Explain how the MIS ( Management Information System) function area can Essay

Explain how the MIS ( Management Information System) function area can leverage , information, data and knowledge in terms of competitive advantage - Essay Example The system itself can be designed in such a way that it can control the information of the business so as to provide it with a competitive advantage. The system can be used differently and this essay would revolve around the particulars of this system as to how it can help the businesses flourish in a competitive world. Management Information System is defined as a set of technologies which include hardware and software along with human elements so that the decision making process of the respective business can be made easier (Bidgoli, 2010). This clearly tells us that the system is a way through which the businesses can integrate information and present accordingly to the relevant individuals. The system is designed to simplify decisions and carry out processes through which the decisions are made quickly and efficiently. In general the firms are given competition in the industry through different means. Porters Five Forces allow to understand these competitive forces as they tend to exist in the industries accordingly. These five forces revolve around products, bargaining power of customers and suppliers and the threat of new entrants. Management Information System takes a leap on these five forces to ease it on the business who will use the system in an efficient manner (Laudon & Laudon 2013). MIS should always be aligned with the objectives of the business so that it can be used efficiently to break down the threats of the competitive forces. Information Technology should always be constructed in a way so that the profitability of the company is increased with every step that the business takes. Information technology works by the methods of numbers and the business should always identify its goals and strategies with the help of the system. The progress of the businesses can be monitored with the help of information technology and this in turn would help the stakeholders decide in accordance to the

Globalization of Labor Market Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Globalization of Labor Market - Research Paper Example It is not a new phenomenon as trade between countries has been in existence since the world war but modern globalization has been intensified by the use of new technology and conversion of governments into free market economies. It has led to a lot of positive as well as negative impacts on the economy. It leads to growth of the economy and creation of employment for a large population hence reducing poverty. Skill transfer between nations is also evident leading to labor productivity. However, it has been blamed for eliminating jobs and widening the pay gap between the skilled and un-skilled labor force. The growth of multinational companies has also led to a lot of changes in the labor market such as; low wages, segregation of women in service jobs and creation of sweatshops where women work under poor conditions. The paper will discuss the effects of globalization on the labor market. Effects of Globalization on the Labor Market Globalization has had a lot of positive and negative effects on the labor market. The IMF and OECD view globalization as contributing to positive change in the labor market. They argue that trade liberalization; improved technology, and foreign investments which characterize globalization are key drivers of the economy leading to creation of employment. ... To them, globalization is the worst thing that could have happened to the labor market as it leads to unemployment, migration of workforce, emergence of multinational corporations which are less concerned with workers welfare, widening pay gap between the skilled and un-skilled laborers, loss of jobs due to advanced technology, and emergence of export processing zones which mistreat workers (Winkler, 172-226). Liberalization of trade has led to emergence of network enterprises with diverse network of suppliers. The MNCs give contracts to those suppliers thus changing the nature of work from permanent employment to flexible employment where workers are employed on temporary basis or become part-timers and on-call workers. Most of the part-time jobs require less skills hence are dominated by women. Though some may argue that it is creation of jobs for women, these women earn low wages and work in poor conditions. This is because the MNCs threaten to take their jobs elsewhere if the wor king conditions are improved for example, to countries where labor is cheap. These jobs are mostly available in export processing zones. Furthermore, flexible employment has led to loss of job security as it is difficult to define the periods during which those workers are entitled to benefits such as unemployment benefits. Those workers who work under contracted suppliers or organizations do not know who their boss is thus they don’t know where to air their views (World Bank 101-120). Globalization has led to increased unemployment especially in the developed countries. For example, the unemployment rate of Germany rose from 5.7% in 1991 to 9.0% in 2007 (Winkler, 6). This is as a result of establishment of EPZs in the developing countries where labor is

Brazil Films and National Politics †City of God

Brazil Films and National Politics – City of God Brazil Films and National Politics – City of God Introduction: Culture and Politics: Culture in all its form happens to be the mirror of the society and the political scenario. Since ages primitive and ancient, intellectuals have used the platform of culture as the media through which they have vented their feelings regarding the popular happenings that have been enveloping them. Various types of literary movements and literary works, both novels and poems have been created by literary geniuses of various eras that have been showcasing the popular norms of every contemporary age. These literary works have along with reflecting the popular social and political order of the day had also become a very convenient stage where resistance and revolution against the same had been declared. Such stages often proved to be successful due to their immense social reach and appeal. With the innovation of motion pictures we see that culture and art did find a new dimension. Soon the creative geniuses of the arena of film making did use the various raging conte mporary political and social issues as the protagonist of their film plots to churn out some of the most influential films of all times. It has been often observed that the various trending cinema does reflect some of the most recent issues that happens to be coloring the current social and political condition and in turn these films also has a major influence in shaping up the future trends in the arena of politics, society and also the future patterns of culture. Discussion: Brazil as a Nation: America is often referred to as the pot boiler of cultures and it is one for sure. Out of the country the Americas or the Latin American countries are the ones that happens to be standing out in the said genre. Brazil is one of the most noteworthy countries of the Latin America both in terms of its geographical area and the population volume. In this context we see that Brazil which is officially the Federative Republic of Brazil is in fact the largets country in South America as well as the Latin American area. The nation is the World’s fifth largets country in terms of the area and the population mass and is again one of the largest Portugese speaking nation in the world and is the only Portuguese speaking country in the Latin American region. The nation is bound by the Atlantic Ocean on the eastern side and has a coastline that stretches for a distance of bout 7491 km. The borders of the nation touch the borders of most of the nations in the Latin Americ an region other than the nations of Ecuador and the Chile. The nation as a whole happens to occupy nearly 47.3 percent of the South American Continent. The nation has a long history of very tumulus political conditions that had been affected by the various change of political authorities which has also been interim by very violent outburst and civil security uncertainty. In the current times we see that the political instability of the country has some what abed and the country has seemed to found its long sought political stability. However even in the present scenario it could be said that the index of violent crime in the country is quite high especially the instances of gun violence and homicide is quite large in number. In the year 2012, the WHO estimated a number of 32 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants that has been stated to be the highest rate of intentional homicide in the entire world. The nation is however not very unanimous in its crime index in all the parts of the nation. Certain parts of the country seem to have a comparatively larger index of crime instances than the others. Brazil in fact has the third highest prison population in the world. The whole phenomenon clearly reveals that the number of criminals in he country is quite surging, which in fact happens to be reflecting the loop holes and the vices of the political and the economic systems of the nation. Brazilian Film Industry: Brazil again as an economy is quite vast and diversified. In fact it could be said that the national economy is a vastly researched and investigated arena with in the social structure of Brazil. Out of the various industries that do exist within the super structure of the Brazilian economy, the industry of film making in the contemporary times happens to be no insignificant stream. The Brazilian cinema wsa introduced in the country by the early 20th century. The stream did not happens to be an immediate success but at the same time we see that with time the stream did establish itself not just as a popular form of entertainment but also at the same time it again became a consolidated form of revenue generating source. The Brazilian fim making industry has seen its own ups and downs and for a long time has been dependant on the state funding and incentives programs. The Brazilian fil industry did come into operations as early as the late 1890s. The initial bla ck and white filsm that were made had been mainly on the local events that had taken place in the contemporary Brazilian society. In this case we again see that the later age films that were made and were the first of its class of fictional works and were known as the posed films were mainly fabricated on the local events of crimes and other political agenda. The first success of this genre was Francisco Marzullo’s â€Å"Os Estrabguladores† that had been released in the year 1906. As mentioned earlier the film industry of the nation was considerably supported by the State and the government. Much amount of the funding and the economic investment into the creation of the films were mainly made by the state as a result of which we see that the control of the government over the various facets of film making was again quite strong. This is a trend that in the later ages did happens to wan. In the later ages it was in fact found that slowly the investment of the state and the government into the film making operations did diminish considerably as a result of which we see that the slowly the art and the genre of making and producing films and cinema became an independent genre and we see that the government and state say and opinions were many times not given the chief importance. As a result of same we see that though the control of the government and the State authorities did not erase completely yet, Brazilian cinema did evolve as an independent form of art and creativity, that reflected the moral and the social and the political matters and issues in the contemporary context and also did attract attention of the common population just as the political heads towards the reigning problems of the nation. City of Gods (2002): From the huge labyrinth of the various films that has been made in the Brazilian context and in the same industry, in the article we will be throwing a flood of light on the film City of God that was called in Portuguese Cidade de Deus. The film was Brazilian crime drama that was directed by Fernando Meirelles and was again co directed by Katia Lund. The film was released in the homeland in the year 2002 and overseas in 2003. The film story was adapted by a novel of the same name however the plot of the film was influenced by certain events of the contemporary society. The film through its storyline does depict the growth of organized crime that could be seen in the region of Cidade de Deus or the suburbs of the capital city of Rio De Janeiro. The film era is that between 1960s to the 1980s. The climax of the film shows a war between the drug dealers and the Knockout Ned. The tagline of the film happens to showcase the contemporary situation of the Brazilian soci ety where the rate of crime happens to be quite high – that clearly reflects the idea that one is damned if he runs and is again damned if he does not. The Film was a world wide success and also attained world wide critical acclaim. Relevant against the National Backdrop: As mentioned earlier the Brazilian nation and also its culture is quite a fusion and has seen a large number of changes. Once again we see that the nation and its society even in the current times happen to face some very violent instances of crime and transgression. It is against the same backdrop that the film â€Å"City of Gods† have been depicted that set against the contemporary times happens to show case brilliantly the various ills and vices that happens to rest in the society of Brazil. Although the time pace of the film is not exactly current, nevertheless the current state of criminal violence and frivolities have been very aptly depicted in the film, that in its trails also highlights the various shortcomings and the loopholes of the political system of the nation. In this context it would not be completely wrong to point out that the various crimes that do take place in the context of the Brazilian society also has a strong i nput from the various wrong tremnds of the political scenario. In this context we see that the cinema City of Gods along with portraying the ills of crime, gang war and the vicious cycle of drugs that is prevalent in the nation also within it scope portrays the corrupt political super structure that happens to be fostering crime and anarchy. Hence the popular depiction not juts made the common population all the more aware of their own misery but at the same time did again attract the attention of the political and the economic elite that did turn their attention towards the problem of the Hybrid society of Brazil. Effect on the National Politics: Although many people of the international world beliefs that the Brazilian cinema is nothing more than the earlier comedies such as the chanchadas or the exotic sun bathed sea beaches that will be showcasing sun tanned bodies against the backdrop of a tropical paradise. Although this type of cinemam is not diffiocult to find in the Brazilian arena, nevertheless we see that Brazilian films in its maximum part is quite unflinching, confrontational and often on the brink of exteremely violent. In fact many critiques happens to say that Brazilian cinema is the most radical form of cinema. In fact it is the platform where the struggle for the country’s identity is activated and fought. City of God is far from being the escapism cinemamthat would export its audience to a world of color and fantasy and quite unlike the Carmen Miranda films. Like the Brazilian cinema history this film again has a more tilt and inclination towards solemn film making, th at brings the attention of the national political figure heads towards the regining problems and the ragiung issues of the era. This again has helped the political heads of the nation to have better understanding and gain insight into the psyche of the common people and the weay they happens to be viewing their nation and its society and the life that is offered to them by the both. In a correspondence to the same the national leaders could take the required and the decisive steps that would be fortifying the security and the civil peace issues of the nation, that would be curtailing the growth of crime and would be restoring a much more stable and peaceful social life for the population of the nation, that again will be much more conducive for the growth of the nation and its people at the very same time. Conclusion: On a concluding note it could be said that cinema is nothing but a popular portrayal of the common life and the common population. The trending phenomenon and the reigning agendas are often found to be the central issues of the films. In the recent times we see that films in maximum cases can be divided into two genres – the commercial and the influential. The commercial cinema is more into fantasy and fictional where as the influential films does cast the existing trends in the society and often creates ripples in the political level as well. The film City of Gods happens to be such a film that did depict the evils of crime in the Brazilian society with a lot of craft and in depth style, which in its totality again not just reflects the political system of the country but also influences the operational patterns of the same.

