Marketing communications plan

Trends in the pub industry The British pub industry includes approximately 60,000 pubs that fall into three categories: managed (operated by a manager), leased/tenanted, and individual (operated by the owner) pubs (Mitchells & Butlers, 2005).   The British Beer & Pub Association reports that â€Å"in the last 10 years food sales in Britain's 30,000 managed pubs have risen by 165%†, with smaller increases posted by the smaller 30,000 pubs (Bowers, 2005). The British pub has traditionally fulfilled a variety of roles, serving both as a point for informal communication, a social venue for watching sports games or playing indoor sports, or even a family get-together. Although recent scandals concerning â€Å"binge drinking and town centre rowdiness in 2004† attracted the attention to the pub as a source of such antisocial behaviour, its role in British society has traditionally been much broader (Mintel, 2004). In any case, exposure of pubs to negative publicity has led to strengthening of governmental regulations concerning the sector. The current fight in the pub industry is against â€Å"the government's health bill exempting non-food pubs from a proposed smoking ban† (Bowers, 2005). This supposedly creates an uneven playing field for bars that serve food since they have to restrict smoking on their premises. At the same time, the proportion of pubs offering food service rose from about 50% in the 1990s to roughly 80% (Bowers, 2005). Owners and operators of bars subject to the smoke ban point to the fact that it will disadvantage food-serving bars, since the proportion of smokers among pub visitors is estimated by the British Beer & Pub Association to be in the range of 40-50% – about â€Å"twice the national average† (Bowers, 2005). The economic landscape in the UK is favourable for spending since consumers feel confidence in the economy. At the same time, pubs can be affected by the growing popularity of healthy lifestyles that includes a greater number of people â€Å"who simply want a quiet (or lively) drink in the comfortable, friendly type of pub that is permanently attractive for foreign tourists as well the British themselves† (Mintel, 2004). More and more people will treat bars not simply as venues for drinking; on the contrary, they want to have meals there. Pubs begin to dissociate with rowdiness that tainted their image and emerge as credible eating establishments can be attributed to the industry’s attempts to appeal to a wider section of the market due to competition from supermarkets, government regulation and societal changes including a more health conscious consumer. Bright, open interiors and smoke free environments make them more appealing to such consumers and the female audience. However, alcohol sales remain the driving force of profitability in bars. In this area, consumers now seek a higher quality experience. One of the trends is increase in wine sales, attributable in part to the simple addition of ice to the drink (Solley, 2005). According to the National Office of Statistics, champagne is now one of the most regular purchases in the UK, particularly non-vintage and rosà © lines. The growth has been attributed to younger drinkers who treat champagne as less a drink solely for special occasions (Bill, 2006). Still, the British Beer & Pub Association (2003) reports that â€Å"in the UK 28 million pints of beer are consumed every day, which equates to 100 litres per head each year – compared to 20 litres of wine per head†. Positioning – A bar with a difference The proposed bar on Lisburn Road will seek to differentiate itself from other bars in the city by offering   a high quality customer experience catered to the tastes of a more exclusive clientele. The competitive advantage of the facility will be the provision of excellent service and superior food and drink not available in other establishments; focusing on these features, the bar will not engage in price competition. The wide assortment of traditional drinks will be complemented by a meticulously selected wine list including champagne varieties, locally produced cider and ale and a selection of less common malt whiskeys. Customers will be informed of the wide variety of drinks through wine and whiskey tasting promotions. The bar will appeal to health-conscious consumers with by offering low-cost meals from a standard menu prepared with the finest locally sourced ingredients. The emphasis on social experience, quality food, and large choice of drinks will be distinctive features of the new bar. Segmentation The new bar will target the following groups in the target market: Professionals coming in after work to have a few drinks and chat with colleagues after a long working day Couples looking for a pleasant social experience, dinner and sometimes a bottle of wine Students occupying the bar in the day-time and in the evening to enjoy a get-together and discuss class assignments WOOFS (well-off older folks) enjoying their post-retirement life and spending some of their time in local bars to have a pleasant dinner DINKS – couples without children but with a high income that permits them to allocate a large portion of their income to dining. Overall, the target audience will include individuals with high disposable income, high expectations of service, food quality and drink variety, and preference for establishments with style. References Bowers, S. (2005, October 28). Smoking ban is unworkable, says pub industry. Guardian. Retrieved April 29, 2006, from http://society.guardian.co.uk/health/news/0,,1602801,00.html British Beer & Pub Association (2003). Beer and Pub Facts. Retrieved April 29, 2006, from http://www.beerandpub.com/content.asp?id_Content=704 Mintel International Group Ltd. (2004, August 1). Pub Visiting – UK. Retrieved April 29, 2006, from http://www.marketresearch.com/product/display.asp?productid=1037778&g=1 Mitchells & Butlers. (2005). Pub Operating Models. Retrieved April 29, 2006, from http://www.mbplc.com/index.asp?pageid=425

College Is Not for Everyone Essay

Going away to college is not for everyone. There are good reasons why a student might choose to live at home and attend a local school. Money, finding stability while changes are occurring, and accepting responsibility are three to consider. Money is likely to be most important. Not only is tuition more expensive, but extra money is needed for room and board. Whether room and board is a dorm or an apartment, the expense is great. Most students never stop to consider that the money that could be saved from room and board may be better spent in future years on graduate school, which is likely to be more important in their careers. Going to school is a time of many changes anyway, without adding the pressure of a new city or even a new state. Finding stability will be hard enough, without going from home to a dorm. Starting college could be an emotional time for some, and the security of their home and family might make everything easier. When students decide to go away to school, sometimes because their friends are going away, or maybe because the school is their parents’ alma mater, something that all need to decide is whether or not they can accept the responsibility of a completely new way of life. Everyone feels as if they are ready for total independence when they decide to go away to college, but is breaking away when they are just beginning to set their futures a good idea? Going away to school may be the right road for some, but those who feel that they are not ready might start looking to a future that is just around the corner.

Airplane accidents causes and prevention Research Paper

Airplane accidents causes and prevention - Research Paper Example The improved aviation operations enabled the aircraft to go on extended flights which it did not before this Act because there were more accidents in the early nineteenth century and no detailed investigation was performed. However, it is still important to understand what the main causes of airplane accidents are and what steps can be taken to improve the aviation so that air accidents can be avoided. Most often, it is the human error that causes crashes (Mello et al., 2008). Sometimes, the pilots are very experienced due to which they get over confident and tend to be careless. For example, running out of gasoline while the plane is on flight is a result of human carelessness when he thinks that he has enough to fly to the destination. There are a lot of issues while flying that may demand more gasoline than usual. This makes the pilot force landing which is in no way out of danger. McCormick and Papadakis (2003, p.4) state that there are a lot of reasons that cause aircraft components to fail and become a cause for airplane accident. Either there is a fault in the manufacturing of a certain part or more load than usual has been placed on it that causes it to malfunction. The structure may have been poorly designed so as to stimulate stress concentrations which result in fatigue collapse (McCormick & Papadakis). The authors assert that: Any aircraft flying can be torn apart by pulling back hard on the wheel at an excessive speed and thereby producing loads exceeding the ultimate values for which it was designed. A pilot may fly through severe turbulence, like a thunder storm, thereby causing high loads (p.4). It may happen that the aircraft design is such that an average pilot finds it hard to operate it. The controls may be improperly placed inside the cockpit enhancing the probability that the pilot mistakenly gives an incorrect control input. Mechanical components like gearboxes and couplings may

The reliance upon technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The reliance upon technology - Essay Example Regardless of the individual device in question, the fact of the matter is that this societal shift impacts upon nearly every aspect of personal life and nearly every relationship that currently exists around the world. The pervasive paradigm shift that has been evidenced has occurred over the past 20 to 30 years has been hailed by many as a great move forward with regards to the overall capabilities and development of the human race. However, there is an alternate view as well; one which warns against the fact that many individuals within society are slowly but surely becoming addicted to the very technology that was initially intended to aid them in accomplishing tasks of different varieties. It is the belief of this author that neither of the sides to this debate has all of the facts or is utilizing them to the correct degree. Rather, technology, although a definite aid in accomplishing tasks that would otherwise take quite a while, has become something an addictive aid that threa tens to reprogram the way in which the human mind and creativity are evidenced; thereby decreasing human potential and creating an unhealthy co-dependence that is evidenced throughout current society and culture. Firstly, it does not take a great deal of analytical or scientific discovery to realize that the way in which technology has reshaped and classified our world is without question. Moreover, a sociological increase into the way in which technology has shifted interpersonal dynamics, relationships, and communication has been conducted by a variety of researchers and convincingly pointed to the fact that the current era of texting, instant messaging, Facebook et al has significantly decreased the amount of time that individuals spend in face-to-face communication and has moved society convincingly towards something of a more introverted nature (Carr 1). Although introversion in and of itself is not necessarily a poor character trait, it must be noted that the overuse and relia nce upon these technological tools which have already been discussed has created a dynamic by which formerly extroverted individuals are merely introverted and carrying out a great deal of interpersonal communication that one might otherwise carry out face-to-face via the Internet or other technologically enabled means. However, communication is not the only thing that suffers from an overdependence upon technology. As many have noted, memory recall and the perennial knowledge that any and all information can be readily retrieved has created a situation in which memory and the ability to recall tidbits of information are placed at a much lower premium than they might have been in an era in which the likes of Google or other prominent technological means by which data can be retrieved had existed. Again, it does not take a great deal of imagination to envision an era in which it was necessary for the schoolchild, or even societal shareholder, to be nominally familiar and remember suc h information as capitals of states, a rough understanding and appreciation for the order and number of presidents, how many chromosomes exists in human DNA, who the first woman in space was, for the year in which the state of Israel was created (Cottler 24). As can be seen, there is something to be said for the amount of memory recall that individual can possess and leverage as a means of readily interjecting key understandings and tidbits of fact, data, and history into conversations and pertinent situations. However, with an overdependence upon technology has, situation in which individuals have placed this premium of memory and recall far down on the list of priorities; choosing instead to

