Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Disorder of Donnie Darko, choose a movie with a main...

Donnie Darko is an almost confusing film about time travel, schizophrenia and the manipulation of one s fate. The film focuses on a teenage schoolboy named Donnie Darko. Donnie is not mentally healthy but he is very intelligent and has extremely high Iowa test scores. He also has a tendency to hallucinate and do destructive things when sleepwalking, such as flooding his school and burning down a house, due to this he is on strong medication and sees a therapist on a regular basis. After a near death experience, Donnie starts seeing an imaginary friend known as Frank. Frank is a seven foot tall, demonic looking rabbit, who tells him about how the world is going to end and of the possibilities of time travel. Frank saved Donnie from this†¦show more content†¦Donnie Darko s behavior is very abnormal, he is not like anybody else in his environment. This can mostly be attributed to being a paranoid schizophrenic. Paranoid schizophrenia is one of the most damaging of all mental di sorders. It causes it s victims to lose touch with reality as Donnie does with his ideas of time travel. They often begin to hear, see, or feel things that aren t really there, or hallucinations which Donnie often experiences. They also become convinced of things that

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

The Nevada Constitution Vs. Nevada - 1858 Words

Garcia Thesis: There are substantial differences between the United States and Nevada Constitutions to include its length, how their judges interpret law, the powers of their leaders, their forms of democracy, their meeting mandates and their system of selecting judges. This paper discusses these differences as well as an important concern for Nevadans, the value of an intermediate court of appeals. In the latter we will note the attempts to establish a court of appeals as well where the issue stands now. I. Why the Nevada Constitution is lengthier and what that means for Nevada judges as they do their jobs of interpreting the state constitution compared to federal counterparts. The Nevada Constitution is lengthier than its federal counterpart primarily because it contains many more policy-oriented provisions, as well as provisions concerning the character, virtue and even morality of its people than that of the federal Constitution. There is also a distinguished difference in the separation or distribution of powers as the federal constitution does not mandate any particular arrangement of governmental powers in the states. Also, provisions involving individual rights in the federal Constitution have not been incorporated so as to apply to the states. Generally speaking, State constitutions perform different functions (generally limit plenary powers rather than grant enumerated powers), have different origins (from the people Garcia themselves), and have a differentShow MoreRelatedNevada Constitution Vs. Nevada1696 Words   |  7 PagesThe Nevada constitution is the document that governs the citizens of the state of Nevada. In general, state constitutions are usually much longer than the United States constitution and Nevada’s constitution, which was sanctioned in 1864, is one of the state constitutions that fall into that category. When comparing the two, Nevada’s constitution is just short of being twice the length of the United States constitution, but Nevada is still shorter than the constitution of twenty-six other statesRead MoreAnalysis Of The Nevada And Us Constitutions1883 Words   |  8 PagesAn Analysis of the Nevada and US Constitutions and Government Structures Denisse Bustillos, 5432 PSC 101 Introduction to American Government and Politics Fall 2014 Section number: 101-1003 88311 Professor: William Eric Davis Ph.D. Author Note This assignment represents my own work. It is not a recycled assignment from another course and it has not been purchased, borrowed, or obtained from another source. Nor has any part of it been plagiarized. I did not include sections written by or summarizedRead MoreTheu.s. And Nevada Constitutions3730 Words   |  15 Pages An Analysis of the U.S and Nevada Constitutions and Government Structures By Lisa McClaughry 7165 PSC 101 Introduction to American Government and Politics Spring 2015 Section Number: [3008] Class Number: [32583] Professor: William Eric Davis, Ph.D. This assignment represents my own work. It is not a recycled assignment from another course and it has not been purchased, borrowed, or obtained from another source. Nor has any part of it been plagiarized. I did not include sections writtenRead MorePolitical Party Issues742 Words   |  3 Pagesfrom the partys position. Less is known where some of the third parties, such as the Green Party, Libertarian Party, and Constitution Party, stand on the issue. I support same-sex marriage because I see no valid arguments against it. The majority of arguments against gay marriage are based on religious perspective. In the United States, the First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees separation of church and state. Therefore, religion should not have a place in either the formulation or implementationRead More03 06 04 Essay892 Words   |  4 Pagescategories (multi-media, contemporary cases, advocacy documents). If you need support for the citation, consult the MLA Formatting Guide you printed from the lesson. Amendment for your topic (from the Bill of Rights) Citation: http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/fourth_amendment What information from this source seems the most important? Note key points mentioned in the source. The most important part of the amendment is the right to be secure from unwarranted search and seizures. How does this sourceRead MoreNorth and South on Slavery1040 Words   |  4 Pagesthe beginning of the Civil War many ideals about slavery changed. Slavery was slowly tearing us apart. In the events form the end of the Revolutionary War to 1800 many ideals involving slavery were altered. The first example was the constitution. In the Constitution they finally mention slaves. Slaves now count as 3/5 of a person. This may not seem like a major improvement in the treatment of slaves but it really is. Before slaves didn’t count for anything. Now, at least, they count for somethingRead MoreImpact Of The 14th And 15th Amendment Under U.s. Policy1154 Words   |  5 Pagestake these amendments into place and also the changes. Impact of the 14th and 15th Amendment under U.S. Policy The 14th Amendment was ratified July 9, 1868 giving citizenship to all persons including former slaves. Any state that went against the constitution was punished, reducing their representation in Congress. The Amendment banned those who engaged in rebellion against the States from holding any civil, military or elected office without approval of two-thirds of the Senate and the House of RepresentativesRead MoreImpact Of The 14th And 15th Amendment Under U.s. Policy Essay1154 Words   |  5 Pagestake these amendments into place and also the changes. Impact of the 14th and 15th Amendment under U.S. Policy The 14th Amendment was ratified July 9, 1868 giving citizenship to all persons including former slaves. Any state that went against the constitution was punished, reducing their representation in Congress. The Amendment banned those who engaged in rebellion against the States from holding any civil, military or elected office without approval of two-thirds of the Senate and the House of RepresentativesRead MoreThe Rights Of African Americans1631 Words   |  7 Pagesregain representation. Last but not least was the ratification of the 15th Amendment on February 3, 1870. This amendment s sponsor was heavily guided by a member of the senate committee of the Judiciary William Stewart. William Stewart represented Nevada and was known as the silver senator and actually drafted the final version of the 15th amendment. The 15th amendment barred states from disenfranchisement. States could not prohibit persons from voting regardless of race, color, or previous conditionRead MoreThe Treaty O f Guadalupe Hidalgo1654 Words   |  7 PagesWar. Bringing peace between the two countries. The U.S. called for Mexico to cede 55% of its territory, extending the boundaries of the United States by over 525,000 sq/m. This newly acquired land is what is known as present day Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado,and Wyoming. In exchange for this land, Mexico received a $15 million compensation. word count: 130 Abolitionist Movement The Abolitionist Movement began in 1833, when the American Anti-Slavery Society in Philadelphia

Monday, December 9, 2019

Presidential Election of 1856 Essay Example For Students

Presidential Election of 1856 Essay Title: The Contenders For the presidential election of 1856, the Democrats nominated JamesBuchanan and John Breckenridge, the newly formed Republican party nominatedJohn Fremont and William Drayton, the American or Know-Nothing partynominated former president Millard Fillmore and Andrew Donelson, and theAbolition Party nominated Gerrit Smith and Samuel McFarland. Buchanan started his political career as a state representative inPennsylvania, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1821,appointed minister to Russia in 1832, and elected US Senator in 1834. He wasappointed Secretary of State in 1845 by President Polkand in that capacity helped forge the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, whichended the Mexican War. He was appointed by President Polk as minister toGreat Britain in 1853. As such, he, along with the American ministers toSpain and France, issued the Ostend Manifesto, which recommended theannexation of Cuba to the United States. This endeared him to southerners,who assumed Cuba would be a slave state. He was one of several northerners supported over the years by southernDemocrats for being amenable to slaveholders’ interests, a situationoriginating with Martin van Buren. Buchanan’s two major rivals for the nomination, Franklin Pierce andStephen Douglas, were both politically tainted by the bloodshed in Kansas. Buchanan was untainted, since he had been abroad during most of thecontroversy. Even so, he did not secure the nomination until the seventeenthballot. Fremont was best known as an explorer and a war hero. He surveyed theland between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, explored the Oregon Trailterritories and crossed the Sierra Madres into the Sacramento Valley. As acaptain in the Army, he returned to California and helped the settlersoverthrow Mexican rule in what became known as the Bear Flag Revolution, asidebar to the Mexican War. He was elected as one of California’s first twoSenators. The infant Republican party was born from the ashes of the Whig party,which had suffered spontaneous combustion as a result of the slavery issue. The party’s convention was a farce; only northern states and a few borderslave states sent delegates. Sticking to their Whig roots, they nominated awar hero, albeit a minor one. William Drayton’s runner-up for the VP slotwas Abraham Lincoln. Fillmore, having been the thirteenth president following the death ofZachary Taylor, found himself representing the American party after manynorthern delegates left the convention over a rift caused by the slaveryissue. Their objection was that the party platform was not strong enoughagainst the spread of slavery. Theparty’s vice presidential nominee was a nephew of Andrew Jackson and theeditor of the Washington Union. The party, also known as the Know-Nothings,was extremely antagonistic towards immigrants, Catholics and other assortedminorities. The party was born in 1850, when several covert â€Å"NativeAmerican† societies joined together, their secret password being â€Å"I knownothing.†Smith was nominated by the Abolition party in New York, which hadnominated Frederick Douglass for New York secretary of state the year beforeunder the label New York Liberty Party. The Campaign: Neither Buchanan nor Fremont campaigned themselves. Republicans declared Buchanan dead of lockjaw. Fremont, however, had asplendid campaign substitute, his beautiful wife Jessie, prompting â€Å"OhJessie!† campaign buttons. The Democrats tried desperately to avoid theslavery issue altogether, opting instead to pursue the conservative effortto preserve the Union. The Republicans, on the other hand, actively attackedslavery. Their campaign slogan was â€Å"Free Soil, Free Men, Freedom, Fremont†. Shields-West, pgs 78 80The self-serving efforts of Stephen Douglas did more to mold thecampaign of 1856 than did any other single event. Although he did notintentionally destroy the North-South balance created by theCompromise of 1850, his focused quest for the White House caused him to makesome foolish choices. Douglas coveted a rail head in Chicago for the newtranscontinental railroad. This would make Chicago a major trade center forthe country, not unlike New York City when the Erie Canal was completed. Heknew increased economic power for his home state would translate asincreased political power for him.The South, on the other hand, wanted the