Human Resource Management Essay -- Organizational Development, Trainin

Organisations around the world have for years invested a great deal of their resources on employee training and development. Training and developing employees means impacting them with relevant knowledge and skills so as to use the same to propel organisational performance. This is done in order to make their work more efficient and be able to adapt to upcoming trends or be able to multitask. Training is mostly for a specific job or task and it is short term while development is long term and it encompasses general operations. Training on the other hand is technical unlike development which is more theoretical. Many profit making organisations have their end goal being increased productivity translating to increased profitability. Bearing this in mind and the immense benefits that accrue organisations, many are still reluctant to invest in this endeavour (Gratton 2007). This paper will look into benefits of training and developments to firms and employees and delve to explain why som e organisations and individuals are reluctant to invest in training. Benefits of training and development of employees As mentioned earlier training and development of employees has numerous benefits to both a firm and its employees. One of the key benefits is that it results in higher productivity thereby increased profitability. Employees’ morale is improved which makes them identify more with the profit path and the specific goals of a business. Due to improved performance the firm creates a positive image in the process (Boxall & Purcell 2007). This in turn offers it a competitive edge over its rivals thereby being able to acquire a sustainable market leadership position. In the course of training employees, better relationships are created betw... ... that it requires huge capital outlay and stakeholders are quite sceptical of such expenditures but in the long run it goes a long way in assisting an organisation to succeed in the increasingly competitive business arena. Firms looking into extensive growth and market presence that is sustainable cannot achieve this unless their workforce is ready for the challenge. This readiness on the other hand is facilitated by organisations enrolling their employees for training. Employees after training become more productive and organisations benefit a great deal as argued in the paper. The onus is therefore left for the management to embrace the right policies for their firms. Training and development is one that will see an organisation sustain its production and service delivery initiatives through increased productivity, quality assurance and increased profitability. Human Resource Management Essay -- Organizational Development, Trainin Organisations around the world have for years invested a great deal of their resources on employee training and development. Training and developing employees means impacting them with relevant knowledge and skills so as to use the same to propel organisational performance. This is done in order to make their work more efficient and be able to adapt to upcoming trends or be able to multitask. Training is mostly for a specific job or task and it is short term while development is long term and it encompasses general operations. Training on the other hand is technical unlike development which is more theoretical. Many profit making organisations have their end goal being increased productivity translating to increased profitability. Bearing this in mind and the immense benefits that accrue organisations, many are still reluctant to invest in this endeavour (Gratton 2007). This paper will look into benefits of training and developments to firms and employees and delve to explain why som e organisations and individuals are reluctant to invest in training. Benefits of training and development of employees As mentioned earlier training and development of employees has numerous benefits to both a firm and its employees. One of the key benefits is that it results in higher productivity thereby increased profitability. Employees’ morale is improved which makes them identify more with the profit path and the specific goals of a business. Due to improved performance the firm creates a positive image in the process (Boxall & Purcell 2007). This in turn offers it a competitive edge over its rivals thereby being able to acquire a sustainable market leadership position. In the course of training employees, better relationships are created betw... ... that it requires huge capital outlay and stakeholders are quite sceptical of such expenditures but in the long run it goes a long way in assisting an organisation to succeed in the increasingly competitive business arena. Firms looking into extensive growth and market presence that is sustainable cannot achieve this unless their workforce is ready for the challenge. This readiness on the other hand is facilitated by organisations enrolling their employees for training. Employees after training become more productive and organisations benefit a great deal as argued in the paper. The onus is therefore left for the management to embrace the right policies for their firms. Training and development is one that will see an organisation sustain its production and service delivery initiatives through increased productivity, quality assurance and increased profitability.

An Alternative to Incarceration for Nonviolent Offenders Essay

Community corrections is a range of alternative punishments for nonviolent offenders. There are two basic community corrections models in the United States. In the first model, integrated community corrections programs combine sentencing guidelines and judicial discretion with a variety of alternative sanctions and parole and probation options. In the second model, some states have instituted programs in which correctional officials may direct already sentenced offenders into alternative sanction programs and parole and probation options. Both models are designed to help reduce prison overcrowding and are less expensive alternatives to prison. Widespread development of community correction programs in the United States began in the late 1970’s as a way to offer offenders, especially those leaving jail or prison, residential services in halfway houses. The first state community correction programs began in Oregon, Colorado, and Minnesota as pilot projects with very little government-funded support. They diverted nonviolent offenders in selected pilot project areas from jails and state prisons into local alternative punishment programs. These programs allowed judges to sentence offenders to a community-based punishment rather than jail or prison. Rehabilitation programs were the preferred punishment option. In the late 1980’s, prison systems across the country began experiencing serious overcrowding of facilities. The overcrowding served as a catalyst for lawmakers to develop new options for sentencing criminal offenders. Nineteen states have now enacted various community correction programs. Community correction programs provide many communities with local punishment options as an alternative to prison or jail. These sanction programs are lower cost alternatives to increased prison and jail construction, based on the cost per offender. They provide local courts, state departments of corrections, and state parole boards with a broad range of correctional options for offenders under their jurisdiction. The goal is to match the appropriate punishment with the crime. Community corrections programs are integrated sanctioning strategies which seek to achieve the following goals: †¢The offender is punished and held accountable. †¢Public safety is protected. †¢Victims and local communities receive restitution from felons who work in their present jobs and/or in restitution programs. †¢Community service work increases. †¢Collection of court costs and fees increases due to contractual agreements with offenders who remain in their present jobs. Eight states have adopted comprehensive Community Correction Acts which create a network of correctional programs for specific types of offenders. The acts create mechanisms by which state funds are granted to local governments and community agencies to encourage local sanctions in lieu of prison or jail. While no two state programs are alike, a comprehensive community corrections program generally includes the following elements: †¢A locally integrated criminal justice system which supports a network of decentralized or centralized correctional programs for specific types of offenders. For instance, in Minnesota, local community corrections advisory boards composed of county sheriffs, chiefs of police, prosecutors, judges, defense lawyers, probation agents, and other local officials create comprehensive correction plans to improve the administration of justice at the local level. The plans detail the various options of punishment in the community which are available to judges and other criminal justice officials when sentencing offenders. †¢These integrated systems generally include restitution programs for nonviolent offenders. Offenders’ wages are applied directly to restitution, court-ordered fines and fees, and room and board. Placement in the work programs usually lasts from three to six months. †¢Programs are administered by local governmental or nonprofit agencies at the county or regional level, and are funded by the state under a single system which provides for local punishment options. Funds are provided contractually or directly depending on the involvement of nonprofit agencies. †¢Sentencing guidelines for local, district, or regional judges prescribe a uniform sentencing structure with a variety of punishment options for offenders. They differ from determinate sentencing by targeting alternative punishments for the non-violent offender population. †¢The punishment authorized under sentencing guidelines is generally tailored for the crime and applies to all similarly-situated felony offenders. For example, judges must follow a rating system based on the severity of the offender’s crime, the frequency of violations, and the nature of the crime. Rating scales are adjusted periodically by sentencing commissions to reflect statewide sentencing patterns. Non-violent crimes have the lowest criminal rating, allowing judges the broadest range of sentencing options. In contrast, judges must impose very specific sentences for violent or serious crimes. Serious or violent felons sentenced to prison receive very little if any good time credit, and must serve a specified term while in prison. †¢Responsibility for community correctional service is delegated to local units of government. This joins sentencing and punishment in one administrative level, with incentives for the most efficient use of local and state correctional resources. †¢A post-prison release program, operated through a parole or probation system, is an integral component of a local community corrections treatment system. Community corrections sanctions may include: †¢24-hour residential programs which provide a structured living environment for offenders who require supervision when not working or looking for employment; †¢Non-residential drug and alcohol treatment programs; †¢Electronic monitoring of offenders placed on home detention (offenders must wear bracelets that allow parole officials to monitor their movement); †¢Diagnostic evaluation and counseling ordered by the court as part of a pre-sentence process; †¢Pre-trial intervention which provides close supervision and support services to selected offenders prior to trial; †¢Community service programs; †¢Day reporting centers where offenders are required to discuss the progress of their job search and daily activities with parole officials; and †¢Mandatory education programs. There are several key elements to an integrated community-based correctional program: †¢Collaborative long range planning by local and state law enforcement officials to reduce the use of prisons for felony sentencing; †¢Coordinated use of local and state correctional resources; †¢A state funding mechanism to ensure a local level of correctional services; and †¢Ensuring public safety in community correction facilities. One of the goals of sentencing guidelines is to match the community sanction with the offender. The types of offenders which are considered for community sanctions include the following: †¢Offenders who might benefit from prevention services, and are of criminal activity in the future: school drop-outs, urban youth gang members, and juvenile offenders with learning disabilities. Prevention services could include mid-night basketball leagues, big brother programs, special education programs, and other activities. †¢Offenders who might benefit from early intervention services. This group is generally composed of first time offenders. Early intervention may reduce their chances for committing future crimes. They generally require services related to education, work-skill development, and substance abuse and alcohol counseling. †¢Offenders who might be eligible for diversion programs. This group is basically those people in jail or prison who may safely be diverted to alternative programs and services. They generally are second or third time offenders who have failed on probation and have been convicted of a number of non-violent offenses. Under California’s â€Å"three strike’s law†, they could face life imprisonment if their first two felonies are violent and/or if the third felony is violent. The goal of sentencing guidelines is to match target offender groups with the appropriate community sanction. While there are some variations among state sentencing guidelines, most establish punishment by the severity, frequency, and nature of the crime committed. For example, in Michigan, if an offender is arrested for burglary and has a previous drug arrest, state sentencing guideline ratings provide a range of sentencing options from alternative community corrections to up to a 24 month prison sentence. The community correction option allows the judge to sentence the offender to a secured community-based substance abuse treatment program for six months, followed by a short probation period. The judge has the discretion to choose from an array of options. On the other hand, if an offender is convicted of a serious felony and has previous non-violent felony convictions, sentencing guidelines provide that alternative community corrections is not an option, and require a minimum 24 month prison sentence. While offenders sometimes violate the terms of a community correction sentence, so far there is no evidence that the offenders currently entering these programs are a danger to communities. Evaluation studies are currently randomly tracking offenders who participate in community correction programs to determine the success or failure of the programs. The eight states which have enacted comprehensive community correction laws require a well-defined local implementation strategy that targets specific offender populations, and seeks to match their needs with the correct community sanction and service, before state funds are dispersed. Several states have also enacted on-going performance evaluation reviews to identify problem areas and fine-tune sentencing options. The other four states do not offer financial incentives or disincentives, although local implementation strategies are closely monitored by state legislatures. Four of the 8 states also offer formula-based incentives which require community agencies to develop comprehensive, integrated long-range community correctional plans. The greater local resources and services available under the plan, the higher the state funding. Most local plans are coordinated at the county level and identify all available community treatment programs, including prevention and intervention programs, training programs, and diversion programs. Local plans must include data detailing how the community correction programs are expected to reduce commitments to prison. The formula grants include a disincentive for sending certain kinds of felons to state prison, in the form of a per-diem fee which is deducted from the local grant. Grantees are also required to monitor offenders for possible parole violations after they complete the community corrections program. Louisiana has the oldest state boot camp program in the country. The Intensive Motivational Program of Alternative Correctional Treatment (IMPACT) has as its goals: †¢Provide an alternative to long-term incarceration for youthful first- and second-time offenders. †¢Reduce costs without undue risk to public safety. †¢Develop participants’ self-discipline, self-confidence, self-respect, individual responsibility, and respect for others. In order to participate, an offender must meet the following eligibility criteria: †¢Male and female offenders under the age of 40 serving sentences in state prison. †¢First time felony offenders committed to state custody for 7 years or less for an offense with parole eligibility. †¢Second-time felony offenders who have not previously spent time in state prison and who have been committed to state custody for 7 years or less for an offense carrying parole eligibility. †¢No offenders with outstanding felony charges, numerous outstanding misdemeanor charges, outstanding immigration detainers, mental or physical health problems, history of assaulting behavior or escape, overt homosexuality, sex offense against a child or any violent sexual offense, or absence of post-release plan. In 1987, the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections began operating a 136-bed military-style boot camp program at the medium-security Hunt Correctional Center (Up to 20 female slots are also available at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women; these inmates are bused to the boot camp daily). The 90- to 180-day program uses a three-phase approach to promote its philosophy of discipline and treatment. Regular program activities include military drill and ceremony training, physical training and organized recreational activities. Treatment programs include a re-education therapy class that requires participants to evaluate their beliefs and values, substance abuse education classes and activities, and prerelease (life skills) preparation. Extra duty or incentive physical training are required for minor disciplinary infractions. More serious infractions may result in reduction in rank, additional duties, or, in some cases, dismissal from the program. About 55 percent of participants graduate from the program. On release, all IMPACT parolees are assigned to 3 months of intensive parole supervision where, in addition to the regular conditions mandated for all parolees (maintain employment or full-time educational training), they must satisfy the following requirements: a minimum of 4 face-to-face contacts with a supervision officer each week, adherence to a curfew, 100 hours of unpaid community service work and random drug and alcohol screenings. After 3 months, supervision standards are gradually relaxed. Depending on individual performance, at the conclusion of this period, the parolee will continue receiving intensive supervision or is placed in regular parole supervision. According to the Multi-State Evaluation of Shock Incarceration report to the National Institute of Justice, Louisiana is one of three states who’s program results in lower recidivism rates relative to comparison groups. Failures are more often for technical violations of parole than for new crime violations. It is estimated that each 100 inmates completing the program result in a cost savings of $750,000 to the state (Nieto, Marcus: Feb. 1996). REFERENCES Travis Hirschi, and David Rudisill, An Evaluation of California Probation Subsidy Program, Vol. 1: Commitment Reduction and Probation Subsidy: A Summary of Available Data, Center on Administration of Criminal Justice, University of California at Davis, (Davis), 1977. Probation/Parole Survey, Corrections Compendium, The National Journal for Corrections, August, 1994. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. A Survey of Intermediate Sanctions, Washington, D.C. September, 1990, and Nieto, Marcus, California Research Bureau, The Changing Role Probation In California’s Criminal Justice System, April, 1996. Peters, G.T., Intermediate Sanctions: A Discussion of Illustrative Programs. Office of National Drug Control Policy. Washington D.C. 1990. Stone, Susan and Fulton, Betsy, Achieving Public Safety Through Rehabilitation and Reintegration: The Promise of a New ISP, Presented at the Academy of Criminal Justice Science Conference. Kansas City, Missouri. 1995. Nidorf, Barry, Chief Probation Officer, Los Angeles County, â€Å"Los Angeles County, Varied Uses of Electronic Monitoring: The Los Angeles Experience†, Edited by John Ortiz and William Selke. Intermediate Sanctions: Sentencing in the 1990’s. Anderson Publishing Company, 1995. Bourque, Blair, Han, B, Hill, Mei, and Sarah, M,. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. An Inventory of Aftercare Provisions for 52 Boot Camp Programs. NCJ 157104. Washington, DC. January, 1996. Nieto, Marcus, California Research Bureau, Community Correction Punishments: An Alternative to Incarceration for Nonviolent Offenders, Sacramento, CA., February, 1996.