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

Article analysis - Essay Example The investigators often ask either the victim or the criminal to write statements on the incidents they witnessed or involved in. Then they analyze the linguistic and structural features present in written criminal statements for predictive value in determining the likelihood of veracity or deception (Adams & Jarvis, 2006). As the liars may adopt various strategies to conceal their lies, the investigators will have to alter their strategies in order to obtain the desired effect. While implementing the linguistic methods generally the spoken (which represent reality as a process) and written methods (which represent language as an object) are adopted to unveil veracity and deception (Picornell, 2013). A comparative study of the two articles reveals that while Adams & Jarvis’ (2006) conducted a study on deception in written witness statements with the help of specific linguistic attributes associated with credibility assessment analysis, Picornell (2012) compared the effectiveness of linguistic cues (individually and collectively) and linguistic strategies as deception predictors (Picornell, 2013). The elite part of Picornell’s study is to analyze how the unique characteristics of witness statements as textual monologue narratives influence the role of deception cues. He defines the written witness statement as, a narrative relating to an event witnessed or experienced by the individual writing the statement, and produced as a textual monologue without external intervention or influence (Picornell, 2013). He also proposes three aspects – narrative, textual, and monologue – in order to speak of the implications for deception analysis. In narrative, the witness is provided the chances to describe in writing their direct experience. These evidences are reinterpreted based on their emotional and social experiences (Picornell, 2013). In textual aspect, the fundamental differences between the spoken and the written language are evaluated. The

The Positive Benefits and Negative Drawbacks of the Dawn of the Facebo Assignment

The Positive Benefits and Negative Drawbacks of the Dawn of the Facebook and Twitter Era - Assignment Example As such, this brief analysis will make a short inventory of but a few of the most relevant positive and negative attributes that these forms of social networking engender. There has doubtless been an overall decrease in actual inter-personal networking skills as people are more and more prone to spending massive amounts of time online; interfacing with virtual friends, playing mindless and time wasting games, reading trivial newsfeeds that detail in exhaustive form the mundane daily activities of multiple friends etc. In this way, rather than spending the evening going for a walk, eating at a cafà ©, or engaging in some form of physical activity, social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook have become the new and enhanced version of what the TV was to the generation before ours. Furthermore, the introduction of advanced mobile phone technology has greatly enhanced the ability of individuals to use these forms of social media sites at all times and in all places. Tangentially, sites such as Facebook and Twitter are closing individuals to many real-world experiences they might otherwise have if they would simply shut down the computer and step outside to interact with real people in the real world. One cannot count the number of people during lunch, while on the bus, in a metro, on vacation etc that have their eyes downcast on their mobile device while the entire world seems to pass them by. This, therefore, comes full circle from a mere time wasting issue to one of sheer and total addiction. There exist support groups and books as well as counsellors that work to help individuals with varying degrees of social networking addiction, dependence, and separation anxiety. The fact that groups that support people in letting go of their addiction in the same ways that AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) does are but part and parcel of the problem that is social networking.  Ã‚  

Filipino Migrants to the United States Term Paper

Filipino Migrants to the United States - Term Paper Example Migration to the US has been going on for many years, and migrants to the US have come from various countries and corners of the globe. One of these countries is the Philippines. There are now thousands of Filipino migrants to the US, and these migrants have become very much a part of the American culture and landscape. As of 2008, â€Å"there were 2.9 million members of the Filipino diaspora residing in the US†¦including 1.4 million native-born US citizens of Filipino ancestry† (Filipinos for Justice, p. 1). This paper shall discuss Filipino immigrants to the US, where they came from, why they left their native countries, why they chose to come to the US, what they accomplished in America, and what they contributed to America. This paper is being carried out in order to establish a clear and comprehensive understanding of Filipino immigrant presence in the US and to understand their place in American society. Discussion There are millions of Filipino immigrants now livin g in the United States. They come from the Republic of the Philippines, an archipelago located in the South East Asian region (Philippine History). This country was first discovered by Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan in the 1500s, and later was named after Prince Philip of Spain. It would be ruled by Spain for over 3 centuries until the Philippine revolt in the late 1800s (Philippine History). ... Like many migrants to the US who have gone before and after them, Filipino migrants have also had a colorful history in their migration in the US. There are three waves of Filipino entry into the US. The first wave was seen from 1906 to 1935 when mostly Filipino men were recruited by American labor unions to work as cheap laborers in the sugarcane and pineapple plantations which were severely bothered by labor disputes (Riedmiller, p. 4). They were brought into the US as nationals since the Philippine islands were a US territory at that time. The second wave of Filipino US immigration was prompted by the US situation during the Second World War. President Roosevelt’s Executive Order signed on the 26th of July 1941 called on members of the Philippines Commonwealth Army to serve in the US Armed Forces of the Far East (USAFFE); they were offered â€Å"US citizenship and other benefits† (Riedmiller, p. 4). However, the Rescission Act of 1946 declared these veterans ineligib le to receive promised benefits. Nevertheless, women migrants to the US were seen in this second wave of migration, as they were brought into America as brides. This law was passed to ease racial tension caused by the anti-miscegenation laws which prevented various inter-racial marriages (Riedmiller, p. 4). The third wave was very much different from the first two waves with the new immigrants flowing in great numbers to the US due to America’s need for professionals. They started reaching the US in the third preference category of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (Riedmiller, p. 4). This third wave mostly accounts for the current significant number of Filipino doctors and nurses in the US health sector. In the current context,

The state of the real estate market in UK (2010) Assignment

The state of the real estate market in UK (2010) - Assignment Example More and more real estate developers and investors are pessimistic about Britain. They are of the opinion that fast recovery in the near future is not at all evident. Every body is recommending the investors not to invest in Britain. Industry pundits point out about the sorry picture of real estate markets in UK. They say that investment in the yield generating properties in UK is similar like purchasing a bond that is unlinked to inflation and which yields around 7%. Therefore it is not necessary to go to UK for that. Bonds can be purchased from other countries that yield mare than that. Even prime locations in UK including London don’t attract big investors in real estate now (Rochvarger.2009). In UK the economic situation has declined over the years due the after effect of the financial crisis. The rate of unemployment is higher and industrial production has gone down. All these factors have influenced the real estate markets severely. Many borrowers have failed to pay or d efaulted in their mortgages. This has resulted in forced sales of large number of properties at declining prices. As a result of increased sales, the supply side is on the high. This has resulted in a steep decline in prices because of no supplementary increase in demand. Another important factor that has negatively affected the real estate market in UK is the state of the currency market. ... The current situation in the UK real estate market has made it a buyers market rather than sellers market. Sellers’ often tend to lose their money through real estate transactions. People are taking their own time now to find the right property for them in the UK market. Although the number of buyers is limited or few, they are offered a wide choice where the prices are low and are really negotiable. Moreover the drop of pound against euro has definitely made an effect on the UK buyers of properties (Latest news from the Languedoc. 2009). The real estate market in UK includes buying and selling of properties and letting of dwellings as well as other related business support activities. In 2006, the gross value in this sector amounted to 83037 million pounds. The property market in UK boomed till 2008 when the great financial crisis hit the economy. The increase was due to variety of reasons ranging from low interest rates, growth in credit and economic growth, high employment, foreign investments and planning restrictions on new housing. All these upward levels came down since 2008. Currently the market does not show any kinds of positive signs even though other European real estate markets in France and some Scandinavian countries have shown signs of revival (UK Economy. 2011). UK Economy, UK Economic Profile, British Economy, United Kingdom Economy, Even though the real estate markets have shown a downwards trend since 2008, no real boosting measures for the sector was put forward by the government. Recently the chancellor announced 100 million pound assistance for filling potholes in his budget but little allocation was made to the housing and

