Gadget Toys Case Write-Up Essay

Gadget Toy Company is faced with a choice between two options to reduce project time for their new toy line. Gadget must cut down project time in order to meet their Christmas deadline that is 19 weeks away. Analysis shows that there are two critical paths for the current process, which is 20 weeks long and includes the following critical activities: obtain funding approval (A), finalize engineering (B), build dies/tools (D), raw material delivery (K), initial production run (L), ship product (M), train workers (F), and de-bug process (G). See figure below. Gadget’s first option is to reduce the amount of product advertising. Although this might reduce cost, advertising (J) is not a critical activity and won’t reduce the total project time. Beyond that, cutting six weeks of advertising – the maximum amount – will result in an estimated 30% decrease in sales. This is hardly worth the lower costs for a new product launch, and advertising is necessary if Gadg et wants the children’s toy line to be popular beyond the Christmas season. Gadget’s second option is to ask the production manager to work weekends for faster tool building (D). Although this would cost the company $5000, Gadget Toy Co. should accept the offer. Tool building is a critical activity and the bottleneck in the process flow. The next longest path in the process flow is 16 weeks, resulting in a slack time of four weeks. By accepting the offer from the tool builder the critical paths can be reduced to 18 weeks and the product can be launched within the 19-week deadline. Process Paths Before Decision: AHJM = 1 + 1 + 12 + 1 = 15 weeks AHIKLM = 1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 1 = 10 weeks ABDKLM = 1 + 1 + 12 + 2 + 3 + 1 = 20 weeks (critical path) ABDFGLM = 1 + 1 + 12 + 1 + 1 + 3 + 1 = 20 weeks (critical path) ACEFGLM = 1 + 8 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 3 + 1 = 16 weeks Process Paths Before Decision: AHJM = 1 + 1 + 12 + 1 = 15 weeks AHIKLM = 1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 1 = 10 weeks ABDKLM = 1 + 1 + 12 + 2 + 3 + 1 = 20 weeks (critical path) ABDFGLM = 1 + 1 + 12 + 1 + 1 + 3 + 1 = 20 weeks (critical path) ACEFGLM = 1 + 8 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 3 + 1 = 16 weeks Gadget Flow Chart Total Time to Delivery 18 WEEKS Total Time to Delivery 18 WEEKS Raw Material Delivery (K) 2 WEEKS Raw Material Delivery (K) 2 WEEKS Train Workers (F) 1 WEEK Train Workers (F) 1 WEEK De-Bug Process (G) 1 WEEK De-Bug Process (G) 1 WEEK Initial Production Run (L) 3 WEEKS Initial Production Run (L) 3 WEEKS Ship Product (M) 1 WEEK Ship Product (M) 1 WEEK Finalize Packaging and Artwork (I) 2 WEEKS Finalize Packaging and Artwork (I) 2 WEEKS Advertise (J) 12 WEEKS Advertise (J) 12 WEEKS Install Equipment (E) 1 WEEK Install Equipment (E) 1 WEEK Build Dies/Tools 10 WEEKS (D) BOTTLENECK Build Dies/Tools 10 WEEKS (D) BOTTLENECK Establish Advertising Plan 1 WEEK (H) Establish Advertising Plan 1 WEEK (H) Finalize Engineering (B) 1 WEEK Finalize Engineering (B) 1 WEEK Deliver New Equipment (C) 8 WEEKs Deliver New Equipment (C) 8 WEEKs Obtain Funding Approval (A) 1 WEEK Obtain Funding Approval (A) 1 WEEK After Decision

Decision Science for Business

BUSI 508 MIDTERM EXAM PREPARATION – General Information: – Exam counts as 20% of your overall grade – Exams are 100% individual effort–discussions among classmates are prohibited. All reference materials (books, notes, etc. ) shall be closed while taking the exam – There are 48 multiple choice questions: — (General Knowledge) 33 questions which will test your basic knowledge of history, importance of operations research/management science techniques, model terminology, etc. These questions are worth 1 point apiece – (Applications) 15 questions that will require you to analyze screen shots/graphics from Microsoft Excel and interpret information regarding an applied problem. These problems will be very similar to the work you have done on the Excel Exercises and Cases however will not require you to actually use Excel, simply be able to interpret information from the screen shots/graphics. Most of the applied-type problems will be worth 2 points, though some are only worth 1 point depending on the level of difficulty – Once the availability period opens, you will have 2 hours to complete the exam.Your clock starts as soon as you open the exam so you must submit the exam within 2 hours of opening it – Content: – General knowledge on the background of operations research/management science – Value of operations research/management science – Modeling basics (types, applications, etc. ) – Linear programming/Integer Linear Programming basics (difference between the two, building an LP/ILP model, integration of the model into Excel, optimal solution, feasible region, establishing constraints, bounded/unbounded solutions, sensitivity analysis) Network Modeling basics (the Transshipment Problem, nomenclature associated with the visual network model, establishing the model, basic forms of constraints depending on the type of problem – How to Prepare (**Suggestions**): 1. The readings from the textbook are imperative! Simply using the notes that have been provided in the course is not sufficient; this exam assumes you have completed and have a solid comprehension of the assigned readings from the textbook. . This exam assumes you are capable of developing and interpreting Linear/Integer Linear Programming models, sensitivity analysis (as it applies), and network models (both the development of the model and understanding the graphic representation of the model showing the nodes and arcs). If you have successfully completed the Excel Exercises and Case problems, you should be adequately prepared for the applied portion of the exam.

Marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Marketing plan - Essay Example The application of these media would facilitate the building of a loyal customer base. The products of Pizza Restaurant are Pizza and other food items. However a lot of the customers like to spend their time in the restaurant because they like leisure and entertainment activities. Therefore the critical factor is to design a message that will appeal to the emotions of the customers. The message should communicate the exciting features that are offered by the restaurant. One possible message can be: Pizza Restaurant delivers the best products in town. This simple message will appeal to the emotions of the customers, particularly when delivered through attractive audio-visuals. Such a message broadcast online and through TV can communicate to the mass market and create an emotional appeal for Pizza Restaurant. Answer to Question 2 The most important element is the positioning strategy. Implementing an effective positioning strategy will enable Pizza restaurant to emphasize upon the uni que quality of its products and services (Armstrong and Kotler, 2005). Since the restaurant will be targeting customers most of whom are from rich families, the critical success factor is to create a unique positioning within the minds of the customers (Fred, 2006).

The Career Aspirations of Michele Terry Case Study - 44

The Career Aspirations of Michele Terry - Case Study Example Last year, after discussions with her family and bank officer, Michele dropped the ambition of being the Executive Vice President. This led her to carefully reflect on her reasons for being a senior bank officer. These reasons are; money, status, and ability to develop financial policies that favor the community. This is the reason she decided to attend training on community reinvestment. The training enabled her to chair the new market development taskforce. She also used her experience to mentor young bank managers on career issues. The new work responsibilities have enabled Michele to effectively handle family matters. Her work motivation and satisfaction has also improved, as illustrated through her increasingly positive performance appraisal (Collings & Wood, 2009). The analysis of Michele’s work illustrates poor remuneration. This is because one of her reasons for the promotion if to get more monetary benefits. Her job design is appropriate; she has the opportunity of hiring new management staffs at the bank. The bank has a training and development program. Michele had the opportunity of improving her competencies through attending the community reinvestment training. Compensation and rewards are offered according to seniority at the company. The executive officers at the bank get the most competitive remuneration package (Conaty & Ram, 2011). The bank implements appropriate performance management measure. This is through the regular performance appraisal sessions. After the community reinvestment training, she received positive performance appraisals. The bank values positive employee relations. Michele illustrates the relations through guiding and counseling junior staffs, who eventually get promoted.  

Gastroesophageal Reflux disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Gastroesophageal Reflux disease - Essay Example Other factors that are involved in pathogenesis of GERD included the reflux of gastric acid and pancreatic enzyme that lead to injury of the oesophageal mucosa. In essence, the defence mechanism of the oesophagus are in two ways i.e. clearance and resistance of the oesophageal mucosa. Oesophageal clearance plays a significant role in neutralising the acid that is refluxed through the LES. Enhanced clearance reduces the time that oesophagus is exposed to the corroding effect of gastric acid mixtures. The mucosal resistance of the oesophagus offers a protective mechanism and if these defences fail then oesophagitis ensues as a complication of GERD. The Lower oesophageal sphincter (LES) has a significant role in causing GERD. Dysfunction of LES may occur due to transient relaxation of LES and increase of intra-abdominal pressure that exceed the pressure of LES. Delay in gastric emptying may cause GERD because of the increased pressure in the stomach that may overcome the pressure of LES . A Hiatal hernia may cause GERD because it may push LES to move proximally into the chest making it lose its high-pressure area in the abdomen (Kahrilas, 2010). Management of GERD involves lifestyle modification as well as the use of medication to reduce gastric acid. The lifestyle modifications include weight loss, elevating head of bed if experiencing nocturnal symptoms and avoidance of food that worsen the symptoms. Proton pump inhibitors, for example, Omeprazole, Lansoprazole and rabeprazole are the drug of choice in managing GERD. These drugs inhibit the secretion of gastric acid from the gastric parietal cells. H2-receptor antagonists are used in mild cases, which act by competitively blocking histamine receptors specifically those of gastric parietal cells. These drugs include ranitidine, cimetidine and nizatidine among others, they are also used as maintenance therapy to prevent relapse of

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 58

Leadership - Essay Example According to Polelle (2008), leaders comprise of people entrusted to come up with security laws and measures. These regulations are what the security enforcing people follow in order to ensure safety in a nation. From this aspect, it is vital that a nation has reliable leaders characterized by sound reasoning and high integrity. All security measures are highly determined by our leaders and this exhibits the importance of leadership. On personal level, a leader must have proper principles that guide them through their lives. Effective leaders also concentrate on local level by coming up with projects that are beneficial to social, economic, and political transformation of their local communities. In the year 2015, the leader who has had a great impact on me is U.S.A is president Barrack Obama. Since his election as the president, Obama has had a number of achievements. These achievements include improving the economy, enhancing human rights, and enhancing foreign relationships. Obama has sure stand out as an influential leader. Obama’s achievements are of great inspiration that demonstrates that it is possible to achieve self-actualization. It may have taken a period of time and a number of hurdles, but he demonstrated attributes of a real leader to persist until results are achieved. Shifting to the concern of security, Obama has gone to all breadths and lengths to ensure there is security in the U.S.A. In addition, he has also deployed security forces to other parts of the world that needs security enforcement. Obama’s ability to achieve great success regardless of the hurdles makes him a leader of significance influence. A community cannot survive without proper leadership within its boundaries. Leadership held by people fall at three levels of national, local and personal. One of the greatest leaders that have had significant influence in my life is Barrack Obama. Obama has stood strong in various difficult situations to