Netflix: A Case Analysis Essay

Netflix offers a variety of product services to its customers. The company offers traditional DVD rental by mail, instant streaming of DVD content through home PCS, and streaming on Netflix-ready devices that could be hooked up to one’s TV. Netflix has a subscription based model, which allows customers to utilize their products/services through a per month fee rather than a pay as you go rate. Although the company offers eight different subscription packages, it derives its largest revenues from its $8.99, $13.99, and $16.99 subscription plans that include unlimited DVDs per month, 1-3 titles out at one time, plus unlimited streaming of online content. The Netflix Strategy Netflix’s strategy so far has been to focus on not just one or two aspects of their customer base, but to focus themselves in a number of directions in order to build upon and capitalize on a growing subscriber base. Their main strategy has been to build and maintain the most comprehensive selection of DVD titles in the industry, and they have done so by creating mutually beneficial relationships with a number of entertainment video providers. Their second main strategy has been focused on product differentiation- not only how customers receive content and consume it, but also how customers choose what to watch. Netflix’s number one competitive advantage is their unique software that takes what a customer has seen or rated, and based upon that information builds a list of suggested titles similar to ones they have just watched. While other companies like Blockbuster had begun to leak into the rent-by-mail niche category that Netflix had started, no other company had cus tomer profiling software quite like Netflix. U.S. Movie, TV, & Video Game Rental Market (2006-2009) Consumer Movie Rental Market Revenue ($ million) 2006 2007 2008 2009 In-store Rentals $7,030 $6,215 $5,674 $5,118 Vending Machine Rentals 79 198 486 917 By Mail Rentals 1,291 1,797 1,949 2,114 VOD (cable, digital, & subscription) 993 1,077 1,365 1,684 Between 2006 and 2009, the film rental market underwent a major shift. The in-store rental market declined by nearly $2 million, while vending machine rentals increased tenfold and by-mail rentals nearly doubled. However, VOD services through cable, digital, and subscription also saw major increases. All of these changes meant companies like Blockbuster and Movie Gallery had to either reorganize and make a complete business model shift- or face bankruptcy. Meanwhile, the increases in by-mail rentals and VOD subscription, two services that Netflix offered, meant that the number of Netflix subscribers more than doubled in that same time frame. Purchase decisions from customers were focused on convenient access, price, variety of DVD offerings, ease of return/return fees. Therefore, the key success factors within the U.S. DVD rental industry were quickly becoming: 1) A variety of distribution channels (mail, online streaming, streaming to TV, vending machine, etc) 2) Superior video libr aries (including new releases,  classics, hard to find) 3) Little to no fees associated with renting or returning DVDs 4) Ease of use (in terms of returning) 5) A strong network of entertainment video providers, i.e. suppliers Customers like variety; a video rental store that only stocks the newest releases will not appeal to all markets. Increasingly, customers are becoming more nostalgic in their movie preferences, searching for titles long past premiere. Customers have also become increasingly busy, often not having the time to go to a store to pick out a movie or remembering to return their rentals on time. We live in a world of instant gratification, where being able to click a few buttons and watch the latest Jennifer Aniston rom-com or an old cult classic like Rocky Horror is extremely important. Customers also do not like fees. More and more companies today are offering free shipping/return shipping, and the same is true in the DVD rental industry. Five Forces Analysis of the Industry Rivalry among competing sellers: High. Buyer costs of switching brands is low and product offerings are weakly differentiated. The number of competitors is growing and rivals have diverse strategies for providing their services. Competitive pressure from buyer bargaining power: Medium to high. The cost of switching to competing products is low, as well as the level of convenience for switching. Products are for the most part undifferentiated. Competitive pressure from supplier bargaining power: Low to medium. There are a large number of suppliers within the industry and a variety of ways in with to gain access to the needed material. However, most sellers cannot self-manufacture these movie titles; whereas the suppliers could easily begin offering these services themselves. Competitive pressure from substitute products: Low. The cost per DVD to buy is greater than that to rent or stream a movie. Buyer demand for purchasing DVDs is decreasing due to the lack of disposable income creat ed by the financial crisis, as well as the practicality of owning a vast collection of physical DVDs. Potential of new entrants: High. The market is growing at an ever increasing pace and barriers to entry are low. Buyer demand continues to increase as well, and existing industry members are looking to expand their market reach. (See Appendix 1 for a visual representation). There are a number of drivers of  change affecting the movie retail industry. As mentioned previously, there has been a shift in consumer’s willingness to go out of their way for certain products or services. The consumer climate has shifted to an instant gratification model, in which if acquiring a movie to watch requires more effort than clicking a few buttons, then it is no longer worth the consumer’s time. This force is somewhat unfavorable in terms of competitive intensity because it will drives firms within the industry to compete in a never ending sprint to offer the most titles in the shortest amount of time, which will eventually hit its peak and taper off. However, this force will also positively impact future industry profitability since the more streamlined the process becomes, the more users and more uses the industry will gain. Another force driving change is the switch from buying physical DVDs and acquiring movie collections to accessing them online as needed. This saves consumers valuable time and money, and they no longer need to worry about keeping their DVDs in good condition. This force will positively affect future industry profitability because it will reduce the number of distribution plants needed to sustain video libraries, thus significantly reducing operating costs. Not having to stock multiple copies of millions of DVDS will mean that companies will no longer have to spend money on: Multiple large plants Staffing said plants with a large labor force Operating said plants in terms of rent, utilities, etc Postage (in terms of Netflix specifically) DVD maintenance Mailing and location software One more force that is affecting the movie rental industry is the introduction and proliferation of VOD services offered directly from cable networks and providers. Barriers to entry for these already existing firms is extremely low, and if all networks chose to offer these services, a large portion of profits would be cannibalized from outside companies such as Netflix or Hulu. This force will negatively affect competitive intensity, but positively affect future industry profitability. If the large supplier companies (cable networks & providers) all started offering their own VOD, competition from smaller independent renting firms would disappear. Yet  profitability would increase due to the ease of access to entire network libraries. Mapping the Movie Retail Industry The competitive characteristics that differentiate firms within the movie retail industry are as follows: Use of distribution channels Product line breadth Price Geographic coverage Ease of access/use In conducting my analysis of the strategic positioning of firms within this industry, I chose to focus on price and use of distribution channels (See Appendix 2). Netflix and VOD providers are positioned most favorably on the map because both offer moderately priced subscription packages for access to a comprehensive list of movie and TV show offerings using a variety of distribution channels. Netflix is positioned most favorably due to its relative low cost compared to the variety of products it offers access to. Redbox is priced well, but it only offers one method of distribution. Whereas Blockbuster is priced higher than average, but has begun to offer streaming and mail rental options in addition to in store rentals. A Financial Analysis of Netflix Overall, Netflix has fared fairly well over the past several years, even surviving the financial crisis. They continue to generate a profit, and their revenue has grown at a steady rate indicative of the growth of the mail rental & online streaming movie retail market. The company has been growing at an average rate of 20% over the last four years. However, from 2007 to 2008, Netflix only grew at a rate of 13.22%. This noticeable fluctuation in their growth rate can most likely be contributed to the financial crisis that swept the nation during that year. Aside from that dip, Netflix can be expected to continue to grow at a rate indicative of the continued growth of mail and digital movie rental industry. Product costs for Netflix have remained relatively stable over the last four years at over 60% of revenue, fluctuating only by 4% or less. This is  despite the fact that revenues for the company have been steadily increasing. This clearly shows an inability to control manufacturing & operating costs. As Netflix expands, so does its physical DVD inventory and size/number of distribution plants. Although one of their strategies is transition subscribers to streaming delivery as opposed to mail delivery, it is obvious that they have yet to be truly successful in that endeavor. Netflix’s ROA hit an all-time high of 17.05% in 2009, which is somewhat surprising given that the company is deriving most of its revenues from a nubile market. The mail and digital movie rental industry is still growing, so to have an ROA that high is quite an accomplishment. It is clear that the company’s investments in new assets are succeeding in generating returns. (See Appendix 3 for a complete financial analysis of Netflix from 2006-2009). SWOT Analysis of Netflix’s Standing within the Market Strengths Opportunities Netflix cornered the market on direct mail renting before anyone else offered it Has a wide geographic coverage and the fastest turnaround rate Known for its 1 month free trials The brand has a following across a wide variety of consumer segments Their strong relationship with a large network of entertainment video providers Top management realizes the importance/emergence of the digital environment and is trying to shift subscriber use accordingly Netflix has developed unique and comprehensive movie selection software that customizes the consumer experience by capitalizing on their movie tastes and making accurate suggestions Netflix offers the most detailed movie information including customer reviews, critic reviews, etc The increasing demand for digital streaming is clearly an opportunity The shift from by mail rental to digital streaming gives Netflix an opportunity to restructure its subscription packages and price them even more competitively The firm can look at joining forces with some of the networks that are beginning to offer VOD streaming Weaknesses Threats Netflix is a market leader in by mail rental, which has now capped off and started to become a declining category The company’s comprehensive DVD libraries and distribution centers are eating up a large chunk of their revenues Unlike other movie rental/streaming companies, Netflix does not offer access to newly released films Changing subscriber preference towards online streaming will affect Netflix’s current portfolio mix The increasing intensity of competition from other companies, such as Hulu with their Hulu Plus program will eat into Netflix’s consumer base Increasing number of networks that are beginning to offer free streaming of content on their websites For the moment, Netflix’s overall situation is fairly attractive. Being the first company to introduce a new niche in a market is a huge asset. A company cannot simply ‘buy’ cornering the market on a good or service. Since Netflix already offers unlimited direct streaming, that puts it ahead of some of its competitors. However, Netflix will need to restructure and reevaluate the profitability of its by mail rental service in the near future. Compared with Blockbuster and VOD Providers, Netflix has the highest level of competitive strength at 46 points. Netflix by far has the most comprehensive number of products and distribution channels, given that consumers can either rent DVDs by mail or stream them on their PC or TV. The number of distribution channels factors into the company’s ease of use, as does the fact that their DVDs come with prepaid return envelopes. VOD Providers are a similar ease of use to Netflix given that consumers can just click a few buttons on the TV and instantly be watching their chosen film. Blockbuster is ranked lowest in terms of price & fees because their prices are based on a per DVD cost, and when sales began to decrease, the company increased its prices. Not to mention that there are late fees associated with renting, whereas with Netflix you can keep a DVD for as long as you like without incurring fees. Blockbuster also scores lower in terms of the number of products because their l ibrary is limited by store space, whereas Netflix and VOD Providers can have a virtually unlimited library of titles spanning the entire duration of the movie industry. Performance Concerns Overall, Netflix’s performance is quite satisfactory. The company persevered through the financial crisis and has managed to hold on to market majority despite growing competition from rival firms. a) My main concern for Netflix is the amount of revenue that is currently being eaten up by product costs. Despite steadily increasing revenues, Netflix’s COGS continues to take up more than 60% of said revenue. In the coming years when the market shifts entirely to direct streaming, Netflix will be left with millions of  DVDs and operating costs associated with the large distribution centers required to house these DVDs. If the company takes too long to phase out this aspect of its product/service portfolio, it could lose out on major profits and potentially wind up in debt. b) A second issue I see for Netflix is that more and more companies are beginning to offer streaming of their own content either for free to the public, or free to subscribers of certain cable companie s. Since Netflix has a cost associated with it, its customer base could be cannibalized by these new entrants. Recommendations a) Given that by mail renting is on the decline, Netflix should work quickly to phase out this service from its current offerings. Right now there are still companies out there willing to take on extensive DVD libraries- five or so years from now, that may not be the case and Netflix will have lost out on an opportunity to avoid a significant loss. b) Netflix needs to look at restructuring and re-pricing their current subscription packages. The number of packages and their prices that the company offers are no longer relevant to demand. With more and more entrants into the market, Netflix is losing its competitive pricing advantage. In sum, in order to remain competitive Netflix needs to restructure both its product offerings and pricing strategy. The company should be looking ahead to see what the next big thing in movie rental/streaming will be and capitalize on that, while other firms are still entering the market and developing what Netflix already has.