Monday, December 2, 2019

The percentage energy loss Essay Example

The percentage energy loss Paper When an object has Gravitational Potential Energy due to its raised position, it will gain Kinetic Energy if it falls. The maximum kinetic energy it can gain is equal to the potential energy it can lose. When the ball hits the ground and then bounces back up again, the amount of potential energy the second time is not as great as from when you first started. This is because of Percentage Energy Loss and Elastic Potential Energy. The Percentage Energy Loss is the second Potential Energy divided by the first Potential energy then multiplied by one hundred. E. g.PEi PEi x 100 = Percentage Energy Lost Energy stored in a stretched or compressed spring is elastic potential energy. When Elastic Potential Energy occurs, sound waves, movement and little heat is made throughout the surface it hits and therefore this can also be a factor I could measure. Another energy factor I could measure is the Energy Conversion. You can find this out by one simple equation similar to the one before. E. g. Height 1 Height 2 x 100 = Energy Conversion There are also equations to work out the Potential Energy and Kinetic Energy too. E. g. Potential Energy (PE) = mass (m) x gravity (g) x height (h) Kinetic Energy (KE) = 1/2 x mass (m) x velocity (v) i Change in Potential Energy (PE) = Change in Kinetic Energy (KE) All these equations will be usual for my investigation and so will use some of them to prove my theory or prediction and hope the results come out successfully. Prediction Due to preliminary work I found out that the drop height potential energy is twice as great as the bounce height potential energy. Therefore meaning the tennis ball loses about half its potential energy the second time round. We will write a custom essay sample on The percentage energy loss specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The percentage energy loss specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The percentage energy loss specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This can be calculated by using the Energy Conversion equation or Percentage Energy Lost equation. Both these equations gave me about 50% energy loss in the bounce height to the drop height. This could be the reason of elastic potential energy but we will have to see in out second set of results and find out the reason for it being 50% and not any other result. Plan During this experiment there will be many factors that you will have to take into consideration as each one could have an effect on the investigation and we only want to change one of these factors to make it a fair test. We would also like to keep the calculations nice and simple too, so that the results can easily be plotted onto graphs and tables for easier use These are some of the main variables we will need to take into consideration: Mass of the ball   Size and material of the ball Drop height of the ball   The surface used to drop the ball onto   Ball pressure Conditions and atmosphere To make it a fair investigation I must only change one variable and keep the rest the same. Some of the variables are simple and easy to keep under control but others could cause problems or are difficult to keep under control. One variable for example, conditions of atmosphere, is very hard to keep under control as it is a natural atmosphere and if you wanted to make it perfect other equipment and scientific knowledge will need to be known. There are still rules you will have to follow though to try and keep the conditions roughly the same throughout the investigation. Here are each of the variables and how I would control them throughout the investigation: Variable How I would control it Mass of ball   Keep the ball indoors or outdoors each time. If outdoors then out of the rain otherwise it would affect the mass of the ball by making it heavier and therefore affecting the elastic potential energy. Size and Material of ball   If you keep the same ball throughout the investigation the size and material should then stay the same and shouldnt have any affect. Drop height of the ball   This variable is the factor I have decided to change. By doing this I can change the heights and measure the different energy factors involved. The surface used to drop the ball onto. The surface is always an important factor in this investigation because if changed during the recording of results the bounce height and elastic potential energy could be affected greatly. Therefore I would use the same surface each time. Ball pressure   Now the pressure within the ball is hard to keep exactly the same as each time its used some pressure could be lost but as long as I keep the same ball for each result then I should get a good set of results. Conditions of atmosphere   Now this is a hard variable to control but as long as I stay in the same place (e.g. indoors) then I should be fine and the conditions shouldnt really change. The temperature may rise with the amount of people being the same room at the same time but this wont have much affect. Safety Safety is always a matter that must be taken into consideration throughout any investigation as you could be putting your life and others around you, at risk. For this investigation the safety factors are little but still must be noticed. During this experiment no dangerous items, objects, or chemicals are being used therefore it should be easy to stay safe and simple.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

All 25 Elephant and Piggie Books by Mo Willems

All 25 Elephant and Piggie Books by Mo Willems I highly recommend all of the Elephant and Piggie books. They are fun, easy to navigate, and have no superfluous words or details in the illustrations, making it easy for new readers to focus on whats important and to enjoy the reading experience. They also stress the value of friendship and getting along with others. Introduce your children to the Elephant and Piggie books and youll find they  will delight both beginning readers and younger children. The Elephant and Piggie books are fun to read aloud to younger children who love the funny stories about the two friends. I recommend the books for ages 4-8 and especially beginning readers from 6-8 years old. Summary of Elephant and Piggie Books by Mo Willems The 25 Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems, which are each 64 pages long, revolve around the friendship of Elephant and Piggie. Elephant, whose name is Gerald, tends to be cautious and pessimistic while his best friend, Piggie, is quite different. She is optimistic, outgoing, and impulsive. Gerald worries a lot; Piggie doesnt. Despite being very different, the two are best friends. The humorous stories by Mo Willems focus on how Elephant and Piggie get along despite their differences. While the stories are funny, they stress important elements of friendship, such as kindness, sharing, and working together to solve problems. Kids love the Elephant and Piggie stories. Unlike some books in a series featuring the same characters, the Elephant and Piggie books do not have to be read in a particular order. The distinctive and spare artwork in the books is easily recognizable and wont confuse the beginning reader. In many of the books, Elephant and Piggie are the only characters. Simply drawn and set against a white background, Elephant and Piggies expressive faces and body language are irresistible. All of the words in each story are dialogue, with Elephants words appearing in a gray voice bubble above his head and Piggies words in a pink voice bubble above her head, like you see in comic books. According to Mo Willems, he intentionally drew simple drawings with an emphasis on what was most important: the words of the story and the body language of Elephant and Piggie.  (Source: The World of Elephant and Piggie) Awards and Honors for Elephant and Piggie Books Among the many awards and honors Elephant and Piggie have won are the following, which recognize excellence in books for beginning readers: 2009 Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal: Are You Ready to Play Outside?2008 Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal: There is a Bird on Your HeadTheodor Seuss Geisel Honor Books - 2015: Waiting Is Not Easy!, 2014: A Big Guy Took My Ball!, 2013: Lets Go for a Drive, 2012: I Broke My Trunk, and 2011: We Are in a Book! List of All the Elephant and Piggie Books Note: Books are listed in descending order by publication date. The Thank You Book (5/3/2016. ISBN: 97814231I Really Like Slop! (2015, ISBN: 978484722626)I Will Take a Nap! (2015, ISBN: 9781484716304)Waiting is not Easy (11/2014, ISBN: 9781423199571)My New Friend is so Fun (2014, ISBN: 9781423179580)Im a Frog! (2013, ISBN: 9781423183051)A Big Guy Took My Ball! (2013, ISBN: 9781423174912)Lets Go for a Drive! (2012, ISBN: 9781423164821)Listen to My Trumpet! (2012, ISBN: 9781423154044)Happy Pig Day! (2011, ISBN: 9781423143420)Should I Share My Ice Cream? (2011, ISBN: 9781423143437)I Broke My Trunk (2011, ISBN: 9781423133094)We Are in a Book! (2010, ISBN: 9781423133087)Can I Play Too? (2010, ISBN: 9781423119913)I Am Going! (2010, ISBN: 9781423119906)Pigs Make Me Sneeze! (2009, ISBN: 9781423114116)Elephants Cannot Dance! (2009, ISBN: 9781423114109)Watch Me Throw the Ball! (2009, ISBN: 9781423113485)Are You Ready to Play Outside? (2008, ISBN: 9781423113478)I Will Surprise My Friend! (2008, ISBN: 9781423109624)I Love My New Toy! (2008, ISBN: 97814231096 17) There Is a Bird on Your Head! (2007, ISBN: 9781423106869)I Am Invited to a Party! (2007, ISBN: 9781423106876)My Friend Is Sad (2007, ISBN: 9781423102977)Today I Will Fly! (2007, ISBN: 9781423102953)

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Pretests Effective Tools to Target Instruction