Critical Evaluation of Intraosseous vascular access and Application of Essay

Critical Evaluation of Intraosseous vascular access and Application of Research Findings to Practice in emergency cases - Essay Example e study involves critical evaluation of research findings of â€Å"Intraosseous versus Intravenous Vascular Access during Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest† article. It is imperative to understand what the topic means so as to attain pertinent research findings. Intraosseous (IO) access is an efficient route for fluid recovery, laboratory evaluation and drug delivery that may be achieved in all patients groups and has a satisfactory safety profile (King and Henretig 2008). In acknowledgment of the worth of intraosseous (IO) vascular access, in patient stabilization and resuscitation, leading international and national corporations have published position articles that have served to alter the principle of care for emergency vascular access (Cottrell 2011). The search strategy for this paper involves critical evaluation of findings of â€Å"Intraosseous versus Intravenous Vascular Access during Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest† research article (Reades et al. 2011). The article’s content is relevant to this paper since it discusses effect of Intraosseous versus Intravenous Vascular Access during cardiac arrest (emergency cases). The research objective is to critically evaluate intraosseous vascular access and application of research findings to practice in emergency cases. The rationale of research selection is attributed to accuracy and effectiveness of its findings. The intervention of Intraosseous Vascular Access in emergency patients is not commonly used in practice yet, and to find out how effective is this intervention in emergency cases (King and Henretig 2008). The statement is the basis of the research since medical intervention must be evidence-based (Greenhalgh 2010; Barker 2013), and the article present findings to support the basis. The choice of article to evaluate justifies the objective of this research. That is so because it has findings and application of Intraosseous Vascular Access in emergency environment. At the end, it is possible to draw a

Operations management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Operations management - Essay Example Ford has a number of global brands coming under its range including Mercury, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Land Rover and many others as well. Chevrolet is a brand of motor vehicles whose parent organization is General Motors. At times Chevrolet is also known as â€Å"Chevy†. The brand has vehicles ranging from compact cars to large SUVs. There is a lot of product restructuring that has been going on in the Chevrolet brand, where we can find that sedans are being launched as well as more new designs and models are also in the pipeline. As far as Ford Motor Company is concerned, we find that recently there has been a high level directive which has cut down 30,000 jobs within different divisions so as to ensure that the company maintains its economic well being, no matter how trying and rigid the circumstances become at some point in the future. The proactive approach is thus pretty much visible from the whole perspective of cutting down on the job scene. Ford relies on its economic uplift and boom upon the different market forces that are in action. But this does not mean that Ford relies on this activity in entirety and forgets the other forces that are also within the relevant equation. Having more emphasis on the economic market forces means that the decline within the fiscal ranks would surely hit Ford like anything and happens all of a sudden rather than a gradual fall as is predicted in the wake of those very decisions, if adopted in the first place. The two thirds of Ford’s workers are the clear manif estations in the line of the law of one price being rampant in different labor markets spread all over the globe. With the advent of time and as Thomas Friedman has put it, we find out that the world has indeed become flatter since market barriers are starting to vanish with the passage of time which would at the end mean that we start living in a flat world to say as a matter of fact. On the restructuring tilt, we see that Ford’s economic strategy is one

Starbucks Introduction of Kind Bars Essay Example for Free

Starbucks Introduction of Kind Bars Essay â€Å"A Small Player Breaks Into Starbucks,† Starbucks has recently started a campaign to provide more healthy products to its consumers. This is considered quite the change since coffee, Starbucks primary product, is not necessarily thought of as healthy. To help start of this campaign it has agreed to start selling KIND bars, which are â€Å"combinations of dried fruits and nuts bound together by honey (NY Times). KIND bars seem to fit in great with the direction Starbucks is going, but they did not always. It took Daniel Lubetzky, owner of KIND, over five years of promoting his product to Starbucks to even get his foot in the door. 2. ) SWOT Analysis-Starbucks Strengths Coffee industry market leader * Customer satisfaction and strong brand loyalty * Free Wi-Fi available for customers * Innovative operations and a strong financial position * Strong product diversification Weaknesses * Although a diversified company, still strong reliance on coffee products for profit * High operating costs Downsizing * High prices on products * Competition is rising in their growing market Opportunities * Coffee Beans to be sold in stores * Brand Extension * Expansion to South Asian Markets * Provide more cost-and health-conscious products Threats * Competition * Rising number of health-conscious customers * Corporate giant image * Resistance in foreign countries due to political and cultural issues * Variation in coffee price in developing countries 3. ) Identification, Evaluation and Analysis of Alternatives KIND bars are not the only thing Starbucks is going to be offering in its new campaign. They plan to revamp the menu, introducing a variety of lighter and healthier foods such as salads, smoothies and fruit muffins. So why did Starbucks choose to introduce the KIND bar when it could of chosen Clif bars or SOYJOY bars, both more established than KIND. Clif is currently the market leader in nutrition bars and SOYJOY is widely international with distribution from Singapore to Belgium. It could be due to Mr. Lubetzky’s determination, or maybe because of KIND’s marketing mix. 4. )Recommendations and Conclusions KIND would be very appealing to Starbucks consumers for numerous reasons and this makes it obvious to Starbucks that it will be a good investment. KIND donates five percent of its profit to the PeaceWorks Foundation, â€Å"which strives to bring peace to Middle Eastern countries by building commercial food ventures (NY Times). † This makes the consumer feel good about their purchase because they feel as if they are contributing to a good cause. Also, Yale did a pilot study indicating that two KIND bars a day can help consumers lose weight. This is attractive to buyers due to the fact that around two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. KIND also promotes there products to be, â€Å"a brand of delicious, natural, healthful foods made from wholesome ingredients you can see amp; pronounce ®(KINDsnacks). † In a world where it seems that everything you consume has preservatives and who knows what else in them, KIND stands out in the crowd. Finally, with the price of $1. 5 at Starbucks, the deal cannot be beat, especially compared to relative prices of coffee at Starbucks. With all these advantages there is no question that Starbucks made the right decision in choosing KIND. This collaboration with to help offset Starbucks threats such as the rising number of health-conscious consumers, which is the basis of its campaign. An additional threat that may be counterbalanced is its image as a corporate giant because of their acceptance of a small business. Source Links: http://www. nytimes. om/2009/07/01/business/smallbusiness/01snackbar. html? ref=marketing http://www. kindsnacks. com/kind-store/buy-kind-bars Periodical Exercise 1. ) Problem/Decision Statement According to an article in BusinessWeek in 2012, titled, â€Å"Taco Bell introduces Doritos taco shell†, on March 8th Taco Bell introduced Doritos Locos to over 5,600 stores nationwide. Doritos Locos are like regular crunchy tacos but, it has a shell made with nacho cheese Doritos. This is considered one of the biggest product launches in the history of the company. Taco Bell has already confirmed their budget of $75 million to promote their new launch (BusinessWeek). This is over three times more of a budget than for previous new products. Doritos Locos is just the latest of many things Taco Bell has been trying to do to improve their menu. But the question is whether or not this is the right time to be taking on such a big market introduction, with the recent bad publicity caused by lawsuits attacking the quality of their beef. 2. ) SWOT Analysis- Taco Bell Strengths * Huge popular brand name and high brand loyalty Adopted a healthy trans-fat free formula which is a key competitive advantage over other competitors who has not yet switched to the healthier recipes. * Has the acknowledgment as the best Mexican style fast food restaurant in the U. S. * Owns over 5600 restaurants across the nation and 250 outlets internationally * Strong parent company, Yum! Brands, owns Pizza Hut and KFC as well * Open very late Weaknesses * High fat and high calorie food not good for health conscious people * Lost goodwill when customers were hospitalized due to traces of E. oli bacteria * Bad publicity due to lawsuits against quality of beef * Also lost goodwill for human rights protest in ’05 and rodent problem in ‘07 Opportunities * New flavors and recipes should be introduced especially focused on more health conscious ingredients in their menus * Introduce home delivery * Venture into new markets such as India, like Pizza Hut and KFC, that has a growing consumption of fast food Threats * Research and the raised awareness among consumers about the harmful health impacts of fast food consumption. The trans-fats, sugars, oils and salts which are ingredients of the fast foods being offered, are thus consumed in low proportions by the aware and educated consumers * Highly labor intensive which increases the subjectivity involved in the delivery of services * Threats from competitors of Taco Bell such as McDonalds and Subway 3. ) Identification, Evaluation and Analysis of Alternatives Since the Frito Lay Corporation is obviously the market leader in any type of corn chip, tortilla chip or any chip for that matter, there are not really any big alternatives that would be better than Doritos. Even if Taco bell would have gone with Tostitos or Santitas, other tortilla chip brands, instead, it wouldn’t have made much of a difference because they are still owned by Frito Lay. An alternative that Taco Bell should have considered is the Baked Doritos in place of regular fried Doritos. For the reason that many empty calories and trans fat comes from â€Å"hidden† oil and Baked Doritos might help with Taco Bell trying to gain an edge on the competition through the health conscious route. 4. ) Recommendations and Conclusions Doritos Locos would be very appealing to Taco Bells consumers for numerous reasons and this makes it obvious to Taco Bell that it will be a good investment. Honestly I believe that Taco Bell’s decision to launch Doritos Locos is an incredible idea for many reasons but at the same time it does have some drawbacks. Doritos are one of America’s top favorite snacks and to combine that with Americas top Mexican style fast food restaurant just seems like the great idea never before had. Doritos come in many flavors and so should Doritos Locos, such as Cool Ranch, Smoky Chipotle BBQ and Fiery Habanero (Frito-Lay). This new rollout may also shift consumers focus from the negativity of the recent lawsuits and bad publicity to the positivity of this inevitably delicious and profitable collaboration. Then again, because of the large percentage of overweight and obese Americans and a strong desire to switch to health smart ingredients, Doritos Locos may just be perceived as another fattening product line put out by the gluttonous fast food industry.

Great Gatsby Research Essay Essay Example for Free

Great Gatsby Research Essay Essay The majority of what Fitzgerald writes in his stories are about the love for rich girls. In real life he has personally experienced falling for a wealthy girl, Zelda. In the book, The Great Gatsby, he writes about a boy who isn’t rich that is in love with a girl named daisy, who is rich like Zelda. Gatsby later lost his love, Daisy, when he went to war, for Fitzgerald, he was rejected by Ginevra King’s father who said â€Å"poor boys don’t marry wealthy girls,† which was said by Daisy in the book. He was asking for her hand in marriage. Then Fitzgerald got denied by Zelda Sayre. Daisy, the women jay Gatsby has been basing on his whole life on, is similar to Zelda Sayre who would not marry him at first since he was unsuccessful Fitzgerald lived in Great Neck, Long Island, in which his first child was born. To Zelda, Fitzgerald was seen poor but he was really upper middle class, but Zelda’s Standards were too high, like Daisy. Gatsby and Fitzgerald both met vital women to their lives at dances and both while they were stationed at army camps They both had highly society connections and down falls such as Gatsby getting murdered in the pool by George Wilson, for love. Fitzgerald died of alcohol use when he was trying to become rich again. Gatsby made money by bootlegging while Fitzgerald made money by writing. Fitzgerald Scott was self-destructive because he would drink to much, due to being an alcoholic. He was very social but then later on in his life he became very rude and started to offend people, due to his alcoholism. Gatsby was always trying to make himself better, improving him self. He was very self-disciplined and an outsider. They were both faithful and dedicated to the ladies the fell in love with. F. Scott’s wife, Zelda, was sent to a refuge in the last few years of her life. He made sure to never allow him or their daughter that they had together for get about her. Being the dedicated man he was, he would go see her to visit at the asylum. In the book, many of the characters represents the people that Fitzgerald met in his life, including his own character that represents him. To add on to that, F. Scott Fitzgerald lived in Great Neck, Long Island after his first child was born. At the time, the Great Neck was home to many of the wealthiest people on Long Island. A scholar has proven that there are many similarities between the Great Neck and the West Egg. In the movie version, Daisy tells Gatsby that Rich girls dont marry poor boys. This line was taken straight out of Fitzgeralds life. The father of his first love, a young woman by the name of Ginevra King, supposedly told him that after Fitzgerald asked for Ginevras hand in marriage. There are many other similarities between F. Scott Fitzgerald and Jay Gatz (Gatsby)- keep your eyes out for them! F. Scott and Gatsby were born in a middle class family. Both of their fathers started out very wealthy until they both failed with their business when the crashed. They both came from an underprivileged family, in many cases, inclined a lot on both of their behaviors and goals. For school, both Gatsby and F. Scott were drop-outs from Universities and joined the army in 1917. There are a bunch of similarities between the two. The Author of the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald Scott, based this story one his own life in almost every scene in the book.