Mexican American Essay Example

Mexican American Essay Example Mexican American Essay Mexican American Essay The Mexican America Racial and Ethnic Relations The Mexican American experience has been one of adversity, and endurance. The plight of these native people has been ignored, and many times erased from the American conscience. They have struggled for acknowledgement, fought for equality and have gone to battle for respect. This population has been victimized, and driven to the ground by the powerful grip of American society. Efforts were repeatedly made to shape Mexicans into what others perceived them to be. The language they should speak, the things they should learn, and the way they should live, were decisions they were unable to control. This lack of power allowed the U. S. to take advantage of Mexican rights, labor and land. In addition, this produced a loss of Mexican identity and culture. Several thousand agricultural workers migrated to the U. S. in the early twentieth century. The majority of these persons were Mexicans that found work on farms, where white owners welcomed their cheap labor. Growers minimized local opposition to Mexican immigration by promising that the Mexicans would return to Mexico, following picking season. This broken promise enabled the growth of systematic oppression toward incoming Mexicans. By migrating to the U. S. , they hoped to find more prosperous means of living. The Bracero Program was implemented as a tool for Mexicans to migrate and work in the U. S. The Bracero Program offered a dramatic solution for Mexicans to work through visas in the U. S. This program offered thousands of workers the opportunity to work on farms, and get paid. Unfortunately, it had its failings. Basically the program was a way for the American employers to exploit Mexican workers, and pay them very small wages. Race became the main justification for discrimination and subordination of Mexicans. On a social side; class, race, and gender are the means by which people are set apart. Mexican identities became lumped together, and were referred to as the bottom of the barrel, in the Anglo American eyes. This culture is viewed as a rejection of assimilation. In current debates over the increasing unemployment rates, Americans seek to use Mexicans as scapegoats. This is often due to the number of Mexicans that migrated to the U. S. , and are willing to preform manual labor for minimal payment. These Mexicans have been exploited by imperialism and globalization. It is this exploitation that brings about migration and changes to their culture and identity. In the United States, we live in a society that proclaims equality, free of discrimination, opportunity, liberty and freedom to all its citizens. However, that is only a facade. Reality is the gentrified urban areas, neglect and ignorance of the presence of racial and gender inequalities that saturate society. Social stratification impeded racial relations in the U. S. far more than any other racial differences. Minorities experience the majority of wealth in the hands of the white population. Whites refer to government programs for minorities as a handout, or minorities being lazy. For many decades people have been using race as a way to classify humans into different social categories. Unfortunately, Mexicans have been placed in the underclass category. This is due to their financial income, occupations, and legal right to be in the U. S. Regrettable, Mexican Americans are viewed as inferior, and seem to be at the bottom of the social hierarchy.

A critical examination of the antecedents and efficacy of Social Services interventions for West African ‘looked after’ children in South London. The WritePass Journal