Pretests Effective Tools to Target Instruction At every grade level, and in every discipline, teachers need to know what their students know and can do before beginning a new unit of study. One way to make this determination is to use a pretest that  assesses student proficiency in the skill(s) that will be taught in a unit.   The design of that effective  pretest can be  developed using a process of backwards  design  that was popularized by educators  Grant Wiggins  and  Jay McTighe  in their 1990 book  Understanding by Design.  The book detailed the idea of  backwards design  which is  defined in the Glossary of Education Reform: Backward design begins with the objectives of a unit or course- what students are expected to learn and be able to do- and then proceeds backward to create lessons that achieve those desired goals.​ Wiggins and McTigue argued that lesson plans  that target student weaknesses  are those which begin with the final  assessment  in mind.  Therefore, before teaching, teachers should carefully review the results, the data, from a pretest. In reviewing the pretest data, a teacher will be able to decide how to spend time in the classroom in teaching a skill set, because there is no reason to spend classroom time on a skill set that students have already mastered. Pretests allow teachers to see the degrees of proficiency students have with the material. There may be different standards of measuring proficiency such as:  below basic, basic, approaching mastery, mastery. Each of these measurements can be converted to a grade (numerical) or grade level standard.   Take, for example, the use of a geography pretest to assess how well students understand the concepts of latitude and longitude. If all students know how to use these concepts in identifying locations (mastery), then the teacher can skip that lesson. If a few students are still unfamiliar with longitude and latitude, a teacher can individualize instruction to bring those students up to speed. If the majority of students, however, are struggling with locating geographic elements using these ideas, then the teacher can continue with the lesson on longitude and latitude. Key Advantages of Pretests Pretests help measure student learning over a period of time. The pretest marks a students level of understanding before instruction while a final assessment or post-test measures student learning. A comparison of pre- and post-tests can  provide a teacher with an opportunity to track student growth in one class or over several years. For example, a  pretest  in linear equations in algebra can be used to see how well one group of students have learned compared to other students in different classes or different school years.Pretests give students a preview of what will be expected during the unit. This pretest is often a students first exposure to key terms and concepts, and the more frequent the exposure, the more likely students will retain the information. For example, a pretest in botany may be filled with terms such as hybrid, stamen, and photosynthesis.  Pretests can be used diagnostically to determine if there are additional gaps in student learning. There may be quest ions connected to the topic that can be a partial review. The results of a pretest may help generate ideas for a future lesson. Depending on the way the pretests are created, teachers might find knowledge gaps that they did not expect. Armed with this knowledge they can make changes to lessons to include further instruction and review. Pretests can be used to measure the effectiveness of the curriculum. Changes in the curriculum may be measured over time using student assessment results on pretests.   Problems with Pretests There is always a concern about the amount and the frequency of testing of students since testing can take time away from instruction. Consider that a pretest generally does not require prior knowledge which means it is not time sensitive. When a pretest is given at the beginning of the unit, and the post-test is given at the end of a unit, the timing can mean a student will need to take two tests back-to-back. One way to avoid this complication of extended testing times is to give a pretest for quarter two/or trimester two in the middle of quarter one/or trimester one.  Teachers should be cautioned that a poorly written pretest will not provide the information necessary for targeted instruction. Spending time creating an effective pretest can improve instruction by recognizing areas of student strengths and targeting  areas of student weaknesses. Creating Pretests Teachers writing  pretests  should always remember their purpose. Since pretests  can be used for comparison to post-tests, they should both similar in format. The same procedures should be used in delivering the post-test as were used in the pretest. For example, if a passage was read aloud in the pretest, then a  passage should be read during the post-test. The passage and questions, however, should not be the same. Ultimately a well-designed pretest will mirror the design and concepts of the final assessment in part and can reveal many gems to the savvy teacher. Pretests should also be reviewed as to their effectiveness in improving instruction. Teacher feedback is critical to the development of good pretests  and is an excellent way for teachers to grow in their field. By providing kids with pretests and using that information wisely, teachers can target students with more individualized instruction- and not teach what students already know.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The value of an education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The value of an education - Essay Example One of the most well-known facts about society’s advancement is the fact that from an archaeological perspective, we have banded together to increase our chances of survival. At its root, this suggests that we band together to work together and to learn from one another. Learning from a person is what modern education is today. Society can only progress forward due in part to education and without it, it is a wasteful experience. Education progresses people beyond their limits, allowing for improvements that would not be otherwise possible. It becomes more concrete when perceived from the lens outside of what is commonly understood and held. The implications of a good education can become a persuasive argument for socioeconomic development. One can identify trends within any society to see that education is a tool for success when building a middle class and to some extent, solidifying the community. However, education is a complex issue that holds different keys and locks, al l of which cannot be answered through a singular answer. The importance of an education is valued through what it can grant, provided that individuals help to support their educators but are often hindered by aspects like geography, familial dynamics, and income; which should be overcome if one looks to improve society. Economic development can bring about change in its purest and simplest form. At its core, it can be said that an education has a key role in improving the quality of life and well-being. This is an important aspect of society.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Proposal Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Proposal Argument - Essay Example Indeed, such a twist of events has already been witnessed in Ohio in 2011 when a boy weighing two hundred pounds was taken away from his parental care and put in a rehabilitation home. Cleveland Weight authorities claimed the mother of the boy was putting the health of the boy at risk. The crucial question is whether parents should be held responsible for obese children. It is indisputable that the debate underlying the topic pertains to the question of nurture versus nature. Thus, in deciding whether parents should be held responsible for obese children, one should give considerations to the causes of obesity, questioning how large is the role of parents in making children obese. It is worth acknowledging that obesity is largely caused by dieting, among other factors that are informed by poor parental choices such as limited instillation for physical exercises in children lifestyles. Arguably, diet and lack of exercises are the major causes of obesity among children. Of all the abov e-mentioned factors, non-healthy eating is cited as the main cause of obesity, this is accounted for by the following reasons. According to Hellmich (56), people consume food without giving consideration to the number of calories in it. MacDonald’s meals comprise high amounts of calories that could, no doubt, result to obesity. For instance, Big Mac contains as significant as 500 calories, as well as 33 grams fat (Munger 1456). Even intriguing is the fact a large population of people are now consuming these kinds of foodstuffs. According to Hellmich (60), as significant as 80 percent of youths are overlooking the impact calories can have on their health by underestimating the amount of calories in their meals. This trend is attributable to the fact that many people prefer foodstuff with much sugar, fat and salt (Peta 34). During free times, many people would still opt to taking cookies and snacks. Besides that, most people watch television while eating these snacks. This crea tes a worrying situation since watching television fosters overeating. However, those opposed to the fact that parents should be held responsible for obesity of their children have asserted that there are various factors that cause obesity and which parents have no control over. This is particularly in reference to genetics. Indeed, according to Green and Hayakawa (503) genetic characteristics are considered to play an important role in triggering obesity incidences. Characteristics, such as high human appetite and slow rate at which a body carries out metabolic activities, are all determined by genes and as well as can be inherited. Under condition of food sufficiency, these two would work together and result in perfect obese conditions. Individuals found to consist of a gene associated with fat mass are considered more susceptible to obesity risks than those without the gene. Furthermore, obesity is associated with various syndromes, which are linked to genetic variations. These s yndromes include Prader Willi syndrome, Cohen Syndrome, Bardiet-Biedl Syndrome and MOMO syndromes. Of the People who experience obesity in their early ages, especially below ten, about seven percent contained one point of mutations in DNA. Studies have also pointed out that over eighty percent of children born to obese parents risked obesity by about 80 percent (Allison and Hayakawa, 506). Moreover, the hypothesis of the thrifty gene presupposes that

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Gogols Petersburg Tales Essay Example for Free

Gogols Petersburg Tales Essay Compare Nikolai Gogol’s â€Å"The Overcoat† with the other St. Petersburg tales. Nikolai Gogol’s St. Petersburg stories have been interpreted as tales of social injustice, urban and human isolation, psychological studies, love stories, moralistic fables and social satires. In keeping with emerging trends of â€Å"naturalistic† writing, the stories deal with relatively lowly members of the social strata in the Petersburg bureaucracy – the everyman. This essay will compare â€Å"The Overcoat† with â€Å"Diary of a Madman† and â€Å"The Nose† and examine how each of the main characters in Gogol’s stories survives in the seemingly unnatural and fabricated world of St. Petersburg. The principal character in â€Å"The Overcoat†, Akaky Akakievich Bashmachkin buries himself so deeply in his paltry work of copying documents that his work almost supersedes the actual reality in which he inhabits, he is described walking through the streets of St. Petersburg oblivious to the people around him or the rubbish being thrown out windows onto him, he sees nothing but a line of beautiful words to copy. He later does the same when obsessing about the coat which he is having made to shield him from the bitter Russian winter. This need to cloak and insulate oneself from the cold harshness of modern society is an idea which runs through these three stories, and seemed to preoccupy Gogol himself. He was a secretive person about which very little is known, he said himself in his letters â€Å"But how can one judge about a secretive person in whom everything is inside, whose character hasn’t even taken shape but who is still educating himself in his soul and whose every move produces only misunderstanding? How can one make conclusions about such a person basing oneself on a few traits which have inadvertently stuck themselves out? Won’t this be the same as to conclude about a book by a few sentences torn out of it – not in order either, but from different passages.† Gogol was interested in how the character and worth of someone is judged by others, the characte rs in The Petersburg Stories are all defined, both by themselves and by others, by their professions, which are comically insignificant, Akaky Akakievich copied pages and Poprishchin in â€Å"Diary of a Madman† was in charge of pencil sharpening. These characters are defined by the role they serve as part of the bureaucracy rather than by any kind of individual identity. Gogol paints a picture of a society in which values the most superficial aspects of a person, an idea which is taken to comical new heights in â€Å"The Nose†Ã‚  when the preposterous and vain main character Major Kovalyov loses something which serves no great purpose other than normalising one’s appearance – his nose. Escapism is essential for Gogol’s characters. Each of the main characters feels happiest when they are detached from reality, when they have some sort of rosy, imaginary insulation between them and the inescapable monotony of their lowly lives. Akaky Akakievich is described garnering a disproportionate amount of joy from his work copying documents, smiling to himself as he coppied letters he particularly liked, going home and copying just for fun and â€Å"when all strive to divert themselves† going to bed â⠂¬Å"smiling at thought of coming day†. Akaky puts all of his faith and love and passion into something arbitrary and ultimately meaningless as a coping mechanism, for how else would he survive his pitiful life? The main character in â€Å"Diary of a Madman† Poprishkin is driven to a similar detachment from the real world as his lowly and socially immobile position as a titular councillor becomes too much to bear. He loses his sanity but arguably gains something of greater value; confidence and social mobility. In creating a world for himself where he is no longer one of many middle aged, poorly paid low ranking civil servants but the King of Spain he frees himself from his suffocating ties to societal norms, he no longer believes in the inherent superiority of those of a higher social status, he even has the audacity to call his employer as â€Å"an ordinary doornail, a simple doornail, nothing more. The kind used in doors†. Similarly, Kovalyov deludes himself to give his life a sense of importance and signi ficance. He gives himself the title of â€Å"Major† and struts down Nevsky Prospect making eye contact with everyone and imagining attention from ladies that he passes. The key difference between the coping mechanism employed by Akaky and the methods used by Poprishkin and Kobalev is that Akaky’s world is not one which elevates his social status. His extremely introverted behaviour does not disrupt the status quo. It is arguably their obsession with class and how they appear to others which causes all of both Kovalev and Poprishkin’s strife. Contrastingly, Akaky just wants to be left alone, he doesn’t care that people often see him with trifle or hay stuck to the back of his cape, this makes Akaky a more likeable, sympathetic character, he is completely harmless and innocent a perfect victim. This is the only story in which Gogol allows us to be fully sympathetic with a character. There are indeed moments in â€Å"Diary of a Madman† which could and should stir sympathy for Poprishkin in the reader, but Gogol always undermines these moments with a humorous or nonsensical comment. In â€Å"The Overcoat† however, the narrative tone flips from heart wrenchingly sad to funny and light hearted and then back again in the space of a page – Gogol displays his talent for evoking sympathy and emotion in a reader and his gift for comedy side by side. It is not just the characters who seek to cover themselves up and conceal the truth from the reader; there is a lack of reliability coupled with nonsense running through all three of the narratives which obstinately refuses to make sense. â€Å"The Overcoat† introduces us to this immediately, it begins with a digression â€Å"In the department of but it is better not to mention the department.† The narrator continues in this vein, using a conversational, unreliable tone, often forgetting the facts or losing their place in the story. Gogol’s deliberate elusiveness undermines the idea of the omniscient authorial voice of the narrator and injects suspicion and confusion into the narrative. Gogol uses a similar narrative voice in â€Å"The Nose†. The narrator of â€Å"The Nose† is similarly uninformed and forgetful and makes no attempt to elucidate the reason for all the bizarre occurrences in the story. Things in these stories can often just disappear into a puff of smoke, Gogol increases the confusion, and elusiveness with the use of a lot of mist and smoke imagery, he is like a magician, cloaking his intentions, keeping himself safe behind a cloud of nonsense and a mist of confusion. Gogol’s St. Petersburg stories portray many different types of characters, but pervading through the stories and uniting them is this sense of heightened self-consciousness a need to protect oneself from a befuddling, cold harsh world. Gogol himself put it best in another St Petersburg story – Nevsky Prospekt â€Å"It had seemed as if some demon had crumbled the world into bits and mixed all these bits indiscriminately together† Bibliography Gogol, Nikolai translated by Macandrew, Andrew R and Meyer, Priscilla The Diary of a Madman and Other Stories SIGNET CLASSICS, January 2005, New York, NY/US One Of The Oldest Cases Of Schizophrenia In Gogols Diary Of A Madman Eric Lewin AltschulerBMJ: British Medical Journal , Vol. 323, No. 7327 (Dec. 22 29, 2001), pp. 1475-1477 Published by: BMJ Publishing Group Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25468632 Cloaking the Self: The Literary Space of Gogols Overcoat Charles C. Bernheimer PMLA , Vol. 90, No. 1 (Jan., 1975), pp. 53-61 Published by: Modern Language Association Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/461347 The Laughter of Gogol R. W. Hallett Russian Review , Vol. 30, No. 4 (Oct., 1971), pp. 373-384 Published by: Wiley on behalf of The Editors and Board of Trustees of the Russian Review Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/127792

