Information Warfare & Cyberterrorism Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Information Warfare & Cyberterrorism - Case Study Example According to Hollis (2008), international cyber terrorism has made digital form of storage of information become an insignificant advancement. In this paper, three major cyberterrorism cases that have occurred around the globe will be reviewed. In the three cases, the victims, the aggressors and the motives behind the attacks will be highlighted. In this case the victim was Estonia. Major organizations in Estonia including the government were affected by this particular attack. Major websites in the government were disabled. Financial institutions in Estonia were also affected as their websites were jammed with foreign users (Traynor, 2007). The aggressor in this case was Russia. However, Russia did not take responsibility for the attack, but the victims claimed the attacks were traced back to Russia. Analysts also argued the bitter political rivalry between Russia and Estonia was enough to link Russia to this particular attack. NATO investigated the issue and it was accused of double standards since they refused to directly accuse Russia of the attacks (Traynor, 2007). Major websites in the government were hacked and they were accessible to many foreign people. Additionally, there was a viral attack which disabled many government websites which contained crucial information. To curb the cyber attacks, the government of Estonia and all the affected companies disabled all the affected websites. Additionally, the government disabled all foreign access to the country’s websites. It ensured that only domestic subscribers could view these websites. The victim in this case was Georgia. The county was having political confrontations with Russia, which lasted for many years. After a truce agreement was signed to stop military war between the two nations, the war shifted to cyber attacks. The attacks were politically instigated as Russia was directly blamed for the attacks. Unlike

Soft Drinks in India Essay Example for Free

Soft Drinks in India Essay Soft drinks off-trade value sales continued to record further growth in 2013 in India mainly due to growth in juices, and bottled water. Categories such as carbonates, and sports and energy drinks faced significant pressure due to growing health concerns but the strong grip of brands especially for carbonated drinks helped soft drinks to continue growth momentum during the review period. Soft Drinks in India report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data (2009-2013), allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market – be they legislative, distribution, packaging or pricing issues. Forecasts to 2018 illustrate how the market is set to change. Product coverage: Asian Speciality Drinks, Bottled Water, Carbonates, Concentrates, Juice, RTD Coffee, RTD Tea, Sports and Energy Drinks. Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data. Why buy this report? * Get a detailed picture of the Soft Drinks market; * Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change; * Understand the competitive environment, the market’s major players and leading brands; * Use five-year forecasts to assess how the MARKET is predicted to develop. Table of Content Executive Summary Soft Drinks Records Further Growth in Value Sales Launch of New Flavours Maintain Consumers Interest Amidst Slowdown Competition Between Coca-Cola and PepsiCo Becomes More Aggressive Modern Retailers Gain Further Popularity Sustained Sales Likely To Record Steady Growth in Sales Key Trends and Developments Manufacturers Focus on Introducing New Flavours Celebrity Endorsements Remain As Popular Promotional Tool Modern Retail Gains Further Popularity East and Northeast India North India South India West India Rural Vs Urban Key Trends and Developments Trends Competitive Landscape For more information kindly visit: http://www.marketreportsonindia.com/food-beverages-market-research-reports-541/soft-drinks-in-india.html About MarketReportsonIndia Market Report on India is a portal where you can access thousands of reports on India starting from Aeronautics to Zinc (A-Z). We provide you with reports which will help you gain a better understanding of the Sectors, Companies, New Products and Latest trends.

The First Globe Theater :: essays research papers

The First Globe Theater The Globe Theater was built around 1598 in London’s Bankside district. It was one of four major theaters in the area - the others were the Swan, the Rose, and the Hope. It was an open air octagonal amphitheater that could seat up to 3, 000 spectators. The theater was three stories high, with a diameter of approximately 100 feet. The rectangular stage platform on which the plays were performed was nearly 43 feet wide and 28 feet deep. The staging area housed trap doors in its floorings and primitive rigging overhead for various stage effects. The original Globe theater was constructed by the Lord Chamberlain’s men, the acting group to which Shakespeare belonged. Before the Globe was constructed, they performed at the Blackfriar Theater in the heart of London. But having a theater in the heart of London was a bad idea because the plague caused frequent closings. After a year of closure due to the plague, the company stripped the Blackfriar to its foundation and moved the materials across the river to the Bankside. There, they proceeded to build the Globe. Their decision to do this stirred up some controversy because the Blackfriar was leased to the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. The owner, who had been away from London at the time that this was happening, filed a lawsuit against the company. But the company won the case and the theater. The Globe was destroyed by fire in 1613 when , during a production of Henry VIII, a cannon was fired above the stage to signal some important business of the play. The wadding that stuffed the cannon, which was some form of heavy cloth, was ignited by the explosion and shot up out of the auditorium and landed on the dry thatch roof. The straw caught fire and in only minutes the entire building was consumed in flame. But amazingly, not one person was killed. Here is the first verse from a sonnet about the fire that destroyed the Globe Theater- â€Å"A tearful fire began above, A wonder strange and true, And to the stagehouse did remove, As rouns as tailor’s chew; And burnt down both beam and snag And did not spare the silken flag, O sorrow, pitiful sorrow, And yet all this true.† The second Globe theater, which was rebuilt to be the most expensive and complicated in England ever built, was completed before Shakespeare’s death in 1616.

Marijuana research paper Essay

In today’s society there are a list of many banned drugs which in coincidence are the five most used drugs by most individuals. These drugs are methamphetmine, cocaine heroine, ecstasy and marijuana, out of all five of these drugs one that I believe to be the most scrutinized is marijuana, known also as cannabis. I believe this drug is the most harmless illegal substance in the world, especially when compared to its counterparts. Marijuana not only has the least negative side effects to your body but it is also the only drug that is used in a social, musical, medical and cultural manner. The most popular of all recreational drugs, Cannabis, or Marijuana, Grass, Hemp, Weed, Pot, Hash, Dope or a variety of regional names has been cultivated for thousands of years. Derived in various forms from the Cannabis plants, Cannabis Indica or Cannabis Sativa, is native to central Asia but its cultivation and use is global. It is a Psychoactive and a Psychedelic. It can be smoked as leaves or flower buds, it can be ground down to isolate the crystallized sap and then pressed into a solid, or the resin extracted by collection via contact with the sticky plant parts.(http://listverse.com) This excerpt from listverse.com explains why marijuana use is so commonly used not only in America but across the globe. What makes this drug adorn by many of it users are also the proclaimed â€Å"negative† side effects, constant smoking or overdosing on marijuana results in â€Å"being forgetful, over sleeping, not getting things done, concentration difficulties, neglecting work or duties, loss of balance or dizziness, problems with performing tasks, and nausea (Hammersley, R. and V. Leon, 2006).† These side effects may not be looked too as negative by on the user, especially when compared to its counterparts. An overdose of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroine will almost always lead to â€Å"seizures, coma, and loss of a life† (http://mental-health.emedtv.com) Marijuana is acclaimed by many of its users as the â€Å"ultimate stress reliever† and what better place relieve stress than at college, a place where for four to five days out of the week students are overwhelmed with the stresses that come from the many classes they take. This explains why college is a perfect example of marijuana being used in a social setting where one can obtain the drug in a calm environment with little authority from parents or the police. Through my college experience I have met students who enter college deciding they will never smoke a day in their life, I have also met students who admit they were peer pressured into at least trying the substance and I have met students who have said they tried marijuana out of straight curiosity. In an interview held with a female Old Westbury student, who’s name is preferred not to be mentioned, I asked the student â€Å"how long have you been smoking marijuana?† student replied â€Å"I would consider myself a newcomer to smoking pot, I started this semester.† I then asked â€Å"why did you choose marijuana out of all illegal drugs to use?† she replied â€Å" I honestly choose marijuana because all of my friends were doing it, I saw after smoking many of them would go from uptight to calm and funny, not having a care in the world, I wanted to feel for myself what the â€Å"hype† was and depending on how I reacted to pot would determine if I would continue smoking or not†. My last question before ending the interview was the big one, â€Å"Do you still continue to smoke marijuana†, with a smirk on her face she said â€Å"yes I do, not often like my friends but on Thursday after a long week of homework and classes I smoke one to ease my mind and forget about my tough week, plus it puts me to bed (laughing)†. Marijuana use has and still continues to be a cultivating driving force in the music industry, specifically hip hop. During the 80’s and 90’s many of the great hip hop legends; Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur and Notorious Biggie Smalls all have been known for there outstanding musical abilities but also for their public habit of smoking or as the street term calls it â€Å"getting high.† Many individuals look at these artist and automatically assume ignorance when in fact when under the influence of marijuana these artist have said some of the most prolific lines in hip hop. Tupac Shakur is quoted saying I believe that everything that you do bad comes back to you. So everything that I do that’s bad, I’m going to suffer from it. But in my mind, I believe what I’m doing is right. So I feel like I’m going to heaven. This quote spoke meant allot to me and I’m sure to many young adults that are just like me who live a life of violence and chaos. Often as teenagers we feel that since we are not living the supposedly â€Å"Godly† way that includes attending church regularly, helping other and praying at night that we ourselves don’t hold a place in heaven, that we are the scums of the earth. Lines such as these mentally help us make it through our days and allow us to understand that they are other people out there who are going or have went through our daily struggles. Hearing words like that from your icon, you can only imagine the relief that boy’s and girl’s feel knowing someone who made it out a bad situation was going through exactly what you were, simple words can really make an outstanding difference to an individual. Marijuana in the music industry is not only used through the rappers who say the lyrics but it is used also by the producer’s who come up with the beat and flow, the core of the song that sometimes allows you to feel the music in a way that no rapper may be able to get across. Famous producers such Pharell and rap mogul Dr. Dre are both Grammy winners who make their music while under the influence, the drug puts them in a calming place were their mind can roam and listen to each instruments and bring them together in harmony, yes this task can be done sober but these two producers have made some of the beast beats in the world, it only goes to show once again marijuana is not as self destruction drug as it rivals cocaine or heroine . Medical Cannabis refers to the use of the drug cannabis as a physician-recommended herbal therapy, most notably as an antiemetic. Cannabis has been used for medicinal purposes for approximately 4,000 years. Writings from ancient India confirm that its psychoactive properties were recognized, and doctors used it for a variety of illnesses and ailments. These included a whole host of gastrointestinal disorders, insomnia,  headaches and as a pain reliever frequently used in childbirth.In the 1970s, a synthetic version of THC, the primary active ingredient in cannabis, was synthesized to make the drug Marinol. (Why Is Smoking Cigarettes Bad For You? | LIVESTRONG.COM) Marijuana is yet again used as a beneficial part of our society but instead of the individual users who use it for leisure or to have fun, marijuana is used for the sick and impaired. Known by its correct term as medical marijuana, the drug is used to relieve muscle spams, chronic pain,glaucoma, weight loss(in smoking marijuana one of the few side effect is called â€Å"the munches† during this time the user will crave to want food. People who don’t often eat will more than likely have a good portion plate of food or a snack) Aids and Cancer. Having a grandmother who was prescribed marijuana for her excessive swollen feet conditon I personally saw the positive effects the drug had her. Marijuana allowed my grandmother to relax and focus less attention on her feet, being under the influence put my grandmother in a happy place where her pain no longer bothered her as much as it would if she was sober. What she always enjoyed about marijuana was that she could smoke it, coming from the Caribbean’s smoking marijuana was a normal thing, something she had grown accustomed too. She much rather smoke instead of swallowing pills, being old fashioned she thought the side effects of pills would be detrimental to her health. Smoking marijuana has had an impact on the lives of those who suffer from depression and low self esteem. Joan Bello, author of The Benefits of Marijuana: Physical, Psychological & Spiritual, is quoted saying; Marijuana will not tolerate repression. Tranquilizers and depressants relax the body and release tension, but the state of mind associated with these drugs is â€Å"unconsciousness† whereby we escape rather than resolve our dilemmas. Alcoholism is an extreme need of both the body and personality sometimes to release the nervousness that has accumulated and continues to build up to an unbearable degree. It serves the same function for the collective personality for the society, as well A culture in which alcohol and tranquilizers are the prevalent form of release prefers not to witness  internal confusion and actually choose to act without conscious participation, maintaining a semi-numb condition. Mr. Bello not only speaks about the positive of marijuana use but he also speaks on how smoking puts you at a better state than one of its many counterparts alcohol, who when under the influence liquor individuals tend to act angry or in rage, marijuana users are always put in a calm statement, which is reason to why after smoking one side effect the user may feel is tiredness. Marijuana usage has not been secluded too only America, it has made a huge cultural impact on the tropical island community, specifically Jamaica. Jamaicans have a subset group of people on the island that participate in a religion known as Rastafri, as Catholics partake in the Eucharist and Muslims participate in Ramadan, the Rastafarian lifestyle usually includes ritual use of marijuana, avoidance of alcohol, the wearing of one’s hair in dreadlocks, and vegetarianism. Rastafrains look at marijuana as the hold plant and have scriptures in the bible to prove that they aren’t making it up, Psalm 104:14: â€Å"He causeth the grass for the cattle and herb for the service of man.† The marijuana or as they call it gangja is also used for social and medical purposes. Marijuana is used primarily during the two main Rastafari rituals: reasonings and nyabingi. The reasoning is an informal gathering at which a small group of Rastas smoke ganja and engage in discussion. The ritual begins when one person lights the pipe, or â€Å"chalice,† and recites a short prayer while all other participants bow their heads. The pipe is then passed around the circle until all of the people have smoked. The reasoning ends when the participants depart one by one. Rasta’s do not condone any other drug beside marijuana because it is the only God given plant, it is not tainted with any human contact unlike alcohol methamphetamine cocaine or heroine. These rastas normally live long healthy lives, which only proves that the drug does not do serious damage to your body. So far they are eighteen legalized marijuana states in the United states. Regardless what the majority may say I believe marijuana has made a positive impact on the world. . The amount of deaths that occur from smoking cigarets or drinking alcohol is in the millions and yet it is still being used, marijuana has had zero deaths in its history. The next time you see someone high or in the act of smoking think about the pros and cons and then make your decision.