The Organizational Structure Of Management Levels Information Technology Essay

The Organizational Structure Of Management Levels Information Technology Essay This chapter contains a discription of the various methods to be used to gather information from the client and customer in other to meet up to the requirement provided when developing the system for the client and others problems assoiciated with the current system. On the completion of this chapter, various requirement will be gathered and analysed and based on these requirement, the system will be developed. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF WELLCARE SHOPPING MALL The mall management is a hierarchal top-to-bottom clear cut system that has clearly defined boundaries. The shopping management follows the standard four-level management levels (Top, Middle, Low and Operational Management Levels). The system is described in full below. TOP LEVEL MANAGEMENT: This level of management, being the pinnacle in every organization is made up of CEO, and Managing Directors Board Meetings are held monthly and the malls monthly profit rankings are discussed among other issues pertaining to the store. At the Board meetings, long range plans for the store are drawn up, and are then broadcast into the store by the Managers then to other departments in the store. MIDDLE LEVEL MANAGEMENT: The Managers of the mall has people under him (he represents the Board of Trustees at the store) who implement the long range plans that the Board has set out to achieve for the store. By breaking up the plans into more realistic year or monthly plans, and dividing the objectives among the departments, the managers also at this level oversees the affairs of the mall. Listed here are the Middle Level Management level personnel at the store: Human Resource Manager, Facilities Manager, Store Manager, Purchase Manager, Sales Manager, Finance Manager, and Front Office Manager. LOW LEVEL MANAGEMENT : For the smooth day-to-day running of the hotel, the managers of each department put in place supervisors, team leaders, group leaders to watch and oversee the actions being carried out daily by the operational level staff. Some of the personnel at this level actually work along with the operational level, but cannot be classified with the operational level because of their level of information and access. OPERATIONAL LEVEL MANAGEMENT: The personnel at this level are the staffs responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the hotels objectives. Sales personnel, cleaners, Store clerks, Drivers, Sales marketer, Security officers, and Store clerks all fall under this category. An organizational chart showing the various levels of management at the mall is shown on the next page. FACT-FINDING TECHNIQUES The listings of fact-finding techniques are as follows: Interviews: Of all the techniques employed this is considered the most effective for obtaining information due to its flexible nature as interviewees are able to give proper clarification where such is required and more detail is easily obtainable using this method. Therefore in order to gain a wholesome grasp on the working of the current system certain staff and customers of the store were selected since the customers are the ones to be affected by the project it was necessary to obtain their opinions. Interviews allow us to study the reactions of the interviewees and judge if their responses are unbiased and knowledgeable. Much relevant information was obtained from the interviews conducted with the staff of the store. However this process was carried out over the internet as arranged by the client. Questionnaires: The purpose of distributing questionnaires is to obtain a broader scope of the operations of a store from the views of both the staff and customers of the store. Due to the fact that the staff of the store are numerous it is cumbersome to attempt to interview all of them but it is necessary to ensure that a good number of staff participate in the exercise. It is also not possible to interview all the customers of the store but it is necessary to obtain a broad base of input from the customer because they are the ones to utilize the software which will be designed. Due to these constraints the only technique available is to fill the stated requirements by distributing questionnaires to the various respondents. Since most of the questions in the questionnaires have a restricted set of answers the information obtained using this method is generally more precise. Observation: The purpose of observing at first hand the shopping operations of the store is to get as much personalized information as possible by discovering what is actually happening as opposed to what is supposed to happen. In conducting interviews and surveys it is possible that respondents might not be entirely forthcoming with the true answers but by observing what is actually going on, direct fact will be gathered from the shopping process. INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE DETAILED RESULT DESCRIPTION OF THE CURRENT SYSTEM HOW THE CURRENT SYSTEM WORKS Based on the facts gathered from our facts finding process, the current manual based shopping system being operated by wellcare shopping mall Abuja can be summarized as follows: There are two main purpose why customers comes into the store that come; the first type of customers are those who want to find information about a product, while the second type of customers are those that want to purchase a product. The current system does have arrangements for both types of customers. MAKING AN ENQUIRY FOR A PRODUCT When customers walks into the store and want to make enquiry about a particular product, the customer then walk up to the shopping attendants to make enquiries. If the enquire is something that can be immediately treated (e.g. the description of a particular product), the shopping clerk can handle on the spot without consulting her subordinates or superiors. If however the customer wants to find out things that exceed the jurisdiction of the clerk, it is mandated for her to refer the customer to the front office manager who then handles the case, and since this also exceeds the boundaries of the shopping system. PURCHASING A PRODUCT Customer who purchase a product in wellcare shopping mall are put through five (3) process that make up the current shopping system. The first process involves customer searching for a products and adding searched products to the shopping basket. These can only be done by searching for products based on product categories in the store. The second process involves the customer paying for the product and specifying the means of payment. Two main modes are encouraged. These means are: payment by cash and payment by cheques. The third process is simply printing out the shopping receipt for the customer. The shopping receipt will contain fields which include Product Number, Product Name, quantity, amount paid and method of payment. The customer checks in the next day if the payment mode is cash, or two days after if the payment mode is by cheque. Based on these facts gathered from our facts finding process, the current manual based shopping system being operated by the wellcare shopping mall in Abuja can be somewhat summarized and represented in a process modeling diagram to illustrate or show how the current system works. PROCESS MODELING Description of the current system using Data Flow Diagram (DFD) Below is a Data Flow Diagram that shows the physical information flow within the current system at the context level. The basic organization structure is decentralized control. By referring to the Context Diagram (see Figure 1), we can see the current system is constituted of the main SHOPPING SYSTEM interacting with three entities; Customer, Bank and the Store Information System. Entity Description Customer The customer is every person that comes to the shop regarding shopping and product enquiry. Whether it is to make enquires, or to buy a product, or to pay for a product. Mall Information System This Refers to the front desk and customer services section of the store. Information regarding the store is kept in store information system. Bank When customers opt to pay by cheque, the store sends the cheque details to the bank for verification and the cash is then sent back to the store database. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE GENERAL SYSTEM PROCESSES From the Context Diagrams, we can see that the current shopping system has 3 main entity: Customer Bank Shopping information system and below is an ER (Entity Relation Diagram for the current shopping system). PROBLEMS OF THE CURRENT HOTEL RESERVATION SYSTEM IT IS TIME CONSUMING With the current shopping system a lot of time is required to go through the shopping process even for regular shopping customers. It takes customer time to search for product category by category especially if the customer. IT IS TEDIOUS In the current system is very tedious and stressful for both the sales representatives and customer because of the queues often encountered in trying to pay for a product in the mall. The morale of the front office staff is usually reduced after a full days work as they are likely to feel fatigued. IT IS NOT AUTOMATED The current system requires constant supervision and personnel presence to run effectively. The absence of this (supervision) hinders the system and wades off prospective customers as well as taints the reputation of the store. However, the problem involved here is that more attention is given to the shopping process and other areas are neglected because the staff required to manage them are supervising others. THE CUSTOMER HAS LIMITED OPTIONS Here the customers does not get adequate information regarding different product and other important information, as a result these the store might loose their prospective customers. UNRELIABLE The current system has many flaws in its implementation. Flaws such as over out of stock of products, number of product supplied, poor defined specifications, poor documentation. Most of these are caused by the human factors that implement the system. TAKES UP SPACE Data is usually stored in hard copies( in filing cabinets) thus requiring valuable office space:- Since the current system makes use of office files and filing cabinet to store records of product, suppliers and staff, a lot of space is required to accommodate large volume of these records. DATA INSECURITY With the current system, records and other important information are prone to theft, unauthorized manipulation and lose due to fire. These files can even be easily accessed by unauthorized people. IT IS COST INTENSIVE The current system requires lots of funds to maintain its smooth operation due to the purchase of paper, stationeries, filing cabinets, phone bills, e.t.c LIMITED CONTROL OVER PURCHASED ITEMS The current system makes it difficult/tedious for the customers to have control over purchased product for example returning and asking for refunds for an already purchased product. SOLUTION TO PROBLEMS OF CURRENT SYSTEM RE: IT IS TIME CONSUMING The proposed system aims to achieve a record time of 3-6 minutes for registered customers and 6-10 minutes for new customers depending on the customer shopping items. Also, with the customer account module running, the customer need not submit his details every time, he just supplies his user ID and his details are automatically uploaded. RE: IT IS TEDIOUS Since the number of customers to come to the sales would reduce, front office staff fatigue is less likely to occur, and as a result, the morale towards work of the staff would increase. Also, the customers would not have to go through the burden of queuing to lodge. RE: IT IS NOT AUTOMATED The proposed system would be developed in simple everyday language, thus making it simple for any body that can read and use a computer to book a room online. Also, staff supervision is not required for the receptionists and other front office staff, this is because the customer details are simply uploaded to the computer in the hotel, and can be opened by a simple mouse click. RE: THE CUSTOMER HAS LIMITED OPTIONS The new system would not only have information concerning the new system, it would make it possible for the customers to ask questions online and have their answers mailed to them. Thus making the enquiry process easy and increasing customer satisfaction. RE: UNRELIABLE The new system is computer based and thus the issue of human factor does not come up. The computer works with the principle GIGO (Garbage-In-Garbage-Out) which means the computer only supplies what the user had given before. RE: TAKES UP SPACE Since the new system is computer based, space requirement would be a very trivial issue because files would be stored in your computer hard disk. This means there is no need to have physical storage locations. RE: DATA INSECURITY In the proposed system, data security is very important as access specifiers would be made available at virtually every level of information. RE: IT IS COST INTENSIVE Since the system is computer based, the only form of paperwork needed would be printing sales report at the end of every month, which is normal and nothing compared to the tedious paper work which currently is being used. The computerization thereby means that the hotel would no longer have to budget so much money for provision of stationary anymore. RE: LIMITED CONTROL OVER RESERVATION The proposed system provides the customers the flexibility to control their reservations. Customers can modify their reservation at any point before the check in time. They can even cancel reservations without loosing their money as opposed to the current system where the customer looses 50% if he/she does not lodge.

Following the Wrong Footsteps :: essays papers

Following the Wrong Footsteps For much of Public School's history, the academic standards had little to do with whether or not you were a male or a female. Much of one's placement in a classroom or school depended on the age or academic standing. Other issues such as the consolidation of schools and the Americanization of immigrants were given a higher placement of importance. The subject of gender was almost taken for granted and when the issue did intrude, historically the reaction was one of arbitrary response. The public was much more concerned with the development of their men than the equality of their children (Pollard, 1993.) As time allowed more men and more women to be schooled together, it was evident that a woman's presence alone would not ensure an equally beneficial education. The school systems continue to follow a gendered curriculum, created mainly by men in order to serve men. It is the reinforcement of the gender biases and assumptions through their methodical distribution and teaching of stereotypes and ideas that put the education of men and women on two separate levels. There is no example to follow when it comes to the equal education of children because even though they receive the same education, it is far from equal. It is this along with the lack of recognition towards women who have achieved greatness both in and out of education that creates an outsider status for the female student (Lasser, 1987). The main problem in attempting to accomplish gender equity is the fact that the teachers being sent off to teach children in gender equitable terms are not trained to do so. Gender equity issues are virtually ignored in most university level education classes and any strategies created to decrease gender-biased classroom behavior are basically non-existent. Most efforts to remove this problem are geared toward working teachers when the focus needs to be on the upcoming generation of teachers presently in school (Miller, 2001). Teacher Expectations and Learning Environments In addition to poor teacher training; culture stereotypes and the expectations of these teachers are what diminish a girl's self-esteem and confidence. This is turn continues to cheat girls out of the education they deserve (Miller, 2001). What has created this phenomenon of discrimination is not something of a natural occurrence, but one of social distortion.