Video Games Violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Video Games Violence - Essay Example For instance, there was the case of Virginia Tech massacre, where a student tragically ended the lives of his fellow students in April of 2007. This was just one of the violent acts affiliated with academic institutions, and numerous attributions of violent video games are easily available to anyone. In addition, this case worsens if one has the financial power to invest in a gaming console or just a computer, and even at times, if one can afford to spend time in cyber cafe. Analysts of the Virginia Tech incident sparked debate over violence in video games and their influence on the student who decided to massacre his fellow students. I believe this was the same reason Phil McGraw took to the television screens stating that video games of a violent nature and content have causal effects on the violent nature of the students conduct in killing his fellow college mates. Video games also have significant influences on the behavior of students in being violent towards their schoolmates, for instance, in the case of Phillip Kazmierczak, who shot his fellow students in Northern Illinois University, and evidence points to video games. This is following the fact that he was an avid gamer of violent games, although there may be some form of confounding in which other factors were overlooked prior to make such conclusions that may have led to the shootings. Similarly, video games have been proved to have a profound impact on the behavior of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebod, the main characters in the Columbine High shooting. The above said two, are known to have been fans and avid players of the game â€Å"Doom† (Ferguson 26). Even though records indicate that video games are not to blame for every act of school violence, every two out of five are directly related to video games. However, relying on statistics, video games are the highest causal agents of school shootings especially considering that there are many who view those that view video games as causal agents are only seeking to find a scapegoat. Personally, I believe it also means that, in spite of all opposition on the dangerous effects of games on the wellbeing and safety of students in college and institutions of learning, video games play a significant role. As of the case of Columbine High shooting, students who were well acquainted with the perpetrators gave detailed information on the level of exposure to violent games. This includes their networked computers in order to play games in multiplayer mode against each other and even against other computers. Moreover, the two perpetrators were exposed for hours on end, which can be perceived as a tool to harden and get their skills to the outside world, in this case, fellow students. Furthermore, with the games that the two were hooked on, â€Å"Doom and Quake†, the level of violence portrayed is not one that anyone can boast of considering it led to the real loss of human life. In addition, considering that the killings were d one by the two as a team, it appears more as a continuation of their gaming process in their favorite video games that saw the loss of twelve lives. In addition, once an individual is exposed to violent media, of which video games are included; their cognitive, affective and behavioral processes are altered (Funk et al 23). This process

English 1010 (Argument Essay) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

English 1010 (Argument ) - Essay Example for the victim and their families.’ Those opposed to capital punishment do not believe that the government should be vested with the power to put any of its citizens to death. Opponents also maintain that the practice is racially biased, overtly costly and does not achieve the intended outcome. Capital punishment opponents argue that the practice does not deter crime, which statistics reprove. Opponents also deny that the death penalty is a deterrent to crime because of the nature of the reasons people commit homicide. People cannot conceive their own demise therefore cannot contemplate or appreciate the consequences. In addition, these crimes are usually committed as a result of impulsive actions and not carefully considered beforehand. Therefore, â€Å"the deterrent case has no validity† (Donohue, 2006). If the person committing the murder does contemplate the consequences, they may kill not only the victim but any witnesses as well rather than risk being caught. Fear of capital punishment potentially increases capital crimes. Many studies have been performed to determine if the death penalty is indeed deterrence. All prevailing research indicates capital punishment is as much of a deterrent to crime as a life sentence. Further, statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice show states that do not have the death penalty actually have lower murder rates. â€Å"The average murder rate per 100,000 people in 1999 among death penalty states was 5.5 and the average murder rate among non-death penalty states was 3.6.† (U.S. Dept. of Justice, 2001). The State of Texas is widely acknowledged as executing more prisoners than any other state, a title it holds on an annual basis. A study conducted from the years 1984 through 1997 demonstrated homicides were not deterred as a result of the practice. â€Å"The murder rate (in Texas) was steady and there was no evidence of a deterrent effect. The number of executions was found to be unrelated to murder rates (Sorenson,

The Supply Chain in A Brick and Mortar Environment Essay Example for Free

The Supply Chain in A Brick and Mortar Environment Essay The trading of company stock to the public has been going on for many, many years. Over the years the supply chain for buying and selling equity stock has changed with innovations in technology. Today, the old brick and mortar environment of equity trading is being replaced by virtual trading through websites like Ameritrade, E-Trade, and Trade Station. Brick and MortarWhen a privately held company needs money to expand their business, quite often they choose to sell part of the company through a public stock offering. To facilitate this process an investment banker is most often involved helping value the company and determine the price of each share of stock. Once the value of each share of stock is determined and the amount of funds needed by the company are complete, the investment banker forms a syndicate of broker/dealers who take on the responsibility of either purchasing all the shares of stock the company has to offer or to help sell in an initial public offering. The investment banker and syndicate members receive a concession for each share of stock sold. For example, if one share of stock is being offered at a price of one dollar, the investment banker and syndicate may split a 20 cent concession for their efforts. The process in which the stock is offered to investors prior to the development of the Internet was generally through brokers calling investors via the telephone. Another common way was the actual store front or office of a broker/dealer where individual investors could actually walk into an office and purchase new stock offerings directly. These offices were branch offices of a much larger firm like Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, and Charles Schwab who might have been members of the offering syndicate. Brick and MortarSupply ChainIn the apparel industry there are several specific methods of the supply chain as it relates to the classic brick and mortar environment and one method really does not have a benefit over the other. The first method of discussion for the classic supply chain is the direct supply method where a company will make direct contact with its material suppliers to place orders; the supplier will then make arrangements to ship the material to the specified destination. This method generally takes a great deal of coordination on the purchasers parts because they may many different parts for many different department so generally it would  require a very expensive staff to ensure that the ordering is performed properly. The second method would be for a company to utilize an outside source to perform their purchasing and materials for manufacturing. This is a very effective method which allows a company to basically wash its hands of the entire supply chain process and holding the specialized company accountable for properly handling the purchase and ensuring accuracy. The down side is that it is very expensive to employ and outside company, this method can also not be feasible for many small brick and mortar companies. Web Site Supply ChainThe supply chain in a web site environment for an apparel company is much simpler then a tradition supply chain in many cases. The supply chain for these companies includes the purchasing of materials or finished products from other sources and creating a finished product sold under the familiar names of these companies. The use of the internet allows the goods to be purchased more efficiently then they were before. It also allows for a considerable financial savings in many cases. This is due to simplifying the whole process of procurement for the companies. They can now deal with these suppliers electronically from places all over the world. Wherever they can find the best deals for what it is they need. Orders are processed much faster this way and products can then be shipped out sooner then they would be traditionally. This allows the companies to move the products much quicker then they would ever have been able to using traditional methods. The result is larger profits for them and for the suppliers. Much of that is due to the better turn around. With the process being shortened, what is in demand can be procured in less time and sold to the customers that demand it. Supply Chain ModificationFor most brick and mortar type businesses they rely on customers actually coming into their stores to buy the goods they are looking for. However, with the advent of e-business and it success, it is harder to get people to come to these stores so they are now either going out of business or starting their own online services or e-Businesses. This  has caused many to move out of traditional spaces and into warehouses where they can store mass quantities of products and have fewer people on the payroll thus cutting costs. This also serves as a means to get more people interested in these companies as more and more people are finding it difficult or to time consuming to stand in lines for what can be hours just to buy a few things in a store with only a few registers running, this is also done to cut costs but in the long run it only serves to hurt business as people eventually get tired of the same old treatment and will go somewhere they will get fast friendly service. In many cases these customers will go to the internet versions of these same stores and get the same items delivered to their homes rather than go to these stores. For the companies previously mentioned they were for the most part off-sets from actual brick and mortar type businesses, the only exception is pyramid collection as they started as an e-business and have done quite well given their relatively small size and classification. As more and more traditional businesses are seeing market shares slip away to e-businesses, and their efforts to hold onto customers are not terribly successful. Many of these brick-and-mortars compete only with prices without regard to the level of service that consumers want. They undercut not only their online rivals, but also themselves, and their services are not financially sustainable. The best way to compete would be to take an honest look at the user experience, which is something most brick-and-mortars never do. E-businesses and traditional businesses alike could look to market leaders for solutions to their customer service shortcomings. A brick and mortar business has been the tradition for many years. As technology has become more advanced, e-business has had the opportunity to emerge into the market. It helps to save consumers time if not money all the time. By choosing to shop online, shipping charges are attached to all purchases, which brick and mortar companies do not have. The trade off has been shipping charges for a hassle free shopping experience. With e-business, a consumer can miss traffic, long lines at check outs and congestion of other shoppers. Brick and mortar companies will not go away as  they are still a needed part of the consumer market. These companies need to focus on how to get the customers back into their businesses and offline. The choice between e-business and brick and mortar businesses are determined by what consumers consider the advantage of their shopping experience. All business revolves around the consumer.