Improving Math and Science Scores in Middle School Essay

Math and Science are two subjects which most students at any level approach with trepidation and intense dislike, however, both subjects are integral to cognitive thinking. Not only will these subjects provide skills that will help students think more clearly, but students will be academically successful throughout their school career, enjoy wider career choices and earn more money after graduation. Therefore, establishing a strong foundation in these subjects is integral to future academic and career success. However, studying these subjects in middle school is even more difficult. Studies have shown that the transition for a student from elementary school to middle school is academically and psychologically difficult. According to Maurice Elias in an article entitled, â€Å"Middle School Transition: It’s Harder Than You Think†, many former elementary school students are not well prepared for the demands of middle school. They need explicit instruction, coaching, and support with regard to organizing time and resources for homework; responding to work that is more challenging and requires more effort; understanding and addressing the varying expectations of teachers in different subject areas; and accomplishing such basic tasks as taking notes and taking tests (Elias, 2001). Unfortunately, this same sentiment resonates today with the New York City Public School system, specifically, middle schools located in low income areas. The New York City Public School System is struggling with mathematics achievement in the grades beyond elementary school. Over 30% of the city’s elementary and middle school students score at the lowest level of the state mathematics test and only 34% of all students pass that test. The mathematics â€Å"problem† seems connected to the third major trend in the data, the low performance of middle and junior high schools in the city. In both Mathematics and English Language Arts, the city’s middle and junior high schools seem to be the weakest link in the system (Domanico, 2002). Recently, the math state scores were released further underscoring the middle school â€Å"math problem† that exists. Results showed that while 75. 3% of students at the elementary level passed successfully only 38. 9% of grade eight students passed (Andreatta, 2006, 11). As such, the intent of this study, based on the aforementioned information, is to evaluate and make recommendations with regard to middle school students in a particular school who have been struggling with both subjects. This study will focus on a middle school, IS 166- George Gershwin School—located in East New York. The decision to choose IS 166 was dependent on a few factors among which included the fact that the district within which it is located is considered a â€Å"virtual educational dead zone† by a Civic Report drafted by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research (Domanico, 2002). Additionally, after reviewing the New York City Department of Education’s website—which provides an overwhelming amount of information on every public school in the city as well as their progress over recent years in the core subjects—it was found that of the schools within the 19th School District—primarily East New York, IS 166 is one of the worst performing schools. The school’s poor academic performance is further exacerbated by the outstanding grades displayed by another school in the 19th School District such as IS 409—East New York Family Academy and outside of the district another school MS 114, located in District 2 (Manhattan), whose grades superseded the city’s level as well as the state’s level. The graphs below illustrate how IS 166 performed poorly in the last 2 years on the state Math and Science exams comparatively to other schools, specifically IS 409 in the same district as well other schools in other districts. The last two graphs will show the difference with a higher performing school such as IS 409 and therefore will confirm why this study is going to be conducted. IS 166- George Gershwin School Math and Science Grades Source: New York Department of Education (Division of Assessment and Accountability—School Report Cards 2005). Definition of the Levels on which the scores for both subjects are based: Level 4—These students exceed the standards and are moving toward high performance on the Regents examination. Level 3—These students meet the standards and, with continued steady growth, should pass the Regents examination. Level 2—These students need extra help to meet the standards and pass the Regents examination. Level 1—These students have serious academic deficiencies. Source: New York Department of Education (Division of Assessment and Accountability—School Report Cards 2005). The aforementioned graphs showed how poorly IS 166 has performed in the last two years in both Math and Science. In Math, the number of students performing at Levels 3 and 4 has decreased from 22. 2% in 2004 and 17. 5% in 2005. The number of students tested for Level 3 was only 60 and for Level 4 only 3 of 361 total students. The remaining students, as displayed on the right hand side of the graph, are still at a Level 1 which as noted by the above definition means that they are in grave need of assistance. Therefore, for the purposes of the study, the target population will be defined as â€Å"in need† students. Although there has been a slight increase in Science, the results are still less than desirable when compared with other schools in the district and the City. As seen in the graph, only 14% of the students passed at Levels 3 and 4 in 2004 and by 2005, only 18% were able to pass at the same levels. Therefore, if IS 166 continues on this trajectory, it will continue to be labeled an underperforming school that graduates below average students incapable of performing the basic tasks in both subjects. The goal of the evaluation study is to thoroughly review the problems that exist and hopefully get the school to achieve grades similar to IS 409-East New York Family Academy sometime in the near future as is reflected in the following graphs. IS 409- East New York Family Academy Math and Science Grades Source: New York Department of Education (Division of Assessment and Accountability—School Report Cards 2005). As noted in the above graphs, IS 409 is performing extremely well at Levels 3 and 4 and has outperformed schools in both math and science in the district (which is truly exceptional given the neighborhood and its history) as well as other City schools. Very few students if any are far below the standard in both subjects. Moreover, as noted before, other schools such as MS 114 and IS 289 located in District 2 have maintained exceptional scores over the two year period. For 2004 and 2005, MS 114 scored 88% and 81% consecutively in Math and 97% and 91% in Science. IS 289 also scored high grades-for both years in Math, the school displayed 83% and 73% when compared to other schools in the district and city and in Science, they scored 87% and 82%. Other schools in other districts from Queens and Staten Island have also demonstrated solid scores. This makes designing a program even more of a priority in light of the above referenced comparisons. The study will not focus on the students at all levels in the middle schools but specifically, the eighth grade students destined for high school who have yet to grasp the necessary skills needed to succeed and have been the center of test score analysis over the years. These eighth grade students will be approximately 14 years old but depending on factors such as repeating a grade or special needs, the age may vary from 14-16 years old. As noted before, they will be identified as â€Å"in need† students and the study will attempt to identify the worst performing students by looking not only at grades but possibly contributing factors such as income, special needs, and possible crime involvement. The improvement of Math and Science scores is a gargantuan task which requires a major overall of the school at all levels, however, to begin the following services are needed and they are but not limited to: ?Offering training sessions for the math and science teachers. The difference between not only IS 409 and other schools in District 2 is that the teachers have more experience, education, and are less likely to be absent more than average. The training sessions will be implemented on weekends or after-school whichever is more convenient for the teachers and will be done prior to establishing an after-school program for the students. The training sessions will allow teachers from higher performing schools an opportunity to impart their techniques for achieving higher grades. ?Offering a separate informative session for the Principal, Maria Ortega, so that she is more knowledgeable on what is needed to succeed in both areas. In most cases, the principal of a school has a general idea of what is needed in most subject areas, however, if the principal is more involved, informed, and fully comprehends the nuances of the subject matter, then she will be able to make better choices in hiring and understanding the teaching of the curriculum. This is an idea which originated out of reading the case of MS 114 in District 2 which showcases a principal that has not only taught but has written Math books for children. Also, in IS 289, the principal knows each student individually and is fully acquainted with their needs. ?Offering additional services for children that may range from an after-school program to extending class hours to offering classes on the weekend. One of the schools in District 2 actually has classes that last at least 50 minutes giving students a better opportunity to absorb the material thereby performing better in exams. ?Offering programs that will incorporate the parents as well. Perhaps this will be in conjunction with the after-school program. As noted, most of the students in this district are from low income families and perhaps some of the parents are in low paying jobs or living on welfare. The parents can take advantage of the program by refreshing themselves with the basic concepts of each subject so that they may assist their children and perhaps help themselves. PROGRAM THEORY In order to address the dire academic situation at IS 166-George Gershwin School, and before implementing an after-school program, it is important to address the issue at the higher levels which means analyzing teaching techniques and more importantly, principal participation. At the Center for Civic Innovation Luncheon featuring Chancellor Joel Klein held on Thursday, October 5th at the Harvard Club, Chancellor Klein began his speech with an analogy of the leaky roof and the squeaky floor. He stated that there was a school located in uptown Harlem that had a leaky roof and a squeaky floor. One day a repair man came to repair the floor and the custodian stated that the floor cannot be fixed prior to the roof being fixed to which the repairman replied â€Å"That’s not my concern, I am just here for the floor†. The Chancellor began his speech with that story to underscore the problems with the NYC Education system. He believes that everyone wants to fix the underlying problems without addressing the issues at the surface. The Chancellor’s story may be applied to the case of IS 166 and any other school in need of improvement. Many observers and parents are often led to believe that their children are primarily the problem in achieving higher scores and possibly that their children lack the intellect to truly analyze or process the information given to them. However, it is just as important for the heads of the respective schools to be cognizant of what is needed to improve these scores and the principal is just the person to ensure this. Therefore, before implementing a program, we have recommended that Principal Maria Ortega participate in a briefing session lasting approximately one month in the summer—right after the end of the school year and before the hiring season begins—for at least 4 hours a day, three days a week. According to reports of comprehensive school reforms in Chicago and Louisiana, the schools’ academic success was primarily attributed to the principals in charge and the contributions they made throughout the reforms. In one report, it stated that â€Å"highly effective schools communicated expectations for teachers. The principal was active in working to improve teacher skills; ineffective teachers were let go. † Moreover, the principals played an important role in four areas a) selection and replacement of teachers; b) classroom monitoring and feedback; c) support for improvement of individual teachers; and d) allocating and protecting academic time (Good et al, 2005, 2207). Therefore, implementing a program or briefing session solely for Principal Ortega would help her improve in all these areas. Principals, under Chancellor Klein’s tenure, have been given more empowerment opportunities and have more responsibilities to ensure the success of their schools. IS 166 has been categorized as a Title I School In Need of Improvement (SINI) under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and as such, Principal Ortega has to work harder than ever to improve the english, math, and science scores—subjects that are integral to a student’s academic success. The program we have suggested will illustrate to Principal Ortega that math, in particular, cannot be taught in the traditional manner, that is, using rote. In fact, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) advocates the development of an inquiry-based mathematics tradition. Students taught using this tradition are encouraged to explore, develop conjectures, prove, and problem solve (Manswell Butty, 2001, 20). Students are best able to absorb the material in not only math and science but other subjects if the teachers are able to present it in an interesting manner that entails connections to the outside world. Principal Ortega should also be familiarized with the requirements for the exams and then know exactly how the staff should approach student preparation. She should also ensure that with respect to math, she adheres to the recommendations Lyle V. Jones reiterated in his article entitled â€Å"Achievement Trends in Math and Science† in which it was stated: ? Only teachers who like mathematics should teach mathematics ? The chief objective of school mathematics should be to instill confidence ? Mathematics teaching must be based on both contemporary mathematics and modern pedagogy (Jones, 1988, 333). After completion of this program, and hopefully with a better understanding of what is needed to improve the scores at IS 166, the next step would be to address the teaching staff. As noted, the methodology used is integral to ensuring that the students comprehend, absorb, and analyze the information being disseminated. If they fail to process the information then they will ultimately perform poorly in the state exams and possibly continue to do so throughout high school. We recommend prior to the beginning of the academic year, and the implementation of the after-school program, that teachers, specifically, the math teachers enroll in a summer institute similar to one reported in an article entitled, â€Å"Toward a Constructivist Perspective: The Impact of a Math Teacher InService Program on Students†. The reason being is that the teaching of math more so than science requires certain techniques that are far from the traditional methods that most teachers employ. The summer institute in the report offered participating teachers intensive two-week summer institutes and weekly classroom follow-up during one academic year. Moreover, they received an opportunity to reexamine their ideas about the teaching and learning of mathematics. During the summer institutes, these teachers experienced mathematics classes in which they were encouraged to construct solutions and ideas and to communicate them to a group. They analyzed student understandings as revealed in interviews and they planned lessons which reflected their evolving ideas about mathematics learning and teaching (Simon and Schifter, 