A critical examination of the antecedents and efficacy of Social Services interventions for West African ‘looked after’ children in South London. Rationale behind the Study A critical examination of the antecedents and efficacy of Social Services interventions for West African ‘looked after’ children in South London. Rationale behind the StudyGuiding Research QuestionsBenefits of the ResearchMethods and ProceduresReferencesRelated Rationale behind the Study The proposed research will investigate Social Service interventions for looked after West African children in South London. I work in an ethically diverse comprehensive school in London, and have witnessed an increase in minority ethnic looked after children in recent years. One challenging task for Social Services is to provide interventions for such children. This study aims to investigate the effect of Social Services interventions on West African looked after children, and provide suggestions why such children may be taken in to care by drawing on existing models of parenting. Furthermore,   supplemented by a review of relevant published literature, it will suggest a number of factors which may account for any disproportionality in terms of gender. The final element of the research will take a critical look at how the school environment supports looked after children. Insignificant data are available on the experiences of immigrants and ethnic minorities in post-war Europe, which is referred to as a †puzzling and disturbing silence† (Myers, 2009:). Bryan (2009) exclaimed that whilst immigration has contributed to economic, social, and political changes, there is an enormous paucity of published research on the topic. The sparse literature that is available is limited to descriptive accounts of policies designed to increase integration (Myers, 2009). In the UK, such lack of research hinders our understanding of the relative importance of education for immigrants and their children. Little is known about how well immigrants and their children settle in to their new environment, let alone how effectively education meets their needs. It has been noted that the changes in policy are based on empirical evidence, and as a result, the resultant policy does not addressing the most important issue; the promotion of multi-culturalism. Sociologist Paul Gilroy commented on an urgent need to â€Å"step boldly back into the past, discover the boundaries of the postcolonial present, and enlist Europe’s largely untapped heterological and imperial histories in the urgent service of its Contemporary multicultural and its future pluralism† (Gilroy, quoted in Myers, 2009: 15). Furthermore, because of the limited research on the issues surrounding immigration, ethnic minority communities have been conceived as a social problem, to be solved via policies with the aim of integration (Myers, 2009). Bryan (2009) suggests such well intentioned but poorly conceived policies may actually perpetuate inequality. In this context, it is clear that policies and interventions must be based on a clear understanding of those they purport to support, and it is this rationale that underpins this study. Barn (2006) noted that the capacity of social workers to deliver appropriate, ethnically sensitive services which take adequate account of the circumstances of minority ethnic individuals and families remains a crucial challenge. When considering interventions delivered to West African looked after children by Social Services in the UK, the following should be considered; what are the reasons behind West African children becoming ‘looked after’ and are the interventions designed to support them effective? Guiding Research Questions    Research question 1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What are the reasons a disproportionate number of children from West Africa are becoming looked after by Social Services in the UK? Research question 2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With reference to existing models of parents, what is happening in the African communities that may contribute to this?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Are any variations by gender evident, and if so, what might the reasons behind them? Research question 3 What are the effects of the interventions on the welfare of the looked after children from West Africa? Research question 4 Are such interventions moderated by the school environment? Benefits of the Research This research may be useful to a number of different stakeholders in education. From the literature review, the need for culturally sensitive research into social service interventions in school is evident. In the field of education, there has been a call for culturally sensitive interventions to help the school (senior leadership team, child protection officers, form tutors, mentors and teachers) better understand the needs of black children from West Africa and support them accordingly. Copies of the research may be used by the local council/government as a case study for further research into services provided and an opportunity to evaluate current practice and develop strategies to provide better services. The research may enable all stakeholders (social services, schools, government, and local services) to understand parents of West African origin, especially with regard to cultural beliefs, and develop strategies to work together with parents amicably on how to educate children . Finally, this research can give the government, social services, parents, and students an increased awareness of good practice and failings in the system Methods and Procedures My research is a small-scale study, focusing on looked after children from West Africa in Conisborough College. Conisborough College is a comprehensive school with a highly diverse intake. It is representative of the ethnic mix of the Lewisham borough, with a high intake of black pupils of West African origin. The sampling method chosen, which I believe is best suited for my small-scale study, is a non-probability method, such as a targeted sampling method. This method of sampling will ensure that the study is focused and well managed (Bell, 2005). The proposed study will be approached from an interpretivist, epistemological perspective conducted in three stages. Firstly, an extensive literature review, including national government reports and data, and local government (Lewisham Council) reports and data. This stage will also review social service reports and data on looked after children, reviews of at-risk children, child protection registers and analyses of online exam reports and school-tracking data. The second stage will focus on field research in the form of targeted semi-structured interviews which will be conducted at Conisborough College with learning mentors, child protection officers, school counsellors, form tutors, and head of years who support looked after children as well as two social workers and LEA child protection officers. In the broader community, pastor/community leaders of West African origin will be interviewed. The final stage of this study will collate and analyse all data and draw inferences from t he findings on future programmes in the school and community at large, in order to generate a number of   recommendations.. I intend to pilot the second stage of the study to determine what works and what does not. As an amateur researcher, I will follow the procedure established by Peat et al. (2002) which will give me advance warning as whether to proceed with the research, revise the research, or abandon this section of the research altogether. My research is small scale, so the pilot study will involve one student, one learning mentor, and one head of year. Following Peat et al.’s (2002: 123) process, I will: Provide participants with a Participant Information Form and consent form, taking care to explain the purpose and process of the research. Following this, I will identify and areas regarding ethical approval not already adequately covered in the research protocol. Complete the interview schedule with each pilot respondent. Following completion I will ask respondents for feedback regarding ambiguous, sensitive or difficult questions. Transcribe and review each pilot interview fully, discarding any unnecessary, difficult, repetitive or ambiguous questions. Reorder interview items if necessary to ensure a coherent and engaging schedule. Time both the conduct and transcription of the interviews to determine whether both tasks are reasonable given the timescale of the research. Once this pilot work has been completed, I can be confident that the interview schedule(s) are fir for the purpose of this study. References Barn, R. (2006) Research and Practice Briefings: Children and Families – Improving services to meet the needs of minority ethnic children and families, DfES, york.ac.uk/depts/spsw/mrc/documents/QPB13.pdf Bryan, A. (2009). The intersectionality of nationalism and multiculturalism in the Irish curriculum: Teaching against racism? Race ethnicity and education, 12(3), 297-317. Myers, P. (2009). Immigrants and ethnic minorities in the history of education. Paedagogica Historica: International Journal of the History of Education, 46(6), 801 – 816. Peat, J., Mellis, C., Williams, K. and Xuan W. (2002), Health Science Research: A Handbook of Quantitative Methods, London: Sage.

Anatomy (Reproductive System Study Guide)

Oviduct- passageway from the ovaries to the outside of the body Labia majora-The outer lips that protect the vagina Uterus- the cavity which holds the baby during pregnancy 3) What are the complementary male sex organs that correspond to the following female organs: oviduct, vagina, labia majora, ovary, clitoris Oviduct- epididymis Vagina- passageway from the ovaries to the outside of the body Labia majora- scrotum Ovary-Teste Clitoris-Penis 4) How are ova and sperm similar? How are they different? They both have the same number of chromosomes, but they are produced in different numbers throughout the month. ) Identify the phases of the menstrual cycle, and what events occur in each stage. Menstrual- the lining of the uterus sheds Follicular-the ovary prepares to release the egg Luteal- the ovary releases the egg 6) What are gonadotropins? What gland secretes them? Provide examples. Hormones secreted by the anterior pituitary. LH and FSH 7) After fertilization, where does an embryo i mplant? In to the uterine wall. 8) How is the sex of a child determined? By the DNA pairs. It’s XX for female and XY for male. 9) What can happen to maternal and paternal genes during crossover of meiosis? They can either be handed down or lost. 0) Identify the role that each of these hormones plays in reproduction: LH, FSH, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone LH-triggers ovulation FSH- regulates the development and growth Estrogen-the primary female sex hormones Progesterone-supports gestation Testosterone-the primary male sex hormone 11) What is required for sperm activity? Seminal Fluid 12) What prevents polyspermy? The cortical reaction 13) What does amniotic fluid contain? What are the important functions that it performs? Made of electrolytes and water that protects the fetus in the womb. 14) What are the events of organogenesis, in order? ctoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm 15) What hormonal changes occur in the mother and fetus at the onset of labor? The baby uses estrogen, oxycotin, and other hormones to determine when and how fast the baby is born. 16) What are the male accessory sex structures? Semin al Vesicles 17) What is the biggest cause of cervical cancer? HPV’s 18) When does the first mitotic division of the zygote occur? Morula 19) Name 3 roles of the uterus. Protects the developing baby, gives it nutrients, and is the site for implantation 20) Identify the characteristics and location of the uterine cervix. assage between the vaginal cavity and the uterine cavity and 4 centimeters long 21) What is the pathway of spermatozoa? Gamete 22) What is the role of seminiferous tubules? Creates spermatoza 23) What organ produces mature sperm? Epidymis 24) What percent of sperm comes from accessory glands? 60 percent 25) How many sperm are in one ejaculate? 300 million 26) What are the 4 main organs of the female? Uterus, Fallopian tube, ovaries, and vagina. 27) What is oogenesis? Creation of the ovum 28-30)Complete the Venn Diagram Chart below. How do the male and female reproductive systems compare? Male Differences |Similarities |Female Differences | |Smaller pelvic cavity |Same amount of chromosomes |Larger pelvic cavity | |Penis |Both interact with one another |Vagina | |No Boobs |Organs can do the same as other organs in|Boobs | | |the other | |

Mulitcultralism and how it affects education Essay

Mulitcultralism and how it affects education - Essay Example Culture shapes human behavior, attitudes, and values. Human behavior results from a process of socialization, and socialization always takes place within the context of specific cultural and ethnic environments. A person's humanity cannot be isolated or divorced from his or her culture or ethnicity. One cannot be human without culture and ethnicity, and one cannot have culture and ethnicity without being human. Now multiculturism becomes the focus point for educators and policy makers to be included and becomes necessity to include it in their planning process itself. In the shrinking world where different nationalities interacting with each other on the regular basis and people are moving freely within the world, education become the central point of interaction between them. People are moving outside world for education only. So people having different language, set of ethos and social value to attitude as well as behavior interacts with each other simply affects the education. Eac h & every Govt. and Educators have to take care of these change and multiculturism phenomenon and understanding has to be included in the curriculum itself. Now multiculturism becomes part of the education system as a whole and a whole lot of theories of multicultural education is being shown us the further path for educational development and research. Schools are microcosms of mainstream society (LaBelle, 1976). In their procedural norms, codes of behavior, structural arrangements, and distribution of power, privilege, and responsibility, they mirror Anglo centric cultural values. Just as classroom teachers, school administrators, and policymakers carry their cultural experiences and perspectives into their educational decisions and actions, students from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds do likewise in their learning attitudes and behaviors (Gay, 1994). Teaching about cultural pluralism is the most traditional and common approach. It is primarily content centered, with an emphasis on developing units of instruction (lessons, modules, courses) about the history, heritage, contributions, and social issues of ethnic groups. These units may be designed to be included in any school subject, but most often appear in social studies, language arts, and fine arts. Another manifestation of this approach is analyzing textbooks and other instructional materials for their treatment of people of color and revising them when necessary to increase their accuracy and overall representation of cultural diversity. Multicultural education means different things to different people. Multicultural education relates to education and instruction designed for the cultures of several different races man education system. This approach to teaching and learning is based upon consensus building, respect and fostering cultural pluralism within racial societies. Multicultural education acknowledges and incorporates positive racial idiosyncrasies into classroom atmospheres (Tisdell, 1995). Multiculturism affects specifically the learning environment. A particular classroom, including the instructor or facilitator and the learners in a specific learning situation, constitutes the learning environment in this sense. Of course the specific learning environm

Death penalty Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Death penalty - Research Paper Example While some people support the death penalty, others strongly condemn it. Some of the arguments in its favor are discussed below. This refers to a logical state-sponsored rejoinder to criminality, which is warranted given that once a crime happens; the victim is the state (Robinson, 2009). Cavadino & Dignan (2007) explain that retribution chastises the criminal in terms of â€Å"just deserts†. It focuses on the past events rather than on the future, and presumes that the penalty should fit the crime – â€Å"a tooth for a tooth†, so to say. Normally, criminals who face execution are those who cause serious harm to the society. A murderer for instance is executed with the validation that â€Å"two offences make a right†. Seemingly, the retributive argument is the strongest – when harmed, the government has a right to seek out justice with the intent of re-balancing the justice scales that the lawbreaker skewed to his or her benefit when he or she committed the crime (Robinson, 2009). According to Scott (2008), incapacitation is a philosophical justification of punishment that dictates that an offender’s physical capacity to commit a crime be removed (199). Those who hold this argument hold the view that death penalty takes away a criminal’s freedom in such a way that he or she is not able to perpetrate another offense – he/she permanently ceases being a menace to the society (Robinson, 2009).   Those who hold this view argue that once an individual initiates force against another guiltless individual, he or she has in reality declared that he or she does not conform to the principle of person’s rights. That criminal is not prepared to live among men as a reasoning individual – he or she only wants to live as a predator, to the obliteration as well as disadvantage of other beings around him or her. They also argue that rights result from a person’s nature of living as a rational being and if a person decides to live unreasonably, he or she is

You can make the topic by yourself Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