Adams equity theory

Adams equity theory 3.4. 4 Equity Theory Adams s (1965) equity theory is another form of motivation. In this model, like in expectancy theory, people are viewed as having thoughts, feeling, and opinions that affect their work. He also proposes that the social comparison process begins with the individuals assessment of what he or she need to puts into the job relative to what is received from it. That is, the person develops a cognitive ratio composed of the inputs to the job and the return (output) from it. Inputs Typically, inputs are consider as an effort, loyalty, hard work, commitment, skill, ability, adaptability, flexibility, tolerance, determination, heart and soul, enthusiasm, trust in our boss and superiors, support of colleagues and subordinates, personal sacrifice, etc. Outputs The outputs typically are define as financial rewards, for example pay salary, expenses, perks, benefits, pension arrangements, bonus and commission plus intangibles recognition, reputation, praise and thanks, interest, responsibility, stimulus, travel, training, development, sense of achievement and advancement, promotion, etc. According to Adams (1965), people who feel that there is fairness between inputs and outputs. T he output/input(O/I) ratio denotes the proportion of job inputs (I) to job outputs (O), and it expresses to the extent to which of the exchange is felt to be appropriate. People feel it will be fair if the exchange of the output is seen to be as equal as the input. When outputs are greater than inputs, people know they are overpaid, and conversely, when outputs are less than inputs, people feel underpaid. In a second phase of the process, people engage in social comparison. They begin by assessing the O/I ratios of others at work. Then, the person compares their self-ratio with the ratios of other significant persons. 3.4.4.1 Discussions on Equity Theory Equity theory has been used as a guide for paying and motivation, particularly in terms of changes in the quality and quantity of performance. Reviewers of the research have reported that the predicted effects of underpayment on performance are well supported (Campbell and Pritchard, 1976; Goodman and Friedman, 1971). Decreased production among underpaid hourly subjects has been observed as predicted (Pritchard, Dunnette, and Jorgenson, 1972). Increased production coupled with decreased work quality among underpaid piece rate subjects also has been observed (Lawler and OGara, 1967). 3.4.6 Goal-setting Therory Like equity and expectancy theories, goal-setting theory is consider as a process theory. Locke (1968) initiated the original work on this theory. The theory identifies the contents of the motivational structure, but the greater emphasis is on the process of motivation. Goals are the central feature of the motivational structure. His studies resulted in three main conclusions: More difficult goals result in higher levels of performance than easy goals. This is the first conclusion. The outcomes of a series of experiments showed that â€Å"although subjects with very hard goals reached their goals far less often than subjects with very easy goals, the former consistently performed at a higher level than the latter† (Lock, 1968). Specific goals produce higher levels of performance than general goals (e.g. ‘Do your best!) Locke suggests that one of the features of specific, hard goals is that they prolong effort during the latter portions of long work sessions (Locke, 1968). Locke also reported on a study by Meyer, Kay and French (1965) into goal-setting during appraisal interviews. They found that the tasks that were translated into specific goals resulted in greater performance outcomes than tasks that were not. Behavioural intentions influence the choices people make. This is the final conclusion. Behavioural intention was defined as â€Å"the intention to make a certain task choice or to respond in a certain way† (Locke, 1968). In other words, Locke concluded that the level of difficulty of a chosen goal depended on what the person undertaking the task was aiming to achieve. 3.4.6.2 Discussions on Goal-setting Theory Goal-setting theory is useful to many managers because much of people management is specifically about performance against goals. It is also a theory that human resource professionals are likely to be familiar with because it is often focus on objectives. Although the Goal-setting theory specifically states that goals have to be considered valid for them to be motivating, the theory does not cover the issue of goal commitment according to Hollyforde and Whiddett (2002). Peoples commitment to a goal is an obviously key to anticipating their motivation to succeed at it. Carroll and Tosi (1973) reported that the self-esteem seems to be an important factor here. For example, managers with high self-esteem reported they were more persistent in meeting their goals than those managers with low self-esteem. In general, Goal-setting theory is a theory that has great relevance for managers. The three conclusions of the theory that suggest that the most motivating goals are not only specific but also challenging must ring true for many managers.

Its Use To Gain Competitive Advantage Information Technology Essay

Its Use To Gain Competitive Advantage Information Technology Essay Apple founded the computer company in 1976, in the last decade; Apple Company offers a wide range of products which cover from Apple I to MP3, hand phone. In 2001, Apple broke the barrier with the I-Pod, eventually becoming the dominant market leader in music players. As well, Apple joined the phone industry in 2007 with the I-Phone, which has also been widely successful. Apple makes a big contribution to the world and plays an important leader role in the IT industry. Apple is the global company which exports and imports the products and services, like Singapore, China, and HK and so on to access the overseas market. For these various products, Apple targets different groups of people. Such as I-Phone and I-Touch targets the young people; new technology of laptop and computer target business person. So for the various customers, Apple Company does the business through the information technology. The first, Apple set up his own website: www.apple.com. The company uses the e-commerce to do business. The advantages of website and the advantages for Apple as following and look through the figure 1 below: Source: http://www.brs-inc.com/models/model1.asp Consumers enable search products and services online before making purchases. The website allows products and services to be displayed in front of people without going to market in person and renew in time to fit customers needs and wants. Being found on the Internet will give you an advantage over your competition when they call you instead of the competition. Be able to conduct business when it is convenient for your clients whether it be during the day or in the middle of the night. Your shops will never actually close and run 24 hours. Your customers can shop whenever they are free when you choose an e-commerce website. Customer enables to compare products and find out which suits them best. They just click the mouse then can go through all the products whatever they want. They also can compare with other competitors products. See which one has higher value with lower price; which one has high quality; which one has more advantage than others and so on. E-commerce business can make your competitors customers swift to your products directly. Website becomes a resource of information for the public; consumers can gain the information from website without leaving home. By supplying helpful tips and articles that are relevant to your industry, you will give visitors a reason to come back to your website, so we should set up the powerful website to attract the consumers. Payment can be done electronically. Customer can order online with clicking the mouse, and make a payment via net, master card, visa or even cash etc to make the transaction successfully. Only a few seconds. Low risk of money changing and save a lot of time. E-commerce company that dont need to rent the space or office, do not need to pay the electronic, water bill, do not need to buy the furniture, in addition do need to hire a lot of employees and so on so that can save a large amount of money and reduce expenses to expand the business. E-commerce business refers to the customers directly buy your products from the manufacturers without the middlemen. E-commerce provides the lowest price products for the customers without transaction fee or transportation fess in order to attract more price sensitive consumers to buy and repeat business, repeat profit. Website business with detailed catalog which is the graphic pieces that are used by business to present and clarity their products and services. With an electronic catalog ordering system, the category headings are meaningful to customers, clear heading lead customers to find and also enter what they want directly with clicking the mouse and do not need to waste time with only a few seconds. The Apple Company does the transaction through the Internet. Nowadays not only Apple Company, more and more companies also use the information technology (IT) to do business, it is more convenient, profitable, immediate, and high-tech than normal type of business in the past. 2. (i) What is an emerging technology? Explain why understanding these emerging technologies may be important to organization? (5 marks) Emerging technology refers to technology that is considered innovative it is still developing in capability/capacity.  [1]   Emerging Technologies are developing technologies often found in the information technology fields. It includes developments in voice recognition software, digital television, interactive television, broadband, wireless Internet, e-commerce software, information technology, man-machine communication, on-demand printing, Bluetooth and video conferencing. This type of new technology will alter the business and social environment.  [2]   Emerging technology has a drastic impact on society and business. It plays a very significant role in our life. Due to the new technology developing, business has been able to advance in such ways that associates can communicate across the whole world without ever leaving their respective offices, or even do business at home. Like APPLE Company can send and gain information immediately without wasting much time; download important documents from internet; increase the productivity to fit the customers needs and wants; bring transparency and credibility electronic payment so that make the security payment; do not need to hire so many workers and managers instead of high technology; do transaction such as booking or ordering via the internet; get the fast response; reduce the expenses; oversea business even you are in different regions, and a large number of other things. Consider how emerging technology has impacted business in the following ways  [3]  : Web conferencing As the technology developed at rapid speed every day, more and more companies can communicate all over the world through the internet. Web conferencing is really important and effective for every business areas. Web conferencing provides a chance for business men to hold group meeting or training in real time via the net. Make business save a large amount of money and time while increasing productivity. Most time it will be used in the oversea business. Tele conferencing Tele conferencing is a popular choice for holding meetings, conferences, or others for small business especially local companies. Basically, tele-conferencing is a phone call in which more than two parties involved. Emerging technology has had a dramatic increase on communication in the workplace. Emerging technology can provide more high and good quality products and service for consumers, make the goal of global transaction achieve. Every business should take advantage of this high tech to do their business and make them successful. (ii) Identify in detail at least two emerging technologies you have researched from the internet and other sources like journals and periodicals. Explain their likely impact on our lives in the future. (25 marks) As the economics and technology developed, emerging technology comes out with many types in different areas. New technology comes one by one. It is a part of our life from now. Such as nanotechnology which is very popular and powerful in the world; it is used in many areas like hospital, manufacture etc; also including sixth senses technology. Firstly, I will talk about the NANOTECHNOLOGY in the society. Nanotechnology is an expected future manufacturing technology that will make most products lighter, stronger, cleaner, less expensive and more abstract. It is the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale. Nanotechnology is not a product like a microchip or an automobile. It is a process that uses the unique properties of materials at the 1-100 nanometer scale to develop new products. Nanotechnology seems be very small product. Nanotechnology has the potential to deeply impact our lives that will benefit at large. Big reduction in heating bills, nano-fluids could increase efficiency instead of using a more powerful pump so that can save energy and provide major environmental benefits. Safer surgery, because during critical surgery, nano-fluids could be used to cool the brain so it requires less oxygen and thereby enhance the patients change of survival and reduce the risk of brain damage and less painful. They could also be used to produce a higher temperature around tumours to kill cancerous cells without affecting nearby healthy cells; The fluids could open the door to the next generation of miniaturized computers, rapid heat dissipation. According to the survey, around 2010, workers will build relationship with systems of nanostructures, directing large numbers of complex components to specified ends. One application could involve the guided self-assembly of Nanoelectronic components into three-dimensional circuits and whole devices. Medicine could employ such systems to improve the tissue compatibility of implants, or to create scaffolds for tissue regeneration, or perhaps even to build artificial organs.  [4]   After 2015-2020, the field will expand to include molecular Nanosystemsheterogeneous networks in which molecules and supramolecular structures serve as distinct devices. The proteins inside cells work together this way, but whereas biological systems are water-based and markely temperature-sensitive, these molecular nanosystems will be able to operate in a far wider range of environments and should be much faster. Computers and robots could be reduced to extraordinarily small sizes. Medical applications might be as ambitious as new types of genetic therapies and antiaging treatments. New interfaces linking people directly to electronics could change telecommunications.  [5]   Over time, nanotechnology should benefit every industrial sector and health care field. It also can help the environment through more efficient use of resources and better methods of pollution control. Nanotechnology will have an impact of this magnitude. Next, I will move to another emerging technology Sixth Sense Technology. 3. Explain at least three challenges faced by managers in a typical IT department. You are also required to suggest possible approaches to meet these challenges. (30 marks)