Thursday, November 14, 2019

A High School Stereotype Essay -- Stereotyping Teens Essays

A High School Stereotype Most students who have gone to high school had a lot of involvement in events that would possibly change them for the rest of their lives. Most students have a lot of memories and went through a lot of changes during that most unusual four year period. Events like learning how to drive, proms, and SAT’s are just a few of the things that all students had to go to while attending high school. Furthermore, most students were also involved in their school in some way shape or form. Examples of this would be sports such as football, track, or wrestling, fine arts such as band or theater, or academics such as clubs like the national honor society. However, to say that all of these groups of people keep only to themselves and never interact with other people is false. A New York Times article written in May of 1999 by Tamar Lewin says just that. This article describes how cliques and other social groups function at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. It also des cribes the parallels between Chaparral High School and Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. The article uses appeals to emotion throughout, but does not make any real logical argument to back up the facts it presents. Most of the article rides on appeals to emotion, relying on the testimonials of a number of students to get the point across that the school is at risk. A technique that the author uses to get the point across using pathos is a mild form of scare tactic. Throughout the entire article the author makes references to Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado and how the two high schools are similar in size, wealth, and ethnic makeup. Everyone knows Columbine of course for the unfortunate s... ...ool with a higher income neighborhood, or they could have happened at a school with a lower income neighborhood. And to pin the events upon a certain high school saying that they are most likely to have a school shooting next is not accurate at all. Throughout the article, the author presents information that causes one to question the safety of our high schools. This information is directed toward a certain high school, causing concern among that school. Furthermore, the information presented does not have the kind of credibility that it needs to for the author to make statements like those made in the article. Around the nation many high schools are being falsely accused of being something that they aren’t. High school is a time for fun times and memories, and with false and stereotypical articles being written, it may take away from the memorable experience.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Chicken Run Essay

The implications if a major customers had gone into is level, it will affect the company cash flow because every payment received the company may have to use it to cover its operating expenses apart from getting profit. Accumulated debtors will show the collection department performance. Low cash flow will affect many areas in an organization. The company may have to make another loan to run it business. Other than that it may have problem to run the business if the cash flow is low. For example, if the company unable to pay the suppliers on time. The supplier may stop to supply product to the company. If the suppliers really stop supplying product, the company may face problem to produce product. This will directly affect the company sales because its fail to produce product to its customers. If the company do not work hard to reduce this important area they may be looking at legal remedies, or even write off debts and that means spending money to get money. The other implication is that, the company will have a very unhealthy debtor’s aging. Where it is supposed to be a guidelines to the company. For example when a debtor reach it limit, the company should be alerted to chase payment based on the debtors aging. But in this case, Encik Selamat has been giving authority to the marketing department to continue supply products to Cold Gold Sdn Bhd because of the closed relationship. Indirectly, it shows that Encik Selamat does not performing his duty rationally. Which effect his image as a manager. He is supposed to show his leadership by having a very good judgement. For example to stop supply products to Cold Gold Sdn Bhd until they settle their debts. Refer to the case Chicken Run; i) How would you assess the financial health of the company? I would assess the financial health of the company based on the gross profit of the company. The higher the gross profit the healthier it is. Of course we have to consider the operating expenses of the company but operating expenses are still under the company control and discretion before we can get the net profit. Other than that, I would assess the financial health of the company by obtaining a history of your company’s financial statements. Five years’ worth is usually a good base. Next, convert the financial statements to common size. Common size financial statements are simply a company’s financials expressed in the form of percentages rather than dollars. A common size format readily identifies trends and growth patterns. Additionally, since industry benchmark data is often produced in this format, it makes it easier to compare the results with the competition. Industry benchmark information can be obtained from a commercial vendor, accountant, or depending upon the industry, from trade associations. Next, financial ratios are calculated. There are a number of ratios to choose from. Some of the more common measure liquidity, debt coverage, leverage, and operating and profit performance. Their relevance is dependent upon your company, its operating characteristics and the industry. Bankers and accountants can be especially useful in identifying the more pertinent ratios. The information gathered thus far is analyzed and compiled on a trended, composite and industry basis. The results of this analysis, when performed  regularly, help you to monitor and recognize the vital statistics necessary for the success and growth of your business. The benefits of this assessment include: Competitive Advantages & Disadvantages An industry assessment enables you to identify your company’s strengths and weaknesses and acquire valuable information on the competition. Budgeting & Forecasting Studying trends and growth patterns is a very effective preliminary step in preparing internal budgets and forecasts. Strategic Planning Recognizing specific performance measurements (company and industry) will help to set goals and objectives for the future (e.g., increasing sales, gross profit margins, and net income). Acquisition Opportunities Knowledge of key performance measurements assists in the evaluation of a proposed sale, merger or acquisition. Focus Greater awareness of the interrelationship of the financial statements and a complete understanding of financial operations allows you to focus on the areas important to the growth and success of your business. ii) What would you suggest as appropriate course of actions? As an appropriate course of actions, I would suggest the directors to refer the â€Å"Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance 2012† as a guidelines to take action against Encik Selamat which involves in unethical activities such as conflict of interest and lack of integrity. Other than that, the internal control of the company should be revised. For example the debtor collection procedures. It has to follow proper standard operating procedures such as when invoices issue to a customers, the payment terms must follow the credit period. Any payment overdue must be chase every month. If it reach the 120 days amount overdue, warning letter should be  issue to the debtors, then stop supplying product to the debtors until payment made. Besides that, Internal Audit must be done regularly. This is to audit the operation run based on the standard operating procedures. Any discrepancy found must be rectify immediately to avoid any unwanted issue to happen. For example, Ms Choy has discovered that the credit limit of Cold Gold Sdn Bhd, one of its major customers had gone into its level and yet the marketing department continued to supply products to the company. If the company do internal audit regularly, this issue may not happen because the internal auditor will detect the problem while it is still under early stage. Other than that, this will avoid Encik Selamat from making unethical activities due to his awareness from the internal auditor. Monthly meeting also can help in this case. Where, Encik Selamat required to report the company performance monthly. In this case, the company should have monthly credit meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to make sure all debtors are monitored closely. Any amount hanging in the debtors aging should have remarks or the status should have been identified. For example, if the debts is not paid within the 30 days period, it should state the reason why? At least we know that chasing of debts run actively by the collection department. If the debtors do not pay according to their credit period, the management at least can give suggestion and acknowledge about that issue.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Emotional Intelligence Essay

?When it comes to the five elements of Emotional Intelligence, I can relate to Self-Regulation the most which is my best aspect. In general, I am a pretty easy going type of guy. Even when someone bad mouths me or attacks me verbally, I tend to keep my cool and analyze the situation before responding back. When it comes to my job as a police officer and dealing with people, we deal with all types of emotions. Some personalities can be distressed, combative, and anxious or anger. Whatever the situation may be, I always tend to self regulate my emotions so that I can best deal with the situation. One example is during an interrogation, another officer and I will play the roles of God Cop Bad Cop, with me being the Good Cop. I am always the Good Cop because I can restrain myself when the suspect tends to be argumentative or angry. I tend to regulate my emotions and not respond in the same manner. The worst aspect of Emotional Intelligence for me would be Social Skills. This is something I am constantly struggling with. When it comes to conflicts, I tend to either avoid it or eliminated the easiest way to avoid more conflict. I know it is easier said than done, but with learning how to deal with can make me a better leader at earning respect and loyalty. I also tend to lack on praising others outwardly. For example, when I see a good arrest from a co-worker based on his observations skills, I know he did a good job and I praise him for it, but I usually don’t say it to him. Not because I do not want to but because I am not comfortable saying it outwardly. I know I can improve on praising others because it is important for your co-workers or subordinates to feel important and appreciated. It tends to bring the best out of them. When it comes to conflict resolution, I will work on reaching a solution through common techniques like negotiations or compromises.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

mitchell 50 alternatives to the book re Essay

mitchell 50 alternatives to the book re Essay mitchell 50 alternatives to the book re Essay Jan-feat.qxd 12/9/97 11:24 AM Page 92 Fifty Alternatives to the Book Report Diana Mitchell Students tire of responding to novels in the same ways. They want new ways to think about a piece of literature and new ways to dig into it. It is hoped that this diverse group of suggestions will whet the interest of students in exploring new directions and in responding with greater depth to the books they read. 1. Character astrology signs. After reading brief descriptions of the astrology or sun signs, figure out which signs you think three of the main characters from your book were born under. Write an explanation of why you think they fit the sign, drawing on their actions, attitudes, and thoughts from the book. 2. Heroes and superheroes. Select two or three people your character would think of as a hero or superhero. Describe the characteristics of the hero and why those characteristics would be important to your character. Also describe which characteristics your character would most want for himself/herself that the hero or superhero possesses. 3. Create a childhood for a character. If your main character is an adult, try to figure out what he or she would have been like as a child. Write the story of his or her childhood in such a way that shows why he or she is the way he or she is in the novel. 4. Critique from the point of view of a specific organization. Select an organization that might have a lot to say about the actions or portrayals of characters in the novel you TEACHING IDEAS read, and write a critique of the book from its point of view. For example the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals might have a lot to say about Lennie’s treatment of animals in Of Mice and Men, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on the portrayal of Crooks, and the National Organization of Women on the portrayal of Curley’s wife and the fact that she was never given a name. 5. Social worker’s report. If the events in the novel merit it, write up a report as a social worker would on the conditions in the home and whether or not it’s a good environment for a child. For example, if a social worker went to the McNabs’ house in Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (1990, Little, Brown) how would she describe the home and parenting style of Mr. McNab? What would her recommendations be? 6. College application. Create the application that a character you have just read about could write and submit to a college. Use all the information you know about the character and infer and create the rest of it. On the application include Name, Academic Rank in Class, High School Courses Taken and Grades, Extracurricular Activities and Personal Activi- ties, and Work Experience. Choose one of the following questions to answer in a two-page essay from the character’s point of view: what experience, event, or person has had a significant impact on your life? Discuss a situation where you have made a difference. Describe your areas of interest, your personality, and how they relate to why you would like to attend this college. 7. School counselor’s recommendation letter. Write a summary appraisal from the school counselor’s point of view that assesses the character’s academic and personal qualities and promise for study in college. The college is particularly interested in evidence about character, relative maturity, integrity, independence, values, special interest, and any noteworthy talents or qualities. Why do you feel this student would be well-suited to attend college? 8. Talk show invitation. Select a character, think about his or her involvements and experiences, then figure out which talk show would most want your character on as a guest. What would they want the character to talk about? Who else would they invite on the show to address the issues the character is involved in? Write up the correspondence between the talk show host and the character in which the host explains what the character should focus on while on