1993, 331). Teachers need to plan their lessons in such a manner as to engage the students so that they may effectively communicate their thoughts or problems with a particular issue. In fact, after completion of the summer institute, and after the teachers began using their newfound techniques, the results were noteworthy and ranged from students stating that â€Å"it’s fun to work math problems† to â€Å"I’d rather do math than any other kind of homework† to â€Å"I like to explain how I solved a problem†(Simon and Schifter, 1993, 333). Therefore, using the above referenced example, the summer institute that we propose for the math teachers will last approximately three weeks in the summer and it would begin approximately mid-August prior to the beginning of the academic year. This program would be mandated by the principal and would include veteran staff members as well new ones brought on board. Another factor that teachers have to take into consideration is the population they cater to during the academic year. IS 166 consists of predominantly black and Hispanic students residing in East New York and its surrounding environs, thereby, making them not only an â€Å"in need† group in terms of grades but an â€Å"at risk† group in terms of their backgrounds and predisposition to engage in illicit activities. Many believe teaching techniques are generic and if they are employed in one school then they may be applicable in another. However, studies have shown that minority children in low income neighborhoods require a different set of techniques employed. According to Manswell Butty, African-American children have further been identified as favoring four learning styles a) person-centered, b) affective, c) expressive, and movement oriented (Butty, 2001, 23). Therefore, teachers need to use laboratory or group exercises, discussion sessions, or instructional uses of music and the visual and dramatic arts, especially when those pedagogical techniques promote Black students’ greater academic involvement, interest, and performances (Butty, 2001, 23). However, this is not a generalization implying that all minority children respond to this technique but most will probably respond positively. Therefore, teachers must be made aware of the group of children that they are dealing with and ensure that they employ the above referenced techniques to garner success. In fact, there are Learning through Teaching in an After-School Pedagogical Laboratories (L-TAPL) in California and New Jersey, which not only offer a program for elementary students but also serves as a practice-rich professional development for urban teachers. The program aims to improve the achievement of urban students and the competence of their teachers (Foster et al, 2005, 28). According to the Foster article, numerous studies, policies, and programs have addressed the persistent problem of underachievement among poor urban students and its array of possible causes. The NCLB links teacher quality to improved student achievement, especially among low-income urban children of color. Consequently, improving teacher quality has become one of the hallmarks of current reform efforts (Foster et al, 2005, 28). These laboratories groom future urban teachers to deal with students similar to the target population at IS 166. And as such, as an alternative to our summer institute, the teachers are free to enroll in the program offered by this lab in New Jersey. Therefore, taking into account the above referenced studies, improving teacher quality is of utmost importance when taking into consideration the improvement of math and science scores. All of the above has brought us to the most important element of the study establishing an after-school program. Establishing an After-school Program-Resources Funding Under the NCLB Act, Title I schools, such as IS 166 that are listed as Schools In Need of Improvement, have failed to reach student achievement targets that have been set for every school. This means the school has failed to meet state proficiency level for all students in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and/or high schools graduation rate. Schools falling in the above referenced category may be eligible for Supplemental Educational Services (SES). SES include free after-school/weekend remedial help or tutoring services. The SES provision offers providers an opportunity to offer low-income children, who may be struggling in school, extra academic help and individual instruction. Through SES, innovative leaders and educators can start a new tutoring program or expand an existing one to serve more students (New York City Department of Education). However, instead of using an SES provider—which in some cases the DOE will offer contracts of over a million dollars to provide services to various schools—we will request additional funding that would have been used to acquire an SES provider to establish the after-school program by ourselves with the assistance of The After-school Corporation (TASC). TASC is renowned for establishing successful after-school programs and have no contract with the DOE and thus, are not labeled SES Providers. In addition to wanting to establish a program using solely school staff, it is important to note, that there have been several complaints about SES providers and most are being investigated either by the Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District or the Office of Special Investigation and in the best interest of the target population, we have decided to forego those providers. Therefore, the funding used from SES will be used to offer per session rates for the teachers participating in the program as well as pay for the consultant from TASC. The funding will also be used to acquire additional supplies such as the KidzMath program which is highly popular and is used around the country to get students interested in math and to improve scores. Funding will also be used to secure additional bus transportation from the Office of Pupil Transportation as well as food and refreshments for the children. Staffing and Facilities The program will be housed in the school recreation room and so there will be no need to rent a facility to do so. The program will be supervised by the TASC consultant who will preferably be someone from the community who is familiar with the target population and can easily relate to their situation. The principal and assistant principal will take turns observing the classes and ensuring that the teachers and participants are abiding by the rules. The teachers will be eighth grade math and science teachers who deal with the target population on a daily basis and who are familiar with the problems they are experiencing. Additionally, the teachers will be assisted by high school students who are well versed in the subject areas, who have been recruited from neighboring high schools and would like to add an after-school tutoring activity to their resume. Therefore, these students will not be paid but will use the after-school program as a learning experience. Participants The students participating in the program will be chosen based on their past academic performance in grades six and seven and failure to show any signs of improvement. To reiterate, this program is geared specifically for eighth grade students, ages 14-16 years old, and will begin a month into the beginning of the academic year towards the end of September early October after the students and teachers have settled in the new semester. Letters will be sent to the parents at the beginning of the academic year notifying them of their child’s progress and advising them that the program is mandatory if they are to improve and move on to high school (the letters will be followed up by phone calls). While the school has no recourse if a student fails to attend even though it has been marked mandatory, offering a voluntary program usually encourages those that are really not in need of it to participate and those that do need it usually don’t. The parents will be informed of the structure of the program and the fact that transportation will be provided so that their children will be taken home safely after the program. In fact, parents who may not be working full time or at all will be encouraged to observe or participate in another session that will help them to understand what their child needs to improve. The session, which will last as long as the tutoring session, will more than likely be conducted by the assistant principal or a math/science staff member and will give the parent an opportunity to be truly acquainted with the activities being conducted. This program may also be helpful to them as well as some of these parents lack the basic educational skills that are necessary to obtain a job. Activities and Schedule Based on successful programs in Arkansas, the after-school program we will establish will mirror these successful programs and therefore, the program will entail classes of one and a half hours each day, Monday through Thursday between the hours of 3pm and 4:30pm. Mondays and Wednesdays will be dedicated to math and Tuesdays and Thursdays will be dedicated to science. The sessions will be divided into 40 minute periods during which the first period will be dedicated to the teacher illustrating the subject material and the second period will be dedicated to the students participating in groups and working together to complete the work presented in the first period. The students will get a ten-minute break during which they will receive refreshments. In the Camden School District in Arkansas, school officials credited the success of the after-school programs to the schools being released from the â€Å"Adequate Yearly Progress† (AYP) status under the NCLB Act (Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families, 2006). Throughout the course of the program, teachers will be encouraged not to utilize the same material or techniques used on a daily basis. The teachers will be reminded that the program is geared towards individuals who have a negative attitude toward the subjects which may be as a result of not only failure to comprehend the material but also the teacher’s emphasis on traditional methods. Therefore, the program will forego any emphasis on memorization, computation, and equation and will focus on modeling and real world problem solving. Engaging in group work, especially in math, has proven to be successful and will be the focus of the program. According to Jones, group work differs from cooperative learning in its lesser emphasis on the teacher as instructor and its greater dependence on students teaching other students. Moreover, cooperative learning procedures as dependent first on instruction by the teacher, then on practice engaged in actively by members of an established student team (often of four team members), has evidence that supports the efficacy of the approach to elevate not only achievement but also self-esteem, interpersonal effectiveness and interracial harmony (Jones, 1988, 328). Therefore, the students will work together in groups over the period of the academic year and will be exposed to hands-on experiences, games, and projects. KidzMath should really be a good stimulant and with the assistance of the teachers, the students should be motivated. Teachers will also be encouraged to maintain a weekly progress report which will ultimately be used to assess the program’s progress. Another aspect of the program would entail having the Principal establishing stronger ties with the community and getting more community leaders involved by dropping by the after-school program to give advice and encouragement to the students. Students are not only stimulated by various activities that are outside of the norm of the regular classroom but are also stimulated by role models or individuals they deem to be successful from their part of the neighborhood. According to a report done on the Chicago School Reform, the schools that experienced major changes and improvements were led by principals who were strong veteran leaders with good relationships with their local school councils and the community (Hess, Jr. , 1999, 79). Additionally, incentives can also be offered for the students in the program which will encourage their continued participation and potential success and can range from visits to museums or amusement parks if they have showed slight improvements. While these children who performed poorly are from low income families, and a reduction in poverty rates might have a salutary effect on measured school achievement, according to Lyle V. Jones, the influence of poverty on educational achievement may be ameliorated by introducing school-parent programs to improve academic conditions in the home. After reviewing nearly 3,000 investigations of productive factors in learning concludes that such programs have an outstanding record of success in promoting achievement (Jones, 1988, 327). Explanation of Logic Model. Inputs: consist of the fundamental resources—human and capital—that the program needs in order for it to achieve its goals. These resources consist of funding for per session rates for the teachers, payment for the TASC Consultant, supplies such as KidzMath, transportation, and refreshments. The most important resources needed are the children to whom the program is directed. Activities: Once the fundamental resources are in place, the schedule has been established and the techniques for teaching have been agreed upon, then the after-school program will proceed as planned throughout the academic year. The sessions will be conducted four days a week, Mondays and Wednesdays, for math and Tuesdays and Thursdays for science lasting 1. 5 hrs each period. The sessions will entail a great deal of group work and collaboration along with potential visits from community leaders and role models. Outputs: Upon implementation of the program, it is important to ascertain if the program is reaching its target population, if the services provided are being done in the manner discussed and if the population are benefiting or if they have any concerns those will be noted throughout the assessment. This will be done by conducting site visits, performing observations and conducting surveys. Outcomes: If the program is successful in achieving its goals, then the immediate goals will see the students passing their in-class tests and ultimately the state exams—which has been the focal issue with the school and the reason for the Title I status under the NCLB Act. The long-term goals include the participants of the program actually going on to high school and possibly even college. From that point onward, if students succeed in college, they may even pursue challenging careers thereby improving their socio-economic status. The reason the logic diagram is done in a cyclical manner is to demonstrate that if the program is successful and the students do improve significantly, then the school may be eligible for the same amount or a higher amount of funding which they can use to increase their resources for the input phase for the upcoming academic year. PROGRAM PROCESS Once the program has been implemented, it is important to ascertain if the services are in fact being delivered as planned and if the participants are learning with the teachers employing the new techniques as discussed. In order to do this, we will conduct an observational study as fashioned from the TASC’s site visit procedures in addition to teacher and parental surveys to see if they have noted any differences in the children participating in the program. This assessment will be done halfway throughout the semester at approximately the end of January which will also coincide with the first set of state exams (students also take these exams towards the end of the academic year-approximately June). The assessment will begin with a two-person team (my colleague and I) visiting the after-school’s program for two days a week, for a total of two weeks—one day for math and the other for science. The visit will include an interview with the principal and assistant principal (who, as noted before, would have taken turns monitoring the program).