Oscar Wildes The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay -- Wilde Dorian Gray Pi

Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel by Oscar Wilde. The genre of this novel can be classified as a comedy of manners or a gothic novel. The Picture of Dorian Gray was first published in 1890 in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine. Another version with an additional six chapters was published in 1891. One of the major themes in the novel was the Supremacy of Beauty and Youth. A very attractive man has a portrait painted of himself, and after being warned of the mortality of his youth the man, Dorian, trades his soul to remain young while his portrait bears the markings of his age and evil deeds. Dorian becomes increasingly evil thoughout the novel, while constantly being encouraged by Lord Henry Wotton. Eventually Dorian can no longer bear the person he sees in his portrait so he tries to destroy the painting but ultimately he destroys himself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In The Picture of Dorian Gray, the characters are predominantly aristocratic males. The main character is Dorian Gray, a wealthy young man who is both a handsome and a very impressionable young man. Basil Hallward is an artist who was obsessed with Dorian, naming him his muse and source of inspiration. Lord Henry Wotton is a friend of Basil Hallward who makes young Dorian his protà ©gà ©, teaching him his philosophy of â€Å"new Hedonism.† Sibyl Vane was a young actress who caught the eye of Dorian during one of her performances, after being spurned by Dorian she is heartbroken and commits suicide. James Vane is the brother of Sibyl Vane. He did not approve of Dorian from the start, so he wanted to murder Dorian to avenge the death of his sister.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The setting of The Picture of Dorian Gray is London, England. The story takes place from the years 1890 to 1908.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the years between 1890 and 1908, Dorian succumbs to the influence of Lord Henry Wotton. Because of this, Dorian disregards morality and follows Wotton’s â€Å"new Hedonistic† philosophy. Dorian became a very loathsome man on the inside while still remaining young and beautiful on the outside.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In The Picture of Dorian Gray, there were quite a few symbols. Three of these symbols were opium dens, James Vane, and the yellow book. The opium dens represent Dorian Gray’s state of mind. He uses the opium to try to forget his actions, just as he tries to rationalize these actions so he can ignore his consci... ...to find, Dorian, an old disfigured man lying dead on the floor with a knife in his heart.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the beginning of the novel Dorian Gray was a bright and charming young man. By the end of the novel, because he was so easily influenced, he became a selfish and cruel person. Various conflicts in the novel cause Dorian to change. In every traumatic event Lord Henry was there leading him into the lifestyle of selfish pleasure. Dorian Gray was physically attractive but that did not matter because he was such a foul creature on the inside.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Picture of Dorian Gray was very well written. Wilde used witty and colorful dialogue to grab the reader’s attention. This is an enjoyable novel that is still somewhat relevant in modern times. Dorian got away with his sins longer because he looked youthful and innocent on the outside so people did not want to believe he had a bad character. This proves that sometimes, appearances can over rule reality. This is an enjoyable novel that is still somewhat relevant in modern times. Works Cited  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1. Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Ed. Donald Lawler. New York: W. W. Norton, 1988.

Turkish Free Zones :: essays research papers

TURKISH FREE ZONES Free Zones are defined as special sites within the country but deemed to be outside of the customs border and they are the regions where the valid regulations related to foreign trade and other financial and economic areas are not applicable, are partly applicable or new regulations are tested in. Free Zones are also the regions where more convenient business climate is offered in order to increase trade volume and export for some industrial and commercial activities as compared to the other parts of country. With the objective of increasing export-oriented investment and production in Turkey, accelerating the entry of foreign capital and technology, procuring the inputs of the economy in an economic and orderly fashion and increasing the utilization of external finance and trade possibilities, Free Zones Law numbered 3218 was issued in 1985. Since then, - Mersin (1987) - Antalya (1987) - Aegean (1990) - à stanbul Atatà ¼rk Airport (1990) - Trabzon (1992) - à stanbul-Leather (1995) - Eastern Anatolia (1995) - Mardin (1995) - ISE à stanbul International Stock Exchange (1997) - à zmir Menemen-Leather (1998) - Rize (1998) - Samsun (1998) - à stanbul Thrace (ÇATALCA)(1998) - Kayseri (1998) Free Zones became operational. In general all kind of activities can be performed in Turkish Free Zones such as manufacturing, storing, packing, general trading, banking and insurance. Investors are free to construct their own premises, while zones have also available office spaces, workshops, or warehouses on rental basis with attractive terms. All field of activities open to Turkish private sector are also open to joint-venture of foreign companies. INCENTIVES OFFERED IN TURKISH FREE ZONES Turkish Free Zones are tax free zones. Income generated through activities in the Zones are exempted from all kinds of taxes including income, corporate and value-added tax. The validity period of an operation licence is maximum 10 years for tenant users, and 20 years for users who wish to make their own offices in the zone; If the operating licence is for production, these terms are 15 and 30 years for tenant users and investors, respectively. The requested operation licence period can be prolonged to 99 years according to the type of investment. Free Zones earnings and revenues can be transferred to any country, including Turkey, freely without any prior permission and are not subject to any kind of taxes, duties and fees. There is no limitation on the proportion of foreign capital participation in investment within the Free Zones. In contrary to most Free Zones of the world, sales into the domestic market are allowed in Turkish Free Zones.

Galileo Galilei :: Biography Biographies

Galileo Galilei Galileo Galilei was born at Pisa on the 18th of February in 1564. His father, Vincenzo Galilei, belonged to a noble family and had gained some distinction as a musician and a mathematician. At an early age, Galileo manifested his ability to learn both mathematical and mechanical types of things, but his parents, wishing to turn him aside from studies which promised no substantial return, steered him toward some sort of medical profession. But this had no effect on Galileo. During his youth he was allowed to follow the path that he wished to. Although in the popular mind Galileo is remembered chiefly as an astronomer, however, the science of mechanics and dynamics pretty much owe their existence to his findings. Before he was twenty, observation of the oscillations of a swinging lamp in the cathedral of Pisa led him to the discovery of the isochronism of the pendulum, which theory he utilized fifty years later in the construction of an astronomical clock. In 1588, an essay on the center of gravity in solids obtained for him the title of the Archimedes of his time, and secured him a teaching spot in the University of Pisa. During the years immediately following, taking advantage of the celebrated leaning tower, he laid the foundation experimentally of the theory of falling bodies and demonstrated the falsity of the peripatetic maxim, which is that an objects rate of descent is proportional to its weight. When he challenged this it made all of the followers of Aristotle extremely angry, they would not except the fact that t heir leader could have been wrong. Galileo, in result of this and other troubles, found it prudent to quit Pisa and move to Florence, the original home of his family. In Florence he was nominated by the Venetian Senate in 1592 to the chair of mathematics in the University of Padua, which he occupied for eighteen years, with ever-increasing fame. After that he was appointed philosopher and mathematician to the Grand Duke of Tuscany. During the whole of this period, and to the close of his life, his investigation of Nature, in all her fields, was never stopped. Following up his experiments at Pisa with others upon inclined planes, Galileo established the laws of falling bodies as they are still formulated. He likewise demonstrated the laws of projectiles, and largely anticipated the laws of motion as finally established by Newton.