Draining Lake Powell :: Nature Environment Papers

Draining Lake Powell This paper explores the fight between draining Lake Powell and keeping it as is. It discusses the gains and the losses due to environmental, economical, and political issues. The bibliography uses sources from public interest publications, environmental organizations newsletters, and government publications to give many sides of the argument and many issues dealing with the subject matter. REFERENCES AND ANNOTATIONS Chattergee, Sumana. â€Å"Hill gives energy-water added money.† CQ Weekly 24 Oct. 98: 2905. CQ weekly is a paper that focuses on the actions of the US government. They call themselves â€Å"100 reporters and editors, focused solely on Congress, analyze trends, members and upcoming Hill activity.† The paper actually shuts down when the senate and house is at recess. This article spotlights a bill giving money to water and power studies and plan implementation. The article is a good informative letter on the use of this money, and plans that the government has for it. It shows actual thoughts and decisions from US senators and representatives. It shows the use of money to specific programs, as well as totals. It is a good source to find the economic drains and helps along with the government sentiments on the subject. Franklin, Chris â€Å"Let the Colorado River run free† Earth Island Journal Spring 97: 23. The Earth Island Journal comes from the Earth Island Institute, an environmental foundation which is dedicated to the protecting of our worlds environment, plants, and animals. It did seem strange that in the mission statement they mentioned one living thing to save, the sea turtle. They were created in 1982, and have 32 worldwide projects. Their journal, the Earth Island Journal, is said to be a â€Å"tree free† print. What is it printed on I wonder? This article focuses on more than Lake Powell; it talks about the 11 dams which are now on the Colorado, and the ecological changes which are taking place along the whole of the river. It uses examples from the Glen Canyon dam to help the argument, but still does not talk about any positive changes in the Colorado River ecosystem.

The nature of skills

Skills represent your talents, abilities, and aptitudes – in short, what you are good at doing. Skills are built gradually by repeated training or other experiences. They may be, manual, intellectual or mental, perceptual or social. (Source: I) Skills are built gradually by repeated training or other experience. May also be defined as any competence possessed by someone; in an employment using there hands well among manual workers. The acquisition of skill is a tortuous process that takes us through the following sequence: 1. Unconscious incompetence This is the stage when ignorance is bliss, when it looks easy and you don't realise how much there is to it. In an example of a skilful presenter to the observer, he may be performing the task effortlessly. 2 Conscious incompetence This is the realisation that, when you first try to emulate the skilful performer, you can't do it. This is an unpleasant discovery which may shock you into giving up and returning to the relative comfort of stage 1. 3 Conscious competence This stage is hard work! It is when you are able to do a competent presentation, but only by investing an enormous amount of conscious effort into every aspect of it. You have to force yourself to make adequate eye contact with the audience and to stand still. You have to force yourself not to talk to the visual aids and to synchronise your gestures with your main messages. This is such hard work that you may decide that it isn't worth the effort and abandon your attempt to acquire the skills in question. 4 Unconscious competence This is the skilful stage when you too can do professional presentations effortlessly! Even this, however, isn't the end of the story, because of the real danger of complacency creeping in. The more skilful you are, the more you tend to cut corners which, if unchecked for long periods, degenerate into bad habits. The answer is to drop back to conscious competence every now and again to check things out and eradicate the bad habits. (Source: iii) The four basic learning strategies are as follows; 1. Trial and Error 2. Being Told or Instructed 3. Copying or imitation 4. Thinking for yourself (class notes 4rm 26-11-02) A perfect example illustrating the application of the methods outlined above would be acquisition of Social competence (Source; II) DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVEMENT OF VARIOUS DIFFERENT TYPES OF SKILLS Various different types of skills to be outlined in TASK 2 can be developed and improved through a number of processes the main ones being: 1. Learning 2. Education 3. Training; this is a planned process to modify attitude, knowledge or skill behaviour through learning experience to achieve performance in an activity or range of activities. 4. Personal development; an inevitable process which is unique to each individual, and which enables that individual to develop, increasing knowledge, skill, moral values and understanding. 3rd TASK SUMMARY OF FINDINGS FROM PREVIOUS TASK I believe that by carrying out this ‘skills audit' on myself to fulfil the requirement of the set task 3, I will gain further incite into the current level skills and with that in mind I should hopefully be able to identify the sklls that require more attention in future. Communication I speak to others with ease and clarity, giving information and explanations which are clear and easily understood. I have identified that I need to improve on this by listening actively to others. Motivation Showing a lot of energy and enthusiasm is always good for motivation; I need to do this a lot more in order to improve the current skill level. Delegation This is a task that I readily seem to take for granted, in order to build a reflective team I will need to focus more on this aspect of leadership and attempt to increase my capabilities in it. Decision – making I have to always evaluate the alternative lines of action in order to make appropriate decisions. Lots of information is also required to help this process. Strength My strength is self-confidence and understanding what my weaknesses are. I try to be as realistic and am willing to learn from past failures and successes. I'm reliable and I can cope with pressure and control my emotions. Weaknesses My main weaknesses may lie in time management, a skill which performed in a grouped situation I able to cope with, but individually on a task, I will need to work upon suggestion include planning more effectively.

Applying Ethics in the Armed Forces

In Rob Reiner’s 1992 film, â€Å"A Few Good Men†, two ethical approaches to life are illustrated most profoundly in four main characters.   Protagonist Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, played by Tom Cruise, is in direct moral contrast to the antagonist of the film, Colonel Nathan Jessep, played by Jack Nicholson.   Kaffee effectively illustrates the importance of using the ethical framework of the common good approach while Jessep shows the flaws inherent in the virtue approach.The approach taken by Kaffee ensures that society is seamless in morality and that the Marines are not a group that is outside of either the law or common morality.   Jessep, however, shows that virtues or ideals that commanders demand of subordinates in the military can contradict the virtues of the common person and the common good.The remaining important two characters are the conflicted and court-martialed Lance Corporal Harold W. Dawson and Private Lowden Downey.   These are Marines that re sted their trust in their commander and must later learn to trust their attorney Kaffee and the integrity of military law.Dawson and Downey first come to the attention of Lieutenant Kaffee when the two are accused of causing the death of Private William Santiago.   It was later discovered that the two were either directly or indirectly encouraged to initiate a â€Å"Code Red’, which is a form of Marine self-policing, where weaker member were scared via different methods to become stronger, better Marines.The men have allegedly stuffed a rag into the mouth of Private Santiago, resulting in his death.   It becomes clear that the men will not speak of the crime in question, due to the honor code of Marines.It later becomes clear, as well, that Gitmo is viewed as a very different place with very different values.   When the Marine Commander Jessep is accused of his role of creating such an immoral climate that results in a man’s death, he states that he has â€Å"a greater responsibility than [you] can possibly fathom†.Learning that the military culture may have a separate moral culture surrounded with different ethical mores, the question becomes are Dawson and Downey are morally blameworthy?Since Colonel Jessep appears to utilize the virtue approach while simultaneously instilling an atmosphere of silence and brotherhood in his Marines at Gitmo, a small island apart from the rest of the world, to not follow his instructions would be unthinkable.   To Jessep, his Marines are men above reproach and question and given the task of protecting their fellow soldiers in a place that is always in danger of outside harm.   The virtue approach that he instills in men like Dawson and Downey are to the effect that â€Å"a person who has developed virtues will be naturally disposed to act in ways consistent with moral principles† (Velasquez, et al, 1996).These virtues and principles were the cornerstone of the survival of the two men in question, they believed that there was no possible to way to refute or refuse any orders given by their virtuous commander.   The virtues practiced and preached by Jessep were courage, strength, silence, and submission.Above all else these men learned, also, that they must always submit to their superiors in all they were asked to do.   For this reason, these men are not entirely blameworthy, as if they would have refused direct orders, they would have lost their virtue and in essence the very fabric of their lives.   The moral questions of virtue and common good become the fabric of the court hearing.Lieutenant Kaffee concerns himself with the ethical issue of the common good approach to ethics and instills the positive points of virtue theory by displaying compassion, fairness, and integrity.   The Common Good approach essentially deals with an idea that individual good is equated and ensured with public good and that individual, honorable traits should be shared as a comm unity in a healthy fashion.In this way, goodness, is not good if it is not shared.   It can be said, then, that in order to recognize good to share it, we must also be able to recognize bad or â€Å"evil†, in order to know how to counter it in a world of free will.â€Å"Appeals to the common good urge us to view ourselves as members of the same community, reflecting on broad questions concerning the kind of society we want to become and how we are to achieve that society† (Velasquez, et al, 1996).In this way Kaffee shows that Gitmo is a part of the larger world and that justice should be served to ensure that the military and the rest of the world can achieve fairness.   Jessep is shown as culpable in his actions and Kaffee assures Dawson that a person does not need to have a patch on his or her arm to have honor.This phrase means so much to the Marine, who was simply following orders in a misguided mission.   Had he not been subjected to the immorality of his co mmander, he would have been a good soldier.   But, he cannot return to his duties and must then show honor in his daily life, hopefully Kaffee has illustrated this honor and the uselessness of rank, faulty reasoning, and a simple patch on one’s arm that does not assume morality.In closing, â€Å"A Few Good Men† in an excellent film to analyze in context of morals and ethical approaches.   The two illustrated approaches of virtue and the common good can be seen as a recurring theme throughout the work.   The actors all display their ideas and ideals of morality and a code of honor.The misguided and displaced ethical approaches and results are magnified to display their potential risks while the important and useful ethical approaches are displayed in memorable fashion with justice being more than a part of a court proceeding, it becomes a part of a new honor code for all affected.ReferencesSchickel, Richard.   (December 14th, 1992).   â€Å"Close-Order Moral Drill†.  Ã‚   Time.  Ã‚  Ã‚   70.Velasquez, M., Andre, C., Shanks, T, Meyer, S. J. & Meyer M.   (Winter, 1996).  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Thinking Ethically:   A Framework for Moral Decision Making† in Issues in Ethics.   2-5.

