offence : Expulsion from the University at the discretion of the Head of Department Pleading ignorance or unintentional plagiarism does not constitute valid reasons for plagiarism and will not avoid the penalties from being imposed. Excuses for acts of plagiarism such as the following, but not limited to, will not be entertained: 1. I don? t have time to do the assignment 2. I have too many assignments due on the same day 3. I don? t know, I really didn? t do it 4. I am not aware 5. I don? t understand what plagiarism means 6. I have no intention to plagiarize 7. I forgot to cite the reference 8. I forgot to include the bibliography 9. My English is not good 10. My lecturer/tutor did not explain to me 11. In my country, it is alright to copy someone else? s work 12. My friend copied my ssignment when I let him/her to look at my assignment 13. My friend copied my assignment when I allow him/her to use my laptop 14. I did my assignment in the computer lab, someone must have copied my work 15. I asked my friend to submit my assignment and he/she copied my work 16. I discussed my assignment with my friends, so our answers are the same/similar 17. Even though I do not have in-text citation but I have bibliography/reference list Students should be reminded that it is their responsibilities to take due care throughout their written work to effectively reference or cite when they use others? ideas from any source. 1st offence : 15

Planning Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Planning Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 - Essay Example Also, it helps in substantiating the pros and con's involved. Through this research, other important factors will be pointed out and discussed as well. 2 An example of one of the con's of this new plan is related to the extra expense taxpayers will possibly have to bear. Funding has to come from somewhere and though it can be found in many government structures, many times the taxpayers are often the ones left with the brunt of the costs through various taxation implementations. From here the studied research will move on into how it can possibly provide a pro benefit for claimants of land and property with regard to various executions by the government for claiming land in developing. Relief compensation can sometimes be provided. There is an implied con to this as well though. Taxation falls onto the owners of land as well and sometimes the compensation they receive from the Government for entitlement to utilize their property is eaten away by taxation in capital and local forms. S o with this initial information presented thus far, this research will attempt to verify who it will be that will struggle the most (which is seeming to be taxpayers) and who will reap the most reward out of this new legislative act. All of this will be presented with a steadfast focus on the earth and the natural balance of the environment. RUNNING HEAD: THE NEW PLANNING COMPULSORY AND PURCHASE ACT OF 2004 As has been stated, there are a multitude of varying views with regards to the new Planning Compulsory Purchase Act of 2004. There are also quite a number of pro's associated and some con's as well, mainly the cons falling into an area of delay with construction and expansion procedures. The Governments' intention is to have the developers understand that, by this implementation of new developmental structure, taking the place of the old one, they will have more capabilities of deciding factors, of their own accord. The Government claims that this new plan will allow for speedier expediting in the decision making process within the areas of growth, development, and expansion (The Journal 2004, p.1). On the flip side of the issue, there are those who tend to think it will create a hindrance with regard to significant delays due to secondary legislation protocols whilst including other delaying issues as well (Johnson 2004, p.1). In expanding upon this view, it takes the approval of subsidiary legislation to provide the equipment and to locate funding necessary to create many of the developmental reforms being anticipated. The delays could occur due to the fact that quite a few of the implemented ideas for this new Act are still awaiting approval. One of these happens to be an alternative plan to fulfill the spot where the old agreement in Section 106 was. 3 The new idea involves a planning tariff implementation that has not been put into action as yet. Unfortunately, this idea will more than likely, not take place this year which could create some misconceptions in regards to claimants and permission to develop on their