Puritan Elements in Young Goodman Brown essays

Puritan Elements in Young Goodman Brown essays In an article on this short story, literary critic D. J. Moores quotes Alexander Solzhenitsyn as saying, "'If only it were so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being'" (Moores 4). This is the central idea in "Young Goodman Brown" all people have evil in them, and Goodman Brown discovers this the hard way on his trip though the forest with the Devil. He sees some of the most pious and respected townspeople engaging in Devil worship, and he cannot contend with the thought that they could possibly have evil inside them. Hawthorne writes, "'That old woman taught me my catechism!' said the young man; and there was a world of meaning in this simple comment" (Hawthorne 65). The main theme of this story is this good and evil that lives within us all. It is Goodman Brown's Puritan m orals and beliefs that do not allow him to accept this, or forgive it, in himself or those around him. Throughout the story, Hawthorne blends many elements of Puritan society and belief to create an aura of faith and faithlessness, or good and evil. Critic Moores continues, "Young Goodman Brown experiences in the Salem woods his other self, his inner demon. He has the opportunity, which he fails to exploit, to assimilate such psychic energies and to be made whole, but his Calvinist Puritanism prevents him from doing so" (Moores). For example, the story is set in Salem, Massachusetts, the notorious setting of the Salem witch trials where numerous men and women were condemned as witches and sentenced to death by Puritan judges. In another element, Hawthorne equates the Devil with Indians. He writes, "'There may be a devilish Indian behind every tree,' said Goodman Brown to himself; and he glanced fearfully behind him, as he added, 'What if the d...

Dont Be Concerned About Ground Bees

Don't Be Concerned About Ground Bees Ground bees become active in early spring, and hardly sting. These bees dig nests in the ground, often in bare patches of the lawn or garden. If you find mounds of soil, similar to anthills but with larger openings, these may be ground bee nests. Watch for bees flying low over the ground and entering their burrows. Did You Know? Ground bees are non-aggressive, beneficial insects that rarely sting. In fact, the male bees lack a stinger entirely. Nesting season is limited to springtime. Unless you or a family member has an allergy, you can feel comfortable leaving the nest alone and letting the bees do their pollinating in peace. What Are Ground Bees? First and foremost, ground bees are beneficial insects which perform an important role as pollinators. Ground-nesting bees include the digger bees (family Anthoporidae), sweat bees (family Halictidae), and mining bees (family Andrenidae). Females are solitary creatures, excavating nests in dry soil. Each one will fastidiously mound the loose soil around her nest entrance, then provision her home with pollen and nectar for her offspring. Despite their solitary nature, its not unusual to find dozens of ground bee nests in one area if conditions are suitable for nesting. Males may fly over the burrows, patrolling for potential mates. Do Ground Bees Sting? Female ground bees can sting but, being non-aggressive by nature, rarely do. However, they will sting in defense if threatened. Males of some species may behave aggressively around nesting areas, but they lack a sting. How to Identify Ground Bee Nests Bumblebees also nest in underground burrows, though they typically use abandoned rodent burrows rather than excavate new ones. However, bumblebees live in social colonies. Observe a bee nest from a safe distance. Do you see a single bee coming and going, or multiple bees entering the nest? Social bees such as bumblebees will aggressively defend their nests, so make sure you identify them before you take any action. Yellowjackets also nest in the ground, and like bumblebees, often move into old rodent burrows. Some solitary wasps are ground nesters, as well. Make sure you know the differences between bees and wasps and never assume you have docile, ground bees. How to Control Ground Bees Before you decide to evict your ground bees, consider that these bees serve a valuable purpose as pollinators. Theyre not aggressive and, in most cases, you can still mow your lawn and continue regular outdoor activities without fear of being stung. Finally, nesting activity is limited to spring, so ground bees wont stay for long. Unless you have concerns for a family member with a bee venom allergy, its usually preferable to leave ground bees alone. Ground bees nest in dry soil, avoiding damp areas when choosing nest sites. Pesticides are not recommended for ground bee control.  The easiest, least-toxic method of controlling ground bees is simply watering the area. As soon as you see ground bee activity, start soaking the area with a full inch of water per week. This is usually enough to discourage the burrowing females and to make them relocate to drier ground. A thick layer of mulch on bare garden beds will also make ground bees think twice about nesting there.

Find out What the Pelagic Zone Is

Find out What the Pelagic Zone Is The pelagic zone is the area of the ocean outside of coastal areas. This is also called the open ocean. The open ocean lies over and beyond the continental shelf. Its where you’ll find some of the biggest marine life species. The sea floor (demersal zone) is not included in the pelagic zone. The word pelagic comes from the Greek word pelagos meaning sea or high sea.   Different Zones Within the Pelagic Zone The pelagic zone is separated into several subzones depending on water depth: Epipelagic zone (ocean surface to 200 meters deep). This is the zone in which photosynthesis can occur because light is available.Mesopelagic zone (200-1,000m) - This is also known as the twilight zone because light becomes limited. There is less oxygen available to organisms in this zone.Bathypelagic zone (1,000-4,000m) - This is a dark zone where water pressure is high and the water is cold (around 35-39 degrees).  Abyssopelagic zone (4,000-6,000m) - This is the zone past the continental slope - the deep water just over the ocean bottom. This is also known as the abyssal zone.Hadopelagic zone (deep ocean trenches, greater than 6,000m) - In some places, there are trenches that are deeper than the surrounding ocean floor. These areas are the hadopelagic zone. At a depth of over 36,000 feet, the Mariana Trench is the deepest known point in the ocean.   Within these different zones, there can be a dramatic difference in available light, water pressure and the types of species youll find there. Marine Life Found in the Pelagic Zone Thousands of species of all shapes and sizes live in the pelagic zone. Youll find animals that travel long distances and some that drift with the currents. There is a wide array of species here as this zone includes all of the ocean that is not either in a coastal area or the ocean bottom. Thus, the pelagic zone thus comprises the largest volume of ocean water in any marine habitat. Life in this zone ranges from tiny plankton to the largest whales. Plankton Organisms include phytoplankton, which provides oxygen for us here on Earth and food for many animals. Zooplankton such as copepods are found there and also are an important part of the oceanic food web. Invertebrates Examples of invertebrates that live in the pelagic zone include jellyfish, squid, krill, and octopus. Vertebrates Many large ocean vertebrates live in or migrate through the pelagic zone. These include  cetaceans, sea turtles and large fish such as ocean sunfish (which is shown in the image), bluefin tuna, swordfish, and sharks. While they dont live  in the water, seabirds such as petrels, shearwaters, and gannets can often be found above, on and diving under the water in search of prey. Challenges of the Pelagic Zone This can be a challenging environment where species are affected by wave and wind activity, pressure, water temperature and prey availability. Because the pelagic zone covers a large area, prey may be scattered over some distance, meaning animals have to travel far to find it and may not feed as often as an animal in a coral reef or tide pool habitat, where prey is denser. Some pelagic zone animals (e.g., pelagic seabirds, whales, sea turtles) travel thousands of miles between breeding and feeding grounds. Along the way, they face changes in water temperatures, types of prey, and human activities such as shipping, fishing, and exploration.

Linking Psychopathy and violence risk assessment Assignment

Linking Psychopathy and violence risk assessment - Assignment Example One way of achieving this is by seeking to develop â€Å"actuarial risk assessment tools to help improve clinicians' ability to evaluate patients' risk of violent behavior in practice by statistically optimizing predictions of violence†. (Elbogen, et.al, 2005, p.133-141) As research team of Eric Elbogen, Matthew Huss, Alan Tomkins and Mario Scalora suitably illustrate in the article, several such tools are currently being employed by psychiatric practitioners in clinical settings. And a consensus seemed to have emerged among the practitioners and researchers establishing a strong correlation between psychopathy (usually measured by the Psychopath Checklist – PCL; and presently PCL-Revised) and future violent behavior. The results indicate that Clinical staff in public sector settings would be very amenable to using the PCL; the PCL would seem to have great intuitive appeal to clinicians. However, that more experienced staff perceived PCL results to be available reveals a need for more effort to target disseminating risk measure results. (Elbogen, et.al, 2005, p.133-141) The total psychopathy score is arrived at through chart review and semi-structured interview.

Discuss the importance of Recruitment and selection of sales Essay

Discuss the importance of Recruitment and selection of sales people.What are some of the problems associated with selecting the - Essay Example It incorporates the search for persons who can hold positions that are required by a particular organization. In the practise of recruitment and selection, there is a huge difference between order taking and order getting positions in sales. Thus, this situation gives a difference in the demand of these two jobs. Various aspect of marketing plays a major role in focusing of the enterprise. Enterprise has the mandate to pick on the best strategy for covering a target market. The role of sales managers in an organization is ensuring that they have organized the sales force to enable all necessary tasks to be executed2. Large organizations have a diverse sales force in accordance to different selling tasks, and the target market they intend to serve. With indispensability, every organization should hire good and well qualified persons to occupy the sales’ force. Some large organizations are more careful to a point of updating the list of possible qualified candidates for such pos itions. For instance, the organizations may schedule candidates for multiple interviews to ensure that there are thorough background checks, and psychological tests, which are important in sales. Never the less, organizations use diverse method of evaluating the capability of potential sales persons. Some of the most frequently used methods include a personal interview, reference checks and background information that is mostly provided on application blanks. Recruitment of sales persons is the most delicate thing that is carried out by organizations in the present day. In essence, the evaluation techniques that are used are both psychological and non psychological. These selection methods can be evaluated in numerous ways such as validity, impartiality, scope usage and cost3. Validity is the statistical correlation level between the test score and the performance of employees such as satisfaction and commitment with reference to the position that the employee has been granted. Impa rtiality entails the capability to evaluate employees in an objective manner without discrimination in terms of sex, ethnicity religion among others. The scope of usage indicates the most potential ways of applying for various opportunities on both the specific group of tasks, and the wide array of opportunities. Although these methods are said to be very expensive, organizations are recommended to frequently use them in hiring the right employees for the right positions4. However, before the selection of the sale force is done, it is worth noting that the positions to be filled should be first analysed on the basis of the job description, hiring process and company trainings. Essential abilities for successful sales people, over and above, the techniques that are used to identify them should be determined. The methods of selection ought to test on the strongest and the weakest performing sales persons by detecting the personality qualities, skilfulness, and abilities that are likel y to lead into success or failure of the sales person. Moreover, sales persons should undergo training on the products the specific organization markets, and the effective sales presentation that required in sales. Although a job description tells more of what is expected from the sales team, the practical part of it is more important as the work basically entails going to the target market to seek sales5. Sales training which is part of selection should be modified depending on the skills and