Church management Essay

Abstract My proposal is to provide you with an Integrated Parish Management Solution which will synchronize all management processes including attendance records, church activities records , financial records, membership personal data etc. The need for a customized Integrated Parish Management Solution for the Church cannot be over emphasized because the solution will be tailored in solving your church’s unique needs. The Integrated Solution would deliver a single database containing data for the different software modules to be developed. The modules that would be developed are : ïÆ' ¼Financial Module -Manage Donations, Search Cash Expenses, Manage Offering Types, etc. ïÆ' ¼Church Activity Module-Would provide the functionality of Searching Past Activities, New Church Activity, Testimonies, New testimony, Manage Activity Types etc. ïÆ' ¼Membership and People Management Module – Would provide the functionality of Searching for Parish members, new members, Membership by Type, New Converts, Search for First-Timers, etc. ïÆ' ¼Groups and Department Module – Would Manage Groups, Manage Departments Activities, etc. ïÆ' ¼Report Module -would give Attendance report, Financial Report, Membership Detail Report,  etc. We are aware that your congregation members are your most valuable assets and aim to ensure that you are able to provide them with that personal and intimate care required for deep commitment and loyalty on the part of the parishioners. Our solution aims to aid the church in the following areas: †¢Membership Personal Information Management †¢Church performance analysis and Reporting †¢Easy Access to All Information about Every Individual †¢Reducing Membership Outflow †¢Building Enduring Personal relationship with the Members †¢Solve all Record Keeping Issues †¢Manage All Financial Records †¢Visual and Graphical Illustration of the Church Performance Per Time †¢High Security and Back Up Strategy  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Effective Follow-up system for new Converts and First -timers We propose to deploy a robust Integrated Church management Solution. This solution will focus primarily on integrating all key Church management processes and will result in ultimate member satisfaction with your services by providing a fast and efficient membership follow-up strategy. This is why our Integrated Parish Management Solution is designed to assist you to effectively harness information about your Members, Ministers, Workers, all Department and Group in the church, and other resources which should translate to better Background Today, even with the digital transformation that the world is undergoing, numerous churches still use manual record keeping systems. Every record starting with members’ details all the way to the very delicate financial details are kept manually. A case study conducted at King’ong’o PCEA parish at Nyeri prove that churches are still in the analogue world despite the pursuit of the word to the digital heights. The church is an ever growing entity. More people are converted and more children are born into Christian homes. Gone are the days when pastors, shepherds, priests, bishops and the likes knew each and every member of his church personally. Churches are no  longer just fellowships, degrees are offered, accounts are kept, people are wedded and the welfare of members is attended to. Imagine what a professional football team would be like without a regimen of practice drills? Now take away their playbook and player statistics. What you have in this extreme scenario are highly talented (and perhaps overpaid) individuals participating in organized chaos. They might actually win a game or two, but in the long run, this team is doomed. This illustration is to drive home the point of why any organization needs to examine the existence and effectiveness of its management systems. The world is becoming Information and technologically based. For this reason, Management Systems have been introduced into various industries ranging from the educational to the health sector and even into agriculture amongst other things. A management Information System is a system to convert data from internal and external sources into information, in an appropriate form, to management at all levels in all functions to enable them to make timely and effective decisions for planning, directing and controlling the activities for which they are response. The Church is not excluded from these industries. The Church Management and Information System is a system for churches to manage their operations efficiently and systematically (Wikipedia, 2012). It is also a specialized software that assists churches in organization and automation of daily operations. Current System King’ong’o PCEA uses a fully manual system of keeping all its records. Financial records, which need a lot of transparency and accountability, are kept in hand written documents. A lot of transactions involving money are carried out by the parish. For instance, managing donations from church members and well-wishers, managing offerings and tithes by members,searching and managing cash expenses by the church etc. All the financial details are kept manually which is cumbersome and prone to mistakes. Flaws can easily occur with this system making it not reliable ad calling for a remedy. The church also needs to keep track of activities that take place in the church every day. For instance, searching past activities by the parish, newly integrated church activities, testimonies, new testimonies, managing activity types etc. Other things also need record keeping like managing people and the issue of membership to the church. In this case, records for  new members, new converts, First-timers etc. need to be kept. With the existing system, searching the records is cumbersome and time-consuming. Records of groups and departments relating to the church ought to be maintained for the benefit of the church. Department activities need to be properly recorded and updated accordingly and retrieved as per the church management needs. Retrieval of these records is hard since they are kept in files in written documents. Retrieving a record involves perusing through a huge number of files. A lot of time is wasted retrieving manual records. Reports need to be kept and retrieved as per the needs of church managers. For instance, attendance reports for church members, financial reports after a certain amount of time, membership details report etc. Reports for the existing system involves going through relevant records manually and coming up with the required reports. This is cumbersome and time-wasting. Proposed system A software system is proposed to replace the manual system for keeping records. A financial module is used to automate financial record keeping and retrieval. A database is used to store financial details of the parish. An interface is provided for interacting with the database whereby a user can write into the database and they can query the database as per their needs. Financial data keeping is made easy through this software solution and also searching of financial details made even more easier through the proposed software. Through an Activity module, daily activities in the church are stored in a database which is updated to embrace new activities. A platform for communicating to the database is offered where the user(authorized) interacts with the database(writes into the database and queries the database).With the new system, activities in the church are recorded in database tables and can always be retrieved with their respective dates via queries. A lot of valuable time is saved through the new system. Departments are automated using a department module. This module offers an interface for entering details of interest into the database. Since departmental details are of prime importance in as far as the church is concerned, proper details relating to the Parish ought to be kept and retrieved with ease. The user searches records relating to a department of interest with a lot of ease through the interface provided by the departments’ module. The  cumbersomeness with the manual system would thus be alleviated by the proposed software solution. Report generation with the proposed system is automated (made alarmingly easy)through the Report module .This is done through integrating database SQL capabilities into the software. Financial reports, activity reports etc. can be generated through simply pressing a button which will give prompts to the user on the reports they want. The tire and the boredom associated with perusing through records to draw a report are completely eradicated through the proposed software solution. The various modules defined with different functionalities are integrated to form a harmoniously and effectively working software to attend the manual problem of keeping Parish records. Problem statement Keeping records manually is utterly cumbersome since it involves handwriting or typing every detail of interest. Handling physical records is cumbersome since storage space is needed and they can be affected by natural circumstances such as pests and unfavorable environment. Additionally, compiling reports for physical(manual)records is not an easy task since it involves walking through all records and drawing information of interest. A lot of personnel is needed to keep records for the different church departments and maintain them and this comes with higher costs due to wages for the record keepers. King’ong’o PCEA Parish is one of the victims of the above mentioned problems which the proposed system wishes to provide a remedy for. Scope The resulting Integrated Parish Management Solution will be in English and will include subsystems and functionality to support the following: FINANCIAL MODULE The Financial Module comes with the right tools to aid in the church in management of the following: †¢Contributions and Donations †¢Offerings and tithes †¢Cash Expense and lots  Donations management is a key area in this module as individual donations by members and linked to the major donations which help to answer questions  like (How much has being released from a particular donation announcement)The offering management allows the church to record any kind of offering type, thus not restricting you to any form of predefined structure. GROUPS AND DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT MODULE Grouping system encourages the participation of members in the church, church+ takes special care in the implementation of grouping, the system comes with a flexible system for any form of group to be created by the users and members added to groups. Members of a given group can be managed from this module. CHURCH ACTIVITY MANAGEMENT MODULE Activities in the church provide a building block to almost all the other parts of the church and as such should be well structured and data emerging from it effectively managed. The church activity module provides you with the tools to enable you to manage the various diverse data about church activities, it is built in such a way as to be flexible to accommodate different needed of different churches. MEMBERSHIP MANAGEMENT MODULE This module helps to manage the various information of member of the church. This feature is so flexible and you can work on it according to your specific needs and requirement. Under this module, we have all the personal data of each member. You can search for: †¢People †¢Add new Member/First-Timer. When you add new member, all the data about that particular member is captured †¢View Members by Types: it helps to sort members by types e.g. are they full member? Worker? Minister? Etc. †¢New converts: all new converts are captured here. SECURITY Integrated parish Management Solution will be well integrated, meaning that changes in a module would automatically update another related module. High level authentication will be needed to log into the Integrated Parish Management Solution. Passwords are encrypted, such that it is practically impossible to gain access to someone’s password. Role Management is also implemented making your church users have different access levels, hence making â€Å"users see only what they are supposed to see†. BACK-UPS The importance of creating a backup can never be emphasized enough. The parish’s IT department will be responsible for implementing routines for regular backup of organization’s data. In the event of a possible system crash, it will be time -consuming and difficult to reconstruct the database. For frequent program use I thus recommend that backups are taken daily. Storing backups Backups can be taken to the hard-drive, a shared folder in the network or to external media such as USB pen drives, Zip drives or similar. I recommend that you store at least one complete backup separate from the computer in case of disaster. Provision for external hard drive storage has been integrated in the financials. Justification A software solution for the named problem would be very appropriate compared to the existing system. The following reasons justify the need for the software solution: ïÆ' ¼The tire associated with making records manually and maintaining them would be alleviated. The Integrated Parish Management Solution would offer a lot of ease in recording any details of interest. The software would offer an excellent interface to interact with the Parish database (entering new details and updating existing details to ensure integrity). As a result of the ease of recording and updating data, the problem of tire associated with data maintenance would be eradicated by the proposed Integrated Parish Management solution. ïÆ' ¼Parish personnel cost would go down as a result of implementation of the Proposed Integrated Parish Management Software. With the old system, a lot of personnel is required to keep and maintain Parish records which culminates in higher Parish running costs. The Proposed system would call for reduced personnel due to the resulting ease in keeping and maintain Parish records and consequently, the running costs of the parish would significantly reduce. ïÆ' ¼Accurate and reliable financial records would be kept using the proposed system through the financial module which would provide security to financial details and only allow access only by authorized individuals. This would promote some level of transparency and accountability in the handling of Parish finances compared to the existing manual system which can be easily tampered with. For instance, with the manual system documents reflecting financial details of the Parish can be distorted by water or pests. Malicious individuals can take advantage of such a situation to commit fraud. ïÆ' ¼With the proposed system, departmental management is easy. All Parish departments and the activities that revolve around the departments are well recorded and updated accordingly. Groups in the Parish are as well better managed through the propose Integrated Parish Management solution. This is unlike the old system where a manager or Parish head has to physically interact with departmental heads to get the required information. The proposed solution offers a remedy for the mentioned departmental and group-related issues. ïÆ' ¼Reports, which are of prime importance in as far as running of any organization is concerned, are automatically generated by the Proposed Integrated Parish management Software. For instance, financial transactions by the Parish according to the respective dates, Parish activities according to the date of occurrence etc. can be automatically generated with the proposed Solution. This eradicates the fatigue associated with going for long times through documents and files trying to compile a report that would otherwise be generated within a blink of an eye with the proposed system. ïÆ' ¼Keeping track of members of the Parish would fairly easy with the proposed system. Records of old and new members would kept and made easy to retrieve. New converts would also be part of the data that would be maintained and made easy to access and modify in case of secession of a member from the church. This way, the Parish would manage its members better than using the manual register system. Literature review Time schedule All the components and work packages of this project will take three weeks to accomplish. Following the approval of this proposal, the table below summarizes the different phases and timelines of the various aspects of the project to be executed within time and on budget: – Methodology