You can make the topic by yourself - Essay Example to two kinds of people in this regard, the winners who like to change and adapt themselves to new things while the losers are those who cling to the past. Progress is mostly cumulative as each level builds on the past achievements and improves on it. One such unique period in the history of human progress when changes were rapid was during the Industrial Revolution which started in the mid-eighteenth century in England and then spread rapidly into Western Europe and later on into the United States of America. It was a period of exciting changes in almost all spheres of life; old norms, traditions, and customs were cast aside in favor of newer ones. One result of the Industrial Revolution was the rise of Modernism which was a philosophical movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as a reaction or response to widespread changes in Western societies. Profound social changes altered the way of life for everybody. This period was the best time of times and paradoxically, also the worst of times, when people have to cope with so many changes going on simultaneously. Some people embrace change while others cling to old habits and cannot adapt to change and found it both terrifying and confusing. Modernism created outcasts out of the people who cannot cope or deal with the changes. The Industrial Revolution started around 1760 and lasted up to 1870 or thereabouts. It was indeed a major turning point in human history as society embraced new ideas, inventions, and innovations in the fields of science, technology, commerce, and in virtually every field of human endeavor. Perhaps the most profound of the changes occurring at this period was the rise of the modern free-market capitalism in which a new wealthy class of capitalists came into being and replaced the old class of feudalistic land owners as capitalist groups put up factories that produced profits for them and increased their wealth holdings. This was a watershed period in history as society

Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Culture - Essay Example In the early years, immigrants shared a common ethnic and religious profile: white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant (McDonald & Balgopal, 1998). The first wave of European immigrants ‘melted’ into the mainstream American culture easily due to this similarity of the ethnic background. Israel Zangwill’s concept of America as a ‘melting pot,’ in which immigrants of diverse ethnicities assimilated into one homogenous cultural identity, pertains to this age. Present, second wave of immigrants is largely from the developing nations of Asia and Latin America. They bring with them a diversity of languages, customs, distinct physical traits, religions and ethnicity, which does not submit to easy assimilation. Today, â€Å"there is more emphasis on preserving ones ethnic identity, of finding ways to highlight and defend ones cultural roots† (Booth, 1998). America is now a multicultural ‘Mosaic,’ in which various groups preserve their ethnic identities and yet remain a part of the larger American way of life. The Chinese exemplify this ‘mosaic’. This group retains its ethnic identity and also makes significant contributions to the American culture. Steven Chu, Samuel C. C. Ting, and others are Nobel Prize winners. (â€Å"Chinese American Culture†, 2010). Amy Tan is one of today’s most popular American writers. Chinese take-away is as much a part of American cuisine as apple pie. The teachings of Confucius are part of the curriculum of many American universities. The benefits of Chinese meditation, green tea, and acupuncture are a part of American life. Chinese calligraphy, character tattoos, and martial arts have permeated American culture. In this age of immense diversity, American culture is no longer a ‘melting pot’ which blends all its composite groups into a homogenous whole. There is no single American identity. â€Å"Ethnicity

Aer Lingus Products and Target Market Segments Essay

Aer Lingus Products and Target Market Segments - Essay Example Aer Lingus is one of the reputable fleet carrier companies in Ireland. With the low cost model and one way fares, Aer Lingus brand has become most talked about brand in fleet services. On October 22, 2006, Aer Lingus entered into a new phage of business as it realized nearly 400 million Euros through Irish and London Stock Exchange. Most of the Aer Lingus passenger revenue will be generated from its website www.aerlingue.com. As per the latest records, nearly 81 percent of total passenger revenue was generated from the website. The effective marketing strategies for products as well as services help company to achieve great heights. With the low cost air fleet charges, Aer Lingus has become a competitor for Ryan air. Aer Lingus has celebrated its 75th birthday in May 2001. With 1,215 million revenues in 2010, Aer Lingus is planning to push forward with wide range of products and services in the market. 2009 was a difficult year for Aer Lingus as it witnessed nearly 93 million Euros loss. To turnaround the company, Aer Lingus has come up with several strategies such as better matching of capacity to demand, connectivity improvements with in the network as well as partner’s network and partnerships.... 2009 was a difficult year for Aer Lingus as it witnessed nearly 93 million Euros loss. To turnaround the company, Aer Lingus has come up with several strategies such as better matching of capacity to demand, connectivity improvements with in the network as well as partner’s network and partnerships. Aer Lingus products are considered to be the cheaper products when compared to its competitor’s products. Though, companies like Ryanair offer much cheaper products than Aer Lingus, the customers would love to travel by Aer Lingus because of great service. Aer Lingus offers both Cabin Services as well as Auxiliary services. Cabin Services include a two class business and economy service on long-haul routes and a single class economy service for all short-haul routes. Auxiliary Services include In-flight sales merchandise, car rental sales, hotel accommodations and commission from online currency conversion. Literature Review According to Philip Kotler, Marketing is the proce ss of offering suitable product to customer. Everything comes to one equation; right product at right place at right price to the right customer (Philip Kotler). Marketing has become one of the most focused areas for any company in the world. Be it is a small scale internet based company or a large scale manufacturing company; without proper marketing, the survival would be a big question mark. According to Neil Borden, marketing department of any company should primarily focus on 4Ps. They are Price, Product, Promotion and Place. The 4Ps are also called as Marketing Mix (Neil Borden 1953). 4P mix is majorly used when you are trying to market a product, which customers can touch and feel. When focusing on the services, the marketing mix would be changed slightly. It

You can make the topic by yourself Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

You can make the topic by yourself - Essay Example to two kinds of people in this regard, the winners who like to change and adapt themselves to new things while the losers are those who cling to the past. Progress is mostly cumulative as each level builds on the past achievements and improves on it. One such unique period in the history of human progress when changes were rapid was during the Industrial Revolution which started in the mid-eighteenth century in England and then spread rapidly into Western Europe and later on into the United States of America. It was a period of exciting changes in almost all spheres of life; old norms, traditions, and customs were cast aside in favor of newer ones. One result of the Industrial Revolution was the rise of Modernism which was a philosophical movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as a reaction or response to widespread changes in Western societies. Profound social changes altered the way of life for everybody. This period was the best time of times and paradoxically, also the worst of times, when people have to cope with so many changes going on simultaneously. Some people embrace change while others cling to old habits and cannot adapt to change and found it both terrifying and confusing. Modernism created outcasts out of the people who cannot cope or deal with the changes. The Industrial Revolution started around 1760 and lasted up to 1870 or thereabouts. It was indeed a major turning point in human history as society embraced new ideas, inventions, and innovations in the fields of science, technology, commerce, and in virtually every field of human endeavor. Perhaps the most profound of the changes occurring at this period was the rise of the modern free-market capitalism in which a new wealthy class of capitalists came into being and replaced the old class of feudalistic land owners as capitalist groups put up factories that produced profits for them and increased their wealth holdings. This was a watershed period in history as society

Aer Lingus Products and Target Market Segments Essay

Aer Lingus Products and Target Market Segments - Essay Example Aer Lingus is one of the reputable fleet carrier companies in Ireland. With the low cost model and one way fares, Aer Lingus brand has become most talked about brand in fleet services. On October 22, 2006, Aer Lingus entered into a new phage of business as it realized nearly 400 million Euros through Irish and London Stock Exchange. Most of the Aer Lingus passenger revenue will be generated from its website www.aerlingue.com. As per the latest records, nearly 81 percent of total passenger revenue was generated from the website. The effective marketing strategies for products as well as services help company to achieve great heights. With the low cost air fleet charges, Aer Lingus has become a competitor for Ryan air. Aer Lingus has celebrated its 75th birthday in May 2001. With 1,215 million revenues in 2010, Aer Lingus is planning to push forward with wide range of products and services in the market. 2009 was a difficult year for Aer Lingus as it witnessed nearly 93 million Euros loss. To turnaround the company, Aer Lingus has come up with several strategies such as better matching of capacity to demand, connectivity improvements with in the network as well as partner’s network and partnerships.... 2009 was a difficult year for Aer Lingus as it witnessed nearly 93 million Euros loss. To turnaround the company, Aer Lingus has come up with several strategies such as better matching of capacity to demand, connectivity improvements with in the network as well as partner’s network and partnerships. Aer Lingus products are considered to be the cheaper products when compared to its competitor’s products. Though, companies like Ryanair offer much cheaper products than Aer Lingus, the customers would love to travel by Aer Lingus because of great service. Aer Lingus offers both Cabin Services as well as Auxiliary services. Cabin Services include a two class business and economy service on long-haul routes and a single class economy service for all short-haul routes. Auxiliary Services include In-flight sales merchandise, car rental sales, hotel accommodations and commission from online currency conversion. Literature Review According to Philip Kotler, Marketing is the proce ss of offering suitable product to customer. Everything comes to one equation; right product at right place at right price to the right customer (Philip Kotler). Marketing has become one of the most focused areas for any company in the world. Be it is a small scale internet based company or a large scale manufacturing company; without proper marketing, the survival would be a big question mark. According to Neil Borden, marketing department of any company should primarily focus on 4Ps. They are Price, Product, Promotion and Place. The 4Ps are also called as Marketing Mix (Neil Borden 1953). 4P mix is majorly used when you are trying to market a product, which customers can touch and feel. When focusing on the services, the marketing mix would be changed slightly. It

The Heart of Darkness Essay Example for Free

The Heart of Darkness Essay The Heart of Darkness is a novella written by Joseph Conrad. In this book the main character, Marlow, ventures up the Nile River to find a man named Kurtz. As he continues his journey up river he experiences a vast range of emotions and situations that are putting him to the test to see if he can keep his sanity. One of the situations he encounters are the natives of the Congo. At first they are seen as the primitive savage-like people that live in the darkness of Congo. Their way of life seems so out of the norm that there is no way that Marlow could ever understand or feel equal with them. As his journey continues to find Kurtz, he starts to understand their way of life and figure out the meanings of darkness. In the heart of darkness, Joseph Conrad uses the narrator, Marlow, to portray the evolution of mind on how the idea of darkness is a misconception, and by the end of the novella, the once â€Å"primitive savages† are in reality Marlow’s equals. In the beginning of the voyage up the river Marlow’s mindset on the natives is more of, they live an uncivilized life, killing their own people. Marlow thinks his way of life is more civilized. Eating with forks, wearing shoes. But what Marlow doesn’t see is the point of view of the natives. He doesn’t take into consideration of their definition of norm, their definition of civilized. Marlow thinks that his way is the only right way. The natives are civilized in their own way. The way they were brought up and the way they live. Later on in the journey Marlow’s traditional views of imperialists starts to fade, the people that don’t see the conquered natives as humans. â€Å"It was unearthly, and the men were-No, they were not inhuman. Well, you know, that was the worst of it-this suspicion of their not being inhuman. It would come slowly to one. They howled, and leaped, and spun, and made horrid faces; but what thrilled you was just the thought of their humanity-like yours- the  thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar. Ugly. Yes, it was ugly enough; but if you were man enough you would admit to yourself that there was in you just the faintest trace of a response to the terrible frankness of that noise, a dim suspicion of there being a meaning in it which you-you so remote from the night of fist ages-could comprehend† He starts to develop a tiny kinship with the natives. He starts to understand their screams. Marlow develops a place in his mind that understan ds where they are coming from and that everyone has some barbarian inside them. Its natural and it is normal. At the end of the journey Marlow doesn’t consider the natives his equal. He views them more as animals or pets. That you can teach them but and they can learn the meaning but not the significance. Essentially it’s like a parent trying to get their kid to stay in bed by telling them there is a monster under it. They will learn commands but they will not reach the full level of sophistication that he has.