Should Electronic Play be Encouraged for School-Age Children Research Paper

Should Electronic Play be Encouraged for School-Age Children - Research Paper Example This essay stresses that it is true that video game play, whether violent or non-violent, can develop visual concentration, spatial relations, and hand-eye coordination. However, from the evidences presented, it is not clear if these games can improve critical judgment or preservation of information and creativity. This paper makes a conclusion that some educational video games guide specific educational skills and knowledge, for instance math, science and language. However, this kind of games is not easily accessible. Possibly, future development and wide distribution of these materials will be able to encourage more learning for electronic gamers. The effects of media violence may result to desensitization to the terror of violence; recognition of violence as â€Å"a way out†; replication of aggression seen in video games; and identification of oneself with the characters. Let us take Mortal Kombat and Nite Trap as perfect examples of the media game of blood sport. In Mortal Kombat, the first hero decapitates, the second hero electrocutes, the third hero slashes the victim’s chest and pulls out the heart, and the fourth hero hacks his victim’s head and holds it high in triumph. In Nite Trap, the vampires go after five scantily-dressed women, bore holes in their necks and suspend them on meat hooks. The high-action, live-action, blood-rich scenes of these games make them more compelling, powerful and realistic and all the more attractive to the minds of the innocent.

Sociolinguistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sociolinguistics - Essay Example Lower geographical distances and large population sizes often results in increased social contact between two locations and the chance that the respective dialects are influenced by each other (Heeringa, 2006). Therefore by establishing language variation theories more information can be gathered about the speakers, their representations, about the structures of the society and interactions (Berruto, 2004). The scientific study of language is called linguistics. Formal models are often constructed which allow us to understand the functioning of various modules of the linguistic grammar function1. These modules include study of variations in phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics. In fact there's a school of thought which says that, "In the absence of variation, languages would no longer be the versatile, flexible semiotic instruments they are, malleably following the flow of time and history. This capacity for variation would appear to be co-essential to natural langu ages" (Berruto, 2004). Variations in language can be; Dialect: This is a somewhat complex concept. Dialect is considered a collection of attributes (phonetic, phonological, syntactic, morphological, semantic) that make one group of speakers noticeably different from another group of speakers of the same language Therefore while on the one hand there are variations in the languages li

Global Health Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Global Health Systems - Essay Example Health statistics and costs The health statistics and costs of Singapore and United States can be compared to get a clear picture of where the two countries stand. The life expectancy at birth in Singapore is 82 years and it is 78 years in U.S. the infant mortality rate is 2.3 deaths per 1,000 births in Singapore while in U.S. it is 6.4 deaths per 1,000. U.S. has more caregivers than Singapore due to its population. There are 2.6 physicians per 1,000 people in U.S, while Singapore has 1.4 physicians per 1,000. There are 9.4 nurses per 1,000 people in U.S. while 4.2 in Singapore. The number of dentists in U.S. is six times greater and pharmacists are three times of those in Singapore. According to the WHO, U.S. spends about 15.3% of its total GDP on healthcare and Singapore spends only 3.7% (Holtz, 2008). Despite these figures, Singaporeans are healthier than Americans and the amount they pay per person is one-fifth of what the Americans pay. Healthcare Financing In Singapore, the sta te funds one-fourth of the total healthcare costs. The major source for the healthcare finance is individuals themselves and their employers. The government, using taxes, spends about U.S. $381 per capita on healthcare. As compared to the U.S. government, this figure is about one-seventh of the total costs spent by American government (Holtz, 2008). Singaporeans take care of their own healthcare and pay for their medical care. The role of the government is to make the healthcare affordable through subsidies and funds to the public hospitals for those who cannot afford. On the other hand, Americas healthcare depends on the private insurance sector and the government agencies are only for elderly or low income groups. The private healthcare is costly. Healthcare Administration The main regulator of the healthcare system in Singapore is the Minister of Health (MOH). MOH is responsible for the regulation of the healthcare services. It promotes the health education, monitors the quality and accessibility of the health services, controls and prevents diseases, allocates resources and administers the licenses of healthcare establishments. On the other hand about 60% of the U.S. health provision is regulated by the programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. Medicare provides healthcare to the elderly which is supported by the taxes paid by the working class. Medicaid is for the people with low incomes. However, due to the high costs of private healthcare services, the Medicaid program is being overflowed (Holtz, 2008). Healthcare Personnel and Facilities U.S has one of the best medical education system and it has physicians and nurses several times more than that of Singapore. However this is because of the population gap. In reality, U.S. has a decreasing number of physicians and nurses. This is because of the inability to pay wages to the nurses and physicians (Holtz, 2008). The nurses roles have been increased because of which they are leaving the jobs. On the other h and, Singapore has authoritative and administrative controls in its healthcare systems hence they are successfully providing and ensuring that all citizens in need are receiving the adequate healthcare facilities. Their nurses and physicians are paid good because of which