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

How to Convert Miles to Kilometers - Example Problem

How to Convert Miles to Kilometers Problem The method to convert miles to kilometers is demonstrated in this worked example problem. A mile (mi) is a unit of distance used in the United States, particularly for travel. The rest of the world uses kilometers (km). Miles To Kilometers Problem The distance between New York City, New York, and Los Angeles, California is 2445 miles. What is this distance in kilometers? Solution Start out with the conversion factor between miles and kilometers: 1 mile 1.609 km Set up the conversion so that the desired unit will be canceled out. In this case, we want kilometers to be the remaining unit.distance in km (distance in mi) x (1.609 km/1 mi)distance in km (2445) x (1.609 km/1 mi)distance in km 3934 km Answer The distance between New York City, New York, and Los Angeles, California is 3934 kilometers. Be sure to check your answer. When you convert from miles to kilometers, your answer in kilometers will be about one and a half times larger than the original value in miles. You dont need a calculator to see whether or not your answer makes sense. Just make sure its a larger value, but not so big that its twice the original number, Kilometer to Miles Conversion When you work the conversion the other way from kilometers to miles the answer in miles is a bit more than half the original value. A runner decides to run a 10k race. How many miles is it? To solve the problem, you can use the same conversion factor or you can use the conversion: 1 km 0.62 mi This is easier because the units cancel out (basically just multiply a distance in km times 0.62). distance in miles 10 km x 0.62 mi/km distance in miles 6.2 miles

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Global Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global Strategic Management - Essay Example This article is a detailed overview of Coca-Cola Company’s global strategy. Doctor John Pemberton, a pharmacist, in Atlanta Georgia in 1886, invented Coca Cola Company. John Pemberton developed and concocted the coca cola formulae in his backyard of his home. He liaised with Frank Robinson, an excellent bookman, who helped to develop the word Coca Cola that is now used globally as a logo to the company. The soft drink was first sold to members of the public at Jacobs’s pharmacy in Atlanta Georgia on May 8, 1886. The brand continued to grow until 1905 when it was sold as a tonic, which contained extracts of cocaine as well as a caffeine rich cola nut. The company began its expansion plan beginning the 1960s when both small and big town dwellers enjoyed carbonated drinks at their local soda fountain counters (Coca Cola (a) Web). This served as a meeting place for all its drinkers. The company then developed a new trade secret and formulae used to manufacture the drink on April 23, 1985. This new secret was code-named new cookie. This strategy has helped the company to penetrate to new, markets where it was not in existence before. The rate of consumption of the drink has greatly increased to a minimum consumption rate of one billion drinks per day (Coca Cola (b) Web). How the Company Global Strategy Operates Vision and Mission Statement In order to achieve the company’s global strategy, the company had to renew their vision and mission statements, as well as their goals, aims, and objectives. The company’s vision statement has been changed to â€Å"To maintain our reputation as the leading Cola Company in the world.† Moreover, the company has developed new mission statements to match with their global strategies. Their enduring mission of achieving their global strategies inspires the company’s mission. Among the company’s mission statement is to refresh the world, in body, mind, and spirit. To inspire moments of o ptimism, and to create value and make a difference everywhere the company is engaged (Coca Cola Web). Responsibilities The company has developed responsibilities, which aims at achieving the global strategic goals of the company. These responsibilities include the following. One of their main responsibilities is to provide its customers with refreshing beverages, which includes soft drinks, water, energy drinks, juices, and tea. The company also aims at seeing that their products can be sold anywhere and are not age restricted which means that their responsibility is to sell their products in any occasion in the day-to-day life (Coca Cola (a) Web). The company has distinguished coke as their signature product and has the most sales of the one billion sales per day. The company is developing other strategies, which aims at boosting the sale of other soft drinks to reach the level of sale attained by coke. Another criteria used by the company is to use the most sophisticated equipment in developing their product in order to beat off competition from other companies such as Pepsi (Peng 7). The company also ensures that they process and make their products to ensure that they consumer is equally satisfied in consuming the last drink as compared to the first drink. The company also strives to ensure that the employees are equally treated and compensated and it practices fair trade in all

Friday, November 1, 2019

Chinese Literature Final 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chinese Literature Final 1 - Essay Example For proof of the key roles Wang Shao and Tanqian played in the campaigns, Wang Shaos (d. 601) authorship of the Shenli ganying ji, a anthology of miracle account associated with the first two relic-distribution campaigns. And, based on a judgment of the regret text used during the campaigns and a work by Tanqian, Chen influentially argues that Tanqian in all likelihood composed the former as well. Han Yu thought that Buddha was repulsive. Buddha did not respect royal and citizen rights. Yu thought that Buddha’s principles that would have had him incarcerated in modern days. Yu having found Buddha dirty and unclean felt that a reputed bone from Buddha was a bad sign. Since the royal courts were in themselves divine to bring an unclean relic in them was sacrilege. The reputed Buddha bone was also considered dirty due to the fact it was part of a dead man. The dead had no part in the royal residences or around the king. Great care was taken when discarding a dead body, so disease and uncleanness would not spread. Yu went on to defend this view by asserting that even if Buddha came back and struck him down, his duty was to the king first. Religion and relics came second, Yu’s loyalty was to the

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Consumer Behavior Bachelor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Consumer Behavior Bachelor - Essay Example This product-centric view of market segments has been long discarded as being inadequate for very logical and plausible reasons. For any given product or service, there are usually at least four or five different segments of prospective customers that may utilize that product to solve a particular problem or satisfy a specific need. Each one of these segments will have different needs and values. But companies with a product-centric view cannot even sight these differences not to approach the issue of comprehending them and using them to advantage in their marketing plans. They end up treating the various customers' segments with a one-size-fits-all, generic solution. This fixated view is virtually a chink in the armor which competitors are waiting to pounce upon. In fact such an approach works to leave entry gates to the various segments wide open to the competitor. The competitor quietly enters in, reads the consumer needs and behavior and positions his products attributes and qual ities with requisite differentiation to make up a most relevant product bundle to the most valuable segment and skim it happily. Therefore it is a prudent marketing stance to examine in depth not only one's own products and services but also the market of users for such products and services. ... Market Segmentation We have always stayed with a short menu of brands as a strategic focus. Some critical buyer behavior shifts, however, have defined new segments. Newer needs have emerged which help consumers acquire and reinforce newer images. Our products have to transform to address these needs. First our smokers had turned health conscious primarily as a result of robust state funded and persistent campaign against smoking highlighting its hazards. The macho image of Marlboro man was overcast by dark health awareness clouds. Then there was a distinct movement towards several other 'light' consumer goods the consumption of which defined an entirely new segment of consumers; movement was fuelled by both factors viz.health consciousness as well as to be a part of this new sophisticated 'light' segment. We found that this movement was particularly strong among the young, educated urban dweller in the developed world. This was a fairly strong external stimuli driving consumers to Lights. This was imme diately set as the Marlboro Light's target group. We further discovered that this breed of consumer ate low fat spread, drank light beers, used ozone friendly deodorant, drove a lead free car and had a distinct preference to smoke Marlboro Lights. To many smokers around the world, Marlboro Lights presented a product image of a definitive light cigarette. It was serving two internal consumer ambitions viz to be identified as a Macho Man without hurting health or being Macho in a 'clinical' manner. Marlboro Light was a big success with this segment cutting across demographic lines. Soon a gap was perceived by us when we found

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Application On Blood Donation Using Android Platform

Application On Blood Donation Using Android Platform Android powers hundreds of millions of mobile devices in more than 190 countries around the world. Its the largest installed base of any mobile platform and growing fast-every day another million users power up their Android devices for the first time and start looking for apps, games, and other digital content. Android gives you a world-class platform for creating apps and games for Android users everywhere, as well as an open marketplace for distributing to them instantly. Android is revolutionizing the global cell phone market. Its the first open source mobile application platform. Android is a Linux based operating system designed primarily for touch screen mobile devices such as smart phones and tablet computers ,which Google backed financially and later brought in 2005, in collaboration with the open handset alliance. Android is an open source market where user can develop any application and get it publicized in the market. Android market is having approximately 4, 50,000 apps but there is no application available in the android market which motivates the public regarding blood donation. There are many factors that have allowed Android to become the worlds most widely used Smartphone platform, overtaking Sembilan in the fourth quarter of 2010, and the software of choice for technology companies who require a low-cost, customizable, lightweight operating system for high tech devices without developing one from scratch. As a result, despite being primarily designed for phones and tablets, it has seen additional applications on televisions, games consoles and other electronics. Androids open nature has further encouraged a large community of developers and enthusiasts to use the open source code as a foundation for community-driven projects, which add new features for advanced users or bring Android to devices which were officially released running other operating systems. In this paper we propose algorithm which mainly aims at developing an android application which motivates the youngsters for donating blood and check whether they are eligible for donating or not. This application will serve as an effective tool for creating awareness in public. . Furthermore, we will try to demonstrate with an application that might be used by the people using android phones. Objectives By developing this application, we want to create awareness among the android users and motivate them to help the needful. This application will help the user in all the possible ways helpful in blood donation. Detailed problem Definition After a long research we found that there are no apps in the Google play store which motivates the public in donating blood and clearing there misconceptions. We found out that there is a requirement of an application which is helpful for people in many ways. As we all know that donating blood is a good deed but due to some misconceptions people hesitate in donating blood. By going through the applications already available, we found out that all the applications are lacking the feature of connecting the people who are interested in either donating the blood or they urgently require the blood. The main feature of our application is connectivity provided by us. The donors and receivers can contact to each other depending on their needs. Sometimes in urgency u may have thought of any platform from where we can get the details of hospitals, blood banks, important contact numbers and contact numbers of social organizations but we fail to get such an application or platform. We found out that there are apps on internet but they are lacking some of utilities which we had developed in our application. Solution Methodology Registering Donors The one who would be using this application is requested to register for the cause. The process of registration is simple no complex interface is used for the same, everyone is welcome for registration. Even a person can register for other person. The following fields for registration: Name Contact Number Gender Blood Group Last Date of Donation Regular Donor/not Email Address It creates a hub of donors who are available of android. People who are under age are also welcome for registration for prospective donation. The Process and fields are made simple or possible so that the user should not feel hectic while providing the details. Database The secondary utility of this application is to provide the user the details of various hospitals and blood banks. Irrespective of the application usage, if user wants the contact of hospital or blood bank he can easily get. Efforts are made to provide the nearest hospital and blood bank details with assistance of GPS technology Bulk Messaging For Camps. As we know social organizations and NGOs come in front for organizing blood donation camps at various places with this application we provide another platform for broadcasting about the event. For this cause, the NGOs can contact using email or Face book page which is also is also administrated. About checking the genuine news of the event the registered donor will be send a message automatically. Even if the user is not under donation period he can spread the news to his friends or relatives regarding the blood donation camp. Motivation and clearing the misconceptions related to blood donation Our application contains videos and photo albums which plays a very important role in motivating the public. The videos contain motivational quotes and phrases. For clearing the doubts and confusions of the users regarding blood donation, we have created a FAQ section in which all the important questions are displayed. We had also introduced ask questions by using this user can ask questions. Working User Interface of this application asks the user to choose an option by displaying an option menu. Menu includes the various tabs namely registering donors tab, direct link to some hospitals, motivational videos, and social networking links. A very special thing about this application is that it includes FAQs (Frequently asked questions) section which is fastest way to clear the doubts of the users. Addition to that, application includes another option through which user can raise his personal questions; the question will be replied by the application administrator at earliest so that the dignity of application is maintained. The interface of the application is made as simple as possible so that even a new user can get familiar to it and use it to full extent. The On-device view icon of the application looks like: When the user click the application icon then the second page opens displaying various menu options. On clicking the first option of the menu that is ABOUT. The following page opens and it contains the details regarding the application. When the user clicks the registration menu option the following page is displayed which registers the users and save all the details. When the user clicks on the option CMC Hospital it redirected to the CMCs Blood Bank Homepage. Motivation videos Option open the following page which contains some motivational videos. If the User will have any queries regarding our application and its working he can contact the developer/Administrator. Conclusion This application will help the android users to get information about blood donation. The need of blood donation and all the queries related to that. We had focused on the productivity of the application by maintaining a database of the donors containing their contact numbers and email ids so that we can make the most of it. We had designed the application in such a way that it helps the user in all possible ways when he or she needs help. If time will permit we will add more features and improve the productivity of the application. Referential Web Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org/ Google http://www.google.co.in/ Android.com http://developer.android.com/guide/components/index.html