The Supreme Court case, Commissioner v. Tufts, 463 U.S. 1215 (1983) Essay

The Supreme Court case, Commissioner v. Tufts, 463 U.S. 1215 (1983) - Essay Example The court based its decision on a tax benefits theory. The taxpayer would have received untaxed income as at the time the loan was extended unless the amount of the mortgage shall be deemed to have been realized. The taxpayer would have therefore received untaxed income at that time when the loan was extended and would have been entitled to an increase in his basis in the property for depreciation purposes by the amount of his liability and would avoid taxation upon the ending of the obligation (Watson, 2011). i) The first is the fact that loan proceeds do not qualify as income to a taxpayer because he incurs an obligation to repay the loan at the agreed terms to the creditor. If and when the borrower is relieved of the liability for the loan, the proceeds of the loan will henceforth be included in his income as if he received the cash to satisfy the obligation. It takes us back to point the difference that is apparent when compared to Crane v. Commissioner: 331 U.S. 1 (1947). In this matter the petitioner had sought the Supreme Court‘s judicial review of an earlier decision by the court of appeal on how a taxpayer who acquired property subject to the unassumed mortgage. The taxpayer held the property for some time before selling so encumbered and was to account for taxable gains from the sale proceeds. The Supreme Court held by affirming the decision of the court of appeal that had held that the tax court’s use of equity as a basis for the determination of either a gain or l oss was, therefore, improper. ii) The second fact is that the recovery within a taxable year of a previously deducted item must, therefore, be included in gross income to the extent that it produced a tax benefit in that previous year. Deductions for the purposes of depreciation provide a shelter from tax. Therefore, a taxpayer’s basis in his

Management information system ip2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management information system ip2 - Essay Example A research conducted by Greasley et al shows that the employees are able to relate to the concept of empowerment in a different way than the supervisors. The employees believe that they are provided with the responsibility of completing a certain task and this inflates them to complete the particular task in a remarkable manner. Other than the sense of responsibility, the employees also believe that they get a ‘control of work’ which provides them to manage their tasks accordingly. In other words the employees are able to work in a manner that is beneficial to both the employer and the employee himself (Greasley et al 2008). Employee Empowerment is considered as a source of high productivity by the supervisors. The supervisors can provide the employees with work and can create a unified goal which helps in increasing the productivity at a large scale. The supervisor is able to motivate the employee and hence optimize the performance in accordance to the needs. The supervisor tends to feel safe when handing the employees work because he/she believes that the employee would be able to take the responsibility on his own. In other words the level of trust increases between the supervisor and the employee (Potterfield 1999 p.123-124; Lashley p. 62-64). The theory X of management and decision-making process revolves around an authoritative form of leadership in which the managers hold the sole authority of making decisions whereas the theory Y states that the employees have an equal say in the decision making process. Employee Empowerment is a concept that relates to the theory Y as the managers give equal options to the employees when it comes to make decisions. Theory Y states that the managers should coach the employees in such a way that they are able to make their decisions with confidence and employee empowerment automatically instills confidence in the employees (Griffin 2012 p.39). Employee Empowerment

School Procurement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

School Procurement - Essay Example It should be completed after a period of seventy two weeks. The report will also look at other alternative procurement routes and give their disadvantages. It will also examine the steps to be followed for effective project implementation (ETWB, 2004) From these differences, arises a number of procurement processes. The first alternative is 'competitive tendering/ develop and construct' under this scheme, the school can be designed by Southumberland County together with the community and then tendered to a principle contractor. The other route maybe 'design and build' which allows for design and construction by a principle contractor. There is also the 'construction management' procurement system which allows the client (in this case Southumberland County) to work hand in hand with a principle contractor who constructs the building while the client manages the construction process. Under the PFI procurement route, operations are done within a fixed price range. This amount is arrived at by considering inflation rate for the past twenty five and thirty years. If the contractor fails to meet his/her deadline then a penalty will have to be paid. This means that the PFI scheme is subject to inflation rate changes because costs of implementing the project will be subject to inflation changes yet the unitary payment will be changed at a different rate. An alternative like the design and build route arrives at its charges without consideration of inflation rates. 2.12 Unforeseen expenses If the project happens to the superseded its time limits, then extra costs will be incurred. These costs are met by the contractor and he will be the one on the loosing because it will minimize his profits. In contrast, however, another scheme like the design and build route leaves the maintenance of extra costs to the project initiator. This would not be economical for the County. 2.13 Defects on building In the PFI scheme, the risk of any defects found in the completed building will rest solely on the contractor. This implies that the contractor will do his best to ensure that he produces a quality product to avoid deductions that will have to be made on the unitary payment which the Southumberland County is going to pay. However, the design and build route has a time frame within which the employer can charge for defects. After that time frame, any defects will have to be settled by the employer. (Henderson Global Investors, 2003) 2.14 Value for money This scheme provides value for money because costs and risks are moved from the project initiator to the private contractor. Normally the unitary amount that is calculated prior to project work is slightly on the high side. Because there are a number of expenses that will be incurred along the way, this increase is fair. Develop and build under the PFI scheme allows the project initiator to get value for his money since he is free from any of the following risks: general maintenance, latent defects, construction overruns, management time and

Management information system ip2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management information system ip2 - Essay Example A research conducted by Greasley et al shows that the employees are able to relate to the concept of empowerment in a different way than the supervisors. The employees believe that they are provided with the responsibility of completing a certain task and this inflates them to complete the particular task in a remarkable manner. Other than the sense of responsibility, the employees also believe that they get a ‘control of work’ which provides them to manage their tasks accordingly. In other words the employees are able to work in a manner that is beneficial to both the employer and the employee himself (Greasley et al 2008). Employee Empowerment is considered as a source of high productivity by the supervisors. The supervisors can provide the employees with work and can create a unified goal which helps in increasing the productivity at a large scale. The supervisor is able to motivate the employee and hence optimize the performance in accordance to the needs. The supervisor tends to feel safe when handing the employees work because he/she believes that the employee would be able to take the responsibility on his own. In other words the level of trust increases between the supervisor and the employee (Potterfield 1999 p.123-124; Lashley p. 62-64). The theory X of management and decision-making process revolves around an authoritative form of leadership in which the managers hold the sole authority of making decisions whereas the theory Y states that the employees have an equal say in the decision making process. Employee Empowerment is a concept that relates to the theory Y as the managers give equal options to the employees when it comes to make decisions. Theory Y states that the managers should coach the employees in such a way that they are able to make their decisions with confidence and employee empowerment automatically instills confidence in the employees (Griffin 2012 p.39). Employee Empowerment

From Data to Decision Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

From Data to Decision - Essay Example The data sets have been graphed accordingly as histograms in the graphs presented below. The graphs presented above clearly show that the best actors in the range between 0 and 30 are only 3 which represent only 3.8% of the entire data set. In contrasts the best actresses in this classification are 30 that represent 37.8% of the entire data set making it exceptionally high. Furthermore, as the classifications in the best actors categories proceeds the frequency increases most in the range between 31 and 60 with the greatest expansion in the range between 41 and 50 claiming a frequency of 31. In contrast, the best actresses graph tends to display the greatest frequencies between 0 and 41 with a total of 60. This is out of a total of 79 which in turn makes that best actresses graph skewed towards these age ranges. In contrast the best actor graph is somewhat centrally distributed around the 41 to 50

Influence of Advertising Essay Example for Free

Influence of Advertising Essay The Influence of Advertising The Influence of advertising on our lives for both children and adults has been enormous. In today’s society, it stands for communication, motivation, opportunities, information as well as art. However at the end, the purpose of all of these factor is business. Every advertisement has a clear purpose, no companies will put out an ad on tv or radio without a clear purpose because the cost for putting out an ad in today’s society is immense. In today’s society, beauty ads have large party of advertising, beauty ads not only have effects on the older generation, they also have effects on the young generation. For the young generations, beauty ads convey the message of the secrets or methods to stay young, and for the older generations, beauty ads convey the message of how to become and look young again. The beauty ads today are not only advertising their product but advertising the belief they’re trying to sell to the people, mostly females. The companies are trying to make their customer believe that if they use the product they’ll look ten years old younger even though it is not true. For those people who are old â€Å" To age is to learn the feeling of no longer growing, of struggling to do old tasks, to remember familiar actions. As curtin mentioned. However As the belief of beauty product can make people stay young, more and more older generations started to forget their ages because of their temporarily younger appearance . For those people who are young, the companies are trying to sell them the idea of the secret of retaining young. It is a false method to make the young generation to believe they can stay young forever because eventually one day they will wake up and realize all the money they spent on their beauty product was a waste, and there is nothing that can keep them young forever. The negative effect of beauty products that apply to all generations is the obsession of buying these products, and pay too much attention about their physical appearance. This negative effect will create a false sense of needs in people, when in fact they do not really need the items and the products that they are buying. and thanks to advertisements, this illusion is easily perpetrated, The products being offered through advertisements appear to be the tickets to happiness and ageless.

Investigation of Argon Element

Investigation of Argon Element P1 Part 1 Atoms Poster The element selected from the periodic table for this investigation is Argon. Over this first section of the poster, we will be overlooking this particular element in detail.          Argon This element from the periodic table is known as a noble gas. It takes up one of the tiniest percentages (at 0.93%) of the earths atmosphere on a whole. It was discovered in 1894 by two chemists from the United Kingdom, who names are William Ramsay, and John William Strutt. This was accomplished as a result of fractionally distilling both oxygen and liquid nitrogen, therefore, having Argon released as one of its by-products. It was only completely isolated after the distillation process by examining the waste product from removing of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water from the clean air. All the elements on the periodic table are represented by their own unique and individual symbol. Argon is an element on the periodic table represented by the symbol Ar. Also, Argon is displayed having an atomic number of 18; which displays to us that it has an amount of 18 protons located in the nucleus as well as the 18 electrons found on the atoms shells; is also displayed as having the atomic mass of 40; which is the number of protons and neutrons combines. As we already know it has a number of 18 protons from the atomic number we can then find out the number of neutrons by subtracting the atomic mass from the atomic number that equals to 22 neutrons. Additionally, by it being in group 0 it, therefore, has a clear classification of being a noble gas due to obtaining a full outer shell of 8 electrons. Due to this, it has the logical standard state of a colourless gas. By being a noble gas it has acquires special properties, primarily being that this non-metal is a very unreactive gas due to its complete electronic structure, not needing to gain or lose its outer shell electrons to other elements, not needing to achieve its already obtained electronic structure of a noble gas. Additionally, it is found in the third period on the periodic table due to it occupying 3 shells. Its electronic configuration has 2 electrons on the first shell and 8 each on the following two. Sub-atomic particles All atoms consist of the same subatomic particles. The table below displays the relative mass and charge of an electron, a proton and a neutron: Relative Mass Relative Charge Proton 1 +1 Neutron 1 0 Electron 1/1850 -1 As shown, protons and neutrons have the relative mass of 1 indicating that they are of equal size. Electrons are shown to have a relative mass of 1/1850 due to it being minuscule compared to protons and neutrons. Additionally, the relative charges are different to one another. Protons with a positive (+1) charge. Neutrons with no charge (0), and electrons with a (-1) charge. Section 1: The Periodic Table Group 1 Alkali metals Group 7 Halogens Group 2 Alkaline earth metals Group 8 Noble gases How are the elements in the periodic table arranged? There are different elements in the periodic table. These elements are categorised into separate sections. First of all, the metals (alkali /alkaline earth metals) are arranged on the left-hand of the periodic table. Alkalis in group one and then alkaline earth metals in the second. Next, the middle of the periodic table is where transition metals are found from scandiums group to coppers. Lastly for the metals, the poor metals that are found from zincs group to group six. Then follow the non-metals on the right-hand side starting from group to seven. Ultimately, group 0, consists of noble gases. There are then factors that create the periodic table layout. Firstly, the number of shells that occupy an atom correlates to which period number row that its in. in addition, the number of electrons in the outer shell of an atom is the same as the group column number in the table. However, for noble gases, theyre different to all atoms du e to having a full outer shell of electrons. This, therefore, categorises them in group 0. Electronegativity: In covalent bonds, electronegativity shows how strongly an atom attracts electrons. It increases as you go across a period in a table, therefore, the greatening the attraction for bonding electrons. Far left elements: These are atoms in the periodic table have only one or two electrons in their outer shells, concluding them in needing to give these away to achieve a full outer shell configuration. These have a low electronegativity due to being found on the far-left of the periodic table as the name suggests. Far-right elements: These are atoms in the periodic table that only need a few electrons to achieve a full outer shell, therefore having a strong desire to grab another atoms electron(s). These have a high electronegativity due to being found on the far-right of the periodic table as the name suggests. Ionisation Energy: Ionisation energy is simply the amount of energy needed to separate an electron from an atom to form an ion. Like electronegativity, the process of ionisation energy generally increases as you go across a period. Atomic Radius: The atomic radius consists of the length of the outer shell of an atom to the nucleus centre. Therefore, across periods on the periodic table, the atomic radius of the atoms decrease. This means that as you go along a period the distance between the outer shell and the nucleus decreases. Sodium 2, 8,1 Nitrogen 2, 5 Potassium 2, 8,8,1 Carbon 2, 4 Magnesium 2, 8, 2 Oxygen 2, 6 Calcium 2, 8, 8, 2 Chlorine 2,8,7 Neon 2, 8 Section 2: Bonding Elements form bonds to complete their outer shell to make them stable. There are two main types of bonding, ionic and covalent. We will be overlooking these two bonding types in this second section. Ionic bonding: Ionic bonding occurs between the positive metal ion and a negative non-metal ion compounds which attract and form an ionic bond by electrostatic attraction. The process begins with transferring an electron from a metal atom (far left element) to a non-metal atom (far right element). During ionic bonding, metal atoms lose their electrons to the non-metals which gain their electrons. A positive ion is formed when metals from groups one or two loose electrons to the far-right elements and then negative ions are formed when an atom in group six or seven gains electrons the electrons from those of the far-left elements. Covalent: This bonding process occurs in compounds of two non-metals. In a covalent bond, electron pairs occupy an area between overlapping atoms. This is to allow the sharing of electrons between the atoms in the compound which also allows for the structure to be held together and maintained. Covalent Molecules Name and formula Dot-cross diagram Water: H(2)O Methane: CH4 Hydrogen Chloride: HCl Chlorine: Cl2 Carbon dioxide CO2 Tetrahedral Basis of Organic Molecules Using the molecular models Ive drawn the structures of the following organic compounds and indicate their bond angles around the mid carbon atom. Organic Compound Structure including bond angles Methane (CH4) Ethane (C2H6) Propane (C3H8) Ionic Molecules Name and formula Dot-cross diagram Lithium chloride: (LiCl) Sodium oxide: (Na2O) Calcium chloride: (CaCl2) Aluminium oxide: (Al2O3) Bibliography http://www.ptable.com/Images/periodic%20table.png     Ã‚  