Review of the movie The shape of things Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Review of the movie The shape of things - Essay Example Adam (Paul Rudd) is a nerdy, unimposing English Major who works part - time as a museum guard. The stage for the rather one - sided battle of the sexes is set when he meets Evelyn (Rachel Weisz), a sexy, edgy art student. The names Adam and Eve (Lyn) are a not so subtle reminder of the original sin that paved the way for a state of eternal hostility between the sexes and emphasizes the sometimes biblical nature of the film. Evelyn has come to strip away the pretense and false modesty which symbolizes a huge statue that has its privates hidden by a leaf out of respect for the delicate sensibility of the public. Her purpose is to spray - paint a penis on the offending leaf. Shy, uncertain Adam intervenes and she disarms him with her ready charm and gives him her phone number. She then proceeds to deface the statue as she had originally intended. This random incident sets in motion the events that will bring about a drastic and gut - wrenching change in Adam's hitherto placid, uneventfu l existence. Not much of a ladies man, Adam is flattered by Evelyn's attentions and he can hardly believe she is attracted to him; therefore he clings to her with a desperate need that is at once pathetic and touching. Soon he is putty in her hands, literally. Initially she is merely a controlling girlfriend and she badgers him into losing weight, getting a more becoming haircut, losing his glasses and wearing decent clothes. She even convinces him to alter his rather large nose with the help of surgical intervention! But soon her influence over him takes a sinister turn, as he is intoxicated by her smoldering sexuality and overpowering personality and becomes nothing more than clay in her hands to be molded as she sees fit. He comes completely under her sway as she rules over him with an iron fist gradually alienating him from his friends, Philip (Frederick Waller) and Jenny (Gretchen Mol). Adam's transformation ends with a startling twist, a shattering revelation in the climax of the film. Compelling though the film is it is marred by a number of flaws. The transition from the stage to the big screen calls for certain modifications, particularly with regard to the characters and settings that are lacking in this film. This is particularly evident in the characters, who come across as rather wooden, one - dimensional and theatrical. Weisz's twisted and frightening Evelyn is a callous, notorious schemer and her motives are transparent to the viewer from the onset. Furthermore she lacks the redeeming quality of likeability which would have served to flesh out and breathe life into her character, while taking away much of its annoying plasticity. The clever twist at the end of the plot would have had more of a sting and been more forceful if the audience had not already become inured to her brand of cold, calculating cruelty. At the beginning of the film Adam says to her, "You stepped over the line, Miss" and that is exactly what she does throughout the movie, once too of ten as it turns out. Adam's chronic naivet tends to be unconvincing at times. Rudd as Adam is alternatively endearing and exasperating. He is a little too gullible to be true. For instance he fails to exhibit even a token curiosity towards her art project, her background, friends, interests etc. However, the interesting thing about his character

Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Article Example (Hurwit) Although this in itself does not have to do with religious diversity, the fact of the matter is that such a belief is a matter of religious diversity. Because there is no official state religion that can make laws as it chooses, people are able to decide what they want to do based on other concerns. They are also able to choose a religion for themselves if they do not like or believe in the doctrines of a specific religion like the Catholic Church used in this example. The author also discusses the fact that it is illegal under United States law for a tax-exempt organization like the Catholic Church to â€Å"campaign on behalf of or against a candidate.† (Hurwit) Since letting religious organizations elect specific people to office would basically let them do what they wanted with the government, these laws make sure that there is still freedom of religion and therefore religious diversity. The news event that the author is talking about specifically is the Catholic Churchs relationship with a representative from Rhode Island called Patrick Kennedy. Since he said he didnt like the fact that they were trying to affect the health care bill on the basis of abortions, they sent him a letter telling him to stop going to church. Derakhshani, Tirdad. â€Å"Oh my: God doc includes all faiths, no insights.† Philadelphia Inquirer. November 27 2009. Web. December 5 2009. This article discusses a documentary film which was shot to discuss the different religions of the world and to show people that there is a lot of religious diversity. The fact that it is an American film shows that there is a lot of focus in the United States on the topic of religious diversity, and that it is an important issue that people are interested in. The film, according to the writer of this review, didnt