Friday, October 25, 2019

Evolution in the United States Education System Essay -- Essays Papers

Evolution in the United States Education System In July of 1925, a Tennessee high school teacher named John Scopes sat in a court room facing a violation of state law by teaching evolution, the idea that human beings and monkeys share a similar ancestry. This was no ordinary trial, this was the â€Å"trial of the century†; it featured heavy media attention, it was a battle between two of the best attorneys in the nation, and it raised many questions about evolution and creation, the theory that human beings were put on Earth by God. Today, these questions still are not answered, with cases and debates still popping up 78 years after the famous â€Å"monkey trial,† with the same issues at hand: creation versus evolution (Futuyma 6). The evolution theory goes back to the times of the Greeks, who believed that humans went through a form of evolution. Later on in the 18th and 19th centuries, many scientists and philosophers from Europe wrote theories pertaining to evolution. Finally, in 1859 On the Origins of Species, a book on observations by Englishman Charles Darwin, was published explaining his theory, that in the long run, the fittest of all species survive, passing on different characteristics to help the next generation survive. This theory changed the aspects of biology and sparked much controversy in society. Beginning in the 1870s in the United States, about ten years after Darwin released his controversial book, Southern Christians began to fight the idea of evolution, while in the North, much was not made of the topic. It was almost completely ignored. In the early 1900s, teaching of evolution had become pretty normal in an American elementary, middle, or high school, although sometimes with some controversy. In the... ...d J. (1998). Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion. Boston: Harvard University Press. Levenson, J.C. (2004). The age of Darwin. Raritan, 23 (3). 115-149. Linder, Douglas. (2002). Tennessee vs. John Scopes Monkey Trial. Retrieved April 19, 2004, from http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/scopes.htm Morgan, Jeffrey P. (2003) Reading race into the Scopes trial. Journal of American History, 90 (3). 891. Robinson, B.A. Teaching of Evolution of U.S. schools. Retrieved: March 30, 2004, from http://religioustolerance.org/ev_school.htm Shultz, Lynne H. Summary of Evolution in Public Schools. Retrieved: April 19, 2004, from http://infidels.org/activist/state/evolution.shtml Scopes, John T. & Presley, James. (1967). Center of the Storm. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston Books