Meiji Restoration - Japan :: Japanese Japan History

Meiji Restoration - Japan The Meiji Restoration was period in Japan when massive changes in ancient Japan. The goal of the Meiji Restoration was summarized in their motto, "A rich country, a strong military." In their quest to do so, the Meiji looked to the western civilizations. The Meiji sent young men to study abroad and learn new traits from the west. Before this drastic move the traditional Japanese society was largely isolated from all other civilizations. By doing this the Japanese managed to strengthen the economy, strengthen the government, and make social reforms. Meiji leaders made the economy a major priority. They encouraged Japan's business class to adopt western methods. They Japanese built railroads to allow the shipment of goods and transportation of people, a banking system to aid in the expansion of businesses and investors, improved ports to aid in the expansion of trade with other countries, and also organized a telegraph and postal system which enables the spread of news quickly. Another goal of the Meiji was to strengthen the government and make it a strong central power, equal to those of the western powers. In 1889 they adapted the German for of government. It set forth principles that all citizens were equal before the law. Like the German system, however, it gave the ruler autocratic power. A legislature, or diet, was formed, made up of one elected house and one house appointed to the emperor. But its power was extremely limited. Japan then established a western style bureaucracy with separate departments to supervise finance, the army, the navy, and education. Meiji made social reforms to help appease the people and advance their society. The constitution ended legal distinctions between classes, thus freeing people to build the nation. The government set up new schools and universities and hired westerners to teach the new generation modern technology. The reform of the Japanese family system became the topic of major debate in the 1870's Reformers wanted women to become full partners in the process of nation building and to learn skills that would allow them to live on their own. While the government agreed to some increases in education for women, it dealt harshly with other attempts at change.

Mother: American Films and Mom

I think the most important person in my life is my mother. The reason why I chose my mother is because she is really all I have, she is my motivation, and she helps me live through all my struggles. I wouldna t be able now to enjoy this minute of my life writing this essay without my mother. My mother has brought me to this wonderful world. For nine months she carried me, she felt very bad, but did not refuse, and gave birth to me. Looking back, my mom is the most positive and important influence on my life.Ia ve been mentioning my mom, in almost every essay I write. But I really cana t express how much I love her, in just words. My mom is a really big part of me, and shea s the person who influences and inspires me. I cana t imagine my life without her. What would I do I dona t know. Ia ve learned how to love her, since I met her for the first time. And I will always love her. She is everything for me. She always protects me and always supports me. She is always with me, when Ia hap py and when Ia m sad. She helps me with hard problems in my life, and she is glad for some good things I do. She helped me from the first, day I was born. She fed me; she didna t sleep for many nights, only to make me comfortable. She went for walks with me, and was always with me. From the first grade of my school, she helped me with my homework; she taught me how to behave. I am who I am, because of my mom. She always tries to make me a better person.From childhood, she hired a piano and chess teacher for me. She bought a lot of books for me to read. She bought some intellectual games and that kind of stuff. Sometimes I didna t like my piano lessons. But I still didna t tell that to my mom, because I didna t want her to be sad. I study hard to make her happy. I want her to be proud of me. I want her to feel, as I am the best child in the world, and as she is the best mom. I do everything for that. I behave myself very good in school, I dona fight and I obey the rules. She always s upports me for my goals and ambitions, and thata s the key in pursuing my dream. And what makes my mother the most important individual in my life aside from those that I have mentioned? It is the fact that even though how many times we fight, and even if I am not the best child she could ever have, she always makes me feel that I am the best gift she ever received from God. If I would have a chance to be born again, I would have chosen to be again her chi