Global Health Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Global Health Systems - Essay Example Health statistics and costs The health statistics and costs of Singapore and United States can be compared to get a clear picture of where the two countries stand. The life expectancy at birth in Singapore is 82 years and it is 78 years in U.S. the infant mortality rate is 2.3 deaths per 1,000 births in Singapore while in U.S. it is 6.4 deaths per 1,000. U.S. has more caregivers than Singapore due to its population. There are 2.6 physicians per 1,000 people in U.S, while Singapore has 1.4 physicians per 1,000. There are 9.4 nurses per 1,000 people in U.S. while 4.2 in Singapore. The number of dentists in U.S. is six times greater and pharmacists are three times of those in Singapore. According to the WHO, U.S. spends about 15.3% of its total GDP on healthcare and Singapore spends only 3.7% (Holtz, 2008). Despite these figures, Singaporeans are healthier than Americans and the amount they pay per person is one-fifth of what the Americans pay. Healthcare Financing In Singapore, the sta te funds one-fourth of the total healthcare costs. The major source for the healthcare finance is individuals themselves and their employers. The government, using taxes, spends about U.S. $381 per capita on healthcare. As compared to the U.S. government, this figure is about one-seventh of the total costs spent by American government (Holtz, 2008). Singaporeans take care of their own healthcare and pay for their medical care. The role of the government is to make the healthcare affordable through subsidies and funds to the public hospitals for those who cannot afford. On the other hand, Americas healthcare depends on the private insurance sector and the government agencies are only for elderly or low income groups. The private healthcare is costly. Healthcare Administration The main regulator of the healthcare system in Singapore is the Minister of Health (MOH). MOH is responsible for the regulation of the healthcare services. It promotes the health education, monitors the quality and accessibility of the health services, controls and prevents diseases, allocates resources and administers the licenses of healthcare establishments. On the other hand about 60% of the U.S. health provision is regulated by the programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. Medicare provides healthcare to the elderly which is supported by the taxes paid by the working class. Medicaid is for the people with low incomes. However, due to the high costs of private healthcare services, the Medicaid program is being overflowed (Holtz, 2008). Healthcare Personnel and Facilities U.S has one of the best medical education system and it has physicians and nurses several times more than that of Singapore. However this is because of the population gap. In reality, U.S. has a decreasing number of physicians and nurses. This is because of the inability to pay wages to the nurses and physicians (Holtz, 2008). The nurses roles have been increased because of which they are leaving the jobs. On the other h and, Singapore has authoritative and administrative controls in its healthcare systems hence they are successfully providing and ensuring that all citizens in need are receiving the adequate healthcare facilities. Their nurses and physicians are paid good because of which

Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Article Example (Hurwit) Although this in itself does not have to do with religious diversity, the fact of the matter is that such a belief is a matter of religious diversity. Because there is no official state religion that can make laws as it chooses, people are able to decide what they want to do based on other concerns. They are also able to choose a religion for themselves if they do not like or believe in the doctrines of a specific religion like the Catholic Church used in this example. The author also discusses the fact that it is illegal under United States law for a tax-exempt organization like the Catholic Church to â€Å"campaign on behalf of or against a candidate.† (Hurwit) Since letting religious organizations elect specific people to office would basically let them do what they wanted with the government, these laws make sure that there is still freedom of religion and therefore religious diversity. The news event that the author is talking about specifically is the Catholic Churchs relationship with a representative from Rhode Island called Patrick Kennedy. Since he said he didnt like the fact that they were trying to affect the health care bill on the basis of abortions, they sent him a letter telling him to stop going to church. Derakhshani, Tirdad. â€Å"Oh my: God doc includes all faiths, no insights.† Philadelphia Inquirer. November 27 2009. Web. December 5 2009. This article discusses a documentary film which was shot to discuss the different religions of the world and to show people that there is a lot of religious diversity. The fact that it is an American film shows that there is a lot of focus in the United States on the topic of religious diversity, and that it is an important issue that people are interested in. The film, according to the writer of this review, didnt