Thursday, October 24, 2019

India Post Strategy

Term Project ? Table of Contents Operations Constraints Matrix3 Flexibility3 Cost5 Quality7 Structural Decisions7 Capacity7 Facilities8 Process Technology9 Sourcing and Vertical Integration10 Infrastructural Decisions12 Operations Constraints Matrix Flexibility is about the operation being able to change what it does quickly. How quickly can the organization change the mix of products and services it is offering to the customer? Changing consumer tastes affects demand levels and the product range desired.For an organization to stay competitive, it needs to be able to respond to these changes with flexibility. †¢Can the organization react to demand changes and increase or decrease the volume of output in response? †¢Is a wide range of products or services on offer? Can the organization bring new product/service designs to market quickly so it is in a position to meet changing customer needs? Providing flexibility in delivery options, both the manner and the timing give an op portunity for differentiation. In case of Indian Postal Service, they are high on flexibility parameter.The range of products / services for Indian Post suits to people from all economic level, almost all customers can avail all the services of India Post in all location. India Post postal services are under two heads, Mail services and Premium Services. Mail Services LetterThe communication is enclosed in an envelope and addressed Inland letter cardCommunication is contained on a sheet of paper with prescribed size & folding, for transmission within India only. Post cardOpen communication on a card of prescribed size. Available in two varieties: Single & reply post card. Post cards are for transmission within India only.Printed Post cardPost cards containing communication recorded by printing, cyclostyling or by any other mechanical process are classified as ‘Printed Post Cards'. Printed matter includes printed pictures also. Blind literature packetPapers of any kind, periodi cals and books impressed in â€Å"Braille† or other special type for the use of blind are allowed to be transmitted by post as Blind literature packets. ParcelAnything can be sent in a parcel excepting articles whose transmission is prohibited. RegistrationThe postal article that is registered is given identification and is recorded at every stage of handling.Letters, letter cards, Book and Pattern Packets, Parcels, News papers prepaid with postage may be registered for transmission at any post office. The registered postal article is delivered specifically to the addressee. VPL/VPPThe Value Payable Letter or Value Payable Parcel is paid for at the time of receipt. Premium Services Speed PostSpeed Post is market leader in domestic express industry, for providing time-bound and express delivery of letters ’ documents and parcels across the nation and around the world Express ParcelExpress Parcel Post is an ideal service for sending the parcels up to 35 kg within India.I t is fast and reliable, provides door-to-door convenience and pick-up from customer’s premises service. Business PBusiness Post is a one-stop shop service to manage entire mail-out process. It provides cost-effective and professional mailing services, including printing, collating, inserting, sealing, and addressing to meet specific business needs. Media PostMedia Post is an innovative and effective vehicle for Brand and Marketing Managers to communicate their corporate message across the nation.Greeting PostGreeting Post is an innovative product of India Post comprises of a card with envelop with pre-printed postage stamp upon the envelope. It used to express yourself perfectly on every occasion, festival or event. Logistics PostLogistics Post caters to any demand for moving goods, parcels and consignments in terms of delivery deadline and quality of service. It offers the possibility of monitoring the delivery progress at all times. Comparison with the other players in Post al / Courier service India PostDTDC CourierBluedart CourierNo fixed delivery time guaranteeService include next business day delivery guaranteeService include next business day delivery guarantee Media post offer advertisement opportunity to marketing managerDedicated for courier and parcel delivery, no specific service like advertising Dedicated for courier and parcel delivery, no specific service like advertising Wide reach within India, specifically high penetration in rural IndiaWide reach but rural penetration is not as deep as India PostWide reach but rural penetration is not as deep as India Post Offers registered post service, where consignment is handed over to only specific addressee General service, and couriers can be received by any individual within corporation / homeGeneral service, and couriers can be received by any individual within corporation / home Consignment tracking is limited to premium products deliveryConsignment tracking facility is available for all kind s of deliveriesConsignment tracking facility is available for all kinds of deliveries Prices band is high and weight range starts from as minimum as 25gms for deliveryPrice band is narrow and weight range starts usually from 500gmsPrice band is narrow and weight range starts usually from 500gms Single delivery timing, no customized service as customer requires, although service for guaranteed timely delivery availableConsignment delivery can be defined by customers with a minimum duration of Next business day 1030AM within same time zone Consignment delivery can be defined by customers with a minimum duration of Next business day 1030AM within same time zone No special facility for weekends like Saturday or SundaySpecial pick up facility for Saturday and delivery on SundayNo specific delivery facility for weekends Proof of delivery is claimable on paid basisProof of delivery is visible online for freeProof of delivery is visible online for free Greeting card delivery, special printe d card delivery service No special greeting card delivery service at presentNo special greeting card delivery service at present Freight on delivery service available business Freight on delivery service available business Freight on delivery service available business International deliveries service available with maximum eight of 100kgInternational deliveries service available with maximum weight of 10000kgInternational deliveries service available with maximum weight of 100kg No packing, box packaging service, pick up service available on paid basisProvide packing, loading, box packaging service, free pick up serviceProvide packing box, box packaging services, free pick up service Cost is the last objective to be discussed but clearly not the least. For organizations that have adopted a low cost strategy it is the most important objective. The lower the cost of producing the goods the lower price that can be offered to customers, which in turn will boost sales and profits. Even organizations that seek to gain their competitive advantage through differentiation are keen to lower their cost basis because that will lead to improvements in profit levels. To be able to deliver a cost advantage an organization has to analyze where operation costs are incurred.When considering a service industry, like hospitals, the biggest cost element will be staff costs, then facility and technology costs followed by bought-in materials and services. Many costs in a hospital operation are fixed and will not vary according to the number of patients treated. That is to say those facilities like beds, operating theatres or laboratories are as expensive as are the highly specialized staff. These are all needed to be available if not all of the time, then most of it. That obviously has cost implications. Generally, the level of costs depends on the volume and variety of output and how variable is demand. Variety of outputs leads to greater levels of complexity and therefore increas ed costs. Cost is dependent on the other performance objectives.Improvements in each of the other four will lead to cost reductions. The relative priority of the performance objectives is determined by the demands of customers and the actions of competitors. Making these decisions on priorities links back to the statement in the strategy of what business the organization is in and who are its customers. Selling to customers who insist on error-free products requires the organization to concentrate on its quality performance. Consumer segments that are looking for low-priced products or services will lead the organization to emphasize its cost performance. In case of India Post, reaching to the mass is part of their mission.They operate at locations where, revenues do not even cover 15% of expenses. They have more than 89% of their offices in rural areas, where the cost of operation is usually higher than revenues. Even the post office in urban areas, the target given is to earn a pr ofit of 5% beyond their operating cost. India Post caters primarily in rural areas and therefore its emphasis on offering very low / economical prices to customer irrespective of their operating cost. Private postal service agencies have their motive of earning profit from business, therefore they highly emphasize on providing value service to their customers. They focus on limited services designed to fulfill general need of customers.Their service portfolio is transforming from delight services to order winning services. They emphasize on excelling in providing order winner services and compete in limited range of services. Pricing offered by India Post: India post premier service of simple post card is in no comparison with any other service agency. It is most cost effective way of mail hitherto in India. Apart from post cards, letters, India Post offers standard fixed rates for all customers depending on distance (irrespective of place of origin or destination). Speed Post: Weig htLocal (within municipal limits)Upto 200 Kms201 to 1000 Kms1001 to 2000 KmsAbove 2000 Kms Up to 50 gramsINR 15INR 35INR 35INR 35INR 35 1 grams to 200 gramsINR 25INR 35INR 40INR 60INR 70 201 grams to 500 gramsINR 30INR 50INR 60INR 80INR 90 Additional 0. 5 kg or part thereofINR 10INR 15INR 30INR 40INR 50 Express Parcel Post: WeightLocal (within municipaI limits)Upto 500 Kms. 501 to 1000 Kms. 1001 to 2000 Kms. Above 2000 Kms. Up to 2kg3550607090 Additional 1kg or part thereof58122535 India Post does not offer the air-mail service for domestic deliveries, whereas private players like Bluedart, DTDC, and Firstflight etc have the air mail service that offers next day delivery guarantee. Therefore, the prices of services offered by different agencies can be compared on the surface mode. Cost of parcel up to 500gms 500gmsIndia PostBluedartDTDC ithin city30200 Ambala50200 Amritsar60200 Mumbai80200 Calicut90210 Cost of parcel up to 10kg 10kgIndia PostBluedartDTDC within city75250 Ludhiana114 250 Ahmadabad156290 Mumbai270290 Calicut370290 India post is more cost effective and economical than other private players. It is high on providing cost effective services to its customer than its competitors. Due to its pan India reach, and easy access in rural areas, other private players cannot compete in cost factor. Quality, whether you are running a hospital or a retail superstore, is about doing things right so that error-free goods and services are delivered that are fit for their purpose.Quality encompasses both the quality of the design of the product in terms of aesthetics, reliability and performance and the quality of the process that delivers the product or service. Quality of delivery process has direct impact on costs and dependability. Quality is a major source of customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Poor quality products or poor quality of service are likely to put the customer off returning, leading to future lost sales. For service sector like postal / couri er service, the primary quality factors can be following: †¢Ease of accessibility – availability, easy reach †¢Customer focus – language, service, waiting time Reliability of service design – useful for customer, trust on the service †¢Conformance to specifications – delivery on time as committed, rates as specified, influence to change or modify requisite service †¢High delivery performance – delivery at the right place, right time, right person Speed Speed is all about how long customers wait before receiving their service. Addressing the speed objective requires the organization to pay attention to the cycle time involved in their new product development. An organization also has to pay attention to its scheduling and capacity planning as well as inventory management to be able to deliver on the speed objective. Reducing inventory will also impact on obtaining a cost advantage. Speed is an important factor considering that a lot of parcels are required to reach on time and are often related to business.As such, almost all the courier services have a special service catering to this constraint. In case of India Post, .No. Services/TransactionSuccess IndicatorsService StandardsUnit AService Standards of various services for Departmental Post Offices 1MailsTime from posting / booking to delivery†¢ Excludes day of posting, holidays and Sundays. †¢ Maximum time. †¢ Articles posted before cut off time. Unit in Days /Minutes etc. 1. 2Delivery of First class mail i. e. , letters, postcards, Inland letter cards, etc. Local* and between Metro Cities** * Local – within Municipal City limits ** Metro- Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. 2Days Rest of India4-6 1. 3Delivery of : †¢ Registered / Insured articles Express Parcel Post †¢ Second Class Mails i. e. Parcels, Book Packets, Registered Newspapers, etc. Local* and between Metro Cities** * Local – withi n Municipal City limits ** Metro- Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. 3Days Rest of India5-7 1. 4Delivery of Speed Post articlesLocal* and between Metro Cities** * Local – within Municipal City limits ** Metro- Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. 2Days Rest of India4-6 1. 5International EMS articles†¢ All International Mail articles are subject to customs examination. †¢ Period for customs examination/detention is not included in the service standards. 4-10DaysDTDC on the other hand provides a lot of services catering to this need which is case specific: DTDC Domestic2-7 daysNormal deliveries (city specific) Value added service (Speed)Days to deliverSpecifications DTDC PlusAssured Next business day delivery†¢To metros and major cities in India Prime Time Plus (PTP) PTP 10. 30 and PTP 12. 00 within the next possible business day†¢Time-critical Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Customer (B2C) Segments. â⠂¬ ¢From select origins to select pin codes at Metro locations. DTDC Blueassured second business day delivery†¢To places far and wide across the country In addition to it, DTDC provides money bank guarantee in case a delivery is not made on time on its Value added services. Blue dart Dart Surfaceline2-7 daysDistance specific Premium ServicesDart Apex1-2 daysFor commercial shipments Domestic PriorityNext dayFor time-critical parcels DP 10. 30 and DP 12. 00Time specific, within a day Blue dart, like DTDC provides money back guarantee in case a delivery is not made on time on its premium services. As such, Speed of India post is comparable to most of its competitors as far as value based services are concerned. Though, at few places delivery is guaranteed the very next day and before a specific time, which is not provided by India post. Some services like Air to Air which ask customers to collect the post from the Airport for a faster delivery is provided by some of its competitor s.Also, unlike DTDC and Blue Dart do not provide money back guarantee on a delay though they provide money back guarantee if a parcel is lost or damaged. This feature allows other players to create a better perception among consumers with respect to speed. Dependability Dependability is, of course, about consistency. An organization’s processes have to be geared up to consistently meeting a promised delivery time for a product or service. Customers are unlikely to be satisfied by an increase in delivery speed if it is not matched by consistent performance. This will require that an organization has systems in place to identify problems early and be flexible enough in its planning to be able to move to a plan B as necessary. The dependability of India post is an issue.Though its registered post is known for dependability in terms of security and handling, but the consistency in speed is still a concern in terms of dependability. The targeted dependability of 95% deliveries on time is far from the reality. Though a lot of premium services are delivered on time, but the general posts are often delayed or sometimes are even lost. When talked to an employee working in India Post, Dependability came out as one of the major reasons why people prefer high priced courier services provided by competitors over India Post. Structural Decisions An effective operations organization is one that meets the need of strategic business units competitive strategy.Therefore, once the type of differentiation has been specified , management must ensure that its operations organization is configured and managed in such a way that there is no one best way for dealing with any business problem – whether one is making, delivering, or selling a service, designing a management information / quality system, or measuring performance. In every situation, one must make choices that reflect one’s context, goals, resources and personnel. Translating the business strategy int o appropriate tangibles and intangibles involves different structural and infrastructural decisions and tradeoffs. The structural and infrastructural decisions in service industry are derived from manufacturing operations. Structural decisions address all the issues that are relevant to Capacity, Facilities, Process Technology and Sourcing (vertical integration). CapacityCapacity management is defined as â€Å"ensuring a service has the capability to meet the demand experiences, like wise capacity management is a response to demand†. Service delivery process depends on three basic factors to achieve the expected output: 1. Service load that illustrates the variety of service being offered, the variation of demand and the management of demand 2. Capacity task that illustrates forecasting methods, scheduling, bottleneck management, prioritizing and altering capacity that are used to manage capacity task successfully 3. Capacity leakage, in other words the degree that there are quality failures, scheduling losses, labor lateness, labor underperformance and changeovers FacilitiesFacility network is the configuration of an operating network in allocating various service centers and contact points. In Mail Service industry, facility is the reach of agency to the customers at different location and various services that can be offered in that service center keeping in mind the objectives and goals of company. India Post has one of the objectives as â€Å"To provide basic postal facilities, i. e. , collection and delivery of mails, within easy reach (1. 