Coke N Pepsi

CASE 1? 3 Coke and Pepsi Learn to Compete in India THE BEVERAGE BATTLEFIELD In 2007, the President and CEO of Coca-Cola asserted that Coke has had a rather rough run in India; but now it seems to be getting its positioning right. Similarly, PepsiCo’s Asia chief asserted that India is the beverage battle? eld for this decade and beyond. Even though the government had opened its doors wide to foreign companies, the experience of the world’s two giant soft drinks companies in India during the 1990s and the beginning of the new millennium was not a happy one.Both companies experienced a range of unexpected problems and dif? cult situations that led them to recognize that competing in India requires special knowledge, skills, and local expertise. In many ways, Coke and Pepsi managers had to learn the hard way that â€Å"what works here† does not always â€Å"work there. † â€Å"The environment in India is challenging, but we’re learning how to crack it, † says an industry leader. THE INDIAN SOFT DRINKS INDUSTRY In India, over 45 percent of the soft drinks industry in 1993 consisted of small manufacturers. Their combined business was worth $3. million dollars. Leading producers included Parle Agro (hereafter â€Å"Parle†), Pure Drinks, Modern Foods, and McDowells. They offered carbonated orange and lemon-lime beverage drinks. Coca-Cola Corporation (hereafter â€Å"Coca-Cola†) was only a distant memory to most Indians at that time. The company had been present in the Indian market from 1958 until its withdrawal in 1977 following a dispute with the government over its trade secrets. After decades in the market, Coca-Cola chose to leave India rather than cut its equity stake to 40 percent and hand over its secret formula for the syrup.Following Coca-Cola’s departure, Parle became the market leader and established thriving export franchise businesses in Dubai, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Oman in the Gulf, along with Sri Lanka. It set up production in Nepal and Bangladesh and served distant markets in Tanzania, Britain, the Netherlands, and the United States. Parle invested heavily in image advertising at home, establishing the dominance of its ? agship brand, Thums Up. Thums Up is a brand associated with a â€Å"job well done† and personal success.These are persuasive messages for its target market of young people aged 15 to 24 years. Parle has been careful in the past not to call Thums Up a cola drink so it has avoided direct comparison with Coke and Pepsi, the world’s brand leaders. The soft drinks market in India is composed of six product segments: cola, â€Å"cloudy lemon,† orange, â€Å"soda† (carbonated water), mango, and â€Å"clear lemon,† in order of importance. Cloudy lemon and clear lemon together make up the lemon-lime segment. Prior to the arrival of foreign producers in India, the ? ht for local dominance was between Parle’s Thums Up and Pure Drinks’ Campa Cola. In 1988, the industry had experienced a dramatic shakeout following a government warning that BVO, an essential ingredient in locally produced soft drinks, was carcinogenic. Producers either cat2994X_case1_001-017. indd cat2994X_case1_001-017. indd 10 had to resort to using a costly imported substitute, estergum, or they had to ? nance their own R&D in order to ? nd a substitute ingredient. Many failed and quickly withdrew from the industry.Competing with the segment of carbonated soft drinks is another beverage segment composed of noncarbonated fruit drinks. These are a growth industry because Indian consumers perceive fruit drinks to be natural, healthy, and tasty. The leading brand has traditionally been Parle’s Frooti, a mango-? avored drink, which was also exported to franchisees in the United States, Britain, Portugal, Spain, and Mauritius. OPENING INDIAN MARKET In 1991, India experienced an economic crisis of exceptional severity, t riggered by the rise in imported oil prices following the ? rst Gulf War (after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait).Foreign exchange reserves fell as nonresident Indians (NRIs) cut back on repatriation of their savings, imports were tightly controlled across all sectors, and industrial production fell while in? ation was rising. A new government took of? ce in June 1991 and introduced measures to stabilize the economy in the short term, then launched a fundamental restructuring program to ensure medium-term growth. Results were dramatic. By 1994, in? ation was halved, exchange reserves were greatly increased, exports were growing, and foreign investors were looking at India, a leading Big Emerging Market, with new eyes.The turnaround could not be overstated; as one commentator said, â€Å"India has been in economic depression for so long that everything except the snake-charmers, cows and the Taj Mahal has faded from the memory of the world. † The Indian government was viewed a s unfriendly to foreign investors. Outside investment had been allowed only in high-tech sectors and was almost entirely prohibited in consumer goods sectors. The â€Å"principle of indigenous availability† had speci? ed that if an item could be obtained anywhere else within the country, imports of similar items were forbidden.As a result, Indian consumers had little choice of products or brands and no guarantees of quality or reliability. Following liberalization of the Indian economy and the dismantling of complicated trade rules and regulations, foreign investment increased dramatically. Processed foods, software, engineering plastics, electronic equipment, power generation, and petroleum industries all bene? ted from the policy changes. PEPSICO AND COCA-COLA ENTER THE INDIAN MARKET Despite its huge population, India had not been considered by foreign beverage producers to be an important market.In addition to the deterrents imposed by the government through its austere tr ade policies, rules, and regulations, local demand for carbonated drinks in India was very low compared with countries at a similar stage of economic development. In 1989, the average Indian was buying only three bottles a year, compared with per-capita 8/27/10 1:58 PM Cases 1 An Overview consumption rates of 11 bottles a year in Bangladesh and 13 in Pakistan, India’s two neighbors. PepsiCo PepsiCo entered the Indian market in 1986 under the name â€Å"Pepsi Foods Ltd. n a joint venture with two local partners, Voltas and Punjab Agro. † As expected, very stringent conditions were imposed on the venture. Sales of soft drink concentrate to local bottlers could not exceed 25 percent of total sales for the new venture, and Pepsi Foods Ltd. was required to process and distribute local fruits and vegetables. The government also mandated that Pepsi Food’s products be promoted under the name â€Å"Lehar Pepsi† (â€Å"lehar† meaning â€Å"wave†). For eign collaboration rules in force at the time prohibited the use of foreign brand names on products intended for sale inside India.Although the requirements for Pepsi’s entry were considered stringent, the CEO of Pepsi-Cola International said at that time, â€Å"We’re willing to go so far with India because we want to make sure we get an early entry while the market is developing. † In keeping with local tastes, Pepsi Foods launched Lehar 7UP in the clear lemon category, along with Lehar Pepsi. Marketing and distribution were focused in the north and west around the major cities of Delhi and Mumbai (formally Bombay). An aggressive pricing policy on the one-liter bottles had a severe impact on the local producer, Pure Drinks.The market leader, Parle, preempted any further pricing moves by Pepsi Foods by introducing a new 250-ml bottle that sold for the same price as its 200-ml bottle. Pepsi Foods struggled to ? ght off local competition from Pure Drinks’ C ampa Cola, Duke’s lemonade, and various brands of Parle. The ? ght for dominance intensi? ed in 1993 with Pepsi Food’s launch of two new brands, Slice and Teem, along with the introduction of fountain sales. At this time, market shares in the cola segment were 60 percent for Parle (down from 70 percent), 26 percent for Pepsi Foods, and 10 percent for Pure Drinks. Coca-ColaIn May 1990, Coca-Cola attempted to reenter India by means of a proposed joint venture with a local bottling company owned by the giant Indian conglomerate, Godrej. The government turned down this application just as PepsiCo’s application was being approved. Undeterred, Coca-Cola made its return to India by joining forces with Britannia Industries India Ltd. , a local producer of snack foods. The new venture was called â€Å"Britco Foods. † Among local producers, it was believed at that time that CocaCola would not take market share away from local companies because the beverage market w as itself growing consistently from year to year.Yet this belief did not stop individual local producers from trying to align themselves with the market leader. Thus in July 1993, Parle offered to sell Coca-Cola its bottling plants in the four key cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Surat. In addition, Parle offered to sell its leading brands Thums Up, Limca, Citra, Gold Spot, and Mazaa. It chose to retain ownership only of Frooti and a soda (carbonated water) called Bisleri. FAST FORWARD TO THE NEW MILLENNIUM Seasonal Sales Promotions—2006 Navratri Campaign In India the summer season for soft drink consumption lasts 70 to 75 days, from mid-April to June.During this time, over 50 percent of the year’s carbonated beverages are consumed across the country. The second-highest season for cat2994X_case1_001-017. indd cat2994X_case1_001-017. indd 11 consumption lasts only 20 to 25 days during the cultural festival of Navratri (â€Å"Nav† means nine and â€Å"ratr i† means night). This traditional Gujarati festival goes on for nine nights in the state of Gujarat, in the western part of India. Mumbai also has a signi? cant Gujarati population that is considered part of the target market for this campaign. As the Regional Marketing Manager for Coca-Cola India tated, â€Å"As part of the ‘think local—act local’ business plan, we have tried to involve the masses in Gujarat with ‘Thums Up Toofani Ramjhat,’ with 20,000 free passes issued, one per Thums Up bottle. [‘Toofan’ means a thunderstorm and ‘ramjhat’ means ‘let’s dance,’ so together these words convey the idea of a ‘fast dance. ’] There are a number of [retail] on-site activities too, such as the ‘buy one—get one free’ scheme and lucky draws where one can win a free trip to Goa. † (Goa is an independent Portuguesespeaking state on the west coast of India, famed for its beaches and tourist resorts. For its part, PepsiCo also participates in annual Navratri celebrations through massive sponsorships of â€Å"garba† competitions in selected venues in Gujarat. (â€Å"Garba† is the name of a dance, done by women during the Navratri festival. ) The Executive Vice President for PepsiCo India commented: â€Å"For the ? rst time, Pepsi has tied up with the Gujarati TV channel, Zee Alpha, to telecast ‘Navratri Utsav’ on all nine nights. [‘Utsav’ means festival. ] Then there is the mega offer for the people of Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat, and Rajkot where every re? ll of a case of Pepsi 300-ml. ottles will fetch one kilo of Basmati rice free. † These four cities are located in the state of Gujarat. Basmati rice is considered a premium quality rice. After the initial purchase of a 300-ml bottle, consumers can get re? lls at reduced rates at select stores. The TV Campaign Both Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola engage in TV ca mpaigns employing local and regional festivals and sports events. A summer campaign featuring 7UP was launched by Pepsi with the objectives of growing the category and building brand awareness. The date was chosen to coincide with the India– Zimbabwe One-Day cricket series.The new campaign slogan was â€Å"Keep It Cool† to emphasize the product attribute of refreshment. The national campaign was to be reinforced with regionally adapted TV campaigns, outdoor activities, and retail promotions. A 200-ml bottle was introduced during this campaign in order to increase frequency of purchase and volume of consumption. Prior to the introduction of the 200-ml bottle, most soft drinks were sold in 250-ml, 300-ml, and 500-ml bottles. In addition to 7UP, Pepsi Foods also introduced Mirinda Lemon, Apple, and Orange in 200-ml bottles.In the past, celebrity actors Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda, who are famous male stars of the Indian movie industry, had endorsed Mirinda Lemon. This wo rld-famous industry is referred to as â€Å"Bollywood† (the Hollywood of India based in Bombay). Pepsi’s Sponsorship of Cricket and Football (Soccer) After India won an outstanding victory in the India–England NatWest One-Day cricket series ? nals, PepsiCo launched a new ad campaign featuring the batting sensation, Mohammad Kaif. PepsiCo’s line-up of other cricket celebrities includes Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, V .S. Laxman, and Ajit Agarkar. All of these players were . V part of the Indian team for the World Cup Cricket Series. During the two months of the Series, a new product, Pepsi Blue, was 8/27/10 1:58 PM Part 6 Supplementary Material marketed nationwide. It was positioned as a â€Å"limited edition,† icy-blue cola sold in 300-ml, returnable glass bottles and 500-ml plastic bottles, priced at 8 rupees (Rs) and Rs 15, respectively. In addition, commemorative, nonreturnable 250-ml Pepsi bottles priced at Rs 12 w ere introduced. One rupee was equal to US 2. 54 cents in 2008. ) In addition to the sponsorship of cricket events, PepsiCo has also taken advantage of World Cup soccer fever in India by featuring football heroes such as Baichung Bhutia in Pepsi’s celebrity and music-related advertising communications. These ads featured football players pitted against sumo wrestlers. To consolidate its investment in its promotional campaigns, PepsiCo sponsored a music video with celebrity endorsers including the Bollywood stars, as well as several nationally known cricketers.The new music video aired on SET Max, a satellite channel broadcast mainly in the northern and western parts of India and popular among the 15–25 year age group. Coca-Cola’s Lifestyle Advertising While Pepsi’s promotional efforts focused on cricket, soccer, and other athletic events, Coca-Cola’s India strategy focused on relevant local idioms in an effort to build a â€Å"connection with the y outh market. † The urban youth target market, known as â€Å"India A,† includes 18–24 year olds in major metropolitan areas. Several ad campaigns were used to appeal to this market segment.One campaign was based on use of â€Å"gaana† music and ballet. (â€Å"Gaana† means to sing. ) The ? rst ad execution, called â€Å"Bombay Dreams,† featured A. R. Rahman, a famous music director. This approach was very successful among the target audience of young people, increasing sales by about 50 percent. It also won an Ef? Award from the Mumbai Advertising Club. A second execution of Coke’s southern strategy was â€Å"Chennai Dreams† (Chennai was formerly called Madras), a 60-second feature ? lm targeting consumers in Tamil Nadu, a region of southern India. The ? m featured Vijay, a youth icon who is famous as an actor in that region of south India. Another of the 60-second ? lms featured actor Vivek Oberoi with Aishwarya Rai. Both are fa mous as Bollywood movie stars. Aishwarya won the Miss World crown in 1994 and became an instant hit in Indian movies after deciding on an acting career. This ad showed Oberoi trying to hook up with Rai by deliberately leaving his mobile phone in the taxi that she hails, and then calling her. The ad message aimed to emphasize con? dence and optimism, as well as a theme of â€Å"seize the day. This campaign used print, outdoor, point-of-sale, restaurant and grocery chains, and local promotional events to tie into the 60-second ? lm. â€Å"While awareness of soft drinks is high, there is a need to build a deeper brand connect† in urban centers, according to the Director of Marketing for CocaCola India. â€Å"Vivek Oberoi—who’s an up and coming star today, and has a wholesome, energetic image—will help build a stronger bond with the youth, and make them feel that it is a brand that plays a role in their life, just as much as Levi’s or Ray-Ban. †In addition to promotions focused on urban youth, Coca-Cola India worked hard to build a brand preference among young people in rural target markets. The campaign slogan aimed at this market was â€Å"thanda matlab Coca-Cola† (or â€Å"cool means Coca-Cola† in Hindi). Coca-Cola India calls its rural youth target market â€Å"India B. † The prime objective in this market is to grow the generic soft drinks category and to develop brand preference for Coke. The â€Å"thanda† (â€Å"cold†) campaign successfully propelled Coke into the number three position in rural markets. cat2994X_case1_001-017. ndd cat2994X_case1_001-017. indd 12 Continuing to court the youth market, Coke has opened its ? rst retail outlet, Red Lounge. The Red Lounge is touted as a one-stopdestination where the youth can spend time and consume Coke products. The ? rst Red Lounge pilot outlet is in Pune, and based on the feedback, more outlets will be rolled out in other cities. The lounge sports red color, keeping with the theme of the Coke logo. It has a giant LCD television, video games, and Internet sur? ng facilities. The lounge offers the entire range of Coke products.The company is also using Internet to extend its reach into the public domain through