Fences Play According to Aristotle Essay

Using Aristotle’s descriptions of Tragedy, I classify Fences by August Wilson as a tragic play. The elements of tragedy, Troy Maxson as a tragic hero, and tragic plot were evident throughout the play. Also, the feeling of catharsis at the end-which is proper of tragedy, was clearly identifiable. I. Fences fits into the tragic genre based on the points given by Aristotle. In Poetics, he defines tragedy as â€Å"the imitation of an action that is serious and also as having magnitude, complete in itself.† †¢ Aristotle’s idea is that the plot has a beginning middle and end and all parts follow each other in concise fashion. o In the beginning, the hero is a garbage man, who previously was given a chance to participate in professional baseball, becomes the first black to drive a garbage truck, is loved by his wife, looked up to by his friend, Bono and receives demanded respect from his sons Lyons and Cory. o In the middle, the hero confesses to his wife that he is going to be a daddy to another woman’s child. He struggles with his son Cory and ultimately loses the love and respect of his family. He needs to ask Rose to help him raise his baby and be her mama. He also admits to the infant that he is scared. Act II Scene 3 p. 73 â€Å"And right now your daddy’s scared cause we sitting out here and ain’t got no home.† o In the end, the hero dies. By then a lonely man who is no longer respected by his family nor has the admiration of his friend. Troy’s believes fate is his downfall. He thinks the color of his skin is the decisive factor in the workplace, the playing field and the street. (Pereira 42) †¢ A complex plot includes reversal and recognition. o Troy is happy and stress free when with Alberta. Even when he tells Rose, she continues to stay with him until later when she issues an ultimatum. Act II Scene 1 pg. 66 â€Å"†¦I’m responsible for it. I locked myself into a pattern trying to take care of you all that I forgot about myself.† His belief of providing for his family and his refusal to accept that other people had ideas and times were changing kept him stagnant in life. o Alberta then dies during childbirth. Troy sees how he has lost everything and challenges death to stay away until it is ready to take him. II. Using Aristotle’s description of a tragic hero in Poetics, Troy Maxson,  the main character in August Wilson’s play, Fences, is an example of a tragic hero. †¢Aristotle describes a tragic hero to be a â€Å"man who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty†. This means the hero need not be perfect nor a villain, but basically good and decent. His downfall usually results from a tragic flaw or error in judgment, not due to wickedness. †¢ In Chapter 15 of Poetics, Aristotle says â€Å"the character will be good if the purpose is good†. o Troy’s intentions for his family are good. He provides a paycheck to his family, handing the money over to Rose each Friday, he wants Lyons to get his own job and support his wife and stay out of trouble, and he wants Cory to be educated and find a good job to support himself. o Act 1 Scene 3 pg. 39-40 â€Å"†¦Itâ €™s my job. It’s my responsibility! You understand that? A man got to take care of his family. You live in my house†¦sleep you behind on my bedclothes†¦fill you belly up with my food†¦cause you my son. You my flesh and blood. Not cause I like you! Cause it’s my duty to take care of you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  †¢ Aristotle says â€Å"the second thing to aim at is propriety†. o In the book, August Wilson, The African-American Odyssey, Kim Pereira says â€Å" Troy becomes a slave to bitterness which stunts the development of his full potential as a father, husband and friend. â€Å" o Troy’s believes responsibility is the greatest virtue and his aim is to be a provider for his family. While Troy’s behavior is dominating and unaffectionate, his aim is to be the provider of his family and to make sure that they do not suffer the injustices he did. o â€Å"If a hero is one who goes into a battle that he may or may not win, Troy Maxson possesses, in full measure, the †¦warrior spirit†¦he wants complete satisfaction or nothing at all. The promise of change is empty; he cares only about change itself†¦The so-called realities of the social world around him matter little, for he dances to an internal rhythm, answering a call for self-authentication that springs from a cultural, even cosmological, dimension.† (Pereira 38) †¢ Aristotle then says in his descriptions, â€Å"Thirdly, character must be true to life: for this is a distinct thing from goodness and propriety, as here described.† oTroy fits a character who would have lived in the 1950’s, having experienced discrimination, an abusive father and a changing society towards African-Americans in that period. o Troy says in Act 1, Scene 3 pg. 37 â€Å"†¦The white man ain’t gonna let  you get nowhere with that football noway.† Troy’s beliefs ran true to his experiences all through the play. †¢ The last characteristic of a tragic hero is that he must be consistent. o Troy was consistent in his belief that the black man could not get ahead in America. o He behaved and learned from the examples given by his own father. o â€Å"The events of almost a century had underscored the distinction between de jure and de facto. Legally, blacks had been free for ninety four years, but practically they had little or no access to any of the benefits that ordinary citizens take for granted-recourse to the law, equal employment opportunitites, education.† (Pereira 36) III. Troy’s tragic flaw is in trying to protect his family and discover himself in the process. His frailty is colored by his experience with racism (especially in professional sports) and his inability to accept that times are changing. †¢ Troy says Cory should make his own way in the world, but it is he who won’t let him take a chance. †¢Troy’s desire to prevent his son succumbing to the same outcome in sports ends with Troy trapping him into the same lifestyle by not allowing him to grow and refusing to believe that times have changed. o â€Å"I don’t want him to be like me! I want him as far away from my life as he can get†¦..I decided seventeen years ago that boy wasn’t getting involved in no sports. Not after what they did to me in the sports† (39 Fences). †¢ Troy’s excuse for betraying Rose is because he has been standing on first base for ever. He doesn’t relate this to anyone else in his family who have stood right behind him. †¢ â€Å"Troy has inherited the legacy of fear of emotional commitment†¦Troy has never learned to receive and give true love† (Monaco) IV. â€Å"Despite his flaws, or, perhaps, because of them, he taught his family how to â€Å"take the straights with the crooked†; to recognize and play to their strengths; â€Å"not to make the same mistakes†¦to take life as it comes along and keep putting one foot in front of the other.† As all of them move toward their individual destinies, they have a surer sense of who they are and a greater instinct for survival because of Troy Maxson.† (Monaco) †¢ â€Å"Like his father, Cory believes that denying his father is the â€Å"way to get rid of that shadow† (Fences 89). o When Cory decides to go to the funeral, he has come  to accept his father’s faults and looked to the man himself. Singing the song of Blue with Raynell†¦..Cory demonstrates that he can embrace the song of his father without becoming his father. (Monaco) †¢ â€Å"†¦Wilson shows that it is only through the willingness to face and accept the forces of the past that the protagonists will be given hope, power, and ultimately, deliverance.†(Monaco) †¢ Troy is contained by death while the others are able to move on in their lives. o Cory has joined the Marines and is getting married, Rose is involved with church and raising Raynell, Gabriel is in the hospital, Bono is happily married to Lucille and Raynell has a family. Troy is contained by death. The play Fences definitely fits Aristotle’s description of Tragedy. Troy Maxson was a tragic hero, although he gave us reasons to believe he was not worthy of this title. In the end, his lessons and actions are what spurred his family into survival and healing and gave them a positive outlook and the ability to move forward in the changing future ahead of them.

Culture and Politics in Fascist Italy Essay

In The Patron State: Culture and Politics in Fascist Italy, Maria Susan Stone discusses the cultural policy-making under Mussolini’s regime in Italy from 1922 to 1943. Specifically, she has provided a detailed study of two of the most popular showpieces of public culture during the fascist regime: the reconstituted Venice Biennale and the 1932 Exhibition of the Fascist Revolution. Stone asserts that the cultural politics that happened during the fascist regime in Italy was developed in three stages. The first stage (from 1925-30) was when the Fascists worked with the established institutions of high culture. It was during this stage that the regime discovered that it could not officially sanction any one style or movement. Stone also described this stage as the time when the Fascists dealt with the social elites. The second stage (from 1931-36) was the period when they used patronage and experimentation in an effort to shape cultural institutions according to their specifications. This is also the period when the Fascists increasingly gained support from the mass. They achieved this by moving away from supporting traditional events aimed for social elites and supporting events aimed at the masses instead. And finally, the third stage (from 1937-43), was when they adopted a more coercive set of methods. Through flexible policy of taste and patronage, the Fascists were able to win the consent of artists and draw supporters from the higher class to the masses. The role and use of mass culture during the Fascist regime have always fascinated historians for the past thirty years. Stone had added to the vast researches by other prominent historians such as Walter Adamson, Philip Cannistraro, and Umberto Silva on the same topic but on a new perspective. Work Cited: Stone, Maria Susan. The Patron State: Culture and Politics in Fascist Italy. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1998

Case

Telefonica de Espana. Does your analysis lead to the same conclusions as Telefonicas managers? The textbook explains SWOT as an acronym for â€Å"Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats†. Strengths; Telefonica is a monopoly at this time because it is state owned and this is a major strength for them. The fact that Spain’s culture and language is similar to the market in South America is a major advantage as well. Weaknesses; According to the textbook the prices associated with Telefonica’s service was high. Competitors were looking to exploit this by offering cheaper service with better technology. Companies who could lower their profit margin are a major concern for Telefonica. Opportunities; The deregulation of telecommunications in South America (with the cultural similarities as I mentioned before) seemed to be the perfect opportunity to enter this market and be successful. Threats; Due to the many complaints from their customers Telefonica faces many threats from competitors in this â€Å"new market†. There is a chance that they may not survive in this market if they do not provide better service and technology. 2. How would you characterize the corporate strategy adopted by Telefonica? 3. Minority investors in Telefonicas South American subsidiaries are unhappy with the parent corporation. Suppose you are a senior manager at the parent corporation. How would you handle the problem with the minority investors? What would you recommend to the CEO should be done about the minority investors? 4. The Latin American telecommunications market is growing much faster (12. 6 percent in 2007) than that of Spain or Europe, both of which grew at a 4. 9 percent rate in 2007. Should Telefonica have continued to focus on the Latin American market, rather than acquire O2 and Cseky? What about its purchase of a minority position in China Netcom?

Image edge detaction - Sobel Method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Image edge detaction - Sobel Method - Essay Example aim of the whole ‘Edge Detection’ process is the conversion of 2D Images into Curves or a collection of curves; this in turn highlights the boundaries of the objects that tend to produce specific changes in colour intensity. Hence all the information (geometric information) in an image; more commonly termed as objects such as the Colour, hue and brightness is attained by the properties of intensity changes in images. The history of Image Edge Detection includes not only the basic methods that like Gradient Method and Laplacian Method but also those methodologies that were based on these two techniques. The time-period of 1960 – 1980 was specifically significant for the formulation and the development of the Discrete Gradients and Laplacians where as another method was introduced in the 1980s and was known as Marr – Hildreth; Laplacian of Gaussian. In the year 1983 Canny Edge Detectors and their basic principle of working surfaced and joined the lists of Image Edge Detectors. ‘Linear and non – linear Scale Space’ was another mode that surfaced in the year 1985. ‘Morphological Gradient and Laplacian’ is yet another term that represents an image detection method; originated in 1979. What history the process of Image Edge Detection has, saw a boom in the research work applied to the field and the development it made in the late 20th century and still is underway in the 21st century. This boom had its peak displayed magnificently in the late 1980s and the level of research is maintained till the current day thus enabling progress and expansion in the field. Edge Detection procedures not only identify but also point out the location of the Discontinuities in a subject image which are fundamentally based on the difference between the intensity levels of ‘Pixels’, which determine the limits or, to be more precise, ‘Edges’ in the constituents of an image. Edge detection operators employ the use of different variables to which they are sensitive

Argument on Censorship Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Argument on Censorship - Research Paper Example This paper is a critical evaluation of censorship both as a positive and a negative instrument. Censorship Censorship, as stated herein, is an instrument used by governments, religious groups, and media among other groups to prevent the flow of information, which has a real or perceived capacity of destabilizing the society. The government and other interested parties such as the church, have the role of ensuring that moral values are protected in the society by all means available. This is necessary especially with the ever increasing accessibility and utilization of internet resources, not only by adults but also under age users. Apparently, the internet has got thousands of sites, which contain pornographic contents ranging from videos, photographs and texts. In this era of high HIV prevalence, every parent must be worried and careful on the kind of information their children are getting from the internet as pornographic materials have the capacity of creating curiosity which may end up being satisfied through engagement in illicit sex. In order to achieve this, censorship on such materials is essential and every internet provider should be held accountable if they do not apply filter on such contents (Heins 58). However, censorship in the past has been used as a means of keeping the citizens in the dark and protecting governments from criticism (Jansen 22). In this context, laws are put in place with the intention of gagging institutions such as the media and monitoring the internet so as to ensure that they do not broadcast information which is anti government. China for example has been criticized several times for applying censorship to protect the communist party. In this case, critics indicate that the government is keen on covering up past and present failures of the party so as to let people continue believing that their government is perfect and responsible. In addition, it is believed that censorship in this country is also used to shun penetration of western ideologies in the society especially due to the fact that most of the western nations are pro democracy and in that aspect, allowing free flow of information from their sources may open the eyes of Chinese citizens to alternative forms of governance (Barbour 61). This in itself is highly unethical on the part of the government as it enhances ignorance on matters concerning politics and also creates a platform for mismanagement of public resources and limitation of fundamental human rights such as freedom of expression and the right to hold demonstrations. It also puts media personnel at loggerheads with the authorities, which puts them in danger of being arrested or losing their operating licenses (Jansen 36). Countries such as Ireland have also in the past passed legislations promoting censorship of books and other materials believed to touch on issues that are perceived to be sensitive. These are for example the Censorship of Publications Act, 1929, 1946 and 1967, whic h restricted the publishing or possession of materials discussing reproductive health (Maurice 19). This is to imply that any information regarding contraceptives, sex, condoms, abortion among others were not to be circulated in the society, a move which was seen as favoring the