5 kms) of all people and businesses. This is to be achieved through opening of more post offices, relocation of existing post offices, giving out franchisees to individuals, shops, institutions, self-help groups, etc. In order to achieve this objective, they constantly thrive to open new service centers at desirable places and shutoff from redundant locations. Apart from post offices, there are approximately 5. 7 lacs letterboxes, processed by network of Mail Offices and conveyed by rail, road, and airlines all over the country to reach the customers. Postal operations at the post office counter encompass the entire gamut of basic postal service that include sale of stamps, booking of registered articles, insured articles, value payable articles, booking of parcels and other banking transaction. Below data shows the penetration of India Post in rural and urban segment. Year2011201020092008Urban13904089. 78%13918289. 81%13914489. 76%12548980. 94% Rural1582610. 22%1579710. 19%1587110. 24%2954619. 06% Total154866100. 00%154979100. 00%155015100. 00%155035100. 00% State wise presence of post offices in India: Andaman102Dadar and Nagar Haveli39J&K1656 Andhra Pradesh16152Daman & Diu20Jharkhand3092 Arunachal Pradesh295Delhi531Karnataka9761 Assam4023Goa263Kerala5054 Bihar9015Gujarat8934Lakhasdweep10 Chandigarh51Haryana2662MP8031 Chattisgarh3119Himachal Pradesh2778Maharashtra12490 Manipur697Rajasth an10338 Meghalaya475Sikkim209 Mizoram409Tamilnadu11897 Nagaland328Tripura710 Orissa8192U. P. 17584 Pondicherry91Uttarakhand2719 Punjab3842W. B. 8700Each facility center in the network is independent in itself, thereby satisfying the condition of Horizontal Networks, but each central / metro / common facility center is dependent on the traffic / mail at other service centers also, thereby working as Mixed Network Structures. India post has about 387 mail offices to process the mails through its network and conveyed by rail, road, and airlines all over the country. Facility decision in mail service sector includes the office layout, customer support, guidance, and customer interface with employees, basic facilities for employees and services available. India Post is oldest mail service in India and some of the offices of India Post are very old.The ambience, infrastructure, facilities is not comparable to private agency offices, which are equipped with modern infrastructure and facili ties. â€Å"Project Arrow† is a step toward modernization of post offices. It focuses on creating conducive and friendly work environment for staff and customers, information technology enabled services and improving the quality of core business services, primarily focusing in rural areas. It has been implemented in more than 15000 post offices and more post offices are in process of implementation. In comparison to private service providers, India Post has maximum reach, are available at the last mile. Private agencies are working for profit maximization therefore they operate in limited space, and their presence is imited to metro cities and some critical business locations. Due to limited offices and service centers, they have made their offices IT enabled and customer friendly. Process Technology The meaning of the process technology lies behind the meaning of focus. Well-managed service organizations are characterized by a high degree of focus. Better focusing such as th e utilization of classification schemes, refers to †¢to delivery systems that allow customers to have high contact with the system †¢easy segregation / sorting of mails †¢ease of tracking †¢improving the quality of delivery †¢connection of various location with centralized database †¢management information system and database maintenanceAutomation and information technology leads to cost savings, consistent and reliable services, it helps to increases the availability of a service operations and the speed of service delivery process that helps in marketing and customer benefits. In mail service, the level of automation depends on amount of load, types of services, quantity of parcels, cost, and risk appetite of the company. For India Post, the scope of Automation and upgradation in process technology can be defined in many areas: †¢Computerized booking of mails and parcels †¢Segregation / sorting of mail according to destination through bar co de scanner †¢RFID technology to track the consignment location in real time †¢Hand held devices to confirm the delivery status on real time basis †¢Centralized data management Automatic loading of mails in the Transporting Mode †¢Automatic packing of goods and mail to utilize as full load (except in case of lower quantity) †¢Connectivity of all facility centers to check the system information in real time †¢Advance booking and pick up parcel †¢Centralized database to better control the address database of customers India Post is lagging in automation of its process. It has implemented barcode technology in most of its services, but it is not fully supported by its aging staff. Most of the post offices in the rural areas are manually functioning. Many post offices, Mail offices, Administrative offices are not yet computerized.Automatic letter sorting machine is under installation in four metropolitan cities of India, which can increase the sorting s peed to approx. 35000 per hour. In addition, Mixed Mail sorting machine are also under process of implementation to sort large size letters, parcels/packets to the speed of about 16000 per hour. These machines will help to automate the process with better speed, quality and efficiency. As compared to private mail service providers, most of the offices are fully computerized, with full system integration with centralized server. Their offices are connected with real time information system and the core business functions are controlled through IT. Sourcing and Vertical IntegrationSourcing is an important structural aspect of an operations organizations encompasses decision regarding how much of the total work required to create and deliver its services will be done internally and how much can be outsourced from outside organizations. In service industry, outsourcing can reduce the cost of operation. Strategic control in the operation decides the level of outsourcing in mail service. India Post is operating under huge geographical exposure. As a part of its public service, it has to reach to the last consumer in the map. Establishing self-employed service centers at all operating location is costly proposition, therefore to maintain the presence and cost effectiveness it has to outsource some of its activities in the extreme areas of operation. Apart from its front office activities, India Post has scope for outsourcing at almost every stage of operation. Post office maintenance at certain location as per India Post terms and Condition †¢Transportation of dak / mail by road, rail and air through third party agency rather than self procuring the trucks and loaders †¢Deploying a local team for post office maintenance at distant location, but centralized control through district head or regional head post office †¢Dealership and franchise network apart from regular staff †¢Liaison with government organizations and PSU’s to deliver all the mails of govt. institutions through India Post Front office counter franchise India post has a franchise scheme that offers various products and services in urban and upcoming urban areas.Basic features of the Urban franchise model: †¢It provides only counter services, delivery and transmission lies with India post. †¢Provision of services under franchise across the counter for a minimum defined time schedule with flexibility to work round the clock Products and services offered †¢Sale of Stamps and stationery †¢Booking registered articles, speed post articles, money orders, e-post etc. †¢Functioning as an agent for PLI and provide related after sales service, including collection of premia (subject to fulfillment of criteria for PLI agents). †¢Marketing products for which the Department has a corporate agency or tie-up and provide related follow up services (subject to agreement with the other organizations involved). Providing retail and bill/tax/fin e collection/payment services of the Department (Subject to agreement with the other organizations involved) †¢Facilitating the provision of e-governance and citizen-centric services (subject to agreement with the other organizations involved) †¢Any other service introduced by the Department in future through its outlets which is considered amenable to the franchisee model. (subject to agreement with the other organizations involved) Transportation Service The transportation of mail is through various modes 1. By hand 2. Surface line, road transport 3. Surface line, rail transport 4. Air line, Plane transport India Post has manages mail transportation with their own facilities as well as third party service providers. India post has huge employee base to deliver the post by hand to the recipients, but for the transportation on surface and air, it has its own vehicles and also arrangements with third party logistics vendors.Air transport – international deliveries, I ndia Post has tie-up with premier DHL logistics Mail Motor Services (MMS) – For transmission of mail between mail offices and post offices between cities, India Post has its own fleet of 1282 vehicles, full-fledged maintenance workshop facilities Rail transport – for long distance transmission of mails, India Post has tie-up with Indian Railways Scope for Sourcing 1. Road transportation – India post can outsource the transmission of mails between cities and reduce the load of maintenance and fixed fleet expenses, third party service dedicated to India Post can help in focusing on timely delivery and maintenance of quality service. It offload the risk of transportation, maintenance expenses, buying-selling of vehicles etc 2. Franchise for rural areas – India Post franchise scheme is primarily for Urban Areas where the post office is justified but cannot be opened.For India Post, the focus of expanding the reach should be associated with cost factor. As in urban areas, the cost of opening a post office would be high. Similarly, operating cost in the far distant rural areas will also be high. In order to minimize the cost of operation, India Post can outsource some of its urban offices, and similarly rural office, where the cost of operation for local would be lesser than setting up self-employed service centers. 3. Long-term contracts with Customers – India Post can leverage on its wide presence, and govt. institution tag for getting long-term contracts with other govt. institutions and PSUs for delivery of all mails through India Post.This will ensure dedicated source of Income for India Post, and beyond that, it will be a great financial assistance to serve the rural areas. Infrastructural Decisions A company’s operations infrastructure is composed of its policies and systems governing a number of activities, from capital budgeting and equipment selection to organizational structure. Each of these systems often has rep ercussions and implications for other infrastructural and structural elements. Resource allocation and capital budgeting systems Human Resource systems India Post has workforce, which is old aged, there has been no fresh recruitment in India Post from many years for junior and senior level management positions.In the present system, where consumer are growing at fast pace, and the technology and information system is growing in the industry, there is need of well-informed and responsive workforce that can understand the existing IT and customers need. Due to aging workforce, computer literacy among the employees is not at par and training and development of employees has taken a back step in the policies of India Post. Although, India Post organizes many training program for its middle / senior level management employees but due to aging factor, the life expectancy in the organization as well the contribution in the organization is limited. Work Planning and Control systems Quality systemsThe quality system has been focused upon by India post since 2005-06. With the prioritization of computerization in 2006-07 for the development of India post, the Government has laid focus on improving service levels and to enable electronic networking of about 1, 30,000 rural Post Offices. Recently, A Plan costing Rs. 1877. 2 Crores has been formulated to computerize the Post Offices in Rural areas to further improvise on this front. Project Arrow was launched in April 2008. The project envisages up gradation of Post Offices in urban and rural areas both in terms of upgrading and enhancing the quality of service in â€Å"core areas† and improving their â€Å"look and feel†.The project aims at creating a conducive and friendly work environment both for the staff and the customers visiting the Post Offices, providing all IT enabled services through secure connectivity, improving the service quality levels in the core business areas e. g. Mail delivery, Remittance s both electronic and manual and Postal Savings schemes. The â€Å"Look and Feel† activity focuses on improvement in Branding, Information Technology, Human Resource and Infrastructure. Based on the audit report of Project Arrow conducted over 50 post offices of 10 states: 1. In terms of Performance on Mail Delivery, Registered letter performances were 99 %, where as the figures for Ordinary mail varied between 94 to 100%. For Speed post it ranged between 98 to 99 %. 2.In terms of time taken for delivery of letters, post offices scored between 90 to 92% during the 3 rounds of Audit though a higher score was expected. Till June 2012, the Project has been implemented in respect of monitoring of core areas in more than 15,500 Post Offices and â€Å"Look and Feel† has been improved in 1,530 Post Offices. The Government has recently started a new Automated Mail Processing Centre (AMPC) in Delhi on August 20, 2012 to improve mail quality with next-generation sorting centres and to modernize the mail processing operations at India Post. The new letter sorting machine can sort 35,000 letters per hour, while the mixed mail sorter can process 20,000 letters, packets and small parcels an hour.The automated sorting systems should â€Å"considerably† improve sorting errors and improve the quality of mail services, the government said, with the new mixed mail sorter scanning tracking barcodes automatically as items are being sorted. Processing efficiency should also improve because mail can be sorted in a single run, while manual sorting had required a second stage of sorting. As per an interview given by Siemens, the developer of AMPC, to the media; â€Å"The automation route will â€Å"significantly† reduce processing time and save â€Å"considerable† cost for the Indian postal department. Handwriting or language is no longer a barrier as the special IVR by Siemens can read various scripts e. g. Greek, Cyrilic, Arabic, Chinese, English, Hindi.For the postal centers at Delhi and Kolkata, this machine will be able to read English and Hindi and as a result will enable Department of Post to provide better and more efficient services with hig h level of productivity† . From quality aspects as such, the ministry is taking measures like the introduction of AMPC and Project Arrow to improvise the quality. Still, a lot of rural villages are not computerized and timely delivery of mails has been a major issue. Also, the technologies like AMPC need to reach out to more major cities for further reducing the cost and improve service levels. The Government provides money bank guarantee of Rs 500 on damage or loss of any parcel but no specifications regarding this are provided.As such, a lot of people prefer other courier services to send valuable or important mails/parcels. Measurement and reward systems One of the major problems with India post is the undefined promotion structure. The employees are bound for a fixed pay and no variable pay/ Incentives are provided. The promotion is based on experience rather than utility/ quality and irrespective of poor showing at work, job security is provided which makes the system lazy. Frequent transfer of employees and low growth potential for an individual are few other concerns which needs to be addressed upon along with a continuous feedback system of employees. Product and process development systemsIndia Post although the oldest and most significant player in mail service but with time the competitors has taken a lead and the social obligation of India Post has put them in back step in process development, improvement and fast implementation. The project team for process improvisation works on the guidelines given by the members after approval for the Ministry of Telecommunications and IT, larger projects has to get the approval from the ministry before commencement. Organization structure The organization structure of India Post is a complex organizati on structure (Exhibit 1). It has many vertical layers and simultaneously horizontal divisions. India Post is a government body, therefore the bureaucratic organization structure is inevitable, it has members deputed by Govt. of India as well as personnel that are recruited by India Post itself.Due to various business dimensions (postal mail service, PF fund, MNREGA fund, Bank, Finance, Forex etc) of India Post, each business vertical is treated as separate business unit and therefore makes the structure more complex. The organization structure is a centralized, and bureaucratic, power to take decision lies with the senior management and staff is primarily to do the regular business / operational activities. Operations Strategy for India Post Considering, the fact that India post is the Govt. institutional body and their prime focus is to serve the mass market by offering its services at lowest possible rates with high quality and good speed.In addition, India Post desires to be self -sustaining organization, it involves trade-offs between operation strategy matrix parameters (Price, Quality, Dependability, Flexibility and Speed). They can make their product primarily in two segments: 1. Business Mails2. General Mails General Mails – it is for mass market focusing on public, for cost sensitive customers (primarily poor people), delivery of mails to any location with a specified time delivery. Business Mails – it is specialized service, other than just sending mails (other than General Mails), the prices should be competitive with other private players, delivery time specified, service customization as required by the customers. E. g. speed post, registered post, logistics, parcels and box parcel etc. Exhibit 1 : Organization Structure, India Post