the Web site www. myenjoyzone. com. The company has created a special online â€Å"Sprite-itude† zone that provides consumers opportunities for online gaming and expressing their creativity, keeping with the no-nonsense attitude of the drink. Coca-Cola’s speci? c marketing objectives are to grow the percapita consumption of soft drinks in the rural markets, capture a larger share in the urban market from competition, and increase the frequency of consumption.An â€Å"affordability plank,† along with introduction of a new 5-rupee bottle, was designed to help achieve all of these goals. The â€Å"Affordability Plank† The purpose of the â€Å"affordability plank† was to enha nce affordability of Coca-Cola’s products, bringing them within arm’s reach of consumers, and thereby promoting regular consumption. Given the very low percapita consumption of soft drinks in India, it was expected that price reductions would expand both the consumer base and the market for soft drinks. Coca-Cola India dramatically reduced prices of its soft drinks by 15 percent to 25 percent nationwide to encourage consumption.This move followed an earlier regional action in North India that reduced prices by 10–15 percent for its carbonated brands Coke, Thums Up, Limca, Sprite, and Fanta. In other regions such as Rajasthan, western and eastern Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, prices were slashed to Rs 5 for 200-ml glass bottles and Rs 8 for 300-ml bottles, down from the existing Rs 7 and Rs 10 price points, respectively. Another initiative by Coca-Cola was the introduction of a new size, the â€Å"Mini,† expected to increase total volume of sales and acco unt for the major chunk of Coca-Cola’s carbonated soft drink sales.The price reduction and new production launch were announced together in a new television ad campaign for Fanta and Coke in Tamil. A 30-second Fanta spot featured the brand ambassador, actress Simran, well-known for her dance sequences in Hindi movies. The ad showed Simran stuck in a traf? c jam. Thirsty, she tosses a 5-rupee coin to a roadside stall and signals to the vendor that she wants a Fanta Mini by pointing to her orange dress. (Fanta is an orangeade drink. ) She gets her Fanta and sets off a chain reaction on the crowded street, with everyone from school children to a traditional â€Å"nani† mimicking her action. â€Å"Nani† is the Hindi word for grandmother. ) The director of marketing commented that the company wanted to make consumers â€Å"sit up and take notice. † A NEW PRODUCT CATEGORY Although carbonated drinks are the mainstay of both Coke’s and Pepsi’s produ ct line, the Indian market for carbonated drinks is now not growing. It grew at a compounded annual growth rate of only 1 percent between 1999 and 2006, from $1. 31 billion to $1. 32 billion. However, the overall market for beverages, which includes soft drinks, juices, and other drinks, grew 6 percent from $3. 15 billion to $3. 4 billion. To encourage growth in demand for bottled beverages in the Indian market, several producers, including Coke and Pepsi, have 8/27/10 1:58 PM Cases 1 An Overview launched their own brands in a new category, bottled water. This market was valued at 1,000 Crores. 1 Pepsi and Coke are responding to the declining popularity of soft drinks or carbonated drinks and the increased focus on all beverages that are non-carbonated. The ultimate goal is leadership in the packaged water market, which is growing more rapidly than any other category of bottled beverages.Pepsi is a signi? cant player in the packaged water market with its Aqua? na brand, which has a signi? cant share of the bottled water market and is among the top three retail water brands in the country. PepsiCo consistently has been working toward reducing its dependence on Pepsi Cola by bolstering its non-cola portfolio and other categories. This effort is aimed at making the company more broad-based in category growth so that no single product or category becomes the key determinant of the company’s market growth.The non-cola segment is said to have grown to contribute one-fourth of PepsiCo’s overall business in India during the past three to four years. Previously, the multinational derived a major chunk of its growth from Pepsi-Cola. Among other categories on which the company is focusing are fruit juices, juice-based drinks, and water. The estimated fruit juice market in India is approximately 350 Crores and growing month to month. One of the key factors that has triggered this trend is the emergence of the mass luxury segment and increasing consumer consc iousness about health and wellness. Our hugely successful international brand Gatorade has gained momentum in the country with consumers embracing a lifestyle that includes sports and exercise. The emergence of high-quality gymnasiums, ? tness and aerobic centres mirror the ? tness trend,† said a spokesperson. Coca-Cola introduced its Kinley brand of bottled water and in two years achieved a 28 percent market share. It initially produced bottled water in 15 plants and later expanded to another 15 plants. The Kinley brand of bottled water sells in various pack sizes: 500 ml, 1 liter, 1. 5 liter, 2 liter, 5 liter, 20 liter, and 25 liter.The smallest pack was priced at Rs 6 for 500 ml, while the 2-liter bottle was Rs 17. The current market leader, with 40 percent market share, is the Bisleri brand by Parle. Other competing brands in this segment include Bailley by Parle, Hello by Hello Mineral Waters Pvt. Ltd. , Pure Life by Nestle, and a new brand launched by Indian Railways, ca lled Rail Neer. CONTAMINATION ALLEGATIONS AND WATER USAGE Just as things began to look up for the American companies, an environmental organization claimed that soft drinks produced in India by Coca-Cola and Pepsi contained signi? cant levels of pesticide residue.Coke and Pepsi denied the charges and argued that extensive use of pesticides in agriculture had resulted in a minute degree of pesticide in sugar used in their drinks. The result of tests conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare showed that soft drinks produced by the two companies were safe to drink under local health standards. Protesters in India reacted to reports that Coca-Cola and Pepsi contained pesticide residues. Some states announced partial bans on Coke and Pepsi products. When those reports appeared on the front pages of newspapers in India, Coke and Pepsi executives were con? ent that they could handle the situation. But they stumbled. 1 One Crore cat2994X_case1_001-017. indd cat2994X_case1_001-0 17. indd 13 10,000,000 Rupees, and US$1 Rs48, so 1,000 Crore US$208,300. They underestimated how quickly events would spiral into a nationwide scandal, misjudged the speed with which local politicians would seize on an Indian environmental group’s report to attack their global brands, and did not respond swiftly to quell the anxieties of their customers. The companies formed committees in India and the United States, working in tandem on legal and public relations issues.They worked around the clock fashioning rebuttals. They commissioned their own laboratories to conduct tests and waited until the results came through before commenting in detail. Their approaches back? red. Their reluctance to give details fanned consumer suspicion. They became bogged down in the technicalities of the charges instead of focusing on winning back the support of their customers. At the start, both companies were unprepared when one state after another announced partial bans on Coke and Pepsi pr oducts; the drinks were prevented from being sold in government of? es, hospitals, and schools. Politicians exploited the populist potential. In hindsight, the Coke communications director said she could see how the environmental group had picked Coca-Cola as a way of attracting attention to the broader problem of pesticide contamination in Indian food products. â€Å"Fringe politicians will continue to be publicly hostile to big Western companies, regardless of how eager they are for their investment,† she said. Failing to anticipate the political potency of the incident, Coke and Pepsi initially hoped that the crisis would blow over and they adopted a policy of silence. Here people interpret silence as guilt,† said an Indian public relations expert. â€Å"You have to roll up your sleeves and get into a street ? ght. Coke and Pepsi didn’t understand that. † Coca-Cola eventually decided to go on the attack, though indirectly, giving detailed brie? ngs by e xecutives, who questioned the scienti? c credentials of their products’ accusers. They directed reporters to Internet blogs full of entries that were uniformly proCoke, and they handed out the cell phone number for the director of an organization called the Center for Sanity and Balance in Public Life.Emphasizing that he was not being paid by the industry, Kishore Asthana, from that center, said, â€Å"One can drink a can of Coke every day for two years before taking in as much pesticide as you get from two cups of tea. † The situation continued to spin out of control. Newspapers printed images of cans of the drinks with headlines like â€Å"toxic cocktail. † News channels broadcast images of protesters pouring Coke down the throats of donkeys. A vice president for CocaCola India said his â€Å"heart sank† when he ? rst heard the accusations because he knew that consumers would be easily confused. But even terminology like P. P. B. —parts per billi on—is dif? cult to comprehend,† he said. â€Å"This makes our job very challenging. † PepsiCo began a public relations offensive, placing large advertisements in daily newspapers saying, â€Å"Pepsi is one of the safest beverages you can drink today. † The company acknowledged that pesticides were present in the groundwater in India and found their way into food products in general. But, it said, â€Å"compared with the permitted levels in tea and other food products, pesticide levels in soft drinks are negligible. After all the bad press Coke got in India over the pesticide content in its soft drinks, an activist group in California launched a campaign directed at U. S. college campuses, accusing CocaCola of India of using precious groundwater, lacing its drinks with pesticides, and supplying farmers with toxic waste used for fertilizing their crops. According to one report, a plant that 8/27/10 1:58 PM Part 6 Supplementary Material produces 300,000 lite rs of soda drink a day uses 1. 5 million liters of water, enough to meet the requirements of 20,000 people.The issue revolved around a bottling plant in Plachimada, India. Although the state government granted Coke permission to build its plant in 1998, the company was obliged to get the locally elected village council’s go-ahead to exploit groundwater and other resources. The village council did not renew permission in 2002, claiming the bottling operation had depleted the farmers’ drinking water and irrigation supplies. Coke’s plant was closed until the corporation won a court ruling allowing them to reopen.The reopening of the plant in 2006 led students of a major Midwestern university to call for a ban on the sale of all Coca-Cola products on campus. According to one source, more than 20 campuses banned Coca-Cola products, and hundreds of people in the United States called on Coca-Cola to close its bottling plants because the plants drain water from communit ies throughout India. They contended that such irresponsible practices rob the poor of their fundamental right to drinking water, are a source of toxic waste, cause serious harm to the environment, and threaten people’s health.In an attempt to stem the controversy, Coca-Cola entered talks with the Midwestern university and agreed to cooperate with an independent research assessment of its work in India; the university selected the institute to conduct the research, and Coke ? nanced the study. As a result of the proposed research program, the university agreed to continue to allow Coke products to be sold on campus. In 2008 the study reported that none of the pesticides were found to be present in processed water used for beverage production and that the plants met governmental regulatory standards.However, the report voiced concerns about the company’s use of sparse water supplies. Coca-Cola was asked by the Delhi-based environmental research group to consider shuttin g down one of its bottling plants in India. Coke’s response was that â€Å"the easiest thing would be to shut down, but the solution is not to run away. If we shut down, the area is still going to have a water problem. We want to work with farming communities and industries to reduce the amount of water used. † The controversies highlight the challenges that multinational companies can face in their overseas operations.Despite the huge popularity of the drinks, the two companies are often held up as symbols of Western cultural imperialism. QUESTIONS 1. The political environment in India has proven to be critical to company performance for both PepsiCo and Coca-Cola India. What speci? c aspects of the political environment have played key roles? Could these effects have been anticipated prior to market entry? If not, could developments in the political arena have been handled better by each company? 2. Timing of entry into the Indian market brought different esults for PepsiCo and Coca-Cola India. What bene? ts or disadvantages accrued as a result of earlier or later market entry? 3. The Indian market is enormous in terms of population and geography. How have the two companies responded to the cat2994X_case1_001-017. indd cat2994X_case1_001-017. indd 14 sheer scale of operations in India in terms of product policies, promotional activities, pricing policies, and distribution arrangements? 4. â€Å"Global localization† (glocalization) is a policy that both companies have mplemented successfully. Give examples for each company from the case. 5. How can Pepsi and Coke confront the issues of water use in the manufacture of their products? How can they defuse further boycotts or demonstrations against their products? How effective are activist groups like the one that launched the campaign in California? Should Coke address the group directly or just let the furor subside? 6. Which of the two companies do you think has better longterm prospects for success in India? 7.What lessons can each company draw from its Indian experience as it contemplates entry into other Big Emerging Markets? 8. Comment on the decision of both Pepsi and Coke to enter the bottled water market instead of continuing to focus on their core products—carbonated beverages and cola-based drinks in particular. 9. Most recently Coca-Cola has decided to enter the growing Indian market for energy drinks, forecasted to grow to $370 billion in 2013 from less than half that in 2003. The competition in this market is ? erce with established ? rms including Red Bull and Sobe.With its new brand Burn, Coke initially targeted alternative distribution channels such as pubs, bars, and gyms rather than large retail outlets such as supermarkets. Comment on this strategy. This case was prepared by Lyn S. Amine, Ph. D. , Professor of Marketing and International Business, Distinguished Fellow of the Academy of Marketing Science, President, Women of the Academy of In ternational Business, Saint Louis University, and Vikas Kumar, Assistant Professor, Strategic Management Institute, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy. Dr. Lyn S.Amine and Vikas Kumar prepared this case from public sources as a basis for classroom discussion only. It is not intended to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of administrative problems. The case was revised in 2005 and 2008 with the authors’ permission. Sources: Lyn S. Amine and Deepa Raizada, â€Å"Market Entry into the Newly Opened Indian Market: Recent Experiences of US Companies in the Soft Drinks Industry,† in Developments in Marketing Science, XVIII, proceedings of the annual conference of the Academy of Marketing Science, Roger Gomes (ed. ) (Coral Gables, FL: AMS, 1995), pp. 87–92; Jeff Cioletti, â€Å"Indian Government Says Coke and Pepsi Safe,† Beverage World, September 15, 2003; â€Å"Indian Group Plans Coke, Pepsi Protests After Pesticide Claims,† AFP, December 15, 2004; â€Å"Fortune Sellers,† Foreign Policy, May/ June 2004; â€Å"International Pressure Grows to Permanently Close Coke Bottling Plant in Plachimada,† PR Newswire, June 15, 2005; â€Å"Indian Village Refuses Coca-Cola License to Exploit Ground Water,† AFP, June 14, 2005; â€Å"Why Everyone Loves to Hate Coke,† Economist Times, June 16, 2005; â€Å"PepsiCo India To Focus on Non-Cola Segment,† Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, September 22, 2006; â€Å"For 2 Giants of Soft Drinks, A Crisis in a Crucial Market,† The New York Times, August 23, 2006; â€Å"Coke and Pepsi Try to Reassure India That Drinks Are Safe,† The New York Times, August 2006; â€Å"Catalyst: The Fizz in Water† Financial Times Limited, October 11, 2007; â€Å"Marketing: Coca-Cola Foraying Into Retail Lounge Format,† Business Line, â€Å"April 7, 2007; â€Å"India Ops Now in Control, Says Coke Boss,† The Times of India, October 3, 2007; à ¢â‚¬Å"Pepsi: Repairing a Poisoned Reputation in India; How the Soda Giant Fought Charges of Tainted Products in a Country Fixated on its Polluted Water,† Business Week, June 11, 2007, p. 48; â€Å"Coca-Cola Asked to Shut Indian Plant to Save Water,† International Herald Tribune, January 15, 2008; â€Å"Coca Cola: A Second Shot at Energy Drinks,† DataMonitor, January 2010. 8/27/10 1:58 PM