Past, Present, and Future Trends Essay

Policing as defined by Merriam Webster is to control, regulate, or keep in order by the use of police. Since the early years of its existence, policing has taken on several changes some historically. Policing has made momentous changes since its implementation. Policing has changed form a one sheriff community to a multi-agency department of law enforcement officials sworn to protect and serve. The changes made in policing have varied from race and gender. The development of policing within each level of government has proven to be an every growing entity with major obstacles. The changes in criminal activity, the age of those breaking the law, and the changing laws has made policing and ever changing agency. Past trends like gangs always have been an issue, but pose serious challenges for law enforcement today. â€Å"More and more juveniles are transferred to adult court systems, greater demands will be placed on correctional institutions and their staff (Muraskin & Roberts, 2009, pg. 3, Para 5)†. With the threat of urban terrorism, these aggressive gangs control the social lives of many neighborhoods, becoming more of a threat than foreign terrorists (Muraskin & Roberts, 2009) Past trends like the large use of illegal drugs that are still causing high incarceration rates is proving that incarceration is not working. These offenders, which were incarcerated for these crimes once released relapse into the same criminal behavior, leaving many victims behind. There have been several changes in policing from the mid 1800s. With the continued changes and growth within many communities, the law enforcement community needed to change and grow with the communities. There were many changes that needed to take place to serve the community and society. Many changes have occurred from the 1960s on into the 1990s. One major change in policing has been the representation of African American officers in many police departments (Walker, Katz, Ch.2). The process to the present policing was a slow and effective process, which has changed over the years to create a more effective policing system. To this day, in many communities there are problems within policing. The present problems still include corruption and many political influences from within the community. Policing today has become more effective with little discrimination. The future produces many different avenues for change in police organizations. Technology has grown, times have changed and people are different today when it comes down to policing in the United States. Almost everything will be digital, accurate and there will no longer be a need for as many officers. The use of our satellites in space will be more common and crime will be detected easier and response times will be faster. The communication with fellow officers will be better. With the future so bright, technology evolving by the day, policing organization can only progress. This will also have a positive impact on the community and maybe it will place trust in our judicial system again. . The changes policing has endured over the course of years has evolved policing into a multifunctional agency of dedicated men and women who have promised to protect and serve. For policing to be effective, agencies of the criminal justice system must continue to work hand-in-hand to provide the best protection for its citizens. Policing will be ever changing because of the differences of criminal activity presented and by the type of criminals involved. Reference: Chapter 2 The History of the American Police by, Samuel Walker, Charles M. Katz https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/TOC.aspx?assetdataid=a8b78864-484e-4b62-b701-f4fe1ceab16e&assetmetaid=861d2838-2f16-4997-b003-4b80c855c78b

Legal Process Essay

The scenario for this paper states that John is an employee in a private sector organization and he wants to file a discrimination complaint against his employer. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and explain in detail what the legal process is for filing such complaint. The paper will also explain the part that the courts play in these types of complaints. Every case is different so the paper will explain how these laws potentially apply to John. John has decided to file a discrimination complaint against his employer. However, John is not sure how or what needs to be done in order to do this so he must first do some research. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was created to protect employees like John from discrimination violations. The laws against discrimination at work include race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, and disability (Bennett &Anderson, 2007). All these laws are enforced by the EEOC. The law states that if a person believes that they are a victim of discrimination they must first file a complaint through the EEOC before filing a lawsuit against the employer (EEOC, 2013). John has several ways that he can initiate the process of filing his complaint he can choose to file in person at a nearest location or he can file through mail. He will need to disclose some information in writing like his name, phone number, employer’s name, address, and a brief but detailed summary of the violation/s with dates and locations. All these things are very important because the EEOC can determine whether or not an investigation is needed. According to the EEOC John has 180 days to file a complaint but if in his state there are any laws against discrimination it can extended to 300 days to file a complaint. Also it is important to know that in some cases there are state and local laws that prohibit discrimination in the work place so the EEOC will automatically file the charge with the Fair Employment Practices Agencies (FEPA) which protect the victim under both federal and state law (EEOC, 2013). Now that John is ready to file his complaint with the EEOC he know just needs to wait for them to handle the charge. The EEOC must notify the employer within 10 days of receiving the complaint. Depending on the case that John may have the EEOC may offer that both parties participate in mediation as a way to resolve the issue. However if the case is more severe and or if this doesn’t resolve the issue the case will be given to an investigator for the case to be looked into with more detailed (EEOC, 2013). The EEOC will establish the priority level of the claim and if any laws have been broken. Of course at any point during the process a settlement may be pursued; however if it is not workable, the investigation will carry on and once the investigation is complete the EEOC will make a decision on the case. If the investigation determines that there was no breach of the law the discrimination charges will be dismissed. Notification is then provided to John as a right to sue and he may then file a lawsuit against his employer. In some cases there may not be an investigation because the EEOC finds that John has very little evidence and that there really was no discrimination violation they may choose to close the complaint. If that is the case John would also be notified by mail and he has the option of filing a civil lawsuit against his employer. Once John decides to proceed with the civil lawsuit the courts would now get involve. At this point it would be a good idea for John to hire an attorney who specializes in employment law. In this type of lawsuit the employer can request to have a jury present, if that is the case the jury would listen to both sides of the story, their evidence and their witnesses. A judge will make the final decision in instances such as this. If however, the losing side feels the verdict is unjust they are still able to request an appeal of the verdict. The Appeals Court renders the final judgment except in cases in which a petition is filed with the US Supreme Court. Discrimination has become difficult to distinguish in the global workplace, for the protection of the employee and the employer; businesses must be mindful of relevant state and federal employment laws and the procedure for tackling discrimination. Companies must communicate the â€Å"no tolerance policy† for discrimination to all employees because employee rights are esteemed. Discriminatory acts can be found in varied workplace environments, the employment hiring process, the office setting, and even during the termination of an employee. When a discrimination suit is filed against an employer, the process can be long and extensive. These discrimination laws have been made available to employees to use when individuals believe that a violation of employee rights has occurred in the workplace.