Service Operations Management for Aviation Essay

Service Operations Management for Aviation - Essay Example Virgin Atlantic services desing is based around mass customization of customer service where the needs of customer and expectation are meet. This is achieved through having different services for different customers so that the customer can choose the kind of service they intent to have. In this case, the customers can choose to fly in one of the three classes which include the business, economy and the upper class. The service design in virgin is also created around the standardisation of the service. This is achieved through the training of staff in order to have a standard of service as they face the customers. This attitude towards service design is both advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is the fact that the members of staff are more likely to make any mistakes as they relate the customers (Woods, Hebron & Bradley, 2001). However, as Khosrowpour (2006) argues, when the service is standardised, the staff know exactly what to do and when to do it and this helps in ma king sure that the staff are not likely to do something that may harm the brand of the firm. At the same time, it helps the customers to know what to expect and this reduces the number of inconveniences. There are negatives however, and these include the fact that such a service may seem to be too robotic for the customers (Barlow, 2003). In fact, customers in many cases have complained due to this kind of service where the service members of staff are not able to act spontaneously when dealing with the customers but instead follow too strict procedures. This affects the quality of service especially for customers who would prefer to have a less formal and less robotized customer service. Virgin Atlantic operates in some of the markets where customers demand the best service. One of these markets is he American and European market where customer service quality is highly demanded. Apart from the fact that customers from these two markets demand he best customer service, the market i s also a high competition market, with so many airlines operating in the market (Heracleous, 2008). This competition means that the firms in the market have to be innovative in order to give the customers the best quality service while at the same time reducing costs (Truxal, 2013). This is a challenge for businesses like Virgin Atlantic because there delivering high quality leads to higher costs. Other issues of irregular demand are also important in affecting the way the firm is able to delver high quality services. Like many airlines, the firm has found a way to increase its customer base by increasing customer experience. This is done across the three flight classes. Virgin Atlantic has a department for service design that is dedicated to designing service models which will help the firm in giving the customer the best service. The department is given the mandate to design customer service experience with regard to the cabin crew and other staff who meet the customer face to fac e. It is also mandated with helping the firm to design internal systems in order to give the customer the best feel while flying. This department, in particular is mandated to achieve the following; Pre-flight customer experience design This includes the booking systems, check in systems, and customer service at the airport. Like many airlines, Virgin Atlantic has tied as much as possible to make flight booking easy and to make the check in process easy. This has also been aided by the fact that

The implementation of a statistical process control to ensure total Essay

The implementation of a statistical process control to ensure total quality management and identify solutions to satysfying customer needs and reduce waste in the company - Essay Example This is inherently present in the method of data collection that was put in place while conducting the primary analysis. In this case, the data that has been put forward in the report was collected by analyzing the colour defects in a random sample of 200 units and the height variance of dolls for a period of 30 days. For accuracy, charts and table were designed and analyzed. We used an Np-chart to plot data on the colour defects and a histogram for the height difference of the dolls as the appropriate Statistical Process Control charts to monitor the data. The Np-chart was used because the data on colour defects was prepared as counted time attribute data with a constant sample size. The following charts prepared in MS-excel show the findings of the report in details. Chart 1.0 Np-chart for the number of defective dolls The Np-chart shows how the process, measured by the number of nonconforming items such as the dolls it produces, changes over time. Chart 2.0 Histogram for the heigh t measurements of the dolls The histogram was a suitable choice because the data collected in the 30 days was a measured time variable data with columns of decimals. Discussion and Recommendation The results indicate that there is a problem in the company. More specifically, the problem is traceable to the production part of the company. Consequently, the managerial team of the company should act fast in implementation of effective measures some of which we have discussed in the recommendations provided. There is a high number of customer dissatisfaction due to inconsistent and non-uniform manufacturing. It is evident, from both the report as well as the data collected too, that for every 200units sampled at... This study looks into Tom pulling Toys Company, a well-respected major global manufacturer of educational toys for children. The company plans to expand its profit margin and crave towards becoming a market leader. However, with the current competition from China, the company is in the race towards changing its strategies to counter the completion and remain profitable. With such demands to find the ideal changes, a Statistical Process Control method has been put in place to solve this issue. This report gives the overview of the progress of the Processes control in detail. After investigating the variation in the height of dolls and the different colour schemes in the dolls sampled, it was found that the dolls are suitable for the market but fail to meet Total Quality Management that is in line with the company requirements. This results from production of dolls that are not within a competitive scope of the market and provides a leeway for companies in China to provide threatening competition to the sale of dolls and possibly other products which are also part of the products that the company produces. In any market, it is imperative to stay ahead of the competition in order to remain relevant and improve competitive edge. It is important to consider long term benefits to the company when designing and manufacturing given the quality of the products will be ultimately determined by the customers. Apart from handling the individual faults in the height and colouring of the dolls, the product quality needs to be defined with measurable and appealing characteristics that can win buyers.

Financial Analysis of Netflix Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financial Analysis of Netflix - Essay Example In 1999, monthly subscriptions model was introduced and the reputation of the firm grew as a flat- fee rental with no due dates and late fee. Netflix has to its credit the personalized movie recommendation system which suggests choices to users based on their previous purchases. Also mentionable is the fact that Netflix user base has increased every year from the date its conception by over 50% from past years till 2005. After 2005, the number of subscribers continued to increase but at lower rates. (Netflix, 2012) Netflix also partnered with certain electronics companies to make streaming possible on the PS3, TVs with internet connections, Xbox 360, Apple iPhones, iPads, iPods and other internet connected devices. (Netflix, 2012) Researches showed that in 2011, 61% of the digital video market clintele belongs to Netflix. (Stambar, 2011) in 2011, Netflix is the highest revenue earner in the United States. (Frankel, 2012) This data clearly shows that as of right now, Netflix is a mark et leader. INCOME STATEMENT (Business Week, 2012)    31-Dec-08 31-Dec-09 31-Dec-10 31-Dec-11 Revenues 1,364.70 1,670.30 2,162.60 3,204.60 TOTAL REVENUES 1,364.70 1,670.30 2,162.60 3,204.60 Cost of Goods Sold 910.2 1,079.30 1,357.40 2,039.90 GROSS PROFIT 454.4 591 805.3 1,164.70 Selling General & Admin Expenses 249.4 286.6 358.3 520.6 R&D Expenses 89.9 114.5 163.3 259 Other Operating Expenses -6.3 -- -- -- OTHER OPERATING EXPENSES 332.9 401.2 521.6 779.6 OPERATING INCOME 121.5 189.8 283.6 385.1 Interest Expense -2.5 -6.5 -19.6 -20 Interest and Investment Income 9.2 4.8 2.7 2.8 NET INTEREST EXPENSE 6.7 -1.6 -16.9 -17.2 Other Non-Operating Income 0.1 -- -- -- EBT, EXCLUDING UNUSUAL ITEMS 128.4 188.2 266.7 367.8 Gain (Loss) on Sale of Investments 3.1 1.9 1 0.7 Other Unusual Items, Total -- 2.1 -- -9 Legal Settlements -- 2.1 -- -9 EBT, INCLUDING UNUSUAL ITEMS 131.5 192.2 267.7 359.5 Income Tax Expense 48.5 76.3 106.8 133.4 Earnings from Continuing Operations 83 115.9 160.9 226.1 NET IN COME 83 115.9 160.9 226.1 Talking about the income statement of Netflix, the trend of revenues has certainly taken a great boost since 2006 from 1365 million dollars to 3205 million dollars in 2011. Growth in revenue certainly is a positive sign for any company. Netflix has achieved huge numbers during the four years. The cost of sales has also risen but looking at the overall gross profit margin, we see a rising trend. Expanses look pretty much under control and would not had been a point of concern for Netflix. The change in the income statement which was very obvious was the interest charges which rose by big number from (1.6) in the year 2008 to (16.9) in 2010 and (20) in 2011. This means that Netflix has taken huge amount of loans in 2010 and have retained them in 2011 as well. In the income statement, we can also see that the investment’s income earned has also decreased since 2006. This means that Netflix have taken out all the investments it had made outside its compa ny. Net income also shows a positive growing trend. From the income statement, we can say that Netflix is growing and has profitable numbers. BALANCE SHEET (Business Week, 2012)    31-Dec 31-Dec 31-Dec 31-Dec Currency in Millions of US$ 2008 2009 2010 2011 Assets             Cash and Equivalents 139.9 134.2 194.5 508.1 Short-Term Investments 157.4 186 155.9 289.8 TOTAL CASH AND SHORT TERM INVESTMENTS 297.3 320.2 350.4 797.8 Prepaid Expenses 26.5 26.7 62.2 56 Deferred Tax Assets, Current -- -- 2.2 10 Restricted

SLP 1 MGT - 491 STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Essay

SLP 1 MGT - 491 STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT - Essay Example All the steps involved in formulating a strategic hiring process will be discussed in details. This analysis will be of importance in my future career as a Human Resource Manager either employed by an organization or being self-employed. The first step in the hiring process is identifying a vacancy and evaluating the needs of that vacant position. Vacant positions may be created due to growth demands of the organization, an employee quitting the job or the need for a specialized service. Once a vacant position is identified; the HR will require revisiting the organizational goals so that a proper evaluation of the kind of person required is done. Evaluation is guided by the current and future demands of the post and the overall long-term and short-term goals of the organization (Arthur, 2012). This assessment helps the HR manager to identify the competency required of the person to be hired. Important details such as tasks to be completed and employee’s work hours are also determined based on the post evaluation. Once the HR has identified the vacant position and has come up with the requirements for the position, the next step is the preparation of a post description. The description of a position determines the kind of people who will be attracted. A job description creates the first impression to a potential employee. A good position description should include the responsibilities of the employee, and this document can be used later to access the performance of the hired employee. Moreover, it guides the training and career improvement programs that the hired employee will undergo after hiring. The general information to be presented to the prospective interviews will include payroll title, salary and name of the department. Other special requirements such as a driving license and the BFOQ’s will depend on the kind of position in question. A description of the purpose of the position will include details such as specific roles, position duration