Dell Business Analysis: Organisation and Effectiveness

Dell Business Analysis: Organisation and Effectiveness Summary The research is about study of distribution channel management at Dell Computers, UK. My work is more practical in nature, studying the Distribution Channels of Dell, both at a strategic and an operational level. I would be analysing the business function on its efficiency and effectiveness, comparing with the other industry performers. I would mostly be comparing the function against Sony Electronics, the most respected name in multi-channel distribution network; Acer, pioneer of value computing products and proprietary brands like Advent. The research aims to analyse and study the distribution channel of Dell in UK, distribution channel of its competitors, efficiency and effectiveness of Dells Distribution channel as compared to its competitors. And based on the research and analysis propose recommendations to enhance its effectiveness. The literature review section of the dissertation explores the definition of distribution, channel, and distribution channel and distribution channel management. Apart from that the section also examines the activities and the levels of distribution channel. The latter half of the section focuses on the distribution strategy adopted by Dell, Sony and Acer. Research is conducted by means of case study as well as survey. Case study analysis incorporates the study and effectiveness of the distribution strategy of Acer, Sony and Dell. Two set of questionnaires are designed to collect data from the end customer and the channel partners. Apart from that secondary data is used from from books, journals, company reports and documents, government websites whereas primary data is collected by means of survey questionnaire distributed channel partners and the end customers. In all 50 questionnaires are collected duly filled out of 60 questionnaires being sent out to the end customer whereas the questionnaire for the channel partners was send to 50 channel partners out of which only 30 responses were received. Questionnaires were sent out using survey distribution services of a web site. Care was taken to ensure that diverse demographic is covered for the survey. The research has its own drawbacks such as the work limited to the English market. Financial and time constraints of my semester mean that Im not able to conduct a global research that would be more apt in this case. Another limitation is most of my work is conducted through a personal observation method; as such it is prone to my personal bias. Thirdly distribution channel model is a sensitive piece of company information. As far as information on the competitors distribution channel is concerned its bit difficult. CHAPTER 1: Introduction This chapter will introduce the topic, specify the key aim and objectives of the dissertation, discuss the research approach and state the dissertation outline. The key aim of this chapter is to establish the foundation for the research topic by giving out basic information. 1.1 Introduction The research is about study of distribution channel management at Dell Computers, UK. The dissertation is more practical in nature, studying the Distribution Channels of Dell, both at a strategic and an operational level. I would be analysing the business function on its efficiency and effectiveness, comparing with the other industry performers. I would mostly be comparing the function against Sony Electronics, the most respected name in multi-channel distribution network; Acer, pioneer of value computing products and proprietary brands like Advent. Dell Inc. is a multibillion dollar, multinational technology firm that manufactures, develops, sells and supports personal computing and computer related products. Dell has seen a rapid growth to become one of the top three vendors in the PC manufacturing industry, and has seen a substantial increase in share price and market value. While many other companies were unable to handle the demands of the competition, Dell has proved successful in such an environment. The main key to success to Dell has been its two innovative practices that is direct sales and build-to-order business model. This model is simple as a concept but highly complex to execute, especially in the present conditions of rapid growth and change. Dell has continually renewed and extended its business model while striking a balance between control and edibility. Dell made changes in its design, manufacturing, procurement, and logistics processes to reduce the costs, and to speed up the entire distribution system. It has expanded into International markets and it started making notebook and server product lines which has led to extraordinary profits for dell, and has given a great market value for the company. Dell has reached sales of $18.2 billion by the year 1998, with a profit of $1.46 billion, and Dells market share in the PC market grew from 3% in 1995 to 9.2% in the year 1999 with stock price increasing by 40 times. Dells market capitalization has reached $100 billion. 1.2 Research aim and Questions The primary purpose of my research work is to analyse the role distribution channels play in the functioning of a business, both in the long run and in the short run. My study is to present a detailed description of the unique distribution channel adopted by Dell Inc., analyse its efficiency and effectiveness, identify possible loopholes and put forth recommendations for development. My study is being undertaken with an aim to answer the following research questions: * How are the various distribution channels organised within Dell Inc.? * How does it compare with its competitors? * How effective and efficient is this channel management at Dell? * What can be done to make it better? The four research questions are the guiding blocks of my entire research and all of the work would be done, keeping them in view. Distribution Channels within Dell: I would be looking at Dells innovative distribution channel management which has literally revolutionised the importance of Direct Marketing in the consumer electronics space. Direct marketing is still the primary distribution mechanism within Dell. I would be documenting the evolution of this concept within Dell right from its customized sales regime during PCs Limited to the complex and sophisticated systems that it employs currently. I would be presenting a visual of the entire distribution network that it stands at today. Comparison with its competitors: I would be comparing the dynamic distribution systems of its arch rivals. Sony and Acer are the brands that I would be concentrating upon. I would be looking at the strategies adopted in different economies, though my primary concentration would be on the English markets. Efficiency and Effectiveness: I would be conducting an efficiency and effectiveness test of Dells powerful distribution network against its competitors. This would be an empirical study. I would be concentrating on the parameters of Customer Satisfaction and Vendor relationship management. Recommendations: Finally, I would be putting forth recommendations for future developments along with the cost benefit analysis of such implementations. 1.3 Research approach The study is conducted by collecting secondary data and primary data. Secondary data is collected from books, journals, government websites, company documents whereas primary data is collected by means of survey questionnaire distributed among channel partners and the end customers. Participants of research would be intermediaries in the distribution network and the end customer. In order to select the participants the study has made use of stratified random sampling method in order to make sure that major demographic segments are represented while selecting the samples (Rao Skinner, 1996). Questionnaire design consists of two parts. The first part contained the demographic information while the second part dwelled on each of the subjects perception on each variable using five point likert scales from 1 (â€Å"Strongly Agree†) to 5(â€Å"Strongly Disagree†). The study did not require any assistance from a third party or any other institution. In order to collect data the study made use of web portal survey to distribute survey and get responses. The system was designed in such a way that the respondent have to submit all the answers. Out of 60 questionnaires, responses for 50 surveys were obtained. The duration for the survey was kept as two weeks, a reminder mail was being sent to the respondents at the end of week one to remind them. 1.4 Importance of the study Organizations have been undergoing strategic changes over the past decade. More so in the past couple of years. The current recession has proved that risk management and strategic planning are most vital for an organizations long lasting and self-sustaining performance. My work will strive to highlight one such areas of strategic thinking and inform the senior management about the benefits involved. 1.5 Research Scope My work would primarily be concentrated on the UK market. Though Dell is a global corporation with intermediaries present across the globe, all working towards forming an effective value chain to maximize business potential and ensure efficiency in operations; UK being the second biggest market after the US will be a general approximation of the entire organizational behaviour. Furthermore, the cosmopolitan nature of London and demographic diversity ensures that it would be a close estimate of the general population. 1.5 Limitation of Research I intend to undertake my research as comprehensively as possible. As in any research work, inherent are some unavoidable drawbacks in my study. Few of them are: * Financial and Time Constraints: As outlined before, the scope of my work is limited to the English market. Financial and time constraints of my semester mean that Im not able to conduct a global research that would be more apt in this case. * Personal bias. Most of my work is conducted through a personal observation method; as such it is prone to my personal bias. However as the person who is to do the entire research right from formulation of research questions to recommending solutions, I would be most qualified to comment on the topic. * Information Constraints. Distribution channel model is a sensitive piece of company information. Though I have secured access to Dell, wherein I could do all the data mining myself, the extent of information that I would be able to muster about the rivals model is still to be seen. 1.5 Dissertation outline The structure of the dissertation is as follows Chapter 1: Chapter 1 encompass introduction to the topic, followed by brief background into the research topic. This beginning chapter also lays bare aims and objectives of the research followed by structure of the thesis. Apart from that this chapter also gives information on the research approach adopted and the limitations of the research. Chapter 2: The literature review section of the dissertation explores the definition of distribution, channel, and distribution channel and distribution channel management. Apart from that the section also examines the activities and the levels of distribution channel. The latter half of the section focuses on the distribution strategy adopted by Dell, Sony and Acer. The final section compares the distribution strategy by all the three players. Chapter 3: The thesis then moves on to methodology section wherein the research model, research framework and data collection methodology is discussed. Questionnaire method is used to collect the necessary data from the consumer. Chapter 4: This chapter explores data findings Chapter 5: This chapter presents the conclusion. Chapter 6: This includes references using Harvard referencing style Chapter 7: This includes the Appendix 1.6 Summary The chapter introduced the topic of the dissertation, specified the key aims and objectives of the research. Discussed the research approach in form of secondary and primary data collection through the means of questionnaire and clearly stated the limitations of the research in brief. The chapter also outlines the research structure specifying the contents of each chapter. Chapter 2: Literature Review During my research, I would primarily be looking towards the concepts of Distribution Channel and its management. I would be guided by the various contributions in the field, though my work would primarily be influenced by the theories and suggestions of Philip Kotler in the area. A Professor of Business Studies at the Kelloggs Business School, Kotler is often regarded as the ‘Father of Modern Marketing. My work also coincides with various other management thinking like Consumer Behaviour, Relationship Management, Marketing Mix and Optimization, among others. 2.1 Definition 2.1.1 Distribution Kotler (1996) states that distribution is a key element in the marketing mix (place amongst the 4Ps). It is the systems and practices in use which make a product or service available to the consumer of such a product or service. 2.1.2 Channel Channel is defined as â€Å"a set of interdependent organizations involved in the process of making a product or service available for consumption or use† (Gorchels, West, Marien, 2004). It can also encompass physical movement, warehousing, ownership of the product, presale transaction, post-sale activities; order processing, credit and collections; and other different types of support activities (Gorchels, West, Marien, 2004). 2.1.3 Distribution Channel The Distribution Channel is the chain of intermediaries, each of them passing on the product or service to another intermediary until it reaches the consumer. The business dictionary defines it as â€Å"The route by which a product or service is moved from a producer or supplier to customers. A distribution channel usually consists of a chain of intermediaries, including wholesalers, retailers, and distributors, that is designed to transport goods from the point of production to the point of consumption in the most efficient way† (Dictionary, 2010) Another definition of Distribution channel states â€Å"A group of independent and interdependent organizations involved in the sale and movement of goods and services to the end users may be called a distribution channel or network† (Gorchels, West, Marien, 2004). More specifically, a distribution channel is: * The transfer of goods from manufacturer to the end user. * Route of a company for distributing the goods. * The process of moving goods from the manufacturer to the consumer. * A supply chain consisting of all parties in between production to the end user. 2.2 Types of channel members The activities in the distribution channel can be carried out by the marketer himself or it can be carried out by specialist organizations. The specialist organizations and the channel members can be categorized into two types. * Resellers * Specialty Service Firms. Resellers are the companies which usually buy and take the ownership of the products from the manufacturer with the intention of selling to end consumers. An organization can have one or more than one reseller in the chain. The network or chain of resellers is known as reseller network. The resellers can be further classified into: Retailers: A retailer sells the product directly to the end customer. Wholesalers: Wholesalers buy the products from manufacturer or other wholesalers and then they sell the products to the retailers. Industrial Distributors: They are the ones who sell products from one business to other, they are suppliers who buy the goods and sell it to another firm. Specialty service firms are organizations that do not take the ownership of the products. They also provide additional services along with the products. Specialty firms can be: Agents and brokers: They are the firms which bring together the suppliers and buyers and mediate the sale and they charge a fee for this kind of service. Distribution service firms: They provide services which help with the movement of goods in the distribution channels like transportation, processing and storage of goods and products. Others: They are the firms which provide other services to the channels in distribution like insurance, routing assistance etc. The distribution channels consist of many parties among which each of them is trying to meet their objectives. Relationships between channel members should be strong with each others especially on which they are depending for the further distribution of product. 