Jc Penny Essay Example for Free

Jc Penny Essay This is not the first time that this company has been faced with adversity. The first time was in the 1960’s when shopping went from downtown locations to more uptown locations in malls. The company transitioned to mall locations to cope with the change. This time the change did not come easy to the company. In fact this change has cost the company millions. This time JC Penney’s was faced with a challenge that they wanted to change. They wanted to transition the public’s perception of them. They no longer wanted to be viewed as an old fashioned department store. The company no longer wanted sales or clearance racks. They wanted to change the whole retail climate. They called it fair and square pricing (Baskin, 2013). This came off a lot like Wal-Mart’s always low prices campaign. This sounds like a great idea to me. However, it failed for many reasons. The main reason because it was confusing to consumers. While the other main reason being poor marketing. Many people sat in anticipation of this new campaign by JCPenney’s. There were just as many supporters in the beginning as well. When I heard of this I thought of an upscale Wal-Mart. Low prices I do not have to shop for sales anymore because these should be low prices every day. However, very shortly after this I found myself not shopping there at all. Consumers want a deal, and they do not feel that deal when they shop there anymore. It is the thrill of the hunt for consumers. Not only that but the sales ad and clearance racks used to change. They are no longer changing prices so there is no need to go daily, weekly, or even monthly. Customers may check there as a way to show case, but they are not buying. Without the sales and without the sale advertisements the company is not bringing in nearly the amount of people that were coming into the store to score the best deal. Next the advertisements they are sending out are worded poorly. They are no longer doing sales but they do mail out what they called month long value. Customers did not understand the wording of it. It was never broken down for them. Ideally they had sales, but they were not called the standard name. Therefore, customers missed out on them and they were not bringing in the clientele like a â€Å"sale† probably would have. They were not able to embrace JC Penney’s new tactic. Another problem with this campaign is that the average consumer does not know what the clothing costs. Therefore they think it should be or could be marked down. They have no idea if they were getting a good deal or not. Again the thrill of the hunt is gone, and still makes the customers confused. It was confusing to customers and that means there is a problem in marketing. When a place makes changes that could potentially be confusing marketing is the key. However, there advertisements were so irreverent that they made even less sense to begin with. They came up with a campaign after their numbers dropped called â€Å"do the math. † It was supposed to show how much easier it is to just get a low price in the beginning rather than use a coupon. This action failed for the company. The CEO Ron Johnson came out and reported later that â€Å"it was confusing† to some of their consumers (Baskin, 2013). It’s no wonder that they lost customers. They did not target other competitors about their prices just what the company was trying to do. Last but not least they attempted to open little stores inside their stores. It was a Martha Stewart collection like IKEA. Even that failed because Martha Stewart was not able to put her name on it, because she was still in litigation over her brand. So, it was still branded as JC Penney’s. Not that the name would have made much difference, but it was not thoroughly hought out within the company. Also, this is not a new tactic stores have been doing this for years. The renovation of the stores to add in this small store was costly. It has cost the company millions of dollars. It has depleted their cash, and has also caused their credit rating to drop (Baskin, 2013). This was a costly decision to make when sale s were already down. Here is the largest problem that they had they wanted become a high end store in a low end economy. If I were the CEO of JC Penney I would make quite a few changes. My first change would have been to go back to traditional wording for now. These are the words that customers are the most familiar with. I understand that some companies like to do all their changes at once because it is cheaper. However, when you are changing familiar terms it is wise to do it slowly. Or at least explain it as thoroughly as possible. Change is needed as a society, but no one likes change, because of this I feel that they should be done slowly and over a period of time. I would also have changed the price tags on their merchandise. In order to make someone feel like they are getting a deal I would change how they were priced. I would put a suggested retail price and then put â€Å"our† price on the label. This would appear to customers that they were getting a deal. Sales are because the prices are higher than what they need to be. The