International business strategy report Vodafone Essay

International business strategy report Vodafone - Essay Example Vodafone is a British multinational telecommunication company headquartered in London. The company was formed 1984 named as Recal telecommunication Company which was a subsidiary of Rach Electronics Plc. In 1991 the company was fully demerged from Recal and named as Vodafone Group. According company’s disclosed data in 2009; it has a direct market presence in 52 countries with over 302 million of mobile customers. It is the world’s largest telecommunication company in terms of revenue and second largest in terms of customers behind China Mobile. Identification of strategic issues through analysis To analyse the current strategies that the company has been following, there need to analyse the different area of its business like external environment, internal resources and internality operations of the company. There are some important tools which need to be analysed with respect to the company’s business for analysis of market base values of the company’s external business environment. Past key successful factor of the company was its global networks. Since the early 1990s, after the demerge form the Recal, Vodafone started international expansion in the European countries. In 1995, it earned 20 % of its total turnover of billion from its international business only. The company’s expansion strategy was opportunistic and aggressive and it started acquisition of the leading foreign companies or some stake of those to start operation in different countries including Germany, Spain, Italy, France etc. The current key successful factors of the company are highlight by the company’s CEO Vittorio Colao’s on his interview to Financial Times on November, 2008. The company has emphasised on its shift from expansions growth to consolidation in the existing market. Due to the increased competition in the domestic market of UK, it has taken strategy to buy the rival companies in UK to stay in leading position. The most tangible element of the companyâ€⠄¢s current strategies is improving its bottom line performance i.e. is the local autonomy through effective regional coverage in the existing market. It also has concentrated on the packaged services i.e. fixed and wireless services for individuals as well as for the business customers. It has started development of its stores by collaboration with Softbank. Five forces analysis is the most important tool to analyse the company’s external environments. Capital intensiveness of the new companies, new advanced wireless technology and new regulations of the different government in foreign markets have been acting as moderate threat of new entrants for the company. Vodafone has emphasised on the internet services for mobile users which is facing a strong threat of its substitute, Wi-Fi services. The company has been facing moderate bargaining power of its supplier due to the influence of distinctive mobile phone producers like Apple and Samsung. Google has also integrated its su pply chain which also has an

Why Labor Unions Were Successful Essay Example for Free

Why Labor Unions Were Successful Essay The years following the Civil War era was considered a gilded era due to the rapid economic and population growth in the United States. In this â€Å"gilded† time new inventions were being created, and factories were being revolutionized and more and more jobs were being created. With rapid population growth comes rapid growth of problems. Jobs were being created as fast as people were willing to fill them. Businesses everywhere were booming. But after a while, workers grew tired of the strict and demanding work conditions. Factory workers in this time were working in extremely poor conditions and had no power. Workers were often abused by the factory owners and their wages were cut very low. The mass immigration also did not favor the laborers as it made them so east to replace. In order to fight back, laborers would join labor unions in order to protest all these horrible conditions. Primarily, one of the important factors of the American opinion upon labor unions was the press. One of which was the New York Times (Doc. B). Often times the press was bribed by large companies in order to have favor them, hence giving labor unions a bad name. This article is about the BO railroad strike. They said it was a hopeless cause and the strikers do not even know what they wanted. (Doc. C) is another great example how the reputation of labor unions weren’t great. In the picture that Thomas Nass illustrates he is showing the laborer has killed the goose that lays the golden egg. One of these golden eggs is in his pocket and another egg is in the basket of the woman and child in the background of the illustration. This illustration is suggesting that labor unions do not know what they are doing and will regret it in the long run. Also, Nass is suggesting that the labor unions have a communist influence and that behind the labor unions is in fact communism.