Admission to the Masters of Accounting Program

1. The Masters of Accounting program requires teamwork and leadership skills. Please give examples from your past that illustrate your abilities in both these areas and show how you’ve applied them.I have faced a number of knotty situations in life. On one occasion, I was working with the ADA or the American Diabetes Association. We worked as two groups and our principal task was to count and reconcile the checks, cash and credit card donations, which used to arrive in large quantities. One day an older man joined our team. Then our troubles started. Till that time we had worked without any mutual misgivings or bickering. With the advent of this person, our time schedules and procedures went haywire.I studied the situation and realized that all this was due to his reluctance to follow the established procedure. Every one, in both the groups, was compelled to go home late, due to this person’s obduracy. All felt that he should be suitably reprimanded, but no one was will ing to undertake this unpleasant task. The question that was foremost on every one’s mind was ‘who would bell the cat?’ I jumped into the fray and gently but firmly convinced him that what he was doing was unacceptable. He was happy with this way of communication, because I had talked to him in private, so that his pride was not hurt. This had the desired effect and we were able to complete the work in time.In addition, I was also the secretary of the African Cultural Society. I was instrumental in planning and implementing the IREP Africa program at the College of William & Mary. This task entailed coordination between and interaction with a number of fellow students, faculty and departments. I emerged much stronger as a coordinator, facilitator and administrator after this novel experience. The professed objective of this program was to unite African student organizations in Virginia and to improve their relations with each other.   I actively participated in several campaigns to raise funds for the underprivileged in Africa and one of them was in respect of poverty stricken women of Uganda.A successful and efficient accountant is one who is reliable, thorough, ingenious, a seeker of solutions, well organized and performance oriented. Of these the most important is trustworthiness, because accountants, in addition to their usual work, have to offer reliable advice regarding the conduct of business in the present day economic and legal context. Moreover, if accounting standards are not adhered to, then the company stands the risk of having to close down. The Sarbanes Oxley Act was enacted in the year 2002, in order to deal with such eventualities.Another important trait of an accountant is attention to detail. I possess this in ample measure. This fact was disclosed in my tenure as the treasurer of the African Cultural Society, between the years 2006 to 2007; and as the Vice President of the Syndicate. In these tasks, I maintained authen tic and comprehensive financial records. I reviewed the internal financial controls and ensured that the organization’s moneys were safe. This club has a number of advantages and I took up aggressive marketing to ensure that its membership increased.The lack of ethical and moral accounting practices in business organizations results in financial frauds. This was clearly established in the following cases.In the year 2001, Enron announced a net loss of $ 618 million for its third quarter and that it would reduce the shareholders’ equity by $ 1.2 billion. The SEC immediately stepped in and demanded financial information from Enron. The Enron team of Auditor’s lead by their leader Anderson systematically destroyed a large number of financial documents. Subsequently, the Enron officials and its auditors were charged and convicted of fraud.This company had engaged in malpractices relating to financial accounting, with the result that the company became bankrupt. To c onceal its malafide practices, this company indulged in complicated accounting practices. This illustrates the fact that accounting has to be ethical, transparent and morally upright. The consequence of the Enron case was that the law relating to accountancy was made more stringent. However, more than even legislation; personal attitude, morality and ethical behavior should have greater influence.WorldCom was another company, which also attempted to camouflage its fraudulent activities by resorting to fudging of figures and falsification of financial reports. The procedure adopted by its accountants was less sophisticated than that of the Enron team; nevertheless, it committed a much greater fraud than Enron. However, these cases were not isolated incidents and proved to be merely the tip of the iceberg. Several more such fraudulent corporations were investigated by the Federal and state regulators. The principal among these are Adelphia, HealthSouth and Tyco, to name a few.I have a flair for leadership and I often volunteer to lead in various academic projects. Recently, I took over the reins of project, involving the formulation of a business plan to be presented to the board of directors. This project emerged as a huge success, despite the difficulties encountered, due to having to lead a team of peers. The team comprised of persons with different temperaments and it required a lot of innovativeness and ingenuity to extract the best from them.I have tremendous patience, as can be attested to by the students of the second grade, whom I teach as a volunteer teacher in the Waller Mill Elementary school, in Williamsburg. The foregoing incidents from my life reveal that I possess a high level of integrity, reliability, planning and implementing capacity, motivational skills, inspiration, ability to work in a team and patience.2.   What are you hoping to achieve during your studies in the MAcc Program?I will complete my Bachelor’s degree in accounting by the month of May, 2008. Subsequently, I intend to pursue the Masters of Accounting Program at the College of William and Mary's School of Business. This course is truly outstanding and the faculty is the third best in the nation. Classes are typically small and informal. The emphasis is on acquiring expertise. The faculty is easily accessible, if one wants to clarify doubts. In conjunction with my considerable management and leadership skills, this knowledge in accountancy will render me highly suitable for obtaining the Certified Public Accountant license. My principal objective is to become a CPA.

What explains the widening and deepening of international peace Essay - 1

What explains the widening and deepening of international peace operations after the Cold War - Essay Example In this sense international stability relied on the premise that if state security is maintained, then the security of citizens will necessarily follow. Therefore international security relied on the anarchistic balance of power, a military build-up between the US and the Soviet Union which were the two superpowers, and on the absolute sovereignty of the nation-state. Security was seen as protection from invasion; executed during proxy conflicts using technical and military capabilities (Bajpai, 2000). When the Cold War came to an end in 1989 with the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, when the countries of Eastern Europe regained independence, and when finally the Soviet Union disintegrated, there was widespread feeling throughout the world that at long last universal peace had descended on Earth. The fear of a war in which weapons of mass destruction would be used had vanished. Cold War was an ideological war between the capitalist west led by the USA the communist east led by the Soviet Union. Cold war was characterized by arms struggle between these two sides with either side arming its allies in readiness for any eventuality. This sometimes led to wars with the two powers supporting the opposing side. On both sides of the Cold War, the trend seemed to indicate that the world was moving toward internationalism rather than nationalism. As a result of the threat of nuclear warfare, great emphasis on democracy and human rights, economic interdependence, and gradual acceptance of universal ideologies, it became fashionable to speak of the demise of ethnic and nationalist movements.Despite expectations to the contrary after the cold war, a fresh cycle of ethno political movements re-emerged in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Africa, and many other parts of the world. In fact, with the end of the Cold War, which clearly increased international cooperation while decreasing the possibilities of inter-state wars, the main threat to peace does

Contemporary Christianity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Contemporary Christianity - Essay Example The world is corrupt, and thus the church distances itself from the world in order to maintain and preserve its beliefs and practices. People should not condemn the church, but should otherwise embrace it and its new ways. There are those who enter the church with the pretence that they want to be redeemed. Such people fail to understand that the church is holy, and Christianity does not allow pretenders. A saying goes by, â€Å"pretenders are worse than murderers†. This is true in that pretending to be someone you are not makes one a deceiver. Those in the church should teach those who do not believe and have faith to do so, for Christianity does not mean that Christians’ lives come to a halt. Being a Christian means following in the teachings that Jesus taught, and by that it means attending services in his honor (Weaver and David, 187). The church should not separate itself from the world, but should instead show the world the right way. Christians have been guided by certain guidelines and traditions that they have followed from the past. These guidelines have been absorbed into their day to day lives that they have become part of their culture. Viewing Christians as people who cannot change their culture because of Christianity is judging them without knowing what they truly believe and trust in. Christianity by a way is political, since it has influence over a population and is respected by the number of its followers (Weaver and David, 212). It has its own hierarchy of leaders who control and manage the people. The difference between the Christianity and a political party is that the Christianity influences people to change their ways, leave their earthly possessions that cause them to do sin and follow Jesus Christ in search of salvation. It does not promise salvation or redemption, but there is a remuneration at the end. So much change has occurred in the world, and many things have embraced the change. But because Christians

Reflect on Hedonic act utilitarianism and Kant's formula of Essay

Reflect on Hedonic act utilitarianism and Kant's formula of humanity...evaluate whether or not you believe torture - Essay Example Many proponents against torture focus on the absolutist requirement that it should not be permitted under any circumstance and that enforcing torture given the possibility that the person to be tortured is innocent or that he does not have the information needed fails to give a concrete argument on the other side of the what if question. Deductively, what if he is not totally innocent or that he truly does have the information and there are others whose lives are at risk. Founding on the singular basis of Kantian formula of humanity undermines the correlation of impending critical decisions at crossroads in favor of moral predispositions. The â€Å"ticking time bomb thought experiment† presents a direct and unfaltering inquiry on our appreciation of utilitarianism and thus supposes that the second premise, â€Å"it is not morally permissible to torture the terrorist† is false. Sussman presents a perceptive description on the effect of torture and the existing relationsh ip between the victims of torture and the tormentor as being one of passivity as the suffering and its inherent pain brings the person to a state where he no longer has control of his body and emotions brought about by sheer pain and fear. In the book, â€Å"Torture: When the Unthinkable is Morally Permissible,† suggests what the very title given by the authors mean. Bagaric, Mirko and Clarke provided for five variables that must be present to make torture morally permissible.... Additionally, if there are little to no other means to acquire information as discussed in the third variable, harm may be brought upon him in any form but maintaining the lowest possible degree of torture and pain towards him (Bagaric, Mirko and Clarke 34-35). In contradiction to this stance, Jeff McMahan maintains that torture must be prohibited without classification. That the use of torture is more abused by those who proliferate unjust means and that even the government cannot be trusted to be cautious in their use of torture, however noble their intentions are. McMahan affirms that to think that any government, no matter how civilized or democratic, could be trustworthy enough to be tasked to carry out torture to prevent terrorist activities and other such threats is nothing short of delusional. In this discussion, the author does not fail to mention notorious and well-known incidents such as the Guantamo Bay and Abu Ghraib torture controversies where the prisoners were subject ed to inhumane acts of torture. â€Å"Throughout human history, torture has been very extensively employed, but the proportion of cases in which the use appears to have been morally justified seems almost negligible† (McMahan 125). This argument illustrates realistic and current predilection toward the abolishment of torture as guaranteed by international and local laws but it does not address in any material way the ticking bomb predicament. McMahan deviates from negating the permissible morality aspect of hedonic act utilitarianism by raising contentions founded on barbarism and human dignity (McMahan 111) and instead focuses on torture abolition base on factual relevance of its ineffectiveness but it nevertheless falls short on concluding how