advertising is all about â€Å"trickery† to pull people in. In reality they were still doing sales but they were not called sales, and people did not buy into it. By changing the price tags on the items the customers are still getting the thrill of the buy. They can see what their item is going for at their competitor’s location, and impulse buy. This helps eliminate â€Å"showroom† shopping. Or leaving to check their prices somewhere else. If it is a matter of a few dollars they will not go back to purchase. However, if they can see the deal they will buy. Instead of focusing on expanding a business inside of an already expanding business I would have spent the money elsewhere. Imagine if they could have established new rules for buyers. Gone back to JC Penney’s original roots and prove their claims. It could have created new financing and lay-away policies that communicated value, and used social media to create meaningful communities of consumers who wanted to track and participate in conversations about prices. Employees could have been recruited and trained to offer a fundamentally new customer experience based on integrity. They could have changed the way Americans shop and feel they should stop. I would not have wasted money on an advertisement that was bewildering. I would have spent money marketing on calling competitors out on their prices. Sharing the news on how Penney’s was changing. How they were forward looking. Instead of making confusing ads with no sales just to avoid the word sale I wouldn’t have tried to stay away from it. Since they were still doing sales but not doing sales on certain items. Limiting the sales options were not the problem the problem was using unfamiliar wording. Measuring some of these techniques could be hard to do. Going back to traditional wording would be one way that is hard to track. However, I believe it would go hand in hand with how you would track the new price tags. That would be sales. With these new changes and advertisements I would think that sales would increase. I would not look at the actual accounting book but do a twelve month comparison on the sales on each individual store. This is time consuming and costly but I think it is the only way to see how each store is doing in comparison to how they were doing the previous month and year. During high sale times I would make sure I would have as much staff as possible on the floor to assist our customers. Maybe they do not need help but a casual conversation can lead into why they came into this department store and not the one across the way. Along with this I would like to institute team meetings once a week where department heads meet with their front line employees on all shifts. To find out their ideas and where they are hearing concerns are. Then I would have them write them up and do a teleconference with each store head to hear these ideas, questions, or concerns. I feel this is an open door policy. I would also include suggestion boxes not only in the store, but in the break room for employees so they could bring these up anonymously if they felt the need to. Also, I would work on getting the contact information to employees for everyone in charge. Change can happen and many great ideas come from the front line, because they see and do it every day. However, their voices are not often heard. To measure the effectiveness of advertising I would do a few things. I would add a survey at the end of their receipt to figure out what they thought about the advertisement. I would also add a quick questionnaire in the store that the customer could fill out. I would also make it known that there is a number they can call at any time with questions. I would make it so that they could be heard with questions and concerns. Before I launched a campaign I would have a test market so that we could see what people could recall from the add, as well as find out if there was any confusion on what may have been advertised. The sales would play a large part also in whether it was an effective campaign. A company that has been operating for 100 years is struggling. JC Penney ’s was once a fashion icon to children, young adults, and teens. Beginning in 1913 it currently operates over 1000 stores. Growing up my sister and I waited to go through their catalogue. However, in the last few years something has changed. The company didn’t look far enough ahead to the future to predict these changes. They tried to become a higher end boutique like store in an economy that could not support it. Poor marketing and too many changes has made this one booming store one of the top ten stores that are predicted to be out of business in the next year. Works Cited Baskin, J. (2013, January 2). Lessons From JC Penneys Doomed Marketing Makeover. Retrieved May 12, 2013 , from Forbes: http://www. forbes. com/sites/jonathansalembaskin/2013/01/02/lessons-from-j-c-penneys-doomed-marketing-makeover/ Tuttle, B. (2012, June 19). More Troubles for JCPenney: Top Executive Departs Amid Sales Slump. Retrieved May 12, 2013, from Time Magazine: http://business. time. com/2012/06/19/more-troubles-for-jcpenney-top-executive-departs-amid-sales-slump/