2.3 Levels The arrangement of the distribution channels can be classified into two types: * Independent channel arrangements. * Dependent channel arrangements. Independent channel arrangements: In this type of arrangement the channel members negotiate deals with others which do not result in the binding of the relationships. Channel members are free to make arrangements which they feel is in their own and best interest. An individual member decides what is best for them and not the entire channel. This is also called conventional distribution arrangement and often significant conflict as each member decides what is best for him and not in concern with the entire channel As shown in the figure 2 there are four levels of distribution channels. Channel 1 is called the direct marketing channel which is the distribution of products or services from the manufacturer to the customer. The best example for this channel is Dell which does not makes use of any intermediaries to distribute its products to end customers; there are no retailers, agents or wholesalers. The channel does not have any intermediaries. This type of channel helps to eradicate the excess cost and also helps to have good control over the quality and marketing. The other three channels fall in the category of â€Å"indirect marketing channels†. As shown in the figure 1, the second channel has one intermediary, if the market is a consumer market the one intermediary is basically a retailer. Electronic consumer goods market of UK is an example of second type of channel arrangement. In this type of distribution arrangement the companies sell good to large retail chains, example would be Sony, Canon, and HP selling their electronic goods to large retail chains such as Dixons. These retailers in return sell the goods to the end customer. As shown in the figure Channel 3 consists of two levels which are the wholesaler and the retailer. The role of the wholesale in this channel is to buy the products at bulk from the manufacturer and then sell the same to retailer in smaller quantities. This model works best for retailers on small scale and not for big chains such as Dixons. This type of distribution channel is best when there are large number of small retailers and not big companies. Example in this case would be the medical drugs distribution market in the UK. The fourth channel has added level to it in the form of agents who work as intermediary between manufacturer and wholesaler. The agent acts as representative for both the sides. This works in textile market. Figure 2 gives information on the four types of distribution channel. Dell follows the manufacturer to direct customer channel thus discarding the intermediaries in between. Source: http://nptel.iitm.ac.in/courses/IIT-MADRAS/Management_Science_II/Pdf/1_4.pdf A direct distribution channel is where a company sells their products direct to consumers. While direct channels were not popular many years ago, the Internet has greatly increased the use of direct channels. Additionally, companies needing to cut costs may use direct channels to avoid middlemen mark-ups on their products. Distributors, wholesalers and retailers are the primary indirect channels a company may use when selling their products in the marketplace. Companies choose the indirect channel best suited for their product to obtain the best market share; it also allows them to focus on producing their goods. Though, in practicality, a number of other players exist, they can be generalised to the above. The specific channel of distribution adopted by a company depends, to a major extent, on its business model, the industry type and the scale of its operations. As an Instance, Sony has its own set of company operated exclusive showrooms. The strong brand equity of Sony, the scale of its business and clearly identifiable product differentiations that it enjoys with the consumers, allow it to leverage on its economies of scale and scope by operating its own outlets. Directly, this result in better margins for the company and indirectly it helps building on its already demanding brand leadership. Dell, on the other hand, relies more on online sales. This is because of the organization of its service delivery utility. Dells business model is based upon its centralised manufacturing facilities, rather than the nuclear organization at Sony. Online sales suits such a strategy by negating the high costs of transportation and inventory planning issues involved. A manufacturer selling a physical product might require three channels: Sales Channel, Delivery Channel, and Service Channel. In Our case, Dell uses telephone and internet as sales channels, express mail services as the delivery channel and local repair people as its service channel. 2.4 Distribution Channel Activities Distribution includes different range of activities (Richard Gay, 2007) * Linking many suppliers to provide wide range of consumer choice * Assist the exchange process identify the needs of the buyer in the context of product categories, quantities, range etc. and devise manufacturing, inventory and packaging schedules to fit. * Marketing information: This encompass collection, distribution and analysing marketing research information such as the past sales data about the players within the organizations marketing environment. * Promotional activities- This involves setting of promotional objectives and activating the various elements of the marketing communications mix and measuring their effectiveness, this will encompass identify and communicate with prospects. * Pricing: Deciding on the sales terms and conditions at each stage of the value chain * Risk management This includes analysis and resource sourcing required for involvement in the channel , the degree of control and influence and the potential benefits such as revenue and profit generation. * Physical Distribution Management It includes the transportation all aspects of warehousing management and information flows. Other Activities that may be part of the distribution channels are as follows: * Order Generation. * Handling of Goods. * Shipping of Goods. * Storage of Goods. * Display of Goods. * Promotion of Goods. * Sale. * Feedback. 2.5 Distribution Channel Management Distribution Channel Management is all about getting the product or service to the right people at the right time under the constraints of profits, efficiency and effectiveness. Successful marketing does not end when a business has developed a product or service and has found its appropriate target audience with a view to selling it at the right price. The next issue that needs to be faced is how they are going to distribute and sell this product/service to these people- the consumers. When a product/service is purchased by a consumer, it may have been bought directly from the business, or it may have been through a number of intermediaries (wholesaler, retailer, etc.): these are known as distribution channels. Small businesses need to acknowledge the different types of distribution channels to utilize sales potential. Distribution channel management involves a lot of channel decisions, strategic alternatives and numerous linking concepts, all of which would be explored in my research paper. Distribution channel management involves a lot of channel decisions, strategic alternatives and numerous linking concepts. The PC industry is driven by rapid technological improvements in components, particularly microprocessors, other semiconductors, and storage devices. The improved performance of hardware has been matched historically by increased complexity of software, creating demand for the latest hardware. Figure 2 PC Supply Chain This means that time is a critical competitive factor in the industry in two ways: * Firstly, excess inventory loses value (at an estimated 10% per month 😉 and costs money; * Secondly, products incorporating the most advanced technologies are in high demand and carry a price premium. As a result, companies that minimize inventory and bring new products to market faster can reduce costs, increase market share, and maintain higher margins. Two factors come into play in determining the ability of PC companies to manage inventory and introduce new products. First is the standardized, modular nature of the PC. PCs are built from standard components, using common architectural interfaces determined largely by Intel, Microsoft, and, earlier, IBM. PC makers also can outsource much of their production and purchase components from a well-established production network of contract manufacturers and components suppliers. This makes it quite easy for PC companies to introduce new PCs with the most advanced technologies. By the 1990s, PC makers could no longer gain much of an edge by virtue of design and manufacturing, as everyone had access to the same technical information and supply base. The difference among PC companies was determined increasingly by the second factorâ₠¬â€the structure of distribution. The traditional distribution system of the PC industry is an indirect model often referred to as â€Å"the channel†. The PC maker sells its products to distributors, who buy products from many manufacturers and then sell them to a variety of retailers, resellers, system integrators, and others, who sell products and services to the final customer. This distribution system was an effective means for distributing high volumes of PCs with a variety of configurations to reach a broad customer base. However, it had inherent weaknesses that left it vulnerable in a time-based competitive environment. First was its reliance on market forecasting to drive production. Even the most successful PC makers, such as IBM, Apple, and Compaq, were chronically bedevilled by their inability to accurately forecast demand in a market driven by ever shorter product cycles. They were either caught with short supplies of hot products, causing them to lose sales to competitors, or stuck with excess inventories of slow sellers, which clogged the distribution channels and often had to be sold at a loss to move them out. Even with the best forecasting, the indirect model was plagued by the need to hold inventory at each step. In the early 1990s, it was common for PC makers to have up to 90 days of inventory on hand and in the channel. The high inventory costs and lack of responsiveness of the indirect channel meant that there was an opportunity for someone who could a way to circumvent the channel. The company that seized this opportunity was Dell, which pioneered a new business model based on selling PCs directly to the final customer, and building the PC only when an order was received Selling directly removes two links in the supply chain where inventory could build up and also enables Dell to know its final customers, provide better service to them, and promote repeat or expanded sales to them. Build-to-order production allows Dell to introduce new technologies as soon as customers want them and makes it possible to adjust production to demand very quickly. It also means that Dell does not purchase components and assemble PCs until it has received payment from the customer, giving the company a negative cash conversion cycle in which it receives payment from customers before it must pay suppliers. The current environment for the computer hardware industry is shaped by several macro forces. Primarily, Dell and its competitors are influenced by economic, demographic, technological and national forces. Government, social, physical and national forces peripherally affect the computer hardware industry to varying degrees. The commoditization of the personal computer—a vital tool for business and consumer. Customers- are a key driver for the economics of this industry. Corporate spending accounts for 80% of all technology spending, and economic conditions decreasing business capital expenditures has a negative and direct impact on the computer hardware industry. While this industry is mature in the U.S., leading to decreased growth expectations, computer spending by other countries around the world will likely fill this void. Pricing in the computer manufacturing industry is extremely competitive. IT reflects the rapid pace of technological change and decreasing PC costs. Since 2000, the prices of chips and disk drives declined and the standardization of primary components of PCs led to a decline in PC prices. Direct sellers, including Dell, have traditionally been able to under-price indirect sellers in the industry including Compaq and HP. However, most PC vendors now offer a desktop model for less than $500 and a laptop for $700. Key success factors for companies in this industry continue to evolve as the industry matures. Specifically, they include: * Competitive prices * Superior relationships with suppliers * Product customization for business and consumer customers * Quality customer service * Excellent cost structure 2.5.1 Channel Issues Some of the channels issues that the companies face are as follows Product related issues Promotions related issue Pricing related issues Target market related issue Product related issues: The nature and type of the product decides the distribution option that should be chosen for the product. A few products require special handling. Ex. Flowers, Fragile goods etc. Promotion related issues: The type of promotions that are required to sell the products to the customers also decides the distribution options; there are products which require an extensive contact of the sales person with the customer like automobiles etc. and there are products which require no sales assistance from the sales person like milk etc. Pricing issues: The price at which the marketer desires to sell their product also decides the distribution option for the channel if a product is prices really less it cannot have many members in the distribution channel as each one of them looks at making their own profit in the channel. Target market issues: The distribution channel is successful only if the product can reach the right customer. Choosing a distribution channel is the path to reach the target customer. A key decision in setting of a channel arrangement is for the marketer to choose the approach to reach his target customer in the best possible manner. 2.6 Dell 2.6.1 Company Background Dell Inc. is a multibillion dollar, multinational technology firm that manufactures, develops, sells and supports personal computing and computer related products. Based out of Texas, it employ