Impact of Exports, Imports and Stock Exchange on Pakistan

Impact of Exports, Imports and Stock Exchange on Pakistan Impact of Exports, Imports and Stock Exchange performance on GDP of Pakistan. CHAPTER NO 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background The stock market plays an important role in the economy by mobilizing domestic resources and channeling them to productive investment. This implies that it must have a significant relationship with the economy. The relationship can be seen, in general, in two ways. The first relationship views the stock market as the leading indicator of the economic activity in the country, whereas the second focuses on the possible impact the stock market may have on aggregate demand, particularly through aggregate consumption and investment. In other words, whether changes in stock market cause fluctuations in macroeconomic variables, like Consumption Expenditures, Investment Spending, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Index of Industrial Production (IIP), etc., or are caused by these variables is an interesting issue to be examined. The former case implies that stock market leads economic activity, whereas the latter suggests that it lags economic activity. In addition to stock market another significant factors that are likely to effect on any economy around the world are imports and exports. As far as Pakistan is concerned its economy is highly reliant on the imports like industrial inputs, machinery, fuel and essential food stuffs. Pakistan major imports are petroleum, machinery, transport equipment, chemical, dyes, steel, iron, products, tea chemicals and many other products of goods and services which are not easily available in Pakistan. All the major transactions are in terms of million from the year of 2009 to 2011 having a percentage of GDP effect the economy of Pakistan. The major exports of Pakistan are the agriculture products, industrial goods, hosiery products, garments, cloth, fabrics and many other items which are excess in Pakistan Shabbir, Mahmood, Niazi, (1992). A country can avail numerous benefits from its exports. Firstly, trade expansion will bring about enhanced productivity through greater economies of scale in the export sector. Secondly, increased competition encountered in the international markets will undoubtedly provide greater incentives for technological advancement and better management, the effects of which will spill over into the non-export sectors, and thus raise the over-all productivity of the economy. Thirdly, increased export earnings will ease constraints on growth by enhancing the capacity to import essential goods, especially imports of intermediate and capital goods. In other words, export expansion promotes capital accumulation and, consequently, over-all economic growth. Fourthly, exports may have a positive imp act on productivity owing to better allocation of resources through specialization based on comparative advantage. Lastly, an export-oriented approach in a labor-surplus economy permits rapid expansion of employment and real wages. The importation and exportation of goods and services take a vigorous role in the progress of the economic development of Pakistan. It is observed that both factors import and exports help the economy to grow in the local and international market as well. Now due to energy crises the ratios of exports are very less as compared to imports. The rate of population of Pakistan is increasing day by day, which means a high increase of the demands and needs. The importation and exportation of goods and services play a dynamic role in the progress of the economy of Pakistan. It is observed that both factors import and exports help the economy to grow in the local and international market as well. Now due to energy crises the ratios of exports are very less as compared to imports. Therefore, the study will analyze the imports/exports and stock exchange growth with respect to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Pakistan. 1.2 Problem Statement A country like Pakistan whose economy is dependent on taking loans from International Monetary Fund (IMF) has to increase it exports and decrease its imports in order to reduce its dependency on foreign aid and loans. Moreover, owing to economic and political un stability the stock exchange of Pakistan fluctuates all over the year. Both imports/exports and stock exchange is effecting the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Pakistan over the years. Therefore, the study wants to find the impact of Imports/Exports and Stock exchange growth on GDP of Pakistan. 1.3 Research question What is the impact of imports, exports and stock exchange growth on GDP of Pakistan? 1.4 Research Objectives To analyze the impact of imports and exports on GDP of Pakistan. To investigate the impact of Stock exchange growth on GDP of Pakistan. 1.5 Rational of the study The study is based on the time series data from year 2001 to 2015. Data has been collected from authentic sources such as World Bank, world development index and Pakistan stock exchange. On the contrary the stock exchange performance was gathered from Pakistan stock exchange. Imports, exports and stock exchange performance will be used as independent variables and GDP will be used as dependent variable. In order to find the impact of imports, exports and stock exchange performance on GDP of Pakistan the research will use and Regression analysis. 1.6 Significance of the Study The study will be significant to the overall economic sector of Pakistan. Government can avail benefits from research findings in such a way that it can help the government while making their relevant policies for exportation and importation of goods. Furthermore, the government of Pakistan can see the fluctuations in the stock exchange growth over the years through which they can predict the stock exchange performance for years to come. All in all, the whole research will be beneficial to the relevant government sector if they want to increase the economic performance of our country. CHAPTER NO 2 LITERATURE REVIEW Following section contains viewpoints of various authors around the world and from Pakistan with respect to imports/exports and stock exchange growth on GDP of Pakistan. Literature review is an essential part of any research reason being it gives us the direct and indirect perspectives and establish a ground on which current research is taken place. It is inappropriate to conduct a new research before reviewing past research related to the topic on which we are going to conduct research. 2.1 Literature Review The empirical literature on export, import and economic growth nexus are distinguished between two stands in the methodological point of view. The à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ rst stand uses the cross-country approach in order to test the economic theory about export and economic growth nexus by using rank correlation approach, OLS method, 2SLS and random effect estimation method. These studies are supported for a positive relationship between export and economic growth McNab and Moore, (1998). The second stand uses the time series techniques. In the beginning of time series literature on export, import and growth nexus, the researchers have widely used causality methods to find out the results. Ahmad and Harnhirun, (1995) employed cointegration and error-correction modeling approach in case of à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ve Asian countries, i.e. Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, annual data of 1966-1990 are employed. They found out bidirectional causal relationship between export and economic growth. In case of China, Shan and Sun, (1998) investigated the ELG hypothesis by using the monthly data 1987-1996. They found bidirectional relationship between export and economic growth. Lie et al. (1997) examined the long-run relationship between trade openness (exports plus imports) by using the quarterly data from 1983 to 1995. They found bidirectional relationship between trade openness and economic growth and suggested higher degree of trade openness associated with the higher level of economic growth. Narayan and Smyth, (2004) used Cointegration and error-correction method in order to check the link between real export, human capital accumulation and economic growth. They found long-run relationship only when real export is the dependent variable. Mah, (2005) the ELG is tested using the ARDL model. The results are in favor of a long-run bidirectional relationship between real GDP and export growth. Conversely, Tang (2006) reviewed the ELG hypothesis in China with import as an additional variable in the model. He used two Cointegration methods, i.e. ARDL approach to Cointegration, and JJ cointegration methods. The results of two approaches indicate no cointegration between export, import and real GDP. Herrerias and Orts, (2009) examined the relationship between the import, investment, output and productivity by using the data 1964-2004. They concluded in the long run both import and investment have promoted output and labor productivity but on the other hand neither investment causes import nor import causes investment. Muhammad Adnan Hye, (2012) conducted a research in China the purpose of this paper is to investigate the export-led growth, growth-led export, import-led growth, growth-led import and foreign deà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cit sustainability hypothesis in the case of China, using annual time series data from 1978-2009. The results conà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ rm the bidirectional long run relationship between the economic growth and exports, economic growth and imports, and exports and imports. These à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ndings guided the authors to conclude that the exports-led growth, growth-led exports, imports-led growth and growth-led imports hypothesis is valid, and foreign deà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cit is sustainable for China. The long run elasticities are the elasticity of economic growth with respect to exports is 0.591, and elasticity of exports with respect to economic growth is 1.635. The elasticity of economic growth with respect to imports is 0.621, and elasticity of imports with respect to economic growth is 1.392. Fur thermore, the elasticity of exports with respect to imports is 1.322, and imports elasticity with respect to exports is 0.975. Using time-series and panel data from 1986 to 2004, Hsiao Hsiao, (2006) examines the Granger causality relations between GDP, exports, and FDI among China, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand, the eight rapidly developing East and Southeast Asian economies. After reviewing the current literature and testing the properties of individual time-series data, we estimate the VAR of the three variables to à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ nd various Granger causal relations for each of the eight economies. We found each country has different causality relations and does not yield general rules. We then construct the panel data of the three variables for the eight economies as a group and then use the à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ xed effects and random effects approaches to estimate the panel data VAR equations for Granger causality tests. The panel data causality results reveal that FDI has unidirectional effects on GDP directly and also indirectly through exports, and there also exists bidi rectional causality between exports and GDP for the group. Our results indicate that the panel data causality analysis has superior results over the time-series causality analysis. Wacziarg (2001) analyzed the association between trade policy and economic growth by taking 57 countries over the period 1970-1989 by employing fully specified empirical model. He constructed openness index with the help of three trade policy variables, tariff barrier, non-tariff barriers and a dummy variable of liberalization. The results concluded that trade openness affects growth mainly by raising the ratio of domestic investment to GDP and by FDI. Nath and Mamun (2006) investigated the causality between trade, investment and growth through Vector Auto regression (VAR) framework for the period 1971-2000 in Bangladesh. They presented that trade openness has promoted investment in Bangladesh. Although study suggested that growth causes trade but this study found little evidenced that trade affecting economic growth in Bangladesh. By employing ARDL Approach to Co-integration on two Asian countries, India and Korea, Sarkar (2005) has found no meaningful relationship between the per capita real GDP and trade openness. Although India and Korea, opened trade and shares of trade in their GDPs also rose significantly. But none of the countries experienced a positive long-term relationship between opening up and economic growth. Parikh and Stirbu (2004) used fixed effects, random effects, OLS and SURE models for panel of 42 developing countries i.e. Asia, Africa and Latin America over the period 1970-1999. They analyzed the relationship between liberalization, growth and trade balance or current account. Their results concluded that liberalization contributes significantly to economic growth, openness and investment rates. The studies dealing with the causal relationship between stock market and macro variables focus on the relationship of stock prices with consumption expenditures, investment spending, and economic activity. In these studies, the economic activity is generally measured by Gross Domestic Product. (A) Stock Prices and Consumption Expenditures The relationship between stock prices and consumption expenditures is based on the life cycle theory, developed by Ando and Modigliani (1963), which states that individuals base their consumption decision on their expected lifetime wealth. Part of their wealth may be held in the form of stocks linking stock price changes to changes in consumption expenditure. Thus, an increase in stock prices will increase the expected wealth, which, in turn, will increase the consumption expenditures, suggesting the direction of causality from stock prices to consumption expenditures. On the other hand, an increase in consumption expenditures may result in an increase in the corporate sectors earnings, which will result in higher stock prices, implying causality from consumption expenditures to stock prices. (B) Stock Prices and Investment Spending The relationship between stock prices and investment spending is based on the q theory of Tobin (1969), where q is the ratio of total market value of firms to the replacement cost of their existing capital stock at current prices. According to the theory, the firms would increase their capital stocks if q is greater than one, implying that the market value of firms is expected to rise by more than the cost of additional physical capital. Thus an increase in stock prices will result in an increase in the market value of firms, implying that firms would increase their capital stocks reflecting an increase in investment spending. Another link, though less direct, between stock prices and investment spending is based on the neoclassical or cost-of-capital model. The model assumes that firms first determine the desired stock of real capital on the basis of prices of labor, capital, and expected sales and then determine the rate of investment depending on how fast they wish to reach the desired capital stock in the face of significant adjustment cost. Thus, the expected changes in sales and planned output are the major factors affecting investments. However, as noted by Bosworth (1975), if higher earnings are implied by higher expected output that increases stock prices, then the market valuation model implicitly accounts for the effect of expected output. (C) Stock Prices and Economic Activity Finally, the relationship between stock prices and economic activity is investigated to examine the role of stock market, that is, whether it leads or lags economic activity. Moreover, the relationship of stock prices with the components of aggregate demand, consumption, and investment sometimes provide conflicting results, causing an ambiguity concerning the direction of causality between stock price changes and macro variables. As mentioned above, the economic activity is generally measured by GDP and/or IIP. In addition to above in any study of the aggregate economy, one of the key elements is the aggregate amount of goods and services produced over a certain period of time. The measure is called the nominal gross domestic product (the GDP). This is the market value of the total quantity of final goods and services produced over the specified time period. The GDP is actually measured quarterly, but the number is then multiplied by four, so that the amount is in annual terms Mankiw, (2011). The components of this measure of GDP are Consumption(C), Investment (I), Government Expenditure (G) and Net Exports (NX). Net exports represents the money value of domestically produced goods that are sold outside the country (i.e., our exports) minus the purchase of goods and services produced in other countries (i.e., our imports). Our exports are part of our domestic production, so obviously must be included. Our imports are subtracted here, because they are goods and services produced by foreign countries, but they have already been included in our consumption, investment and government expenditures. If imports increase, but all other parts of the GDP remain the same, the GDP will not change, because the imports are first included in the calculation of C + I + G, and then they are subtracted out. Thus, Y = C + I + G + NX. A large number of studies tested the Export Led Growth (ELG) hypothesis, using different econometric procedures, ranging from simple OLS to multivariate co-integration, but previous empirical studies have produced mixed and conflicting results on the nature and direction of the causal relationship between export growth and output growth. Ghatak and Price (1997) test the ELG hypothesis for India for the period 1960-1992, using exports as regressors and measure of GDP that nets out exports, along with exports and imports as additional variables. Their Cointegration tests confirm the long-run nature of this relationship. However, imports do not appear to be important for the case of India. Asafu-Adjaye et al. (1999) consider three variables: exports, real output and imports (for the period 1960-1994). They do not find any evidence of the existence of a causal relationship between these variables for the case of India and no support for the ELG hypothesis, which is not too surprising given Indias economic history and trade policies. Ramos (2001) investigates the Granger-causality between exports, imports, and economic growth in Portugal over the period 1865-1998. His empirical results do not confirm a unidirectional causality between the variables considered. There is a feedback effect between exports output growth and imports output growth. Nidugala (2001) finds evidence in support of the ELG hypothesis for the case of India, particularly in the 1980s. He finds that export growth had a significant impact on GDP growth. Further, his study reveals that growth of manufactured exports had a significant positive relationship with GDP growth, while the growth of primary exports had no such influence. Studies related to Pakistan Mukhtar, Rasheed, (2010) empirically examines the long run relationship between exports and imports for Pakistan using quarterly data for the period 1972-2006. The econometric framework used for analysis is the Johansen Maximum Likelihood Cointegration technique, which tests both the existence and the number of Cointegration vectors. Results show that there is a long run relationship between exports and imports and the country is not in violation of its international budget constraint. Furthermore, for testing the stability of long run equilibrium relationship and direction of causality, vector error correction model (VECM) technique has been applied. The findings confirm the stability of the long run equilibrium relationship between exports and imports. Under Granger causality tests, it has been found that there exists bidirectional causality between exports and imports. Ullah and Asif (2009) investigated export-led-growth by time series econometric techniques (Unit root test, Co-integration and Granger causality through Vector Error Correction Model) over the period of 1970 to 2008 for Pakistan. In this paper, the results reveal that export expansion leads to economic growth. They also checked whether there is unidirectional or bidirectional causality between economic growth, real exports, real imports, real gross fixed capital formation and real per capita income. The traditional Granger causality test suggests that there is unidirectional causality between economic growth, exports and imports. On the other hand, Granger causality through vector error correction was checked with the help of F-value of the model and t-value of the error correction term, which partially reconciles the traditional Granger causality test. After going through viewpoints of different authors it is evident that imports, exports relationship with economic development has been explained in Pakistan scenario and all over the world. However, the variables such as imports, exports and stock exchange performance are not being analyzed with respect to GDP specifically in Pakistan scenario which is the gap of the study. 2.2 Theoretical Framework Independent Variables Dependent Variables Reference: Mukhtar, T., Rasheed, S. (2010). Testing long run relationship between exports and imports: Evidence from Pakistan. Journal of Economic Cooperation and Development, 31(1), 41-58. 2.2.1 Operationalization of Variables Imports and Exports are measured as merchandise imports and exports (US $) and GDP is measured as per capita growth in percentage form Whereas, stock exchange performance is measured by market capitalization of all domestic companies registered on Pakistan stock exchange formally known as Karachi stock exchange. 2.3 Hypothesis H1:Imports, Exports and Stock exchange performance has a significant impact on Gross domestic product of Pakistan. H2: Imports, Exports and Stock exchange performance have no significant impact on Gross domestic product of Pakistan. CHAPTER NO 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Sample The sample size for this research consists of time series data of 15 years starting from 2001 to 2015. Data has been collected from authentic sources such as World Bank, world development index and Pakistan stock exchange. The research is secondary in nature because market research thats already compiled and organized for us are the examples of secondary information that includes reports and studies by government agencies, trade associations or other businesses within our industry. 3.2 Instrument and Measures Regression analysis, Anova and Coefficients of regression were the instruments that were used to measure the impact of exports, imports and stock exchange performance on Gross domestic performance of Pakistan. Furthermore, to check the validity and appropriateness of data reliability analysis was done for dependent and independent variables. 3.3 Procedure Statistical package for social sciences program SPSS version 20 was used to analyze the dependent and independent variables to see out the impact of exports, imports and stock exchange performance on GDP of Pakistan. CHAPTER NO 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 4.1 Regression Analysis Table 4.1.1 Model Summary Model Summary Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the Estimate 1 .830a .689 .681 1.72691 a. Predictors: (Constant), SE_Per, Exports, Imports Interpretation The proportion of variation in dependent variable as a result of the independent variable is given by R square. Estimated 68% variation was found out in dependent variable as a result of the independent variable. Following the adjustments made the data related to variation in dependent elements due to the independent ones is represented by R square. Table 4.1.2 ANOVAa Model Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F Sig. 1 Regression 55.198 3 27.599 91.914 .000 Residual 24.962 11 2.982 Total 80.160 14 a. Dependent Variable: GDP b. Predictors: (Constant), SE_Per, Exports, Imports Interpretation A perfect fit of the model is indicated by the ANOVA table. Furthermore, the p value of 0.000 indicates a perfect position regarding the independent and dependent variables. Table 4.1.3 Coefficients Coefficientsa Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients t Sig. B Std. Error Beta 1 (Constant) -.082 .220 -.876 .400 Exports .437 .073 .506 5.972 .018 Imports -.472 .103 -.390 -4.598 .027 SE_Per .094 .043 .762 2.213 .023 a. Dependent Variable: GDP Interpretation The coefficient stresses the influence of the independent variable on the dependent one. The direction in which the dependent variable is led towards by the independent one is ascertained from the Beta value. The p value is significant at less than 0.05. In our scenario all the variables that are exports, imports and stock exchange performance are significantly impacted the dependent variable that is Gross Domestic Product (GDP). But, the noteworthy thing in the results is that exports and stock exchange performance is positively impacted the GDP whereas, imports are negatively impacting the GDP of Pakistan but it is statistically significant. Hence our Hypothesis (H1) is accepted whereas H2 is rejected. CHAPTER NO 5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 Conclusion After above empirical results it has been proved that all the independent variables that are exports, imports and stock exchange performance are significantly impacted the dependent variable that is Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Hence our Hypothesis (H1) is accepted whereas H2 is rejected. In addition to our results previous studies conducted in Pakistan and outside Pakistan found out similar results such as Ullah and Asif, (2009) investigated export-led-growth by time series econometric techniques over the period of 1970 to 2008 for Pakistan. Their results reveal that export expansion leads to economic growth. However, outside Pakistan in case of our neighbor country India Asafu-Adjaye et al. (1999) consider three variables: exports, real output and imports (for the period 1960-1994). They do not find any evidence of the existence of a causal relationship between these variables for the case of India. 5.2 Recommendations Government should take strong measures to increase exports and decrease our imports. Interest free loan should be provided to the minor scale organizations to make rise in their productivity. Taxes should be cuts for the exporter country and taxes should be improved for importer companies to decrease the import. If we want to make a rapid growth in Pakistan economy, then it is necessary to reduce its imports and increase in exports. But in Pakistan the situation is reversed. The relationship between exports and economic growth is positively correlated but the relationship of imports and economic growth is negatively interrelated. If net exports are of positive value, the nation has a positive balance of trade. If they are having negative value, the nation has a negative trade balance. Lastly, our government should ensure political stability in our country as we see that whenever there is a political chaos in our country the stock market goes down and vice versa which is severely hurting Pakistans economy.